Though I have not left for Europe quite yet (February 8th!!), I thought it would be a good idea to mark down what fun and stress I am having planning the trip. My friend Sam has kindly agreed (though I think she sees it as a bonus rather than a chore) to come with me as I explore the wonderfully artistic country of Italy. We are so alike that it is the same as planning just for myself, but with the added comfort of having someone to share the experiences with me. So the fun part is watching that stage of my journey come together; hostels are booked, sites are picked, and train schedules noted. I am starting to feel the presence of Italy already!
But the stressful part comes as I move on to the other three weeks of my European tour. I have decided to hit only the places that are: a) going to be hard to see in a weekend trip from Erfurt because they are further away; b) likely to be places that I would want to visit alone; or c.) probably would not be a popular excursion choice for a group from Erfurt. So I have narrowed it down to the UK and France. Now all I have to do is decide what else, besides the obvious London and Paris, I would like to see. Any suggestions? Be sure to shoot them my way.
In conclusion, my least favorite aspects of traveling in Europe:
1.) picking places to stay!
2.) museums that require reservations (and an additional fee for reserving, of course)
3.) picking places to stay!
4.) and finally, narrowing down my list of places to go from "EVERYWHERE!!!!" to a more feasible itinerary.
But to keep the balance, my favorite aspects of traveling in Europe:
1.) high-speed trains shrinking an already small continent
2.) museums, even if they require reservations, with nothing short of the best art in the world
3.) the experience of hosteling
4.) speaking broken, mispronounced Italian and French (with the help of a phrasebook), and significantly better but short of sufficient German
5.) the chance to break out of my small-town American girl mentality
and finally:
6.) the chance to get lost everywhere I go then get helped by a kond-hearted local, to taste local life and cuisine, to misunderstand and to be misunderstood, to see the beauty of the European landscapes and its equally varying people, and--of course--to have the single most amazing experience of my life.
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2 comments:
Hello, Angie. Aunt Beth said she had just looked at your blog and is wanting to post a comment. I realized that I hadn't looked at it for a while and am amazed at the change from the first!! Hopefully you will get this comment...
You don´t have plans to visit España? Come On!!!!
I made it to Italy in early December, you are going to have a blast, but if you go to Venice watch out for the mosquitos!
Some people say that travelling alone is a bad idea, but I disagree and so does my roommate. You´ll be able to go at your pace, doing what you want to do, seeing what you want to see. Plus, you´ll meet peeps in the hostel. It´s hard travelling with a big group, in my opinion the optimal number for a travel group is between 2 and 4 people, no more.
Yo espero que tengas un buen viaje,
¡Buenos suerte!
- John Cook
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