Nina has officially left me :(
Since I'm all alone in Rome, I decided to take a relax night and blog about the highlights of the backpacking adventure and lessons learned.
So, here are a few things I've learned this summer and tips for those of you who may be travelling in the future.
1. No matter what you pack - it's always too much. Minimize your life and do laundry as you go - that way you can buy pretty new things for yourself and friends everywhere you go.
2. Travelling by yourself is fun and wonderful, but travelling with a friend is so much better. Being able to share experiences with one of your best friends will be something you'll have for the rest of your lives.
3. Plan loosely, but make sure you know about transportation systems in each country. We planned to take buses everywhere, but some countries (*cough*France*cough*) want you to take the train, so they don't allow buses to take you from province to province.
4. Research and ask everyone you know about hostels in every place you're staying - most of the best hostels I stayed in were based upon recommendations and I never would have found them otherwise.
5. Trust everyone when they say that pickpocketing and burglary happens in Barcelona, Paris, and Rome - seriously, it does. Hold on to everything you own very tightly or you might just end up spending your first evening in Paris in a police station.
6. No matter how long you stay in a city - you can't see everything. Trips like this are more to show you where you want to go back someday (because I will be back someday...)
7. Even though you want to see everything - plan a relaxation day here and there, because you will get sick if you don't (and possibly even if you do) henceforth severely impacting parts of your journey in a negative way.
8. Travelling without a base/home is much more difficult than travelling with one. Having Sarajevo as a base city was great and allowed for much more relaxed and easy going travelling - being a vagabond is fun, but exhausting.
9. 10 people should never share one room.
10. Mixed dorm rooms in hostels means boys and girls - and boys snore - if you can, book female only dorms - if you're male, well that just sucks for you.
11. It's okay to not go out and party every night with all the other backpackers. You don't have to get drunk every night to have a good time and meet people - sometimes (and for us it was most times) just seeing the city and it's sites is enough - that's what you're there for after all.
12. You don't have to be a "foodie" to go out and enjoy local food in every country. Don't order American style food you can get at home unless you're super homesick - and DO NOT get American fast food (McDonald's is the devil when you're travelling)
13. Don't feel guilty ignoring the rest of the world while you travel - everything will still be there when you get back.
14. Buy small things as gifts for people - magnets, jewelry, key chains, etc. - they will still appreciate them while they won't take up your entire bag.
15. While some people may be against drinking alcohol (particularly if you come from a conservative Christian background) you aren't living by their standards - so don't feel guilty about trying local wines and drinks wherever you go. In Europe, it's a part of their culture and can be an integral part of your European experience.
16. Germany and Italy have the best food.
17. Even if you love taking pictures - you'll get tired of taking soooooo many pictures because tourists are everywhere and ruin everything.
18. That being said - tourists suck! Especially Continental Europeans and Asians (sorry to stereotype, but it's totally true). Americans and Canadians tend to be super nice and considerate about everything (as do people from the UK, generally) but Continental Europeans don't care about personal space or that they just happen to walk into your picture or talk over your video. Asian people (sorry again for the stereotypes) just take pictures of everything imaginable - I don't know why, because who really wants to see a picture of the piece of gum on the sidewalk outside of the Colosseum?
19. People in London are quite obviously tired of tourists after the Olympics - and they are quite rude because of it.
20. There are some places you HAVE to get up early for to beat the crowds - The Louvre and The Vatican being the main two.
21. Buses are cheap, generally pretty empty, and takes about the same amount of time as the train (unless you pay exorbitantly for the super fast train) - and, they often drop you off at the same point as a train would - they're well worth the reduced cost.
22. While we're on the subject of transportation, why don't we have RyanAir in the U.S.??? While they might be a pain to get to, it's dirt cheap and worth the extra effort.
I'm sure there are more I'll come up with as soon as I post this, but for now I'm going to relax, watch a movie, and go to bed so I'm fully prepared to enjoy my last day in Europe.
Now, please enjoy some of the highlights of the summer...
Street performances and free concerts/dances in Prague.
Wandering castle grounds...everywhere.
Salzburg and the Sound of Music tour.
Fulfilling a lifelong dream to see Chateau d'If.
The Palace of Versailles and the Hall of Mirrors.
Picnicking in front of the Eiffel Tower (minus the being attacked and have the iphone stolen part of it)
Seeing the statue of Nike in person at the Louvre.
Watching the sun set over Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower while sipping champagne.
Street performances in Galway, Ireland (seriously - look at all those instruments)
Staying in a 300 year old cottage in idyllic Ireland.
Watching Nina try and hate Guinness in Ireland.
Visiting the Cliffs of Moher.
Taking a double-decker tour bus in London.
Seeing Buckingham Palace when the Queen was home.
Taking a "Jack the Ripper" tour through the East End of London.
Getting freaked out by the "Jack the Ripper" tour in the East End of London.
Sipping cocktails and watching the sun set over London from a fancy high-rise building.
Being goofs in the Tower of London...
Going to Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station.
Picnicking in London while watching the Paralympic Games on the big screen.
Having a fantastically amazing day out in London complete with cocktails at a bar with a secret entrance.
Visiting Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany (even if it was under construction and I was super sick)
Venice.
Buses - buses - everywhere...
Shopping til we dropped in Firenze (those are all my bags - seriously, I think Nina had one small thing inside one of my purchases...)
Visiting the square in Siena and seeing the houses of the 9 Lords of Siena.
Visiting Tuscany and a beautiful organic Villa.
Wine and balsamic tasting...
Then having the most AMAZING meal I've ever had in my life.
Vatican City complete with a guided tour through the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel and then seeing St. Peter's Basilica and Square.
Throwing a coin in the Trevi Fountain.
Travelling all of Europe with my best friend and both of us surviving :)
I'm going to miss travelling Europe and seeing all of these amazing sites, but I'm very excited to finally be coming home. See you soon America - very, very soon.
