This installment has been anguished over (blood, sweat, and tears people) because my dad told me that “everyone is reading it” and this one “better be good”. So here I go.
As the theme song from one of my favorite television shows ever proclaims, “So no one told you life was gonna be this way (clap clap clap clap)”.
If you had told me this time last year that I would spend the past week and a half traveling to three different countries, eating impeccable food, and seeing some of the most beautiful sights I have ever beheld, I probably would have laughed in your face. I was excited to be traveling but unable to comprehend how wonderful it would actually be. At the same time, I was most definitely not expecting how stressful traveling can actually be. Totally worth it, but absolutely crazy.
Paris, Barcelona, and Turin. Ten Days. Three Cities. I’ve now seen Fifty Shades of Grey movie posters in five different languages; I have to say if I never see another one, I’ll be a happy girl. I’ve struggled, to varying degrees of success, with three different languages. I’ve spilled sparkling water in France, sangria in Spain, and red wine in Italy. I’ve tried escargot and macaroons, paella and tapas, aperitifs and *sigh* gelato. I’ve looked down on cities from above and soaked in the feeling of being on top of the world: Paris, from atop the Eiffel Tower and Sacre Cour, Barcelona, from Park Guell and the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Turin, from Monte dei Cappuccini and the Italian Alps. I’ve strained my neck trying to see the top of the Eiffel Tower, La Sagrada Familia, and Mole Antonelliana, and sympathized with ladybugs while standing beneath these marvels. I have wondered in awe at the Mona Lisa’s feet, at the color flooding in the stained glassed windows of La Sagrada Familia, and at the massive mountains and sunrise whizzing past me on a train. There is so much to say.
Paris: Dazzling
Paris was an absolute whirlwind. The City of Lights truly lived up to the hype and my expectations. We had three days of perfect weather. You can feel the sophistication and culture in the air. Friday was jam packed with activities and things to do, each one more unbelievable than the next. Our first stop was Notre Dame, which, as a huge Quasimodo fan, had me babbling and repeating over and over how “unreal” this all was. We were able to go to the bridge with the locks that is not all boarded up and see the massive amounts of locks that weigh it down. One of the locks had the phrase, “Love needs no Lock” written on it with the names of the lovers written on the other side, which, now that I think about it, is a bit of a contradiction. We ended Friday with a glorious four course meal including escargot and French wine, right after we saw and climbed, yes, you guessed it, the Eiffel Tower.
You know how the Mona Lisa is smaller than expected and when people see it they’re really disappointed because it’s supposed to be this larger than life famous painting? The Eiffel Tower was not like that. We got off the Metro and turned a corner and there it was and I was stunned. It was right before sunset and the tower is gigantic and I almost cried. Photo after photo was snapped until everyone (we were in a tour group of 13 which included 12 girls) was satisfied and we got in the elevator to take us to the second floor of the tower, about halfway up. The view of Paris was stunning, it is a sea of marble, shades of white and cream-colored buildings that seem to go on forever. The height restriction of buildings in Paris make sure that the uniformity and sophisticated ambiance of the city remains intact (the one building that violates that restriction is hated by Parisians, and by me). When it was finally time to go back down to earth, we had to walk down the stairs and my legs were shaking for an hour afterwards; from the height or from the overwhelming realization of where I was I honestly can’t decide.
The next two days were filled with more visits to places I’ve only ever read (dreamt) about: The Louvre to meet Mona, who I thought was remarkably endearing regardless of her size and the Palace of Versailles to see the gorgeous monster that played such a profound role in history (French Revolution, WWI, etc.). A really amazing treat was that I got to see some friends while I was there; I got to explore the Montmarte district and trek up the Sacre Cour with my teammates Katie and Steph and their parents! We were also lucky enough to go on a bike tour of central Paris at sunset and a boat cruise on the Seine, the backdrop of which was the sparkling Eiffel Tower. Life was but a dream in Paris. Standing on a bridge with lights surrounding me was like an out of body experience. It was one of those rare moments where reality transcends fantasy.
It was only fitting that at such a high point in my life, something had to go wrong. My friend Andrea and I traveled together all week and after a series of unfortunate events, including a broken down metro and getting lost, we missed our bus to Barcelona. Thankfully, my lovely friends rescued us and we were able to book a last minute flight the next morning! The horrors of travel are so very real and despite the disastrousness of it all, Paris was absolutely remarkable.
Barcelona: Vibrant
Coming off of a dramatic ending in Paris, sunny, warm Barcelona was exactly what we needed. Though it didn’t have the same level of hustle and bustle as Paris did, Barcelona was wilder and crazier in so many other ways. We started our four days there with a tall glass of sangria and a refreshing lunch by the Arc de Triumph. Our first day was very relaxed and we had 70 degree weather so we went to the beach and ate dinner there. Basking in the warm sun on the beach, I almost felt like I was home in Long Beach.
Our second day was all about Gaudi. We went on a free walking tour of Barcelona that was all Gaudi and we got to see La Sagrada Familia from the outside which was absolutely breathtaking but at the same time puzzling because it is completely unfinished and probably won’t be until at least 2030. The next time I see it, the structure of the building will be completely different. It is a truly unique building because its production began so long ago but our generation will see it completed. Then we strolled around Park Guell (Gaudi Park) for a few hours. Yes, I did channel the Cheetah Girls as I sat on the beautiful mosaic benches. It was cool to see how different Gaudi’s many works were, but at the same time his signature style was apparent in all of them.
The rest of our time in Barcelona was filled with sun, light jackets, churros, and tapas. We braved a rain storm to see the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya and gorgeous fountains. We met a mixture of cool people at our hostel from all over the world who were there for all different reasons: a guy from California had just quit his job and decided to travel until his money ran out, a girl from China with her Masters in Economics was traveling from Germany where she was finishing her degree, and a guy from New Zealand who had visited the hostel a year before and decided to stay. We went inside the stellar Sagrada Familia and saw the sun shine through the multicolored stained glass windows and walked amongst the tree-like pillars, as Gaudi had intended the interior to feel like a forest. We strolled along Las Ramblas (holding onto our bags for dear life) and walked through the famous market La Boqueria where we tried every flavor of fruit juice and ate empanadas. I left Barcelona reflecting upon the million different colors of the vibrant and exciting city.
Turin: Normal
Unlike Paris and Barcelona, Turin was not tourist central. Yes, there were tourist with cameras in the city center (myself included), but we were able to experience the city in a much more natural way. We explored the city center the first day, but that took about an hour. We wandered through one of the biggest fresh food markets in the entire world and climbed a hill to Monte dei Cappuchini to get a phenomenal view of the Italian Alps in the backdrop of the insanely beautiful city. We ate sandwiches and made friends with locals in the park (the owner of the restaurant gave us free wine) and ate pizza and gelato. We experienced apertitivos at one of the trendiest restaurants in the city. We took a day trip into the Alps and got a mind-blowing view on the train. We found ourselves in the small town of Oulx in the foothills and at the tourist office were directed to four touristy spots within a mile of each other and were told “That’s Oulx!”. The view of the mountains from the town however, was more than satisfying, we were in total awe and it was 100% worth it. People asked us why we picked Turin and some people told us they had never even heard of it. Truth be told, we had no idea what to expect but it was such a good decision. It was the perfect relaxing end to a busy and exhausting, but wonderful trip.
Despite having an amazing time, I was anxious and excited to get back to Copenhagen and normalcy. Seriously, be careful what you wish for. Because of the SAS strike, our flight on Sunday night got cancelled and we got placed on another flight…..twelve hours earlier. We had to work magic to book new trains (at 5 o'clock in the morning) to get to Milan from Turin and from Milan to the airport but thankfully we made it! We were home in Copenhagen at 2pm on Sunday and I’ve never been so happy to see Danish on the airport signs.
So, now you see why I said traveling is stressful but completely worth it. Missed buses, pickpockets, and cancelled flights are real things that happen! Putting it philosophically, travel, like life, has its ups and downs, its highs and lows, but when bad things happen they most definitely do not spoil the good things, they make them more important. No one could have prepared me for the whirlwind that is traveling Europe the same way no one can prepare me for everything life and the future holds. All I can do is focus on the good, and take the difficult as it comes and try to live by the mantra:
Too blessed to be stressed,
Meg
“The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don’t always soften the bad things, but vice versa, the bad things don’t always spoil the good things or make them unimportant.”
Superlatives:
Paris: Most Complex Metro System
Barcelona: Most Likely to Be Pick-Pocketed
Turin: Least Likely to Speak English
*pictures to follow!
As the theme song from one of my favorite television shows ever proclaims, “So no one told you life was gonna be this way (clap clap clap clap)”.
If you had told me this time last year that I would spend the past week and a half traveling to three different countries, eating impeccable food, and seeing some of the most beautiful sights I have ever beheld, I probably would have laughed in your face. I was excited to be traveling but unable to comprehend how wonderful it would actually be. At the same time, I was most definitely not expecting how stressful traveling can actually be. Totally worth it, but absolutely crazy.
Paris, Barcelona, and Turin. Ten Days. Three Cities. I’ve now seen Fifty Shades of Grey movie posters in five different languages; I have to say if I never see another one, I’ll be a happy girl. I’ve struggled, to varying degrees of success, with three different languages. I’ve spilled sparkling water in France, sangria in Spain, and red wine in Italy. I’ve tried escargot and macaroons, paella and tapas, aperitifs and *sigh* gelato. I’ve looked down on cities from above and soaked in the feeling of being on top of the world: Paris, from atop the Eiffel Tower and Sacre Cour, Barcelona, from Park Guell and the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Turin, from Monte dei Cappuccini and the Italian Alps. I’ve strained my neck trying to see the top of the Eiffel Tower, La Sagrada Familia, and Mole Antonelliana, and sympathized with ladybugs while standing beneath these marvels. I have wondered in awe at the Mona Lisa’s feet, at the color flooding in the stained glassed windows of La Sagrada Familia, and at the massive mountains and sunrise whizzing past me on a train. There is so much to say.
Paris: Dazzling
Paris was an absolute whirlwind. The City of Lights truly lived up to the hype and my expectations. We had three days of perfect weather. You can feel the sophistication and culture in the air. Friday was jam packed with activities and things to do, each one more unbelievable than the next. Our first stop was Notre Dame, which, as a huge Quasimodo fan, had me babbling and repeating over and over how “unreal” this all was. We were able to go to the bridge with the locks that is not all boarded up and see the massive amounts of locks that weigh it down. One of the locks had the phrase, “Love needs no Lock” written on it with the names of the lovers written on the other side, which, now that I think about it, is a bit of a contradiction. We ended Friday with a glorious four course meal including escargot and French wine, right after we saw and climbed, yes, you guessed it, the Eiffel Tower.
You know how the Mona Lisa is smaller than expected and when people see it they’re really disappointed because it’s supposed to be this larger than life famous painting? The Eiffel Tower was not like that. We got off the Metro and turned a corner and there it was and I was stunned. It was right before sunset and the tower is gigantic and I almost cried. Photo after photo was snapped until everyone (we were in a tour group of 13 which included 12 girls) was satisfied and we got in the elevator to take us to the second floor of the tower, about halfway up. The view of Paris was stunning, it is a sea of marble, shades of white and cream-colored buildings that seem to go on forever. The height restriction of buildings in Paris make sure that the uniformity and sophisticated ambiance of the city remains intact (the one building that violates that restriction is hated by Parisians, and by me). When it was finally time to go back down to earth, we had to walk down the stairs and my legs were shaking for an hour afterwards; from the height or from the overwhelming realization of where I was I honestly can’t decide.
The next two days were filled with more visits to places I’ve only ever read (dreamt) about: The Louvre to meet Mona, who I thought was remarkably endearing regardless of her size and the Palace of Versailles to see the gorgeous monster that played such a profound role in history (French Revolution, WWI, etc.). A really amazing treat was that I got to see some friends while I was there; I got to explore the Montmarte district and trek up the Sacre Cour with my teammates Katie and Steph and their parents! We were also lucky enough to go on a bike tour of central Paris at sunset and a boat cruise on the Seine, the backdrop of which was the sparkling Eiffel Tower. Life was but a dream in Paris. Standing on a bridge with lights surrounding me was like an out of body experience. It was one of those rare moments where reality transcends fantasy.
It was only fitting that at such a high point in my life, something had to go wrong. My friend Andrea and I traveled together all week and after a series of unfortunate events, including a broken down metro and getting lost, we missed our bus to Barcelona. Thankfully, my lovely friends rescued us and we were able to book a last minute flight the next morning! The horrors of travel are so very real and despite the disastrousness of it all, Paris was absolutely remarkable.
Barcelona: Vibrant
Coming off of a dramatic ending in Paris, sunny, warm Barcelona was exactly what we needed. Though it didn’t have the same level of hustle and bustle as Paris did, Barcelona was wilder and crazier in so many other ways. We started our four days there with a tall glass of sangria and a refreshing lunch by the Arc de Triumph. Our first day was very relaxed and we had 70 degree weather so we went to the beach and ate dinner there. Basking in the warm sun on the beach, I almost felt like I was home in Long Beach.
Our second day was all about Gaudi. We went on a free walking tour of Barcelona that was all Gaudi and we got to see La Sagrada Familia from the outside which was absolutely breathtaking but at the same time puzzling because it is completely unfinished and probably won’t be until at least 2030. The next time I see it, the structure of the building will be completely different. It is a truly unique building because its production began so long ago but our generation will see it completed. Then we strolled around Park Guell (Gaudi Park) for a few hours. Yes, I did channel the Cheetah Girls as I sat on the beautiful mosaic benches. It was cool to see how different Gaudi’s many works were, but at the same time his signature style was apparent in all of them.
The rest of our time in Barcelona was filled with sun, light jackets, churros, and tapas. We braved a rain storm to see the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya and gorgeous fountains. We met a mixture of cool people at our hostel from all over the world who were there for all different reasons: a guy from California had just quit his job and decided to travel until his money ran out, a girl from China with her Masters in Economics was traveling from Germany where she was finishing her degree, and a guy from New Zealand who had visited the hostel a year before and decided to stay. We went inside the stellar Sagrada Familia and saw the sun shine through the multicolored stained glass windows and walked amongst the tree-like pillars, as Gaudi had intended the interior to feel like a forest. We strolled along Las Ramblas (holding onto our bags for dear life) and walked through the famous market La Boqueria where we tried every flavor of fruit juice and ate empanadas. I left Barcelona reflecting upon the million different colors of the vibrant and exciting city.
Turin: Normal
Unlike Paris and Barcelona, Turin was not tourist central. Yes, there were tourist with cameras in the city center (myself included), but we were able to experience the city in a much more natural way. We explored the city center the first day, but that took about an hour. We wandered through one of the biggest fresh food markets in the entire world and climbed a hill to Monte dei Cappuchini to get a phenomenal view of the Italian Alps in the backdrop of the insanely beautiful city. We ate sandwiches and made friends with locals in the park (the owner of the restaurant gave us free wine) and ate pizza and gelato. We experienced apertitivos at one of the trendiest restaurants in the city. We took a day trip into the Alps and got a mind-blowing view on the train. We found ourselves in the small town of Oulx in the foothills and at the tourist office were directed to four touristy spots within a mile of each other and were told “That’s Oulx!”. The view of the mountains from the town however, was more than satisfying, we were in total awe and it was 100% worth it. People asked us why we picked Turin and some people told us they had never even heard of it. Truth be told, we had no idea what to expect but it was such a good decision. It was the perfect relaxing end to a busy and exhausting, but wonderful trip.
Despite having an amazing time, I was anxious and excited to get back to Copenhagen and normalcy. Seriously, be careful what you wish for. Because of the SAS strike, our flight on Sunday night got cancelled and we got placed on another flight…..twelve hours earlier. We had to work magic to book new trains (at 5 o'clock in the morning) to get to Milan from Turin and from Milan to the airport but thankfully we made it! We were home in Copenhagen at 2pm on Sunday and I’ve never been so happy to see Danish on the airport signs.
So, now you see why I said traveling is stressful but completely worth it. Missed buses, pickpockets, and cancelled flights are real things that happen! Putting it philosophically, travel, like life, has its ups and downs, its highs and lows, but when bad things happen they most definitely do not spoil the good things, they make them more important. No one could have prepared me for the whirlwind that is traveling Europe the same way no one can prepare me for everything life and the future holds. All I can do is focus on the good, and take the difficult as it comes and try to live by the mantra:
Too blessed to be stressed,
Meg
“The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don’t always soften the bad things, but vice versa, the bad things don’t always spoil the good things or make them unimportant.”
Superlatives:
Paris: Most Complex Metro System
Barcelona: Most Likely to Be Pick-Pocketed
Turin: Least Likely to Speak English
*pictures to follow!