So...our final day in London. The morning started off a bit rough after we had breakfast at the same restaurant we visited the day before, Streaky Gin's. The food was delicious. However, we spent quite a bit of the morning finding a Western Union that was willing to work with us. I won't really go into detail about it, but it was quite a ridiculous situation and incredibly frustrating for both of us. I did get money though, and we saw Buckingham Palace and walked through St. James Park, which was beautiful. We did experience a pretty typical British day, as it began to rain around 11 am, but it really wasn't too awful for us. We got to tour Westminster Abbey, and I have to say that I was crazy impressed. I feel that I've seen quite a few beautiful churches in my times abroad, but this one definitely topped them all in terms of its beauty and history. I was really moved, and that hasn't really happened when visiting a church in that setting before. After our tour, we had afternoon tea in Westminster Abbey with a full pot of tea, sandwiches, scones and little cakes for each of us. It was quite an experience and SUPER delicious. I loved it. We walked around by Big Ben and the House of Parliament, also.
A side note that was really interesting to me-as we were leaving Westminster Abbey, there were a TON of police surrounding the courtyard and demonstrators were there. At first, I thought we'd just ignore them and walk by, as I would typically do in the US. However, I noticed quite a few individuals with disabilities there, particularly people in wheelchairs and started looking around. I was handed a flyer about how there have recently been cuts in funding for independent living for those with disabilities. I found this interesting, because I am not particularly sure how much federal funding there is in the United States. Here's a pretty basic article of what I saw (http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-28074848). I've loved noticing all the different special education systems throughout Europe and talking to future special education teachers.
ANYWAY, Hannah and I went back to the hostel quickly to charge phones and contact her friend, Gigi, who lived with one of Hannah's cousins briefly a while back. She's Spanish, but is currently living in London working as a chef. We met up with her for a typical dinner of fish and chips, and then we headed to a salsa club! The end of the Colombia v. Uruguay game was on, and everyone was super excited. Once the game finished, we participated in the dancing and got to dance with quite a few good guys! It was a wonderful end to our last night abroad. Brief story about going back on the tube though-we got out at our station and as we were walking toward the stairs, this girl jets off from the line and pukes SO hard-straight up beer. It was absolutely disgusting, but pretty hilarious too.
But, Hannah and I made it through this crazy and stressful adventure, and we still like each other, which is saying a lot. It was definitely more challenging than I anticipated to have such a fast-paced trip, but I'm so glad I did it. Here are a few tips that I've been thinking about and, per my usual OCD self, lists of what I'll miss and am looking forward to.
Recommendations:
-Research your hostels-24 hour reception, free Wifi, free breakfast, LOCKERS-do you have to bring your own padlock or buy it?, free linen/towels, location-how close of a walk from the train station?
-Don't do night trains. We did not feel that they were worth it. First of all, they still want you to have a reservation, so you're not really saving much money by not being in a hostel, and you feel unsafe and uncomfortable. You're also woken up quite a decent amount.
-Separate your important belongings into different bags, always.
-Wear a money belt. You'll probably feel pretty dumb, but I feel so much more secure about it.
-Don't try to do everything at once and don't always do what everyone told you to. We had a lot of fun choosing what we really wanted to see and made it happen.
-Talk to the people in your hostels. I think Hannah and I would both say that we loved seeing the sights and cities that we did, but we adored talking to the people we met. It was amazing to get into intense discussions about different cultures, traditions, opinions and personal lives.
-TRY. This kind of sounds ridiculous, but if you make the effort to speak in the language of the country you're in and work to respect them, you will have a much easier and better time.
-Be American, but don't be defensive. People told us that we were good ambassadors for our country, but we also learned a lot by listening to their opinions about our country, and it's important to get outside perspectives on our country that is viewed under a microscope by everyone.
-Bring a backpack. Seriously...no suitcases, ever.
-If you're a female traveling with another female, be prepared for some creepy moments. Also, understand that your activities at night may be limited due to safety concerns. It was a bit frustrating at times.
-If you're an introvert or just really value your alone time, be prepared to feel overwhelmed. Being surrounded by people at every moment of the day and having people expect you to talk with them is really stressful at times, for me.
-The emotional roller coaster is extreme. We had some absolutely incredible days, but we also had some moments where I literally wanted to curl up in my hostel bed and not move until flying out. Get yourself up and keep going, even though you're tired and frustrated.
Things I'll Miss:
-Having access to amazing food, beer, and wine at all times.
-Public transportation. It makes life so easy.
-Listening to other languages on a daily basis. I feel like I was picking stuff up in only a few days, which is awesome.
-Beautiful architecture and scenery, always.
-Stylish people and stores everywhere.
Things I'm Looking Forward To:
-Time by myself
-Driving
-Seeing a few certain people
-My dogs
-Fountain drinks (Diet Coke)-First thing I got in the Detroit airport
-Access to food and drink all the time in my house
-Knowing the currency
-English
-SLEEPING
-My own bed
-Full access to my phone and the Internet
-Feeling safe
-Separate checks
Ranking of Where I've Been:
1. Copenhagen-Even though I did spend the most time here, there are many reasons why this is my favorite. First of all, I really did like the climate. It was cool and not too hot most of the time. I really, genuinely loved the group of people I was with, and the city itself was really active and fun to explore. The canal was beautiful and living right next to it was awesome. Also, I think I just really fit in with the Northern European personality and culture. I dressed relatively similarly, and I enjoyed it.
2. Interlaken-I don't know what else I can say other than it was insanely beautiful. I could sit there all day and just look around me. It is a pretty small town with a bit of a touristy vibe, but it was amazing, and I felt it was really peaceful. There's also quite a bit of active things to do.
3. Nice-This really was pretty touristy and reminded me of cities in Florida. However, the people we met there were awesome, and the entire city was very young. The beach and area around it are gorgeous, and it was so wonderful to swim in the Mediterranean.
4. Berlin-Surprisingly, my favorite major city that we went to. Our hostel was absolutely fantastic and our friend, Mitch, also helped in this experience. However, the history there and the awesome food also really made me appreciate this city. The city was super clean and the subway system was also easy to figure out, so that's always nice.
5. London-I feel like some people are going to be upset that I put this city lower down on my list, but I also did not get to spend too much time here. The tube was incredibly easy to figure out, and I love how welcome I felt here, both as an American and as a woman. However, the areas that were more natural in Europe were my favorite compared to this very city-like feel.
6. Brussels/Waterloo-Brussels is beautiful and also felt much smaller and more manageable compared to the other cities that we visited. I didn't see a ton here, but I really enjoyed the feel of it and people seemed really friendly and international.
7. Vienna-I was really surprised by how much I liked Vienna. It felt quite a bit smaller than I anticipated, and it was insanely gorgeous. The buildings are beautiful and the culture was amazing. I definitely felt welcome, and the music community is really cool to observe.
8. Paris-Paris is beautiful. There's absolutely no doubt about that, and its historical significance is awesome. However, I thought that it was absolutely gigantic, and there was no way to really walk and see everything. It also smelled quite frequently and was not the friendliest place. I loved seeing the sights here and drinking some great wine, but it was not my favorite.
Thanks so much for reading my blog posts! I really appreciate everyone's interests. Hopefully I'll get to travel again soon and keep you all updated.
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