I decided I wanted to share a bit about my trip in general. Not so much what I was doing or where I went, you know that already, more so about the general experience.
First of all, if you have never been to Europe go now.
Seriously.
I'll wait here while you pack.
Ready?
Ok, moving along.
Travel in Europe was an amazing experience. I think it was particularly good that I went in having never been anywhere significant on my own and having never been outside Canada and the USA. Every country has something new and exciting to offer. Food, culture, music, landscape, icons...
In my 5 total months away, including airports, I was in 13 countries and 32 cities (if I had have included train stopovers that number would increase dramatically).
Lets start at the beginning.
When I started planning my trip I listed out all the places I wanted to go and highlighted specific things to do and see while there. This isn't for everyone, but it helped me make a plan, budget and timeline. And really, if you have your heart set on seeing something and it doesn't happen, that sounds like a damn good reason to go back again!
One point that I approached badly was packing. Instead of packing for the traveling parts of the trip, I packed for the living part. Bad choice. I think if I could pass on advice to someone wanting to travel it would be to pack light. As light as you can. No, "I might need that" or "I could use this", it should be more like "I DO need this and I will use it". To be clear, this was a backpacking trip. If you get to travel Europe in luxury and someone else will carry all the luggage for you then this doesn't apply.
Lets move along again, shall we?
As soon as I landed in Amsterdam it was culture shock. Having previously only been in Canada (not the french dominant parts) and USA, I found it really tough not being able to talk to anyone or read any signs, directions, schedules, etc.. Fortunately I was able to get used to this quickly and realize that most people speak at least a little English, especially in airports, train stations and anywhere touristy.
As far as the actual traveling parts, the train was generally pretty enjoyable, ferries suck and taxi's should be avoided.
The train is kind of fun. You get your own space, you can walk around, no need to stop for bathrooms or food like when you are in a car because everything is on board. As for prices, it will always vary depending on the country you are traveling in or where you are going to. Chad and I purchased Eurail Global train passes which we found to be well worth the money. You select how many countries you want to travel in, how much time the pass is good for and how many days within that time frame to be able to use the pass. My pass, for example, was good for 15 days within 2 months in 23 European countries. The beauty of it is that 1 day is midnight to midnight so you can take as many trains as you want within that 24 hours and it will still count as only 1 of your days. Another great thing about the pass is that it isn't just for the train, it is also valid on some ferries, buses, metros and trams.
By far, my least favorite part of my trip was the time I spent on ferries. If you know me well you probably know that I get motion sick really easily and because of that, ferries are hell. Prior to this trip I can only recall 1 other ferry ride and it was okay so going in this time around I didn't know they would be so bad. Different ship, different season and weather... should have thought of that... Anyway, all but 1 of the 8 ferries I took abroad were not good.
As for taxi's, I only say they should be avoided because I just generally don't like them (even at home) and because I'm convinced they are all trying to rip me off. A much better method is public transport. The buses and trams were great and quite easy to use and the metro, particularly in Athens, is fantastic. On top of being easy to use these methods are very inexpensive. A+
For now that is all. Look for more soon. And pictures!
xoxo
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