The Last Thoughts

We have finally made it to the end! You’ve read all the stories and seen the photos from all the places I went, but there are a few more things I want to talk about to end off this series.

First of all, I have been called Miss Independent many times in my life and I’d just like to clear something up. Yes, I did enjoy my trip but I also struggled every single day with being by myself. In many ways I am extremely independent but when it comes to solo travelling I am quite simply not cut out for it.

In that same vein, there are many things that I found very difficult and they all revolved around being alone. Before I left someone told me not to worry much about being alone because I would meet so many people along the way and make great friends, even if it was just for the short term. I am not good at meeting new people and there has never been a point in my life where I was. If someone talks to me first I will happily talk to them, but if they don’t introduce themselves or ask for my name then we will have a conversation without ever properly meeting one another. And to be clear, this actually happened. I chatted off-and-on with a girl in my dorm for 2 days and eventually spent a full evening with her having dinner in a pub. I never found out her name.. 

My other issue was eating alone. I knew that would be a problem for me before I ever left though. Thus far in my life I have eaten in a restaurant alone exactly 2 times. Both were on this trip and both were very challenging for me. It took me nearly two hours to choose and walk into the first restaurant.

Next point is about a few things I learned. Let me just say that I love airports and always have, I think they are magical doorways to the rest of the world. However, they are not half as enjoyable when you are alone with carry-on only luggage. I hadn’t considered it before leaving but because I chose not to check any bags that meant I had to have them with me constantly no matter where I was going, including the bathroom. I may have had a few small backpack-in-bathroom related tantrums along the way.. If any of my readers are airport bathroom stall designers please consider giving us a little more space and several more hooks!

The other very obvious thing that I discovered was this: No matter how early my departure is, transit days are pretty much always a write-off. In future I will be allowing myself to sleep in, get to the airport/train station/etc. in my own time and arrive when I arrive. Having to get airport transfers at 2:30 and 4am wasn’t enjoyable, missing my early train in Paris was terrible and being exhausted at the end of a transit day is inevitable. Lesson learned.

Having talked so much about both my budget and packing plans before leaving I thought I would give a little after the travel update.

I absolutely loved my backpack. It was really comfortable to carry, perfectly sized for me and accommodated everything I needed plus a little wiggle room for shopping. I wasn’t 100% sure if I could use it as a carry-on for all the airlines I flew with but it wasn’t ever a problem. I will for sure be using it again in the future.

As for the budget, it also worked out perfectly. Of course I would have loved to spend less, who wouldn’t, but I’m really pleased to have stayed within the numbers I created. 

A lot of people ask me what it’s like to stay in hostels and almost everyone then says that they could never do it. So, for anyone else who is curious this is what it was like.

I stayed in 7 hostels along the way and they were all really different. A few were just average, some were really shitty and a few were really great.


London – 24 beds, mixed, only 3 bathrooms in the hostel, didn’t have time to check out the common space ($25/night)
Paris – 6 bed, mixed, bathroom inside the room, didn’t have time to check out the common space ($29/night)
Barcelona – 8 bed, mixed, mixed bathrooms, bad showers, no AC, WiFi only in common space, outdoor patio, bad location ($122/3 nights)
Lisbon – 12 beds, female only, 3 bathrooms/floor, amazing hostel, lots of entertainment and common space ($70/3 nights)
Sorrento – 10 bed, female only, big bathroom, bad showers, open air sitting/eating area, I got kicked out during the day for cleaning, not ideal location, great AC, good free breakfast ($120/3 nights)
Rome – 8 bed, mixed, 1 bathroom in room, no AC, shitty even for price, 1 awkward common room ($31/night)
Dublin – 24 bed, mixed, huge hostel, great free breakfast, great location, bad showers, got lost inside ($85/4 nights)


Hostels will always be hit-and-miss. It's hard to predict what a dorm will be like even if you read every review out there. If you go in with the knowledge that your are sleeping with a bunch of strangers, the showers almost always suck and you're saving a bunch of money it'll go much smoother.

If you read my other posts then you will likely have figured out on your own what my favourite places were, but I’m going to break it down again.

London was nice but didn’t blow me away this time. It just felt like any other big city and somehow not as exciting. In all fairness, I was exhausted and sore from the long travel day.


Paris was underwhelming, unfortunately. I had high hopes but in the end it was also just a big city with cool buildings and too much cigarette smoke. I'm pretty convinced that Paris is not a solo city though, so not hard feelings.


Obviously I hated Barcelona. It was too hot, humid, dirty, polluted and crowded. I have no doubt that I put up a wall because of the difficulty I had getting there and it influenced my stay, but it is what it is. Maybe I'd like it better in the winter?


I didn’t mind Rome other than the hostel and jam-packed metro but I didn’t really have time to get much of a feeling for it this time. I'll just hold onto the love I had for it the first time I went.


Sorrento was also neither here nor there. I didn’t find it to be a very exciting place but it was very beautiful. I think I'd be singing a different tune if there had been a beach.


Lisbon was perfect in pretty much every way. I loved my time there and could definitely see myself going back in the future, everything was just so lovely.


Positano was an awesome day out even though I didn’t do very much at all. It was well worth the visit just for the views and swimming in the sea, not to mention the gelato..


And finally, Dublin. I absolutely loved Ireland in general and Dublin was great. The people were friendly and helpful, the city is vibrant, the country is beautiful and there are donut shops absolutely everywhere. If you know one thing about me it should be that I love donuts and therefore have no choice but to love Dublin.

We can’t change the past so it doesn’t much matter, but there are a few things I would change if I could and I’m going to leave them here for future me to consider before my next big trip. I complained along the way and it was almost always for 1 reason; the heat. Unless I have very good reason I don’t think I will be going back to Europe in the summer. Having seen European autumn, winter and summer now I feel confident saying that summer isn’t the time for me. I also cannot picture myself doing another solo trip. I still like the idea of it and I don’t regret doing it but I know that I would have enjoyed myself so much more if I wasn’t alone.

And now we return back to real life and a small travel break before planning my next adventure.

Irish Day Trips

After realizing I wouldn’t be able to visit the Giant’s Causeway or the Cliffs of Moher I looked online to see what I could do instead. Not wanting to spend all my time in the city a trip to the national park seemed great. The hostel staff was really helpful and told me exactly where to go and which bus to catch for my destination.

Glendalough is a 6^th century monastic settlement located inside Wicklow Mountains National Park.  It took an hour and a half by bus to get there but was well worth if for no other reason than to be able to see the lush Irish countryside.

I took my time checking out the various stone buildings and trying to read the inscriptions on the surrounding gravestones. While I was inside the cathedral I found myself getting a bit mad about all the disrespectful tourists. A group of men were climbing and standing on the crumbling walls so they could get a better shot with their selfie sticks. Why have people become so ridiculous, just for the sake of a photo!?

Once I had seen all the buildings I walked and hiked through the national park for several hours. From the people I saw I’m gathering that this is a popular spot for families to come when the weather is nice. Considering the short distance, beautiful surroundings, easy trails and beautiful lakes and waterfalls it’s no surprise.

My other day trip, and favourite place that I visited, was to Howth. I didn’t know anything about Howth but after hearing a few other people talking about it I had to go.

A short 30 minute ride on the DART train and I arrived. Even though the weather in Dublin had been perfect, it was even better here. Perfect blue skies, a cool sea breeze, warm and sunny; what more could I hope for. Not only that but it felt like the perfect mix of Ireland and a Nova Scotian fishing village.

Nestled perfectly between cliffs and the sea meant I had options for hiking and water activities. Just offshore is Irelands Eye, a small island with an ancient church, Martello Tower, bird sanctuary, beach and apparently a great place for spotting seals. I would have happily paid the 15 euros for the boat tour and island exploration but they weren’t running that day because of the wind.

My alternate, but no less exciting option was to do the Howth Cliff Walk. I think the loop I did was about 7 kilometres but I walked much more than that. The trail offers incredible sweeping views out to sea and back over the town.

When I finished in Howth I decided to take the DART to Dún Laoghaire which is directly across the Dublin Bay and almost as charming. I didn’t spend as much time here, only about an hour, but I really enjoyed it. I walked along the pier watching the fisherman, playing children and brave teenagers jumping off walls into the cold water. At the very end I had ice cream under a lighthouse and enjoyed the last bit of sea that I would be seeing for a while.

Ireland was such a lovely place, I already can't wait to come back some day and really explore what the country has to offer. But for now, it's time to go back to Canada.

Dublin

Having had quite enough of the heat I was very impatient to leave Italy on the final morning. I really couldn't wait to get on the plane. This was the first flight I have ever been on that I didn’t sit in the

window seat and though I wasn’t loving the middle it was still better than staying in the Italian heat.

Arriving in Dublin to find gentle rain and cool temperatures was absolute bliss.

Using my predetermined directions it was super easy to get to my accommodation and didn’t take long at all. After checking in however it was much more difficult to find my dorm room in the massive hostel. I walked half the building three times before going back to the desk and requesting someone to come with me!

Ireland was one of the places I really wanted to go during my 2012-13 trip but it just didn’t happen for me because of time. Waiting so many years made it that much sweeter when I finally got out to explore Dublin. I walked and walked for almost 3 hours trying to take everything in, see as much as possible and get a general orientation.

I found Dublin Castle, Trinity College, Christ Church cathedral and St. Patrick’s Cathedral along the way as well as Temple Bar’s vibrant cobbled pedestrian streets.  Every corner I turned urged me to explore further.

The one thing in the back of my mind that interrupted my need to continue was my even bigger need for a shower. The weather in Dublin was gorgeous but I could still feel the sticky sweat from Italy’s inescapable heat. Unfortunately for me, the one thing I don’t like about hostels is the showers. It’s pretty much guaranteed that they will flood or have a crappy/non-existent temperature range. On this particular occasion I had no flooding but the water was so scalding hot that I couldn’t actually stand under it, I had to stick one limb in at a time and pull it out as fast as possible. Because I was in a wet room and had a sink next to my shower I ended up doing most of my rinsing by cupping cold water in my hands and pouring it over myself. At that point I decided I wouldn’t shower again until I got home.

Of anything in Ireland the 2 things I really wanted to see were the Giant’s Causeway and the Cliffs of Moher. Originally I was planning to do organized tours to both but for such a high price I would have had very little time at the actually sites and 2 very long days of bus travel. As an alternate I decided that I would find the right transit connections and visit on my own, but that would have led to even longer travel days and it really wouldn’t have been worth it in the end.

Instead I did 2 other day trips during my time in Ireland, one to Howth and one to Wicklow Mountains National Park; I’m going to tell you about those days in a separate post though.

My last day before going home was pretty casual. I was still really enjoying myself but I was also really burnt out after spending nearly 3 weeks constantly on the move. I walked around the city more, did some window shopping and eventually ended up at the Guinness Storehouse.

I wasn’t sure if I would do the tour or not, considering part of the entry fee includes a free pint, but it seemed wrong not to go while I was in Dublin. The self-guided tour was quite interesting, telling the whole history and creation process, but the best part was the 365 degree view of Dublin from the 7^th floor.

With little energy left I made my way back to the hostel to pack my backpack for the last time. I don’t know how it happened, considering the shopping I did, but I had more space in my bag going home than I did for the whole trip. I guess I perfected my packing technique.

Sorrento + Rome

When I arrived in Italy from Portugal it took about an hour before I was anywhere that I could feel the heat. When I did feel it, from inside the open-air train station in the shade, my spirits were instantly crushed. When it comes to temperature I like to be comfortably warm, not so hot that I sweat and not so cold that I shiver, +45 doesn’t fit into my desired range at all.

While waiting for my train from Rome to Naples I was seriously considering going straight back to the airport and spending an extra 4 days in Ireland. Every extra minute that I stood there waiting, getting more and more uncomfortable, I was plotting my escape. Clearly I didn’t go through with it but I have learned my lesson about European summer; it is not the time for me to visit.

I had originally planned to spend a little time in Naples, only to get a pizza, but because of the heat I stayed inside the train station and continued straight on to Sorrento. I met an American woman in the station and we made the rest of the journey together, helping to keep each other sane along the extremely hot hour long train ride.

I met a few more girls when I arrived at the hostel and it made me so happy. Travelling solo may have some benefits but for someone like me I really need to interact with other people for my sanity. The group of Australian girls were 3 of the 10 people in my dorm and it made for great conversation. I finally got to eat in a restaurant again too because they invited me to join them for pizza on our first night.

Being able to spend time with other women around my age that speak my language really helped to lift my spirits back up. The pizza and ice cream made for a perfect cherry on top.

I didn’t do much at all around Sorrento except walk. One day I was out for 4 hours and got nowhere at all before turning around. I had hoped to find a beach but every one I saw “belonged” to the nearest hotel and I would have had to pay to use it. When I wasn’t out it was because I couldn’t drag myself from the AC, I was doing laundry (for 9 euro!!) or I was showering with fewer people around to avoid the awkwardness created by the (barely) frosted glass shower door. For anyone who has never stayed in a hostel I will warn you right now, showers are shitty in almost every hostel. These particular ones also flooded really badly because of the amount of hair going down the drain everyday.

When my time was up in Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast I made my way back to Rome on the high speed train.

Going into this trip I had high hopes for my half day in Rome but they didn’t really pan out the way I expected. After checking into my hostel I went right back out. Rome was equally as hot as Sorrento but not half as humid so it was do-able in the shade. That being said, there is only so much shade to be found. I opted for taking the metro, first to the Trevi Fountain with the expectation of walking to other sites from there but that didn't actually happen. I took another metro to the Vatican for a walk around St. Peter's Basilica

The Rome metro is the most crowded that I've seen. When it is completely, uncomfortably full there are still many people trying to force themselves in the doors and therefore forcing the people already inside to stand even closer to one another. Though I wanted to go see the Coliseum I really couldn't deal with that amount of people in such a small space, especially in +45 degrees.

I can tell you honestly that I'm a bit disappointed in the time I spent in Italy. I had plans for so many activities but the heat really destroyed my motivation and ability to spend entire days outside exploring. No hard feelings though.

With my hostel being across the road from the main train station I used that as a mini shopping mall and somewhere to spend my evening instead of my crappy not-air conditioned hostel. Wen I did have to go back before bed I spent 2 hours chatting with a bunk-mate about how horrible the room was and discussing our own home countries as a distraction.

The only thing keeping me sane was knowing that a short sleep from now I would be off to Ireland!

Positano

Having seen pictures of how absolutely gorgeous Positano is it was no surprise I wanted to go. My original plan for Italy was to make Positano my home base and do day trips from there, but it is an incredibly expensive place. Looking back now I’m glad I chose to stay in Sorrento but also would have loved a little more beach time.

Getting to Positano from Sorrento isn’t difficult but it is either time consuming, expensive or both. Having taken the ferry I was right in the middle. It takes about 40 minutes and 15 Euros one-way but it seemed worth it for a cool sea breeze and to avoid the winding roads on a bus or the expense of a rental car or personal driver.

I wasn’t in a great spot on the ferry to see the town as we entered the bay but the view is pretty great no matter where you see it from. As soon as I got off the boat my first instinct was to jump in the water and stay there until I had to go back to Sorrento, but I resisted.

I spent about an hour walking around checking out little shops and subsequently soaking in their AC, taking in the view from different points along the way and trying to scope out a good beach spot.

To be perfectly honest, the town itself isn’t that exciting. If you have plans to shop and eat then it would be a great place to spend a day, but otherwise it’s just a gorgeous view and a super crowded beach. Not to say it isn't worth visiting though, because it is.

My plan for the day involved swimming but the small main beach was jam-packed full of tourists and the rest of the waterfront has to be paid for; 10 euros for a lounge chair and umbrella. Since I refuse to pay for beach use I decided to go to another free area that was less crowded and offered more shade.

My little spot was next to a gated set of stairs that climb the side of a cliff and surrounded by boulders, both in the water and out. I had about 6 people sharing this slice of paradise and it was just perfect.

When I decided to get in the water and took off my sandals I nearly jumped out of my skin. A word of warning for future visitors, dark sand and +45 degrees makes for burnt feet. I had to tip-toe as fast as I could to the wet sand to save myself from the heat. Swimming in the sea was exactly the relief I needed after so much time in the sun and I loved every minute of it.

I considered getting out a few times but I would just end up searching for seaglass with my towel over my shoulders until I got too hot, and then I’d jump back in. I was half dry several times before going back in but eventually I had to dry off for real so I could catch a bus back to Sorrento. When it is that hot out I can only stand to be outside for so long, even in the water.

The Path of the Gods is a hike I really wanted to do while in the area but with the heat I knew I wouldn’t be able to. Settling on a beach day and Gelato before going back to the hostel for fresh pasta in the AC wasn’t so bad though!

Places Worth Leaving Lisbon For

I’ve wanted to visit Sintra since the first time I saw a photo of the lovely Pena Palace. That is before I knew it was in Portugal and certainly before I had any plans to be even remotely near that country.

The National Palace of Pena is perched charmingly atop a rather large hill, which I didn’t know before arriving. Since I prefer to walk as much as possible while exploring new places it should be no surprise that I chose to take the hiking trail up to the palace. I did not expect it to take quite as long as it did or to be quite so sweaty upon arrival but after that hour of uphill walking I was more than pleased to finally get my reward.

To be clear, my reward was ice cream, but the sight of the palace was great too. I was told at the ticket desk that it would be a two hour wait to actually go inside the castle, which as usual I wasn’t prepared to do, so I bought a grounds-only admission that allowed me to check out the palace exterior and gardens. Since the exterior of the building is what attracted me anyway I was perfectly happy to pay less and still see exactly what I wanted.

While I was taking in the bright colours and tiled façade of the palace I noticed a group taking photos (with 3 cameras and 2 iPhones) next to me. They weren’t taking selfies or trying to get the perfect shot with everyone in focus and smiling, they weren’t even looking at the camera actually. What they were doing was trying to get the “perfect” Instagram shot. Having seen this a few other times over the course of my trip I’ve found a few identifiers. Firstly, as previous stated, not looking at the camera has become a cool thing to do. Second, people stand in one spot for way too long, barely moving except to adjust their pose or fling a piece of clothing dramatically, getting in everyone else’s way and never actually taking any photos when other people stand too near because it would ruin the aesthetic. Now don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love taking photos and I do post a fair few on Instagram, but it is extremely awkward to watch people take these kinds of photos. I have also come to the conclusion that not only do many people travel just to take photos and say that they have been somewhere but it is also creating an unrealistic image of what so many places truly are. So next time you look on Instagram and see an image of someone completely alone at a major tourist site just remember this; it’s probably not a realistic image.

With limited time to get to my next destination I chose to take the bus down from the Palace to the train station where I could catch another bus, and save myself from sweating so much along the way..

Cabo da Roca is the Western edge of Portugal, continental Europe and technically the entire Eurasian land mass. It is a truly beautiful place to simply walk around but also a really cool “I’ve been there!” moment. You can read about the other geographical extremes that I visited here.

I could have spent hours just staring at the coastline but in reality I spent very little time here because of the bus timetable. It was well worth the visit regardless and was a great end to my time in Portugal.