At least once a year I come up with this extravagant plan to move to Australia for a year or volunteer abroad in a third world country. I get myself so excited and convince myself that ‘this time, I am actually going!’ And every year, it’s the same thing. The novelty of it all wears off and reality sets in; thousands of dollars of debt and a diploma to earn. Instead I settle for a week vacation once a year in Cuba or the Dominican Republic; putting myself about another grand in the hole. I’m all talk and I know it. But there really is nothing I would love more than to spend a month in Europe with a backpack hopping from hostel to hostel and country to country on a train with my Europass. As I crawl closer to graduating, of course I’ve started thinking about traveling again. I’ve read several travel blogs and Googled countless Eurotrip budgets for students. I’ve even picked up catalogues from the travel agency downtown. I’ve caught myself daydreaming about a trip to Europe for a couple weeks now. So, just for fun (with the potential of turning into something REAL this time), I’ve come up with a little post about where I’d like to go and places I’d love to explore.
Ideally, my European dream would happen in the summer. I’m aware that hostels become a little pricier in the high season and tourist attractions jack up their prices. But I don’t need to explain why travelling in the summer would be a heck of a lot better than the chilly seasons. I also realize that my itinerary may seem a little farfetched, but these are only ideas, many of which I’ve ‘borrowed’ from other 20 something’s that have traveled before. Without the specifics, here’s a list of the places I’d love to see most (in no particular order).
- France: Paris, Normandy
Ideally, my European dream would happen in the summer. I’m aware that hostels become a little pricier in the high season and tourist attractions jack up their prices. But I don’t need to explain why travelling in the summer would be a heck of a lot better than the chilly seasons. I also realize that my itinerary may seem a little farfetched, but these are only ideas, many of which I’ve ‘borrowed’ from other 20 something’s that have traveled before. Without the specifics, here’s a list of the places I’d love to see most (in no particular order).
- France: Paris, Normandy
- Germany: Munich, Berlin
- Austria: Vienna, Salzburg
- Czech Republic: Prague
- Sweden: Stockholm
- Denmark: Copenhagen, Skagen
- England: London, Manchester, Liverpool
- Scotland: Edinburgh
- Ireland: Dublin, Galway, Cork
- Greece: Athens
- Italy: Rome, Verona
- Spain: Ibiza, Madrid
I won’t go into full detail of what I’d like to see in every single country I visit. Instead I’ll just mention a few, starting with Skagen, Denmark.
Skagen, Denmark
From what I’ve heard, Skagen is a charming little city with a population of less than 9,000 people who live in little picturesque, yellow houses with red roofs lining the beach. What I’m dying to see most is what most people visit Skagen to see. The northernmost point of Denmark, where two parts of the North Sea, the Kattegat and the Skagerrak, meet.
Salzburg, Austria
I want to visit Salzburg, Austria simply because my favourite film of all time was shot there. Every Christmas Eve, I force my entire family to watch The Sound of Music. With absolutely no relevance to Christmas, there really is no reason behind the tradition. My S.O.M obsessed self wants to sing and dance around in the same spots as the Von Trapp family and Fräulein Maria did. The hills will be alive with the sound of Lyndie!
Galway, Ireland
I’ve been told that the air in Ireland smells sweet. Considered Ireland’s Cultural Heart, all anyone needs to do is Google Galway and you’ll understand why it’s the fifth fastest-growing city in Ireland. After doing a little research about Galway, it seems as though there is always something exciting happening in the pretty city. Although the humid weather is often rainy, I’d gladly explore with my rainboots and umbrella. And do I really need to remind all the lady readers that Hilary Swank’s character in P.S I Love You found Gerry (Gerard Butler) in Galway? (Yeah, I know it’s a movie – whatever!?)
Ibiza, Spain
One of my lovely friends Jenny is a serious Ibiza enthusiast. Although she’s never been, I’ve heard her mention on more than one occasion how much she would love to go. I’ve heard it’s beautiful and there are some places in the world that I’d visit simply for its beauty; Ibiza being one of them. Ibiza Rocks is a summer-long festival of live music that runs for 17 consecutive weeks with concerts every Wednesday. For all of you music connoisseurs out there, artists that have made appearances at the Ibiza Rocks festival in the past have been Calvin Harris, Florence and the Machine, the Kooks, Prodigy (hello, Big Shiny Tunes 2!) and LCD Soundsystem, just to name a few.
Rome, Italy
Two words. Pasta and architecture. With a passion for all things tasty, how could I backpack around Europe without visiting one of the tastiest places in the world? I’m talking about food and beautiful, tasty people. How many countries mention ‘cuisine’ on their Wikipedia page?! I’m not sure how the Italians would feel about a vegetarian but I bet I'd impress them with the amount of pasta I can consume (gnocchi is my favourite!) Oh! And gelato! I’d eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner if it were acceptable. Rome’s architecture is as beautiful as the language spoken. The Coliseum, St. Peters Square, The Trevi Fountain, the bridges, the catacombs! I could probably spend an entire month in Rome and still feel like there’s more to explore.
I could go on for pages about why I want to visit the places I do and after writing this post it makes me yearn for a European adventure more than ever. I envy all of my lucky friends that have had or are having the time of their lives travelling. For now, I’ll have to settle for The Sound of Music, Eat, Pray Love, and other chick flicks about travel. The closer I get to finally graduating, the sooner my daydream will become a reality!
- Italy: Rome, Verona
- Spain: Ibiza, Madrid
I won’t go into full detail of what I’d like to see in every single country I visit. Instead I’ll just mention a few, starting with Skagen, Denmark.
Skagen, Denmark
From what I’ve heard, Skagen is a charming little city with a population of less than 9,000 people who live in little picturesque, yellow houses with red roofs lining the beach. What I’m dying to see most is what most people visit Skagen to see. The northernmost point of Denmark, where two parts of the North Sea, the Kattegat and the Skagerrak, meet.
Salzburg, Austria
I want to visit Salzburg, Austria simply because my favourite film of all time was shot there. Every Christmas Eve, I force my entire family to watch The Sound of Music. With absolutely no relevance to Christmas, there really is no reason behind the tradition. My S.O.M obsessed self wants to sing and dance around in the same spots as the Von Trapp family and Fräulein Maria did. The hills will be alive with the sound of Lyndie!
Galway, Ireland
I’ve been told that the air in Ireland smells sweet. Considered Ireland’s Cultural Heart, all anyone needs to do is Google Galway and you’ll understand why it’s the fifth fastest-growing city in Ireland. After doing a little research about Galway, it seems as though there is always something exciting happening in the pretty city. Although the humid weather is often rainy, I’d gladly explore with my rainboots and umbrella. And do I really need to remind all the lady readers that Hilary Swank’s character in P.S I Love You found Gerry (Gerard Butler) in Galway? (Yeah, I know it’s a movie – whatever!?)
Ibiza, Spain
One of my lovely friends Jenny is a serious Ibiza enthusiast. Although she’s never been, I’ve heard her mention on more than one occasion how much she would love to go. I’ve heard it’s beautiful and there are some places in the world that I’d visit simply for its beauty; Ibiza being one of them. Ibiza Rocks is a summer-long festival of live music that runs for 17 consecutive weeks with concerts every Wednesday. For all of you music connoisseurs out there, artists that have made appearances at the Ibiza Rocks festival in the past have been Calvin Harris, Florence and the Machine, the Kooks, Prodigy (hello, Big Shiny Tunes 2!) and LCD Soundsystem, just to name a few.
Rome, Italy
Two words. Pasta and architecture. With a passion for all things tasty, how could I backpack around Europe without visiting one of the tastiest places in the world? I’m talking about food and beautiful, tasty people. How many countries mention ‘cuisine’ on their Wikipedia page?! I’m not sure how the Italians would feel about a vegetarian but I bet I'd impress them with the amount of pasta I can consume (gnocchi is my favourite!) Oh! And gelato! I’d eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner if it were acceptable. Rome’s architecture is as beautiful as the language spoken. The Coliseum, St. Peters Square, The Trevi Fountain, the bridges, the catacombs! I could probably spend an entire month in Rome and still feel like there’s more to explore.
I could go on for pages about why I want to visit the places I do and after writing this post it makes me yearn for a European adventure more than ever. I envy all of my lucky friends that have had or are having the time of their lives travelling. For now, I’ll have to settle for The Sound of Music, Eat, Pray Love, and other chick flicks about travel. The closer I get to finally graduating, the sooner my daydream will become a reality!
Paris, France
Verona, Italy
Stockholm, Sweden
Salzburg, Austria
London and Liverpool are both amazing.. London, especially. I too have traveling dreams!
ReplyDeleteIve been to Salzburg to see the sights for SOM. It was a childhood dream come true. I found myself singing and dancing around the fountains and running through the streets just as they did. You HAVE to do it.
ReplyDeleteTraveling is so worth the little extra debt, you should definitely try and do this before real life gets in the way! I will gladly join you on some leg of the journey since I'm but a short (and cheap!) plane ride away :-)
ReplyDelete