European Adventures!

Dear reader,

As I’m sitting in the Munich airport waiting to board my flight back to the States (& then to Mexico), I’ve been thinking a lot about all of the places I went during the month and a half that I was in Europe. Though I definitely didn’t expect to be traveling as much as I did, I wouldn’t change any of it. Each place brought so many unforgettable experiences and memories and challenges and lessons, and I am so glad that I said yes to each opportunity to explore a new place. I was hesitant at first, especially as traveling can often be overwhelming, not to mention that it’s a lot of money to spend. When I was on the plane to Rome, though, I realized just how easy it would have been to say no, and not be on a flight to Italy at that moment, anticipating seeing one of the wonders of the world. And it would have been just as easy to have said no to Paris and never seen the Eiffel Tower, or to turn down Vienna and never experience the vibrant music and stunning cathedrals. It’s like Sylvia Plath’s fig tree analogy. The amount of forks in the road of life stretching ahead of us is so overwhelming to think about. But if we sit and worry over all of these imminent decisions and what could come from each and what we could miss out on if we go down one path and leave another behind, we’ll miss out on the so-called figs that are ripe and ready to be picked, or, in other words, moments to be experienced that will pass us by if we don’t seize them. This all sounds cheesy, I know, but that’s what was going through my mind on the way to Rome. I could’ve turned down the other road and decided to stay in Copenhagen while I was studying abroad, to avoid spending money and explore more of Denmark instead, but then I wouldn’t have felt the sheer surreality of watching a proposal under the sparkling Eiffel Tower, seeing the Mona Lisa, walking through the historic arches of the Colosseum, or listening to the bells tolling at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna.

Just as all of these places left me in complete awe, they also taught me valuable lessons with countless challenges along the way. Transportation especially proved to be a bit of a struggle in almost every new place I traveled to. I swear, I really didn’t think I’d make it out of the Uber my friends and I took in Paris to get from the airport to the Airbnb. That man flew around corners and across lanes like he had nine lives. Getting around in Paris was nail biting to say the least, although somehow every Uber driver managed to drive so calmly and with so much ease that it was almost like an art. Once we got to our apartment, though, another obstacle presented itself. The host had given me the wrong code for the lockbox that held the key to our room, meaning my two friends and I spent an hour trying to get the box open at midnight in the middle of the city, which I guess looked suspicious enough that a French lady felt the need to take pictures of us before going into her apartment–to turn in to the police if we tried to break in to her apartment or something? We were eventually able to get into contact with the host and got into our apartment, but it definitely created a chaotic first hour in Paris. Not to mention, getting back out of Paris was just as difficult. When we booked our tickets, we had no idea that the airport we were flying out of was an hour away from where we were staying, and ended up having to ask a friend of a friend who lived in Paris to drive us to the airport at five in the morning.

This wasn’t the end of the transportation troubles. The next weekend, we were heading back from a day trip to Sweden when our train broke down before we even left the country. Our flight to Vienna was that night at 8, and it was 5 pm and we weren’t anywhere close to the Copenhagen airport. By the time a new train showed up, we realized if we went back to get our backpacks we’d miss our flight. But our trip to Vienna was only a little over two days long…so we went straight to the airport and ended up in Austria with the clothes we were wearing and whatever we had in our purses. Definitely worth it!

Even though public transportation can be frustrating, it is also one of the best ways to truly immerse yourself in the culture of a new place. In Denmark, everyone keeps to themselves in an effort to be respectful of the personal space of those around them. Danish people seem to travel alone more often than in bigger groups, and on the metro or bus they stare straight ahead or at the floor and rarely acknowledge those around them. In Paris I caught a similar vibe, although the intention behind the behavior seemed very different. Parisians on the dull grey metro were also quiet, but appeared to keep to themselves in a judgmental attitude directed at those around them. In Vienna, the metro was bright, loud, and colorful, with orange and red seats and several larger groups of all ages chattering excitedly, with an obvious interest in those around them, no matter how unfamiliar. Rome was similar, though not as colorful and a bit of a challenge to navigate. Italians are loud, emphatic, and easily excitable, so the metro was always an entertaining place to be.

All of these new places created countless new experiences and memories. From learning how to make pasta in Rome, to picking up snippets of new languages from locals, making new friends just for the night, or navigating enthusiastic street vendors, each new place was a new adventure and I’m so grateful for all of those incredible opportunities! Now that I’m leaving Copenhagen and Europe to go on to Mexico, I’ve been thinking about everything I learned in all of these experiences and in my classes in Copenhagen, so I’d like to finish this post with a quote from Hans Christian Andersen’s Thumbelina that feels especially fitting to my life right now.

“She drifted from one adventure to the next, as the currents of fate swept her along, but through it all, Thumbelina never lost her sense of wonder. The world was vast and overwhelming, yet each new place she encountered was full of its own kind of beauty. She marveled at the stars above her, the flowers beneath her feet, and the music of the wind through the trees, for even in her uncertainty, she knew that each step was a part of her story, and her story had yet to be fully written”

Love, Grace