My first solo trip was nothing short of amazing and I had the absolute best time. It was also the kick off to a journey I never saw coming. I had the opportunity to meet so many amazing people and see some of Europes most famous cities and sights in 8 different countries! However, getting to travel to a bunch of different places and getting to take pictures of some famous landmarks were not always to most amazing things that happened.
The moments and experiences while being in these places and seeing these things is what made my trip so special. The way you feel when you get to live your dreams for the first time is a feeling I can’t describe. These 5 things are reminders of 5 times when everything was almost perfect.
1. Seeing the Northern Lights; Iceland
I’m not one to make bucket lists, only plans. However, the Northern Lights are an exception. This has been at the top of my list for as long as I can remember. The first time I saw the lights were on my way into Iceland. From the plane, you could see the green lights dancing up and down out the window. I knew that second that I was in for an amazing time. Seeing the lights from the ground was even more beautiful. You could see all the colors light up the whole sky.
There are a lot of tour groups in Iceland, most out of Reykjavik, that offer night time bus tours to chase the Northern Lights. This will cost you a pretty penny on something that you may, or may nor even get to see. I opted for renting a car for the week, so I had my own way of transportation to see the lights myself. For 4 nights, myself along with some new friends, would drive about 45 minutes outside of Reykjavik to Thingvellir National Park. This gave the best views as there are no lights from the city, no lights from anywhere, other than the sky. I was lucky to see the lights every night I chased them (I had really good weather the whole time I was in Iceland so no clouds). My next Northern Lights dreams is to watch them from underneath the sky from a bubble! Yes, you can really do that in Iceland.
2. St. Patricks day in Budapest; Hungary
There really is a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow, as long as that rainbow ends in Budapest. My Grandfather was from Ireland so I always love getting all dressed up in green and celebrating St. Patricks day. Budapest is one of my favorite cities in all of Europe so putting both of them together ended up being a great match. For the whole weekend, the chain bridge uniting Buda and Pest, lights up the sky in all green. On Saturday the streets were filled with bagpipe players and green leprechaun hats. I remember having the biggest smile of my face and being so excited. My friend and I even ended up IN the St. Patricks day parade that day, ending in the downtown Irish pub where we listed to live music, and enjoyed the holiday the whole night long.
3. 4/20 in Amsterdam; Netherlands
Spending 420 in Amsterdam was an all-time dream come true for me. Even though I only got to experience the city for one day, I did exactly what I wanted to do and I had the best time. A friend of mine ended up being here this same day too, so we got to spend our day together. Bouncing around from coffee shop to coffee shop, trying all kinds of different foods, adventuring through the canals, and ending the day exploring and laughing around the famous red light district. This being one of my last days on my trip made the farewell to Europe a little sweeter.
4. Auschwitz; Poland
The main reason I went to Poland was to see Auschwitz. Im not really a big history freak, except when it comes to Hitler and the Nazis. Im fascinated, and it amazes me that there are so many people who don’t understand what happened in Germany in the 1940s. Standing in the concentration camps in Auschwitz gave you and eerie feeling, a hard to explain feeling. The housing, the gas chambers, the streets, all of it was just, cold. What really got me though, was the piles of shoes, and glasses, and suitcases, and hair; all things that I take for granted everyday. It’s something you just have to see.
Im not a very emotional person, but I think about Auschwitz a lot. This is something I would recommend everyone to to go visit at least once in their lifetime.
Auschwitz camps 1 and 2 have free entry to all visitors and there are guided tours inside in a variety of different languages. Shuttle buses are available for transportation between camps, as well as on site street food carts. There are dozens of tours groups that go to Auschwitz at a reasonable price. However, the cheapest route i suggest would be to find a private mini bus and my ticket was only $6.
I also encourage everyone, if you don’t understand what happened during the time of Auschwitz, do some research. Watch the movies, read the books, I promise it will change your life.
5. Visiting my Uncle Wolfgang; Germany
It’s a blessing to have family that live in other countries. The first time I met my Uncle Wolfgang, was on the trip, and I spent a week with him in North Eastern, rural Germany. It was one of the best, but also one of the hardest weeks of my life. We couldn’t communicate very well, my German is awful, and his English wasn’t much better.
We still had the best time together though. It was weird, in a small village in Germany, having everyone already know you because of who your family is. Everyone in town have a lot of respect for my uncles Wolfgang and Mike. This felt like being home for a little while, even though I was thousands of miles away.
You know the old classic stories written by the Grimm Brothers, and Fairytale lane? This real life world was right around the corner. I seen castles and villages these fairytales were inspired by. A world I never would known ever even existed, I got to experience with someone really special.
Keep and eye out for more of my upcoming posts. Each of these destinations have more than just one story. I’ll break each country down with tips and tricks to broaden your mind!