Euro Express

Last year, my best friend Dawn and I took a trip to Europe after graduation and we’re about to go on our second Europe trip in two weeks so I wanted to take this moment to reminisce on the memories and appreciate all the fun moments we had. We took so many pictures but I never got the chance to rummage through them all and showcase the energy in each city.

This was our first Europe trip so we went for 16 days and stopped at !!! seven !!! locations – Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, Athens, Budapest, Rome and Venice. I KNOW but we were ambitious and didn’t know we’d be back in Europe a year later. We wanted to get our money’s worth and get a taste of as many countries as possible. It’s cheaper to travel within Europe while you’re there (like… $40 plane tickets cheap, unlike here in the States.)

We somehow managed to find our way around without having international cell service looool. We would use any free wifi if we needed something or pinned places in the map before we left the hotel. My proudest moment was when this French girl came up to us in Paris and started speaking French to us, thinking we were locals™ ;’) I think she was trying to ask for directions but can’t be sure because… I don’t speak French… yet.

We did a lot of the touristy stuff with the few days that we had in each city. This isn’t a comprehensive travel-guide but I’m just going to jot down a few places and things that really stood out to me in each country.

Tips + Things

No free water at restaurants!!! People told me this before I left but it is really shocking (to say the least) when you’re thirsty as hell but on a budget, have to buy water for €5 and there’s no free refills either. They’ll sometimes give you free wine but I’m just trying to stay hydrated.
Venice canals = sea water. There are tons of seagulls flying about like you’re at a beach. I didn’t realize this and it just shocked me when we got there because Amsterdam canals doesn’t have that fishy, seawater smell in the city (at least not the parts we visited.)
Bring a tote bag. A lot of stores charge for bags and it just comes in handy. Especially if you want to carry around a water bottle (you’ll want to, trust me.)
Get ready to EAT in Italy because they have whole meals before the entrees even come out. Didn’t realize they didn’t start off with light appetizers like salads.
Bring a portable charger, pls. It was our lifeline. Couldn’t imagine trying to find our way back without the map since we opted to walk everywhere.
Some hotels don’t have elevators so pack what you can carry up stairs.
Sometimes it’s more efficient (and cheaper) to take planes than trains to another country but check both.
French culture can come off as rude. I don’t think it was personal, just their culture and like how New Yorkers also have that “minding my business” stereotype. I still love France though and would love to revisit.
You can walk or ride a train to the city center in each city we went to. It seems super intimidating at first but it was really easy once we were there. The only cabs we took were to/from the airport. You could probably take a train/bus to a station near your hotel but after a long flight/train, we just wanted to get to our place without the hassle to lugging around our suitcase.
Venice is not handicapped friendly. The cobblestone/bridges can be steep and wobbly. Some bridges didn’t have ramps, just steps. We almost had a meltdown trying to find our hotel while pulling our luggage. There’s people you can hire to carry your luggage for you if you have ~mOnEeEy~ like that (which, we did not at the time.)
Athens is not fancy like Paris. We booked a sketchy ass hotel (by accident) and would be in by sunset because we didn’t want to be out at night. We tried to walk to a restaurant our first night there (15 min. walk) and ran into the CREEPIEST groups of men. I was so glad Dawn and I weren’t alone. This was the only instance during our trip that we felt truly sketched out and unsafe. Also the restaurant was closed when we got there so we had to walk back through the creepiness without food 🙂 So make sure you book a decent hotel there!
Lastly, just be safe and don’t be naive when you’re traveling. I love my independence too but don’t be stupid. Trust your gut. Don’t walk in dark alleyways. Stay in your group. 99% of us do not have dads like Liam Neeson.

Next Stop...

Barcelona

Our first stop was Barcelona. It had the most amazing architecture and energy. People were out at night and enjoying late night dinners. Honestly, we only had one full day in Barcelona so we got ~16,000 steps in just walking around the whole city during that one day. Bringing comfy shoes and gel inserts!!!! My poor feet. Also bring a bikini if you’re going in summer months so you can go to the beach!!

Amsterdam

UGH AMSTERDAM – MY LOVER. I need a house on the canals. One filled with lots of natural lighting and sheer, white curtains. A balcony or terrace of some type. Also, if it’s not an open-concept layout then what’s the point??? I have my art all over the place. There’s a hammock. Lots of plants. Floor seating. Crystals. Photo collages on the wall. Mood board galore. I’m digressing again. Now back to our regularly scheduled show: The energy, the city, the intense biking, the diversity, the tulips, the bakeries, the canals!!! We found the most amazing Middle-Eastern bakeries and biked our asses off around the city. Pls note: People here are BIKING. Tour de France-style. It can be harder to find bike parking than a car parking. I also really liked walking around the canals at night. It was chilly but calmer than it was during the day.We came across the coolest park with flamingos and storks. There was a woman there who was wearing a red peacoat and a fur hat, feeding the storks. It looked like a scene out of a Disney movie.

Athens

The food was soooooo good. CHOBANI AND YOPLAIT HAS PUT SHAME ON GREEK YOGURT. We had “real” Greek yogurt at this one restaurant and it changed my life. I thought I didn’t like Greek yogurt but my god… it was incredible. Also not as many gyros as I thought. The Acropolis and surrounding ruins were okay tbh. They were mostly ruins and not restored. I’m not one to enjoy ruins for their history but it was cool to see it at least once. It costs ~$35 to see all the popular ruins whereas in Paris, we saw most things for free. The street markets are filled with people selling handmade jewelry, clothing, vintage items, etc. Be careful, some people will say it’s handmade/silver but then you walk 50 feet and see another stall selling the same items for a different price.

Paris

I wished I’d gone thrifting more in Paris but the food, trains, bakeries, street-style and architecture were amazing, beautiful, delightful, impeccable, wonderful and just ~*chef’s kiss*~ Bring a trench coat to fit in with the locals™ and learn basic French so they don’t judge you. The energy was… bougie businessman. Everyone was just well-dressed and minding their business, ya know? No one in Mississippi wears trench coats out casually so I loved that everyone there was *styling* even if they were just running to get groceries. So bring that dress, those heels or anything else you never wear because your city is boring and every time you try to do something, you just end up overdressed. You can wear it in Paris and no one will think you’re doing too much. Another side note – the buildings can be older and some don’t have elevators (like our hotel) so we had to carry our suitcase up about 5 flights… pack what you can carry.

Budapest

We spent the most days in Budapest because the hostel was so cheap. We stayed at the Black Dog Hostel and the host invited us to a dinner they were having at another hostel so that travelers could try out Hungarian food 🙂 It was fun and intimate – about 6 people, myself included. Afterwards, the host took us to a ruin bar then we stopped for late night pizza on the way home. That was the best night there so I would definitely recommend that hostel if you’re interested in going to Budapest on a budget. Budapest ruin bars are worth a visit even if you’re not a partier (I’m not) There’s a lot of cigarette smoke though. ALSO TRY THE GYROS. The best gyros I’ve ever had. We went to one of the thermal baths and they’re very crowded. I’m glad I got to experience it but I’m not sure crowded thermal baths are my scene.

Rome and Venice

I’m dying to go back to Italy and do an entire trip just exploring Italy. The one day we had in Rome, there was a cross-country biking tournament so a lot of the city was closed off but everyone was out on the streets to watch it. Everyone is on the streets painting, drawing or selling their art. Which shouldn’t have surprised me but it did because I forgot Italy is home to the most beautiful pieces of art. I really felt like the people there appreciated the arts a lot more than they do here in the States (at least where I’m from) The Trevi Fountain was !!! spectacular !! Prosciutto and mushroom pizza !!!!! spectacular !! I was dehydrated as hell at dinner because they charge like ~$5 for water in Europe. No free refills for water 🙁 I did wake up early one morning in Venice and came across a fresh seafood market. Wish we could’ve bought some seafood and made dinner but it was our last day there.