Something like that. Well, that's what I'm trying to convince myself as I sit here in the gallows of post-study abroad depression which include: jet lag, boredom, looking through old photos, complaining about now-unexciting lives with fellow post-study abroad kids, a general feeling of "blah" about most things. Even the most simplistic parts of my day I compare to my past life in Europe. The balsamic dressing on my salad last night? I could only think about how it did not compare to the balsamic I tried at a food market in Florence.
It had to come to an end some day I guess. But, I can't complain. In 4 months I did SO MUCH. I'm sorting out all my photos and keepsakes (tickets, brochures, etc.) so I can scrapbook my semester abroad, and yikes... might need another scrapbook. There are just so many photos I want to include! And so many places I went that deserve multiple pages in the scrapbook.
So here is my reflection.. more so, a list of my favorites, the landmarks I saw, best nights, most beautiful places, learning experiences, overall best trips, etc etc. It might get kind of random at some point, so bear with me.
Favorite cities/countries (from most to least)
1. London- until a week ago, Barcelona was my number one, but in the past few days with the royal wedding, seeing Big Ben/Westminster at night, visiting a few parks... I realized that there is no place like London. Even after 4 months, London did not get old. Big Ben was exciting every time I saw it. Everything always felt so magical.
2. Barcelona
3. Venice
4. Paris
5. Switzerland
6. Munich
7. Madrid
8. Florence
9. Rome
10. Ireland
11. Berlin
12. Glasgow (Scotland)
Most Beautiful place: Switzerland (those mountains, teal water, wooden bridges, beautiful people), Runner up: Venice. so. dreamy.
Best overall trip: Italy (Venice, Florence, Rome) for a week with Jen, Jackie and Alex. As our final trip, it was just so fun and so nice to be with all of them. And Italy is a five thumbs up.
Amazing views:
Florence
Lucerne, Switzerland
Paris ( from the Eiffel Tower)
Paris (from the Arc du Triomphe)
Barcelona (from Montjuic)
London (from London Eye)
Best Food:
Currywurst (Berlin)
Fish/Chips (London, specifically from Kennedy's)
Tapas (Madrid.. El Buscon, and this goat cheese/caramelized onion tapa from another tapas bar)
Cien Montaditos (little baby sandwiches... delicious)
Pizza (little cafe near Trevi Fountain... best pizza ever)
Gelato
Pasta dinner (restaurant in Florence, and Roma Sparita in Rome... I also had an amazing carbonara from a Paris restaurant)
Chocolate/Nutella croissants (yum)
Napolitana (from cafe in El Sol, Madrid. best pastry I've ever had)
Crepes (Paris. so delicious.. also had a good banana/chocolate crepe in Berlin)
Ben's Cookies (London)
Pretzels (Munich)
Chocolate (Switzerland, of course!)
It all sounds so healthy, doesn't it?!
Cathedrals/Basilicas I saw and/or went in:
Westminster Abbey (London)
St. Paul's (London)
Notre Dame (Paris)
Sacre Coeur (Paris)
Sistine Chapel (Rome)
San Pietro (Rome)
Duomo (Florence)
Berliner Dom (Berlin)
Basilica di San Marco (Venice)
Santa Maria del Mar (Barcelona)
Sagrada Familia (Barcelona)
Museums I went to/famous artwork I saw:
El Prado (Madrid; Las Meninas)
Picasso Museum (Barcelona)
La Reina Sofia (Madrid; Picasso's Guernica)
Louvre (Paris; Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo)
Jewish Museum (Berlin)
National Portrait Gallery (London; Van Gogh's Dandelions, Monet's Gardens)
Victoria and Albert Museum (London)
Tate Museum (London)
Science Museum (London)
Famous landmarks/sites
London: Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, London Eye, Abbey Road, Hyde Park, St. James' Park
Ireland: Cliffs of Moher, Aillwee Caves, Guinness Factory, Christ Church
Munich: New Town Hall (Glockenspiel), Dachau concentration camp
Paris: Eiffel Tower, Arc du Triomphe, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, Les Invalides, Champs-Élysées, Tuileries Gardens
Barcelona: Montjuic, Park Guell, Sagrada Familia, Santa Maria del Mar
Madrid: El Retiro, Plaza Mayor, Royal Palace, Catedral de Almudena
Berlin: Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, Pariser Platz, Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, Memorial to Murdered Jews of Europe, site of Hitler's bunker, book burning memorial, TV tower
Rome: Pantheon, Colosseum, Roman Forum, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, memorial to Vittorio Emmanuele, Vatican City, Vatican Museums, San Pietro
Awesome people I've seen:
Marcus Mumford
Ginny Weasley
Prince William & Kate Middleton entering the New Zealand House back in February
The Queen, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Will & Kate on Royal Wedding Day
The Pope (at the Vatican)
Cultural things (via my Performing Arts class, I went to several live performances this semester)
American Ballet
A Flea in Her Ear
The Heretic
Vernon God Little (my favorite)
Also: I saw A Doll's House in Manchester AND went to a private Mumford & Son's gig in Camden (London). Mumford & Son's night was a defining night in my semester. So amazing.
Not so good parts of this semester:
Breaking my camera in Ireland
Exchange rates/financial problems
Wish I learned more in my classes
That the semester had to end. :(
Defining/most memorable moments!!!
*already mentioned Mumford & Sons*
Royal Wedding- I was right up at the front of Buckingham Palace, and saw everything! Camping out overnight was so worth it, and reporting on the wedding for a newspaper back home was super fun.
London nightlife/pub crawls- Me and the girls always had a blast going out on the town... I will miss London's social scene so much.
My independent experience in Barcelona- I had so much fun by myself! It was an amazing two days, and I learned so much about independence and enjoying the little things. It made me love Barcelona 10x more.
Dachau concentration camp in Munich- such a somber place, really put everything in perspective. so glad I took the opportunity to go there... being there is just.. crazy.
Florence sunset- one of my favorite "I love life" moments.. just me and some good friends, beautiful views, wine & cheese... superb.
Cliffs of Moher- +60 mph winds, rain? makes for an unforgettable experience, that's for sure. It was half funny/half terrifying trying to conquer the cliffs!
Climbing the Eiffel Tower- So many stairs. so much fear of heights. but I did it! and it was an amazing feeling finally reaching the top and looking out over Paris.
so many other great moments but those just seem to stick out to me!
what I will miss most about Europe:
1. meeting really cool, interesting, international people. How cool is it that I lived on the same floor as a girl from Belgium, a guy from Lithuania, a guy from Italy (shout out to Louise, Algi and Vittorio!)... and that at hostels/pubs I met people from France, Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Costa Rica, Greece, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, etc. In several classes I had people from Poland, Indonesia, Spain, Australia, France, etc. I have always loved meeting people from all over the world, and living in London, a melting pot, and traveling all around Europe meeting more people... DREAM COME TRUE. I could not have been happier.
2. magic. anyone who visits Europe, for a week or for 4 months can agree with me: Europe has a magic about it. From the British accents in London to the Venetian canals to Spanish architecture... on so many occasions I had to pinch myself and ask "Is this real life?" because I could not believe that I was on top of the Eiffel Tower, or on a paddle boat staring at the Swiss Alps. I felt like I was in a dreamland. Unfortunately, America does not have that magic to me.. (although, NYC is going to be the closest I can get)... so I will oh so terribly miss that dream feeling I had in Europe.
3. Cheap airfare. RyanAir and EasyJet, you saved me so much money and allowed me to travel pretttyy cheaply. $17 plane ticket to Berlin? Yes, please. If only America had budget airlines... I'd be able to see so much more of my own country!
4. The tube. I miss it already... it was just so easy, so clean... (I will not miss how expensive it was though!)
5. Finsbury 3rd floor. Even through the consistent messy kitchen, food stealing and noise making... I loved my flat mates. I will miss Algi burning his toast, Louise being my dinner date and friend, Alex being oh so ginger, Sam for putting up with our initial Zac Efron jokes, and Vittorio for being the best italian stallion ever. And of course all my new Penn State friends... miss you all!
6. Tesco. 2 pound meal deals, cheap groceries, chocolate croissants? awesome. and so needed in the U.S.
7. European fashion: I found myself purchasing a pair of shoes in Target yesterday, because they just screamed European fashion. Although usually it made me feel like I needed to step up my wardrobe/trend game, it was enjoyable to see all the fashionistas and all the quirky fashion choices. I will miss Primark, too. As much of a zoo as it was.
8. Not being a tourist in a touristy city. This is a weird one, because at times I still felt like a tourist. But, being able to give someone directions, knowing my way around the city, knowing bus routes and tube stops, knowing where to get good deals and how to budget... I was a resident of London, an internationally prominent city.
9. Spain. Although I am so happy I studied in London, my visit to Spain made me rethink it a little bit! I just LOVE speaking Spanish and being able to communicate in another language... the Spanish culture was awesome, too. I miss Spain! It's so beautiful there...
10. The love life feeling. This is hard to explain... not that I don't love life... but I REALLY loved it these past four months. It was just a consistent happiness. Prior to, I only knew a life of classes, work, journalism stuff, and traveling between Milwaukee and Boston. My happiness was at its prime when with my friends and family, but I could quickly find myself in boredom, dissatisfaction, and blah-ness. But then, London and my Eurotrip happened. I found myself having fun with new friends, and by myself. I treated myself to traveling and adventures, well-deserved after several years of hard work at Marquette. I did the things I wanted to do. Some days it meant going to a museum, other days it meant laying in bed and catching up with friends on Facebook. But either way, I was happy with what I was doing. No longer was my life dictated by all my work/school responsibilities. My only real responsibility this semester... was to enjoy myself. And I can truly say that I did (or maybe you can tell by previous blog entries and photos?)
I am so thankful to be going into another great experience this summer, Sports Illustrated internship in NYC. Yet another dream come true. After leaving Europe, one adventure of a lifetime, I'm so excited and impatient to go into my next adventure.
As I sit here, suitcases unpacked, scrap booking in progress.... I am dreaming up my next global travels. As much as I thought I've seen... I haven't seen but less than one percent of the world. I want to go back to Paris and see Versailles (which I missed before)... I want to spend more time living the Madrid life. I didn't get to southern Spain and that is a must. And then southern France, Eastern European countries like Prague and Budapest. I have to go to Austria, Amsterdam, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Croatia, Greece... several more cities in Italy, I need to go to Portugal, re-visit Ireland and go to the Scottish Highlands. And aside from Europe... I am realizing how badly I want to get to South America. and South Africa!! ooohh I want to go to South Africa...
I should probably work on paying off my debt, and get through college before I start planning my next travels. But, let's just say my adventures have only just begin. There's so much out there.. and I'm gonna see it.
Well. That's it folks. 4 months of pure magic, awesome people, beautiful places, fun times and loving life. Thank you to everyone who has read my blog all along, and I hope you will tune into my NYC adventures when the start up in June.
London... I love you, always and forever. See you soon.
"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."
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