It’s been over a month now since my return from Europe and yet almost everything here in Toronto has stayed the same.  Lucky for me though, I feel different (: – new perspectives, insights, and feelings about me, myself and I. On the other hand, I can’t say that my experience was ‘life altering’ either.  I think many graduates go to ‘find themselves’ but for me, the trip has only reassured me about the person that I am.

It’s a big world

I’ll admit it.  I do not know my world history, culture, or language.  Flying from country to country, visiting museum to museum, and (barely) speaking Franglais has confirmed that I am not a worldly individual.  There were so many instances where I would stand in front of a statue and wonder to myself, “what am I looking at?” only wishing that I had paid better attention back in highschool. *sigh*  Nevertheless, the culture was intriguing, and the architecture was stunning; things that were more memorable than any fact could ever be.

Tip: When in doubt, get an audio guide.  They cost on average 4-6 euros, but it’ll be worth it if you’re anything like me.

(Not so) Independent woman?

The answer is both.  Externally, I am an independent woman – I don’t need, I want it.  I don’t complain, I do it.  I don’t cry, I get over it.   But what meets the eye is not always true because at the end of the day I am a Type A that needs to be around people 24/7.

It’s not new information, but it became very evident during those three weeks.  It was nice to have someone to talk to all the time, someone to shop with, someone to laugh and share memories with….  I could never do it alone (without a purpose of course).  In fact, I wouldn’t want to as it would bring me no joy to have personal time half way around the world away from everyone I care about.   Ha, I guess you know you are a social butterfly when times like these remind me of quiet res nights when I would sit in Bran’s room (for no reason) while he played poker. lol

Tip:  If you can’t do it alone either just remember to be selective.  Go with someone who you bond with, trust me. (:

If I could it all over again… (shortlisted)

…I would bring a cellphone that worked!  My Blackberry Pearl failed me as I was only able to receive incoming calls and text messages.  Luckily I never got lost and pay phones and Internet access were somewhat readily available to us.

…I would bring more memory for the camera and a transfer cord.  For all those who complained that no pictures were ever uploaded, now you know why!  Belle and I had poor communication prior to packing regarding camera stuff so we only had a 2GB memory card for 3 weeks. lol

…I would plan our trip itinerary and make reservations earlier.  One of our biggest ‘omg’ moments was when we couldn’t use our Eurail Youth Passes to purchase train tickets from Paris to Nice.  And because we thought in advance reservations were not necessary, it costed us an extra $122!  Although it was worth it for Nice’s stony and sandy beaches, and Monte Carlo’s baller visit… it could have been used towards our shopping escapades!

In the end

Every story has an ending but I think this traveling one is far from over.  I don’t know where I’ll visit the next time I have vacation but what’s most interesting is that as I grow older I only realize that there is so much more to see, learn, and experience. (:  It only gets better from here, just wait and see…

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How about you?  How has your traveling experiences changed you, or what have you learned about yourself that you didn’t know before?

With the sun shining and the Mediterranean Sea surrounding us, sipping on sangrias (carbonated red wine mixed with fruit) by the beach has been the perfect way to end a backpacker’s journey around Europe.

The Magic Fountain

Although not as incredible as the Bellagio fountain in Las Vegas, the Magic Fountain in Plaza Espanya is an amazing centre piece for the city and brings hundreds (maybe even thousands) of tourists and locals together every Thursday to Sunday evening. The fountain is lit with bright colours and entertained by several songs throughout the night. At the background of the fountain is the National Museum of Art which has cascading waterfalls all the way down from the top of the hill. Luckily for us, we arrived in time on Sunday evening to catch the show! But after watching the grand fountain, it was obvious that Toronto seems to lack an attraction so simple but yet so appealing.

All it takes is a large projector screen…

Who knew that watching a movie outdoors on a mountain could be so entertaining! In fact, the experience was amazing and I could only wish that such culture could be brought back to Toronto. In Barcelona,they hold weekly Monday, Wednesday, and Friday screenings of movies on top of Mont Fujic and last night we watched Death Proof with a couple of travellers that we met on the Fat Tire Bike Tour. It was hilarious because the movie was played in English (with Spanish subtitles and we were the only ones laughing during the comedic parts! And although we had to walk up the mountain and back down again, (almost getting lost after the movie) being part of the culture was without a doubt worth every little bit it all!

Beach Bum (even in another country)

The beach here is beautiful and getting a full body massage while tanning for 10 Euros is even better! Not much to say about the beach except that I have gotten so dark that some of you will not recognize me. Belle likes to refer to me as her Indian friend, so be prepared to see a darker but hotter me (haha, I’m kidding)!

Over the past sixteen days of backpacking throughout Europe, I have made quite a few discoveries about myself. In fact, I have tested my tolerance and have learned a lot; both about myself and about different people, cultures, food, and so much more.

Unfortunately, you will have to stay tuned for that in-depth post upon my return to Toronto in a few days!

After travelling for over a week now I have yet again found interesting differences in Europe.  Above all, the mindframe of Europe being relaxed is true and it has been proven in various places!

Everything Closes at 7:30PM (sometimes 9:00PM if we are lucky)

In Nice, Milan, and Venice so far every retail store closes at 7:30PM.  It seems kind of ridiculous because what the heck are tourists supopsed to do?  When we were in Milan, we went shopping until the shops closed and then slowly realized that restaurants were going to close too!  By the time we finished dinner which was around 8:45PM, they were already shutting all the doors and sweeping the floors ready for close.  Now in Venice, the same story seems to repeat itself… in fact even the bars are not open, can you believe it?  Maybe it is because you can drink on the street and be merry without being constrained in the indoors!

They really love H&M and Zara

This may be a crazy assumption but (atleast in Milan) they love these two stores!  It is nothing like how it is in Toronto even though H&M is in every mall and Zara appears in high-end stores, they are much larger, have a much better selection, and within one street on Milan there were three H&M stores selling different merchandise and three Zaras, one for women, men and kids.  Nonetheless, it is pretty amazing because were are girls and we love shopping!  On the note of shopping, we stumbled upon an interesting store that was similar to Hollister.  It was quite the battle between whether to shop or not yet but we could not resist!  Lets just say we did some damage.

Random Update

Venice is beautiful!  The streets are narrow and the water (the Grand Canal) is simply breathtaking.  It hasnt been difficult so far to navigate but we are off to Piazza San Marco today and the other tourist things!

Ciao!

In our adventures around Paris and France in general, I’ve discovered a number of different and unusual things that you won’t find anywhere in Toronto!  I wish I could post pictures and refer to them (but we forgot the cord and the computers restrict us from uploading, atleast in our current hostel!)

Direction Arrows

The direction signs here are really odd, when it points down it means to keep walking.  Luckily on the flight here from Toronto to Paris, the flight attendant told us to keep on walking!  I don’t understand the logic behind the arrows… a really pecuilar thing I must say!  It’s funny to watch tourists though because they are confused about the signs too, sometimes some of them just standing there thinking that the bus will pick them up from where the arrow points down! haha

“No Holding Hands” Sign

There are signs that don’t make sense and the funniest one is what is referred to as the “No Holding Hands Sign”.  Picture this, a square shaped sign that is blue with a male stick figure (like the washroom sign ones) holding the hand of the young female child with a red line diagonally across it.  What do you think the sign means? (It doesnt actually mean no holding hands, so please leave your guesses.  If you get it right and you haven’t been to France you get a prize from Europe!)

The Metro

The subway seating here is structured different from the TTC.  First of all, the seats face front and back compared to how the seats are lined up facing the inside of the cart. Secondly the seats fold up and you can pull them down to sit on them when there arent a lot of people.  Another interesting difference is the fact that you either have to push a button or pull a handle upwards to open the door; both when you want to get into or out of the Metro.  There have been several times when I struggled to open the door, and I would be that annoying person holding up the jungle behind me! Im such a tourist.

The Big Plastics are 1,5L

I noticed today that all the plastic bottled drinks are either  50cL (which looks like your average sized water bottles) or 1,5L, not our big sized bottles that are 2L.  I wonder why that is… nonetheless its still an unusual thing.  On the topic of drinks, I love the different Fanta flavours that they have and other interesting one called Orangina that tastes like The Khurram which is orange juice mixed with Sprite! ha ha. And of course the wine is amazing too! In fact Belle and I downed a bottle of sweet white Bordeaux wine yesterday at our hostel.

On a side note, the beaches in Nice France are extravagant!  Sorry it has taken a long time to blog and Im even slower with this french keyboard!  Anyways I will keep you updated with Italy when we get there on Sunday evening!