Hello,
this past spring I started planning a three week adventure through Europe. I started texting all my friends that I hoped would join me in this. I made an entire euro rail map with dates and activities. Finally I was able to book plane tickets for a departure out of Barcelona on July 24th 2023 with a return from Zürich on August 14th 2023. Here's my journal from the trip. Disclaimer that this is not my best writing but purely journal entries.
Hello,
This past spring I started planning a three week adventure through Europe. I started texting all my friends that I hoped would join me in this. I made an entire euro rail map with dates and activities. Finally I was able to book plane tickets for a departure out of Barcelona on July 24th 2023 with a return from Zürich on August 14th 2023. Here's my journal from the trip. Disclaimer that this is not my best writing but purely journal entries.
8/4
Hello,
I've waited 11 long days to Start this journal Purely because I was too anxious to even think about what I'm currently doing in Europe for three weeks, which to any person sounds like an incredible opportunity. And for me it did sound like one up until I got into the car to go to the airport, or even when I said bye to Isabel. That has been one of the hardest parts for me.
Visualizing three long weeks away from my family and girlfriend. It was hard for me to enjoy at the beginning. I was scared because my emotions were similar to how I felt almost exactly a year ago when I was leaving for Oregon. The same stomach issues, chest pain, and outlook on the world. Everything felt gray again. There was no excitement to go see somewhere new or to learn. All of that had disappeared as soon as I realized what I had signed up for. I really need to learn how to visualize myself in these situations. I also need to learn to accept anxiety and the situation I'm in. The only reason I am not as anxious anymore is because we are more than halfway through the trip. I miss Isabel dearly. I'm going to go through my last 11 days on this trip to the best of my memory.
7/25
We arrived in Barcelona around noon on July 25th. The flight was a bit rocky for me due to the fact that I was puking out of anxiety. It was like I had the spins induced by anxiety. I did manage to sleep. Our hostel in Barcelona was very nice. Mostly because we got upgraded to an apartment room, so it was an apartment with four rooms that each had four beds. We got our own room. There was also a living room, kitchen and porch. The Place was called Sant Jordi Sagrada Familia, it was Skateboarding-themed. Our neighbors were a girl from Lithuania, Bulgaria, and a British mom who wanted to travel without her family. The day of the 25th we didn't do much. We had lunch near the Sagrada Familia and then got Settled and walked around. We got dinner at this boujee place Martina wanted to go to.
7/26
This day was fun. We went to the Coast of Spain, we went to this very pretty beach that Katie found. Oh also we had a bit of a scare that Katie lost her credit card but she ended up finding it. We went to Calella, Spain. Yea we mostly just went to the beach and chilled. That night we went out to a bar and a club, I remember neither of their names. I knew I wasn't going to enjoy it but figured I'd tag along anyway, Ashley ended up getting too drunk and needed to go back to the hostel so I left with her. The club was kinda Arab themed, I have no better way to describe that place. We did meet a group of Argentinians so that was cool. I learned that the loud music with creepy men is not my thing.
7/27
Not much happened on the 27th. We went to the Gothic area of Barcelona. I had previously found a market that was going on so we went there. I bought 3 Pins: A mexican dude, a chicken and a bee. I already lost the bee. We walked around the Gothic area for hours. We had lunch at this Tapas Pace that Mama had recommended. It was called Bilbao Berria la Barra. It was good. I ordered a pulled Steak, I still had my petite appetite at this point, I think we then headed over to Park Güell. It was a hike to get to, so many stairs. I also realized all public transportation is similar to the NYC subway. So that's a good skill to have. That night Katie, Martina, and I went to dinner at this place that had this great view of the Sagrada familia. It was very touristy but it was pretty. I got Paella and Sangria. They went out to a bar and a Club, I didn't .
7/28
The 28th was a travel day. We flew from Barcelona to Nice. It went pretty smoothly. We Ubered to the airport. The only annoying thing was that the flight was at 7 pm - so we had lots of time to kill. We had already spent so much time in Barcelona that it was just kind of painful. We went to the house of that designer dude and just walked around more. Finally, we got into the Uber. The airport was packed and very badly organized but we made it on the flight. Ashley and I were next to a lady while Martina and Katie were next to a mother and her baby. He was very cute, but mid-flight he threw his salad all over Katie. The hostel we stayed at was called Hostel Ozz. It was really nice because it was only the four of us again, we had our own bathroom. It was right next to the train station, so that was convenient.
7/29
This day was spent on a boat! We woke up early to make it on the boat at 9 am but of course we got there at ten am. The boat was a 30-minute train ride and a 10 min walk away, when we got there we found the guy, got food, wine, and yea. He first took us to this port where billionaires dock their boats. We saw so many yachts and really nice sailboats. The boat we were on was a small skipper boat. We had a driver, his name started with an A and sounded something like Albie, but it wasn't Albie. I don't remember his name at all. He was an interesting guy. The first swim spot was just a bunch of boats docked with people swimming. The cool part was that there were boats that would come around selling pizza and booze. I got a piña colada, everyone else got an aperol spritz. At this location I got stung by a jellyfish. I had never been stung before. I was in the water for two minutes before I felt the pain in my calf. It's crazy because the jellyfish left the perfect outline of itself on my calf. The guy rubbed it with a credit card, I'm not sure why but whatever. I toughed through the pain because I am no wuss. After the sting he got us out of there. We saw the south of France's coast with all the pretty houses, hotels, and colors. We were pretty drunk by the time we made it across the coast, we had our drinks from the boat and the wine we bought. Katie was playing music as well. Life was good. We docked at a restaurant and had lunch. I got a pulled pork sandwich. I got walked in on in the bathroom so that was embarrassing. Katie almost lost Isabels' bag with all her stuff in it but they had it behind the bar. After lunch, we went to this cave. Ashley didn't come because she was too scared of jellyfish. so Albie showed us around, we went into this cave that reminded me of Pirates of the Caribbean. We then headed back to the dock. To give an accurate timeline, we were there from 10 am-6 pm. We Mainly spent the day just looking at the view and taking it all in, Good day overall.
7/30
On July 30th we continued our adventure through the south of France. We went to Paloma Beach which was stunning. There was an incredible view of boats and houses. The Beach was crowded but we found somewhere to set up camp after a while, and later we realized there was a path that led you further down the beach. We walked on this path for ten minutes before finding this area that was used to dock boats, but it was perfect because it kind of created a small pool that shielded strong waves. We layed for a bit before Martina, Katie and I decided to go on a walk even further than our starting point, we saw amazing views of the ocean. We stopped at this one area that had nice rocks to sit on. There were only three groups of people there so it was perfect. I took so many photos there, I felt calm at that moment. We returned and quickly decided that we should go back tо the hostel to get ready for dinner. We went to Saint Paul de Vence, it was a really cute town. There were Shops and restaurants everywhere. I bought a small biker figurine. We had a reservation for dinner but didn't realize that it was only a cocktail night. They only had appetizers to pair with the cocktails, so we got very drunk. We later got Pizza & gelato. Ubered back to the Hostel afterward.
7/31
Another travel day we ventured from Nice to Milan. We had to take two trains. The first train was hell. We had no seats. But, the second train we did and it was Super comfy. We just got to sit there and relax. I put in headphones and looked out the window. Ashley was not feeling good when we arrived so she stayed in the Hostel. Katie, Martina, and I walked around Milan. This hostel was called Ostello Bello Milano. It was a very nice and social hostel. It was right next to the train station. The area was kinda sketchy though. We were in a six-person dorm on the night of the 31st. We only had one roommate, I didn’t figure this out until later, but she was an Aussie. When we got back I was very anxious about the trip so Mama wanted me to go get some anxiety medicine. I took Ashley with me because she was sick so she needed meds too. We went to a pharmacy, but they didn’t have the meds I needed, so we Ubered to another. This place didn’t have it either. So the pharmacist gave me something similar. I also had Ashley buy a covid test. At this point, it is nine p.m. on the streets of Milan. We had no idea where in Milan we were but we looked down the street and there was a gelato place so we went. I got this really good vanilla gelato with nutella in it. Ashley took her COVID test on a bench out front, and it quickly turned positive. There were tears, but we powered through and decided, fuck it. After that, we Ubered back and slept.
8/1
Martina's Birthday! We started off by getting a quick breakfast of croissants and then we headed over to Lake Como. The train was about an hour and we had to take two. Once we got to Como we walked around the town. There were tons of cafes and shops that were really cute. I bought this little Land Rover Defender, Martina got pink sambas and Katie bought a film camera. We had lunch at an Italian Place, I ordered a lasagna. We then walked around the lake to see some views. Then it was boat time. The driver was an older dude named Marco, a nice guy but spoke very little English. We went around seeing the famous Villas of Lake Como, we saw George Clooneys' house. Then we went to a swim spot and I swam, we had prosecco and chips too. The guy would be telling us jokes through Google Translate. After the boat, we headed back but I felt ill so I skipped dinner.
8/2
Started off the day by noticing that the 3 of them hadn't come back from their night out. They had gone to Lake Como Without me. So I took that as an initiative to go to Crema Italy myself. I'm so glad I did because it was a fantastic day that I needed. I took 2 trains, but I missed my second so I was in Treviglio for an hour, then I finally caught the next train to Crema. First, I just walked around and took in the buildings. I found the exact spot where scenes of Call Me by Your Name were filmed. The center is Called Piazza Duomo. I then rented a bike and biked around everywhere I hadn't seen. Then I realized there was a tourist center and they gave me a map to See everywhere the movie was filmed. So I biked seventeen minutes to the Laghetto Del Riflessi in Ricengo. It’s an adorable pond with so much wildlife. The bike overall was so pretty, I was just biking through the Italian countryside. I stopped a few times to take photos. When I arrived the water was crystal clear. I sat there and even dipped my toes in (just to say I’ve swam in the same spot as Timmy). I sat there and thought a lot and realized that I should catch the next train back. I got to the hostel around seven p.m. I did laundry while we all watched Call Me By Your Name and ate pizza.
8/3
This was technically a travel day, but we didn't travel very far. We went from Milan to Riomaggiore. There were two trains. The first train was packed, but we found seats easily on the second. I think We left Milan around one and arrived around four. We had trouble opening the door to the Airbnb, so the host had to open the door for us. But once she taught me I got the jist of it. The Airbnb was really nice. It was just one room with a bed and a pullout couch. We explored Riomaggiore. We ended the day by getting drinks at this bar that overlooked the ocean, it was breathtaking. I was mesmerized by the rocks splashing on the water and the endless horizon. I forgot to mention that for lunch we bought seafood. I got fried calamari and arancini, it was amazing. On our way back from the bar there were tons of little Italian boys and girls playing. I think it was a birthday party. As we're walking, one decides to nail a soccer ball at Martina's face. It was hilarious. I couldn’t stop laughing for at least five minutes. When we got back we relaxed in bed.
8/4
We started the day by having our first sit down for breakfast. I had eggs with ham, toast, and orange juice. We then spent the day exploring the 5 towns of Cinque Terre. It was great. We got gelato, and for lunch, I got ravioli with fish sauce, which sounded gross but turned out to be really really good. The day was just spent exploring. On the way home - we're on the
train, and some Italian conductor train man stops us and tells us to give him our tickets. The two issues with this were that we hadn’t bought tickets because we were on for one stop and did not think the conductor was going to make it to us because this train was packed and no one else had tickets. So I'm like okay let me buy one, and this man charges us each 55 euro as a ticket. Katie was about to throw hands at this man, but the damage was done. It's just annoying that he targeted four teenage girls when no one else had tickets. Vibes were off for the rest of the day but we hit the last town. I got this really good lemon and honey froyo. Also met a cute cat but I didn't pet it due to past trauma. I don’t remember what we had for dinner but the night was super eventful. I wasn't going to go out at first but they texted me saying that the people that were at the bar were funny. Oh, I remember dinner, it was a pizza-style thing and drinks. Anyway, “going out” wasn't going out. It was a small bar two minutes down from the Airbnb. So I went down and there were maybe twenty random people. The most memorable was an Aussie lesbian lady who was thirty-one, An English school teacher (probably around thirty-three), and her niece who was around twenty-three. We were chatting for so long. The Aussie was giving life advice to us and trying to set up Katie with a bunch of men. The best quote of hers was, "shits and giggles are good and all until it turns into giggles and shits.” If that isn’t the most beautiful quote you have ever heard I don’t know what to tell you. The three others were flirting with three brothers, the bar closed around one am so we all went to the beach. The three of them were with their dudes. I was talking to the English school teacher, it was a very interesting conversation. Don’t ask how we covered life plans, design, and photography. She was very insightful and gave me advice I will never forget. I still follow the niece on Instagram.
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