My First Trip to Europe – France

I don’t know about you, but I like when tourists tell me what they think of my country when they visit for the first time. Sometimes I forget why Canada is so awesome. I’ve lived here my whole life so everything seems fairly normal. I want to write about my first impression of Europe for anyone who is curious about what a Canadian thinks of another continent.

My first trip to Europe was a 2 week tour of France with my Grade 12 French class. I was beyond excited. Europe had always seemed like some mystical far away land that I learned about growing up. I have also always loved old looking roads and buildings, probably because of the Lord of the Rings, but also it’s neat to think that a long time ago someone spent forever creating them.

We first landed in Frankfurt, Germany which I was incredibly excited about. My Opa speaks German, but is from Austria, but it still felt like I was in his home land (don’t tell him I compared the two!). I had never seen so many German things in one area so I took pictures of the most random things. Again, we only had a layover in the Frankfurt Airport so I didn’t even leave the building. I have a picture that whenever I see it, I become humbled again knowing how excited I was about the smallest things. We always had sandwiches at my Opa’s house and got our deli meat from a European grocery store, so naturally, I had to take a picture of the first sandwich I saw in Germany.

As I said, I took pictures of the most random things. Quite honestly I’m not sure if this is the same throughout the whole country but I liked seeing different looking restroom people.

Look at her cute dress, so stylish compared the the Canadian triangle dress

Our next stop was in Nice, France, where we stayed a couple of nights. My memory might be brutal here so I will focus on first impressions. It was my first time to the Mediterranean Sea so we immediately dipped our feet in. It was absolutely freezing because it was March, but at least now I can say I’ve been in it. We took a tour bus up to our hotel that was at the top of a hill. This was probably the most sketchy drive I’ve ever been on. This is where I realized how small the roads were. There were hairpin turns all the way up what seemed like a cliff and the bus driver didn’t seem to mind that half the bus was off the road each turn.

I would absolutely love to go to Nice again, it was so lovely. I also got to see the old buildings I was hoping for.

We took a day trip to Monaco, and this is where I found an alley way I had always dreamed of seeing. You would never find this in Canada.

Finally we climbed the stairs to a lookout to oversee the entire city, and it was definitely worth the climb.

I was looking forward to seeing a typical arena/colliseum building because of learning about it in social studies… and was excited that we were able to enter into one. This is my friend juggling in the middle of the arena:

It probably doesn’t compare to what you’d find in Rome, but I was satisfied.

What’s something that you need to get in France while in France? Baguette.

The bakery we went to didn’t have the long skinny baguette I was looking for, so I ended up with a long loaf of bread that I called baguette… I still regret how much I ate as a “snack”.

Unfortunately we were not allowed trying the wine on our school trip, but we did go to a cool winery in a cave and had sparkling juice. All of my pictures turned out terribly, but I’m sure you could imagine how cool a winery in a cave in France would be.

I definitely didn’t get enough pictures of the food. There were only a few meals that weren’t a part of the tour that were amazing. I think our tour company skimped out on good food and kept it nice and cheap so that wasn’t so nice. A few things I remember being noteworthy were duck patté on bread with dijon mustard, a ham, swiss and egg crêpe, strawberry nutella crêpe, and CRÈME BRÛLÉE. That was still the best darn thing I’ve ever had!!!!!

I think I need to go back just to try the food on my terms and find what true French cuisine is like.

We stopped in a few towns on our way to our final destination, Paris. I really loved seeing the countryside and all of the non-touristy places. If I went back, I would base my whole trip on this portion instead of whizzing past it all.

Quick picture of the countryside in France

I often wonder if people who are from Europe think castles are cool. To me, even this “small” castle has a story to tell. I like to picture what might’ve been going on when it was in its prime. Also, I wonder about how they made it back when it was built. How did they get such perfect cylinders and cones?!

We went to a lot of touristy areas while we were in Paris. This is where I learned that sometimes you shouldn’t listen to all of the hype. They were still cool, but I felt like I was only going because it’s what everyone does instead of understanding why it’s spectacular. For example, the Mona Lisa was a bit disappointing. It was waaaaaaaaaaaay smaller than I thought it would be and the room was PACKED.

Quite honestly, I don’t know why I needed a picture beside it. It was so hard to get to the front that I didn’t even spend enough time looking at the actual art work. I just wanted to show I was there. Perhaps it was because I was 17, but now I don’t think I would do such a thing. The Louvre was truly amazing, but I would need to spend about 3 days walking through the whole building. I think we only stayed for a few hours.

My first impression of L’Arc du Triomphe was different than I had expected. I had no idea it was in the middle of a chaotic round-a-bout. I somehow took a picture with minimal cars, but that was after waiting a good 45 minutes until the area cleared up. Cars and buses and everything in between just drive all over the place all crazy, it seemed impossible to actually go and see the structure.

Finally, the Eiffel Tower. Whenever I thought about this, I pictured romantic gardens surrounding the area, and a beautiful view from the top. However, I found that it was a little different. There were dozens of people aggressively trying to sell key chains at the bottom, and trying to take your picture and sell it to you. At the top, you had to look through a chain link fence (which I understand was for safety reasons) and could barely see the city because of the smog. I also didn’t think of how windy and cold it would be. It was still cool to actually see the structure and there was some beauty in the surrounding area away from the crowds. I probably wouldn’t need to see it again, but I’m glad I did.

The smog that the media doesn’t tell you about

In conclusion, my first impression of Europe had nothing to do with the touristy places. The most amazing parts were all of the little things. From attempting to order in French at a hole-in-the-wall café, to walking on cobblestone streets, to exploring villages.

I think one of the main reasons why I travel is to find different things from what I am used to. However, if I seek out the touristy places to find what a country is “known for” I’ll miss part of the adventure of travelling.

I believe that as long as you can find the beauty in anything rather than seeking out the most popular areas to get the experience you’re looking for, you will have a very fulfilling journey.

Why I Love Journalling

I have 4 different journals that are laying around my house, each of them holds some sort of purpose to organize my thoughts. I will explain each one and why I find it useful, and hopefully it will give you some ideas if you are looking to start journalling, or to find a reason why you should.

1. My “Goals” Journal

This is the journal I would say I go back to the most. It holds my financial goals, health goals, travel goals and overall life goals. It’s important for me to revisit so that I can stay on track, or re-evaluate my previous goals if needed.

I like to throw in some motivational quotes, or just phrases to help me when I’m feeling incredibly unmotivated. It’s also nice to look back at what I accomplished for when I am feeling like I haven’t accomplished anything. Some things that I thought I would never do, I end up doing and some things that I thought would be easy might roll on to the next page of goals so I can make a second attempt.

I also like going over my finances here so I can simplify what’s going on in my bank account and to find ways to minimize costs. It’s easy to just ignore what’s happening with your money online, but sometimes I need a wake up call. For some reason I find it fascinating to have a plan on how to spend my money and when, so I never feel guilty about making big purchases if needed.

I think my health goals are most fun to go through, because I most definitely need a wake up call for that sometimes. Whether it’s healthy eating or physical fitness, I need to go back to remember why I want to continue working towards these.

I also like to write down places I’d like to visit and jot down things I’ve learned about how to travel to each place and how to prepare. This includes thing I would want to buy in order to make it happen, or writing packing lists. This even includes things for camping, or road trips in general.

I like imagining a bright future and sometimes I get overly involved in that to the smallest detail, but I often find it fun rather than stressful. I think it can be quite beneficial to work towards accomplishing goals, whatever they may be.

2. My “Feelings” Journal

This sounds incredibly cheesy, but for someone who overthinks everything and has all sorts of chaotic thoughts floating around, this is a good place to understand what I’m feeling and why. My imagination has a habit of going wild which can be good for creative or optimistic endeavours, but when it starts going full tilt into more negative thoughts, I need to slow the heck down.

This is where this journal comes in handy. Sometimes my brain doesn’t have time to make sense of why the emotions that are coming up have arrived, such as sadness, anxiety, anger, or anything else that is a bit more uncomfortable than usual. As I’m writing, it slows down my thoughts and makes them into things that are just on a page – all of a sudden, they don’t seem so bad!

There have been numerous times where I am SO frustrated and I go grab this journal and begin writing so fast my pen wishes it stayed at home. By the end, happy thoughts arise and I feel much better. Not to mention, if you are someone who accidentally takes it out on a loved one, this is a great way to stop that from happening! I learned that the hard way. My poor boyfriend…

3. My “Creative” Journal

This is where I jot down ideas for YouTube videos, recipes for my cookbook I would like to create one day, and sometimes I just sit and doodle a bit. This journal is a bit sporatic, since I technically have more than one place for these ideas. When I’m out and about I will jot down a note in my phone, when I’m on the computer I’ll write ideas on Google Docs, but it usually will all circle back to my physical journal I keep in my house.

It’s quite often that my boyfriend will throw together a dinner with whatever we have, and it ends up being good – despite my constant nagging that “you shouldn’t mix those together it’s weird and will taste gross.” I honestly don’t know how he does it.

Overall, it’s fun to have a place to look back at your own creations and ideas.

4. My “Travel” Journal

This is something I bring with me when I travel, usually somewhere that is out of the country (which unfortunately, isn’t that often). This is something that my parents used to do whenever we went somewhere and it kind of stuck with me. Sometimes I forget a few days while I’m on vacation, but I try to at least write about stories that happened rather than what our schedule was like that day.

Of course, as a Lord of the Rings fan, this journal had to be a leather, old school journal (the one pictured above) so I feel like a true traveller. However, I’m a little too impatient to write the whole thing in calligraphy as Bilbo Baggins did.

This journal is nice to read when I’m feeling a travel bug coming on, but am unable to go anywhere. It’s funny to find things that I couldn’t remember in a million years, but as soon as I read my own memories I instantly am living in the moment. It’s easy to remember moments looking through my pictures, but in my journal there are often details that get overlooked and it’s cool to look back on.

Yes, I know journalling isn’t for everyone, and I might be a little hardcore with all of the journals I have, but I find that it’s a great way to reminisce about memories and achievements, be creative, work through hard times, and have goals to accomplish for the future.

Travel Like a Child

Growing up, my parents took us on a trip out of the country about once a year. For this post, I want to compare a trip to Mexico as a child to my most recent trip to Mexico only a few months ago. It wasn’t until this past trip that I started thinking deeply about how different my mind worked as a child, and how annoying it is to be an adult!

When I think back to what I paid attention to as a child, it was so positive and innocent. I remember being so excited to wake up early in the morning to go to the airport, and how cool it was to have a surprise meal on the plane. When I got off the plane, there was a gust of humid, tropical smelling air and that’s when I knew I was officially in Mexico.

It didn’t matter what the resort looked like, as long as there was a beach and a pool to play in. My brother and I would have so much fun in the pool, I don’t even remember what exactly we would be doing – I just remember it being fun. We would play in the waves in the ocean, and help my dad build some sort of sand castle. My mom and I would have fun looking at different souvenirs and jewelry and would try to leave Mexico with something matching.

The food was delicious and I liked saying “Hola!” to every staff member in the resort. I remember being fascinated with the entertainment staff, and loved watching the evening shows. I had no sense of time, didn’t know where I was in the world, and didn’t seem to have negative thoughts about anything.

There are certain things in adulthood that are beneficial to have during travel such as knowledge of the destination and the safety required during the trip, but a lot of things are unnecessary. What I noticed on this past trip is that I was aware of the money I spent and the value of what we were paying for. I struggled to wake up early and immediately felt more nervous than excited for the airport because I was thinking about all of the things that could go wrong. We didn’t get a complimentary meal on the flight and we didn’t want to spend the money to purchase a meal.

The airport in Mexico was chaos and filled with people trying to rip you off, or say that their shuttle was cheaper than the company we were supposed to go with. On the way to the resort I noticed labour workers walking down the highway and wondered how they make a living and what they might be struggling with. I was still excited to see the resort, but immediately started planning and organizing.

I was thinking about when we should eat, finding out when the evening shows were, what excursions to do and when, and was just overall concerned about making the most out of our trip. When we went into town, I noticed people trying to sell drugs and wondered how the economy worked (since every store sells basically the same thing) and I was overwhelmed about what I wanted to buy and where. I was thinking about applying sunscreen enough and making sure we wouldn’t miss the bus back to the resort. At the resort I had a hard time relaxing and wanted to make sure I did everything that I remember being fun as a child. There were still lots of laughs and fun times on this trip, but I just wanted to point out how different it was compared to when I was a child.

Now that I have been stuck at home in quarantine, I’m starting to realize how unimportant most things I worry about are. I can’t believe how uptight I was on my trip to Mexico, perhaps it was because I only had one week and I hadn’t been out of the country in four years… but it’s also because I didn’t take a step back to appreciate where I was and to just enjoy the moment.

I remember learning at a mindfulness seminar that one method to live in the present was to think like a child. In this case once I entered my room in the resort, rather than thinking about what we need to accomplish during the trip, I could have switched over to noticing the cute little shampoos at the sink and the balcony overlooking the palm trees. Of course this is easier said than done, but I think with some practice travelling could be a lot more enjoyable. Notice the things you are stressing about, take a deep breathe, and find your inner child.

Travelling Solo

Image may contain: 1 person, smiling — On my way to travelling solo

Travelling alone was something I’ve always wanted to do, to find new experiences and to prove to myself that I am capable of surviving on my own. After university, I decided to travel Europe for about 3 weeks. I didn’t end up doing the typical “backpacking” trip as I had wanted to do as there was still a little bit of fear around the idea. I honestly think I played it a little too safe on this trip because I didn’t do enough research on what I could do on my own. I would go on day trips around the city of Munich, Germany and I met some cool people in Austria who were pro kayakers. I visited a friend in London, did some walking tours and explored on my own every place I went. It was a little boring at times because I wasn’t sure where to go or what to spend my money on, but I was young and just wanted to go and try it out.

I had some family and friends that I was able to stay with, but I made sure to plan a trip alone to Prague, to truly get the experience I was looking for. This trip is what I would like to share with you as it turned out to be a good learning experience.

Alone in Prague

I decided to buy a bus ticket to Prague and just go for 4 days. I found a hostel to stay at after doing some research with my cousins. My expectations were to meet people around my age at the hostel and have a good time in Prague and explore together. It turned out to be a very mellow trip, but I learned a lot about myself while I was there.

Again, I failed to do very much research before heading to the Czech Republic because I just wanted to figure it out once I got there. It was at the point on my trip that I realized I wasn’t challenging myself enough, and was starting to feel disappointed that I wasn’t able to “find myself” through different experiences. When I arrived to Prague, I had no idea what type of currency they used and where to get it from. I also didn’t know where I was supposed to get off – thinking about it now kind of makes me laugh… with my level of anxiety that I have now there would be no way I wouldn’t do my full research before heading out on a trip. I ended up getting off at a train station and was VERY lost. It was the biggest most confusing building I’ve ever been in. Eventually, I found a currency exchange kiosk so I could get some Czech Crowns – I’m sure I got completely ripped off.

Once I found my way out of the building, I decided to completely avoid taxis as I knew I would for sure get ripped off from them. I had arrived in Prague at about 4pm so I needed to figure out where my hostel was before it got dark. I also wanted to make sure I found some food as I didn’t know when restaurants would close. I began walking through the city and got overly excited about everything. The streets and alleys are mapped out like a spider web, which didn’t make sense at all, but it was cool to see the old buildings and cobblestone streets. I walked through some sort of fair that had all kinds of food being made like pretzels and pork roast etc. so naturally I grabbed some for my journey to the hostel.

No photo description available. — Pork Roast

A couple of hours later, I arrived where the map said my hostel should be only to find that it wasn’t there… no signs anywhere. I went into the stores around the area and asked where it was, and no one seemed to know. A wave of panic set in as I could only think that is was some sort of scam that I fell for. I accepted defeat and began looking for a nearby hotel. As I was speaking to the front desk, the automatic glass door opened up and a stranger walking by overheard what I was saying. He came in and said “hey! I know where that hostel is!” So without thinking twice I decided to trust that he knew what he was talking about. He brought me to a set of doors that led to a store of some sort and told me to keep walking through to the back. I thanked him and with some hesitation I walked in. I went out the back, up some stairs in the alleyway and through a hallway. At last, I saw the sign and a beautiful lobby for the hostel I was seeking. How could anyone ever find this place?! I stayed in a female-only room and had a key to a drawer where I could keep all of my belongings. I was so relieved to find my hostel and finally be safe after a 5 hour bus ride and 3 hours of walking. I didn’t want to get lost or explore in the dark so I ended up going to bed at about 8:30pm.

I met a few American girls in my room and we decided to go do a walking tour together. We learned about the city and took some pictures of the beautiful scenery. It was so interesting to hear where we all came from and why we were in Prague at the exact moment as we were all travelling solo. I had a wonderful time getting to know them and I am still friends with them to this day. I did some shopping around the town, tried all different kinds of food, and eventually it was time to head back to Germany. I didn’t stay up late and have drinks with a bunch of new friends as I had thought, but I am glad I met those two girls and explored the city together.

Image may contain: 3 people, including BreAnne Emma Oja, people smiling — My American friends!

What I learned

I realized that I cannot rely on other people to have fun or to give me the experience of a life time. This is what I was looking for during my trip – someone else to make my solo travelling adventure absolutely amazing and life-changing. Not only that, but learning to accept that I don’t need a crazy adventure to learn about myself. I am still proud that I went on this trip, especially now that my views of the world are a bit more tainted and I would have a hard time making the move to travel solo again. I also learned that I am a lot more capable than I thought I was to make decisions, navigate, solve problems and stay safe. I think it was a really good idea for me to first travel to Europe alone, but also to force myself to have a completely solo trip to a country I knew nothing about.

Now that I have a boyfriend, who has never traveled alone, I am motivated to go with him to explore the world as I think everyone should be able to have that experience. I think it would be more fun to have someone there with me to enjoy the experiences with too. If you are scared of doing something on your own, I highly recommend going for it as long as you are smart and do your research, you will have no problem surviving in a different country.