European Travel Guide

Now that I’ve come to the end of my stay on the other side, I feel obliged to record a few moments thought in reflection. First of all I’ll dispense with the clichés… I had the time of my life. While this statement may hold a fair amount of legitimacy in that this Pepperdine International Programme was one of, if not the, most incredible things I’ve ever done, the cliché falls off when I consider how many times I have stopped to wonder just exactly whose life I’ve been living anyway. So many times I have had to pinch myself and remind me that it is in fact my life, and not just some waking dream. That said, I must admit that after the first couple weeks of the second semester I was ready to be back in America. Even when you’re sleeping on park benches and trying to ignore the nagging in your stomach reminding you that you’ve only been eating one meal a day traveling around Europe is quite expensive. Even more so when you’re living in the island nation which means you have to fly into the continent almost every time you’re going to take a trip. If that wasn’t quite enough, the exchange rate takes another huge bite out of whatever you’ve got. All that to say, if you’re looking at the possibility of spending a semester or a year abroad (Sawyer?) my suggestion would be, plan on staying one semester only and try your hardest to burn yourself out, travel every single weekend, pack it in, it will be much better than spreading it out over a year. You might leave wishing you had stayed longer, but that is much better than staying wishing you had left earlier. I in no way mean to make it sound like I haven’t enjoyed my time here, it has been, as I said before “the time of my life.” What follows is a travel guide as a sort of wrap up and a sort of self-reminder of where all I’ve been.

#1: ITALY
If you get the chance to see one European country, make it Italy.

I say this for a number of reasons, but namely because Italy has everything. The history, the art, the food, the country, the people, it’s all incredible. The number one city you have to go to is Rome. The Coliseum, St. Peters, The Sistine Chapel, the catacombs, The Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and on and on and on, the most awe inspiring city I’ve ever been to. While in Italy, you have to spend some time in Venice. If Rome is the most awe inspiring city in the world, Venice might be the most beautiful. That’s quite a statement, but canal city really is gorgeous. Also, Milan is the second biggest city in the world for shopping and fashion (behind Paris.) Finally, Florence, as the epicenter of the Renaissance, has some absolutely immaculate art, such as Michelangelo’s David. I found the Italian people to be some of the most welcoming and least hostile in my traveling and no end of good things can be said about the food. All of these things taken together lead me to say that Italy has to top the list, unchallenged, for places you have to see.

More Italy Pictures Here


DISCLAIMER: After Italy all of the countries are very close and vary depending on personal preference in traveling. I will attempt to rank them as far as my own personal experiences and perceptions will carry me.

#2: Greece

For my money, if you see two countries, add Greece right in after Italy. Perhaps it is because I am fascinated by ancient culture and Mediterranean climate. For whatever reason, Greece is a great place to see. Greek food is definitely not up to par with the Italian’s but you certainly won’t go hungry. Athens is, of course, the number one stop. The Acropolis certainly did not disappoint, the city is a fun place to be. If you really enjoy seeing the ruins, Delphi is the place to see. Olympia was somewhat anticlimactic, but that had a lot to do with an exhausting day of traveling to get there. Though I did not get a chance to take the ferry out to an island, everyone who did said that it was pristine, and who wants to pass up a chance to swim in the Mediterranean?

More Greece Pictures Here


#3: Paris

My personal experience in Paris left much to be desired, but what do you expect when you get stuck going alone? Though the French certainly were the most hostile I encountered, the grandeur of their capitol city earns them my number three ranking. Notre Dame was, with the exception of St. Peter’s in Rome, probably the most imposing cathedral I’ve experienced. The Louvre rightly deserves it’s place as the most well known museum in the world, and more than one day needs to be spent inside to see any single wing of it. I, sadly, did not get to go into the d’Orsay, which is supposed to be the quintessential collection of impressionist art in the world, because it was closed when I tried to get in. The Museums, along with the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe make Paris a great place to see.

More Paris Pictures Here


#4: England

Let’s not forget the place that I have called home for the last year, or at least the place I’ve lived in. England has quite a bit to offer. Besides an interesting history which is inextricably intertwined with our own as Americans, there is quite a bit to be seen here. The museums are definitely world class, and they are free. Though a lot of people found Stonehenge to be a let down, I was quite impressed. I think the trick is to turn around and get a bit of perspective on the fact that these rock are set up in the middle of a field in the middle of nowhere. The food in England is not as bad as everyone says it is. Just expect small quantities, no refills, no ice, no spices, and no service. There’s a reason no one tips here. Fish and chips is usually pretty good, though. It doesn’t rain as much as we are led to believe, but it does almost always look like it is about to rain or has just finished raining. Overall, a great place to visit, and it is really nice to be able to speak the native language.

More England Pictures Here *Just one of my England galleries


#5: Belgium

The trick to enjoying Belgium, is to not spend your time in Brussels, which has very little to offer other than any other large city. Ere go, the time we spend in Brugges was incredible. Belgium is know for a few things: Lace, waffles, and chocolate. Yes, they do have stands on the side of the road where you can get a waffle topped with powdered sugar, and yes they are very good. I couldn’t really care less about the lace, but the chocolate, oh the chocolate, now that was amazing. I can’t explain it, but if Hershey’s, Cadbury, or even Godiva is your idea of good chocolate, you don’t know what you’re missing. On top of all of that, Brugges is an incredibly gorgeous city, and an extremely unique one at that.

More Belgium Pictures Here


#6: Ireland

It pains me greatly to place Ireland at the bottom of this ranking. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip, however, I couldn’t help feeling we missed the heart of the island. We spent nearly all of our time in and around Dublin, and from the very small bit outside the city we got to see I feel that you have to get out to appreciate the Emerald Isle. There’s a lot of culture in Dublin, but for the most part it falls under the category of just another city. There’s something that I loved about being there, but it was much more of an intangible, inexplicable ambiance that I connected with. I would love the chance to explore the west coast and go see some of the sights of Ireland. Hopefully that will happen someday.

More Ireland Pictures Here


***Of course, there are a lot of places that I did not get a chance to visit, so this is in no way, shape, or form a complete attempt at a European travel guide. Merely a year wrap up for myself. Pretty cool huh?