The best and the worst of Europe

I write this after having been in the United States for  few weeks. I've had time to reflect back on the two months of experiences I've had in Europe this year. One of the most common questions that I get asked by people who aren’t really travellers (sorry to look down upon you common folk!) is “so, what was your favourite place?”

I hate this question.

Honestly, I don’t think it is possible to put a label on your “favourite place.” Budget travelling, by its nature, can be influenced by a whole series of things which aren’t really relevant to the location itself.  The hostel, the people you meet, the weather. Some of my most fond recollections might pertain to one evening in time, one person I met, but the city as a whole may have been average. So instead of even attempting to reflect upon this question, I’ve broken it down a little bit further to present to you a reflection of the best and the worst of Europe, 2012. 

...

Most surprisingly enjoyable city: Riga, Latvia

I had zero expectations for Riga – and I was so pleasantly surprised. There’s nothing nicer than arriving in a city thinking it won’t amount to much and leaving feeling so glad that you came. I could’ve spent two weeks at the hostel, happily, and really taken the time to get to know Riga and the wider Latvian region. This was largely because of the hostel and the lovely people, but simultaneously I really enjoyed the overall vibe in Riga.

 

Place I could’ve skipped: Frankfurt, Germany

With the exception of one little section of Frankfurt with these picturesque German town square buildings – Frankfurt was ‘blah.’ Even though it was the police oppression of the planned protests which really impeded upon my time there, I sense that there really wasn’t much more to Frankfurt than what I saw. I’d have preferred to have gone back to Munich or Berlin, or to have given a number of other German cities a look. From conversations I’ve had with other travellers, my perceptions are pretty much consistent with those held by a lot of other people.

 

Country I wish I’d explored more: Poland

I generally was impressed and intrigued by Polish culture and the fusion between modern developments in infrastructure and architecture; and the past they are emerging from. There are a few smaller cities which tourists who head further off the beaten track get to which I would’ve loved to have had time to explore.

City I didn’t make it to which I regret: St. Petersburg, Russia

When I arrived in the Baltics, one of the big 'talks' was people discussing the notion of going to St. Petersburg. This city is right at the north of Russia, the north west, and on the coast. It has a ferry connection to Scandavia and Estonia. You are able to take the ferry 'via' St. Petersburg and get a transit visa, 72 hours, without applying for a Visa ahead of time - something which you cannot typically do with going to Russia. This was one of those lessons in the advantages of having flexible plans. If I hadn’t already booked the next couple of weeks ahead, then when I first heard about the possibility of being able to go to Russia without all of the usual hoopla, I could’ve made it happen. But I was already pretty much tied to a schedule.

 

Thing I’m most proud of myself for: Dining alone

This sounds simple, I know, but it is a big deal for me. Past travels abroad, I really struggled with going into restaurants and dining alone – anywhere where you sit down and order from a menu with a server. Doing things alone scares a lot of people – I know in real life, most people I know would be wary of dining alone, going to the movies alone, and so on. I’m not a foodie, in the slightest, so I can’t claim to have really sought out the most ‘traditional’ of dishes. However this trip, I battled with my fear head on and in quite a few cities I was able to dine, enjoy real food, experience cuisine and interact. In Europe 2008 I can recall eating mostly from grocery stores, and because I’m not into cooking, most of the grocery store food I would eat would be bread, cheese, meat – like having lunch over and over and over. Not good for my general sanity!

Biggest personal regret: Being too ‘organised’

This trip, I had told myself that I’d be more fluid in my planning, that I’d be flexible and take the opportunities as they came – but as a result of working my schedule around other people and having a ‘hit list’ of countries, I found this being tossed out the window. Travelling out east, I found myself coming across more people who had few plans. In Tallinn and Vilnius, I met people who literally would decide on the morning if they were going to move on that day – rolling out to reception just before check out time and blearily saying, “one more night” and luckily, the bed being available. I’m not sure I could ever be quite this loose in my planning, but I do feel as though I could’ve had some really cool experiences and seen a few different places had I been less constricted to a schedule.

Most beautiful location: Trakai, Lithuania

Trakai was beautiful in a fairytale way, something so majestic about this castle on an island in the middle of a lake. It is the kind of place which on a nice weather day, I would go prepared with a book and a magazine, find a grassy patch by the lake and just “be.”

...

So there you have it, just a handful of reflections on my European experience this year, the good, the bad and the ugly - and the amazing!