When people ask me about my trip it is usually either the 2 minute conversation or one long enough for me to sit down and tell stories. Most of my 2 minute conversations follow along the lines of "I had a great time in Europe! It was so much fun!" "Where did you go?" "I was mainly in Austria for the study abroad but with weekend traveling and traveling after I went to 7 countries in 5 1/2 weeks." "Wow, what was your favorite place?" "London!"
I can't remember the number of times I've had this conversation. I have it with people and work, at church, and at school. It's pretty much rehearsed at this point. My first night back working at the restaurant I was faced with a question I was not ready to answer; "What were your top three things from Europe?" After thinking some I came up with this list:
1) Harry Potter Studio Tour
I feel bad that this was my favorite thing in Europe but it was absolutely amazing for a huge Harry Potter nerd such as myself. We went our last day in Europe and it was a great end to the trip.
2) Dachau
Another odd thing to put in a top three but I absolutely loved having the opportunity to experience Dachau. (If you want more of my feelings on this, look at the previous blog post.)
3) Attending Operas
This was for class; why did I enjoy it so much? I think one of the reasons I enjoyed going to 3 different operas while in Europe was because it gave me a different view on the Austrian/European culture than I would have experience just as a tourist. Plus The Magic Flute was an awesome production (and also talked about in a previous post).
I learned a lot outside of classes in Europe as well. Two things stand out in particular.
1) Traveling takes planning but also flexibility and patience. Especially in big cities such as Paris and London there are lines for EVERYTHING. Get to places early and willing to wait in line.
2) I'm more independent than I give myself credit for. I've always considered myself independent and try not to rely on others for much but being on a different continent was harder than I expected. I have never felt more lost in my life than my first weekend in Europe. Not only did I literally feel lost since I am terrible with directions and had no clue how to get anywhere but I also had not taken public transportation much in the US so I had to idea how to get anywhere if I was able to figure out where I needed to go. In times of panic like these I normally would call Joe or my parents and figure out what I was doing. Being in Europe that wasn't an option, especially since I had limited internet access. I also have never traveled without someone else organizing the trip so the traveling after the study abroad ended was another learning experience. Overall, I came back to the US feeling more confident that I can get myself out of challenging situations (but still will avoid figuring out directions whenever possible).
