So now that it has been a few days and my body and mind have had a chance to recover from the trip, I feel that I can reflect upon my travels more objectively and provide you with an overall impression of the things I got to see and do. To put it simply, with distance, I have come to appreciate what Sara and I were able to do for 6 weeks.
It was unfortunate that so many little and big problems and stresses kept occurring during the trip. It became increasingly difficult to look on the experience with joy and to truly live in the moment of the trip. I can recall many moments when in frustration, I wondered why I had considered these travels a good idea and had been so excited for the trip. It was the cloud of pessimism that accompanied feelings of frustration and grief that prevented me from feeling joy. But as I sat at my computer the other day, looking on my facebook page, I saw a stream of photos on the side bar. Each picture was Sara and I (and occasionally Ben) smiling as best we could with an impressive backdrop. How lucky was I to see such things. Another strange curiosity that I noticed over the course of the pictures, was that I actually smiled more and not less as the pictures went through our travels.
The trip really brought Sara and I closer together. We struggled together and problem solved together. We began to have routines and little habits which helped to provide regularity and comfort over the trip. We also came to understand each other a lot better and see all the ways in which we are the same and different. This only led to deepening respect and compassion for one another and has ultimately strengthened our friendship. Most people say that you shouldn't travel with someone for a long time because you are bound to hate them by the end, and sure, Sara and I had a few bad days or bad hours where we had short tempers with one another. But given the stress of our situation and life in general, this is quite less than most would expect. We learned that we could easily live with one another and had some of the most vital travel similarities (similar sleeping hours, similar energy levels) and we even found that we often responded and felt situations in the same way. After our encounter at the Duomo in Milan, both Sara and I had the same response, and more than once when the other came up with an idea for what to do or where to go, we were immediately in mutual agreement. These moments often came with a relief that the other person felt the same way and wanted the same things. So this trip had one really great silver lining. I got a closer friend.
The trip also served to teach me a lot about myself and what I love. While I had some inkling of this before the trip, I realized just how much family and by extension friends whom are like my family means to me. The hardest part of this trip was no the stress of figuring out where to go, or the fear that it accompanied, but being away from friends and family. Christmas and the holidays were particularly hard, but it was also difficult deal with the thought that I was not going to be able to build and foster those relationships that I had begun in Oxford. There was the fear that I would lose the people who had begun to matter so much to me.
I also learned that some of my own travel quirks and some of the weaker points of my character. The control issues that I encountered and my own overbearing mother-like nature often flared in my face. Similarly, some of the more anal qualities that I have developed in the last couple years also made my life more difficult than it should have been. My own pride and just how large my ego can occasionally be was also something that I had to be particularly careful of. But, in knowing these things, I can serve to keep them in check and also to engage with others more efficiently. I also learned that I prefer the more natural side of sight seeing and should in the future take any opportunity to climb to the highest point and look around. I can structure future trips around these things.
As for favourites and least favourites. I think it is safe to say that most everyone knows that my least favourite city was Milan. There wasn't much to see, it was really expensive and in general the people were the most rude and troublesome. Similarly it was the week with the worst weather. My favourite city was Munich (though Edinburgh is a close second). We got to really engage in the culture through the tours we did and I got to spend a day trip at one of the most beautiful places, Fuessen and Neuschwanstein Castle. My favourite housing arrangement was in Berlin and Cindy and Alex will always be a special memory. My least favourite housing arrangement was in Munich, because we were in a hostel and had to fend largely for ourselves. My favourite food on the trip? Well ignoring the Christmas dinner in Vienna (because that was a special occasion), my favourite food we bought was gelato in Italy, particularly Venice where it was particularly cheap. My least favourite thing that I tried was the potato cakes that we had at some of the Christmas markets in Germany.
Overall, I got to see some amazing things on my travels and meet quite a few amazing people. Europe is rich in beauty and history and I am so lucky to be able to engage with it and expose myself to as much as possible. That being said, I know now that cities are ultimately the same everywhere. The life and bustle of human civilization gives the same impression whether you are in Berlin or Florence or Indianapolis. While some of the rules and cultural nuances are different, and maybe some of the available resources, humanity feels the same everywhere.
I wouldn't trade the opportunity to do these things for anything in the world, even if while experiencing them, all I wanted was to escape. I will learn from my mistakes and plan trips that are more suited for me in the future. This knowledge will only provide me with the ability to see and do more in my life. Yes there was a lot of pain and struggle, but sometimes that is what is required to learn and to grow.
Next week, I will post and update about settling in and my new tutorials. Until next time.
Adventures Await.
KH
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