Backpacking Europe 101...Continued

Back by popular demand! I'm glad so many of my friends are planning Europe trips this summer! It really is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You'll have a blast not showering for over three days at a time (oh, those night trains!), carrying an extra thirty pounds on your back everywhere you go (it makes it hard to maneuver through a crowded train station, let me tell you that!), and taking pictures of some of the most failbloggish things! (See the statue below. We found this baby in the lobby of a hotel...the same hotel, in fact, with the Mickey Mouse theme room we stayed in. Can you say, family hotel?)

Anyway, to the real point of this post. Lots of you have asked for recommendations of places to go. Here's the lowdown of where we went...what I loved, hated, etc. I apologize for the picture&text-heavy post!

We started off landing in London. It was great and there are lots of things to do, but if you've been to NYC (or Chicago, I've heard), it's very similar. Don't get me wrong...it was fun eating "pub food" and hearing people's accents and remembering to look right when you crosses the street so you didn't expose yourself as a tourist, but for the most part I wanted to see something of a different culture. Highlights were when we went to the British Museum (SO COOL! It was my favorite museum in all of Europe!), attempted to see the "changing of the guards" (which was cancelled that day...bummer!), went to the modern art museum (forget the name of it), and rode the London Eye. My opinion: Go to the museums on free days (if you're 24 and under, they have free days during the month all over Europe! Google it!) because even with a student price, they can be a bit costly, and don't ride the London Eye. It was a waste of money to me, but then again I don't care for skyscraper views. 16 euros was too much to go on a giant ferris wheel. Take walks in the parks, go to Big Ben, and DEFINITELY go to the Tower of London. Stay in the front of your tour group because the tour guides are hilarious. I heard somewhere they are ex-guards for the Queen or something? Or from the Royal Army? Anyway, they are old and crack lots of jokes. Also in the Tower of London, you can see the Crown Jewels. AH-MAZING! On a last note, don't forget to bring your student ID with you everywhere because there are a lot of student discounts you can get if you have your ID card! Tessa and I forgot ours, and missed out on a lot of cheap discounts because of it. (Below: view from the London Eye, Tower Bridge right next to the Tower of London, a beautiful park!)

Next, took the train directly to Paris. You could definitely spend a week there! Go to the artist village (Montemarte?) by the Sacre de Coeur (Sacred Heart Cathedral)...(it's up on a HUGE hill and these dudes will try to tie bracelets on your hand as your climbing the steps, and then steal your money. Run away from them!) Paris was definitely a neat experience. Lots of iconic things, but lots of neat things as well. Good shopping. Definitely see the Eiffel tower lit up at night (if you haven't already...it's so neat...it sparkles! Take a video of it!) and climb it. I wouldn't ride the elevator...climb it. There are lots of neat facts every landing (about every ten steps) so if you get tired you can stop every ten steps and read about its history! :) Also, get crepes at the artist village. They are delicious. Go to the Louvre on free day if you can, and see the Mona Lisa. I think we ended up going to the Louvre twice...once on a free day, and once paid admission. The free days are ridiculously crowded, but hey...it's free. (Below: The Mona Lisa...yes, this is how small it is, and yes, this is the closest you can get, The Eiffel Tower, Sacre de Coeur, the Moulin Rouge, and the French Open)

Next we hit up Germany. DEFINITELY hit up Germany. I LOVED it. Berlin was neat (lots of beautiful parks! Everything is soooooo green and lovely) but we also went to Dachau (the concentration camp) which was a neat experience. If you're into that sort of thing, I'd definitely go. It's one of the larger ones, and is one of the closest too. Be prepared to spend at least half a day there, and I'd go to the museum first, and THEN check out the grounds. It's a lot more meaningful. (Below: a Holocaust memorial in Berlin - the museum was underground, a beautiful green park!, Capitol Building - sooooo neat! The theory behind how they built it and wanted to run the government is so cool!)

Next we went to Amsterdam. DEFINITELY hit up Amsterdam. It's such a neat city! And everywhere you can, take a free student-guided tour. There are these college students (usually from the US) studying in Europe, and to pay their way they give tours of the city. It is free, and you are encouraged to tip them at the end (like 5 euros is good). It turns out to be a very good tour by someone your own age who is interested in things you're interested in. And it's cheap. Look them up and go on them in a few cities...it helps you get to know the city layout as well. We went on a tour and it took us through the Red Light District which was a little uncomfortable, but we just kept our heads down. But when you learn about the history behind the red light district, it's actually kind of neat. I really enjoyed the Amsterdam tour the best. Also, their strobe (?) waffles are GREAT. Especially with ice cream in the middle. (Below: The entire city is canals and bikes, waffle with ice cream!, neat houses - you will learn more about these on a tour!, and the i amsterdam statue...classic)

Next came Prague, but I'm not sure if it's on the rail pass. That was neat, but we were only there for one day. The architecture is definitely different than the rest of Europe.

We stopped by Germany again (this is when we hit church, Dachau, and the Neuschwanstein castle - a MUST see).

Finally it was time for Rome, oh Rome. LOVED it. You could easily spend a week there. I think we were there three days, which was still fantastic. Get a Colosseum/Roman Forum pass (get both...it comes in one ticket) and you can see the Colosseum one day and the Roman Forums the next. It rained a lot there. We also loved seeing the Vatican, but be mindful that some days of the week it is closed, and they are also picky about dress. Right outside the gates, there is the best gelato shop...I wish I knew the name of it. I wrote it down in my journal, but that's buried in a box in the shed. I'd recommend googling a really good gelato shop and seeing people's recommendations because some of them are crappy and ripoffs. The further you get from touristy destinations, the better the food (generally). (Below: The Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Julius Caesar's house!!!, inside the Colosseum, AMAZING gelato right outside the Vatican gates, the Vatican, Trevi fountain)

We stopped for literally one hour in Pisa to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We got off the train, walked 45 minutes into the city with our packs on (ouchhh!), took pictures, and walked back to the train station. I'm not even kidding. But I look back and am glad I've got those pictures!

 

That same day we hit up Florence. Florence was neat. We arrived in the afternoon and left late at night to avoid staying there, and managed to still have a wonderful time. There's a lot of art culture in Florence. I regret not seeing the David though. I was too much of a cheapskate. I was young and stupid. But statue building (below) was fun!

Next, Venice was great, but really REALLY expensive to stay overnight. It's fairly small, but you can get really lost, so definitely bring a map. We arrived there from a night train early in the morning and left late at night, but still saw everything. Everything there was sooooo romantic! I want Tyler to take me when we're older. :) Take off your shoes and be sure to take a dip in the water.  (Below: yes, that's how they really hang their laundry!, a canal leading to the ocean)

We stopped in Nice, France, to go to the beach, which was really neat. The water was literally teal! We also went to Monaco, which is a rich, ritzy place. We didn't really fit in, but it was neat. They had cool self-cleaning toilets in the casinos. :) Bring a nicer outfit/shirt if you're planning on stopping by there. (Below: Monaco, Nice Beach)

Lastly, if you like adventure (rock climbing, skydiving, paragliding, canyoneering, etc.) I'd recommend going to Interlaken, Switzerland. All of the recreation activities were fairly cheap (relative to America). I didn't do any of it (I can't even bring myself to go on a rollercoaster at Disneyland...) but as a group we ended up hiking up a mountain (Harder Klum, which I am pretty sure translates into harder climb...yeah, smart choice on our part?!) where we could see a beautiful view of the Swiss Alps. I loved that hike. It was hard, but worth it!

 After Switzerland, we headed back through Paris (that is when we saw the Moulin Rouge and the French Open) and back through London.

 OH! Another thing: Figure out where the churches are in the cities you will be hitting up and write down their location and times. It's fun to go to church in a new country...it's in a different language, but it's still the same! So neat. So pack a casual skirt (we just wore flip flops to church...people knew we were backpacking. I think they were used to it) 

I wish we would have hit up Ireland and Scotland on our trip, but we ran out of time. They are also in the opposite direction we were going, and it would have taken a few days to get up there. I cannot stress enough to maximize your time by traveling on the trains at night! You will be so grateful you did!

Good luck! I hope this helped!

Backpacking Europe 101

My friend Lauren is planning on going to Europe for a bit over the summer, and asked me for advice. Here are some tips, Lauren: (keep in mind I went during the month of May)

— I'd DEFINITELY invest in good walking shoes. You most likely have some decent shoes around, but remember this time you'll have a thirty-pound pack on your back everywhere you go. I wore Born shoes (My mom got them on sale for around fifty, and they are SO comfortable and even look European to boot!) and those were great. My friend Tessa brought her running shoes, but she ended up never wearing them because it rained so much, and her shoes never dried properly, so they smelled really bad. I wore my flip flops a lot of the time because of the rain, but it's probably not the best choice for your aching feet.

—I know everywhere you'll look online will tell you this, but pack lightly! I thought I needed at least five outfits for the month we went, but I really could have just worn two. Get one or two classy tees you look great in and that cover dirt (think bright patterns), nice jeans (I made the mistake of bringing too old of jeans and they didn't last), capris (unless your jeans roll up nicely into capris, which would be a plus!), shorts, and a nice top for going out at night. (I was grateful I bought a nicer top early on in the trip at a flea market because I ended up needing it the night we went to Monaco.) Try on everything and make sure you can mix and match it all. I'd also bring a LIGHT zip-up hoodie (I got mine from Target for twenty bucks!) and perhaps a fun scarf because it rains quite a bit, but is still relatively warm outside. Also, laundromats aren't easy to find; keep that in mind. This is what I wore 80% of the time, but I looked cute in all my pictures!

—Pack a travel umbrella. You will be grateful you did, and when you do get caught in a downpour (which you will—trust me) you will be grateful that you don't have to buy one for 10 euros off a street corner.

—Invest in a good backpack. If you can, try it on before you buy it. One of my friends got a long, skinny backpack that had a drawstring at the top, but it turned out to be frustrating because you have to take EVERYTHING out of it to get to something at the bottom. I really love the backpack I got. It was a black Jansport Euro Sak, but I didn't bring the detachable smaller backpack shown on the front. This backpack zips open all the way like a suitcase does. It was wonderful for keeping things neat and orderly, and it had plenty of little pockets to stash things in.

—As for a day bag, I wouldn't recommend anything too big, but definitely not too small. I brought this bag, and it was really nice because of its size. It has a pocket that rests against your skin where I kept my documents such as flight records. (I kept my passport and railpass documents on my body at all times though with a neck wallet. I strung it around my waist so it wasn't as noticeable, and shoved it down my pants. Gross, I know, but you've got to do what you've got to do!) It also has a water bottle holder on the side, but it only holds as big as my 24-oz Camelbak waterbottle. That may seem like enough water to get you through the day, but it's not. I brought a bigger bottle and used a carabiner to hook it on to the strap. That worked fine, but was a little annoying as it hit against my leg all the time. My friend brought a Camelbak (she got a High Sierra one from Costco for twenty bucks) and loved it. She had to check her back a few times at the front desk because it technically was a backpack, and that was annoying, but she always had enough room, and never ran out of water. (It's at least 1 euro for a small bottle of water—there are no drinking fountains ANYWHERE—so we just filled our bottles up in the morning at the hostel. I never got sick from doing this, despite what people will say. It's not a third world country...the water is clean!) To save money, we also brought food with us everyday (see next tip) and her backpack definitely held more than mine did.

—Bring food with you, and you won't have to go out to lunch. We'd buy baguettes in the morning, and at grocery stores (which are very difficult to find, but it can be done!) we'd stock up on peanut butter and jelly. Both will keep without refrigeration and lasted us the whole month. I also brought instant oatmeal packets, a plastic spoon, and a plastic cup with me, and ate it for breakfast most mornings (easy: use hot tap water and let it sit in the cup for about a minute.)


—Eat everything yummy you see. I gained a few pounds doing so, but I don't regret it one bit. Most everything you will eat can't be found in America.

—MAPS. Right after you get off the train, find a map for the city you are in. You'll need it.

—Book your hostels in advance, if possible. They fill up quickly. We tended to stay at the cheapest hostels, and though we met some shady people, we never had a problem with them. Count it as a life experience. You'll live, I promise. We booked our hostels online about two days in advance through an internet cafe, and it ended up saving us money in the end because it's cheaper when booked online. Here's what happened once in Germany when there was only one room left:

—Bring your own "sleeping bag". Not a large one, but a tiny one. I brought a fleece sleeping bag that rolled up nice and tight, and kept in the bottom compartment of my backpack (yes, there's a pocket just for it!) We also stole the blankets and pillow they give you on the plane, and were grateful we did. We used those a lot on the overnight trains. (We rarely got the couchettes—the trains with "beds"—because they were over double the price than a regular train ticket. Sleeping in a seat isn't the most comfortable, but again, count it as a life experience.)

—If you can, plan your trip out a little bit. We varied from our plan a bit (of course we wanted to stay an extra day in Rome!), but for the most part, sticking to our plan proved beneficial in the end. There was another group who we knew that left the same time as us (we were going to join groups, but nine people is too big of a group), and went the opposite direction around Europe. Unfortunately, they ended up taking a lot of day trains and wasted a lot of precious daylight on the train. We, on the other hand, planned to take mostly night trains, and thus maximized our daylight in each country. Smart planning pays off. If you can, buy your train ticket to your next destination right after you get off the train, so you won't have to come back and buy it later. When we didn't buy it right after we got off the train, we found some of the trains we wanted were already booked.

—Get a railpass. I paid around $550 (US dollars) for a thirty-day pass (or 25 days, or whatever it was), which isn't too bad! The price goes up at the beginning of each calendar year, so if you can, purchase it before the New Year. You will occassionally have to pay a small fee (think 10 euros or less) for a ticket, but it really does pay off. And I don't recommend going into a country where your railpass isn't accepted—we ended up getting lucky, but our new friends in the same cabin had to pay about 60 euros because Prague wasn't on their ticket. (For some reason, though Prague wasn't included, we only paid about 12 euros extra. God was with us that day!)

—Bring a journal, tape, a gluestick, and extra pens. I pasted so many things in it! Downtime on the train is a good time for journal writing. Also, I brought along a military Book of Mormon (pocket sized, about $4 at the Distribution Center) and it was a lifesaver. When I felt lonely, I found comfort in reading the scriptures.

—Bring an ipod if you want. Bring a charger for your ipod.

—Bring a nice camera, and don't fret. It wasn't too hard to tell from the shady people and the nice people. Listen to your instincts and to the Spirit. If you feel good about it, ask them to take your picture. They won't run away with it if you listen to your instincts. (Even try people watching them for a few minutes before you approach them...this helped a bit too). I was grateful I brought my camera, and I the best pictures I have EVER TAKEN were from my Europe trip. I took almost 1,000 pictures, and don't regret it a bit!

That's all I can think of for right now, but if I think of anything, I'll add it. Feel free to ask me questions!