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Published: August 18th 2007
So I've been home for a few days now and figured I should probably write a conclusion to my 2 1/2 month trek through Europe before I forget the details of my last few stops. The last week of our trip was pretty rushed. We left Berlin and took a night train to Brussels where we were going to meet one of Leigh-Ann's friends from home. Up until this point we loved night trains. We always seem to get a bed somehow, and an awesome night's sleep. So when we got on the train we definitely got a surprise. We were in a room about the size of a queen size bed....maybe smaller. No bed...no reclining chairs...no leg room....no A/C. It sucked. I've never seen so many annoyed people in the morning.
So despite our crappy night train we were still pretty excited about staying at Leigh-Ann's friend's place. We expected it to be a nice change from hostel life. And it definitely was. They were so great, feeding us real food and showing us around the town. It was a much needed break from the go-go-go mentality we'd had most of the trip.
The next morning we headed
to Amsterdam for a day. This was a great city and we had wanted to stay for longer but just didn't have the time. Aside from the obvious party atmosphere of Amsterdam the city itself was actually really pretty. The red light district was a very...unique place. No pictures there though...rumor has it the bouncers will throw your camera in the river. I wasn't taking any chances this time.
The next day we caught a train to Paris where we were going to spend the next couple days. We were so excited because we got a private room with our own bathroom!! This is seriously a big deal when backpacking. Privacy is a luxury. Since we were nearing the end of our trip we were definitely feeling a little burnt out, so our time in Paris was pretty laid back. We roamed the city, had a picnic on the River Seine, and saw the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame, and Moulin Rouge. I loved Paris. Despite the fact that we were both so tired, it still made quite an impression.
After 3 days in Paris we headed to London. The train from Paris was going to cost
us a fortune (250 euros!!) so we opted to take a cheap flight to Coventry and then a bus from there to London. On arriving in London we spent about half an hour searching for our hostel. Turned out it was inside a bar....seriously. We had to check in with the bartender. Seems like a crucial piece of information that should be included in the directions don't you think?? Apparently not. So after finally checking in we had just enough time to make it downtown to see the musical Les Miserables, which was absolutely amazing. The next day we decided to be full blown tourists and take a tour bus around town. It was a great way to spend our last day. Very little walking, no confusing maps, no getting lost. We got to see all the big stops like Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace completely stress free! Our last night in Europe we decided to head out for a night on the town in downtown London. The next morning we headed to the airport and (unfortunately) caught our flight back to reality.
I must admit I wasn't all that upset about coming home.
I think I was ready for a break from travelling....for now anyway. But one thing this trip has definitely done is make me want to travel more. I was hoping it would kind of get the desire to travel out of my system, but it had the opposite effect I think. Now there are more places than ever that I want to see. So hopefully this won't be the last blog...just a break.
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Cindy
non-member comment
Home At Last!!!
I am very happy that you are home again. I am very happy that you went to Europe and I know you will continue to travel. Now your next stop.......Alberta. Another adventure.