All posts tagged: backpacking

| SNOWFLAKES THAT STAY ON MY NOSE & EYELASHES |

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Its snowing. Hard. And Im in Montpellier, France. It never snows here. I thought I was running away from the winters in Maine, but I guess it chose to follow me — sorry, France. So far my time in this country has been amazing despite the frigid weather. The abundance of boulangeries filled with fresh baguettes, croissants, and macarons along with creperies spread throughout has put a small dent in my pocket, but its totally worth it. – – – Clearly my attention span for writing has been very limited these days. But, who can blame me? I’m traveling around, seeing so many new places, meeting new people and visiting good friends. By the time I have some time to sit down and write, I’m usually putting my head to the pillow to fall asleep for a few hours here and there. But since I’ve been in Salzburg I’ve felt at home. I’ve felt comfortable and I’ve taken the time to relax. I’ve explored the city, found a few cafes I really enjoy, edited all …

| AUSTRIA TO ITALY & AN ALMOST RUINED MORNING |

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After just barely catching my train out of Innsbruck, I spread out the sheets and tossed the wool blanket over my body and tried to fall asleep as fast as possible. The rocking back and forth and the low rumble of the wheels on the tracks lulled me into a light sleep. When we arrived in Rome I was flustered to be in a new place. I guess I wasnt quite ready to have left Austria. I met some amazing people in my last minute trip to Innsbruck and it was so cool to eat well and share stories. I definitely look forward to going back. Next time: snowboarding and paragliding are on the checklist. But, despite the beautiful memories of Innsbruck, I was in Italy. I was only in Rome for two hours before catching my next train to Ancona to visit my friend Salva from university. Then all hell broke loose. Lets rewind to the previous 5 times Ive taken the trains and used my Eurorail pass. Conductor walks by, asks for my …

| MADRID, TE QUIERO |

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It had been 10 months since I had left the city. I wasn’t sad to go at the time either. I was actually rather happy to be done with it. I never thought I’d be so excited to be back in the city. To see the lights glittering in the night sky as I flew above gave me butterflies I couldn’t control. It was almost like coming home. I used Couch Surfing to find a place to stay in the city and so I could meet new people this time around. Create new memories with new friends. And that’s exactly what I did. It was amazing to walk down streets I knew. To be able to speak the language. To feel at home in a city I’d be away from for almost a year. It was all familiar to me, but I was happier, free. While I was visiting, Bruno, my CS host, and I discussed the meaning of freedom over dinner one evening. I don’t quite remember how it was brought it up, but …

| 12 THINGS I’VE LEARNED IN 57 DAYS |

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After a day of fighting the flu at a 5 star hotel and 2 days laying on the beach and regaining my summer glow, I’ve sat down, ordered a café con leche and jotted down what I’ve learned these past 57 days in Europe. 1. You can survive (while looking good) for 3 months on one backpack of clothes. I don’t know if it sounds like a lot or a little, depending on who you are, but when I’ve come across both kinds of shock either on how much I have or how little. To me, I change between the thoughts on a regular basis. When I packed my things in Kennebunk preparing for my travels I thought of the most useful things I could bring with me – the things that could be worn over and over again, could be worn casually or dressed up, and could be tossed away if it came down to it. I also needed to be prepared for winter conditions and island weather leaving me a little unsure of what …

| SUNSHINE, SOUL SEARCHING, & GOAT CHEESE |

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After a lonely stint in Italy, I headed to the South of France to run into the arms of my Colombian princess. An 8 hour train ride and I was finally in Nice where I found Melissa and we squealed with excitement as we hugged and kept repeating how excited we were to see each other. We headed back to her place and I made myself at home where I actually lived for 10 days. It was perfect. Most people are confused when I say I love the South of France. It has the stigma attached that it’s all about flashy cars, houses on the beach and expensive nightclubs. And maybe, yes, this is true. But it’s not the side of the South I experienced. It’s more than easy to find cheap places to eat with a beautiful view, to take long strolls along the coast and admire the flashy houses, and to enjoy good company in whats supposed to be an expensive city. I believe new cities are all about the people you meet …

| I GUESS YOU NEED A VISA FOR THAT |

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I left Las Palmas de Gran Canaria yesterday afternoon after a week of relaxing on the beach and working on the base for my summer tan. I hopped on a plane and set off to Scotland under the impression that I’d be volunteering at a Bed & Breakfast in a town called Dornie in the North. Assuming I was doing nothing wrong I approached the Border Control ready to quickly state my plans and pass through to get my bag and hunker down in the airport for a night of on & off sleep while I waited for my bus to the North in the morning. Let’s just say things didn’t go quite as planned . . . After playing a game of 20 questions with Mr. Border Control he took me aside and told me I had two options: 1) He refuses me entry to Scotland under the pretense that I was going to be working illegally in the country without a Visa. According to him, in order to volunteer one needs a Visa …

| TEARS OF TERMINAL TWO |

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I sat in the Dublin airport with my face in my hands. Hot tears streamed down my cheeks and as I thought about where I was heading — home. It’s funny. A year ago I had sat in the same terminal waiting for a flight to Boston with the same hot tears running from my eyes. But this time, it was different. A year ago I was ready to leave to Europe, I wanted to go back to Maine — to see my family, friends and the beautiful coast. A little over a week ago, I was sad to be done my travels, I was sad to be going back home. Before I left for my trip I wasn’t sure how many months would be too long or too short. I took a guess and made sure I’d use my 90 day tourist visa to the max and go from there whether I find work to make extra money or if I had properly made a budget, still had money of my own saved to …