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EUROPE 2023 🗺️🎒🛩️EUROPE 2023 🗺️🎒🛩️
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15 days of travel with my dear friends, and 49 days of solo travel, in search of new friends, places, and adventures! Read more
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  • TravelerEUROPE 2023 🗺️🎒🛩️
    Day 22

    Florence Day 4

    July 10, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 37 °C

    I did not mean to walk this much today 😭 this is the most steps that I’ve taken yet! And the longest day out. Each day I usually stop back at the hostel to get a shower and A/C refresh, but idk it didnt make sense based on the things that I wanted (?) to do. So it started with the plan to go to the market and try the handmade pasta downstairs. It was lemon olive oil ravioli and it was delicious! After, I headed out on the same route as Day 2- past the duomo and the goal was to go to the same gelato place cuz it was so good, but then i forgot about siesta time and it was already closed :( so then I went back around to the statue gallery loggia dei lanzi because I didnt have food this time- so i could go walk around and look at each statue. After I kind of just kept walking and decided that it was better to stay on this side of Florence because I was wanting to come back around sunset anyways. So i went to the boboli gardens- stupidly during the hottest time of the day and i was SWEATINGGG. It was cute though, and was nice to see some plants and botany. After that, i headed over to the infamous Piazzale Michelangeo for sunset, but more for pre-sunset. It was very beautiful, and overlooked the entire city! As i was walking back I caught the sunset while walking the ponte alle grazie. Later, I went to a karaoke bar with friends and took some photobooth photos!

    BYE FLORENCE 💗💗💗💗    Read more

  • TravelerEUROPE 2023 🗺️🎒🛩️
    Day 23

    Naples Day 1

    July 11, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Took the train to Naples today which was a brisk 3 hour journey. To be honestt Naples wasn’t necessarily what I was expecting, although I didn’t know what I expected to begin with? The driving here is insanee and there’s not many crosswalks 😭😭 like the cars will stop for you but it’s still scary. It’s a bit dodgy all around, but I always would make my way around with others. After a sweaty walk to the hostel I met one of my roomies; Emily, who’s in a gap year and just was an au pair in Germany which is coool. We went and explored the city centre. We got some famous pizza to start, which was a simple split marinara and margherita pizza. Around here they don’t even cut the pizzas in slices so u gotta rip em apart. After, we went and looked at the small cute shops, where many were selling little trinkets and handmade dolls. I kept seeing this pepper symbol 🌶️ which i learned is a symbol for good luck around here. We went to go see the coast line which was gross and yucky water. Caught glimpses of some churches and other landmarky things along the way and went back to the hostel.
    Now, at this hostel at 9pm the nana that owns the hostel makes pasta dinner for everyone, and everyone will usually eat around the big table in the garden. Unfortunately, nana made pesto tonight 😭😭😭 so I was left without dinner. But, another person at the dinner table was keen on getting pizza, which was perfect (besides the fact that pizza is the only thing in my system for the day). His name is Janik, and he’s from Switzerland and has been biking around Italy!! Like he biked most of the way from Rome to Naples 😨. Anyways, we ate our pizza and then called it an early night- which I needed because I did not sleep much the night before.    Read more

  • TravelerEUROPE 2023 🗺️🎒🛩️
    Day 24

    Naples Day 2- Pompeii

    July 12, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Today, me, Emily, and Janik took a train to go explore the town of Pompeii. We went to the ruins, which are remnants of a village that were wiped away by an eruption from the nearby volcano- Mount Vesuvius. I did some research, and this town was built around the 9-8th century B.C. The city was covered by a blanket of volcanic ash which is how it was preserved so well. There even were people that were preserved- who had died in this town at the time. Kind of creepy, but really interesting. There was a lot of art that was preserved from that era- still found in the buildings on the walls, and also bits and pieces in a separate exhibition. There were coliseums, amphitheatres, restaurant kitchens, laundry baths, it was so interesting! And i’m not usually one for history. After a looooong time spent in the ruins, the scorching sun (and of course, a gelato later), we went to climb Mount Vesuvius itself. Which, I don’t know if it was a smart idea because walking around in the heat for 4 hours is tiring already. But off we went. We had a tour bus that would take us up most of the hike (which I very much appreciated), and it was about a 30/40 minute walk to the top. You know, it kind of just looked like a big rock with a hole- which I guess is what it is, but it was still cool. The view looking outward from the top was nice, with mountains and shoreline, I couldn’t complain! After, our tour bus ‘surprised’ us and took us to some dude’s limoncello shop. So we had a tasting of his limoncello, this liquer that he created which is a mix of limoncello and mozzarella, and one that is a mix of rum and mozzarella. Surprisingly, I actually really enjoyed the mozzarella shots- would definitely have it again. After that, we trained on home, had some aperol spritz and I had some gnocchi for dinner- which I was craving for this whole trip!!Read more

  • TravelerEUROPE 2023 🗺️🎒🛩️
    Day 25

    Naples Day 3

    July 13, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Woke up early today in hopes of going to the Amalfi Coast, or Sorrento, or anywhere with a beach and water, because we were craving a good swim. Unfortunately, there was a national train strike, so no trains were really going anywhere. We just went to the train station anyways, and planned on taking anything that was available. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much- and the ferry options were out of our budget. So we sucked it up and just went to the local Naples beach, which isn’t thaaat nice, but was nice enough so that we could get some time in the water. We used the public bus to head over and the beach overlooked Mount Vesuvius and the castle. We spent a long time relaxing- me, sleeping, and hate some pizza for lunch. Later, Janik went on his own bike tour on the coast, and me and Emily headed back towards the hostel. We took the metro, which was just like a big train- honestly the nicest train i’ve seen yet. We got back to the hostel and went to a laundromat to do our laundry because I haven’t done any since before Italy, and all of my clothes were sweaty. After, I ate Nana’s beans with pasta (?) for dinner which was interesting. After, the hostel had a little game of movie-themed pictionary, and I had the chance to meet and chat with some other people in the hostel. Later, we went on our hostel’s pub crawl, where Nana drove the shuttle to take us to the bars 😭😭💗. The bars were…. Interesting, and were more like tourist trap vibes lolll. Me and Emily ordered something that they made sounds really fancy like- roasted bread with pecorino cheese. And IT WAS LITERALLY JUST CHEESY TOAST. I could have made this for a significant fraction of the price I paid 😭😭. The club was also just dead, I was really tired- me and Emily both fell asleep in the club 😇 we took the shuttle back soon after…. and this is farewell, Italy!! CIAO!!!Read more

  • TravelerEUROPE 2023 🗺️🎒🛩️
    Day 26

    Corfu Day 1

    July 14, 2023 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    I guess this is like a half Naples half Corfu day. I had to check out around 10am, and said goodbye to Emily as she left to spend the next 3 months in the UK! I kept my bag at the hostel and just went to walk in the city to kill some time. It was scorching hot as always, and I didn’t really know what to get up to. Naples doesn’t have a whole lot to offer in my opinion, and I didn’t have enough time to try for a day trip either. So yeah I kind of just wandered around the city centre all day. Stumbled upon a market that had heaps of clothes- I had to hold myself back from buying anything, knowing that I would regret filling up my bag anymore, but it’s always fun to search anyways! I stayed for a while in this cute café and had a pulled pork sandwich as my last meal in Italy LOL. Went through the cute figurine shops once again bc I can’t get enough of them! Had a final Italian gelato and headed back to the hostel. After a sweaty 30 minute walk to the airport, I made it and flew off to Greece! As per usual, I never seem to get much sleep on the last night before a travel day, so I slept for the entire plane ride. I got the shuttle from the airport to the hostel and chatted with a dude named Matt on the way. I arrived around 11pm, and I was confused on how to get to my building. To be honest the walk was scary😭 because it was dark, and I was down by the beach building so it was further down from the reception building. Luckily, I ran into a girl named Andra, and she helped direct me to my room! After, I decided to head over to the bar, which is in the same building as my room. Although I was tired, my logic was that I had no clue how I would meet people if I’m just lounging on the beach, so the bar was my best bet, and I was so happy that I went! Andra was there, and I sat down by two girls from England- Amber and Nieve who were the nicest girls ever! They’re each 17, and on a little girls trip for the summer. I taught them how to take their first tequila shot LOL. I hope I’m not a bad influence- but I know that they’re reading this, and wouldn’t say that I was.
    Side note also, everything at this hostel is PINK- as per the name- The Pink Palace. The interior, exterior, tables, pipes, you name it!
    But yeah, excellent intro to Greece!! 🇬🇷    Read more

  • TravelerEUROPE 2023 🗺️🎒🛩️
    Day 27

    Corfu Day 2

    July 15, 2023 in Greece ⋅ 🌙 27 °C

    Today was a suuuuper chill day. I spent most of it sleeping to be honest. I’m fighting a bit of a cold so I think that relaxing is exactly what I need. I slept in and then went to the food place at the hostel to get some €5 gyros which were quite good. I met up with Amber and Nieve and we went down to the beach that’s right out by my room- which is the convenient thing about where my room is. I spent our time there sleeping and sleeping and tanning and some swimming. After we washed up, we decided to go out for dinner. All of the places around the hostel are quite touristy- meaning expensive. So this souvlaki plate cost like €17 😭😭 and because they brought me water when I really didn’t ask for it. After, we went to the toga party at the on site club which was uhh interesting. When we walking in they were doing an ouzo circle (not with ouzo tho) and smashing plates on people’s heads. It was like a really intense presentation but was kind of awkward?? Idk how to explain it. And then also the club venue was too big for the amount of people in there so that was a bit awkward. Due to that, we decided to leave with a group of lovely people that we’d met, and we went for a night swim 🏊‍♀️ which was a bit chilly, but we couldn’t help it. Also, the stars here are beautiful!! The lack of light pollution makes the night sky illuminate like no other. Lots of late night chatting, and off to bed we went!Read more

  • TravelerEUROPE 2023 🗺️🎒🛩️
    Day 28

    Corfu Day 3

    July 16, 2023 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    We really wanted to go on the kayak tour today, but we dragged ourselves out of bed early only to find out that there is no kayak tour 😭😭 soo we decided to just do another beach day. We went a bit further down the beach because we weren’t feelin all of the the rocks that line the shore of the beach near our hostel. We opted for an area by some rocks, on some dried kelp which made for a squishy bed. We did lots of swimming and relaxing and whatever you do on your average beach day. Later, we went into Corfu Town for dinner, which involved taking a short bus to the other side of the island. We went to a souvlaki place, and I had chicken souvlaki. One thing that has disappointed me so far is that none of the souvlaki that I’ve had comes with rice and roasted potatoes- always fries. Anyways, after dinner we walked over to the shoreline where we could watch the sunset. On our way, we picked up some ice cream! Even though I’m not in Italy, that won’t stop me from grabbing an ice cream a day 😁! There were lots and lots of birds flying around the sky and it made for a really beautiful image to watch as the sun set on another day. When we got back to the hostel, we headed over to the bar for a little bit of dancing. The vibes were a bit off in there, but we tried to make the best of it. Spent most of the night stargazing, looking for and finding shooting stars 🌠, sharing stories, and laughing.Read more

  • TravelerEUROPE 2023 🗺️🎒🛩️
    Day 29

    Corfu Day 4

    July 17, 2023 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    BOAT DAY BOAT DAY!!! The hostel has a boat tour that was only €36 for an 8 hour tour with lunch and some drinks! What a steal. I was really excited because I felt like I haven’t been able to see a whole lot of Greece, just what I can see and reach from the shore.
    After getting pretty much no sleep (but, I didn’t have a roommate which was nice!)
    - side note that I forgot to add was that I had originally booked a 4 bed dorm, but it ended up only being 2 bed which was awesome, because i would have different roommates each night, who would check out in the morning, and a new one coming at night- meaning that I had the room to myself pretty much until sleep time! And yeah on this night I didn’t even have a roommate which was sooooo nice- I miss having a personal space.

    Back to the day, we convened for the boat trip at 9am- which is early for me. Took a shuttle to the other side of the island, where the driver (who also owns the boat) drove like crazy, but I was asleep so I couldn’t pay no mind. We got on the boat, and once again I slept for the beginning of the ride, up until we got to the first swim spot. I jumped off of the top level of the boat which shocked myself, because I am very afraid of heights, but I knew that I would be mad at myself if I didn’t. They had pool noodles which made the swimming more leisurely. The first spot had some caves which I didn’t get to see, but the swim was refreshing nonetheless because it was getting HOT. The second spot was a rocky beach where we spent time swimming, picking out pretty rocks (which only look pretty in the water). Something that I’m sad about is that I literally saw 0 shells in Greece like whaaaat. It is what it is. At this swim spot, the crew prepared some dinner, which was honestly the best dinner that i’ve had in corfu. All of the souvlaki that I’ve had thus far comes with fries, and not rice!! But this one did, and it really hit the spot. We went to the last swim spot and then headed back. I thiiiink the route that the boat took was just around the island of Corfu, but it was headed North, so we were essentially in Albania, which is cool!!
    When we got back, I was in dire need of an ice cream so we went into the village near our hostel to get some with a girl named Iris from the Netherlands. After that, we went to our respective hostels to recuperate. Also, have I mentioned the adorable stray cats that can be found EVERYWHERE? It’s a bit sad, but they’re soooo cute.

    We then went to get some pizza and pre-drinks for dinner. We had full intention to wreak havoc in the bar tonight, but the boat trip draiiiiiined us. Me and Amber ended up falling asleep on the beach while Nieve watched us for 45 mins 😭😭 she’s a real one.    Read more

  • TravelerEUROPE 2023 🗺️🎒🛩️
    Day 30

    Geneva Day 1

    July 18, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Idk if i would even count this as a Geneva day because it was spent mainly in transport. I woke up to check out and then left my luggage with the hostel and went down to the beach with Amber and Nieve. And honestly, I slept for the entire 3 hours that we laid there LOL. After that, we had to share one last ice cream together- I got the classic, mango and lemon and it was scrumptious. We went back to the hostel where I got a quick munch, seeing as I probably wouldn’t end up eating again until the next day. I took the shuttle to the airport where I met Amber and Nieve who had taken a different shuttle. We spent our last moments together in the airport- which was nice bc I think we would’ve missed each other if we were around Corfu for any longer 😙. We said our goodbyes and went separate ways😞. Not just saying this just bc i know that they’re reading this, but it was honestly one of the hardest goodbyes yet because I spent pretty much every waking moment in Corfu with them, whereas so far I’ve been bouncing around different friends. But if there’s one thing that I’ve learned when solo travelling, it’s that it’s full of goodbyes, or see you laters.
    And so, off I went on the plane, first to Naples- WHICH WAS DELAYED BY AN HOUR. This stressed me out bc I only had a 2 hour layover there before catching the next flight to Geneva. Thankfully, my second flight was also delayed, so I didn’t have to worry about missing it- trust me, I was VERY worried. Something that was nice though was that I had the whole aisle to myself on the second flight, so I slept nicely. Shortly after, I landed in Geneva and made it to my hostel safely, for a much needed rest.    Read more

  • TravelerEUROPE 2023 🗺️🎒🛩️
    Day 31

    Geneva Day 2

    July 19, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    I have to start by saying that when people say Switzerland is expensive, they are NOT playing around. First, the hostels out here are the most expensive that I’ve paid for (Zurich will be 90CAD per night😭😭) I couldn’t find a meal for less than 15CHF (= 23CAD). My dinner and lunch each cost that much, and it was so sad. My lunch was a “smoked salmon sandwich” which was smoked salmon, butter, and lettuce on bread 😭😭. My dinner? What seemed like a microwave steak (which was cold when served) with some potatoes, salad, and a wedge of cantaloupe 😭😭. It’s tough out here. At a pub that I went to later, a long island was literally 30CHF (= 46CAD!!!!!) ISNT THAT INSANE. I did not get the long island btw. Sooo yeah I spent a lot of money today. Will be making as much use of the free breakfast here as I can. One thing that I will complement Switzerland on is that their water is DELICIOUS!! After drinking weird tasting water for the past month (bottled water included) this tap water is soooo scrumptious and cold and refreshing.

    So my day started with none other than the free breakfast which is nothing special, but is free 😝. After I went out to walk around and explore. I was feeling a bit groggy so I took a nap in a park LOL- but side note, everyone does that here, and I was not concerned for my safety at all. Honestly, Switzerland is the place that I have felt safest so far, maybe it’s because it’s just rich people who live here 😭 Anyways, I read a bit of my book before going to explore some more. I walked across the Mont Blanc bridge over to the old town, which is exactly what it sounds like. I did a lot of wandering before realizing that there isn’t even much to see out here. I did some research on free things to do around Geneva, and found myself in the “Maison Tavel” which is a sort of museum that documents Geneva lifestyle. It was kind of like a house, and showcased household items and furniture common to locals throughout history here. I thought it was cool, there also was like a big 3D map of Geneva at the top which was cool. After that I headed over to the next free thing, the art history museum, which I was reeeally excited for because 1. Free and 2. I haven’t been to an art museum in Europe yet!!! And i’m a sucker for art. This museum was huge and beautiful and never ending. There was soo much art, and thankfully, there were some English descriptions so I could understand some things. It was really interesting to see some of my Art History knowledge from school overlap with what I saw!! Made it even more captivating. I spend probably an hour and a half looking at the artwork, then went to the courtyard, where I took another nap in a comfy chair😭😭😭 I don’t know why I’m so tired today. After I got that sad excuse for a smoked salmon sandwich (they could have at least put cream cheese) and I walked over to a fountain to finish my sandwich. After, I walked close up to the huge water pump thing. “The Geneva Water Fountain.” It sprays the lake water up to 140 meters which is kinda wild. From certain angles it made a rainbow which I loved. After, I just walked home where I met new hostelmates- which was nice because last night I came when everyone was sleeping, so I couldn’t meet anyone. Funny thing, I had been in a group chat for some dinner and drinks tonight, and my hostelmate- Annabelle, ended up being the person that organized it! So, after a shower we went down to the place, where you have to pay 2 francs just to enter the area (main beach area). I had that sad steak an a tiny 8 franc (12.27CAD) aperol spritz, and the group headed to that pricey pub shortly after. We played some games of darts, which I really sucked at, and lost every game😭 we called it an early night and went back to the hostel.    Read more

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