Mia Cvijetic: The More You See The World The Richer You Get

Living abroad and away from home is the most difficult decision I have made and by far one of the best decision I have ever made.  Living in Europe everything seems so close, a 2 hour flight here, a train ride there, no big deal right?  Try doing 5 cities, 5 countries in 8 days! That’s exactly what my roommate and I have done.

Before coming to live in Bordeaux someone told us about the low cost airlines that are often used within Europe, it’s amazing! We booked 3 high speed trains and 3 flights for approximate 250 Euros (not including accommodation). 

Our trip started with a four hour train ride from Bordeaux to Paris.  We spent two nights in Paris visiting the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, and much, much more.  I had a friend in Paris who showed us around, took us to places we wouldn’t have seen as tourists and he taught us some useful things about the Parisian way of living- the 101 on parking a car in Paris.

After two wonderful days of site seeing in Paris we found ourselves on a high speed train to Amsterdam.  The weather was terrible, rainy and cold but that didn’t stop us.  Amsterdam was grey but yet beautiful.  The canals running through all the streets, numerous number of bikes locked to the side of the road, the house of Anne Frank and my favorite...the waffles! I have no words to describe how delicious these are...you honestly can’t have just one and I advise anyone visiting Amsterdam to try them.  During our visit in Amsterdam we had two friends who are studying with us in France visit.  One of which joined us in the following countries as well.

Next on the list was Berlin, Germany.  I didn’t have any expectations of Berlin...the only thing I knew was that I wanted to see the famous Berlin Wall.  Once again the weather was rainy and cold.  The atmosphere in Berlin was different than the other places we’ve visited. The script that displayed next to the wall depicting the various events during the build and the tearing of the wall had a very eery feel to it.  After learning more about the history of Germany I definitely have a different perspective on Germany and its history.

From Berlin to Budapest- Once again I had no expectations of Budapest and that’s what made it so amazing.  The city is beautiful during the day and the night.  We didn’t have much time so we did a hop on hop of bus tour of the city- a bit boring and hard to remember everything but a good overall experience. 

The three of us also did a river cruise with our hostel and got to see the city from the Duna River.  Every monument, every building, every street was lit up. Breath taking.

Finally, we’re in Brussels.  We stopped in Brussels for only a few hours, 6 or so...enough time to visit the small city and eat some Belgium chocolate.  Unfortunately we had an early morning and a long day ahead of us; it was at the end of our eight day journey...we were exhausted and sore.  I was ready to be back home in Bordeaux. 

After lugging around a 10kg backpack for 22 hours I was so pleased to arrive home in Bordeaux and see familiarity.  Although this journey was quite short I’ve learned much along the way.  We didn’t stay long enough to immerse ourselves in the culture of each country but we got to see special things and places that maybe we wouldn’t have a chance otherwise.  Although I had to fork out a lot of money for this trip, the trip made me richer- the life experience I’ve gained, the people I’ve met, the places I’ve seen and the food I ate...more important than the riches of money.

It also feels good and right to now call Bordeaux home :)

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain