So here it is, more than 2 months late - my post on our final 3 weeks in Europe, and a little bit beyond that. I'm back at school and finally have some free time tonight, so I'm hoping to make this a good one before heading to bed.
I'll start with Milan. In one week, we toured Milan extensively and took day trips to Torino, Verona, and Varese. Ask any Italian (including our friends from Milan), and they'll tell you that Milan is nowhere near Italy's most beautiful or touristically impressive city. Nonetheless, Milan is impressive in its own way; with outstanding fashion, business, and even some beautiful architecture. There are beautifully dressed people everywhere you go in Milan, which was no surprise to me, and everyone is so skinny, but whether that's from exercising/dieting or from smoking an abundant amount of cigarettes is still a mystery to me. So, regardless of Milan's somewhat lack of touristic appeal, we were so happy to see our favorite European friends once again. Enrico dedicated so much of his time that weekend to showing us around Milan, and Hans flew all the way from Germany for the occasion. He brought us to "aperitivo", the world's best happy hour, where you get an all-you-can-eat buffet along with purchasing your drink. Needless to say, I loved that. He also brought us to a headphone party, where everyone in an outdoor square purchased headphones for the night and listened/danced to the same music via the headphones rather than have it blasting through speakers and causing noise violations. The realxed nature Italian culture was especially evident this night, as the "party" took place in an open, public square, and people flooded the streets and nearby bars and restaurants without restriction, something that would never happen in America. Enrico showed us Milan from a true Milanite's (is that a word?) perspective, and I can't say I would have preferred it any other way.
In Verona, we saw the wall where lovers (mostly just tourists) write notes to Juliet and we paid 5 euro to tour the arena. We climbed to the city's peak in Torino, where we had a panoramic view of the city in all of its northern-Italian beauty. We met up with Bea in Varese, where she is from, and walked up a path dotted with 14 ancient churches that lead us to another mountainous peak. The mountains in Varese had a breathtaking view of the Alps, so beautiful in fact, that it was hard for me to believe that I was actually standing there and looking at a mountain range that I had dreamt of seeing my entire life. We ate lunch at an adorable restaurant, with delicious pasta and a beautiful view of the valley below us. Then after lunch, I forgot my phone at the cash register, didn't realize until I was halfway down the mountain, and had to climb back up to get it. Not the highlight of my day, but definitely a good workout (and Myrissa opted to walk back up with me, so it wasn't as lonely/painful).
Yes, there were some hiccups during our week in Milan, but I'm not even going to mention them here because it's not worth it. Whatever misunderstandings/misgivings took place in Milan are not what I want to walk away from the week remembering, but rather the beautiful scenery and cities, and the brief, yet unforgettable time we had to spend with our friends.
Next came Sweden. After 4 weeks of Myrissa and I essentially traveling alone, hitting minor (and some major) bumps along the way, it was relieving knowing that the last 2 weeks of our trip would be spent at "home" with my grandparents and other members of my family. After a stressful train ride from Milan to the airport, during which the conductor tried fining us for not stamping our tickets before boarding, we sat down at the airport for a relaxing final dinner in Italy and boarded our 9 PM flight. For me, our flight from Milan to Sweden was wonderful, which may seem silly, but it was so quiet and relaxing, and I love flying at night. As our flight ascended, we said one final goodbye to our 3 week adventure in the world's most breathtaking country, and watched in awe as the Alps poked through the pink and blue evening sky and clouds below us. It was almost as if we were flying through heaven. I spent the remainder of the flight glued to my new favorite book, The Kite Runner, while Myrissa napped. We arrived in a seemingly deserted airport in Stockholm around midnight, and were greeted outside of customs by my grandpa and Anna. I was really, very happy to be back in Sweden after 4 years.
Our two weeks in Sweden were really wonderful. For the first week, it was just Myrissa, Anna, me and my grandparents. Myrissa, Anna and I spent a lot of time in Uppsala, doing a ridiculous amount of shopping at our favorite Swedish stores (Gina, MQ, Cubix, Indiska, Kapp Ahl...they're all so great) and eating at our favorite fast food restaurant, Max. Max is the classiest fast food restaurant I've ever been to; it really surpasses anything of the sort that we have in America. We visited Lena at her family's summer home in Dalana, a serene countryside village nestled along a huge lake. Lena gave us champagne with strawberries, her husband made delicious Salmon for dinner, and we made plans to come back the next week. Another day we went swimming at a lake about an hour away, then had dinner in a picturesque bayside town called Oregrund, which reminded me a bit of Maine. We walked out onto a cluster of rocks overlooking the water, and on our way back, I slipped on the rocks, and caught myself with the hand that was holding my phone, and ended up cracking my brand new iPhone 5's screen. Myrissa and I have decided that this phone may be cursed. Anyway, my grandparents met us in Uppsala for dinner one night and the 5 of us ate at an incredible Italian restaurant (we just can't seem to escape Italian food, but I'm not complaining!) and walked around the town afterward. I love small cities (like Florence) that seem livable, yet exciting, and for that reason, I love Uppsala. I loved walking by the river and seeing people our age gathered alongside it with their friends, enjoying food, wine, and the breezy summer air that I know Swedes look forward to all year.
The day before Sara, my cousins, and aunt and uncle were scheduled to arrive in Sweden, Myrissa and I took a train to Stockholm and stayed there for the night. We stayed in a really nice hotel right beside the train station, which was convenient because when we arrived it was pouring outside. We braved the weather and took a walk to Gamla Stan, Stockholm's old town, where we had dinner at Michaelangelo's (the same restaurant I went to 4 years ago), shopped a little bit, and headed back to the hotel before going out that night. We weren't sure what to expect from Stockholm's nightlife, but we ended up meeting some really friendly people who brought us along with them for the night. Two of the girls we met lived in Stockholm; one was an American and the other was a Swede, and the American girl's twin brother was visiting Stockholm for the week. They brought us first to a bar/nightclub, and then to an outdoor bar by the water in a neighborhood called Slussen. Upon leaving Slussen at 3 AM, the sun was beginning to rise and it was freezing outside. I was completely thrown off by this, and began to feel like it was 3 PM in February rather than 3 AM in July.
The next day, we met up with Matilda, another one of our exchange student friends, who is from a residential area outside of Stockholm and attends Uppsala University. We spent the day touring Stockholm with her, doing some shopping, eating lunch at a Mexican restaurant, and walking through Stockholm's version of Central Park. Stockholm is such a breathtakingly gorgeous city; I love how it's situated beside the water and made up of so many different islands. It was really great to be able to see Matilda again and spend the day with her. That evening, we arrived at the station just as our train to Uppsala was about to leave. Myrissa and I literally sprinted through the station, carrying our huge backpacks and shopping bags, and got to the platform just as the train was pulling away. We couldn't help but laugh, and waited an hour for the last train to Uppsala.
When we got back to Uppsala, my cousins, Sara, and my aunt and uncle were there waiting for us. We spent the next week shopping (and eating at Max) in Uppsala, eating home-cooked dinners outside, visiting Lena (swimming in the lake, followed by going into her sauna), going to the amusement park in Stockholm, and taking long walks around Lura Rasboskil. Having 10 people in one tiny house was hard at times, but I wouldn't have wanted to end our trip any other way.
Our flight back to America was horrendous, to say the least. The crew was unprofessional, unorganized, and wouldn't turn on our personal TVs. The plane was freezing and they wanted us to pay $5 for blankets, the food was inedible (to say the least), and the seats were uncomfortable. It made our flight to London 6 weeks back look like a first class trip. When we finally landed in New York, we waited almost an hour on the runway before pulling into the gate. But, once we were off the plane, it was great to finally see my parents again and give them their gifts.
So, our 6 week European adventure was over, we were back in New Jersey, and Myrissa was leaving for Maryland that Sunday. Needless to say, there were some issues along the way, but I suppose that's just part of traveling so extensively for 6 weeks. We spent a month and a half exploring 3 very different countries, and saw them from the perspectives of people who live there. Not only did we see the most touristic attractions, but also spots that tourists would never think of visiting, thanks to my aunt Gina and uncle Rich, Sofia, Enrico, Bea, Matilda, and my grandparents. We saw Badminton and Tetbury in the English countryside, Milan and Stockholm through the eyes of our friends who have lived there for years, and places in Sweden that my grandparents have grown to love after years of traveling there. I got to spend 6 weeks with my best friend traveling to 3 countries, using 3 different currencies, taking 4 flights, 2 boats and 2 Vespa rides, staying in 7 hotels, seeing 14 cities, taking countless trains and buses, and carrying a backpack and 2 suitcases along the entire way. I spent my life's savings on this trip, and came back to America with with few plans, if any, for the next month and a half of my summer, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. Myrissa and I are already trying to find an excuse to go back.
Europe, you were entirely too good to me. I feel so spoiled, but blessed, to have been able to take this trip.
The rest of my summer was spent moving into my new apartment at school, trying to get my eating habits back to normal (definitely wasn't easy), going camping in New York with my friends, visiting Cape May and the Hamptons with my family, and trying to relax and catch up with everyone at home who I had barely seen all summer. And before it could even hit me, it was time to go back to College Park for my junior year.
I'm planning on doing one final post on this blog within the next couple of weeks. I've actually grown to love blogging so much that I'm thinking of starting a permanent blog, but we'll see! So, stay tuned, I guess.
Xoxo
Christina
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