Five Weeks in Europe
I recently got back from an incredible trip to Europe. I was gone for five weeks, and this was the longest trip I've been to. Below is a brief description of how I prepared, what my time was like in some of the cities and countries I visited, and a brief reflection of things I learnt and the people I met during my trip.
Preparation
About 2 months prior I bought plane tickets from Toronto to Prague, and from Rome back to Toronto. I also started booking my accommodation at around that time. I was going to be travelling light with a bagpack and carryon for 5 weeks, so while booking my accommodation I looked for airbnbs that had a washer inside the unit.
While booking my accommodation I also looked for those that were close to the city center. I made a draft itinerary of things I'd like to do in each city, (museums, parks, restaurants, etc), and specifically looked for accommodations that were within walking distance of most of the things I wanted to do. This was prescient; it saved me a lot of time I'd otherwise spend commuting to and from the various attractions to my accommodation.
This was going to be a solo trip to countries I'd never been to before, so a few days before the trip I shared my itinerary and location with a close friend for safety. I also confirmed my travel health insurance coverage, backed up my phone and computer to an external hard drive in case I lost either during the trip, withdrew what I thought would be an adequate amount of hard currency, and bought a travel esim for access to data while in Europe.
Prague
I was supposed to have a brief layover in Frankfurt on my way to Prague, but I missed my connecting flight due to a delay in the flight departure from Toronto and a long snail-paced queue at passport control at Frankfurt. I got rebooked in the next flight to Prague without any issues, and arrived at my accommodation at around 7pm.
Prague was a wonderful city. I did a free walking tour and got to learn a bit of Czech Republic's history including its rule by the Habsburgs monarchy, the Protestant Bohemian Revolt and the Thirty Years' war, its time as communist state Czechoslovakia and the end of communist rule in 1989, and the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 into the independent states Czech Republic and Slovakia.
An interesting fact I learnt was that Czech republic is one of the most irreligious nations in the world, owing to 19th century freethought and additional development during the communist rule.
Vienna
I spent about a week in Vienna. Some of the most enjoyable things I did in Vienna were watching an opera (I watched The Elixir of Love at The Vienna State Opera), visiting a few museums (Albertina and Upper Belvedere were some of my favorites) and spending time at the Schonbrunn palace and its extensive grounds.
During my time in Vienna I learnt more about the Habsburgs and their 600 year rule in Austria. I also learnt about the Austria-Hungarian empire established in 1867, and the events that caused the rapid escalation of regional conflict into World War 1.
I also learnt about the role that Austria played in World War 2, starting with the annexation of Austria into Germany. It was surreal standing below the infamous balcony where Hitler declared the annexation of Austria in front of thousands of Austrians.
An interesting fact I learnt about Austria is that the country is permanently neutral by law, enacted in 1955 as a constitutional act.
Budapest
I loved my time in Budapest. The city felt energetic and alive. I enjoyed walking along the Danube and spending time at the city park. I also enjoyed spending time in Buda, from where I was able to observe great panoramic views of Pest.
It was at Budapest that I ate at some of the most beautiful restaurants I've ever been to, my favourites being Parisi Passage and TwentySix. I also got breakfast at New York Cafe, apparently the most beautiful cafe in the world, but I did not like it as much as I liked Parisi Passage.
Ljubljana:
I spent a few days in Ljubljana. the city was beautiful, clean and very developed. I was pleasantly surprised by how kind and welcoming everyone was.
A highlight of my time here was staying at a hostel (first time!); here, I met other fellow travellers, some who were only travelling for the weekend, others travelling for about the same time as I was, while others were travelling for an indeterminate period of time and did not know where they would be in a few days. I had plenty of interesting conversations with folks I met at the hostel; I got to learn more about their countries, places they'd visited and where they'd want to visit next (and why). Spending time in Ljubljana was a delightful yet humbling and insightful experience. I realized how much more there is to see and learn and experience. The world is big!
A wonderful fact I learnt about Slovenia is that the country has a woman president, serving as president since December 2022. She is the first woman president in the country's history.
Italy
My last stop was in Italy where I visited for 2 weeks. While in Italy I spent time in Venice, Florence and Rome. Florence was my favorite city in Italy, with Venice being a close second.
I loved Italy. I experienced sensory delight during most of my time there, surrounded by great beauty every day. I enjoyed seeing and experiencing the architecture, the art, the sculptures and the fountains, the food, learning more about the history, listening to and picking up bits of the language, and spending time at the piazzas and the trattorias.
It was interesting to observe how an extremely crowded city like Venice ran without cars, how the entirety of Florence felt like an open air museum, and how century and millenium old ruins were scattered everywhere in the Rome metropolis.
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations:
I was surprised by how easy it was to get by in the big cities with just english. I had google translate downloaded on my phone, but I barely used it except when getting groceries (it was useful for translating labels). I have no doubt that it would be much more difficult to interact with locals if I ventured just a bit outside the major cities, but during this trip I had no issues communicating with any of the locals I met.
It was interesting to think about how recent the current world borders are. The world map looked very different as recent as 100 years ago.
I felt happy about how physically and mentally light I felt while travelling from city to city. I did not buy any souvenirs; I think photos are the best kind of souvenir you can take from each place. Photos are light, portable, affordable, durable, and indefinitely accurate. To that end i took lots of pictures. It was nice coming back with a suitcase that was just as simple and light as it was when I left.
It was interesting to observe various cultures in which people treated restaurants as a place to socialize, rather than a place to just eat, pay and leave. I dined out often, and I never felt rushed nor felt the need to leave as soon as I was done with my meal. This was a wonderful feeling.
Food was surprisingly expensive (averaging €20 for a one-course meal) and the portions small, but this depended on restaurant and location. Restaurants close to tourist attractions tended to be the most expensive, followed by restaurants that were popular for a specific sort of cuisine or dish.
I was able to use my credit card for all purchases. My current credit card is especially suitable for travel as I'm not charged a exchange rate markup when I pay for goods and services in a foreign currency. I had brought a small amount of hard currency with me, but barely needed it except when giving tips to free walking tour guides (and even they could mostly accept card payments).
I inadvertently burnt a lot of energy during my trip. I walked everywhere, with the exception of regional transit from one city to the next. I walked an average of 10km, 11000 steps and burnt 300 calories every day for 5 weeks.