Once I found out that my classes didn’t start until October, I knew I had to take advantage of the free time. I worked full-time all summer to save up money and used all my time off to plan and prepare for the trip. It took me all summer to research, decide where I wanted to go, set the timeline, make the reservations, and buy things I would need. It was exhausting and quite stressful, but ended up being so worth it!
My family (specifically my mother) wasn’t too keen on the idea of me traveling to Europe alone, so I ended up convincing my 80-year old grandfather to join me! It was decided he would join me for the first two weeks and then I would go on my own for the last two weeks. To make the most of his time in Europe, we decided to go explore the places of our heritage. First stop – Dublin!
The flight to Dublin took about 8 hours and the whole travel took an entire day. We arrived in Dublin in the morning but slept off some jet-lag before going to explore the town. Because of his age, my grandfather couldn’t walk much so I organized tours and guides to take us around by car. Our private tour around Dublin was fabulous and we got to see a lot of the city, along with a fishing town nearby named Howth. The next trip was a Paddywagon tour to the Cliffs of Moher, which was incredible. In true Irish fashion, I got to watch a rain storm come in over the ocean and then proceeded to get drenched.
After three days in Dublin, we hopped on what looked like a prop plane to Edinburgh. Within minutes of leaving the airport I saw kilts and heard bagpipes! Anyone who has ever been to Scotland will understand when I say the only way to describe it is magical. Again, I booked tours around the city and for the Highlands. I think that trip was one of our favorites because the Highlands are so beautiful it takes your breath away! Granted, we only got to visit the western Highlands because my grandfather was dying to see a castle featured in his favorite TV show Outlander.
After three days in Edinburgh, my grandfather was started to get exhausted. Luckily, next we were headed to Paris where his girlfriend (who flew in from Little Rock) met us at the airport. I planned a longer stay in Paris and I am so glad I did! I ventured out on my own a lot (grandpa was tired of walking) and saw everything from the Louvre, to the Eiffel Tower, to the Opera House, and then some. Of course, I couldn’t do everything I wanted, but it just gives me a good reason to go back!
One of the best parts of our Paris trip was a tour I booked for us to go to Normandy. It was something my grandfather wanted to see and I’m so glad we got to go! Our tour guide was absolutely fantastic and gave us the most in-depth history lesson on every place we went, including Utah Beach, Omaha Beach, and Pointe du Hoc. We got to visit a winery in the French countryside and even stopped at Monet’s garden in Giverny.
At this point, it was time to say goodbye to my grandfather and his girlfriend. After months of planning and preparing, we are thankful everything went smoothly and we didn’t need to use our trip insurance. The only unfortunate thing that happened was missing our Bateux Moches Seine River Cruise because of a race event that prevented us from getting to the dock. Oh well!
After saying goodbye, I packed up my bag and headed to Rome. I’m not sure if I was adjusting to being alone or adjusting to living in hostels, but Rome was my least favorite spot on the trip. Not to say it wasn’t wonderful, but if I were to go back I’d bring someone along and stay in a nicer part of town. Of course, I pushed through and managed to see the big sights. However, it was hotter than Arkansas, extraordinarily crowded, and walking around sightseeing was physically exhausting. I did eat the best gelato of my life, and also enjoyed seeing the historical sites.
After a quick two days in Rome, I got on my first train to Florence. The ease and civility of the train travel in Europe was shocking to me. I automatically felt more safe and comfortable in Florence and knew I was going to enjoy my time there. I made some friends, ate too much gelato, and had the best pasta of my life. The food was just incredible (I’m drooling thinking about it). I booked tours because my stay in Florence was long, at almost a week. I took a trip out to Tuscany, which included Siena and Pisa, and ate at a Tuscan vineyard. The second tour was out to Cinque Terre, which was actually more of a hiking tour. We hiked for an hour from one town to another, stopping halfway at the lone bar for a lemon slushy. We stopped in each town (traveling by train, boat, or hike) and I eventually got to swim in the Mediterranean! Cinque Terre was definitely one of my favorite parts of the trip.
My next destination was one I was really looking forward to – Poland. I’m half Polish and my dad’s side of the family loves to celebrate the Polish culture. I was excited, mostly, to eat the food I had grown up with and loved! I went to Krakow and stayed for three days. I did some walking tours, independent exploring, and a LOT of eating. Plus, Poland is so cheap that I shamelessly ordered too much food and even one day had two lunches (back to back). I also took a tour to Auschwitz and the Wieliczka Salt Mine. Krakow is somewhere I’ll definitely have to go back.
Hang in there folks, I’m almost done! After I was properly filled with pierogis and kielbasa, I took a flight to Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest! It was something I’ve always wanted to do, and it was quite the experience. The first thing I did when I landed was search for a dirndl (the traditional dress) and happened upon a store owned by a man who once worked in Fort Smith! Small world! Because both of my days were spent at Oktoberfest, I didn’t do much Munich sightseeing. At Oktoberfest, I met beer lovers from all over the world and had a fantastic time learning the German songs and traditions.
After three days in Munich, I took a train to Prague. In the very beginning of my Europe trip, I made an effort to learn some of the language (enough to get around) of my destinations. But in the Czech Republic, I was so lost, both in the language and in the town. I didn’t have anything specific I wanted to see in Prague, but I wandered around and discovered the beauty of city. I ate too many Trdelníks (a cinnamon chimney cone) with ice cream and delicious beef goulash. Featured below is me standing in front of the famous John Lennon wall.
After a short stay in Prague, it was finally time to start heading to school. I took a plane to London and stayed the night in the airport hotel. I planned it that way so I could have one last night before taking the bus to my school. After being so lost in Prague (I’m glad I made it to the airport) and having to wait for my luggage in London, I was ready to crash. Also, I was glad to be in a hotel room and not a hostel.
The next day I got on a National Express bus to Colchester and here I am! A little over a month of pure travel and it was over in the blink of an eye! Writing this blog post, I’m shocked by how many places I got to go and all the things I got to see. I’m truly so grateful to have had the opportunity to travel for such a large chunk of time, as I know it won’t likely be possible for a long time (retirement?).
I know that was a lot, but really it was just a quick snapshot of a trip of a lifetime. Yes, backpacking was quite daunting, but I meet amazing people from all over doing the same thing. While I didn’t necessarily enjoy doing my laundry in the sink or having to wear the same clothes over and over, I got to spend a whole month exploring so many other cultures. I got to spend a whole month doing whatever I wanted to do! I got to spend a whole month doing what I love!
Aren’t I lucky?
Cheers!
Brisa B.
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Industrial Engineering major Brisa Bartczak is spending the Fall 2018 term in England with our U of A Exchange program at the University of Essex, Colchester with the help of our Office of Study Abroad Scholarship and the College of Engineering.
Read more from Brisa at https://sites.uark.edu/bsbartcz/
Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/
After saying goodbye, I packed up my bag and headed to Rome. I’m not sure if I was adjusting to being alone or adjusting to living in hostels, but Rome was my least favorite spot on the trip. Not to say it wasn’t wonderful, but if I were to go back I’d bring someone along and stay in a nicer part of town. Of course, I pushed through and managed to see the big sights. However, it was hotter than Arkansas, extraordinarily crowded, and walking around sightseeing was physically exhausting. I did eat the best gelato of my life, and also enjoyed seeing the historical sites.
After a short stay in Prague, it was finally time to start heading to school. I took a plane to London and stayed the night in the airport hotel. I planned it that way so I could have one last night before taking the bus to my school. After being so lost in Prague (I’m glad I made it to the airport) and having to wait for my luggage in London, I was ready to crash. Also, I was glad to be in a hotel room and not a hostel.
The next day I got on a National Express bus to Colchester and here I am! A little over a month of pure travel and it was over in the blink of an eye! Writing this blog post, I’m shocked by how many places I got to go and all the things I got to see. I’m truly so grateful to have had the opportunity to travel for such a large chunk of time, as I know it won’t likely be possible for a long time (retirement?).
I know that was a lot, but really it was just a quick snapshot of a trip of a lifetime. Yes, backpacking was quite daunting, but I meet amazing people from all over doing the same thing. While I didn’t necessarily enjoy doing my laundry in the sink or having to wear the same clothes over and over, I got to spend a whole month exploring so many other cultures. I got to spend a whole month doing whatever I wanted to do! I got to spend a whole month doing what I love!
Aren’t I lucky?
Cheers!
Brisa B.
--
Industrial Engineering major Brisa Bartczak is spending the Fall 2018 term in England with our U of A Exchange program at the University of Essex, Colchester with the help of our Office of Study Abroad Scholarship and the College of Engineering.
Read more from Brisa at https://sites.uark.edu/bsbartcz/
Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/
