My Week Backpacking Across Europe: Why Exploration is Important
In the last six days, I have flown on more planes than in the rest of my life combined. I spent four days in Italy and three in Spain. I only have First-Year Study Abroad Experience (FYSAE) to thank for being able to do all this traveling! Having a home base in London for four months lends itself to a million amazing opportunities. Though it is (much too) expensive to fly from America to Europe, once you’re over here, getting around the continent is a piece of cake. While some on FYSAE have been to a different country every weekend for the past two months, my big spring break trip was my first time outside of England. It was truly more eye-opening and enjoyable than I could’ve ever imagined!
While planning and reviewing my finances before London, I knew I didn’t want to spend ALL of my savings here. “I don’t need to leave London,” I thought to myself. I’d be perfectly happy staying in my home city which I had come to love. However, jealousy and second thoughts came when I saw my friends and flatmates coming back every weekend from a trip to a new country: Poland, Austria, France, Ireland, you name it. I started to question if saving my money was worth missing what I realized was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity– to explore a whole continent in a way I might never again be able to. “Money will come back,” my mom told me, “but living in Europe might not.” I knew she was right, and I vowed then and there to travel over my entire week of spring break. The money I ended up spending on this trip was WELL worth it. I found safe and comfortable hostels for extremely reasonable prices, and I spent 126 dollars in total on all three flights.
I arrived at London Stansted Airport at 7 a.m. on Monday. As I walked through the terminals, I was struck with the realization of how insane this moment was. This was the first time in my life I think I truly felt like an adult. I didn’t have my parents there, giving me directions and holding onto my passport for safekeeping. This was all me, learning a kind of life-changing independence. Immediately, I knew I had made the right decision by deciding to travel. After all, I will never be 19 and living in Europe again.
London Stansted took us to Milan Bergamo via Ryanair. Getting my passport stamped in Italy was unreal, and we stopped for pizza in Milan before taking two trains to our destination, Crema. Crema, Italy, was an absolutely beautiful city to spend three days in. In the Northern Italian countryside, we stayed in a little apartment rented out by the sweetest man and his daughter who left us Italian drinks and snacks to start our trip. The first afternoon, we were so exhausted from an eleven-hour travel day that we decided to call it a night and head to sleep early.
On the second day in Crema, we walked thirty minutes to the Piazza Duomo, the city center, built around a magnificent cathedral. It was peaceful and not at all crowded. We explored the colorful architecture of the adjacent streets; I picked up a vegan chocolate croissant at a local café. When it started to drizzle, we headed back to our apartment, stopping at a large grocery store to pick up supplies for dinner (including a mouth-watering olive focaccia). The next morning, we woke up early and rented bikes. We began a nine-mile scenic bike ride to the Fontanile Quarantina, a small nature reserve (fun fact, the movie Call Me By Your Name was filmed in Crema and features a scene here). After snapping lots of pictures, we cycled nine more miles back and enjoyed delicious artisanal pizza in the evening.
On the fourth day in Italy, we loaded up our backpacks and mentally prepared to lug them all the way back to and around Milan for twelve hours. I walked an hour and a half (with prayers for my back) around the city, visiting the Milan Cathedral– probably one of the most stunning architectural feats I’ve witnessed thus far. After a long day of backpacking, I dragged myself all the way back to Bergamo Airport and hopped on a flight to Barcelona. We checked into our charming female-only hostel just before two in the morning.
The first morning in Barcelona, I purchased a Metro pass and rode a train straight to Barceloneta Beach. The sun shone warmly on my face, and the sight of palm trees brought me so much joy and excitement. I rode cable cars in the sky with a fantastic overhead view of the city, shopped at the outdoor market La Rambla, feasted on one-euro tacos, and took pictures in front of the Barcelona Cathedral. Day two was a fancy brunch at café La Papa, visiting La Sagrada Familia (the breathtaking Basilica), and heading back near La Rambla for the richest vegan chocolate gelato I’ve ever tasted. I went to bed sad that night, setting an alarm to catch a 3 a.m. train back to the airport. Goodbye, sunny Barcelona!
Sunday was another eleven-hour travel day. While I was relieved to finally collapse onto my comfy London bed, I was also mourning one of the best and most adventure-packed weeks of my life. Within seven days, I learned so much: navigating language barriers with lots of Google Translate, finding my way through foreign cities without help from my parents or other adults, and the importance of being adaptable. Honestly, before this trip, I’d never considered myself a person with a burning desire to travel. Now, traveling is a passion that I must fulfill. Even for a mature and responsible young adult, this vacation taught me how to be independent and resourceful, unlike any other experience.
Arcadia London is deliberately set up to have life-changing experiences like mine. We don’t have classes on Fridays, so every long weekend is a chance to explore our surroundings. London is my home, but it is also a stepping stone to becoming acquainted with so many different cultures, traveling for cheap, and ultimately learning about yourself through the four most enlightening months of your life. I am so grateful that I took this leap because the money will come back– and now I have incredible memories from Italy and Spain to fuel stories forever.
