Friday, September 17, 2010

The tale of 5 countries and many cities

Being able to take two months travelling around Europe was an amazing experience and the things I experienced and the things I saw will stay with me for a life time.

First stop was Geneva where I participated in the United Nations Graduate Study Programme and was a definite highlight. It taught me so much about global politics and gave me the opportunity to hang out with the most amazing passionate and group of people who all want to improve the state of the planet. Even to this day I miss their multi-lingual banter and phenomenal knowledge of international relations and global affairs.


All good things have to come to an end but not quite yet because there was some serious fun to be had in other parts of Europe.

Dublin began the backpacking segment and it was a dream come true to visit this vibrant and funky city. It was as cool as I had hoped and in between the pints of Guinness there were walking tours of the town, visits to the country side as well as to several museums and art galleries. It was also cool to meet new people from all over the world in the youth hostels and something that happens often in a solo backpacking trip.

Edinburgh was amazing! It was dark and gloomy but there was something intriguing about it. With its magical and mysterious architecture provided hours of exploration and way too many photos. I also headed to the highlands where its stark beauty often left me breathless. A visit to Lochness was a nice opportunity to get out of the city and, as usual, nessie did an epic no show. Scotland was finished up with a trip to St Andrews and while Prince William wasn’t there, it was quite pretty and well worth a visit even if you are not into golf or royalty watching.

A visit to London was squeezed in before going to continental Europe and I can’t ever go to the other side of the world without going to the capital near where I grew up. I love the place!! It is so familiar and holds so many memories which made it so hard to leave. Luckily, student accommodation in the mid of London provided a good base for visit the standard “Sights” such as Houses of Parliament, National Gallery (my all time favorite) and Stonehenge.

Next was Amsterdam which is just elegant as Paris without the attitude. Here, it was more art galleries and museums (including the Heineken Brewery) such as Anne Frank’s house. It was nice to meet up with the parental unit who I hadn’t seen for a while as well as got to meet relatives whom I only heard about but had never met. I loved Amsterdam; I found it so cute with its bicycles and canals, I could easily live there.

Finally, Paris was the last stop before my Parents 50th Wedding Anniversary in Neuchatel (Switzerland) and returning home. I love Paris and never get board of its charm and elegance. My number one mission was to visit as many galleries and museums as possible but since it rained no shop this was met easily. The highlights were the Centre Pompidou, Asian Arts and Civilization Museum, Rodin Museum as well as the Jewish Museum and the hidden jewels that are there.

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