Interrailing Europe!

It's been a while.. but since my last post I've completed first year (yay!) and I did just in time for my interrail trip to Europe. I've been an avid traveller since the age of 6 with my mother but I've always had the desire to travel independently, hold the responsibility of carrying my passport across various countries and live it up in hostels instead of all inclusive hotels. So... I did!

Ellie and I decided to book the trip back in May and planned a 15 day trip to 5 countries: Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin and Prague. This was a scary feat. Fitting 5 countries within such a concentrated amount of time? Could we achieve it? Would we make it back to London? Yes, yes and yes. We made it and we saw amazing things and met amazing people.

Rather tired at the top of the Eiffel Tower!

Jumping from train to train gave a sense of freedom, albeit a reservation had to made beforehand for some. But one memory that holds the deepest in my memory is being on a stifling train from Amsterdam to Berlin and managing to find the only open window in the whole train. In a disabled toilet. Yes, it sounds disgusting but the smell of stale wee was overpowered by the fresh German air. It was one of the most liberating experiences of the trip! 

Being able to walk on the streets where momentous history took place was an amazing privilege. Especially in Berlin, who has suffered extremities in their history such as facshism, communism and the Berlin Wall which was liberated in 1990. To see the Berlin Wall, touch it.. it was amazing.

Taken shortly after our flasher!

We decided on the trip to take a break from nightlife as we've had a quite heavy year in Freshers. But that didn't last for long until we reached Berlin and Prague. Berlin and Prague were some of the most interesting nights out I've had in my life. Meeting other travellers like us was great and some we had met during day walking tours so to then party with them was really fun. Another thing I've realised is that this world is really, really small and I met a lot of friends in common out there in the hostel bars and pub crawls. It really has made me want to venture deeper into the world to meet even more people!

Not drunk at all here...

Interrailing has taught me to be resourceful and plan ahead, something that university installed in me but travelling made me utilize in the 'real' world. It taught me to persevere and not to hold back because holding back and staying in bed makes you miss important things and moments. So many times we were too tired or hungover to function, a couple cups of coffee and baguettes nipped from the breakfast bar for later gave us fuel to explore the various cities further.

Being on the beach in Stiges, Barcelona soaking up the sun rays, climbing up Eiffel Tower cursing Ellie for not letting us get the lift in 30 degree heat, making fantastic memes from Greek statues in the Louvre, seeing the best art museums Europe has to offer, being flashed in a park walking down to Brandenburg Gate, sharing stories and laughing at French TV in our hotel room in Paris, taking a walk down the lake by our hostel in Amsterdam in the pouring rain, seeing a concentration camp and town in Prague, jumping one step from what was East Berlin to West Germany and walking down Charles Bridge at 5 am rather drunk with only photographers and early risers to pass us.

These are only a handful of memories I gained travelling.

If you're thinking of travelling, don't hestitate. See the world and explore!