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All good things must come to an end

by Suzi Pratt — last modified 2007-07-25 09:08

For my end-of-semester European finale, I explored 6 countries before returning “home” to Seattle. Dirt-biking, moped riding, Couchsurfing, paragliding…read on for more on my adventure and my closing thoughts after an unforgettable semester in Spain. My apologies for the extreme delay of this final posting!

Paragliding in Interlaken, Switzerland.

After school let out on May 24, I took off on a final 3 week travel-spree through: Switzerland (Geneva & Interlaken), Slovenia (Bled & Ljubljana), Croatia (Split & Dubrovnik), Greece (Corfu & Athens), Germany (Berlin & Munich), and finally, Rome to meet up with my family.

I spent half the time traveling with friends from school, but the other half was spent traveling alone, something I was initially nervous about, but quickly eased into and found the freedom quite enjoyable. The trip was relatively disaster-free, sans a few delays, such as speeding in a taxi and arriving at the Berlin Shönefeld airport 20 minutes before takeoff (& still being allowed to board!).

Something I took advantage of while traveling which greatly enhanced my experience was an organization called Couchsurfing.com, an Internet-based community in which you arrange your own homestays with people living in the city you will visit. The homestay is free of cost; the whole point is a cultural interaction between yourself and your host—many of whom are experienced world travelers & veteran Couchsurfers themselves. Most will take you on city tours, or at least have tons of recommendations about what to do and see. Some even picked me up from my arrival point. I was able to Couchsurf with people in half the countries I visited, and with my hosts, I rode my first moped, swam in Lake Geneva, helped cook an authentic German meal, and exchanged some great travel stories and advice. All of my experiences definitely contributed positively to my adventure--so much that I want to travel again just to Couchsurf again!

Berlin, with 2 fellow Couchsurfers--Kirsten from Germany & Jen from Canada.

I arrived back in Seattle at the end of June, kissed my boyfriend goodbye before he left for China to begin his own study abroad adventure, and since then have been interning at The Boeing Company. I would say I experienced a mild culture shock upon my return. Hearing and speaking English wasn’t so difficult, but I miss the challenge and rewards of communicating in (and understanding!) another language. One thing that definitely took me aback was how BIG everything is. Vehicles taller than my 5’2” frame, Fred Meyer branches larger than all grocery stores in Granada combined, even the “walk” & “don’t walk” signals at the crosswalks seem monstrously huge to me.

While my current job definitely has its financial perks, I find myself feeling trapped within the confines of my office cubicle, wanting to be out getting lost in the streets of a foreign city. I attempt to satisfy my urges by listening to local Mexican radio stations and living vicariously through the stories I read in travel novels, such as those by Frances Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan Sun. If only travel writing was an easy job to break into! Still, as todo el mundo (everyone) keeps telling me, I am young and still have at least ¾ of my life left to return abroad.

Quotes from Frances Mayes’ memoir A Year in the World:

“Travel pushes my boundaries…you are insignificant to the life of the new place. When you travel, you become invisible, if you want…When traveling, you have the delectable possibility of not understanding a word that is said to you. Language becomes simply a musical background for watching…even better, if you speak the language, you catch nuances and make more contact with people.

“The urge to travel feels magnetic…travel releases spontaneity. You become a godlike creature full of choice…free to go, free to return home, bringing back memories to lay on the hearth.”

And so ends my European blogging series. I hope my experiences have encouraged you to begin or continue taking advantage of opportunities to spend time traveling and or living abroad. It truly is a life-changing experience that you will never forget. Thanks for being my audience; this blogging job was truly fun in itself. Happy traveling, friends! ☺

P.S. For more photos (all my Europe photos, actually), click here: Suzi's Photos