When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then, take half the clothes and twice the money. ~ Anonymous

The gondolas of Italy, the UN building in Switzerland, snow on the Alps.  What do these three things have in common?  They were all included in EuroTour 2012!

Yes, the second and final bus trip of the year has come and gone, but what a week!  It was on this exchange that I entered Europe for the first time.  Now, less than a year later, I can say I’ve visited France, Spain, Germany, The Republic of Czech, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria.  With tour guides and free time in a different city every day and little to no sleep in between, “tiring” would be a suitable adjective for the 12-day trip.  But the words “fun”, “intriguing” and “memorable” also make it on the list.

The weather was all over the place.  Cloudy with rain; snow, even, in some parts of France!  Thankfully, the weather cooperated for my favorite part of the tour:  Venice!

My idea of Venice was formed by the descriptions present in two books; “The Thief Lord” by Cornelia Funke and “City of Masks” by Mary Hoffman.  The city I saw could have waltzed directly from the pages.  Streets and buildings divided by robin-egg blue water.   Hand-painted masks and costumed street performers at every corner.  Jet-black gondolas and live music at every café!  The city is built of white stone and in the sun that day the city shone.  A breath-taking daytrip that put Italy on my bucket list of countries I must return to one day.

Another  major part of travelling like this, when one visits a new country every day, is the food!  Every day there was a speciality: gelato and pizza in Italy, la tartiflette in the Alps, chocolate in Switzerland.  Everything was so good, and I am intrigued to look up some recipes online.  Needless to say, however, I added running into my weekly schedule upon returning to France.

I am a person who likes to see what any given situation has taught me, and how it has made me grow.  EuroTour 2012 taught me two things:

Any travel is good, because it always ends up broadening your horizons as well as teaching you more about yourself and what you want from your future.  Even the briefest stay has its benefits.  I spent a single day in any given country on the trip, but already I am looking into job opportunities with the UN, learning new recipes with which to impress my family and friends, and planning another trip to Italy for some time in my life.

I do not have to travel around the world to experience (my) life’s greatest pleasures.  Long rides on the bus, hanging out with friends, drawing, dancing, music, rides at an amusement park, sunny days, Starbucks.  All these things made up some of the highlights of my trip.  However, all these things could be found anywhere in the world, from Nuremberg, Germany, to Chilliwack, British Columbia. 

Travel will always be a vital part of my life, but this trip made me realize that adventure does not end with exchange.  It’s wherever I want it to be.