If you didn’t already understand what that meant… It means the title of my blog “Making 21 Count” doesn’t really obtain to my life anymore. With this being said, I am moving on from my year of travels, to starting my life working on my new business plan (inspired by my travels) titled Granted Apparel. Before I get into the details about my last trip as a 21 year old, I want to give you the information you may want, to continue to follow the life encounters I have leading me to the future.
I already have a few blog posts on my new blog, so you will always have something to read.
My final destinations this year included: Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland and Portugal.
Though it was my second time in Germany, France and Switzerland… There were reasons to re-visit.
In Germany I visited:
– Dusseldorf again
– Freiburg again
– Heidelberg
– Munich
Germany
I went on a solo walking tour through Dusseldorf and just reconfirmed my thoughts of my previous experience in Dusseldorf. They have a world famous shopping district, an abundance of bars and a million little shops to spend all your money. I decided to leave the crammed corners of Dusseldorf and head for a tiny river on a side street. I sat there realizing I shouldn’t be so cynical because if the situation was different and I was with a huge group of my friends, I would be embracing each and every bar I stepped foot in. Dusseldorf is beautiful. It is just not the city for me. I found Munich to be very similar… I actually liked Dusseldorf a lot better than Munich. Munich is filled with people and is a city just like Toronto. The one thing I don’t understand is that when I hear of people visiting Germany, they visit Munich and Berlin. Though I haven’t been to Berlin, I can imagine it is very similar to Munich – shopping, eating, spending money in a big city. However, I had to visit Munich… I have officially crossed one more thing off my bucket list: Oktoberfest. It was very similar to what I had pictured… German music, thousands of people and a whole ton of beer and pretzels. To this day through all of Germany, I still believe that Freiburg is the most beautiful city I have been to. This is perhaps because that is where I have spent most of my time living with Paul while I am here… But the people , the sights, the shops are all so cute and teeny. Heidelberg is very similar to Freiburg, small town feel, cute and cozy shops and restaurants. I like it there.
Austria
Austria… Austria was breathtaking. Where we visited (close to Germany – for the sake of Paul reading this haha) was absolutely incredible. The misty mountain tops, bright blue rivers, winding roads and rolling hills…. that moment in time, driving through the mountains was one of the most incredible experiences in my life. We stayed in a small bed and breakfast and had a beautiful view out our window to the mountains.
Switzerland
In Switzerland, I spent two days and one night in Zurich as I mentioned in my last blog post as well. Though Zurich was a great experience, I am not going to lie… I was happy to depart back to Freiburg because A. I couldn’t afford the lifestyle and B. I couldn’t stand the crowds. The one thing I find myself doing in every city, every town all around the world, is aimlessly wandering the towns desperately looking for a way out. I think from now on I need to plan my travels a little more than these recent acts of spontaneity. I love nature, I love hikes, rivers, beaches, oceans, landscapes, beautiful views. I hate crowds, I hate shopping, being confined in small spaces, walking in tour groups. The one thing I found I enjoyed most in Zurich was my sneaky visit to the FIFA head office. This was partially because the head office is not a tourist destination so I found myself sneaking through the front gate to get a better look at the building. To my surprise not only did I get a wonderful view of the official FIFA head office but there were numerous little statues and memorabilia of passed World Cups. The stairs leading to the front doors were labelled in every country from A to Z, there was a statue with one player from each country piled high holding a huge soccer ball which symbolized our globe, our unity and our pride. The best thing about this experience: the massive FIFA soccer field. The sides of the pitch were lined with country flags, full turf field and a beautiful surrounding view into the forests.
Portugal
Portugal was a weekend getaway birthday present from Paul. We got a room with a beautiful view of Porto city and took full advantage of the days we had there. Porto is known for the creation of Port Wine so we did a couple wine tastings, a bus tour and a city walk. It was a picturesque old town with narrow winding streets, vines crawling the walls and laundry hanging from the balconies. I would love to re-visit Portugal again and take off on even more exploring adventures!
While in Portugal I got my third ‘wish-fairy’ tattoo. This wish-fairy not only symbolizes my Granted Apparel line but my inspirations and travels to date. I have one in North America, one in South East Asia and one in Europe. Now all I need to do is revisit Africa and South America, head to Australia and the Antarctica (not that I think I can get a tattoo there). The Seven Continents of the World.
That’s a wrap!
It’s been the best year of my life. I have traveled most of the world, been inspired to make a difference, met an incredible man, made some long lasting friends and most of all made the best memories I could have asked for!
Thank you to everyone who made my year such a spectacular experience!
For more travel inspiration, check out a couple more posts: Why You Should Travel Now, How to Create Your Own Blog, How to Break Out of Habit and Travel the World, The Best Quotes to Inspire You to Travel, The Bucket List.
