A Reflection on Month One
Trip Start
Oct 20, 2010
1
23
79
Trip End
May 03, 2011
Where I stayed
Vatican City, Lazio, Italy
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
I just wanted to post a bit of a lookback on my first month of travelling. It feels strange to say that I have been travelling Europe for a month already. It still feels as though there should be months before I even leave, nevermind, having put all those miles behind me already.
This is already officially the longest continuous period of my being outside of the UK, and it has been strange to not experience anything remotely British (my encounters with my fellow Brits have been sparse) since leaving the shores of Anglesey, over one month ago.
I guess I will always miss home comforts in a way, but it is nice to be out here still, and I'd rather be sat here writing this in a hostel in Rome than sat at home, bored off my arse and wondering which bit of blu-tac to pull of my wall next.
It has been a month of ups and downs. This is to be expected, I suppose, and I think I would be more worried if the whole time had been completely peachy. I would be expecting catastrophic things to happen to balance it out, like sinking ferries, or whatever.
That being said, the things that sucked, felt really bad at the time. I'm sure the more minor events (like missing my train to Milan, and consequentially my train to Geneva) were amplified by the fact that I was on my own in a strange country with no-one to help me out, but in reality probably weren't nearly as stressful as they ended up being.
So far I have seen some wonderful places and things, and met some fantastic people that would otherwise have gone unmet in the great annals of my life. I have made a number of friends that I hope to keep for a long time to come, because hey, when isn't a free couch in some far flung part of the world useful, eh? I jest, of course, but seriously, the people I have met have made my trip so far.
They have kept me going when I felt like I just wanted to curl up and let the world go on around me, cheered me up when I have been down, kept me company when I have felt alone, and generally provided me with an all round great time. For those of them that are reading this, and even for the ones that just spoke to me on a bus for 30 minutes, who will never even give me another passing thought, I am indebted.
Here's hoping the other 5 months will be just as good, huh?
Comments
I'll second that last sentiment.
The trip as a whole is a microcosm of life - six solid months of nothing but "ups" would be remarkable, and when you come to look back on your trip in years to come, it'll be what were "downs" at the time that will provide some of the best anecdotes.
Making friends, some transient, some long-lasting, is a really positive thing about such a trip, especially if you are essentially travelling alone for so long. The people you meet will make the difference between a lifetime experience and an extended sightseeing trip.
Glad to hear that you're in good spirits, after your first month and some ups and downs along the way. Bodes well for the rest of the trip.