4 countries in 91 days

📖 Note: This post is from the archives. It may reflect outdated views or a previous name.

In the last few months away, I’ve lived in 2 continents, 3 time zones, 4 countries and 5 cities. I remember when this was a dream. I remember how my friends and family constantly told me that this trip would never happen. I remember how determined I was to bring this trip to fruition. I have always loved travelling. Experiencing new cultures and hearing foreign languages for the first time is liberating. I’ve travelled a lot in the last twelve months, but I knew that my Europe trip would be different.

My trip started in North America. I flew down to Fort Myers on June 16th. Why you ask? I was helping my friend and colleague move overseas. Over the next ten days, I helped them box up their lives and ship it half way around the world. After boxing up electronics, hoovering carpets and scrubbing floors for a week. We made our way to Miami International to spend nine hours on a plane to Manchester. We were stoked.

The first few days in England were weird. My brain didn’t have a clue about what was going on. The time difference hit me hard. I was jet lag’s bitch. My sorted out an apartment for us to move into immediately upon arrival. We picked up the keys and headed to Stoke-on-Trent (our new home for the near future). It was a fantastic learning experience for me. This was the first time helping someone setup a household (buying appliances, beds, etc). It will definitely be easier for me when I choose to move out (in Canada). I didn’t do too much travelling in my first month. I worked on Cosmic Labs’ LineHop, met Jonathan Kingsley and made an account on Tinder.

After my first month in England, I travelled down to London and stayed with a friend in Camden Town. The combination of culture mashing, energy and busyness inspired me. It was my first entry to my “I’d totally live here” list in Clear. I don’t know how to explain it better than saying that I felt at home in London (Camden Town). After my first London dash, I stayed in Stoke-on-Trent for another few weeks. Hungry for a big city, I came back to London for a few more days. I experienced a whole different side of London with my friend, Julia Shusterman.

So far, my travels were only in English-speaking countries. My next two adventures brought me to situations I have never been in. This was my first time in country where English wasn’t widely spoken (or popular). Having to scramble for the right German/French word was exhausting. Especially when I constantly failed to pronounce them.

My next adventure was in Berlin. Between the overnight stay at Manchester International, the layover at Cologne and the time difference, I arrived in Berlin around dusk on August 10th. With limited internet access (and German), I made it to my Airbnb in the Friedrichshain. I decided to go exploring on my first night in the city. I couldn’t find any sit-down restaurants and ended up settling for a kebab. I walked up to the counter and started speaking in English. The man behind the counter looked at me blankly. Oh right. German… Quickly trying to know what to say, I mumbled “Kann ich bitte einen Kebab mit Pommes haben?” I honestly thought my pronunciation was good, but his look said it all: “I have no clue what you just said.” Luckily their menu was numbered. I started to frantically point at the pictures and form a peace symbol with my hand. I met a handful of really awesome people (including Bjoern Diekert) and experienced a culture unlike any other. I’m not sure if I would want to live in Berlin (yet), I would love to come back and explore/experience some more.

The night before travelling to Paris, I set several cascading alarms to ensure I would arrive at Berlin-Tegel early. Unfortunately none of my alarms went off and I woke up an hour before my plane was supposed to depart. There were no Ubers in the area and none of the local cab companies spoke English. I was kind of freaking out. Fortunately I remembered the name of MyTaxi (an over advertised taxi app) which may have just saved my ass. I made it to the airport twenty-minutes before departure. I’m not even entirely sure how I made it onto that plane, but I am so happy I avoided the complications of missing it.

I arrived in Paris at 09:30 on August 14th and quickly hopped on a RoissyBus to travel to the city centre. My Airbnb was in Colombes (north of Paris). Navigating to somewhere I’ve never been before is difficult without directions, but I managed. My French is better than my German, but is still really bad. I accidentally exited through the wrong gate at the station and needed to go back in to cross over the overpass. I tried to ask the girl behind the assistance counter for help. She couldn’t speak English and I couldn’t articulate what I wanted in French. After five minutes of trying, we found ourselves laughing. We were both talking, but neither of us could understand each other. I eventually articulated enough French that got her out of the booth, so I could point at the escalator outside. One of my most interesting experiences so far. I explored Paris for the next few days. It was really cool to see La Tour Eiffel, Catacombes de Paris, Musée du Louvre and general city life. For the most part, I enjoyed Paris — I loved the food, the language and the vibe. I added it to my “I’d totally live here” list, but Paris is definitely below London.

I found it amazing that each of these cities have a completely different way of life and culture. If nothing else, this trip was an eye opener. It’s pure ignorance but as someone coming from North America it’s an amazing realization that not everyone speaks English. I’ve merely had a glimpse of Europe and fully intend to come back and explore new countries. As this trip comes to a close and I fly back to Canada on September 14th, I’m starting to plan my next adventure and you’ll be sure to see me explore new corners of the Earth.