Backpacking across Western Europe
Updated: Oct 15
In May 2024, I spent 3 weeks traveling across Western Europe. The trip was fun, and I was alone for most of the 3 weeks, so it was extra adventurous. Planning the whole thing was not easy at all for me because of the Schengen Visa. But I later realized that the whole ordeal made the trip extra special to me.
In the 3 weeks, I visited Amsterdam, Cinque Terre, Florence, Rome, Paris, Oslo, and parts of the Norwegian countryside.
I enjoyed all the places I visited in Europe. I started with Amsterdam, where I really liked biking around the city and how easy it felt to just see the whole city on a bike. I remember walking around Amsterdam and listening to Beethoven being played on the clock tower somewhere. That moment felt like I was truly in Europe.
After Amsterdam, I flew to Italy. I first went to Cinque Terre, where I hiked across the 5 villages of Cinque Terre, along the Italian coast. It was beautiful hiking through the villages and vineyards. There was this one point along the hike that had some empty chairs overlooking the sea, near a house, which seemed like an Airbnb. I saved the coordinates to that point so I can stay at that particular place in the future. It just looked so good!
From Cinque Terre, I went to Florence, where I stayed at a friend's home. My favorite part about Florence was Piazzale Michelangelo. My friend told me that Piazzale Michelangelo is his favorite place to have a difficult conversation with someone. If I could, I would also always have all my difficult conversations while overlooking the historic city of Florence.
My last stop in Italy was Rome. It was very crowded, but I still liked it. I was surprised by the beauty of the Vatican Museum and the art. I am not a museum guy at all, so it was a huge surprise to me. I liked it so much that I took a poster of one of the paintings in the museum for my apartment in Austin. My other favorite memory of Rome was roaming around the Colosseum while listening to the music from the movie Gladiator. But the most memorable moment in Rome for me was making a last-minute plan to go see Rafael Nadal play in the Italian Open in Rome. I was roaming around in Rome, and there was a female tennis player practicing on a temporary clay court in the middle of Rome! Out of curiosity, I went closer to see what's happening, and I found out that the Italian Open tournament is happening currently in Rome and that Nadal is playing in an hour. So, I cancelled all my plans to go see Nadal, and it felt amazing. It was extra special because this was around the time he was thinking of retiring.
The trip continued, and I was headed to Paris after seeing Rome. I think most people who visit Paris for the first time come to see the Eiffel Tower. But I wanted to visit Paris for a different reason. And that was to go see Napoleon's Tomb, Les Invalides. Napoleon's rise and fall fascinate me, and it had been a long wish of mine to visit his tomb and museum and learn more about 'The Emperor.' So the first thing I did in Paris was to go and pay my respects to Napoleon and ponder about his controversial legacy as I roamed around the tomb and museum. After that, I covered all major tourist spots in Paris and biked around the city. It was fun, and that is more or less what I did in Paris.
My final destination in Europe was Norway, where I had relatives who lived in Oslo. I stayed with them in Oslo in their beautiful home next to the beach. It was a much-needed change from staying in hostels. From Oslo, I went on a road trip with my relatives to see fjords. We drove around 7-8 hours from Oslo to reach a small town called Stranda, near the Geirangerfjord. We stayed at the most beautiful Airbnb I have ever stayed at. The house was on a hill, and it overlooked the fjord. I was so blindsided by the view from the window, that when we were leaving, my aunt told me I was like a bat stuck to the tree (sounds better in Hindi!) because I was just next to the window all the time. While we were there, we visited Ålesund, and the Atlantic Ocean Road. Ålesund is a port town with beautiful architecture and panoramic views. Unfortunately, it was cloudy when we were there, so my photos just aren't good enough. But the weather cleared up when we drove to the Atlantic Ocean Road, which is part of a section covering eight beautiful bridges over the Atlantic Ocean. One of the bridges looks like it's going in the air, into nowhere. On the way back to Oslo, we stopped by Geirangerfjord, which is among the most famous fjords in Norway, to do a boat tour. It was interesting to see and hear about people still living in remote parts of the mountains surrounding the fjords, disconnected from the world.
I'll delve into the specifics of each place I visited and the stories associated with them in separate posts, as it's hard to capture all the details in one go. For now, I want to touch on a recurring observation I had throughout Europe. As I travelled, I noticed that the European lifestyle significantly differed from the American way of life. Europeans appeared more relaxed, prioritized enjoying the small things, and seemed less consumed by work. In contrast, it appears that most working middle-class people in the U.S. and India are caught in a relentless rat race. Many people strive to earn more money because education and healthcare are becoming increasingly expensive. In Western Europe, however, most countries offer free healthcare and education, so people don't need to save as aggressively unless they aim to send their kids to elite institutions like Harvard. This doesn't mean there aren't any problems in Europe or that everyone is happy. Still, it did seem that people there have a different approach to life, which was a refreshing perspective for me. These observations served as food for thought, as I grew up in an environment that perpetuated the rat race mentality. Experiencing a different way of life made me reflect on my own priorities and values.
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