It seems to be a bit of a rite of passage for us Kiwis (and Aussies) to do a big overseas trip to Europe (whether that be a long-term OE or a month-long jaunt). One of the reasons why I finished university as soon as I could, was so that I could start earning money sooner – and thus travel the world sooner! (To be honest, it was the main reason why I powered through and got 4.5 years’ worth of study done in only 3… phew!). I’m not known for my patience.
So at the end of August this year, I made my way over to Europe. Woo! Finally! I’d traveled to Aussie solo before, but flying all the way to London by myself was definitely outside my comfort zone.
And it sure didn’t disappoint.
Even though I spent just under a month there, I got a great taste of many places and a good idea of where I want to go back to next time. Of course no one’s going to see it all on a Contiki, but in my humble opinion, it was the best way to see as much as I could in the little time that I had.
So, what were my first impressions of Europe?? Here are my highlights:
The history
I love history and I’m a sucker for a good historical / period drama TV show, so I was very much in my element in these cities that were hundreds and HUNDREDS of years old. Much older than New Zealand. A bridge in Lucerne that was built in the 1300s? That blows my Kiwi mind.
Beauty
Natural beauty and otherwise! Not only was the scenery in places like Switzerland and Tuscany amazing, the architecture in the cities was phenomenal as well. Prague was my favourite for its beautiful gothic architecture (and its massive castle, who doesn’t love gothic castles).
Quirkiness
So many different quirks in Europe that are quite different to back home. Like paying to use bathrooms (and self-cleaning ones in Germany??). And lots of different currencies, like $90 NZ dollars equalling 1500 Czech crown? I felt pretty boss carrying that much cash around. 😉
Winter & summer all in one
Europe is a much larger place than New Zealand, so I guess it makes sense that going from one extreme to the other in terms of weather is pretty normal?? We went from a sunny 30 degrees in Berlin to a rainy 13 degrees in Prague – very glad I packed the trusty puffer jacket for both temperatures!
So where did I actually go?? And what places did I love? (spoiler alert: all of them)
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
Where it all began. Bustling and iconic. Chic, but so old school. My friend (pictured with me in front of Buckingham Palace below) showed me around all the main hot spots. I also had to see a musical on the West End – a dream come true! After the tour ended back in London, I took a day to see The Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament and of course shopping on Oxford Street before I went back home.
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
Amsterdam surpassed all expectations for me. It was so quaint and beautiful. Even though we nearly got run over by bicycles on multiple occasions (our fault), I definitely want to go back here! One of my favourite places on the tour.
We went for a bike ride around a town from the 1500s, tasted (and bought) Dutch cheese, visited the Rijksmuseum, got a group photo in front of the IAMSTERDAM sign, ate stroopwafels (I love these- they’re a Dutch delicacy. If you’re in Auckland you can buy amazing ones from Double Dutch Fries), we also went on a canal cruise (sailing past Anne Franks house)…
… and of course strolled through the famous (infamous?) Red Light District, visited the Sex Museum (as you do) AND went to see a sex show… um, say whaat?! Yeah, you read that right. It was a charming “surprise” our Tour Manager sprung on us as we were arriving into Amsterdam, haha!
BERLIN, GERMANY
We had a couple of awesome walking history tours here – which covered historical sites like the Berlin Wall and East Side Gallery, Brandenberg Gate, the Jewish Memorial, and even a street art tour (Berlin is very edgy with it’s street art! See below one of the most famous art pieces 😉 ) It’s an eclectic mix of old and new – and yummy schnitzel!
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
A fairy-tale city. Even though it was wet and cold the whole time we were there, it didn’t diminish the magic of the place at all. We walked over the famous Charles Bridge (built in the 14th Century), Old Town with it’s big old clock, the huge Prague Castle, the John Lennon Wall , and we had a tour inside an old nuclear bunker! Also: Prague has the best nightclub, just sayin’ 😉
Check out the signature dessert dish in Prague – it’s called a Trdelník. Kinda like a cronut filled with ice cream and chocolate sauce. YUM.
MUNICH, GERMANY
Home of Oktoberfest, this was another city that surpassed my expectations – there’s so much character in Munich!
We of course had to visit the famous beer halls (felt like a scene out of Game of Thrones) and eat delicious pork knuckles. “Prost!” We also did a fun bike tour, ate gigantic pretzels and watched surfers surf…in a river??
Upon leaving Germany we did a side trip to Dachau concentration camp – the most sombre, eye-opening and humbling part of the the tour. Visit one of these historical sites when you’re in Europe – I think it’s important.
AUSTRIAN TYROL, AUSTRIA
We also did a detour through Austria (the hills were alive with the sound of music) for some white water rafting! Even though I was absolutely petrified at first, it turned out to hilariously fun (and freezing).
VENICE, ITALY
Yep, I did a gondola ride in Venice. Hell yeah! This was definitely a ‘pinch-me’ kind of city to be in. Oh and I had about 3 servings of the best gelato in the world. #noregrets
We also took another boat over to Burano Island, famous for it’s rainbow coloured buildings.
ROME, ITALY
What more can I say, we went inside the Colosseum… the Pantheon… the Roman Forum… the Trevi Fountain… and the Sistine Chapel (technically in the Vatican City). It boggles my mind how old all this stuff is!
I had quite a few authentic Italian foods too, including pizza (eating it in a restaurant across the road from the Colosseum, watching as the sun set on it. Amazing), lasagna, risotto and spag bol!
Rome was busy, populated, dirty and hot, but none of that took away from the fact that Rome was epic.
FLORENCE, ITALY
Who would’ve thought, the best karaoke night ever would be in Florence? This city is super cute, with lots of little alleyways to explore… and hand bag shops to browse. We enjoyed an included dinner (Contiki is great for included dinners) which also featured an Italian opera singer to serenade us as we ate our tiramisu. Noice!
TUSCANY & PISA, ITALY
Before we headed on to our next destination, we did a stopover in Tuscany for a lovely wine tasting while taking in the rolling Tuscan countryside (here’s a Snapshat screenshot – not sure how I got a hold of TWO wine glasses, but it sounds about right!), and then we had a stopover at Pisa, to of course get photos at the Leaning Tower of Pisa! (my photo where I’m trying to hold up the tower is awful, so I decided not to post haha)
LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND
A quiet yet stunning city in Switzerland. We traveled up a precariously vertical tram to the top of Mount Pilatus for the most breath-taking views I’ve ever seen (well, comparatively to NZ’s South Island 😉 ).
We enjoyed a Swiss cultural show (including yodeling and cow bells), Swiss cheese (including cheese fondue!), Swiss chocolate and a boat cruise around the main lake of Lucerne.
PARIS, FRANCE
Last but definitely not least, Paris has been the city on the top of my bucket list since I was a kid. I don’t care if its cliché. Paris is gorgeous. The Eiffel Tower, the Lourve, Arc de Triomphe, the Moulin Rouge show… I just wish I had had a week there instead of 2 days!
So there you have it. A few weeks in Europe and I’m rearing for more.
What are you waiting for?? Get yo’ ass there now!
Check out Contiki’s range of amazing Europe tours HERE! Such a great option for all types of travelers.
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p.s. this post totally wasn’t sponsored by Contiki (I wish), I just really like them!
