Your Own Experience

i would start by saying my memory i will never forget, would be being on the eiffel tower for the first time ever when i was 15. Ever since i was little i dreamed of the city of lights. We saw it breifly during the day, and then at night we went all the way up. Once we got to the second level i was in tears right away. Everyone thought i was just afraid of the height, but that was definatly not the case, it was just like a dream come true at 15, especially coming from a town like i live in, in canada. I remember standing there, just trying to take it all in and loving every moment.

Brittany, I have travelled to Europe many times, and had many memorable moments, but the best memories I have are of a trip I took in 1985, with my best friend. We didn't have alot of money, but we had lots of time. We travelled for more then two months, and we were truly "free". This was before email and cell phones , one had to line up at the post office to make a long distance call home, and it cost tons.So we phoned home about once every three weeks or so.
And what I recall thinking was," we could be anywhere right now, and no one but us knows where we are" , it was exciting and fun.
My best friend died three years after that trip, and those memories are priceless.
You know, while in Rome we went to Trevi fountains. Myth of course is that if you throw a coin over your shoulder into the fountain, you will return one day. Well, my friend Robin and I did. Of course , she will never get to return.
I have a daughter whose second name is Robin( yes, in honor of) .
I am taking -

her to Rome this summer , and it will be exactly 23 years since I was last there, and then that was with Robin , and at that time Robin and I were both 23. ( total coincidence, just thought the number thing was kind of cool) anyways, I will take "my" little Robin( my daughter) to the Trevi fountains, and she will throw a coin in the fountain, in fact, she will throw two, one for her, and one for "Robin".

My trip at 23 influenced my love of travel. It was not my first time to Europe, I had spent serveral summers in France already, but the freedom of just wandering all over, and enjoying it and seeing it , without all the " grown up" hangups(yes, we didn't pre book hotels, we didn't have emergency accounts lined up"and ended up in some dumps!) .

I hope all young people take a few months before their" real lives" start to do something similar. You will never be able to take months off again , until kids are grown and you are retired. A week or two in Europe is better then nothing.

pat.. that is a really cool touching story. i completly agree with what your last few lines said, on account of i am graduating early (first semester) at the end of july, after that i will work full time and in september on my birthday, i will be going solo to europe till december. I don't really know once i go to university and have a job after that, how many opportunities i will have to really do this again.

hey thanks kent. i only joined the helpline just about a month ago, so i didnt ever read that post. so maybe for anyone who has gone to europe since putting a post on that thread, write one here! or if you left any experiences out...

My favorite experiences in Europe and Britain were meeting the people there. I love people in every country in Europe and Britain. Other than that, my favorite experiences were being outside, seeing things of nature. In Germany : the boat ride on the Rhine River from Bacharaach to St. Goar. In Italy: being on a high path at the Cinque Terre. In England : the pretty green farm land in northern Glouchestershire in June early in the morning, and seeing the vast flat fields of farm land while riding in a train between Brighton and London in June late in the day. In Greece: looking down at the Aegean Sea and islands from an airplane in the morning. And in Greece: when I was in an airplane flying from the island Chios (northeast Aegean Sea) to Athens, flying over Chios, looking out the left side of the airplane I looked down at one of the round white medieval villages (mastic villages) made 700 years ago. It was an astonishing sight: no cars, no telephone or electric wires, no other buildings near it: it was as though I had gone back in time 700 years. In Scandinavia : the "Norway in a Nutshell" fjord trip (Bergen to Oslo, with a night at Aurland). In Austria, being at the side of a big lake surrounded by snow topped mountains in the Salzkammergut in May.

Kent, what were your best experiences in Europe ?

Look down @ "What was YOUR most inspirational moment in Europe?" There are 83 entries.

I'll simply transpose my answer from the previous the "Most inspirational moment thread". For me, it was one night last April in Brugge. My Flemish fiancee and I just finished a round of beers, followed by some hot fritjes (no mayonnaise for me, thank-you!). In the nearly deserted Grote Markt, someone started to play a violin. Not exactly sober, we proceded to dance for about 30 minutes. I have taken many trips to Europe, but I think this one moment topped them all.

My first trip to Europe: We were in the same church at the same time when we met Rick Steves in Zurich - and this was just a few hours after getting off the plane. I knew then, that this was going to be one special trip and I was right.

Following Rick's advise in his books to get off the beaten path, we did just that. We met some incredible people and really connected with the locals. We met a Burgermeister (did I spell that right?) who ended up cancelling all of his appointments for the day to put us in his car and show us around. He took us to see my ancestors land - and they left Germany in the 1700's.

We are heading to Scotland this summer, so my husband can see where his ancestors came from. I hope he has the same wonderful results and pinch-me moments that I had in Germany!