Having been back in Canada now for a while (better late than never!) I have had the time to reflect and take in my once in a lifetime solo travels throughout Europe! London, Paris, Amsterdam, Prague and last but not least Copenhagen. Before you travel to a country you always have this preconceived notion of what the overall atmosphere/vibe will be like. Stereotypes and cultural conventions I had of each city were debunked and confirmed. What the people will be like and ultimately if a country could embody a person who would he/she be? But not just any person. What if these metropolises represented your family members? Intrigued? You should be.
London:
London to me resembles the lovable quirky, eclectic crazy aunt who raided the vintage store. Frankly for the longest time I thought of London to be a gloomy place with locals who keep to themselves and didn’t really like contact with people. Maybe this impression had something to do with the media portrayal and too much exposure to Sweeney Todd when I was younger (oops). Boy was I wrong. The essence and character of the city is anything BUT gloomy. When I arrived to London though, this diverse metropolis exceeded my expectations. It only rained on me one day and the people were very hospitable and polite. I stayed at a really great hostel called Wombats City Hostel and is worth checking out! Authentic and one of a kind street entertainers lit up the tube walkways and streets. I even saw a poet for hire along the bank of the Thames with his typewriter out ready for business. Strolling through the Camden market streets and into the famous Cyberdog store definitely felt like an outer world experience. Right then and there I fell in love with this city and could definitely see myself living there. Londoners are colourful, endearing, and truly make this historically rich city come to life.
Paris:
” The city of lights” gave me the impression of the beautiful snobby rich cousin who always needs a man by her side. Paris felt like Noah’s ark was nearby because it seemed like the majority of everyone came in twos. Love is definitely in the Parisian air. Everywhere I went there was another couple on each other around the corner, looking longingly into each others eyes. Rolling my eyes literally and figuratively I minded my own business and continued the sightseeing. I knew the city was famous for being the quintessential “city of love” and for snobby locals and the stereotype does holds true, depending on luck and who you run into. Of course not everyone I encountered was snobby and entangled with another human but it was just really interesting to see cliches converge and come to life right before my eyes. Maybe I wouldn’t have been so bitter seeing love all around me if I wasn’t traveling alone but I still loved being draped in every second of Parisian culture. Solo travelers just be prepared for possible feelings of subtle loathing and getting over the reminder that you are by yourself. But going to Paris was worth a brief moment of single bitterness.
Amsterdam:
“The Venice of the north” really struck me as the cool, alternative and liberal distant uncle. I have been looking forward to exploring this unique city, its various canals and just seeing what really churns this city (no cheese pun intended). First of all, the impression of Amsterdam I first had of everyone smoking weed on the streets was completely false. In fact the people who usually go to the so called “coffee shops” to smoke the stuff are mostly tourists. The same applies to the red light district in that it’s tourist driven big time. The locals avoid and steer clear of the conventional places that we think of when we hear Amsterdam, and I can totally now see why. The bicycles are definitely the rulers of the city and the bike roads were sometimes bigger than the actual car roads themselves. “Look out”! was a very popular phrase to say and hear for when you were a pedestrian and you should take it very seriously if you don’t want to be run over. Besides the weak WiFi connection, I highly recommend Clinknoord Hostel. In addition to being clean, great service, and modern style art hanging around , the hostel used to be a old Shell oil laboratory. Pretty neat for a place to stay!
Prague:
Prague really seemed to me like the chill and cultured beer loving sister who went away to study abroad. I always heard that the city was gorgeous and known for its castle like structures, but I had no idea how magical and beautiful it was until I got there. Setting foot in Prague literally felt like a real life fairy tale city. The smells of roast fire on the streets and the Gothic style architecture emitted off an almost medieval like atmosphere. Everyone can speak English and the vibe is relaxed and friendly. Buildings are so beautiful they looked like they are staged in a way. If you need a good hostel to stay at Post hostel was exceptional. This city had to be one of the cleanest and most beautiful and architecturally stunning cities that I ever ever been to. Ernest Hemingway called Paris “a moveable feast”, but Prague seems to be more fitting for that description.
Copenhagen:
If the city could be any family member, it had to be the foodie eco- friendly, undercover hippie brother. There are two sides to this city. One is sustainable, modern and progressive, and the other is an anarchist secretive hippie. Copenhagen is popular for being known as an expensive country, which applies to all of the Scandinavian countries and that is definitely true! A normal price for a cup of coffee is only a mere 9 Canadian dollars. I think you have an idea of how expensive the quality of life there is. The prices may be more than you are used to, but the quality of food is definitely high, and you won’t be disappointment. Torvalhorne and Paper Island markets should be at the top of your sightseeing list for sure! Again not cheap, but in return you will receive fresh top quality organic food. So at least it’s something worthwhile, and it involves your body which is a pretty good investment I think.
Christiania is the anarchist free-spirit community underbelly of Copenhagen. And while they are technically a free state with their own flag, and take pride to differentiate themselves from mainstream capitalist societies, they are still Denmark. Word on the street there is that they sell weed there, which I may or may not have seen ( just don’t take pictures of them) and a co-ed sauna! Strolling through the free town I couldn’t help but feel conflicted about the whole “anarchist” sentiment. General stores and shops were alive and thriving, so it really makes you wonder if a community can truly fundamentally divert from capitalism? Anyways I came out really glad and I got to experience this distinct sub culture of Copenhagen!
So there you have it! My hopefully brief family member profile of the European cities I have gone to on my own so far! Each one has their own personality. Some of them you just click with instantly and others you have to take a while to warm up to. For me they were all equally amazing but Prague, London, and I connected the most.
sliceofkimchi 