Looking back on it all

I truly can’t believe that the Olympic Odyssey 2014 trip is over. I spent a year looking forward to the trip, and now it’s finished. I would go back and do it again in a heartbeat. It was the experience of a lifetime, both culturally and academically. Thank you to Professor Ryan and all of my new friends for making this the best trip of my life. I know that the memories we made will be the stories that I’m telling when I’m 80 years old. 

            I’m going to miss Europe too much for words. However, traveling is my passion, so I know that it’s not a goodbye, it’s just a see you later. There are a million things that I’ll miss about England, France, Switzerland, and Greece, but here’s a list of a few:

      1. The scenery and the sites. I’m a sucker for nature scenes, so of course this trip was my weakness. I think that Switzerland spoiled me though. I will never be able to look at a mountain range again. I am also a big tourist (whether I like to admit it or not) so seeing the sites was amazing. I could stare up at the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, and the Acropolis forever.

      2. Walking. As much as I love the ability to hop in the car and drive anywhere, there’s something about walking around and experiencing the atmosphere on foot that I will miss. I could easily walk around at home, but it’s not the same as following Professor Ryan around for 5 miles taking in the Olympic Park, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the Buckingham Palace all in one day.

(I promise that's not a green-screen behind us)

      3. No tipping/Sales tax pre-included. What’s better than feeling like you saved money? Fun fact: in Europe, you don’t have to tip the waiter/waitress. I’m all about living wages, but no one can disagree that tips takes a huge chunk out of your wallet. Also, in Europe, the sales tax is already included in the price of what you buy. So you can get your change out while in line and pay exactly what’s on the price tag at the register. Don’t you hate going to a store, seeing the price of $0.95, getting the change all ready to then be charged $1.01 for the 6% sales tax? I know I do.

4. The weather. This may have been luck, but we had the most perfect weather throughout the entire trip. It rained only 2 days for a very short while and then it was just blue clear skies and radiant, hot sunlight! I couldn’t have imagined more perfect weather; too bad I brought a million cold weather outfits.

 5.  The food. When you think of Europe, you should think of food. There are little mom and pop restaurants and cafes on every corner. Even the little waterfront shack made a mean hamburger! From fish and chips, to escargot, to cheese fondue, and gyros, it is safe to say that I ate well abroad!