Two Travel Firsts: Solo Trip and Europe

At Prague Castle (St. Nicholas Church in the background)

Two years ago I did something out of character - I quit my job and moved from the Bay Area back  to Southern California, unemployed. It was something I had to do for my own peace of mind, and letting go of control was something new for me, but it all worked out.

Last year, I decided I needed to once again try something out of my comfort zone, so I agreed to go camping with no running water and no plan, and I re-learned how to ride a bike. So what to do in 2013? Well, I knew my 35th birthday fell on Easter Break (I work at a school), I desperately wanted to be some where "cool" since my 30th birthday was disappointing, and I had a good amount of airline miles to burn. So, my something new for this year was to take a solo trip to Europe.

My first European hotel room - Amsterdam

Over a two week period, I visited five cities - Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Berlin, Prague and Paris. It was kind of a whirlwind trip. It was not completely solo in the sense that I stayed with friends in Copenhagen, and had a friend to show me around Berlin, but it was solo enough for my liking. It was exciting and nerve wracking all at the same time. Exciting because I was going to Europe, and got to fly business class almost the whole way.

My confusion in Copenhagen led to my accidental find - the Marble Church

Nyhavn in Copenhagen, on one of the few sunny days on my entire trip

Side note: by "fully maximized", I mean I fully maximized my mileage award ticket, meaning that the maximum amount of transfers, a stopover, a return, and open jaw were used to book this trip. This is how I saw every five cities, and did this entire trip by plane. And for the mileage people out there, I flew on Delta and its SkyTeam partners, except for my leg from Copenhagen to Berlin. That was the open jaw, and I found a cheap ($65) one-way ticket to TXL on Air Berlin. But, back to the nerve wracking part.

Communist slogans still exist in East Berlin courtyards

This trip was not without anxiety. I only speak English. I live in Los Angeles, and happen to love the car culture here; meaning, I do not take public transportation. I am easily frustrated when I am uncomfortable, so there were moments when I had to push myself to get out into a city (Amsterdam being one of those moments). In Berlin, I had to guess my way through public transportation. It was not easy, but in the end I am so pleased that I, as a person who tends to loathe public transportation, was able to figure out.

There were so many amazing things to see, and I plan on writing about each city, but right now, I am focusing on the idea of the solo trip. It was great to not have to consult someone else about a schedule, and to do whatever I wanted. However, like I told my sister, I get bored being my own companion for so long. I can't say that I really want to do this kind of solo trip again, but at least I did it once in my lifetime.

The Charles Bridge in Prague, seen from the bridge tower

The Eiffel Tower as it looks on a cloudy Parisian day