The different experiences I had and the choices I made throughout my life has made me who I am today. I was shaped by various aspects such as what school I went to, what kind of friends I made, what kind of books I read and even what kind of food I ate. However, one of the biggest experiences that has changed me was backpacking through Europe. I had a chance to travel around Europe by myself for a month two years ago when I was 21. During that time, I have learnt that it is okay not to have plans.
I was going to Goettingen, Germany for a semester for a language course programme and I went there about 5 weeks before the beginning of the semester to spend that time travelling. My plan was to find a Wohngemeinschaft, a flat share of Germany also known as WG, within a week and then to go on my trip. However, I did not know that WG was always in short supply and how difficult it was to find one. It had almost been a week, but I still had no good news regarding the WG. I was very stressed because I had already bought the tickets and booked the hostels for my trip. Yet, I could not leave until I find a place to live when I come back to Goettingen. I was frustrated because it did not go according to my plan. Then something unexpected happened. The owner of the hostel suggested that I get a WG from the hostel. He told me that he is renovating a building next door to open a WG style hostel where 4 bedrooms share one kitchen and two bathrooms. He offered to rent the only single room for a very reasonable cost. My bad luck had just turned into good luck.
After my housing was settled, I had thought that now everything will go according to plan. My plan was to visit Prague, Vienna, Rome, Bologna, Florence, Milan, Interlaken, Basel and Zurich during my one month trip. I have sorted out how many nights I would stay in each city, which were about three to four nights. I always had the whole day ahead of me filled with where I would go, what I would eat and see. Nevertheless, I tumbled on a problem I did not anticipate in Rome. On the day before my departure, I dropped my camera and broke it. I could get it repaired with the help of the hostel owner but I was told that it would take two days to fix. I had to make change of plans and have decided not to go to Bologna. I was somewhat disappointed because I felt my perfect itinerary was ruined. I cancelled the hostels I have booked in different cities and stayed in Rome. I was not very excited to stay two extra days there because I had already been to every tourist attraction I wanted to visit. Later that evening, three German students checked into the hostel. We began to talk to each other and they invited me to join their trip. With my new friends, I tried out a different style of travelling. I went to an authentic local Italian bar that night, sunbathed in the Spanish squire for hours and napped and read a book underneath a tree in a park. We did not plan anything but just did what we can to as we went along. I didn't do anything special but it was the best time I had in Rome. The broken camera that I considered to be unfortunate turned out to be a very fortunate event. I made new friends who I still stay in contact and saw a new aspect of Rome I did not see before.
No comments:
Post a Comment