A detailed recap of the my first ever trip to Europe! 6 countries, 15 days, endless memories and unforgettable experiences.
Between having my first scoop of REAL Italian gelato and climbing the Arc de Triumphe, to getting lost in France after the trains had stopped running and staying in a grimy hotel with loads of other travelers, my first trip to Europe was full of memorable moments, interesting adventures, and new experiences.
Over the course of a short two weeks, my tour group and I traveled to 6 countries, 12 cities, saw all the amazing, famous sites, found the hidden gems, and ate delicious food like there was no tomorrow! Specifically we visited: London, Paris, Antibes, Nice, Monaco, Florence, Rome, Vatican City, Venice, Munich, St. Goar, and Amsterdam.
There are so many things I could say about this trip, and that would take several posts. Instead, I’ve chosen to run through the highlights and main excursions in this post and then feature all the delicious eats I enjoyed for this week’s WIAW. Sound good? GOOD!
But first some facts…
- Our days were one extreme or another. We were either walking all day and on the go or sitting all day on the bus between locations. Obviously, I much preferred the more active, adventurous days, but the driving days were great for chatting with, getting to know, and bonding with my fellow 52 traveling mates.
- I traveled through the company Contiki which is exclusively for travelers 18-35 years old. There was a wide range of ages on the trip, but the majority were in their early to mid 20s. I really had a good time with the group and was able to connect with a lot of people who I’ll definitely be keeping in touch with. My roommate (hey Jasmik!) was especially awesome and we got along really well.
- Travelers on the trip were mostly from South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia with a few from the US and Canada. Needless to say, I was in accent heaven for 15 days!
If you want me to do a more in-depth review of my experience booking through Contiki, specifically the European Highlights tour, let me know in the comments!
Okay. Now let’s get to the fun…
Some of my most memorable experiences include:
- navigating the London Tube on my own
- exploring London and getting caught in a downpour outside of Buckingham Palace
- seeing the Eiffel Tower from the top of the Arc de Triumphe
- eating freshly made crepes along the Champs Elysees in Paris
- getting lost with my roommate on the train back to our hotel in Nice and having to taxi home in the middle of the night
- seeing the Mona Lisa in person
- living like the rich and famous for a night in Moncaco and running into a few celebrities along the way (does any one remember Kimora Lee Simmons?)
- drinking freshly made French wine and sipping champagne by night
- seeing a cabaret show and having a fun, wild night out with the group
- having the best espresso and the WORST coffee of my life (plus going through a coffee detox…the cups are so small abroad!)
- eating the most filling, delicious, authentic 5-course Italian meal of my life (I’ve never been so stuffed and I ate every last bite)
- exploring the Colosseum and the Forum
- enjoying my first scoop of real Italian gelato in Rome (and many more after that!)
- taking a secret walking tour of Venice and getting seasick on the gondola ride (womp. womp.)
- being shocked by how much I loved Germany and falling in love with the bike friendliness of Amsterdam
- biking through the most quaint small town in the Netherlands
- walking through the Dachau Concentration Camp and feeling the weight and enormity of everything that took place there
- going a little overboard with souvenirs for my family: French wine, Dutch chocolates, Italian spices, Dutch cheese, a real beer stein from the second largest beer garden in the world, French perfume, handmade French soap, tulips from Amsterdam, Birkenstocks from the town where they’re made, and much more
- spending WAY too much money, eating WAY too much good food, singing in bus sing-a-longs much too loudly, making amazing new friends from all over the world, and truly having the time of my life
If I didn’t have so much to share, I’d say I was pretty much speechless in regards to this trip. It’s been a long time since I treated myself to a proper vacation and I feel like I enjoyed this trip ten times more since I saved for, planned the whole thing, and was able to really let go while I was on it. I can honestly say I enjoyed myself fully, let go of guilt surrounding food and exercise (I did NO formal exercise while away), and opened myself up to new experiences outside of my comfort zone.
It still doesn’t seem like this really happened and that I had such a great time, but it did and I did. I DID IT. And I am pretty dang proud of myself!
No questions for today…
Instead, do you have any questions for ME regarding my trip?
Stay tuned for all the FOOD on Wednesday!
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Kristy from Southern In Law says
It sounds like you had the most AMAZING time!
Contiki tours are definitely something that’s almost like an Australian right of passage – it seems like everyone heads overseas to do a Contiki trip once they finish school! I’ve never done one but it seems like such a great way to make new friends and see the world in a new light!
Healthy Helper says
Oh wow!! I didn’t know it was so popular there! That’s pretty cool. The trip was awesome so I am pretty impressed!
Marina @ A Dancer's Live-It says
Ahhhh beautiful photos, Kaila! Isn’t visiting Europe such a life-changing experience?! I’m so glad you had a wonderful time, Italy is definitely my favorite place ever.
Healthy Helper says
Thanks Marina!! It was AMAZING.
Alyssa says
This makes me SO happy Kalia!! I am so glad you had a great time. All of these pictures look beautiful and I’m glad you got to enjoy all the authentic food too. I hope you have a great 4th of July love!!
Healthy Helper says
Thanks so much dear!!! It was truly incredible and I can really say I fully enjoyed myself!! 🙂
Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner says
Wow looks like you hit all the hot spots! I love Rome and there is nothing like the gelato and the pasta there. Glad you had such an amazing time. Welcome home!
Healthy Helper says
Thank you so much!!!
[email protected] a Dash of Cinnamon says
It sounds like you had such a great time! Geez though you hit a lot of places in such a short amount of time! I’m glad that you had such a good experience though. Traveling is always wonderful. Reading this makes me remember the time that I have been to Europe. It’s been a long while since my last trip now. I have yet to go to the south of France or Monaco, though. Hopefully one day! This makes me want to travel again right now! There are too many places I’ve never been!
Healthy Helper says
You will LOVE the south of France! So beautiful and so much to see!
Marsha says
Can I go next time?? lol! It’s my dream to go over to Rome and Italy. I took 4 years of Latin in high school but wasn’t fortunate enough to go on the school trip, but it’s always been on my list to want to visit. One of these days…
Healthy Helper says
The more the merrier!!! 🙂 You’ll definitely get there someday!
Kathryn Grace says
What a fun time! Yes, I have a question. Can you tell us more about that invisible man photo? I’m totally intrigued. The juxtaposition of what I assume at first is a sculpture/work of art with the nearby bottle and cup make me think it’s performance art and the cup is there for tips, the bottle for refreshment. Then, aha! The torso is extra long. Surely there is a head and shoulders discreetly secreted in the shirt and coat and the hat and glasses somehow attached nearly invisibly. So tell me. What is he really?
Healthy Helper says
Honestly it baffled me too!! I think it must be a small framed women that fits herself into the elongated torso part of the body. I left a few Euros for sure! Very ingenious!
Leah M @ love me, feed me says
Aw I’m so so so happy for you Kaila! This looks like such a wonderful trip <3
Healthy Helper says
Thank you SO MUCH Leah!! And thank you for guest posting while I was gone. It was amazing.
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says
I am so happy you had an amazing time Kaila!!! I have been waiting to see the photo tour, I love the way you wrote it with just little nuggets and memories 🙂 2 weeks sounds like a long time at first, but not considering how much ground you covered in that time, wow! I rarely do trips with groups, but meeting so many new people from all over would be really neat. That headless person really messed with me for a minute haha! And getting sick on the gondolas totally sounds like something I would do too 😀 Good luck getting back into real life, I know that is always the hardest part for me!
Healthy Helper says
Haha!! I am already feeling it girl! I feel like I have SO MUCH to catch up on and do! But I am just taking it one day at a time and chipping away at my to do list slowly. So happy to be back but also already missing certain aspects!
Emily says
KAILA!!! This makes my heart flood with joy seeing that you weren’t afraid to spend money on enjoying the full amazing beauty of the culture God has made there in Europe. It truly is such a rich continent, and you went to so many places. I think you really absorbed and soaked in all of it in a way, and was there one that really stood out to you that you would like to go back to? Making friends while traveling is one of the best things ever! The architecture, farming, and food in Europe is quite unmatched. <3
Healthy Helper says
Believe it or not….GERMANY!!! I was shocked at how much I loved it there!! Thanks so much for your kind words lovely!!
Miss Polkadot says
… and I’m shocked to hear you were shocked about that ;).
Healthy Helper says
Haha! I didn’t mean anything by it! I really loved it though!
Megan says
Wow that looks like an incredible experience! I’m so excited to leave university and go travelling.
Healthy Helper says
You will love it! Where do you want to go?
Adrian says
What an amazing and fun trip! Thanks for sharing it.
Healthy Helper says
Of course! It was amazing!
Casey the College Celiac says
What an amazing experience! I’m definitely jealous!
Healthy Helper says
It was so fun!
Rachel G says
Wow! What an incredible experience! I’ve never traveled with a tour group, it sounds like you had an amazing trip!
Healthy Helper says
Thanks Rachel! It really was memorable!
Molly Schoo says
It looks like you had so much fun. You are adorable – your travel outfits look cute, comfy and practical! I would have loved to be on that tour trip with you [a) So we could meet b) because I would love to see more of Europe c) It’s always nice to travel with another foodie who doesn’t judge you for taking pictures of every food item in sight/ frequent grocery stores while on vacation]. Was it a Contigo Tour? Sounds like the perfect way to celebrate finishing your undergraduate studies. Your photos are exquisite – Mind me asking which camera you have/used? Hooray! What was your favourite country or if you can narrow it down to city, that you visited on this trip? I am Dutch so naturally I am inclined to say I love the Netherlands/Amsterdam, but I also think I do truly value their way of life – especially their way of travel (biking and canals), the lock bridges, Anne Frank’s house, windmills, tulips and more. Did you by any chance stop in at the department store called Hema? I love it there!
Molly Schoo says
Oops, my apology, I meant to say Contiki – and I see you did write that! I am glad you had fun. I’ve heard good things about their tours for young adults. I think I would worry about having a roommate who I didn’t know / did not have the same habits as I do! (I can’t stand noise/ am a terribly light sleeper…) Is there an option to room alone? How did you like being on a bus? I did a bus tour across Europe (England, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Holland and France) and didn’t mind the driving (countryside) aspect!
Healthy Helper says
I think you could room alone but the fee for that would have been exorbitant! Being on the bus was tough somedays but much needed after long days of walking around. It obviously was my least favorite part of the trip but necessary to get to where we were going LOL.
Healthy Helper says
Yes it was a Contiki tour!!! It was awesome! Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to go to Hema…but I’ll have to check it out if I ever get back there! Which I hope I will. I too loved the Netherlands and like I said, I think Germany and that were my favorite stops on the trip. I would have LOVED to have someone like you on the trip with me. It would have been nice to have someone familiar to travel with, but I must say it was also great meeting so many other people and forcing myself out of my comfort zone! 🙂
Mother of 3 says
That sounds amazing! I made it to Paris/ France in high school and I’ve always wanted to make it back to Europe! Thanks for sharing all of your pictures.
Healthy Helper says
Definitely try and make it back! There is so much to see and do! And I’m sure it’s changed so much since you were there!!!
Jessica Foley says
Your trip sounds amazing – and your photos are beautiful! Sounds like the way to go – on a group tour. I’ve always wanted to visit Europe and it sounds like you hit all the highlights. I now have a husband and 2 kids so if we go our tour may have to be a little different. Thanks for sharing your experience!
~Jess
#WednesdayShowcaseParty
Healthy Helper says
So welcome! Thanks for stopping by!!
kimmythevegan says
Wow! I’m so happy you had such an amazing time Kaila – it’s well deserved.
I was lucky enough to go on a class trip to France when I was in high school. I LOVED Nice. More than Paris actually, although Paris is quite beautiful on it’s own.
I didn’t realize you were going on your own (without the fam) – how adventurous! What a trip. You’ll have these memories forever.
One question – what was the absolute best meal you had while away and where was it??????
Sarah says
Happy for you that you had this fabulous experience. Thanks for sharing the highlights. 😉
Healthy Helper says
So welcome! Thanks for stopping by!
Nikki Frank-Hamilton says
Thanks for taking me along with you on your trip vicariously! I love that you stepped out and grabbed this opportunity and made the most of it. It looks like an incredible vacation, full of so many fun things. I love that you’ve labeled this “Your first trip to Europe…” and look forward to seeing where you head next!
Healthy Helper says
Yes this will certainly be the first and definitely not the LAST trip! I want to go back soon!
the cape on the corner says
what an amazing experience you had! wonderful. we just got back from a totally self planned 17 day 3 country trip, so i can’t imagine all the go go go you must have done. how great that dachau is a part of the trip. we were going to go if we ended up in munich, but since we didn’t, we went to mauthausen on the way to vienna from salzburg.
great pics!
b
Healthy Helper says
THANK YOU SO MUCH! Your trip sounds amazing also! It really was a once in a lifetime experience.