25 January 2015
I like old things. And this includes places and civilizations, art and culture. I couldn’t exactly say that I am a history buff but I like learning about the days of the past by traveling, watching epic and period films and TV series, reading Wikipedia/Wikitravel entries, and sometimes, being transported through historical fiction novels.
Some of the things I like most and learning more about, whether by watching or reading, are the different accounts of European history, magnificent architecture, and interesting manner of speaking and writing. I guess you could say that the interest was also further sparked by the glimpse I’ve had in Philippines (Spanish architecture), Thailand and Vietnam (English and French I think), India (English, Portuguese, French), and Malaysia and Indonesia (Dutch).
While I always knew that I would someday travel to Europe, it wasn’t on my immediate list of places to go to. Primarily because I feel that there’s still so much more to explore in Asia (I haven’t even been to Japan, Korea and China yet) and it was more likely that I’d first travel to North America if I ever decide to visit the West.
So, when Niklas, my Danish boyfriend, asked me (I think sometime around April or May) how I would feel about traveling to Europe with him, I wasn’t able to answer at first — in a dumbfounded kind of way. First I think is because our relationship was still new at the time and second, my brain tried to wrap itself around what a European trip would entail — the plane fare, the Schengen visa, the dates, the number of leave days I need/can take from my office, the pocket money, the itinerary, the prospect of meeting his entire family. All of these, seriously, went running through my head all at the same time. So much so that after a while of my silence, he added, “Only if you would like to, of course.” with what I thought was a hint of doubt in his voice. My thought process halted and I assured him that I would love to go, but I would need to sort out these myriad of things first!
Fast forward to January, here I am chilling (literally and figuratively) in -1°C by his mom’s sitting room on a lovely 110 or so-year-old apartment in Copenhagen. We had to go through several things to get here (the nerve-wracking what-will-the-result-be waiting game for our leave approval and my Schengen visa; him spending his Christmas bonus on our tickets; the pasalubong shopping with the help of my mom and our friends; last minute errands at home and at work; and our still to be finalized itinerary).
But at this moment, none of these seemed to matter anymore (Ok, I’m still bothered by the lack of some sort of fixed itinerary) as what’s important is that we finally made it, we’re here, and we meant to enjoy as much of the time we have as possible. We have some kind of itinerary which, if we are lucky and time-efficient, will take us to Norway, Sweden, Germany, Czech Republic, The Netherlands, Belgium, and France.
If you want to join us in this trip, keep checking in. 🙂 Better yet, if you are or will be in any of these cities in the next four weeks, let us know! 🙂
Happy Wandering,
Gera 🙂
5 March 2015
So, the epic #WinterWonderland #EuroTrip15 has ended. Niklas and I are back in the warmth of Southeast Asia (well, in the cold of the office AC for me) and we’ve had a really good time. #TheTravelTest went well as well, I mean, probably more than what we have expected. Except for the major argument we had (I mean, we were both tired and clueless so I guess that was acceptable — and we both learned from that) on one of Paris’ bridges across the Seine, it had been rather uneventful (except when I’m having one of my “I’m feeling really sensitive right now so whatever you say or do will make me annoyed” moments).
Anyway, if you want to follow our amazing journey and share with our insights and experiences, feel free to Sign Up (so you get automatic updates) or check back every now and then for new content. 🙂
The Diarist Wanders 