Euro Memoires: Volume 1

INTRODUCTION

So I suppose I should give you context as to why I decided to go on this trip. I mean, one would not instinctively ask this question, because it is assumed that everyone must do backpacking in Europe, or else they haven't lived. You just aren't a person unless you've lived out of a bag, stayed in hostels, seen tourist attractions, made friends with people who live elsewhere in the world, and learned quirky little facts about foreign countries- all during or shortly after university before you get stuck in what is ironically called 'real life'. Of course, teaching English overseas is an equal substitute for backpacking.

So then, since i dont have a choice of not traveling, the practical question is why did i choose backpacking over teaching english overseas. that, my friends, is a simple question to answer. I simple did not appeal to the idea of spending my day with children named Ruby, who because of their accent call themselves Loopy.


PAST DETERMINES FUTURE

However, my reason for choosing to travel at all is more long-winded than that. I was perfectly content with not going anywhere, since I have for 11 of 12 months an aversion to spending money. However, when my partner Eric said he wanted to go to Germany, I said "Not without me, you're not!"

Now why would I, an independent diva, say a thing like that? Obviously, I have hangups from certain past long-distant relationships [yes you M-Train, and I mean it in the kindest lovingest way cause I cared about you and missed you a lot] and was afraid that my current man would fall in love with Not-Ottawa.

So I says to Eric, I says: "Hey why don't we do that backpacking thing" To which he replied no. He had a more charitable idea of WOOFING, which in a nut shell is working manual labour for room and board. Well, I agreed, and we were looking into that, until someone else told him it would be a good idea for him to backpack across Europe. He approached me with this brilliant idea "That's WHAT I said!!!"" I said. GAWD *queue booming Eric laughter*


I'VE BEEN EVERY WHERE, MAN/ THERE AND BACK AGAIN, MAN

The rest was sorta easy. It just flowed from a couple of starting points:

!. If going to Europe, must visit family in Poland for heritage reasons and to fulfill wishes of Babcia (my grandmother)
@. If going to Europe, must take absolute cheapest flight (which turned out to be Montreal-Pairs)
#. If going to Europe, must go to Amsterdam because I said so.
$. If going to Europe, must go to Germany because Eric said so.
%. All other visits must be on way as our time frame is 3 weeks.

So as you can see with those conditions the entire trip is already planned.
Montreal-Paris-Amsterdam-Berlin-Warsaw-Krakow