REFLECTIONS of my journey. | Collecting moments.

One month London is over now. London is a fantastic city and I LOVE it. Before I came to London this September, I have been there one time and I was fascinated by the impressions I could make for the 5 days. Several months later, I decided that I wanted to spend a time out of my hometown and at the same time improve my English for my studies. It wasn’t a very difficult decision for me to choose the city - London. After doing some research, organizing and booking, it was official: London, here I come. Since I already reported about my individual experiences during my journey in my last posts, this should be a general reflection of my weeks.  

 

London definitely is a crazy, diverse and crowded city. It has such a strong identity whilst having millions of different identities. You can find a mix of people with different backgrounds. I was happy to meet a lot of new people through my school (EF- International Language Centre). The thought of knowing that every day will be different with new people and new experiences was just great. London surprises you every day. This is the one side of the city – if you want to experience and party 24/7 everything is on your doorstep. If you prefer a more peaceful lifestyle, like going to the theatre, exhibitions or just enjoying walks on one of London’s many beautiful parks then it’s easy to achieve as well. It’s so nice to just walk around and discover new things about different areas. Once you know your way around the feeling of getting asked for direction and actually knowing the answer is absolutely cool. I could really feel how comfortable and more confident I got during my time there.

Let’s talk about food for a moment. Whatever type of food you want, you’ll find it! Seriously, it’s hard resisting all the good food everywhere. For example: markets. So many markets. I’m glad I could visit a lot of them. There’s always something going on. The different stalls offer something for everyone: food, clothes, art. Must see- must  be!  You have so many options in London and  I think you could find a new thing to do every day for the rest of your life.

What’s so fantastic about London is that those places and historical buildings are around you every day. It can make your walk to work or college so fascinating. ( I mean, I’m easy to impress, but the bus drive over Waterloo bridge with this view of Big Ben to the right and London Bridge to the left was just lovely!!) 

All in all, London has been such a great experience for me. This month literally flew by. A day after my arrival in my hometown, I wanted to go back. I’m sure London is not for everyone, but you owe it to yourself to find out. I’m so happy that I took this opportunity. Living in the capital city of the UK is something that a lot of people aspire to do and after this month it’s clearly on my mind. Even if living in another country might be a little bit far-reaching for now but I’m absolutely playing with the thought of going back very soon. And I’m sure this won’t be a decision I’ll regret.  

TRAVEL. I swear I lived.

Vieste, ITALY.

Life is an adventure and for me, traveling means adventure. It also means discovering. Enjoying the freedom and independence. It turns out to be a personal gain with lots of experiences. Whenever I find an opportunity to travel, I take it.

Besides all the family vacations in Italy and Carinthia, my first ever BIG journey was America. Actually, it also was the first flight of my life. My father and I booked a bus tour, where we had the chance to visit Las Vegas, Fresno, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. We went to so many different places and saw a lot of California. I definitely want to go back to America at some point. Here, some of the many pictures I took during our 10 day-journey in America. 

Santa Barbara, CALIFORNIA.

San Francisco, CALIFORNIA.

Los Angeles, CALIFORNIA.

Biarritz, FRANCE.

During travelling you are nonbinding and ingenuous. Everything seems easier. You have conversations with other travellers and citizens; you get to know them, their plans and their story. 

I’ve learned so much about the French culture, language and cuisine during my French lessons at school. It was time for me to dispute with these things on site. My family and I did a road trip from Austria to Biarritz (located in the southwest of France).  This was the perfect opportunity to have a reflective controversy with the French places, the culture, the people and the weather. To get an idea of our trip through France, watch the pictures below.

Mallorca, SPAIN.

For me, travelling is enrichment. It lets me see life with different eyes, brings me together with other people and sometimes shows me a new side of myself. Especially when you grow older, you start traveling with friends or even on your own. I think, when you’re traveling with a friend, the vacation or trip you're making can bring you together because of all the memories and adventures. 

Below, you can see pictures from my holiday in Vieste, ITALY. This place has so many beautiful spots (e.g historic district) and a lovely beach. We also did a boat tour, which was incredible. Take a look!

Vieste, ITALY.

Rimini, ITALY.

Dublin, IRELAND.

The journey to Dublin definitely belongs to one of my favorites. I went there with my classmates. It was my first experience with taking a language course abroad and staying with a host family. Gladly, I could stay together with a very good friend of mine so we had the best time there. Dublin is such a lovely city. Of course, we also made little excursions to places outside of Dublin. Amazing! 

Semmering, AUSTRIA.

I took this picture near our place at Semmering. It's located in lower Austria and mainly a winter wonderland. In my opinion, this place also got its magical places in the summertime. You can take long relaxed walks in the woods and just enjoy the fresh air (seriously the air is amazing up there). 

Barcelona, SPAIN.

Yes, “I left my heart in so many places”. Every journey that I took, together with my family, friends or classmates has its own story. I enjoyed every single trip and tried to get as many experiences and memories as possible. Every city amazed me on its own kind of way. There are still so many places I want to see in the future and also places I want to visit again.

Travelling can give you so much. Of course all of your souvenirs, maps, tickets and photographs. It is wonderful to collect everything that comes with your journey and to browse through your memory-box after a few years. For me, these materialistic memories are the most valuable things a person could own. You can’t replace them. If they’re gone, they’re gone forever and that would be horrible.  

But it’s the memories that count the most. The memories of a wonderful trip. After a journey you’ll have your personal moments you like looking back at. Moments with your friends and family, e.g. a visit in a restaurant you just can’t forget, a lovely day at the beach where you met new people or a night out that was just unforgettable.

It’s the little moments that matter that make life wonderful. So, if you’re thinking about going somewhere and you keep telling yourself that you’re not sure or that you’re afraid. You’ll regret it someday. You’ll regret holding back, being afraid, making excuses, not taking risks, waiting.

Stop speculating and worrying. In the end, you’ll hope that you really spend your days and your journeys. They will be worth it. You should be able to say: I owned every second, I saw so many places and did so many things….and

“I swear I lived”

Collecting moments. L O N D O N 2 0 1 4.

On August 31th, a very exciting journey starts for me. It's not only the fact that I am going to LONDON, one of the biggest and most exciting cities in the world, but also the fact that I am doing it on my own. It's my first flight alone. My first time in a foreign city for a month. Of course, I won't be on my own because I am travelling with EF (Education First) and I will meet a lot of people, but I decided to do this by myself and it wasn't an easy decision for me. Nevertheless, I am so happy, excited and nervous at the same time. Right now, I can not wait to get into my plane but I am sure that a few days before my departure I'll also have a queasy feeling. 

Okay, I stop explaining right now, because I will report all experiences during this trip on my blog anyway :) So, stay tuned and you'll definitely be up-to-date. ;)

Because London is known as an expensive city, I wrote down a list with places I absolutely want to visit and where/what I want to shop. Next to all the major tourist attractions like: the London Eye or the Buckingham Palace I want to explore other sides of the city. Hidden streets with little shops and cafés. Experience London's nightlife. Meeting people. Check out my lists below! 

c u r r e n t  c r a v i n g s

Since I don't know if everything (on the picture below) will be available when I'll be there, it should just represent an overview over the products I'd like to buy. I'm so looking forward to VICTORIA's SECRET! For fashion items, I want to go to TOPSHOP, BOOTS, NEW LOOK and URBAN OUTFITTERS. I'm already putting back some money and stopping myself from going shopping in Vienna. ;)

I've never been to the Whole Foods Market or the other restaurants I've listed here, but I’ve seen so many pictures. I’ve heard that you can make your own cashew/pistachio butter at WFM. All in all, they have so much to offer. Fresh fruits and juices, salads, healthy soups, bakery at Whole Foods Market. I think this will be my paradise. 

LEON is basically a healthy fast food restaurant. You can eat there or you take your meal to-go. I checked out their homepage and everything looks amazing. So many different salads, burgers and wraps. I’m sure I’ll buy my lunch there quite often. ;)

I can’t wait to take a walk through Notting Hill. The area is so charming, and there's plenty to see and do.

When I first went to London, we couldn’t make it to Camden Market, so I will definitely visit the market this time. I’m very excited about it.

 NOW- I'm asking YOU. What did you love when you were in London? What places did you visit? Where did you eat? Which bars/clubs can you recommend? Or - when you live there, do you have any insider tips? Feel free to leave me many tips. I'd love to see as much as possible of this fantastic city.