Born in the Wrong Country

Have you ever felt as if you were born in the wrong country? Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed living in a few places in my lifetime. I lived 30 years of my life in the Pacific Northwest; it’s a gorgeous area with snow-capped mountains, sparkling waters, and lush greenery, but I have never like I belong there.

When I ventured across the Atlantic as an 18 year old on an overnight layover on the way to Africa, I spent the night in England. I never had an education of the land or an urge to explore Europe, but as I walked through the many streets I became enamored. The more time I spent there, the more I felt as if this country is what I had been missing my whole life.

England has the greenery, the water, and the rain I always had be accustomed to, but there’s a magic to the area I can’t fully explain. The first time I soaked in a London city evening, I felt as if I were walking through a historic fairy-tale.

I love the detailed and historic architecture, the culture, the people and their accents, and how you can travel the rest of Europe at ease. I just feel more European than I do American.

Maybe my love of England awakens something historic in my
blood, or maybe I truly do just belong in my long lost land. But all I do know is that England feels like home.

Has anyone else had such a stirring that they are living in the wrong country? Feel free to comment below!

The Completion of Backpacking Europe

My journey around Europe came to a close, with my last stop on the British Isle. London provided the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Big Ben, beautiful parks, and countless other places I remember with joy. I look back and feel so lucky to have spent a month as a free bird across 10 countries. I viewed countless landscapes, historic landmarks, and took a crazy amount of pictures. I stayed in hostels with other people from numerous countries, slept on night trains, and used charades to communicate with everyone who didn’t understand English. Every day as a backpacker, I woke up excited to pick which country to visit; the Eurorail gives you countless destinations at your fingertips. Each morning, I spontaneously choose which direction to go and allowed myself to get lost for fun. Normally, people stress the heck out when lost, but when you allot yourself a month to do whatever you want, you don’t need to worry about a thing.

The next several months after settling back into life on U.S. soil, daily life seemed so boring compared to the adventures I experienced. The smallest things still remind me of my travels and make me long to go back; as an example, the intercom at doctor’s offices calling numbers remind of a train boarding announcement.  Ask anyone who traveled as a backpacker in Europe, they’ll carry the same excitement about their journeys (and we could talk for hours and hours about backpacking Europe).

I can’t wait to make my way back across the Atlantic; until then, I encourage everyone to take the opportunity to travel the world – you will never regret it!

London: Where Old Meets the New

London can be described as a place rich with historical architecture as well as modern contemporary pieces. Old pubs covered in detailed craftsmanship and paintwork sit next to high rise buildings. The Millennium Wheel watches over century’s old landmarks. Consumerism advertisements blanket the sides of buildings at Piccadilly Circus, resembling a smaller version of Times Square of New York. Here showcase of the mix of old and new:

Favorite Architecture of London

Some buildings showcase more architectural details than others.  London boasts beautiful designs from most views from any street. From Gothic arches, domes, to the use of bricks, I love the contrasts of features in one each one of these historical constructs.

One Last Stop

Once I left my hostel on my last full day in London, I made my way wandering across London at a slow pace, but with one final destination in mind: the British Museum.

I spent a good long time viewing the many floors of artifacts, sculptures, pottery, and etc. Each wing dedicated it’s space to a region of the world. I found the Egyptian wing the most fascinating due to my life long interest in their regional history. Since I hit my double digits as a child, I loved to hear and see about anything thousands of years old from that part of the world.

While searching the Museum, I came across artifacts that I had learned about in my Art History class in college; such as the Lord of the Dance statue. I enjoy art, so upon finding pieces I remembered from class, I was quite excited. However, one wing held many pieces that I have grown up seeing all over my homeland: totem poles. If you grew up in the Pacific Northwest, I guarantee you have seen these Native American Indian art pieces many many times. So, when I saw this section I passed on by the huge crowds of people who appeared in awe of these poles – apparently not everyone has heard of this type of artwork that I am so accustomed to.

After several hours soaking in history and art, I felt that I really was far from home and I must really be a nerd for spending more than several hours of my day in a museum.