Backpacking in Europe

Ever since I came to Sweden about a year ago, I was mostly engaged in academics. But whenever I had enough time off from the university, I took the opportunity to travel. This time I had the whole summer off. 

As the summer approached I had to make a decision: Fly back home or stay and travel in Europe. Financially, they were both going to cost the same. Since I had been away from home for almost a year, there was naturally a strong desire to go back and spend some time at home sweet home. But the desire to travel trumped the former option. Dad said, " You have spent 22 years here. What will you come back for? Go out and travel. Who knows when you will get this chance again? You only live once." Hard to argue with that, right? 😉 And so it began..

Copenhagen, Denmark

I started my journey from Linköping early on the 4th of July. I reached Copenhagen around noon and had half the day to spend in the city before my flight to Paris the same night. I made my way out of the train station to the center of Copenhagen where it was bright and warm. This was unusual weather for Scandinavia but that was the kind of summer that we were experiencing. The heatwave just kept dragging on. The people of the city didn't seem to mind that though. As I walked past the canals, I saw a lot of groups sun-bathing and taking a dip in the crystal blue waters. 

I had just about 5 hours to see the city so I signed up for a free walking tour for that afternoon. I have made it a habit of signing up for walking tours as soon as I arrive at a new place. It is a great way to start exploring a new place. Usually, a local or someone who knew the city really well would be your guide and walk you around telling you interesting stories of the present and the past. The guide will also give you some useful tips and recommendations for the rest of your stay there. 

When I introduced myself to our guide, Mark, a local said "Namashkar! Kaise hai aap?" What a small world eh? Who could imagine a Scandinavian speaking in Hindi? Apparently, he used to work in India and conduct guided tours there as well. He has seen more of India that I have! Right before the start of the tour I also met a fellow millennial from Canada studying in Copenhagen. Mark took us around the historically significant spots around the city center. With his lively and funny animated narrations of Danish history, he kept his group quite engaged. The hours in the Danish capital flew by.

Copenhagen City Hall

Nyhavn, a canal waterfront with 17th-century buildings which are now mostly cafes and bars.

Amalienborg Palace, the residence of the Danish Royal Family

Copenhagen definitely has a lot to offer and I covered just a fraction of it. Nevertheless, it was a memorable day and a great start to my trip.

Paris, France

The 5 days in Paris were lively, to say the least. It was great to catch up with my NRI family and stay with them. Since we had not spent a lot of time with each other in the past, we made those days count. The deep conversations with my uncle and listening to my incredibly accomplished grandpa's stories were insightful and valuable especially for a 23-year-old who is set to embark on a career of his own.

Right outside the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. I had the privilege of getting a tour inside my grandpa's former workplace, where he is held in very high regard. Thank you Shankar mama! 

If this wasn't enough, I was also fortunate to attend my aunt's dance program, Nefés which involved many other talented artists. The venue, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, was as fancy as it could get for a live performance. At first, I felt a little out of place sitting in the balcony as I was surrounded by affluent theatre aficionados. But the show had me engrossed quickly. Since it was my first time in a theatre like this, I was extra attentive while observing the dance portrayals. After all these years, I finally saw my aunt, Shantala perform. It was truly a spectacle! Even a layman like me could recognize the class and the quality of those dancers. After the show and over the next couple of days, I spoke to Shantala about her shows and her interesting lifestyle. She is probably the most grounded superstar I will ever meet. 😁

Over the next three days, I visited the main tourist attractions of Paris with my friends. Shilton, a friend who I worked with in Bangalore, was my travel buddy for the trip. Can you think of anyone among your friends or family who would travel halfway across the world and join you for a trip in a new continent? Well, Shilton did and quite spontaneously as well. 😎

Here are some of the places that I visited in Paris with Shilton and other friends whose plans overlapped with ours in Paris.

No prizes for guessing this monument. Shilton and me waiting in the line to get to the top of the tower.

With tourism in Paris at its peak in July, we waited for 3 hours in line to get to the top but boy was it worth it!

A view of the Paris Skyline from the top of the Eiffel Tower

Suraj, a close friend of mine from engineering days, traveled from Germany to join us in Paris.

In front of the Notre Dame Cathedral with Harivinay and other tourists 😬

Hari, our astronomy geek who was on a backpacking trip of his own, blessed us with his presence in Paris that day. So its fair to say I had good company!

Arc de Triomphe on the end of the Champs-Élysées, a familiar sight for movie buffs.

The Catacombs, where we met 17th and 18th century Parisians

Quite a peculiar final resting place isn't it? During the 18th century, the cemeteries of Paris were getting alarmingly overcrowded. The king at the time had the idea of exhuming the graves and stacking the remains in the ample space of the stone quarries in the city's basement. And since then, this has become a point of interest. Quite a cool place to visit as we got some Indiana Jones vibes down there. 😉

Tourists are surely not letting them rest in peace!

In the square of the world's biggest museum and the former Royal Palace, The Louvre

To be able to grasp all the exhibits in the Louvre, you need a whole week. It is that big! While the art galleries were filled with unpassionate tourists taking selfies in front of the Mona Lisa, I was more awestruck with the art of the ceilings.

The Louvre is mind-blowing! The mastery of the artists and the artifacts were fascinating. Unfortunately, we could spend just a few hours and barely covered the museum as were short of time. This is a place I am definitely coming back to!

Jardin des Tuileries with the backdrop of the Louvre

Since it was our last day in Paris, we spent some more time with my family folks. Both of us provided some entertainment as we sang a couple of Pink Floyd songs as I played the guitar. 😅 We ended the evening with a delicious dinner as Shantala introduced us to Vietnamese cuisine.

Paris is special. I treasure the time I spent here with the company of some great friends and my folks who made me feel at home. There is so much to see and do that we did not have enough of the city yet. But we had to move on to our next destination as our itinerary was pre-planned. 

Nice, France 

On the 10th of July, we boarded the famous TGV from Paris to reach the French Riviera. We reached the town of Nice, just in time to watch the world cup semi-finals between France and Belgium. We watched the match at a cafe among the locals as France were victorious at the final whistle. People thronged the streets in celebration with their tricolors, ignited flares and chants of triumph. That's what we wanted to see!

Jubilant scenes at Massena Square 

The following morning, we made arrived at the same square which was surprisingly clean after the wild celebrations on the night before. We took a walking tour which covered the old town, the flower market, the cathedral and ended on the castle hill where we were treated to spectacular views!

One of the most picturesque spots I have ever visited!

We walked around the viewpoints admiring the Mediterranean coast before going down to that beach and spending the rest of the day in the salty and pebbly waters. 

Monaco

The small and glitzy country of Monaco was less than an hour away from Nice and makes for a really scenic bus journey. We started exploring Monaco from the Monte Carlo Casino and then made our way through the Formula 1 circuit and went up to the Prince's Palace from where you get the best view of Monaco. 

 The Monte Carlo Casino

The millionaires' parking lot

Monaco was just how I expected to be. Ferraris, Lamborghinis and luxurious yachts everywhere. Surely only the elite would get the best of Monaco. For the rest of us, it is a worthwhile day trip to get a sneak peek into the high life.

Venice, Italy

After covering the French Riveria, we crossed the border and reached Venice the following morning.

Despite being sleep deprived from the overnight bus journey, we started exploring the swamp city by taking a walking tour here as well. We had a passionate tour guide in Anna who wanted tourists to get the best out of this amazing city. Being an art historian, she really knew the history of Venice. As we walked by the canals and the narrow alleys, she narrated some fascinating stories, stopping at points of interests. There is so much more to places like these than meets the eye. That is precisely why I'm fond of walking tours.

By the end of the tour, Anna had given us a lot of practical advice on how to avoid tourists traps and a detailed map highlighting all attractions and restaurants that she endorsed to be authentic. We took her word for it it really paid off. The tastes of the Venetian Risotto, Pizza and Crème brûlée will remain with me for quite a while.

The famous Rialto Bridge

I read somewhere that the best way to see Venice is to put the maps down and get lost. That's what we did for a while, strolling through the narrow cobblestone paths and crossing tiny bridges. Each alley with the old buildings and flaky walls had stories to tell.

We then turned to the waters. We took the water bus to navigate between islands. Of course, there were the Gondolas which was exclusive and hence quite expensive so we passed. Maybe next time when I have my better half by my side, I thought. 😜

Commuting through the water buses

The water bus, albeit quite slow, covers the Grand Canal and most of the islands so it is the obvious choice. 

Piazza San Marco or the iconic St. Mark's Square

 Palazzo Ducale or the Doge's Palace

The Chamber of the Great Council

It was no exaggeration when this Palace was once called the Central Building of the World. After all, it took four centuries to build and Venice was one of the most powerful states in Europe at the time. What's interesting is that there was no single seat of power here and it was a republic starting from the 8th century. All the chambers, the hallways, the armories and even the prisons are so well preserved here that it takes you back in time and makes you wonder. 

It was then time for us to travel south to the renaissance city.

Florence, Italy

Despite being the cradle of the Renaissance, Florence had the charm of a small town. During our walking tour, I was surprised that this was once the capital after unification. This place was paradise for an admirer of the fine arts. After all, this was where the likes of Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo did their best work, all in one generation!

Santa Maria Novella Church

 The Duomo as seen from the tower of Alforno

There were different styles of buildings, watchtowers and the iconic red dome or Duomo which is the largest brick dome ever constructed. Sadly, we could only admire it from the outside. The Duomo and the Uffizi Gallery were completely prebooked and not open to visitors without reservations. Nevertheless, there were many other places we could visit like the Palazzo Vecchio and the armory tower. 

Views of the city and the Arno river from Piazzale Michelangelo

After we watched the world cup final in a local cafe, we crossed the old arch bridge, Ponte Vecchio. Short of time, we visited the Michelangelo square, Pitti Palace and stopped by at places to purchase souvenirs before calling it a day.

The next morning we left for our final destination.

Rome, Italy

Traveling through the Italian countryside, we reached Rome late afternoon. After settling down, we were off to see the biggest basilica in the world.

St. Peter's Basilica, Michelangelo in all his glory!

The following day was entirely dedicated to the great Roman Monuments.

 One of the grandest and the bloodiest stage in history, the two-thousand-year-old Colosseum, or what is left of it. 

In my head, I could hear the chants. "Maximus! Maximus!"

Right beside the Colosseum is the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, where all the ancient monuments were found. Must have been the biggest gold mine for archeologists! 

I wish I had a Roman historian by our side while we explored ancient Rome. It was well worth getting scorched in the sun that day.

The mysterious Pantheon

To this day, no one knows why it was built. Since the collapse of the Roman empire and the rise of the Vatican, this was turned into a church. What a surprise!

 Altare della Patria, the last monument we visited, which is relatively new at around 100 years old.

After a fortnight of traveling in France and Italy, this trip was an absolute dream come true! I could not have hoped for a better travel buddy than Shilton who tolerated his fussy vegetarian friend who made him walk for hours every day. After 15 days of barely eating and navigating through the streets of spectacular places under the sun in peak summer, this has been one of the most memorable days of my life.

Travel changes you. In the age of social media and hashtags, the experience can be diluted for many. To actually be there, take it all in and carry it with you is how I believe it should be. In the end, I feel incredibly grateful to have taken this opportunity to travel to all these amazing places. For me though, this is just the start and I have no intention to stop. 😎

Cheers!

Sharan