Bonjour mes amis and Happy Bastille Day!
Today, instead of chatting about wine, I’ll share what’s been going on during the last 2 months of my life. Since early May, I’ve been traveling solo whilst remotely working around Europe. Living the nomadic lifestyle has been a dream of mine that I’ve been manifesting for a couple of years and I’m so proud of myself that I’ve been able to make this dream MY reality. Although in many ways my adventure has not gone as perfectly as I have planned (actually it’s been quite chaotic), the most memorable parts of my trip were unplanned – I guess life intended for it to happen that way. There’s been a lot of highs and lows I’ve experienced on this journey including finding deep self-exploration, experiencing travel burnout and covid, getting lost virtually every place I go, and joining the coliving community.
So far I’ve been to 3 countries and 9 places including Paris, San Sebastian, Madrid, Valencia, Javea, Lisbon, Porto, Barcelona, and Palma. Not only my life, but my diet has vastly improved since traveling. It's basically consisted of viennoiseries, tapas, cappuccinos, gelato, and of course lots of vino. Sometimes, I feel like I blinked and all my travels flew by. Oddly enough, I’ve had a few déjà vu moments along the way - like I’ve had visions in my dreams of being in some of these places before I got there. These feelings really validate to me that this is where I’m meant to be. Now, I’m living in another coliving called Château Coliving where I’m staying in a French 12th-century countryside Château in Normandy. This place was not only built by Vikings but inhabited once by the French and their ally’s armies during WW2 and taken over by the Nazis at one point. How cool is it to be living in a place with so much history?? Not to mention, there are stork nests on the roof that I get to see every day!
I’m now halfway through my journey abroad, so to recap my trip, here are my favourite memories from each place I’ve been to:
Paris - Watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night by the Seine River and riding the rental electric scooters on the street like a complete manic (because that’s how people drive there).
San Sebastian – Truly an outdoor lover's paradise. I could hike up a mountain to reach a stunning Mirador (viewpoint) and then walk down to the beach in an hour to go surfing. Also, it was my first time trying Pintxos, which are Basque appetizers - primarily seafood, eggs, meat, and veggies on slices of baguettes.
Madrid – Wonderful selection of restaurants and cuisines. I got served the best ice cappuccino here! Cool monuments too.
Valencia - My time here was limited, but it was a cute city with an endless sandy beach.
Javea – I didn’t know what to expect in a mysterious small beach town 1.5h from Valencia, but it had many surprises in store. From the awesome community at Sun & Co. Coliving to swimming in Mediterranean sea caves to eating the best paella and churros. One of my favourite places thus far.
Lisbon - Full of surprises too. I got stuck at Cascais beach because the train workers were on strike and my phone was locked, so I taxied back into town with a couple from Costa Rica I just met. Then I enjoyed Sangrias with them and got to eat grilled sardines on bread for the first time for the St. Antonio festival.
Barcelona – I got to see 3 Gaudi museums – Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, and Caso Batlló. The small cobblestone alleys of the Gothic Quarter were also really something to see and explore, especially at night when it was super lively.
Palma – A very lively, touristy beach town. I loved chilling in a small Cala called Platja d’Illetes, getting into a hidden bougie ass bar, and discovering a street in Magaluf that was like a miniature European version of the Vegas Boulevard.
Normandy - The most peaceful part of my trip thus far. Living my queen life in a château amid tons of wildlife and history. No big deal.
I'm truly grateful for the opportunity to visit all these places. There’s truly a piece of my heart that’s with every place I’ve visited. This experience has really brought out the most authentic best version of myself that I've ever been. As well, I feel the most content with the way I'm living life now than I've ever felt. I'm having the time of my life and also feel the weight of Traveller’s Dilemma with it being halfway through my travels. At moments, I wish I was back at home in Vancouver because I’m travel burnt out and want to take a break. On the other hand, I don’t want to go back home because I love it so much here and don’t want to go back to my old life.
There are still so many more adventures and places waiting for my arrival, so stay tuned for all my blogs about them including all the wine regions I got to explore.
If you want to hear more about my travels, comment below what you’d like to know and I’ll do my best to blog about it.
Merci d'avoir attaint. À bientôt!