After traveling through 7 different countries over the course of 6 weeks, it’s difficult to narrow down the best memories. So much happened. It was nonstop from the moment we got off the plane. Certain experiences still rose to the top and stood out among the rest. What follows is a list, in no particular order, of at least some of those top experiences… but certainly not all of them.
1. Dinner Cruise in Prague
Prague was one of our favorite cities in general. The people were incredibly hospitable, the food and beer were great, and everything was cheap (or at least cheaper than Paris). Not to mention the city had an awesome medieval atmosphere to it. On our second night there, we decided to go on a buffet dinner cruise down the Vltava River, which flows right through the heart of Prague. We dressed up and upon arriving, we were greeted with complimentary glasses of Champagne. We drank wine, ate an incredible amount of food, and listened to the live music. It was fantastic.
2. Befriending Our Waiter in Barcelona
On just our third night in Europe, we arrived in Barcelona and ate at Restaurant Sedna, which was right underneath our VRBO. Our waiter’s name was Levan and he was awesome. We had a great time with him and he brought us shots as an after-dinner act of hospitality. We then returned to Restaurant Sedna for dinner the next two nights and saw Levan each time.
William and I travelled around Europe for the next month but returned to Barcelona for our final 3 nights. There was no way we weren’t going back to see Levan. He remembered us immediately. We hung out with him each of those final 3 nights and got to know each other better. We’ve since stayed in touch and will hopefully see him soon here in America. How fun life can be sometimes.
3. Hiking a Dreamscape in the Italian Dolomites
I love hiking. William learned that quickly on our adventures. The best hike I went on, hands down, was in the Italian Dolomites. We were staying in a tiny, fairytale town called Alleghe, which sat on a picturesque lake surrounded by towering mountains. I had the itch to go for a hike so I found one that started at the edge of town. I climbed the mountain for three hours, and the beauty I saw was breathtaking. The higher I climbed, the better it got. When I reached the peak, I was surrounded by a scene I had only ever imagined in my dreams. It was a surreal moment. One I will take with me forever.
4. Celebratory Cigars with my Brother in Switzerland at 2:00 AM
The universities of Alabama and Tennessee have this tradition. Whichever team wins in football that year gets to smoke celebratory cigars at the end of the game. William and I had said that if Bama won, we would have to find some cigars. Well on the day of the game, I had gone for a hike. At the top of the mountain, I discovered a lone restaurant that just so happened to have a box of cigars for sale. It was too perfect. I bought two of them and made my way back down the mountain.
We streamed the football game from our hotel room and Alabama managed to win the game. It was 2 am and quite cold in Switzerland when the game ended, but that didn’t stop us from going outside and lighting our cigars. We stayed out there for almost an hour just talking about our trip up to that point and where we would go next.
5. Playing Uno at 4:00 AM with Our Hostel Mates in Venice
Venice was a fantastic stop on our trip. One of the things that made it so great was the people we met there. We stayed in a hostel and befriended a few of the other people sharing our room. The whole room housed about 20 people in it. This being said, we did not sleep that well. But who needs sleep when you’re exploring a new city with friends you just met?
On our last night in Venice, we went out with our friends and got back to the Hostel around 4 am. For some reason, we decided that the best thing to do in this situation would be to play Uno on the floor of the hostel. So that’s exactly what we did. We laughed and had the greatest time. (We all paid for it dearly when we had to wake up 5 hours later to check out).
6. Delicious Dinner in Barcelona After a Four Hour Travel Day
This memory is plain and simple, but superb. William and I had travelled for 14 hours on four trains from Nice, France to Barcelona, Spain. We checked into our hotel at 11 pm and were worried that no restaurants would be open for dinner. Well… we forgot we were back in Barcelona. We walked outside the hotel and an entire street of restaurants was alive and bustling. We sat down at one and enjoyed the greatest meal of fried peppers, fresh olives, and a massive portion of paella, with a liter of beer to help wash it all down.
Tell me this doesn’t look amazing:
7. Running Down a Mountain to Catch the Train Back Home
During the first week of our adventure, my family and I visited Mont Serrat, a monastery on top of a mountain, an hour outside of Barcelona. We took a cable car up to the top, but as you now know, I prefer to hike. So as my family took the cable car down the mountain, I decided to run down instead. When I began my descent, I had exactly one hour to get down before our train arrived to take us back to the city. I did not feel like missing that. The run down the mountain was beautiful and exhilarating. I was high on life. I ran down countless stairs, along a gorgeous path, and eventually made it to the main road with 10 minutes remaining. I was pushing my levels of fitness at this point but I was too close to stop. With less than five minutes to go, I ran up onto the train platform, victorious.
I felt sorry for the people standing next to me on the train back though. But hey, I was proud of myself.
The Adventurous Mind 
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