Our Trip to Europe

Before the pandemic hit, I traveled through Europe with my boyfriend. We were really lucky, his company was holding a conference in Katowice, Poland. After his initial work week, I got to come up and we had two weeks of vacation. Due to the fact that we were Americans who had grown up in poorer households, this was the first time we traveled out of the country. We both had to get passports and brush up on a few common phrases in French and German. When I think back to my time abroad, my initial thoughts have to do with stereotypes and language. The second thought deals with how awful travel can be.

I think that Europeans don’t always understand how large the US is, or how awful our education system is. While many Europeans grew up being able to ride trains to different countries, so the ability to take on other languages was pushed and required. In America you are lucky to get a competent Spanish teacher, let alone German or French. I also think it’s a little egotistical to assume a person should learn your country’s language. There are so many languages in the world, to choose just one to master can be overwhelming. Plus, Americans prefer to learn Spanish to communicate with those who emigrated from Mexico. I personally don’t think everyone should know English, just that we all should have some way to communicate. There should either be a way to translate back and forth or a way to look up words in real time. I didn’t learn Spanish but instead German in high school, and I’m very rusty. If our education system was better, or the lower class had more money, Americans might be better educated on languages.

While I do think the concept of wanting everyone to learn your language is unreasonable, it is important to have basic phrases for whatever country you are visiting. My advice for anyone traveling abroad would be, at the very least, learn basic phrases and money conversions. You will need to know the culture and basics of wherever you visit. I think a lot of Americans, who do not have experience traveling outside the US, assume it will be like traveling from state to state in the US. They don’t need to learn or know anything, they just go. So many people are ready for adventure, but don’t prepare for the adventure. Though, as I came to find out, you can’t always prepare for everything.

When I started my trip to Europe, my boyfriend had been in Poland for a week. I was excited to see him and ready to get this 16 hour flight over with. The plan was to leave from Milwaukee, stop in Atlanta, go to Amsterdam, and end in Krakow. As with most plans, it did not go the way I thought.

I got onto my flight for Milwaukee, excited and nervous. I hadn’t been on a plane since I was 12 and I’d never been out of the country before. While we were boarding it had begun to snow, which meant a delay. A two hour delay to be exact. I arrived in Atlanta at 11 o’clock, just as the flight I was supposed to be on was leaving. Needless to say, I missed my connecting flight. My first flight by myself and I was stuck in a city I had never been to, and I’d have to find a place to spend the night. My make up flight wasn’t until 3 the next afternoon. I was missing out on a whole day in Poland, and I was so disappointed. Instead of getting to Krakow on a Saturday, I’d get there Sunday. We had planned on visiting Auschwitz Sunday morning, but that was no longer an option. My boyfriend was going to have to find us a place to stay in Katowice for one night, since we expected to be on our way to our next destination by the time I would actually be in Europe. He also called an Atlanta hotel for me. I waited outside for the shuttle, but after waiting 30 minutes it didn’t show. A different shuttle driver took me to the hotel since it was on the way to the hotel he worked for.

I showed up at the hotel, only to find out my boyfriend had accidentally booked for the next night. He hadn’t thought about the time difference, he was a day ahead. I was in full panic mode at this moment. I was in a large city, without a place to stay and I had to navigate what to do next. Thankfully, the staff at the hotel were incredibly nice. The front desk worker called around other hotels to see what was available. Then the shuttle driver showed up and told me he would take me to whatever hotel I ended up getting a room at. In the end, I was able to get a room at the original hotel because someone hadn’t claimed their room by midnight.

I was at the Atlanta airport three hours before my flight. My anxiety that something else would happen, was too much. Atlanta was a huge airport, they have underground trains to get around. I was able to have lunch and a few beers before boarding. My flight to Amsterdam was long and arduous. Apparently, I get airsick. I spent almost the whole flight uncomfortable and unable to sleep. I didn’t really eat either. When I arrived it was 5 am and I would be getting on a small plane to land in Krakow. I was able to sleep the two hours on that flight. Finally, I was in Poland! Finally, I could see my boyfriend!

So, there I was waiting at a bus stop when I got a call from an unknown number. It was my boyfriend, telling me that my bus was going to be an hour late. I was only an hour from him and I’d have to wait another hour? I don’t think so. I told him I’d get an Uber and be there soon.

Driving in Poland is a lot different from the US. My uber driver arrived and only spoke a little English and I didn’t speak any Polish. He typed in the address I showed him, and off we went. He didn’t stop at stop signs, went 20 over the speed limit, and he avoided all the toll booths. Our hour trip turned into an hour and 45 minutes. When he did stop, he jumped out of the car with a water bottle and dashed water on the windshield. The first time he did it, I was like, oh god now what? When we got to my destination, the main mall in Katowice, he used the access road and dropped me off in the loading and unloading area.

At this point in my journey I didn’t care, all I wanted was to see my boyfriend and have a good meal. I ran to our meeting spot and we hugged for the longest time. He began telling me about his week and how awesome the food is. One of the negatives of the city was that in Poland they burn coal. The country had burned a ton of coal the Friday before causing smog. The smog was so bad flights were delayed and canceled. The employees trying to leave from Katowice back to America had to drive to Amsterdam to get a flight home.

As for my boyfriend and I the rest of our trip was pleasant. We had dinner in Katowice that night. The restaurant was called Tatianna and it had amazing food. I tried Beef Tartar for the first time and was pleasantly surprised. The next morning we got on a train to the Czech Republic. We spent 5 hours on the train, and it amazed us how much the countryside looked like Wisconsin. We were sitting with a travel blogger who talked to us the whole time.

Our arrival in Prague was joyful. The city was beautiful and clean. I was so excited by all of the old buildings . The next day we walked 20 miles and saw all the sights. The museum we chose to go to was, The Museum of Communism. It really helped us understand the history of Prague and why their money had tanked. When it was time for us to leave I was so sad. I fell in love with that city and I hope to go back again soon.

We got on another train, this time to Munich, Germany. We stayed in a hotel that was cowboy themed, which was delightful. We saw more sights and historic buildings. My favorite thing we went to was the Marienplatz. It was a shopping area with old buildings. WE had a wonderful meal at an old brewery. Our time in Munich was fun and filled with more great food. Our whole time in Europe we didn’t have a bad meal.

The last place we visited was Paris, France. We had spent two days in every city, except in Paris, it would be four days. Everyone had warned us how rude the French were, but we didn’t see any of that. The whole time we were in Europe we were treated really well and with kindness. It was a very pleasant experience. The day we settled into France there was a protest going on. We got to see people in the streets peeing on corners, dogs dressed in protest outfits, and the police in their riot gear. It was a joyful protest and we didn’t see any violence that sometimes happens. The next day we went to the Louvre and spent hours in it. We got lost so many times, but we got to see the Mona Lisa. In front of the museum we were accosted by pickpockets and a local Parisian told the thieves off. We got to see the Eiffel Tower and many other wonderful sights. The next full day was spent at Versailles. I fell in love with it. I could understand why so many people talk about visiting it.

By our last night in Europe we were ready to go home. My boyfriend had spent almost a month away from home at that point and was pretty homesick. I was just tired and missing our dog. My boyfriend did have one last surprise for me. We walked to St. Paul’s Cathedral and he got down on one knee. In the middle of his proposal, a car came up the access road and almost hit us! Needless to say, we gave the driver a fright. After a nervous laugh my boyfriend finished proposing, and he became my fiance. We had dinner across the street from the cathedral and enjoyed our last night in Europe.

Our plane ride home had one delay which meant a whole day at the Minneapolis airport and a midnight flight home. I loved our trip and I can’t wait for the pandemic to be over so we can plan our wedding and honeymoon. My fiance wants to go somewhere warm and beachy, but I hear Prague calling my name.