A birthday gift to myself

One of the benefits of choosing the UK as a working holiday destination is that you can travel throughout Europe. So, don’t ask me which European country I have been to; just ask me which European country I haven’t been to.

There are several unforgettable experiences while I stayed in the UK for my working holiday. One of them was my first solo trip in Italy. It was also meaningful to me because this trip was a birthday gift to celebrate my 25 years old. I decided to start from Milan and Venice, then Florence and all the way down to Rome. It was 9 days in total.

However, before my journey started, I was told to be very careful because Italy is not as safe as we thought. I was so nervous that I did loads of homework about this trip, including the flight, accommodation, transportation, attractions and restaurants, etc. I tried to plan my schedule carefully; the more detailed the better. I chose to stay in the hotel or in the B&B instead of the hostel. I even practiced to be mean, and it turned out that no strangers talked to me at all in those 9 days.

I could still remember clearly my first night in Milan. Because the price of the hotel was too high for me to afford, I had no choice but to choose to stay in the “mixed-dorm” in a hostel which was what was left at that time. Unfortunately, when I found out that all of my other roommates were all males, I was so scared! I didn’t say that I was very pretty or anything, but the only thing that camp up to my mind to protect myself was to wrap up my bed like the following picture. And till now, I am still wondering what they thought of this strange Asian girl.

Italy is a country full of historical footprints. The sculptures, monuments and museums, or even some of the shops all have a history of more than 100 years. I finally realized why there are so many people who want to visit this beautiful country. Among these cities in North Italy I have been to, Florence is my favorite. I couldn’t tell you why, it might be the weather those days were just right. It might be the people I met there were more friendly, or it might just because my 25 years old happened there.

This first solo trip ended up successfully. I was safe and everything followed by what I had planned. I have witnessed those things that I only read in textbooks. It also gave me a great opportunity to talk to myself and rest my mind. It made me braver, stronger and more independent. I would like to try more solo trips in the future. I miss everything in Europe; it was an unforgettable time in my life. I hope I could go back soon.