Three Months 'til Europe!

And I could not be more excited. I'm ready to see a side of Europe I never thought I'd ever want to see, and experiencing that with my best friend only makes it better.

Jordan and I have both been to Europe before: her to France, and me to London (and Paris, but only for three days). This time, we're going to completely different countries in a very different part of Europe with largely different histories. This makes it so much more exciting for me.  I want to learn as much as possible about as many different aspects of each country/city as I can, so if I go back later in life, I can delve further.

The biggest adjustment for me is going to be the language. I didn't have this issue when I was in London, because everyone there speaks English. Granted some of their expressions and phrases were different, but those were not hard to learn. Eastern Europe will be different. Jordan and I will be responsible for finding out hostel in Berlin on our own, which means navigating Berlin on our own. Time to learn some basic German? I think yes. Look for a post about that in the coming weeks. I might also try to learn the most basic Polish, too, since we'll fly out of Warsaw at the end of our trip. It'd be nice to have in my pocket, just in case.

Not knowing the language is kind of terrifying, to be honest, but once we are with our group, it'll be a lot easier. In a strange way, though, I don't want to rely solely on English to get me through. When in Rome, they say... I like to think I have a good ear for languages, so I want to challenge myself to pick up some phrases and words while I'm there.

Last summer in London, I tried to broaden my culinary palette and sample traditional English foods. For the most part, I did okay with that. I tried fish and chips just to say I tried it, but otherwise I stuck to pies, salads, yoghurt, and sandwiches, and sometimes pizza. Not exactly healthy, but I was on a budget. I'm a little more nervous about the cuisine where Jordan and I are going. I really hope my pickiness won't take away from trying and enjoying something new. From what I've read, a lot of dishes in the countries we're visiting revolve around meat--lots of pork and beef--and dumplings and potatoes. I think I can handle that. And as always, the sweet treats are at the top of my "must try" list. And breads and cheeses. I love me some cheese.

But most importantly, I want to make a sincere effort to write every night. These are experiences I likely won't have a chance to repeat or relive, and I want to remember them to the fullest. I wrote a lot in London last summer, but I want to double it. This might be the writer in me coming out, but I don't want to miss a moment or a memory.  I remember reading Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities on my plane to London, and I think I might revisit that book before departing for this adventure.

I'll close with these words from Invisible Cities:

"Cities, like dreams, are made of desires and fears, even if the thread of their discourse is secret, their rules are absurd, their perspectives are deceitful, and everything conceals something else."

"You take delight in not a city's seven or seventy wonders, but in the answer it gives to a question of yours."