TRAVELING THROUGH EUROPE – LADIES WHO ONLINE

It was a soul-satisfying experience! It was a dream come true! Oh, my heart was beating fast. It felt like I was floating because of my excitement. I was looking at the colorful fields from my window – in red, yellow, green, pink, violet, and blue. “This is it! I’m landing in Amsterdam!” I uttered with glee. I was reminding myself to calm down and to remember that I’m here for a conference and not for a holiday. 

(Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam)

It started in Noordwijk when my company sent me for a 3-day conference for one of our affiliated aircraft manufacturers. We landed in Amsterdam and traveled for 45 minutes at 150km/hr to reach the hotel for the convention.

(Noordwijk Netherlands)

I then started moving. Exploring the city of Amsterdam on foot is the best way to see everything. Plus, the weather was crisp. “Oh, wait! It is past 9 PM, and the sun is still up?” I asked myself. Well, yes. It is like that in the summer. 

Three days later, I am back in Dubai. But I still want to see more of what Europe has to offer. So, I booked a ticket to Paris since my Schengen Visa was valid for 30 days with multiple entries. Paris is every girl’s dream destination. And since I am a ‘budgetarian’, I maximized my holiday and made my itinerary.

I flew to Zurich for 6 hours and had another 6-hour layover in the city. It was like a lovely introduction to Europe. And in 10 minutes, I was already in the city center. 

As I got off the train, I was immediately amazed by the architecture of the grand central station. And after stepping out (wandering the city on foot is the best option yet), the freshness of the breeze welcomed me right away. The crisp wind accompanied me the whole time.  

I set up my tripod and started clicking while enjoying the view of the mountain silhouette, the clear blue clouds, and the handful of tourists walking around. It was kind of a challenge to take selfies since I wasn’t used to it.

I flew again and arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport, where I found out that my luggage was missing. “Wait, what? It’s in Dubai? I have to move quickly then!” I rented a place that is an hour and 20 minutes travel from the airport, but it is near to Eiffel Tower. I just told myself that I must get there fast so that I can still buy some essentials. 

(Street of MontMartre) (Sacre Coeur)

It was already 8 PM, and all of the establishments are closed. I remember how worried I was since I booked to see the Palace of Versailles the following day. The owner of the room I rented is a fellow Filipino, who charged me 100 Euros (equivalent to 435.53 AED) for a 5-day stay. There was even a bonus to my accommodation, as the landlady offered to have me wear her dress for the next day.

(Chateau de Versailles) (Hall of Mirrors) (The Orangery) (The Coach – coaches of the Royal Family)

I roamed around Paris, relaxed in Jardin de Luxembourg, took pictures in The Louvre, stared at the Eiffel Tower, picnicked in Champ De Mars, climbed Montmartre, and offered prayers in the church of Sacre Coeur that had a stunning view of the whole of Paris.

(Jardin de Luxembourg) (Eiffel Tower) (Champ de Mars Park)

Disneyland was also part of my itinerary. But I wasn’t able to see “the happiest place on earth” as I had to be home by 5 PM to collect my baggage. And the sad part was that my luggage never arrived.

Now, time was flying, just like me, who was also flying to Praha (a.k.a Prague). It was the real deal. Prague has been my dream destination since I was a kid. When I arrived, I stayed in a lovely accommodation that housed less than 10 Filipinos (all living together and sharing rent). And guess what? They only charged me 1000 Czech Koruna (164.48 AED) for my 3-day stay!

The next morning, I got up early to see the city’s beautiful attractions. I was stunned by Prague’s gothic, baroque, and renaissance architectural style. It was like I was living in a different era. It’s amazing how they kept their old structural and historic buildings in the modern world. Now, I only had three days to spend, so I made sure I enjoyed my entire stay.

I started my tour in Old Town Square, hiked up to Prague’s Castle, and saw the St. Vitus Cathedral. I also took pictures of the Astronomical Clock and crossed over the bridge of St. Charles. I wasn’t able to visit the other places because of the shift in weather (it was raining from time to time). But I still enjoyed my stay and food trips! Oh, I loved their cheap yet delicious sausage sandwiches.

It was time to go back to Dubai. But I still had a layover in Frankfurt, Germany. And so I went to the Old Town Centre and took a walk. By this time, I was already tired and exhausted. But I enjoyed it a lot. I even met another female traveler along the way and had a good chat with her.

Now, it was time to say goodbye to Europe. It was a nice and unforgettable experience. Imagine a girl traveling solo for the first time. She was out of her comfort zone, and only brought prayers, and was armed with a lot of courage.

Upon arriving at the DXB airport, I saw this tall, good-looking man with a big smile, and he had wide-open arms that were ready to give me a big hug. It was none other than my ever-supportive husband, who was excited to see me back. This was only the second time that we were apart (for the last 20 years), and he was happy to see me come home.