Europe Trip Pt. 3 - The Conclusion - Rapallo, Nice, Barcelona

Quite frankly, I’ve been putting off writing this post out of pure laziness. There are many other things in my life that I’d rather be writing about but I have to finish the Europe blogs before getting to those (in order to maintain some sense of chronology). So here we are.

At the end of the last post, I had finished up the first week of the tour, which started in Paris, then Switzerland, and ended in Rome.

Day 1 - Land in Paris
Day 2 - Paris
Day 3 - Train to Interlaken, Switzerland
Day 4 - Interlaken
Day 5 - Interlaken
Day 6 - Train to Rome, Italy
Day 7 - Rome
Day 8 - Train to Rapallo, Italy
Day 9 - Rapallo
Day 10 - Train to Nice, France
Day 11 - Nice, France
Day 12 - Fly to Barcelona, Spain
Day 13 - Fly home

As I tried to explain in my first post, I didn’t really do too much research about the places I was going to during this trip. I feel like Paris and Rome were the only places for which I actually knew some landmarks / things to do. Entering this second week of the trip, I genuinely had no clue what to expect about the cities we were traveling to. Rapallo? No clue. Nice? An adjective. Barcelona? In Spain. That was seriously the extent of my knowledge on these places. I was excited to start this next part of the journey though, because we were going to be in warmer places - it had been pretty rainy for almost the entire time we were in Paris, Interlaken, and Rome and I had packed a lot of warm-weather clothes that I h Every place we went to in this second week of the tour surpassed any possible expectations (or lack of expectations) that I had of them. I fell in love with the cities and the different lifestyles of each destination. While the first half of the trip was very “go go go” and filled with activities, sightseeing, and packed schedules, this second half was almost completely the opposite. We got time to truly relax and enjoy the beauty of the Italian & French Rivieras; this was the first time it felt like a vacation rather than a trip (hopefully you know what I’m trying to say lol).

On to the day by day:

Day 8 - 5/14 - Travel to Rapallo
Today we were traveling from Rome to Rapallo, with a stop at Pisa along the way. We woke up, said goodbye to Barbara and the members of our old group that were not continuing on the same route as us, and took the metro from Trastavere to the main train station of Rome. We took a 3 hour train from Rome to Pisa, and spent a little under two hours exploring the city.

I don’t know why, but in my mind, the Leaning Tower of Pisa was just a massive structure in the middle of nowhere in some field in Italy. In reality, it was nothing like that lol. It was actually a lovely little city, with very charming architecture, filled with cute cafes and outdoor markets. The first stop was, of course, the tower. Next to the tower was a huge Cathedral, the central building of the area, and a lovely garden area to walk through. But because our time in the city was limited, we all took cheesy pictures at the tower and then left in search of some food.

Our tour guide Carlos had recommended we go to this small family run shop called Dal Mozza, known for their freshly baked focaccia sandwiches. When 16 of us showed up there, ready to be fed, the owners of the place looked ready to turn us away LOL. The place was quite small and they had to do some shenanigans to get us all seated, but eventually we got our sandos. I got a super simple Tricolore sandwich - mozzarella, tomato, pesto - but because of the freshness of the bread and ingredients, it was extremely delicious (and memorable!!).

I downed my sandwich, and was just scrolling through Instagram when I saw that YASH - yash potdar, who was on a two month backpacking trip through europe - was ALSO in Pisa at that exact moment. We had been trying to find a time to meet but realized our itineraries did not overlap, so it was pure coincidence that we were in the same place!!! I texted him and we met up halfway across the world from where we became friends - such a crazy moment. We got some gelato (I got a chocolate one and it was heavenly) and traded stories about our travels so far.

He talked about being on his own, meeting people in hostels, spending a night on the streets (!?) because last minute accommodation was too expensive, and the amazing food he had tried. I was inspired by his independence and bravery; going to a foreign place truly on your own seems very scary, but it’s definitely something I want to do one day. I only got to hang with Yash for a half hour before I needed to meet up with my group again. We left Pisa and took the train to the next city on the tour. It was a 2 hour train to the Chiavari train station , and then a short 15 minute train to our final stop in Rapallo. By the time we reached, it was around 5 or 6 in the evening, and we were all hungry + ready for a little rest.

Upon arriving in Rapallo, all of us fell completely in love with the town. It was the most lovely little place, with palm trees lining the streets, charming colorful buildings, and a soft glow in the evening air. It felt like stress and hassle did not exist in this place, and I think we all just immediately relaxed.

We checked into the place we were staying - for the first (and only) time on the trip, we were staying in a hotel rather than a hostel! So there were only two people per room (god bless because after the Rome situation, we were all not having it with the 6 people per room business). Rose and I checked into our room and spent a bit of time showering and getting ready for the evening outings. It was genuinely such a cute hotel; we had a view of the little street outside the hotel, and when we opened the window it smelled like fresh ocean air. Rose and I took a short walk before meeting the rest of the group for dinner; we wanted to see the water and walk along the main area. It was sooooo picturesque; the sun was going down over the Mediterranean sea and we were standing along the water watching the pink sky glow as the lights came on in all the little towns along the Italian Riviera. Life felt unreal at that moment.

The group had dinner at a beautiful restaurant right along the water. It was so lively and filled with vacationers enjoying their Sunday evening. I had an aperol spritz with some pesto pasta and veggies (fabulous meal). After dinner, we all went to a gelato spot next door and just spent some time chatting and walking around the city.

Jordan, Ethan, Craig, and I spent an hour just sitting along the water and talking about our lives. It was crazy to me that we had built such meaningful connections after knowing each other for just a week, but I was so grateful to have met such wonderful people. That whole evening and night was like a never ending relaxing dream. Lol that sounds very cheesy, but that is exactly what it felt like. The combination of the warm weather, setting, and good company made Rapallo so enjoyable.

Day 9 - 5/15 - Cinque Terre

Today we were doing a day trip from Rapallo to Cinque Terre (meaning “Five Lands”), which is a set of five quaint little towns connected by train (and also a walking path). They were known for being very picturesque, with great food, beautiful views, and small local shops. I first heard about the Cinque Terre from a Rick Steves’ Europe episode that I had watched with my parents, and was looking forward to this little day trip. The plan was to take a train from Rapallo to the first of the five towns, hike from the first town to the second, and then take the train between the rest of them. We were told that the hike wouldn’t be quite mild, and take around an hour or so. But I was quite sus of this, because Rick Steves had said the hikes could get quite long and tiring, and you could spend a full day hiking through the Cinque Terre - and honestly, I trusted Rick Steves more than Carlos our tour guide.

I woke up and had some time to chill in the morning - we enjoyed a lovely little breakfast in the hotel. A cute Italian grandma came up to me, asked what I wanted to drink, took the coffee cup from the place setting in front of me, and brought me back a cute little cappuccino. I enjoyed a healthy breakfast of cream filled croissants, mini chocolate chip cake slices, and coffee. lol

After breakfast, we took the train to Monterosso - the first town of the Cinque Terre then began the hike. In stark contrast to what Carlos promised, the hike was actually quite GRUELING - the sun was out and it was just stairs for the entire thing but they were steep and never ending and they went up then down then up again… It was exhausting but the views of the coast were beautiful, so it was worth it.

The hike from Monterosso to Vernazza took around 1.5 hours and we were rewarded with fabulous views of the most picturesque Italian coastal town.

Once we entered the town, Rose and I got some amazing fresh focaccia and peeked into a lot of the cute little stores. Then we took the train to Riomaggiore, the last of the five towns, where we did a lot more shopping. The stores were so cute; They had a lot of authentic Italian goods, like mini olive oil and pesto jars, jams, soaps, and a lot of cute knick knacks. I picked up some stuff for my family before we headed back to Monterosso to meet the rest of the group. We all reconvened and took the train back to Rapallo.

The rest of the evening was so lovely. We weren’t doing anything as a big group that night, so Rose and I went off exploring the city on our own. I had the best coffee of my life at a small local shop in the same street as our hotel. Then, Rose and I walked around shopping; she was on a mission to get a cute dress, and I am never one to turn down an excuse to shop. I got a cute swimsuit and picked up some fresh roasted coffee beans for my dad. Rose and I found some delicious cookies and walked around munching on those while we looked for (read: struggled to find) a place to eat.

A lot of places were closed on Mondays (just recovering from the weekend business) or just stopped serving food after 7pm or something ridiculous like that. We finally found a family run place that looked very simple; it was filled with locals and we looked very out of place. But they seated us and we ended up having the most amazing food. Rose got some pesto gnocchi and I got this dish called Pansotti - it’s like a ravioli-type pasta unique to the Ligurian region of Italy. They served it with a walnut cream sauce and it was so bomb. After dinner, Rose and I met up with everyone to chat and eat gelato before going to bed.

Day 10 - 5/16 - Travel to Nice

Today we were traveling from Rapallo to Nice, a city on the French Riviera. We woke up, had another lovely breakfast in the hotel, and then headed out to the train station. We took the train from Rapallo to Ventimiglia and then finally connected to Nice. It was cool because we started in Italy and crossed the border while we were on the train. It was very interesting because almost as soon as we crossed the Italian and French border, I could observe the change in friendliness, language, and mannerisms happen so quickly; the French really are a lot scarier (and more intimidating lol) than the Italians. When we arrived in Nice, we took this cool cable-car type transport to the hostel, which was located in the heart of the city. My first impression of Nice was that it was so different from the other places we had been to so far. It was a beach town like Rapallo but much bigger, more metropolitan, and more polished.

It gave off “tourist destination” vibes, with the grand looking town square and clean streets. It didn’t have the pretentiousness of Paris but it was still cool and chic, which I loved. I felt soooo relaxed just being in that place, and I took that as a good sign. We had a group lunch in a lovely French restaurant and then most of us headed to the beach for a swim. I swam in the Mediterranean Sea!!!! It was so beautiful, but because the sun wasn’t out it was a bit cold. Jordan, Ethan, Craig, Alisha, and I spent a half hour in the ocean before we started feeling the chill in our bones. We sat by the beach talking about our travels so far, and it was so wholesome to connect with all of these special people. We left the beach and wandered through the town a bit. We came across this cute outdoor market with a bunch of jewelry and handmade goods vendors; there were also some people playing live jazz music in the square. It was so delightful and I loved every part of the evening; I felt like I was in a French movie (ratatouille?????). That night, we went out for tapas with some of the peeps and then I headed back to the hostel while some of the others went for a bar crawl (I did not have the energy or social skills to partake lmao).

I explored some of the downtown a little bit; most of the stores were closed but I made some mental notes of places that I wanted to stop by the next day. I ate some gelato and people watched before turning in for the night.

Day 11 - 5/17 - Monaco and Nice

in all honesty, today was a wash of a day. I woke up decently early and went to get crepes for brekkie with Ethan and Rose.

Rose and I shopped around for a bit, as we had done in every city prior lol (we felt bad for dragging Ethan with us). We got jewelry - I got some cute earrings and Rose got a lovely necklace - and went back to meet the group to take the train to Monaco for a little day trip.

Frankly, I was very unimpressed with Monaco. It’s a cool place if you’re rich or like cars (I am neither) - otherwise it’s kind of average…lol. We walked around the yacht club and that was really cool to see - something to aspire to.

We ate at an American restaurant and then went back to Nice because it was raining and none of us were dressed for the weather. I think it was the rain that put a damper on the whole experience in Monaco, and by the end of our time there we all just wanted to get back as fast as possible. Back in Nice we shopped again lol. Then Rose and I got some pastries and went back to the hostel for the evening. I didn’t get any dinner because I didn’t have an appetite, so I packed my bags and went to bed. Poor Rose found ants in her bag before going to bed :( so we were helping her deal with that for a bit before finally going to sleep. We all had to be up by 6 the next morning, so we were asleep as early as possible.

Day 12 - 5/18 - Barcelona
Despite the short duration for which I was in Barcelona, there is so much to say about it. We woke up quite early and a car came to pick us up from the hostel and take us to the airport. We had a quick flight to Barcelona and landed there around 10:30am; a quick ride on the metro followed by a 20 minute walk and we reached our hostel. Just walking through the city, I fell in love with everything about it. It reminded me of the upper west Manhattan except wider sidewalks and more beautiful architecture; I loved how there were tons of trees everywhere, how the streets were so clean and open, and the positive energy that seemed to radiate from the city. We got to the hostel and the first thing we did was go to a restaurant next door for a fabulous tapas lunch. I have never seen so much food on a table in my life. The restaurant owner talked to our tour guide and offered a sample tapas menu for us, and brought out a few plates of all of their tapas items (they kept bringing food to our table for like 30 minutes). It was simply fabulous and we were all stuffed afterwards.

After lunch, we spent some time settling into our rooms and getting comfortable. I wanted to go on a mini solo adventure, so I headed out to get some coffee. It was fun walking around on my own for a bit - I love just people watching, taking in the sights and sounds of new places, and taking my time to be an observer.

I headed back to the hostel and met up with some of the other group members; our tour guide Carlos was going to lead a walk around the city. We saw the Gaudí houses from the outside, and they were simply stunning. The whole city seems like it was created just for artists, as there is so much beauty, culture, and appreciation for the arts everywhere. I need to go back to Barcelona just to spend more time appreciating and exploring the art / architecture of the city. The city was simply stunning and I want to move there! It’s so familiar but also so unique.

We walked down La Rambla, the central street in the city, which is a tree-lined walkway designed for pedestrians to explore and walk through the city with ease. Carlos took us to La Boqueria, a food market, and I was in heaven. Attaching some pictures below. I ate a scrumptious fruit bowl, and then we walked to the port before taking a metro to a restaurant, where we would be meeting up with the entire group.

That evening, we were doing a cooking class sponsored by our travel company; the class leaders talked about the nonprofit that g adventures helps to support. We made tortillas con patatas, gazpacho, and crema Catalan. It was such a cute bonding activity and the food was delicious.

After class, we went out for the night - we only got to the bar at 11:15 (my usual bedtime)?? It was a very lively bar, filled with what seemed like a mix of high schoolers, college kids, grown adults, and tourists lol. Europeans are slightly crazy and loud, but it was fun to be in that environment. We had some shots and sangria and it was a good time. I came home around 2, and went to bed. It was a very fun and memorable day in Barcelona.

Day 13 - 5/19 - Last Day
I woke up and packed my things before heading down to breakfast. There were a lot of sad goodbyes :( Ethan and Craig, the Georgias and Melody, and the hardest, Rose and Jordyn ❤️

Reflection

I made wonderful friends on this trip and they will be a part of my life and memories forever!! There truly is nothing more special than having had the opportunity to meet amazing people who had a shared desire to travel and see the world. It was the best thing I’ve ever done for myself and I’m so lucky that I was able to travel like this. I have no doubt that I will definitely do one of these tours again, and I hope to take some friends with me next time :).

Outcomes from my travels:

1) Confidence in my ability to navigate new situations independently
2) Confidence in my personality?? If that makes sense. I felt like I could be genuine during my trip, and people actually liked me for it! Which was reassuring hahahah
3) Desire to see the world as much as possible. I have the rest of my life to settle down in one place, but while I’m young and independent, I want to make the most of it and explore.

Also if you made it to the end of the post, I want to say THANK YOU for reading the blog. It’s nice to have friends to share my thoughts with and I appreciate you all!!! Stay tuned for more posts in the next few weeks!! Lots of exciting things coming up.

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