How to Become a Librarian: 4. Going It Alone

After graduation, I embarked on the stereotypical post-collegiate Euro-trip. I spent a month traveling through London, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, and Dublin. When you get home from a big trip like that, people always ask how it was and it's so hard to answer. All I could say was, "It was great." There's no way to describe the feeling of being alone in a completely new environment. You walk around with no obligation except to fill your days entertaining yourself. It can be lonely and difficult, especially on a tight budget (like I was), but it makes you feel so independent. As cliche as it sounds, I had more faith in myself after I left. I could read a map, I could get myself out of dangerous situations, I could get over my shyness and talk to strangers, and I could embrace being lonely and just think about things.

I highly recommend traveling alone, at least once in your life. Your self-awareness goes through the roof. In my opinion, that is the key to happiness - more on that theory, later. You only have to worry about what you want to do, when you want to do it, and no one else has to know anything you're doing. There is no compromise about sight-seeing, eating, where you sleep, or when to be somewhere. It was great!

The only thing I forgot during my month abroad, was my digital camera. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because I bought about 10 or 12 disposables. It was like magic seeing my pictures for the first time when I got home. All of my travels would be better shown through photos (with a few captions).

LONDON


Full English Breakfast

PARIS

Still my favorite city in the world. It does not disappoint any preconceived notions of romance and mystery. The city has it's own personality and it is so beautiful. Side story: The last time I was in Dublin (Dec. 2011), I took a 24-hour trip to Paris. When the airfare is 30euros round trip, who can resist! I got completely over-dressed and took myself out to dinner at a little cafe. Dining alone can be daunting, but, unlike the rude Parisian stereotype, everyone was so nice to me. They asked if I understood the menu and brought another chair for my purse. I ordered the duck and a fancy beer, went back to my hotel room, took a bath and listened to Miles Davis. It was like an F-ing dream! I felt so luxurious and, again, I was alone and I was OK with it. See below for the dress I wore that fine evening...

There was an angry mob of tourists trying to get a picture of Mona Lisa in front of the painting.

REAL absinthe - after one glass, it was like being really drunk for 5 minutes

look how small the people are

Paradise

Each lock has a couple's initials. How romantic!

ROME

Side story - There was one time I really felt like I was in real danger, like I would be lucky to get out of this without something really horrible happening. I followed a guide book's advice to check out Pigneto, just outside of Rome. It was pretty early and not getting dark yet, so I thought I could make what looked like a 30-minute walk, have a nice dinner, meet some people, and all of my new friends would tell me how to take the bus home. So, I set out about 6:30PM and when 8:00 comes and goes, I'm still walking.. I have walked off the map, so I only have my written directions to go by, which are really no help at all. I'm walking on the side of a highway outside of Rome. The scariest thought was: No one knows I left the hostel and no one will be there waiting for me if I get to where I'm going. I only had one choice and that was to just GET THERE and ask someone how to get back. There are no other people walking around, they're all driving, and I finally see a restaurant. I go in, get a warning from a local to "really be careful because the sun is going down" and these complicated directions to walk over this overpass-bridge thing and when I finally find that, I almost start to cry. It's starting to get dark, and I can't see clearly, but in the way of getting to the bridge, there's a big pile of trash and what looked like a man in drag (remember, no one else around) sitting on the side of the highway staring at me. Luckily, no eye contact was made, I went around the bridge, finally FINALLY, made it to Pigneto, found a party at a beer bar, met two Romans and a Dubliner who gave me directions home, and took the night bus back. None of them could believe I had walked from Rome. When locals tell you to be careful, it's never a good sign.