I have been back for a week now and really needed to get my thoughts on paper about my trip.
I have dreamt of going to Europe for as long as I can remember. As soon as I had kids I had moments of regret for not going before, but I knew I would get there eventually.
My day had finally come. I took the red eye to London, and was off on my adventure.
The first day I couldn’t check into my hostel until 2pm, so it worked out for me to meet my friend Jess for lunch (she was also travelling). It was good to see a friendly face to start off my day.
My hostel was walking distance from the train station. I totally lucked out with that because I had no bearings when I booked it. I dropped my stuff off and then promptly walked to the nearest tube station and started my sight seeing. I took the tube to where the London Eye is, walked by Big Ben and Westminister, the house of the guards and Buckingham Palace. It was all so surreal to see in person. I headed to Covent Market for dinner, and as the pubs I passed by started to fill up, I got lonely for the first time. I didn’t feel comfortable wandering around at night by myself so I decided to book a last minute ticket to see Mamma Mia which had been on the bucket list for awhile.
I had an hour to kill so I walked into a pub and did have some great conversation with some locals about what I should do the next day. It was fun and I could have hung out with them all night but Mamma Mia was waiting. I tubed back to the hostel after the show and settled into my top bunk. With ear plugs and a sleep mask on.
Day 2: I had breakfast in Nottinghill and then walked to Oxford Circus and got a blow out at Top Shop. Then I walked from there all the way to Tower bridge, with a stop at Borough Market. It was such a beautiful walk. Food trucks, buskers, lots of people. It was a great day. Then I took the tube to Shoreditch to the Cereal cafe which was a must on my food list.
Went out that night with my friend Caroline and her roomates and then headed to bed for an early morning wake up to catch the train.
My first train rain experience was awesome. London to Brussels, then Brussels to Bruge. I figured it all out ok and got to my air bnb with no hiccups. The place was beautiful. I could have lived there. I hopped the included bike rental and headed into town.
My jaw literally dropped at the beauty of this town. I couldn’t even believe how quaint and lovely it was. I had a delicious dinner alone, and went to a brewery to try some Belgian Beer afterwards. It was so good!
The whole second day I combed the streets on feet, eating, drinking, shopping, and then biked the whole perimeter. I was exhausted by 6pm so I went back to the house for Netflix and toast and Nutella.
The following day I took 7 trains to get from Bruges to Bad Wildbad in Germany. I had a lot of help and I made it.
Our house in Bad Wildbad was up a mountain, so getting my suitcase up there was an awful occurrence. I did have some help thankfully.
I was attending the Midwifery Today International Midwife and Doula Conference.
Wednesday was a full day of Spinning Babies training which is all about positioning for optimal comfort for mom and baby. I learned so much in this day. I stayed with 4 midwives from my city and I also learned a ton from them when we were all hanging out during lunches and back at the house.
Thursday we all took the day to adventure in our sweet little town. We took a funicular up to a tree top adventure with a slide, and visited a suspension bridge. It was perfect weather and a wonderful day outside.
Thursday we also went to the nude co-Ed spa for the first time and pushed ourselves waaay out of our comfort zones. It was transformative to be naked in front of so many strangers. Like its just a body. Its not big deal!
We went every day to the spa. It was relaxing and we all had great, vulnerable conversations in there.
Friday and Saturday were full days of workshops about ’Doula Marketing’ and ‘The physiology of birth’.
I did learn a lot at these two, but also was impressed with what I did know.
Sunday I had to head to Frankfurt, then one night in iceland and then home.
It was an amazing adventure. I enjoyed every minute of it. It felt so good to navigate on my own, and make my own decisions for what I wanted to do with my time. I did absolutely miss my husband and kids but they wete all just fine without me. The world goes on.
I cant wait to go on my next solo trip!
Where would you go??!