This summer I ventured out into Europe for two weeks, starting in France, followed by Hungary, Spain and Portugal. Throughout the trip I managed to do a variety of activities, see some incredible locations and try out so much new food!
I must say my most favourite countries were France and Portugal as they were such beautiful countries with so much to do. In Paris, I managed to visit the classics: the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Sacre-Coeur and even get on a train to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes. These were all stunning places to see and it was very interesting to learn about their histories too.
I surely saved the best till the end as Portugal is a country I am sure to visit again. The weather was amazing and by this point a friend from college had joined me, which made the experience even more incredible. We spent the first day exploring the old town in Lisbon and tried out the famous pastel de nata: a Portugese custard tart. We spent the next day travelling to Sintra, a resort town in the foothills of Portugal’s Sintra Mountains, studded with pastel-coloured villas and palaces. It was hard work climbing the hills but the views from the top made it all worthwhile.
The day finished perfectly with a speedboat sunset tour back in Lisbon. Throughout our trip, we also visited a number of beaches near Lisbon, including Carcavelos and Cascais – these beaches are a must if you are travelling to Lisbon.
Overall, I had an amazing two weeks travelling around Europe and it sure pushed me out my comfort zone to plan and execute the trip myself. It took a lot of organisation but being able to immerse myself in the different cultures made this trip an unforgettable experience.
Mohanja Ketheeswaran
Science