Being on the continent of Europe was enough for me to just praise God, but it was a bigger blessing to actually be able to visit multiple countries and have an immersive experience. I must say the most surprising thing being abroad was how cheap it was to fly intra-Europe. My Goodness, in the states you pay an arm and leg to fly from the East Coast to the West, but in Europe it can cost as little as 20 dollars to fly to the next country! God bless Europe.

After months of planning, I finally purchased my trip to Sweden, which would be my very first country out of the states that I would visit.

Want to Know my secret? I became friends with Ryan. You know? RyanAir? Do you know him? Well, you should. Ryan will forever have a place in my heart because without him, my ass would have been broken hearted and with broken pockets...The only odd thing is that Ryan air does not usually land in major airports so I had to pay for some extra transportation to some of my destinations, but that was ok with me since I was in the exploring mood.

I spent about a month in Europe and it so happened that I was able to spend roughly a week in each country that I visited. I was blessed to be able to stay with family members so I did not have to deal with AirBnb's or hotels. That also gave me extreme flexibility to travel to other countries.

Sweden was the primary country that I visited. It was a special trip for me because not only because it was my first European country visited, but because I got to see my brother who I hadn't seen in years as well as get to meet my nieces and my sister-in-law, Tina, for the first time. If you are interested in reading more about this trip, read my blog post on the days I spent there.

My brother, "boots" (nickname) lived about two hours from the airport... I know far. I wasn't aware of how far the commute was so I kind of relied on him to take me to and from the airport. That was something that I definitely regretted because I had to travel to the airport about three times during the course of staying with them and I just felt bad for inconveniencing them. (Sorry, but thank you Boots & Tina!) So if I go back, I will definitely find a way to maneuver my way around-- probably find a way to Uber or taxi.

I did not ride any of the transportation systems in Sweden, aside from that. I spent a majority of the time in the country-side, traveling by car with my the family.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Sorry I just had to scream. This trip was by far my favorite out of the entire experience. I had been wanting to visit Greece since I watched the Sisterhood of Traveling Pants 2 in middle school. This trip corresponded perfectly with my schedule and actually happened to be a bonus trip for me.

Tina travels to Greece for a European style "holiday" every year and this particular Summer 2015, she was traveling during the time that I visited. Tina explained that there was an extra ticket on her flight to Crete and if I would like to join them. I COULDN'T SAY NO!

Literally, it felt perfectly into my plans.

I think the price was roughly $300 roundtrip from Sweden. We spent a week in Crete and took a one day trip to Santorini. The day excursion, via boat, was only about $100 roundtrip and it was perfect.

We returned from Greece around the 8th of June and I was back in the air traveling to visit my other brother, GG (Yes, another nickname) in Dusseldorf, Germany on June 11th. I paid about 967 SEK (Swedish currency) for the trip which calculates to be around $109. Can you believe it!? A hundred dollars... to travel to GERMANY. In America, a hundred dollars might get me to Richmond via flight from DC, probably not even that.

I hopped on a flygplan and landed in Dusseldorf Weeze airport. From there I took an express bus to the city of Dusseldorf where my brother and his girlfriend, Carolyne live.

My brother lives in an extremely great location because I did not have to take public transportation at all. In fact, I could walk everywhere and I did! For more details on this trip, check out my article on my experience. I had such a beautiful time bonding with my brother and his girlfriend, they are the CUTEST little couple and they travel everywhere all the time! Definitely #couplegoals.

I spend about 5 days there and on June 16th I was off to London, the last leg of my trip. Guess what, I only paid $62. It just so happened that GG and Caroline were also traveling to London so I had some company.

I booked a trip to London from Dusseldorf on June 16th and got to England, Stansted airport. I took the Stansted Express $23 (18 pounds) to Tottenham Hale stop, which was actually a very positive experience. The trains are so much cleaner than in America and the seats were very comfortable. It was great getting to see the country side as well. When I got to Tottenham Hale stop, I was able to then transfer to the underground (aka "the tube" aka London's metro/subway). I bought an Oyster Card and placed a weekly pass on it.

While there ,my weekly pass actually also enabled me to travel on and off the double decker buses in addition to the tube, which was perfect because I traveled everywhere on that pass. I would just sit on the bus and site see myself. It was the most perfect experience for me.

While I was there, my cousin and I decided to travel to Bath. She graciously paid for me because at that time the pounds were crushing me! (Thanks, Cous). We traveled on the railroad system a couple of hours to Bath and it couldn't have been a better day trip. I enjoyed it so much visiting the roman baths and witnessing the history and architecture.

I need to go back....

Sadly, England was the last leg of my tour, so June 23rd, I headed back to Sweden for my Remaining week in the Europe. This single fair was the most expensive fair, at about $131.

So, hopefully that paints a little bit of a picture of how my trips worked out for me. It seemed a little like divine intervention because I spent a good week in each country ( little more in Sweden) totaling up a month in Europe and I got to see and experience so many different opportunities. I love traveling and I love Europe even more.

This trip was even more special because I got to spend time with family that I don't get to see on a usual basis and that was a priceless opportunity.

I can't wait until my next adventure, and for you to come along with me!

Safe travels until then.

XO,

ckingdesireée

Feb 8, 2025

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