Introvert Talks - Travel Reflections From A 200km Walk In Europe

"Introvert Talks" is meant to be a new initiative or theme, where I myself as an introvert, just talk about reflections and thoughts about my life, or maybe share more personal stuff. :)

This is my weekly post under this "Introvert Talks" theme and let's see where it takes me and us.

---

I'm back!

I took a break from Hive mainly because I went for a trip which spanned 18 days, and I actually amazed myself by covering more than 200km by foot (278,600 steps!) across the 18 days!

For context, I am not usually this active given my desk bound day job and I am not very fit given issues with my knee (have gone for physiotherapy previously) so this was a positive surprise and achievement for me personally. You can see the "proof" screenshot on my app and I have tabulated the stats in the table below.

So where did I go?

There is actually a back story behind this trip. My friend and I planned this trip a few years back and it was supposed to take place in Apr 2020, but as most of you would know, Covid 19 pandemic came and we had to cancel the trip due to all the travel restrictions and health advisories. So we planned for this trip in 2025 and it finally materialised!

We first flew all the way to Istanbul, Turkey. It was supposed to be a transit before we flew to Europe but due to unforeseen circumstances, our flight timings were adjusted and we ended up having an extra day in Istanbul, so we took a bus to the city for some sightseeing! This was not in our itinerary so it's quite interesting how we turned something "unfortunate" into a positive experience! And here's the famous Blue Mosque!

Then we flew to Paris, France to see the famous Effiel Tower and of course many other attractions. Paris as expected was very touristy and all the tourist attractions were very crowded, and we didn't manage to get tickets for some of the attractions (e.g. Notre Dame Cathedral), but we can still take photos outside. (This isn't a travel post, so I won't spam all the photos that I have taken. Stay tuned for that! Hehe!)

Then we flew to Nice, France. We were looking for a second city to France to visit and I picked Nice because it was near somewhere which I wanted to visit. I didn't have any expectations coming here but I really enjoyed myself at Nice. It was less touristy, and we hiked all the way to the hill top, and the views were amazing! I didn't expect myself to walk so much in Nice!

We made a day trip to Monaco from Nice. It's the home of the F1 street racing! I have watched and followed F1 during my younger days and I am sure Monaco has a special place in every F1 fan's heart. It was really nice to be able to see Monaco and the race track, but I didn't expect the terrain in Monaco to be so hilly and challenging! There were so many stairs! But it's because of the terrain, we managed to get ourselves to a high vantage point for this view.

The journey continued as we flew from Nice to Rome, Italy. As you can see, it's the same as Paris, equally crowded in all the tourist attractions. Fortunately, we managed to get tickets to get into Colosseum and I must say I was awed by all these historical structures, and it's understandable why everyone was there to admire these buildings.

Of course, when one is in Rome, a must visit is the Vatican City. It was exceptionally crowded and I wasn't sure if it was because it was during the selection of the new Pope. The museums were definitely worth visiting!

Our final stop was Milan, Italy. We took a train from Rome, which took about 4 hours. The most stand out attraction had to be Duomo di Milano. We managed to get tickets to enter the cathedral and head up to the rooftop for some amazing views.

---

This was definitely the longest leisure trip that I have taken, spanning 18 days including all the flight times. Prior to this trip, I have only stepped foot in Europe twice, once in London due to a work trip, and a few hours in Frankfurt airport due to a transit flight.

This trip opened my eyes to so many different cities in Europe, from big cities in France and Italy and smaller countries like Monaco and Vatican City. While majority of the itinerary were the tourist attractions and shopping, we also got to sample some of their local cuisines. And being a desserts person, I would definitely miss the gelato! Especially the ones at Venchi!

I was also slightly surprised that the cost of living in these major cities are pretty high as well. As much as we "complain" about the rising cost of living in my country, it's not too different in these major cities. To put in perspective, one bus/metro ride in Singapore can cost around SGD 2 (~EUR 1.40), which is still lower than Paris (EUR 2.50), Milan (EUR 2.20), Rome (EUR 1.50). A Venti-sized Iced Matcha latte at Starbucks in Singapore cost SGD 8.70 (~EUR 6), and it's lower than Paris (EUR 7.25) but higher than Rome (EUR 5.50). Of course, that said, the branded stuff were definitely much much cheaper because the luxury brands are based in Europe.

Having covered 200km this entire trip without major issues, it made me realise my fitness has improved, thanks to my deliberate activity to prioritise my health and increase my physical activity this year (post). It definitely was a personal achievement for me and it gives me more encouragement to continue to prioritise my health and build my stamina.

Finally, time waits for no man. While hiking the hills and descending the stairs, I felt thankful that I could make this journey at this relatively young age. It made me wonder if I could do the same activities if this trip took place 5 or 10 years down the road. Sometimes, it's not healthy to procrastinate too much, and we should make the most of our current time.

Before I end this (long) entry, I know what's on your mind. How much did I spend on this trip? It's definitely costly considering the flights, hotels, and the meals over these 18 days, and I am thankful that I have the opportunity to tap on my hard earned savings for such once in a lifetime trips like these. And for this reason, this trip is one of the memorable ones. In the meantime, it's back to get some rest (nursing a cough after the trip) and resuming my work and usual routine.

If you have made it all the way to the end, thanks for reading. I didn't plan to write this long, but my thoughts just overflowed... Haha. Alright, see you in the next post on Introvert Talks!