Europe: The Land Of Self-Discovery Essay -- Personal Narrative Travel

Europe: The Land Of Self-Discovery Every person has, in the course of his or her life, experienced some event that can be identified as life changing. This event can be an emotional enlightenment or a physical change that alters one’s mindset. Such a clarifying incident can happen at any time. However, I believe that such an event might not occur during the first eighteen years of a person’s life. Lucky for me, I have had an experience that I believe changed my outlook on life. The summer before my freshman year in college I went on a seven-week backpacking trip throughout the European continent. I visited ten different countries during the course of my trip, and each country, changed me in a certain way. Some countries made more of an impact than others, but each had enough significance so as to make a noticeable change. In this essay I will outline what I experienced in each country and what that country did to change my outlook on life, and I will explain to the reader why I belie ve that this trip would have a similar impact on each and every one of them. The first country that I visited was Great Britain. My two friends and I stayed in London, which is the largest city in Great Britain. When I first got to Great Britain I did not see much of a difference between it and the United States. Everyone there spoke the same language as me, and it seemed as if the culture was influenced heavily by the United States. However, first impressions can be deceiving because I would come to learn that Great Britain had a great deal to offer. My little group set out to learn everything about London. We visited local landmarks and museums. All in all, I think that London had the aura of a larg... ...eled to Madrid and Seville. Seville has the third largest church in Europe, and this church was built on the remnants of a mosque after the Christians had burned it down. I thought everything in these two cities was amazing. I would say that Spain introduced me to a whole to concept of life; the idea that one should party till four in the morning and just nap the next day. All in all, I think that Europe changed my outlook on life. I used to think that I would want to live in a huge city, but after being in huge cities and comparing them with smaller cities that I know I no know that I want to live in a small town. I would also love to live abroad for a period of time in my life. I think that everyone should go on a trip covering a foreign land. It is a way to realize what is important to you in life, and will always be a memorable experience.