Bicoastal Euro Trip
Joie de vivre
I felt like I was becoming a bit too San Francisco. So I texted Ajay, “Euro ski trip?”
My favorite trait in him is that he’s usually down to do stuff, so he said yes.
We had to work around some schedules (and geography), so skiing had to be sacrificed. But we booked the tickets, and before I knew it, I was on a plane to London.
When I arrived at Heathrow, I took the Tube (Pronounced Cheewb, the London Metro) to my friend Muskaan’s apartment, who graciously hosted me during my stay there.
English Breakfasts, Fish and Chips, (too many) Pints of Guinness, runs on the Thames, and defending America’s honor among British Loyalists was how I filled my days. Before I knew it was New Year's Eve.
Muskaan is popular and cool so she brought me to an incredibly European potluck. Everyone was white but had hard-to-pronounce names, an exciting first for me. After I finally got the pronunciations down I marveled at the excitement with which the Euros popped onto the balcony for a smoke break; a stark contrast to the typical American gathering where hitting a strawberry guava juul mid-conversation is the status quo. It was a potluck, so I got to try Spanish tortillas, a Belgian-style pasta, an Argentinian dessert, and the lasagna that me and Muskaan (mostly Muskaan) knocked out of the park.
Ethan, the Spaniard with the only easy-to-pronounce name, brought 12 grapes for everyone so we could celebrate the new year Spanish style, popping all of them into our mouths before the clock hit 12. We marveled at the fireworks which went off against a backdrop of an unobstructed view of the Tower Bridge and the Shard.
At 1AM, it was time to go to the club. Crazy I know.
I spent the remainder of my time in London recovering and visiting war museums. Holy shit, “We (Americans), really saved their (Europeans) ass”, I would often think to myself as I walked through the exhibits.
Time to check out that place where Hitler got his pfp taken.
Bonjour!
I spent one day solo in Paris, and it was weird. Alone with my thoughts and journal I profusely wrote down all the observations I had in the city of lights. My college roommate Aiden happened to be in Paris at the same time; we linked up and defended America’s honor, at a funky bar in the La Marais neighborhood. The Lebanese Owner wore a funcky hat, a vintage Lacoste hoodie, and had a (lit) cigarette in his mouth most of the time.
The next day, Ajay arrived. I pulled out my journal and poured out all my observations to him.
The Europeans are hotter than Americans
The food is very fresh
The prices are the same as in America, yet the salaries are not. How do French people afford this?
Everyone is studying ‘Asset Management’
All the people spending money are white. Service workers are POC.
The trains are fkn amazing.
We pondered them together and came up with an oversimplified explanation for each one.
The normies are out in the suburbs, and the hot people hang out in the city center. To confirm our hypothesis we went to the suburbs, bought a beer, sat at a park, and observed. Yup, we were right. Our hostel was in the French equivalent of the Marina, the West Village, or West Hollywood. Europeans aren’t hotter, it’s just that rich people (everywhere) are hotter.
Yeah, it is fresh nothing to add.
Colonial Wealth? We have no data to back this up.
Servicing said Colonial wealth? Again we have no data to back.
Colonial wealth? (to a man with a hammer every problem is a nail)]
Colonial wealth? (Joking. Probably just good governance, and denser zoning)
Off to Berlin!
Super cool city. I’d describe it as the Brooklyn of Europe. Germany came off as an advanced, efficient, and high trust society. No fare gates on trains, cheaper prices than Paris and London, commonsense governance, all set in a historic place that somehow wove in both a Soviet and Western vibe. Som other observations: fantastic clubbing, Aussie travelers everywhere, and some version of sausage for every meal.
I’m back in San Francisco now, and I am so happy I took this trip. It’s gonna be something that I remember for the rest of my life. I’m finally in the experiences over things camp. Exposing yourself to new stimuli, especially as a young person is invaluable. Gonna make an effort to do this as often as possible, I’d urge you to do the same.
Take Care,
Rajveer
been waiting for this one