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i went to europe over the summer on this ambassador tour type thing sponsored by my school - best freaking experience ever. i live in an area in the us with zero public transportation and shitty overall walkability so going to big cities in Europe was a huge game changer.
i visited England, France, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. absolutely stacked lineup alone, but the tour had us drop down in big cities and small towns where we basically never took transportation unless we were going from country to country. we walked honestly probably 5+ miles every single day, ate bomb ass meals 3 times a day alongside little snacks and sweet treats we'd pick up. i lost like 5 pounds !! in two weeks !! and i was eating like a king the whole trip, it's crazy how getting ur steps in makes such a huge difference. and everything was always right around the corner, the drugstores and gas stations were STACKED, and don't even get me started on the trinket shops and restaurants. the big cities were so awesome, London and Paris were obviously worth the hype and fantastic to navigate around by foot, but i have so much love for the small towns we dropped down in elsewhere. we were up in the alps in Switzerland and Austria and all the people were fantastic. so homey, accommodating, and they had so many cool spas !! germany was even better, tiny town with insane charm and culture, i bought the most beautiful handmade Christmas ornament there made by the kindest german lady. don't even get me started on the food. but I'm just saying, walkable cities help u take it all in. i felt so present everywhere i went, i had so much to look at and there was always something to do at every corner. i feel like visiting unwalkable cities almost limits urself to a strict itinerary since u have to plan based on each individual place or activity u decide to go to. get off that damn bus and walk around ! it's so nice and u basically get all ur exercise in for the whole day and probably more. however summer in Germany was kind of diabolical when we were there it felt like i was entering a sauna every time i stepped foot outside. besides that the weather in other places is usually pretty fair and nice ! take advantage and go go go, even if ur not vacationing - lots of places can be walkable if u try hard enough (unless u live in like the midwest or in a farm town). i miss the falafel i had in Germany :(
Mar 25, 2025
Related Recs
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new york (greatest place on earth, still feels like home even though i haven’t lived there in almost 2 years. has everything. best part is brooklyn)
london (where i live now, unique in that it’s got most everything new york does but bc it’s way bigger there’s so many peaceful pockets. weather sucks ass though, transit is really expensive, and the size works against it for walkability at times. best part is southeast)
los angeles (driving is fun, weather is perfect, so many good places to eat, nice to be in space. traffic and size do get to be a pain in the ass though. best part is east/northeast)
berlin (the new york of europe with worse weather and probably even nicer people. plus much cheaper. i like east but need to spend more time in diff areas)
oakland (i grew up in berkeley. most underrated city there is. so beautiful, always has cool people doing cool shit. you prob need a car though and it’s highly dependent on who you know. best area is probably somewhere near the lake but not on the downtown side)
paris (used to live there. overrated for sure, whole city is beige + everyone stinks + a lot of mean people all up in each others business + super slow unaware walkers, but on holiday it’s easier to just enjoy the beauty and there’s so many good restaurants. great biking city too. feels the least like a big city of the tier 1 spots. best part is where 11e and 20e meet near belleville)
prague (so beautiful, so cheap, people are so nice, great food, literally the only thing is weather and language barrier at times)
Apr 18, 2024
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Paris. You need to know a person or two there and it's a high learning curve but it's really lovely and fairly cheap for how big a city it is
Prague. So underrated. I don't remember much because I was quite drunk when I was there but it was really beautiful and the people were really nice
Kauai. Not supposed to go there I hear but I went in 2014 and I think about it all the time it's incredible. So beautiful and so remote at same time
London. Also need to know people here. But it's such a nice place in the summer. Really beautiful parks and a lot of peace in such a big city
Los Angeles. Also need to know people. And need car. But great food great weather quite peaceful for a big city
Bay Area. Need a car. But some of the most beautiful beaches and outdoor spaces in the world around the bay for real
Yosemite. I'm not a big outdoors guy I only go for maybe 2 days when I do but it's so beautiful out there
Berlin. Super free place, everyone kinda just doing their thing and not giving much of a fuck about what anyone else thinks which I loved. Cheap for a big city. If you wanna drink great beer and be on bullshit with some friends going out and stuff it doesn't get any better
Jun 25, 2024
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Traveling as a disabled person is really quite daunting for a lot of reasons, mostly because of accessibility versus inaccessibility in countries outside of the US (most of the US itself outside of NYC is painfully inaccessible). Last year during fashion month in September was my first time traveling to Europe – I went to Milan with my dad and my agent and I had like, the absolute best time ever. Much to my surprise. I love Europe! I know every country has its nuances and its things going on that’s really important to actually understanding that country, but just to have a pleasant experience in terms of being a physically disabled trans woman who is Black in a new country like that, was really relieving and exhilarating. I even made a dear friend who is a fellow trans woman while being in Milan for that time. The Duomo was extremely lively, and I found out that I really like aperol spritzes and gelato. Their pasta is also simply elite. I hope this isn’t controversial to say in any way but I love England just as much as well! I have been able to be there the past two months for some very special experiences - included being able to speak and debate at the Oxford Union, at Oxford University! Everyone has been incredibly sweet and I love my modeling agency and my agents out there. I really love chips. Completely obsessed with chips… and I really enjoyed going to the Tate for the first time with my best friend and his boyfriend!
Apr 10, 2023
Top Recs from @ikhk5087
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i'm in community college rn, i had a rough time in high school so i figured id do two catchup/gen ed years before finishing up my degree at a 4 year. we all know its college app season/college result season and oh my god guys i keep seeing these high schoolers shooting for 8% acceptance rate universities and not settling for anything less. like i get it, i do. but am i the only one whos seeing an uptick of kids just applying places just to say they got in ? i feel like i ask a lot of these people about what they want to do/what they're passionate about and why they're majoring in what they're majoring in and they just give me a blank stare. can we PLEASE normalize saving money and taking your time ? you have the rest of your life to work and be miserable paying taxes and pulling your weight at a 9-5. there's literally no shame in community, and I'm so sick and tired of people thinking there is. if you don't know what you want to do, you're allowed to take the time to get there. it's honestly worse to settle on a mediocre major that you don't particularly like just to get your degree faster and say you graduated on time. high school really doesn't give you the time to decide these things so once you reach adulthood it's your responsibility to allocate your time towards it. i really want to see more kids soul searching in a meaningful and responsible way. and if you know what you wanna do and you got into your 8% acceptance rate dream school, more power to you. I'm just saying that seeing a case like that is rare these days and people deserve the time to think and absorb their new responsibilities.
Mar 19, 2025
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avid peppermint tea fan. i operate on a nervous stomach and overactive nervous system - peppermint tea is my saving grace basically. however trader joes put out "candy cane" peppermint tea bags that are seasonal only so i can't find them anymore :( other brands just sort of taste medicinal. not that that's a problem for me since i don't drink it so much for flavor but i actually liked the taste of their packets. i used my last one today. rip. good drink tho
UPDATE I HAVE ANOTHER PACK !! WOO HOO
Mar 10, 2025
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i'm so serious this song is actually insanely catchy. not my choice genre of music but gaga has this magical countenance to her where she literally never misses and always ends up putting out something culturally significant.
I COULD BE YOUR TYPE FROM YOUR ZOMBIE BITE !!
Mar 12, 2025