Quick Euro girls trip
Four days. Two cities.
How to make the most of a quick trip to Europe!
One of my best friends for over 20 years, whom I affectionately call Little Babe, came to visit me in London this week! It was her first time in Europe, but she could only escape from her family for four days. #MomLife
This is what I learned about how to make the most of a short trip abroad:
Walk as much as possible
Have one pre-planned activity per day to work around
Make dinner reservations
Play the rest by ear!
1 — Most cities in Europe are very walkable. We met in London and spent three days in the city then hopped on a quick plane to Amsterdam for a night. Due to the Tube strike (an unforeseeable circumstance) the city’s traffic was 10x worse than usual! We walked 11 miles that day. Ditching the idea of a taxi and walking over an hour each way to our afternoon destination. But we saw SO many iconic sights (by day and night) along the way.
2 — If you have one big reservation/highlight you want to see a day, it’s easier to plan around. Our afternoon destination that day was afternoon high tea! My friend booked a lovely high tea reservation for us at the moody and luxurious Bvgarli Hotel. Highlight: the life-changing scones and clotted cream with strawberry vanilla jelly!
3 —Our pre-planned activity the next day, was the Lizzo concert at the infamous O2 Arena. It was so SPECIAL (her aptly named tour!) So we booked a dinner reservation at Gaucho, one of the best restaurants at the O2. It was perfect since it was so crowded with concert-goers. We sat right away and strutted in with the company of other sparkly dressed Lizzo fans.
4 — With lots of tourists competing to see the biggest sights, and eat and drink at all the best places, you have to put on your patient cap. Sometimes Plan A turns into Plan C and that’s okay. Highly recommend a flexible travel buddy for the best experience. My Little Babe is an incredible travel companion!
Bonus tip: Her idea to fly into one city and out of another, gave her the opportunity to experience a different city - even if it was just for a night. We made the most of our less than 24 hours in Amsterdam together by making a dinner reservation and walking through the city to it.
We also had time to have a drink at the incredible A’DAM lookout before (pictured above). She got the taste of another cultural experience and then sadly for me, headed back home. But it was the best time! I’ll be traveling for four more weeks solo now. So talk more soon :)
