Abby's Adventures: A Recap of My Travels While Living Abroad

I am so grateful to have had the chance to travel during my year living abroad. I solo traveled to a lot of places, which taught me a lot about myself and being comfortable with my own company. 14 countries and 24 cities later, I wanted to reflect on all the places I have visited with short recaps of the things I saw and did in each place.

Madrid, Spain

In a rowboat on the pond at Parque del Retiro with my roomie Alyssa

I have LOVED living in Madrid. In terms of sightseeing, the Royal Palace, National Cathedral, and El Retiro Park are my favorites. Other than that, there isn't much to do besides sit at a bar and talk with friends, which draws no complaints from me. I enjoy the more relaxed pace of life here. I also feel like my Spanish has improved a lot with more opportunities to practice.

Toledo, Spain: September 15, 2024

Alyssa and I climbed the tower at the Church of San Ildefonso for an amazing view of the city

My first trip was a day trip to Toledo with my roommate, Alyssa. Toledo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its over 2,000 years of history since Roman times. I enjoyed seeing religious buildings from the three religions of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism all coexisting in one place.

Porto, Portugal: October 5-7, 2024

In front of the Luis I Bridge over the Douro River

My first trip outside of Spain, for Alyssa's birthday. It rained most of the trip, but the city was still beautiful. I had lots of pastel de nata, a typical pastry, and port wine, a sweet red wine produced in the region. I enjoyed seeing the colorful ceramic tiles around the city.

Barcelona, Spain: October 25-27, 2024

Outside of the Sagrada Familia

I went to Barcelona with a large group of friends. The Sagrada Familia was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen, and the Picasso Museum was cool. However, compared to other cities I have visited in Spain, I found Barcelona to be a bit overrated.

Segovia, Spain: November 2, 2024

The Aqueduct of Segovia

Segovia was another day trip that Alyssa and I did together. It has a Roman aqueduct and the Alcázar of Segovia, a castle that is said to be an inspiration for Cinderella's castle.

London, UK: November 16-18, 2024

Big Ben and a perfectly timed red double decker

My first solo trip! (Kind of). I went to London to visit my friend Maddie and my dad's cousin Jenny and her family. I loved learning about the history of the Tower of London, having a proper afternoon tea, and seeing a few Harry Potter sites.

Berlin, Germany: December 23-26, 2024

The Berlin Cathedral

I went to Berlin during Christmas to see some of the Christmas markets. I would like to go back to Germany at some point during Christmas for the markets in Nuremberg and Munich, which are supposed to be some of the best. I had Indian food for Christmas dinner with some Canadians I met at my hostel. Seeing various WWII sites was also very interesting.

Prague, Czech Republic: December 26-28, 2024

Christmas market in the Old Town Square

My next stop on my Christmas break trip was Prague, also mainly for the Christmas market. I would describe the city as cozy and quaint. I wish I had taken more time to learn about its history.

Vienna, Austria: December 28-31, 2024

The Vienna Opera House

The final stop on my Christmas break trip: Vienna. I met up with Alyssa there, and we went ice skating. I loved going inside the Austrian National Library. However, I was a bit disappointed by Vienna. Vienna is known for being expensive. However, in other places I have visited that are known for being expensive, I was still able to enter a lot of museums and see the main sites for reasonable prices. Vienna felt prohibitively expensive, and a lot of the museums didn't have time slots open anyway. I may go back at some point with more money and better planning.

Paris, France: January 18-20, 2025

Musée de l'Orangerie with permanent collections of Claude Monet's Water Lily paintings

Paris was one of my favorite trips and definitely lived up to the hype for me. I was exhausted because there are so many things to see and the city is gigantic, so I was on my feet without a break pretty much the whole time I was there. A lot of countries in Europe have discounts at their museums for young people under 25, meaning I got to see the Louvre, Versailles, and two other museums completely for free. As a fan of Monet and impressionist art, I was in heaven.

Copenhagen, Denmark: January 31-February 3, 2025

Colorful waterfront known as Nyhavn

Copenhagen was gorgeous and convinced me of the desperate need for bike-friendly cities in the U.S. I saw the famous colorful canal houses, a beautiful university library, and an art museum where I got to make my own tile out of clay.

Malmö, Sweden: February 1, 2025

Malmö's Town Hall

While in Copenhagen, I found out there is a bridge connecting Denmark and Sweden. So, I took a day trip to Malmö, primarily to cross another country off my list. Malmö didn't have a whole lot to do, but the Malmöhus Castle turned museum was interesting. I learned about how the museum was briefly used as a refugee center for concentration camp survivors at the end of WWII.

Tangier, Morocco: February 14-17, 2025

At a cafe for breakfast with a view of the sea

My friend, David, came to visit me in Spain, and then we went to Morocco to visit our friend Patrick who was studying there. We all met up in Tangier, along with Alyssa and our other roommate Marwa, who is from Morocco. The Moroccan people were very hospitable everywhere we went, and the food was amazing. There were also cats everywhere! I am, however, glad I did not solo this trip, and I would not recommend visiting Morocco alone as a woman. Random men in the streets stared and catcalled, and Marwa told us that Tangier is actually one of the better cities in Morocco when it comes to this. I did still really enjoy the trip and would love to see more of Morocco.

Bilbao, Spain: February 28-March 3, 2025

Bilbao's Guggenheim Museum

I wanted to start seeing more of Spain, so I went to the Basque Country in the north. Bilbao is known for having the Guggenheim Museum, specifically for the shape of the building itself. The art on the inside was just as weird as the outside in the best way possible.

Dublin and Cork, Ireland: March 15-18, 2025

The Guinness Brewery on St. Patrick's Day

Blarney Castle

I went to Ireland for my 23rd birthday trip. It has been on my bucket list for a while to spend my St. Patrick's Day birthday in Ireland at least once. I landed in Dublin and did some sightseeing, including St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was, however, very expensive to stay in Dublin for the whole weekend, so I took a bus to Cork and stayed there for a few nights. Cork is close to Blarney Castle, so I visited and kissed the Blarney Stone. Then, I went back to Dublin on the 17th to celebrate my birthday. I was a huge fan of the live music in various Irish pubs. I didn't have a hostel to stay in, so when I was done celebrating, I went straight to the airport to catch my 6am flight.

Zurich, Switzerland: March 29-31, 2025

At the top of Uetliberg

Zurich was beautiful. I could see the Alps in the distance while standing at the edge of Lake Zurich. I climbed a mountain called Uetliberg to get a better view. I also went to the Kunsthaus Museum (more impressionist art, yay!) and saw a show at the Zurich Opera House.

Sevilla, Spain: April 5-7, 2025

Plaza de España with Alyssa

Sevilla was probably my favorite city I visited in Spain. I went on a girls trip with three of my friends. We visited the Alcázar of Sevilla, a former Moorish fortress and current official residence of the Spanish royal family. From 711 to 1492, much of Spain was known as Al-Andalus and ruled by different Muslim states. A lot of the architectural history from this period can still be seen today, especially in Andalucía in the south of Spain. We also visited the Plaza de España, which was used as a filming location in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones! I sadly missed out on seeing the Cathedral as there were no open time slots left.

Málaga, Spain: May 2-5, 2025

I did some sightseeing in Málaga, but to be completely honest, I mainly went for the beach. I had just run a marathon the weekend before, so a beach getaway was my reward. I ate lots of seafood on this trip, including octopus for the first time! On my last day, I went to the Alcazaba, a medieval Moorish fortress. I also went to the Picasso Museum, which was cool because Picasso is from Málaga.

Córdoba, Spain: May 17-19, 2025

One of the courtyards I saw

I happened to schedule my trip to Córdoba during the end of the Festival of the Patios, a yearly competition where residents decorate their courtyards with tons of flowers. The festival is recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Heritage of Humanity. I also got to see one of the most beautiful buildings I have seen on all my trips: the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba.

Valencia, Spain: June 7-9, 2025

Outside the Valencia Cathedral

Valencia is known for being the birthplace of paella, so of course I had some while I was there. I learned that seafood is actually not a traditional paella ingredient and became popular later. The most traditional form of Valencian paella includes chicken, rabbit, and vegetables. For sightseeing, I went to the beach and visited the Valencia Cathedral, which is said to house the Holy Chalice used by Jesus at the Last Supper.

Amsterdam, Netherlands: June 14-16, 2025

One of the many canals in the city, with Basilica of St. Nicholas in the background

Amsterdam was probably my favorite trip overall. The canals are beautiful. Similar to Copenhagen, I loved how easy it was to bike around the city. I visited the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, the Anne Frank House, and the WWII Dutch Resistance Museum. While walking around the city, I passed a tattoo shop and impulsively got a tattoo to mark my travels.

Milan, Italy: June 23-25, 2025

Outside the Duomo

Pasta is my favorite food, so I greatly enjoyed eating my way around the city. I had lots of carbonara, risotto, tiramisu, and Aperol spritzes. I visited the Duomo, Milan's cathedral, which is one of the largest churches in the world. I got to climb a tower and actually walk around the roof of the cathedral.

Lake Como, Italy: June 25-27, 2025

Villa del Balbaniello

The natural beauty of Lake Como was breathtaking. It felt like I was on another planet. Speaking of which, the Villa del Balbaniello on Lake Como was also used as a filming site in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones for Padme's home on Naboo. So naturally, I visited my second Star Wars location of my travels. I swam a little, but unfortunately it rained during my second day there, killing my plan of kayaking around the lake.

Future Travel Plans

As I am about to begin law school in September, I will be cutting back on international travel for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, I would like to hit more of the national parks in the United States, especially out west. When I have the chance to travel abroad again, I want to go to various countries in Latin America, specifically Mexico, Peru, and Colombia. I would like to see more of Eastern Europe, especially Greece and Hungary. Türkiye, Egypt, and Japan are also high on my list.