studentsineurope

Latest, Best, Worst and Next: Megan Eaves

A pint of Guinness at the Gravity Bar overlooking Dublin's Fair City

Latest: My most recent European excursion took me to Switzerlandwhile traveling from one home in Ireland to another in China. As my first Swiss experience, this mere overnight stopover in Zurich was quite simply not enough. We had terrible weather – slushy, snowy, wintry and cold – which felt completely apropos for a March visit to Switzerland. My (then) boyfriend (now husband) was sick with a throat infection, limiting our experience even further. Nonetheless, we managed to check out some of Zurich’s coolest sites, such as the Grossmünster, a 12th-century cathedral founded by Charlemagne. I definitely want to go back to Switzerland to explore castles and go skiing.

Best: My heart does and always will belong to Ireland. The first time I visited the Emerald Isle was a backpacking trip with my best friend about 7 years ago, and at that time, I had a love at first sight experience with Connemara, the most rugged, western region of Ireland. I still love Connemara, but the year and a half I spent studying in Dublin between the last two years solidified my adoration of Dublin, a city that takes time to get used to. While my love affair with Connemara was instantaneous, it’s with Dublin that I have a steamy, simmering and altogether long lasting committed relationship. My favorite Dublin experience? Among so many, it has to be simply supping a Guinness at The Cobblestone or The Brazen Head with good friends, enjoying a good Irish trad session and good craic, the Irish word for fun, conversation and lively atmosphere. Beyond drinking, though, I have discovered Dublin is an amazing place to sit in a cafe and write while rain trickles down the window, or to take in an arthouse film or a photo exhibition, or to spend the afternoon uncovering Viking history or walking by the seaside.

Worst: This is perhaps a loaded statement. I don’t think there is such a thing or spot as a “worst” European place. I think the “worst” comes from a specific experience, rather than the inherent nature of a place. That said, I’ve had a couple of worsts. One of them was being kept up all night by a drunken Australian who was vomiting all over the dorm room in a Salzburg hostel. But I still loved Salzburg. Another was taking an ill-planned trip to Copenhagen with my best friend while we were on a severe budget, eating nothing but €4 kebabs the whole trip, being forced to leave our couchsurfing joint a day early due to the raucous and rude mid-night rendezvous of our supposed host, and spending the final night sleeping in the airport. And despite all that, I look back fondly on that trip. So, worst is a relative term, isn’t it?

Next: So hard to say. My husband (who is himself European) has been all over Europe, but neither of us have been to Portugal or Greece. And he wants to take me to Paris, where I’ve also never been. Someday, we’ll get to all of those amazing places. I’m sure our next trip will actually be to visit family and friends in Ireland, or even to move back. Ah.