My 10 favorite things about my year in Europe (in no particular order):

1: Latvia: where almost everybody speaks Latvian, knows Latvian folk songs and celebrates Latvian traditions (instead of in Canada, where many people don’t even know that Latvia is a country).

2: Being in a room where everybody is speaking a language I don't understand.

3: Eating: gelatto and pizza in Italy- chocolate, beer, waffles, fries in Belgium- croissants, crepes and wine in France- bratwursts in Germany- fresh orange juice and tapas in Spain- buying pīrāgs and kliņģeris in the GROCERY store in Latvia *I thought only Nina (my grandmother) made those ;)*

4: Six weeks of traveling with my sister through Germany, France, Italy, Latvia and Finland.

5: The sights: Mt. St. Michel. Colosseum in Rome, Notre Dame Cathedral, Palm trees in January, World’s largest cathedral, streets and waterways in Venice, Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Versailles, Beethoven’s house, the Vatican, Auschwitz, Leaning tower of Pisa, Pink and Lime tiled houses in Portugal and more..... this all fits into one category, doesn’t it?

6: The highest point of a city for a great view (stairs, elevators, hills, mountains, church towers, viewing platforms, Eiffel tower, parks...etc)

7: Markets. One of the things that I am going to miss the most about Europe. Canada has too many regulations. Sure, the man selling you the fish may have a cigarette hanging from his mouth and his muddy rubber boots are on a shelf behind him... but you know the fish is fresh!

8: Not having a plan is sometimes the best plan. Just start walking and you are bound to find something good (an old fashioned movie wedding in France, good food and a funny waiter in a random restaurant in Italy, old Jewish cemetery in Poland, beautiful parks and statues in many countries... and all sorts of other interesting things!)

9: Going to grocery stores. It might sound a bit bizarre but it is always interesting to see what people eat in different countries. I don’t like feeling like a tourist all the time while I am traveling... this is one of the places to escape and see the real way people live!

10: Making friends from all over the world (literally: Latvia, The Netherlands, Germany, United States, Poland, Brazil, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand.....)