I love to travel. I love to think about traveling. I love to dream about it. I love reminiscing about the places I've been to, which may be a lot more than others but still not nearly enough to satisfy me. While COVID-19 has created a halt in a lot of people's adventures, I am reflecting on places I've visited over my 21 years and ranking them. The ranks of each location are solely based on my personal preference and my experience there.
1. Paris
The European countries and cities I have visited were thanks to Calhoun High School. My favorite memory of high school was taking this trip. It was offered to all students to sign up and go with us as we took a two-week trip through some major European cities. I'm thankful for my grandma (commonly known as Ganny) for helping me go on this trip and coming with me. Paris was my favorite and remains my favorite. A lot of people dislike Paris because some parts are dirty and smell weird (?). Which may be accurate, but it is a large city. New York is the same way. I loved Paris. I've always admired French culture and the city. My fondest memories from the trip are in Paris. From walking around Montmartre art district and getting painted by a street artist to the riverboat ride on the Seine river to sitting under the Eiffel Tower and eating pizza by the water, it was three days I'll never forget. Even if our first night in Paris, I got chocked on food at dinner and threw up in the bathroom. I had been looking forward to using some French I had learned in my high school French classes, but I had not understood absolutely anyone up until this point. A cute boy opened the bathroom door while I was coughing up a storm and said in a concerned voice, "Ca va?" which translates to "Are you okay?" or "How are you?". I wanted to reply so bad since I FINALLY understood someone.. but literally could not stop dying. That was the one negative of Paris that I can remember. Of course, I look forward to visiting and exploring more than three days there at some point as well.
Me as a painting:
Julia and I in front of the Eiffel Tower:
2. New York City
New York City is my love. I love NYC. It is my dream to at least attempt to live there someday. I want to work in the music industry, and as it is for almost everything, NYC is a hub for music. So, maybe one day it will happen! My first trip to NYC was when I was in 6th grade. For some reason, I was obsessed with turning 12 years old. When I finally turned 12, my Ganny, mom, and aunt Jenny took a trip to NYC to celebrate and have a girls' trip. I was so young that I honestly do not remember much. I do know we went to Good Morning America and saw Lion King on Broadway! Then, only a few years later, I went again with Calhoun High School. At this point in life, I also don't remember much, but I know it was super fun and busy. Some highlights I recall are going to a Yankee's game and seeing Annie on Broadway. My most recent trip to NYC was last May, which I already made a post about it. I went with my dad to visit Good Morning America. Even though it was rainy the whole time, it was still a great short trip. NYC will always hold a special place in my heart.
Mom and I on my first trip to NYC in 6th grade (I am such a child):
Dad and I on my most recent trip to NYC last May:
3. London
I remember one time in high school someone told me they would buy me a "one way trip to London so I would shut the ___ up about it," because I was obsessed with London. I mean, I think they meant that as an insult, but I was very much like, "please do!" I love London. And yes, it is mainly because of One Direction. But, when I finally got to visit for three short days with Calhoun High School, it met all my expectations. The only thing I missed was meeting Harry Styles. I was on the LOOKOUT for him to be walking down the street or something... he was not. But anyway, it was terrific. The city is so beautiful and honestly, kind of calm. It reminded me a lot of NYC but with so much more history. The subway (or tube) system there is also pretty easy to understand. I've never understood the subway system in NYC. But, London's "tube" (as the locals would say) is kind of simple! We visited Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Square, saw Wicked on West End (British Broadway), saw Big Ben, the London Eye; we did everything in a short three days! One story my friends from the trip and I still laugh about was when we were on the London Eye. We were up in the sky in the carousel. You can see all of London from up there. I had a "blonde" moment as I looked over the skyline and saw a tall (Eiffel Tower) shaped structure. For two seconds, I started to say, "Is that the Eiffel Tow-" and then I stopped myself. Of course, everyone heard me and began dying laughing. It was just a telephone poll way off into the distance. I guess it was a "had to be there" moment, but moments like that still make me laugh today. I would love to live there someday when I am successful. Hey, maybe I can finally get that person to buy me a one way trip to London, and I will finally shut up about it!
Friends from High School and I in front of Buckingham Palace:
Big Ben:
4. Hawaii
In the summer going to 7th grade, peak puberty years, my whole family took a trip to Hawaii. My grandma (Ganny) just sold the car-wash, so we took a giant family cruise in Hawaii to celebrate. I (lowkey) wish we could have waited till I was a little prettier and grown into my body, but it's alright. I was right in the middle of looking like a child and looking like a teenager. Very awkward. I'm not trying to complain. I don't remember much. We flew straight from Atlanta to Honolulu then boarded our cruise ship. I remember the island Kawaii pretty well. It was a small island with a cute little town that had the best snow-cones, so yeah, I remember that well. I also remember some beach that Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez had just vacationed to, and our excursion was to that same beach. My 12-year-old self was going crazy because THE Justin Bieber was on that same beach only three days before me. I tried to take back a bag of sand on the ship with me... that did not go well. My family and I made some great memories that we will never forget and stories that will never get old. For example, throughout the trip, as we would get on and off the boat or bus, people would say, "Mahalo!" which is "Thank you!" in Hawaiian. After a day or so, we started to realize my Ganny was saying, "Mikayla!" Yes, like the name, Mikayla. Finally, my quite cousin Ethan bluntly asked her when we got on a tour bus one day, "Ganny, why are you saying Mikayla?" and she replied, "I'm saying thank you, Ethan." Without cracking a laugh or anything, Ethan corrected her, "It's mahalo, Ganny," We still say Mikayla to Ganny when we say thank you for something. It never gets old. Overall, it was so beautiful and amazing. Now that I am older and grown, I would love to go back someday.
7th grade me posing on what I called "Justin Bieber Beach":
5. Switzerland
If you google, "what is the happiest place to live?" Switzerland comes up. Seriously. And it makes total sense. I also went to Switzerland with my group from CHS. Switzerland is so beautiful. It's also so calm (except when your giant tour bus is climbing an enormous mountain to get to your B&B hotel, and you can look outside the window and see straight down the mountain). My group specifically went to Lucerne, Switzerland. The water was so clear and blue. The flowers were in full bloom. The air was crispy and fresh mountain air. People usually like to relax at the beach but if you REALLY want to relax, go to Switzerland. I feel like Switzerland is the physical equivalent to a therapy session. We also had a lot of fun while there. We had a few hours of free time, and we just walked around and explored. We climbed up to this lovely hotel and hung out with a fantastic view over the whole city. We also climbed a ton of stairs to the top of an old building (I can't remember exactly where or what it was) and hung out there too, but it also had a great view. We walked around, shopped, ate, and everything else. I miss it so much. It was truly one of the happiest days in my life, I think. We had the bed and breakfast hotel all to ourselves. We went from having small, closet-sized rooms in Paris to having large rooms with bunk beds. They served us dinner as well. Our first night there (I think), they made mushroom soup. Now, I do not like soup. I also was not a fan of mushrooms at the time. But I was so hungry, I devoured this mushroom soup, and it was nothing short of AMAZING. As you can tell, I am very passionate about this mushroom soup, which changed my opinion of mushrooms completely. (Mushrooms are one of my favorite foods now). Anyways, I could talk about Switzerland forever, but... I won't.
Me.. just posing:
THE MOUNTAINS (insert hear-eye emoji):
6. Miami/Key West
I know these are two separate places, but I am adding them as one because I went on the same trip. Last spring break (2019), my mom, Ganny, and I took a girls' cruise! It was a short one but a memorable one. We flew into Miami. Miami is quite amazing. It's so full of culture. It almost feels like you just flew into another country. Not many people speak (excellent) English, but that's okay! I heard so many different languages just on our tour bus and walking around. I have to say though, one downside of it was the fact I was so tired. I woke up about 4 am to get ready to go to the airport, and once we flew into Miami, we started touring. We only had that one day before the next morning, when we were boarding the cruise ship. Once we got on the cruise ship, we lounged around the pool deck and relaxed with maybe one or two margaritas. The next day, we docked in Key West. We only had a few hours in Key West, but it was so beautiful as well. It's tiny, but there is so much to see. We hopped on the Old Town Trolley and did a little tour around the island. We went to the most southern point of the U.S. where Cuba is only 90 miles away. Obviously, we bought some Key Lime flavored something because you cannot go to Key West and not eat Key Lime. It was very serene and beautiful, a nice getaway.
Low quality photo of me, mom, and Ganny boarding the cruise ship:
What I think is a pretty photo of the Southernmost point in the U.S:
7. Cozumel
If you want a party, go to Cozumel. I have been twice but a total of two days. On the cruise with my Ganny and mom, we stopped in Cozumel. It was calm; we just walked around and went to a beach for a few hours. However, I went this past spring break on a cruise with friends from UGA, which was so much fun. We went to Playa Mia beach "resort"?? We paid to get in, and then we had unlimited drinks and food Buffett. They also had an obstacle course in the ocean that was WAY to much fun for our age group. It was literally so fun, I am laughing about it, and I write this. Other than that, Cozumel was okay. What made it so much fun was being with my friends and making the best out of it. I would recommend it.
The iconic Playa Mia in Cozumel:
My friends and I in Cozumel (I love them):
Me almost exactly a year prior to being in Cozumel with my friends eating at Señor Frogs:
8. Florence
Finishing out the European trip I took with Calhoun High School, we went to Italy. I LOVE ITALY. The culture, the scenery, there are so many things about Italy I love. We stopped in various places in Italy as well, such as Tuscany and Assisi, which were so beautiful and amazing to see and experience. Italy was the tail end of the trip, and we were all so exhausted, which made it hard to keep up. Florence was a bustling city. It was beautiful but, it just did not blow me away as the other destinations had. There is a large flea market in Florence, where we spent most of our time. Ganny got a super cute leather jacket for a reasonable price, which is good for her. However, I bought a leather purse, and then we had a lesson teaching us the difference between real and fake leather. Of course, the bag I had bought was fake. So, there was that. I remember it all so well, but it was not everything I had hoped and dreamed of being. Maybe I just need to go back and do it all over again. Perhaps I just did not explore the right parts. Not sure, but personally, that is why Florence is so low on this list.
I have zero photos of me actually in Florence but here is a tower:
And also here are color buildings on the river:
9. Rome
Well, Rome was interesting. On one hand, it was BEAUTIFUL, I say everything is beautiful, but it really was! The city is so full of history and culture. However, my personal experience in Rome was not that amazing. I have three reasons why. The three reasons also give me the purpose of going back so I can re-experience Rome. First of all, my friends scarred me. While we were in Paris, we had all bought these little laser things from a street vendor because why not? In Paris, we would shine on the street from the top of the Eiffel Tour, and people would be perplexed and chase them around like cats. It was so fun. So, in Rome, I was doing the same thing. Our hotel rooms had balconies where you can see the street. My adolescent, stupid brain thought it would be good to shine the laser into the hotel/apartments across the street. One guy went crazy and came out, yelling in Italian at us. I ran into our room and was freaking out. My friends that stayed out on the balcony came in and told me they were calling the police. I thought, "No way. There is no way." Then I was in the hallway hanging out with other people on our trip and heard someone come into the lobby and ask where a certain room was. My friends convinced me that they were looking for me, that they guy across the street actually did call the police. My anxiety filled brain fell for it and was almost crying. It turns out they were kidding. I love that story, but I was terrified for my life and going to an Italian prison. The second reason is a lot scarier. Our group went to the Coliseum as any tourist does when in Rome. We walked through, it was remarkable and something I will never forget. However, when we finished, we walked through the Roman ruins area beside the Coliseum. When you get through that, there is a big white staircase that leads back into the city with restaurants, shops, and other attractions. Our group, along with others, was about to go down those steps. Note: Our tour guide for the whole European trip was from Rome, so she knows the city very well. All of a sudden, we heard loud gun-shot sounds. Our tour guide immediately turned around and started yelling, "G.O.! G.O.! G.O.!" Security guards and police that were around, some were on top of buildings, started looking around with their weapons in hand. I blacked out slightly from fear, but my first thought was to run and keep running. However, my group around me just ran back some and then went to hide behind bushes and benches. I made a quick decision where I had to choose between "stay with my group or save myself," I stayed with my group. My friend Julia and Lyric were all hiding under a bench that was between some landscaped bushes. Some people around me were crying. We were so confused and scared. At this point, I had also lost my Ganny. I had no clue where she was. A few minutes later, a chaperone on the trip walked around to where we were hiding and said it was all okay, it was just motorcycles backfiring. It sounds dumb, but it was truly one of the most terrifying moments of my life. Of course, my Ganny said when I asked her where she went, and I quote, "if they get me, they get me. I've lived a good life." My third and last reason is not as scary but still affected how I viewed Rome as a city. Our tour group had a few hours to spare free time. So, we decided to take the subway and visit some other tourist sites. Rome is infamous for its pickpockets. Ganny being a chaperone, was making sure all of us students were very aware of our surroundings and careful not to get pickpocketed on the subway ride. When we got to the site we were visiting, Ganny made us check all our purses to see if anyone got their stuff stolen. We were in the clear. Ganny checked hers. She was not in the clear. All of her stuff disappeared. All of her stuff as in her passport, I.D., wallet, cash, everything. Oh, did I mention this was our last day in Europe? We were flying back to Atlanta the next morning. This incident created huge stress for my family and me because how was she going to return? There was a possibility that she would have to stay in Rome for a few days until the American Embassy could get her a new passport and flight. Luckily, our tour guide knew someone at the airport that could help, but we still had to leave her behind until her flight, which was a few hours after ours. The "terrorist" attack and Ganny getting pickpocketed all happened on the same day... It was a stressful day. In conclusion, I want to go back to Rome and see if my personal experience could be improved and my opinion of the city would change. I got some great memories from Rome, but it was the worst out of all the cities I visited. I hope I am lucky enough to have a redo someday.
One fun part of Rome was we did a little boat ride in the park! We may have not known how to paddle correctly and ended up in the fountain, but it was fun:
We had a "family" photoshoot in front of the Coliseum (pre-almost-terrorist attack):
This post was pretty long. If you read it all and made it this far, thank you! I love talking about places where I have been and being nostalgic, especially when it is impossible to travel the world right now. It is nice to reflect and talk about the places I have been and what I have experience and be grateful for it. Every destination has a downside, but each one was unique and amazing in their own way. I want to shout-out my Ganny for making most of these trips possible. I couldn't have made a lot of the memories without her in them, along with my parents who help me live out my dreams as well. From Paris to NYC to Mexico to Rome, I would not change a thing.
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