Europe Offers World of Friendships
Meeting People Tops List of Best Things About Europe
Europe offers so much in terms of art, architecture, languages and cultures, but for anyone interested in an international group of friends, this is the place.
The wide variety of people met while traveling through Western Europe tops my list of reasons I love it. As a fairly outgoing (and bar-going) person, I've never had a particularly difficult time meeting people, but traveling through Western Europe, it would have almost been impossible to not meet the constant carnival of characters floating through the cities. Especially since I was now one of them.
Naturally, while you're traveling, you're out and about. You're eating out, sight seeing, staying at hotels and generally spending your time in public. You also need a lot of help (or maybe that was just us). We had women help us with the transportation systems, men help us with our luggage, children help us understand a sign, etc. Through these various encounters, my traveling partner and I met a ton of people. Here are just a few of the highlights:
1. Harry from Columbia. While in Berlin, my friend Jules and I met a waiter who also plays professional volleyball, sings in a choir and is quite possibly the nicest guy I've ever met. Speaking fluent German along with English and his native Spanish, Harry took us to an amazing disco and the unsicht-Bar I wrote about previously.
2. Maggie from the Netherlands. Maggie is a private banker in Monaco who parties like a rock star and has become a most reliable friend. An incredible linguist, Maggie can talk to almost anyone we come across without a moment's hesitation.
3. Laurent from France. As humble as he is, it wasn't surprising to learn that Laurent is a recognizable model and actor in France. Women flock to him at parties and yet he pretends not to notice. He and his friend Patrick took Jules and I on a plane flight from Nice to Cannes and back.
4. Sasha from Russia. Working a myriad of odd jobs to keep her visa status in France, Sasha is really an artist ready to break free. She speaks fluent Russian, French and English and has a beauty so deep it's hard not to be drawn to her.
The list seems endless: Tom from Mauritania, Danielle from Ecuador, Callum from South Africa, Shane from Ireland, Sophie from England, Andre from Belgium, Adam from New Zealand, Wendy from England, etc. And living in a place like the South of France offers an endless supply of international visitors and residents alike. For anyone who is drawn to the exotic and international, visiting or living in Europe offers the perfect opportunity.
