[REVISITING] OUR EUROPEAN BUCKET LIST
A year and a half ago, before we even imagined that we would have the trip of a lifetime through Europe we decided to put down a list, a bucket list, of what we would want to see if we ever went. You can find that original article of our European bucket list (unedited) here.
Bucket lists are great forms of inspiration to help you plan and turn your holiday dreams into holiday goals. However, do we ever go back to our list once we return home? Did we see and do everything we wanted to?
I have decided to revisit our European list to see what we achieved, what we missed out on and wether a new list should be drafted through new found inspiration.
Note: I have included the list numbers as it originally appeared in the 2014 article. For your reference there were 55 items on the list.
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What we ticked off
During our two months travelling through Europe we ended up visiting 9 countries which of course automatically removes the majority of items that weren't located in the countries we visited.
However, I think for the countries that we did visit made a decent dent on our first round through Europe.
Note: We have included links to the daily vlogs of us ticking each bucket list point as well as articles you can read including tips and itineraries relating to each item.
6. See the Berlin Wall, Germany [Watch us at the Berlin Wall] [Read about our 24 hours in Berlin]
8. Eat a croissant in Paris, France [See our Paris daily vlogging playlist]
10. Have a traditional Italian meal in Italy [Watch us pigging out on Italian Pizza]
12. Go on a Colosseum Tour in Rome, Italy [See us inside the Colosseum]
13. Have a kiss on top of the Eiffel Tower, France [Tips on how to skip the lines in Paris] [Watch us on top of the Eiffel Tower]
15. See the castles in Germany [Watch us at Neuschwanstein Castle] [Read Our Nesuschwanstein Castle Guide]
16. See a birds eye view of London, England [See us high above London]
19. See the highlands in Scotland [See us exploring the Scottish Highlands] [Read about Day Trips to the Scottish Highlands]
29. See the gargoyles in Notre Dame, Paris [Watch us at Notre Dame] [Read our tips for visiting The Notre Dame]
31. See the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, Rome [See us exploring Vatican City] [Read about why you should book a Vatican guided tour]
37. See the Statue of David in Florence [See us exploring Florence]
44. See the Pantheon in Rome [Watch us inside the Pantheon]
49. Check off Disneyland Paris [See us at Disneyland Paris on Halloween]
55. Witness the beauty of the Palace of Versailles [Read our tips for visiting the Palace of Versailles] [See us at the Grand Palace of Versailles]
Eiffel Tower
We came so close
This is the list that I am a little bit ashamed of due to being so close (either being in the country or even in the same city as the item) to ticking the items off. Wether we didn't have time/money or times have changed (i.e. you can't attach a lock lock on the lock lock bridge in Paris anymore) we came so close yet are now so far away.
5. See Stonehenge in England
7. See a play at the Royal Shakespearean Theatre, United Kingdom
11. Cross Abbey Road in London
23. Go cycling through Holland
25. Wonder through the Louvre, France
33. Attach a love lock in Paris
40. Tour the Edinburgh Castle
46. Find the Loch Ness monster in Scotland
With so many more countries to explore in Europe I really feel like this list will be the last to check off, as much as I would love to return to London to cross Abbey road I would instead prefer to see Budapest. One day we will return, one day.
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Absolute rip-off that we decided not to
9. See a show at the Moulin Rouge, Paris
14. Go on a gondola ride in Venice
As incredible as riding the iconic gondola's in Venice, our wallets instantly thanked us when we saw how expensive a ride was. These two items may never be ticked off unless I see the money/value ratio differently in the future.
Wrong time of year
3. Go To Oktoberfest in Germany
28. Attend the Carnival in Venice
42. Spend ANZAC Day in Gallipoli, Turkey
You can't go to Oktoberfest if you aren't in Germany in October. These three items must be so perfectly timed with your trip to tick off.
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Wasn't on the list - but we did it anyway
The best kind of travel is where events happen with very little organisation or planning. When we were exploring Europe these items found their way onto our list and should be on yours.
56. Explore Cinque Terre [Watch us Explore Cinque Terre] [Read about why Cinque Terre should be on your Italian bucket list]
57. Go on a Harry Potter filming location tour [See us in London] [Tips on where to see Harry Potter filming locations]
58. Belgium in general [Watch us explore a Fairytale Kingdom] [10 Reasons to Visit Belgium]
59. Visit the Anne Frank House [See inside the Anne Frank House]
60. Visit Medieval Cathedrals in England [See our Drone footage above them]
CINQUE TERRE
Must tick off - next time
So if we learnt anything from our European holiday is that we cannot and will not see everything that is on our list. So realistically next time we will attempt to tick the same amount of items off.
1. See the Northern Lights in an Igloo, Finland [p.s. we totally saw them in Alaska first]
2. Feed a reindeer in Finland
4. See the sunset in Santorini, Greece // 53. Island Hop in Greece
17. Visit Pompeii
8. See the tulips in Tulpen Keukenhof, Netherlands
20. Go to the top of the Alps, Switzerland
21. See the Acropolis in Athens
22. See the mosques in Istanbul
26. Hike through Tyrol, Austria
32. Ski in the French Alps
34. Discover Barcelona by foot
43. Sail through Croatia
50. Stand on the edge of Pulpit Rock in Norway
52. Canoe in Blue Grotto in Capri, Italy
And for the remaining items on our European bucket list? Well we will just have to make a third excuse to visit.
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What's on your European bucket list?
