So, my last few trips have been with others, but this past one to Nantes/Rennes, France was a solo trip that I planned spontaneously. I ended up meeting with an old friend I had in an "exchange" program 4 years ago. She came and visited me in Nashville, and I couldn't afford to visit her in France... But now that I'm in Europe, I figured might as well try and meet up. Everything turned out amazingly well, and I feel very accomplished.
Some issues that subconsciously haunted me prior to the trip: I don't know near as much French as I would like to, I don't have wifi on my phone, I can't call using my phone, I'm only staying in Nantes for one night---where and who with, I haven't spoken to my friend Camille in years-what if things are weird, my flight arrives at 10:20pm on Thursday, which is kinda late to get a taxi/bus/train to wherever I need to go.
All that I knew was I booked a flight from Dublin to Nantes on Thursday, that I was returning on Sunday, and that my friend was expecting me to meet up eventually.
I applied for a couchsurfer the Wednesday before I left, and luckily, one responded within a day. He was very, very nice. He picked me up from the airport that night, despite having to leave for work at 7:30am the next morning. We played talked and played board games that night, and he cooked me breakfast in the morning and gave me pointers about what to see and do in Nantes. I saw the ile de machines, the city jardin, the chateau bretagne, and walked around the streets Trentemoult. My couchsurfer also gave me tips on mapping apps like "MAPS.ME". It downloads large scale maps with wifi, and it's better than google maps, I promise. It saved my life. Once you have it downloaded, you can search anything from local food, markets, bus stops, train stops, popular sights, ect. Afterwards, I caught a bus to Rennes where I met up with my old friend. Of course things had changed in the past 4 years, but the visit was amazing. We visited a few coffee shops, a Christmas market or two, met up with her friends, and watched a French film. Her dad was especially generous and got us a hotel room that was spacious and in a good location. Also, she paid for all of my meals, so buying the ticket last second ended up evening out... at least that's what I tell myself :)
I managed to book another bus back to Nantes to catch my flight that Sunday. The couchsurfer was kind enough to pick me up from the bus stop and drive me directly to the airport, otherwise, I would've been cutting it close relying on the train/tram/bus system to get me there.
I knew more French than I remembered. I didn't need to call anybody. with the Maps.me app, I didn't need wifi constantly. The couchsurfer was amazing, and Camille was just as nice as I remembered.
Things worked out for the best, and I don't owe it to anyone but me that the trip went well. I often times find myself relying on others to do the planning of the trip, and I feel like getting their opinion on what they want to do, see, eat, ect. Our trips thus far have been amazing, but I feel as if things could have gone differently if I went by myself, whether or not that be because I wouldn't have stopped in that store, or wouldn't have eaten there, or I wouldn't have waited outside the bathroom, or I wouldn't have prioritized that site, ect. I have been on trips faced with plenty of issues and obstacles that were hard to overcome, but they turned out OK with collective brainstorming. I felt as if this trip was the ultimate challenge; I didn't have anybody's opinions; it was just me, myself and I. I feel like I made the most of it.
Now--- two more weeks left ):)
Time to check the last few things off my bucketlist.