The Europe Experience
Part l
By Olyvia Neal
As I sat along the edge of Venice ’ s Grand Canal the taste of my favorite gelato , “ fragola e cioccolato fondente ,” lingered on my tongue .
The sounds of a seagull ’ s cry above me and the Italian voices that call from gondola to gondola mixed with the melodies of the teal ocean waves .
The buildings before me with painted stone of peach , cream and marigold were decorated with window boxes that spilled with greenery . Along the canal were white sloped bridges and rows of streetlamps with rose tinted glass .
Yet , I knew while all the scenic sights around me remained incredible , it would be the smell of Venice I would miss most . The fragrance of warm stone , sea water and summer that will always belong to Venezia .
It was in that moment when I realized how far from home I truly was- about 5,000 miles- and how far I had come in just a few weeks as I crossed five European countries .
Three weeks before Venice , my travel companion Jalyn Findley and I had never left the country , navigated public transportation , experienced a big city ( unless Lexington counted , which I can now confirm does not ) and we had never been on our own .
As a child I dreamt of travel . As an adolescent I had wanderlust . Yet , as a young adult who spent nearly three quarters of my collegiate life amidst a pandemic , I never thought I could still have an adventure of my own .
So , one can imagine the shock I felt as I began to see Ireland 40,000 feet below me through my plane ’ s small peep hole .
The plan was simple . 5 countries . Four
PICTURED ABOVE : Olyvia Neal looks out at the Cliffs of Moher in Burren , Ireland on May 20 , 2022 . Photo by Jalyn Findley
26 • SEKY - Life in Southeast Kentucky august 2022