Closer Lives | Destinations | Europe
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Magnifying glass focusing on a map labeled "Europe," highlighting various countries in colorful detail.

Explore Europe: All you need to know

While our first meeting came on a Royal Caribbean Cruise in Australia, April 2019, our first real travel adventure together came in Europe! We started with Scotland, touring the likes of Edinburgh and Inverness, before heading to England. Jenn eventually had to go back to Canada, with our first date officially lasting one month! Our legacy became forever intertwined with Europe after we went to Cyprus in June of that same year, getting engaged at Aphrodite's Rock.

 

We celebrated our engagement first with a trip to the lovers city of Paris, before heading out for a week long road trip that saw us see another 5 countries across Europe. We then went on to Canada, not returning back to this continent for nearly 2 years. We came back in June 2022 and reeled off another 5 countries which included Türkiye, Albania, Italy and North Macedonia. We love Europe, and we are sure you will too!

Countries visited (15)

Flag of Albania featuring a black double-headed eagle centered on a red background.
Flag of Latvia featuring three horizontal stripes, with the top and bottom stripes in dark red and the middle stripe in white.
Vertical tricolor flag with black, yellow, and red stripes, representing the national flag of Belgium.
Flag of Cyprus featuring an outline of the island in orange above two olive branch wreaths on a white background.
Flag of the Czech Republic with two horizontal bands of white and red and a blue triangle pointing from the left side.
Flag of England featuring a red cross on a white background.
Vertical tricolor flag of France consisting of three equal vertical bands of blue, white, and red from left to right.
Horizontal tricolor flag of Germany with black, red, and yellow bands from top to bottom.
Horizontal tricolor flag of Hungary with red at the top, white in the middle, and green at the bottom.
Flag of Italy, featuring three vertical bands of green, white, and red from left to right.
Flag of North Macedonia with a red field and a yellow sun with eight rays extending from the center.
Flag of the Netherlands with horizontal bands of red, white, and blue from top to bottom.
Flag of Scotland featuring a white diagonal cross (saltire) on a blue background.
Flag of Türkiye featuring a white star and crescent on a red background.
Flag of Vatican City, featuring two vertical bands in yellow and white with the crossed keys of saint peter and a papal tiara centered on the white band.
Flag of Wales, a half white, half green background with a red dragon overlay.

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Statue of Skanderbeg on horseback, with Albanian flag and modern buildings in the background, under a partly cloudy sky. text "Albania" overlays the image.
Famous Belgian buildings at dusk with a highlighted map overlay and the word "Belgium" at the bottom.
Panoramic view of a harbor in Cyprus with boats, clear blue water, and surrounding buildings under a bright sky. text "Cyprus" overlaid at the bottom.
A nighttime view of Tower Bridge in London, with illuminated blue lights and a bold "England" text overlay featuring a union jack design.
Illuminated Hungarian Parliament Building at night with a blurred sky and Hungary's flag superimposed below.
The Colosseum in Rome, Italy, at sunrise with clear skies, featuring an overlay of the Italian flag and the word "Italy.
Stone bridge and historical buildings in Skopje, North Macedonia, with a national flag overlay.
Promotional image for Scotland, featuring a stormy coastline with rugged black rocks, turbulent sea, and a distant lighthouse under a moody sky.
Vibrant multi-colored buildings with the word "Türkiye" on a foreground sign in Balat, Istanbul.
Stone bridge over a river with a house covered in red ivy, set against a backdrop of trees in autumn colors, and a Wales flag overlay.

Interesting Facts

Here are 19 interesting facts about Europe. Some may just surprise you!

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1. Vatican City is the smallest country in the world.

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2. French Fries were actually invented in Belgium, not France.

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3. Due to its unique climate, there are no mosquitos in Iceland.

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4. There are more bicycles than people in the Netherlands.

 

5. Over 200 languages are spoken in Europe, which is home to 750 million people across 50 countries.

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6. 75% of the world's potatoes come from Europe.

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7. Barcelona's Sagrada Familia is taking longer to build than the Pyramids; if completed as hoped in 2026 it will mark 146 years of construction, the ancient Pyramids of Egypt are said to have taken 85 years.

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8. Jakobp, Ashleiy, Anus, Monkey and Pluto are banned names in Denmark. However, there are 7000 government approved baby names to choose from!

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9. There is a town in Wales with a name comprised of 57 letters! Try and pronounce it - Llanfairpwllgwyngyll.

 

10. In Switzerland it is illegal to mow your lawn, hang washing or wash your car on a Sunday.

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11. Europe is named after the Phoenician Princess Europa.

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12. 'Clinking' glasses in Hungary to toast or say cheers is not allowed. This came after Hungary was defeated in war by Austria in 1848, with the Austrians celebrating by clinking glasses.

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13. Bulgaria adopted its name in 681 AD, making it the oldest name in Europe. The Republic of San Marino is the oldest country, birthdate 301 AD.

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14. Eleven countries in Europe still have monarchies; Andorra, Belgium, Denmark, United Kingdom, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden.

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15. With a total of 932, there are more castles in the Czech Republic than anywhere else in Europe.

 

16. Berlin has more Kebab restaurants than Istanbul. 

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17. There are more McDonalds in Germany than any other country in Europe.

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18. Austria is home to the world's oldest zoo.

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19. Technically it is still illegal to kiss on a train platform in France.

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