The feeling of awe as I laid my gaze down below from the mountains up high still brings a rush to my head and adrenaline to my veins. Coming from a place where flat fields extend as far as the eye can see, I planned my adventure to explore a different terrain.

I started my adventure in the cloudy hills of the Peak District, where I was met with rolling green hills and lush forest. I would admit that I expected those plush green hills to be soft when tread upon, and I was surprised to find them to be hard ground – every step felt off-balance. Among those peaks, I saw the Hanging Stone and Lud’s Church and wondered what else the hills hide. The trek among the hills slowly acclimatised me to longer hikes as I started becoming used to preparing for longer explorations.

I continued my adventure with interrailing around Europe to explore more different terrains and immerse myself in cultures that perhaps may seem mundane to some, but exotic to me. I started in the provincial town of La Charité-sur-Loire – a picturesque town set on a river and surrounded by flat fields that I am used to. The country landscape was a nice reprieve from the urban centres I usually dwell in, and I was surprised to discover the long history that the town holds.

My journey takes me higher up. I don’t think I could even attempt to fall asleep on the trains I took as I was afraid to miss the idyllic landscape that stretched beyond the train tracks. The trains climbed on as I made my stop at Geneva. The city – set around the pristine blue Lake Geneva – was buzzing with life and littered with symbols for peace. I walked along the lake and admired the striking jet as it pierced the sky, though what caught my attention most wasn’t the landmarks, but the diversity of people that find themselves in this city.

I continued my adventure further in Switzerland with a visit to Lausanne. The city was also set upon a lake, and I could see France across the water, which made me realise how close things were. The city was larger than I expected yet bordered sharply with nature, as one of my walks led me straight to my hike surrounded by pine trees.

My path then took me to Zürich. At this point, I was quite intrigued by the change I saw as I entered the German part of Switzerland. Of course, everything was the same except for what language everything was in: even the train screens seemed to suddenly switch when I was not looking. I also realised that it would be the first time that I solo travelled without knowing the language at all; in the French parts, I had my conversational-level French to back me up (good practice), but in Zürich I would actually need to use Google Translate.

Studying Chemical Engineering, I was excited to be able to see firsthand the industrial processes of chocolate-making at the Lindt chocolate factory. It was an interesting experience seeing the machines that produce the everyday delicacy at scale. Knowing more about the complexity of these processes and machinery from my courses, it gave me a newfound appreciation of the commonplace products we see at the supermarket and what it takes to make them.

Dipping south and out of the arc of the Alps, I then entered Italy to visit Milan. The mountains rolled away to reveal a vast city ripe with history. I lost track of the number of castles and historical churches that I had visited and pieces of art that I had only seen on screen before. The change of culture was also not lost on me; here, the evenings are when people come out as the streets begin to swell come late afternoon. The city of fashion was enrapturing, though the only piece of fashion I bought was a pair of socks to replace ones that had ripped during an earlier hike.

I escaped the city and made my way (a spontaneous decision) to the city of Verona: the famed setting of Romeo and Juliet. The beauty of my Interrail adventure was that I could configure my journey along the way. I saw that Verona was where I needed to change my train for my next stop, which was Innsbruck, and decided to spend a night there. It was a great decision in the end as the walk in the old walls of the city was enchanting. A highlight of my stay there was my spontaneous decision (another!) to enjoy an opera at the ancient Arena di Verona – a Roman amphitheatre from antiquity completed almost two millennia ago. It was the first time I saw an opera. It was Aida by Verdi; I was pleasantly surprised by the sheer scale of the performance and the visual spectacle. I absent-mindedly wondered how many have sat on the cavea rows of the amphitheatre before me.

By this point, I realised how much of a toll solo travelling takes; while I still had plenty of energy and good rest, constantly talking to new people and drifting from one place to another started to drain my social battery. Nevertheless, the excitement and adrenaline of each new day won over. I returned to nature as I took the train into the Alps to the city of Innsbruck, Austria. I was excited for some hikes that I had planned. Unfortunately, heavy rain from the day before had closed some routes, so I was forced to take shorter routes. The hikes were equally impressive though, and I was able to capture the full majesty of the Tyrolean Alps. Out of all the places I visited in my adventure, Innsbruck was my favourite, and I vowed to visit it again.

I ended my journey early in sparkling Vienna, despite earlier having planned to continue to Germany, with my mental exhaustion having won over me. The city was vibrant both day and night and was the perfect place to end my adventure on a high. I would like to thank all my friends who helped me on this adventure and, most importantly, the LEAP team who have allowed me to truly have an adventure of a lifetime.