Written by Cate McCoy
This past weekend in Amsterdam, my friend and I were sitting outside a restaurant in Vondelpark when we heard a strange birdcall. I quickly pulled out my phone and used an app to identify the bird—I was confused when a species of parakeet popped up. A quick Google search later and we discovered that the park is known for its wild parakeets! We scanned the sky and trees surrounding us, and sure enough, we spotted the bright green birds sitting on the branches, their colorful tail feathers fanned out behind them. We finished our food and began to walk around the park to see what else we could find. Within the span of fifteen minutes, we watched parakeets fly right over our heads, got within five feet of a gray heron standing by a pond, and saw a family of Egyptian geese. Experiencing so much diverse and uncommon wildlife right in the middle of the city was bizarre and incredible, making Vondelpark one of the most memorable parts of my time in Amsterdam.
I think the reason why my experience in the park was so special to me was that it reconnected me with nature. While plans for hiking in the Alps are in the works, I’ve yet to go on any big outdoor adventures since I’ve been in Europe. My weekend trips so far have been to big cities, like Paris and Amsterdam, where it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the noise and busy lifestyle. I’ve found myself missing the peace I feel when I’m surrounded by the outdoors. Luckily, European cities tend to have lots of green space, and I’ve learned some tricks to find those little spots of nature amongst the concrete sidewalks and towering buildings.
While there are plenty of parks to choose from while you’re traveling in Europe (though I can’t guarantee they all have wild parakeets), most major cities also have botanical gardens. On our last day in Paris, my travel group decided to visit the Jardin des Plantes to kill some time before catching our train. We explored the main sights of the garden, walked under the dense canopy leading to a gazebo, admired the neat rows of flowers in the main gardens, and even saw some kangaroos in the zoo area. Afterwards, we sat in the shade and relaxed, exhausted from our busy weekend. The gardens were the perfect setting for me to find the peace I’d been needing.
If you find yourself in a city without major green spaces like parks and botanical gardens, you might have to look more closely to find bits of nature, but I promise it’s there. Go to a farmer’s market and you’ll find it in the fresh, locally grown produce and flowers. Have a picnic by the river and you’ll see it in the calm water. Visit the art museum and look at paintings of landscapes. Download identification apps and figure out what type of flower is growing out of that crack in the concrete. Watch the sunset. There are millions of ways to immerse yourself in nature, even if they seem small and insignificant—there’s something to be said for appreciating things that most of us might not even notice.
