a little european travel wishlist

I've been super lucky in my time when it's come to European travelling. My Dad was big on seeing lots of countries when I was growing up, and as a result - according to my Been app - I've been to 63% of Europe, which isn't too bad I don't think. The only problem with going when you're a teenager as opposed to the age I am now is that I don't think I truly realised how expensive it would for me to go back to those countries by myself, and I'm not sure I appreciated them enough when I was there. Don't get me wrong though, I'd love to see the rest of the world at some point too. I've barely been anywhere else in the world, never got myself on a long haul flight and I will definitely have to rectify that. But those things cost money I don't have, whereas Europe isn't too hard to get to, especially now my colleague has introduced me to the "everywhere" tool on SkyScanner (how much was I missing out?!). 

But still, even with 63% there are some big countries I still haven't been to, that I'm desperate to get scratched off my little world scratch map. First on the list is the Czech Republic. Having been slightly disappointed by the lack of architecture in Reykjavik on my recent trip there, Prague in particular is supposed to be full of a thousands different styles - Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque, Art Nouveau and Cubist all plonked in one city sounds like something I could really get along with. Plus the beer is meant to be amazing. 

Next is Switzerland. A country with sweet architecture, colourful buildings, a mix of cultures with all the influences from France, Italy and Germany mixed into one little country, all with amazing mountain region backdrops? Perfect. Plus they clearly make some pretty good cheese and chocolate and I can't think of a better reason to visit a country than it having those. I didn't get chance to see much of Iceland's natural scenery, so I can't think of a better way to repent than going to see Switzterland's. 

Poland. You can get some seriously awesome deals on flights out to Poland, so I don't think this one will be particularly hard to tick off the list, I just don't want to visit when it's too cold! I quite fancy taking a trip to Kraków to see its medieval streets and castle, and I wouldn't mind a trip to Schindler’s Factory Museum or heading out to Auschwitz either. Plus the country is still affordable, even with the crap state of the pound at the moment. 

Finally, Hungary. I feel like the world and his wife have headed out to Budapest recently and I want to join that crowd of people. Part of this is because they seem to have such an excellent cafe culture over there, and I need no excuses to spend some lazy times sitting in a cafe with a coffee and a cake. And afterwards, you can just be even lazier by visiting a thermal spa. Perfect. 

Have you been to any of these countries? Or would you suggest somewhere else to go?