My thoughts about Europe, probably my new plans, and some news about the Schengen visa
Today my day was quiet but a bit unusual. It was my workday and also the last workday of this week. This week was a bit short because I worked only three days. The weather was the same as yesterday — it rained all day, hitting the open space under my windows and making noisy sounds. But today, fog appeared again. It covered my city, and my hill disappeared. I noticed it right after I got up, while looking through the window. However, this time the fog was thicker, and even the houses disappeared inside it.
In the second part of my day, I saw some news about the Schengen visa. The EU has been trying for a few months to tighten the Schengen rules for Russian citizens, and it’s working quite effectively. This time, they introduced a new restriction: now regular tourists can’t get multi-entry visas anymore — all visas will be issued only for the exact trip dates. For example, if I plan to travel for two weeks, they will give me a visa only for those two weeks. There are some exceptions for journalists, workers, and others, but what really matters are the restrictions themselves. If they’ve already made so many of them, in the future they might simply stop issuing visas completely — and honestly, that wouldn’t surprise me.
To be honest, right now I don’t even want to go there anymore. First: it’s very expensive. To get a Schengen visa, you must pay 90 euros, and in return, you only get a visa for your trip dates. They might also reject your application. Besides that, everything there is expensive — accommodation, food, public transport, insurance, and other things. Second: I’ve already visited seven EU countries, and I think I’ve seen almost all the places I wanted to see. Maybe there are still a few cities I’d like to visit again — Spain (Seville), the Netherlands (Amsterdam), Germany (Berlin), Poland (Warsaw), and Italy (Venice). But it’s not that important; I can just put them aside for now. Third: I don’t see any reason to waste my nerves on it. If they keep making new restrictions that affect me, why should I even go there? Instead, I can visit other places.
The first place I’d like to go is Japan. Right now, it’s possible to get a Japanese visa in Moscow. Of course, I need to travel there to apply, but I think it’s worth it. After that, you can visit Japan and see many fascinating places — Tokyo, cherry blossoms, Mount Fuji, and more. I think it’s much more interesting than Europe.
The second place is the USA. I don’t even need to explain much, because everyone knows about New York (the capital of the world), Washington, Los Angeles, and other famous cities. I think these places are also better than Europe. However, there’s one problem — getting a US visa is more challenging, and you need to apply in another country. But I see more value in it: a US visa costs $185 and it’s much more valuable than a Schengen visa. Plus, if it’s approved, you can get it for three years. Even if it’s approved for a shorter period, I still think it’s more interesting and worth trying.