Hey guys! Took a couple of weeks to post this but GUESS WHAT! I'm back from Europe! It was absolutely amazing! I had the time of my life and it is definitely something I will never forget.
It all started when my good friend Miss Hansen came from Virginia....we were a little excited..haha
On march 29 we went to the airport around 8:00 pm to check in and everything.....our flight was at 10:30 so we had quite a wait....
March 30
After a 7 hour flight over the ocean we time traveled into Europe and jet lag was rough but we were running off of adrenaline at that point. Our first stop was London, England! All the buildings were so tall and so much more detailed than the ones back home. The first day we just walked around the heart of London it was such a cool experience! Tons of people, trollies, bright red telephone booths, the "tube" (their version of a subway), street performers and everything! Plus the food was pretty good. We ate some yummy fish n' chips! P.S. People drive on the wrong side of the road! And the steering wheels are on the other side too!!.... Weird..
March 31
Easter Sunday! We spent the morning attending part of mass in the St Paul Cathedral it was REALLY big and quite frankly a bit scary! We also took a bus tour around London where we saw Big Ben, The Eye, and The tower Bridge. After that we had free time to walk around and shop. (Had to watch out for pick pockets though... They are everywhere in Europe :P)
Phrases learned in London: "Mind the gap!" "God bless the queen!"
April 1
We took a train to Paris and were absolutely exhausted. More time changes! AND the equivalent to daylight savings... Which means more lost hours of sleep but we were hanging on pretty well thanks to seminary I'm assuming. But Paris was cool, lots of graffiti and hobos but still what I expected. France is a little different then England though, wider roads, scary drivers, prettier buildings. There were balconies EVERYWHERE and so much history. We climbed the Arc De Triumph... 280 steps... Quite the work out for us Americans. Haha after that we went to probably one of my favorite places.. It was a little artist square where artists, painters, musicians, street performers gather and there are little shops and cafes. It was awesome... Also had a DELICIOUS crepe. Also, we didn't understand ANYONE....no more English from this point on.
April 2
I was breaking the bank at this point, haha sorry Mom, but this place was amazing I couldn't help it!! We ate tons of French food like a "torque de Madame" and "macaroon" soooooo gooood. I can't even describe how delicious. Also, this day was when we saw the Eiffel Tower! It is so beautiful and incredibly tall! We also ended up in Moulin Rouge which is basically the "Vegas" of France, except its know for its red light district... It was very scary. Haha lets just say I'm glad prostitution is illegal in our country. Haha...
April 3
Our hotel in Paris was really sketchy but day five was our last night. We went to the Louvre which was cool we saw thousands of paintings and sculptures.. Most famous would be the Mona Lisa (not that impressive actually) but we also saw Notre Dam Cathedral (no hunchbacks this time around) but the rose window was stunning and the whole church was just very interesting to walk through.
Phrases learned in Paris: "merci" "pardon"..... That's all I got. Haha other than saying thanks and sorry I would just point to things and speak English haha
April 4
We rode the night train allllll night (12 hours) to Italy and boy was it rough.. Very cramped... Out of order bathrooms..Noisy.. And hot. Haha.... Yeaaah.... What an experience. But our hotel here was normal so that was good. Florence was probably my favorite place everything was incredible. The food, the surroundings, the people, the language I loved it all! We climbed the Duomo which was 463 steps..... And let me tell ya they were BIG steps haha and since we were climbing through the walls of the dome it was very tight and we had to crouch through some of it but the view was breath taking! Totally worth it. P.s. had an amazing 4 course meal that day as well.
April 5
After Florence we traveled to Assisi which was the cutest little village I've ever seen! Little streets, hills, cafes, shutters, balconies, olive trees *sigh* ..... I miss that place. This day was a little more on the relax side but still amazing. Our bus drivers name was Pasqualey haha... He was awesome. We also visited another cathedral this one was built to honor Saint Francis of Assisi and it was very old and had a lot of history to it as well.
April 6
Rome! You know what they say... When in Rome, do as the Romans. Haha... Just kidding. This place was amazing as well we saw the colosseum, the Spanish steps, ate lunch in front of the pantheon while listening to a performer play the accordion, and we even went to the Trevy Fountain! It's this huuuuge fountain where you take three coins and throw them over your shoulder (alternating sides) one for good luck, one to return to Rome, and the last is so that someday you will find love and be married!
Phrases learned in Italy: "ciao" "grazie" "prego" and "arrivederci"
After our wonderful travels it was eventually time to go home we packed up bright and early left at 5:00 am and traveled a total of 23 hours back home. We had a layover in Amsterdam, Holland and eventually made it back home where we crashed for 5 days straight.
I'm so incredibly thankful for this experience, I will never forget it!
- A Travel addict named Megan!
