Jet Lag and the Red, White, and Blue (American Style)

        After a few days in London to pick up my stuff and show Anna the city, it was time to go home. I was actually pretty excited about it at this point. I've been here a few days now and it really is wonderful to be home. Granted, after finally getting home at 3:00AM my sleep schedule is still a little crazy. But hey, I'm a college student. I thrive on operating on weird hours.

     This was seriously the trip of a lifetime and I have countless memories and amazing friends because of it. So thank you for reading this blog, I found entertainment writing it and it was an easy way to keep in touch with everyone who was a hop and a skip across the pond. Much thanks to Centre College, the fantastic school I attend that has such an incredible study abroad program. Cheers!

My Life in the Lizzie McGuire Movie

Rome. This is what dreams are made of. We spent four days in this incredible city. The Lizzie McGuire movie theme song may or may not have been playing in my head on repeat. Not mad about it.

   The first day we went to the Vatican and saw Pope Francis!! Granted, he was pretty far away. But we still saw him! We then went through the museum and saw the Sistine Chapel and other beautiful works of art, such as Raphael's School of Athens. I also ran into Field, another Centre student who was in London, at the Sistine Chapel which was crazy! Mom, Anna, and I then planned on going into the Basilica, but due to a pilgrimage it was closed for the day. Instead, we headed to the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. We then spent about three hours trying to get back to the hotel. This was frustrating and aggravating and our friend Rick Steves was no help at all. But once we figured it out the entire city shrank a lot and began to make a lot of sense.

Colosseum

   Day 2 began with a return to St. Peter's Basilica, this time getting to go inside. It was so cool to see the Pieta and the place Pope John Paul II is buried. We then headed to the Roman part of the day, starting with the Colosseum. There I actually ran into a girl a year above me in high school, Mallory. Crazy!! The Colosseum was easily one of my favorite things the entire trip. We did a tour and learned so much. Inner nerd was geekin' hard. It is just an absolutely fantastic place with an incredible history!! We then wandered through Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. I like to refer to this part of the trip as "Hey look there's a Roman ruin!" Literally ruins were everywhere. It was so so so cool. Thanks to Rick Steves we were able to figure out what some of the ruins were. One was the place the body of Julius Caesar was burned. Pretty cool.

   Our last day we saw the remainder of things on our trip, such as the Pantheon. This is actually the only ruin still in use today. Today it is a church. We also went to Circus Maximus, the site of the old chariot races. We then stopped at the Bocca della Verita. This Mouth of Truth was seen in Roman Holiday (Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck). Legend has it that if you are a liar, if you stick your hand in it will be bitten off. I still have both of my hands so I guess you have to take every word I ever say as absolute truth forever. We then did some more wandering, ate more gelato and pasta, and packed up. Rome was over. It was absolutely fantastic and I look forward to the day I return to this city!!

Bocca della Verita

Our BFF Rick Steves

After missing our train due to oversleeping, on the 11th we arrived in Venice!! There, I met up with my mom and little sister, Anna. It was wonderful. The first few days were tiring because every night was spent in a different city and I was on a train for four consecutive days. Phew!! We started in Venice, a city that was seriously everything I had dreamed. I could have spent a lot more time there just soaking every aspect up!! We then headed to Florence, where we saw the statue of David, the Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, these famous doors I studied in Humanities, Santa Croche (which houses the final resting place of Michelangelo and others) and so much more! Actually, Centre College needs a huge shout out right here. Thanks to the required Humanities class I saw sculptures and works of art that I had studied. Seeing these brought out more meaning in a city literally filled to the brim with history and art. It made it a lot easier to appreciate each work as well. Super cool!!
 

Venice

   The biggest surprise this part of the trip was Assisi. We went there because Anna was recently Confirmed and chose St. Francis of Assisi as her saint. I did not expect the town to be so beautiful. It was stone walls, stone streets, and just beautiful Tuscan countryside surrounding it. It was just incredible to walk around and see everything!!

   A lot of the perfection of Italy was due to our travel Bible, the guide to Italy by Rick Steves. Seriously this book told us everything, from hotels to restaurants and ways to beat all of the lines. It was entertaining and an excellent guide. All Rick Steves tour books are now officially endorsed by Mary Burger.  Because that has so much weight.

Florence

Also we ate pasta and gelato every day. Life was pretty perfect.  

The Bread and Water Diet

Next stop: the every-picture-looks-like-a-postcard and therefore repeat-pictures-are-a-must beautiful Lucerne, Switzerland. The Swiss Alps. Absolutely breathtaking. Lucerne is a beautiful town with a lake and the Alps. Seriously, who could ask for anything more? Well, maybe lower prices. You know it's expensive when McDonald's costs 7 to 9 Swiss francs and the franc is worth a little more than the US dollar. But it was still worth it! We found a market and bought a lot of bread, salami, cheese, and yogurt from the grocery store so we could avoid the expensive restaurants. An average meal would cost 25 francs if we didn't!!

Postcard-Perfect Lucerne

 
Our first day we began by paddle boating on the beautiful lake. It was so serene and beautiful. And the Alps were just right in front of us the whole time. Breathtaking. We then went to the Glacier Gardens, saw the Dying Lion (tribute to Swiss troops killed in the French Revolution) and wandered through a mirror maze. It was so fun!! That evening, we decided to bust our pocketbooks and ate fondue. It was worth it to eat a real meal!! Plus it was delicious and fun!

   The plan was to go hiking on our last full day. But we woke up to 30 degree Fahrenheit weather in the mountains, plus high winds, plus low visibility. So we decided we would rather live. We went to an art museum and saw a lot of Picasso paintings, as well as many other famous artists. It was really cool! We then took a relaxing day and sat in the room. It was pouring outside and we had done all of the free or inexpensive things the day before. But the relaxation was needed because the next day we headed to Italy to meet up with family members!

Limited food for 3 days? Thus the life of a backpacker!!

Ein Prosit!!

The first bratwurst!!

   Our next stop on the tour of Europe was the one city I had been to before - Munich!! After getting settled into our hostel we headed to the Viktualienmarkt. We were absolutely starving because it was 4:00 and we hadn't really eaten anything all day!! We jumped into German life by each getting a bratwurst and splitting a soft pretzel. Actually, we ate a bratwurst for every meal those few days. When in Germany, right? We then walked around a little and saw the sights, including the Hofbrauhaus!!! We also stopped in a traditional shop and Deanna and I tried on dirndls, or traditional Bavarian women clothings. It was so cool because, being from the highly German Cincinnati, I have actually seen quite a lot of traditional German clothing in my day. But I had never tried it on. So that was exciting. We went back and hung out at the hostel where we had the biggest shock ever. We met a few Canadians and Olivia realized that one of their friends back at school was also one of her friends. She even recognized one of them from Facebook pictures. It is an absolutely tiny world!!

Dachau

   The next day, our one full day in Munich, we headed to Dachau. This was the first concentration camp and served as an example for how concentration camps were supposed to be. We spent a very long time there. It was a highly emotional and draining morning but 100% worth it. That afternoon we went to the English Garden, which is an absolutely beautiful park area. We had to use the Metro and buses to get there and decided that Munich's public transport system is second only to London.

   Munich was a whirlwind trip but it was still amazing!! I was able to put my token German words into use. Also, thanks to my Dad who has randomly said things in the language my entire life, I was occasionally able to understand other things. All in all, this stop was great!!

Viktualienmarkt. I took this same picture 3 years ago!

We're in...Belgium???

Let me explain. In order to travel Europe, we bought a ticket to Paris via the Eurostar (direct line from London). But in order to get to the rest of the countries we bought a Eurail pass that allows to travel to Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and the Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg). So Saturday Olivia, Deanna, and I showed up at the Paris train station like we are supposed to and asked for a ticket to Amsterdam. But here's the thing. Wednesday had been French Labor Day and this past weekend was a huge anniversary for the Grand Canal. So tickets available for the Eurail pass were booked until this coming Friday. If we wanted to go to Amsterdam, we needed to pay 130 euro each for a ticket. Not something we planned on doing. None of us freaked out, we just changed plans and decided to go to....Brussels, Belgium. I mean, the Benelux gave us some options!! So we managed to find a train that left 6 hours from that time and went to a cafe. Within an hour we had cancelled our hostel reservation, found an inexpensive hotel in Brussels, and started planning on trip. True backpacking status achieved!! We then hung out in that cafe for a while because wifi is a beautiful thing. We then spent the last 2 hours in the train station before finally getting on. So by 6:00 PM (we had planned on leaving Paris at 10:30AM originally) we finally arrived in Brussels!!

Greenhouse Contraption!

    That first night we just walked around a little and then found a restaurant. This was the first time a language barrier was a thing - we weren't sure if we were supposed to speak French or Dutch. And none of us even know how to say "hello" in Dutch!! The next morning was our one full day in Brussels - we were only there for probably around 36 hours! We have deducted that Brussels is the weirdest place ever and that we loved being there!! What we did not know is that there was some sort of festival going on. And it probably took us about 2 hours to figure out what the festival was. We think it was an Iris Festival and talking about sustainable living.  But there were mimes on stilts that bounced and singing clowns and girls dressed in tutus that sort of looked like flowers sitting on huge picture frames in the middle of gardens singing opera. There were crazy contraptions and we dressed in early 1900s costumes. Let me tell you, Brussels is weird. So we explored that for a while and then headed to the Grand Place, supposedly the most beautiful square in Europe. I would believe it - it was gorgeous!! We then headed to see a famous statue, the Mannekin Pis. This is literally a fountain with a young boy urinating. And the city loves it! The boy has a crazy number of costumes that they apparently decorate the statue with all the time!! So weird!! We laid outside a cathedral that looked like a Notre Dame knockoff. I originally wanted to go see where the European Parliament meets once a month, but as we started the walk realized that it was crazy far away and, according to reviews and such, not really a worthwhile walk. It was a crazy 36 hours in Belgium. I can honestly say I will probably never be to Belgium again but I loved my time there!! Who actually cares about Amsterdam, Brussels is where it is at. 

   Also they have waffles and chocolate and it is worth the trip just to consume these delicacies. 

Lace shop!

The Journey Begins...

Our back packing adventure began at St. Pancras station in London where Olivia, Deanna, and I caught the chunnel (train under the English Channel) to PARIS!! Once we arrived in France, we found the home of Rachael, our Australian host. Her apartment was in this really beautiful area removed from the busier parts of the city. May 1^st is French Labor Day so a lot of things were closed, but we were able to find a restaurant. One thing that works well here for food and cuts down on costs is this formula, where you get an appetizer and an entrée or an entrée and a dessert for about 13 euros. Also I forgot how much I missed free bread coming to the table. And in France that means baguettes so #winning!! So we all got an appetizer and entrée for a really good price (and lots of delicious food!). After a highly unfortunate event regarding a pigeon and my hair (if anyone was wondering, I have decided the French pigeons are even worse than the ones in London. Also you really should always carry toilet paper or napkins with you at all times. So glad I had those) we wandered around. And stumbled upon Notre Dame. You know, casual. After seeing this gorgeous church, we decided to walk down the Seine. Since it was a holiday and it was dusk, the streets were almost empty and the city was magically beautiful. I can fully understand why it is the most romantic city. We walked on the street and down by the river and saw many of the sites. The last major landmark we saw was the Eiffel Tower (if we had been walking on the other side of the river it would have been the first we would have seen!). Seeing it all lit up was so amazing. We then headed back to the apartment to get some sleep.

Luxembourg Garden

Thursday, after my first pain au chocolat (I had 3 while here!) we tried to go to the Museo d’Orsay but realized the line was too long for our plans for the day. So we walked over to the Luxembourg Garden which was completely in bloom. It was gorgeous. We grabbed baguette sandwiches there and then walked by the Louvre. We had decided not to try to do this museum because of price and that it is so crowded – although it would have been amazing to see the famous pieces in there, it would involve lots of standing around. We then headed back to Notre Dame for a free English tour and ran into Brent and Knox while there. This tour ended up being 2 – 2 ½ hours and I now know so much about the history and architecture of this beautiful church! Did you know it used to be painted? The kings on the front were red, green, and yellow. So weird to think about! We even somehow managed to get onto the alter, which was so pretty. And saw a marriage proposal in front, which was pretty cool.  After this tour, all five of us walked down the Seine towards the Metro and headed to Sacre Coeur church to see probably one of the best views of the city. We climbed 300 steps to the top and saw a breathtaking view. We also saw a fantastic street performer who juggled a soccer ball and climbed a lamppost. He was probably the best street performer I have ever seen. After that we ate dinner in a cluster of outside cafes and places where paintings were being sold. The French onion soup was fabulous! We then split up again and Olivia, Deanna, and I headed to the Eiffel Tower. On the Metro there some men played instruments - Metro performers! At the Eiffel Towere we bought a bottle of wine from a vender and sat in the grass of this park looking up at this famous landmark. It was probably one of the most perfect moments ever. Seriously. This was a perfect moment full of memories. We sat there for over an hour it was so wonderful.

So excited to be at Versailles!

Friday we headed to Versailles where, although we bought our tickets ahead of time, we still waited over an hour to get in. But it was worth it! The palace was absolutely beautiful and the gardens were so neat! After walking through the rooms and feeling overwhelmed by the beauty, we headed back into the city where we picked up kebabs from a place Olivia’s mom had recommended. They were very good. We then went to the Museo d’Orsay. Although we sadly did not get to see the Monet and Renoir because it closed, we were able to see Van Gogh’s pieces. Last year we studied Van Gogh extensively in my Humanities 120 class and it was really cool to see pieces that we had specifically looked at. Thanks Centre College for making us take classes that let us further appreciate such beautiful artwork!! The pieces there were fantastic!! We then headed to the Champs Elysse and saw the Arc de Triomphe. We ate at a café and actually went back to the apartment fairly early to look over our stuff and make sure everything was ready for our departure the next morning. We also wanted to rest since it will be a few days until we have time to really take it slow again.

Sacre Coeur

So basically Paris was amazing and I think that this city is fantastic. Also I can sort of get by with just a few French words/phrases to order and communicate with locals. We only ran into friendly, helpful Parisians which was wonderful and not really expected. Also, a tip from the wise. If you print a ticket, make sure the barcode prints as well. Otherwise there will be issues. Also the book of 10 passes is the least expensive way to travel if you are here for a few days, as they work on the Metro and buses for a very good price. Also once you understand the underground system all others make sense. Thanks London!!  Now all aboard to the next stop on this tour of Europe!!