I am sitting here and trying to study, but really I am just procrastinating...so I thought why not write my very long blog post about my two week European adventure! At least this is somewhat productive, and the sooner I get this on paper, the less likely I am to forget all the wonderful little details!
So here goes...I left for the airport around 3 AM on Sunday, April 24th to fly to Valencia, Spain. Valencia was a nice small town on the eastern coast of Spain. Unfortunately, when we book this whole trip it never occurred to me that since we were traveling on Easter, everything was going to be closed! Oh well...main points of Valencia: very cool towers and some neat churches, delicious sangria and tapas, and the beach was beautiful. The first day we (being Aron, Helen, and myself) explored the area, grabbed some lunch...I ordered a random sandwich and it turned out to be very yummy. It wasn't too difficult getting around or speaking with people because I know minimum Spanish. We also went out for dinner and ate paella and drank wonderful sangria!!! Although we later found out we got totally ripped off for the jug of sangria, but oh well life goes on. The next day we took an amazing walking tour and learn a lot about Spanish history. Later we went on a tapas tour and got to sample some of the local dishes....it was sooooo yummy. It turned out the tour guide's parents were on the tour, so we got special treatment and received extra tapas and a dessert platter. Valencia is known for a special drink called agua de valencia and think of a mimosa, but on steroids. It tasted like fresh orange juice and could get very dangerous when drinking multiple glasses! The oranges are also amazing because they are locally grown. The next day we took a bike ride from the hostel through the City of Arts and Sciences (google it if you don't know what it is...very cool looking buildings) and finally made our way to the beach. The sea was beautiful and we walked along the promenade and along the water. We planned to spend the next day laying out and relaxing at the beach, but here is where Valencia went to hell!
Aron and I went out for a pub crawl organized by the hostel and it was tons of fun. We met lots of people and had a really good time. Around 3 or 4 AM I decided it was time for me to go to bed...the people in Spain don't start going out till 1 AM and then party all night long till the sun comes up...it's crazy!!! Anyway, Aron stayed with the majority of the people from the hostel and continued party on. On the way back to the hostel, Aron lost the group and ended up getting mugs and attack...this was the scariest part of the trip. Once Aron made it home and attempted to explain what happened, we called the police and the EMTs. This was a "fun" morning and unfortunately we didn't make it to the beach. In the end everything worked out and hopefully the attacker will be caught and punished. Good lesson was learned from this experience, to always be aware of your surrounding and be careful when enjoying the night life in a foreign country. Oh well, bad things happen, but this was not going to ruin any more of our vacation! So we put it behind us and moved on to Italy.
Oh Italy...oh the food...it was so good. I had been excited for Italy for so long and it was worth the wait. The first night we got a bit lost in Pisa, but after a while managed to find our B&B we were staying at for the night. There really isn't too much to see in Pisa beyond the Leaning Tower, but our B&B was my favorite place we stayed it was so cute and the owner was so friendly! We went to dinner and I ate gnocchi with a mozzarella and tomato sauce...it was delicious! The next morning we made our way to the see the famous tower. WOW, it really is leaning, pictures don't quite capture the angle. I thought it was an impressive sight. Due to time conflicts, we didn't climb the tower and we packed up for our journey to Florence. Florence is filled with small roads and has a neat feeling to it. We checked out the area and made our way to see a huge and beautiful Synagogue, unfortunately it was closed for Shabbat, so we only got to see the outside. We also walked through the markets and there was so much beautiful leather..it smelled lovely...at least I thought so, I like the smell of leather! The next day, Aron took off and rented a moped to see the area. Helen and I took a walking tour, saw the famous David sculptor (very big and impressive), and walked to the Plaza de Michelangelo, which was a beautiful outlook of the city. We also saw the huge Duomo at some point...it was pretty, but I was seen a lot of churches in Europe and I think I like the cathedrals in the UK better. That evening Aron and I went out for dinner with two Canadians we met in our hostel. Our waiter was awesome and made the evening really fun! At one point he told me I couldn't order spaghetti and meat sauce because it was to normal and I had to chose something else. I also tried Italian wine...it's good and a little spicy! It still shocks me that wine is cheaper to drink than water!! From Florence, Aron left us to fly back to Israel and Helen and I met a friend in Milan. We (from now on just Helen and I) saw the famous Duomo in Milan and then headed to Lecco. Lecco is a small town in northern Italy surrounded by the foothill of the Alps. It was very pretty scenery and a nice detour from major cities.
The next day we traveled to Paris. By the time we got into the city it was about 12:30 AM and he needed to get to the only seedy part of Paris. Our original plan was to take the metro, but it was closed! We later found our that the metro closes from 12-1 AM, not sure why! Anyway, we ended up taking a taxi to our hostel. This was an experience, our driver flow through the streets and went we arrived at our destination, we lectured us on being careful and watching out for pickpockets! I wasn't sure if we was being nice or if he was just running up the meter because he didn't stop it. We walked into the hostel and the reception area was a bar! Then we found our room and it was very small and had bunks stacked three high. I am very happy that we were only staying here one night...not sure I could have handled any longer! The next morning we dropped our bags at the train station and headed to Notre Dame. (Side note: At the station I happened to run into my flat mate from Bath...small world!) This was neat, my favorite church in mainland Europe! Then we took the tour tour and climbed several staircases or spiral stairs to reach to the top and see the famous bell tower. The view from the towers was beautiful, I recommend doing this if you are ever in Paris...plus it's fairly cheap. Then we walked to the Bastille to the monument and then on to the Louvre to check out the area. The museum is closed on Tuesdays so we just walked around and through the gardens. Our next stop was at the Arch de Triumph. It was a magnificent image, but there was some sort of ceremony taking place, so I was unable to climb to the top. From there we walked to the Eiffel Tower!!! We decided we were tired and we would climb to the top of the Tower the next morning, plus we were already running a bit late to meet the people we were staying with for the next two nights. We arrived back at the central train station to collect our bags and head to my friend's friend's place. When we got to the train station nothing look familiar and we got very lost! We finally found some security guards who directed us to the baggage claim area. There we discovered we were at the wrong station!!! For a second it was a bit concerning because this is where we thought we left our bags and weren't sure exactly what other station we might have went to that morning. Try put two and two together and assumed we most likely went to the next closest station. We set off to the other station and things started to look familiar. Looking back it was very funny...I can't believe we did that! At this point we were running about three hours late and had forgotten to call the people that were expecting us...oops! We finally arrived and the people we amazing hosts... partially the reason why I loved Paris so much. The next day we conquered the Eiffel Tower, the best view of Paris....300 meters tall! Then we walked to the Louvre...about a two mile hike...the museum is huge and very impressive. We managed to get free entrance because I confused the lady selling the tickets by explain we were EU students...so we should get in free even though we were US citizens and not EU citizens. We saw the Mona Lisa and some of the other highlights, but to see everything I think it would take days! At this point we were exhausted and my feet really hurt!!
That evening our very generous and amazing hosts made us a traditional french dinner. The starter was homemade foie gras (duck liver) and was amazing! The next course was a salty tuna pie and salad. Then there was cheese and finally dessert. The whole meal was amazing! I even learned a little about France wines...I am a huge fan! The next day we journeyed to Ireland, our final destination! We arrived in Dublin and the weather was awful!!! Actually the weather the entire trip wasn't as nice as I expected, but oh well...I just ended up wearing the same clothes a lot! We explored a little and found a nice pub to eat in and have a pint. It was nice going to a pub and relaxing...almost feel like Bath! I ordered the traditional lamb stew and it was soooo good! Helen had a steak and Guinness pie which was yummy as well...I tried a little! The next day we took a walking tour of the city and then went to the Guinness Storehouse and had some samples. This is about the time I started to get sick :( Thankfully, the next day we took it easy and went to the National History Museum and then looked around some souvenir shops. On our last full day in Ireland, we took a day trip out to the western side of the country to see the Cliffs of Moher (another gogle worthy item if you are unaware about them). The cliffs were beautiful and the I loved the area. Dublin was alright, but I prefer to be in the country! The area was so green and beautiful, exactly how I imaged Ireland...I can see myself going back at some point in my life!
Well, I think that sums up the trip...I probably have forgotten a few tidbits her and there, but I think I covered the big things! The adventure was amazing and I don't regret anything that happened! I also have to apologize in advance because I am not going to go back and proofread this post...I know there are probably spelling and grammar mistakes, but I should really get back to studying!!! So, I am returning to the States in less than a month...unbelievable...this semester went by way to fast!! Also, on the countdown my birthday is in ten days and I am soooooo EXCITED!!!!! (I wish I was celebrating at home, but it will still be a fun time) I am going to Scotland in two weeks for my last trip and I am excited to see the highlands!
So for now I am off to study and will be hibernating in my room until the 20th when my first two exams are over and the time comes to celebrate my birthday. Meaning....there probably won't be another blog post till I return from Scotland...unless I need a distraction from all the studying...a likely possibility, but no promises anything excited will have happened! Oh, I might make a trip to the Royal Windsor Horse Show this weekend because I think it would be a neat event to see. Well, that's it for now....let the studying commence!
