What a week, and that’s an understatement at best! I can’t believe it finally happened. All semester people have been talking and planning fall break, and I know I have been keeping yall in suspense about where I was going, so if you will….drum roll please…….I ventured to Pisa, Barcelona, Dublin, Paris, and Milan!! It was a busy and exhausting week to say the least. Thanks to discount airline RyanAir we made it all over Europe. Now that I have been home for two days, I think I have slept for more than 24 hours! But I have good reason to be so exhausted; in 8 days I saw 5 cities in 4 countries!!
Sam, Nora and my trip started with a visit to the leaning tower in Pisa on Saturday evening. Later that night we flew from Pisa into Barcelona. After two days we headed to Dublin for two days, and ended in Paris for two days before heading home through Milan! While I loved my whole trip of course I loved some places a little more than others.
First off, I’m so glad I got to see the tower in Pisa. It really is leaning!! When you first walk up to it, it doesn’t look so bad, just a little lean. But as you walk around to the side you’re like WOAH!
The tower looks like it’s about to fall over. Of course we took the typical tourist pictures of each other holding it up. It was getting late, so although we did get to see a beautiful sunset our pictures didn’t turn out so great. I’m just glad I got to see the tower before it falls over…trust me someday it will! After our few pictures we had to head back to the train station so we could get to the airport. One downside of flying on discount airlines is that they don’t fly out of main airports. The airport in Pisa is technically for Florence. Thankfully once you get to Pisa the airport is only 5-10 minutes away from the station. We got there in plenty of time and thought we were doing great. We had checked in online like everyone had told us we could, got through security and weren’t to far back in the line to get on the plane. Another side note is that RyanAir does not assign seats. Everyone lines us and rushes out on to the tarmac to get on to the plane. Unfortunately in Pisa when we got to the front of the line the guy taking tickets told us we could NOT do online check-in. He told us we had to go back to the check in desk and check in again. That meant going back through security and everything. Of course there was a moment of panic when I asked him we would make our flight and he paused, looked at us, and said run fast! So we did!! As we were finishing up at the counter they called to see if we had finished re-checking in. I guess the clerk said we were, even though we weren’t really, because they held the plane for us, and we were personally escorted onto the plane just before they closed the doors. A little more adventure than we had bargained for on our first time flying.
The flight from Pisa to Barcelona is not very long at all but it was still really late by the time we got in and found our hostel. We were all exhausted and so we pretty much went straight to bed.
Even after a late night we got up early to hit the streets of Barcelona! We pretty much took our map and wandered around the city on our way to Gaudi’s apartment. Barcelona is a cross between modern New York and old beautiful buildings, statues, and such. A lot of the sites we saw we are not really sure exactly what they are, except pretty. One of the small squares we passed had beautiful flowers and fountains. Gaudi’s apartment is really crazy, he also designed the Sagrada Familia, which we saw after his apartment. He has a really unique crazy style that is very modern but based on nature. You can tour his apartment, but we didn’t go in, we decided we would rather check out the church.
The church is still under construction today even though work on it began in the late 1800s. Even still it is an incredible building, many say, and I agree that the outside looks kinda like a drippy sandcastle. After our stop there we headed toward the Picasso Museum. Along the way we saw the Arc de Triumph…Paris is not the only city with one. Once we made it to the Picasso Museum we spent a few hours there. Everyone knows his later more crazy works of people in weird ways, but after seeing his earlier work it is hard to believe it is the same guy doing the paintings. His earlier works are of normal things like still life, scenery, people and such. By the time we finished at the museum we were really tired and headed back to the hostel for a nap before dinner. Once we ventured back out we have a really yummy dinner of Paella and Sangria. We spent the rest of the night out at a really fun little bar.
Our second day in Barcelona was shorter than the first because we had to catch our plane in the evening. In the morning we did a little shopping, and then checked out the harbor. Once you get down toward the water you can see the famous Christopher Columbus monument. He stands overlooking the harbor pointing to the New World. The harbor is really beautiful so we took our time walking around and taking it in before saying adios to Barcelona and Spain.
Getting to Dublin went much smoother than our personal escort to Barcelona. We rechecked in before heading to our gate and had plenty of time to find something to eat and relax. All was going well until our flight got delayed. We were already supposed to be getting in pretty late so an extra hour was not good. By the time we got into Dublin and found our hostel it was easily past midnight. Again we crashed and went to sleep.
Dublin itself is just beautiful and the people there are some of the friendliest I have ever met. They are a little crazy and drive on the wrong side of the road. It took me forever to figure out which way I was supposed to look before crossing the street.
Thankfully at most intersections they paint it right on the group for you! We started our day by walking to St. Patrick’s Cathedral end enjoying the little park out front we headed towards Christ’s Church and Dublin Castel.
Then we headed to the Guinness Storehouse and Factory. It is the most popular tourist attraction in Dublin, but lucky for us, it was not very crowded. It is a self guided tour of the 5 story building and by the time you reach the top, those over 18 get a free pint of Guinness.
Now I can’t say that Guinness is a favorite beer of mine, but right at the Storehouse it is pretty good. I even got a clover drawn in the head of my beer! As we drank our beer in the Gravity Bar you can look at all the 360 degrees of windows and see all of Dublin.
Even with the weather being in the 50s everything was green and the leaves were beginning to change colors. It was absolutely beautiful! After we left we decided it would be a good idea to take one of those open top buss tours of the city since there is a lot to see and it is really spread out. I have always wanted to do one and it was great! You get to see almost the entire city with live commentary so you actually know what sites you are looking at. We got to see Trinity College, the National Gallery, St. Stephen’s Green, Temple Bar, Kilmainham Jail where movies like the Italian job have been filmed, The Zoo, The National Museum, the Jameson Distillery, and a lot of other smaller things. After our tour of the city we went back to our hostel to meet up with some friends from Umbra. We went out for a really yummy dinner before heading to Temple Bar. Temple Bar is Dublin’s Cultural center. The streets are lined with pubs, restaurants, and shops. We actually went to the Temple Bar in Temple Bar. It was defiantly a popular place. Even though it was really crowded everyone was really friendly and we made friends with a few of the Irish. We ended the night at another pub before heading home.
Our second day in Dublin was shorter again because we would by flying out later that evening. We had wanted to see a castle since we arrived and were not too impressed with the one actually in the city. A really nice and helpful store owners we came across recommended that we check out the one in Malahide.
It’s about 13km outside of Dublin so you have to take the train, but it only takes about 25 minutes to get there. The castle is in the middle of a really large park and although we took the scenic route to get to the castle once we arrived at the train station it was a beautiful day and we got to see some of the town. The castle looks like something right out of a fairytale book; the only thing it didn’t have was a mote or a dragon.
The tour of the castle is really cool because the castle is really well preserved. Someone actually lived in the castle until the late 1970s before it was donated and opened for tours. Because the weather was so beautiful and the park we were in was so nice we took our time getting back to Dublin. Once we did we did a little shopping, had some delicious fish and chips and headed to the airport again. I was really sad to be leaving Dublin, and I hope I get to go back someday.
Once we left Dublin we were off to Paris, which was to be our final stop of our trip! Once we got into Paris we had a hard time finding our hotel. We were quickly reminded of the vast language barrier when we were trying to ask directions. When we asked "Parlez-vous anglais" most of the time the answer was just no! After a lot of wandering around we eventually found the hotel. We were thankful to finally have our own room with our own bathroom and shower instead of sharing in hostels like we had been all week. Before going to bed we made a game plan to take on the city. We had really enjoyed our buss tour of Dublin and decided that it was probably a good deal to do it again in Paris. The city is really big and the things we wanted to see were pretty spread out. On top of that getting around the city even with a map was really confusing.
I don’t think we ever took the same route anywhere twice. Of course our first priority was to check out the Eiffel Tower. We saw things like the Opera House, Arch de Triumph, Grand Palais, and Trocadero, before getting off at the Eiffel Tower. Being at the base and looking up at the tower was almost a surreal experience. I have had a couple of those throughout the semester but the Eiffel Tower just doesn’t compare to anything else. On top of that the weather was gorgeous a perfect day for us to have a picnic lunch in the park in front of the tower before finally going up. Now we could have taken an elevator all the way to the top. But since we were on a budget we opted to walk up the first two parts of the way. In total there are just under 670 stairs.
The views at each level are incredible and the further you go up the further out you can see. You can’t walk to the very top of the tower but there is an elevator that will take you. Nora who is afraid of heights decided to head back down towards solid group while Sam and I headed to the tip top. Once you get up there you really can see for what seems like forever.
All around the top they have direction markets for all the countries in the world; of course we found Italy and the USA! What goes up most come down, and while that elevator ride was a little more gut wrenching than the way up, soon enough we were back down at the base. We got back on our tour buss to see more of the city.
On our way to Notre Dame we saw Champs de Mars, and the Louvre. Standing outside Notre Dame Cathedral I couldn’t help but think of Quasi Moto and Esmerelda for the old Disney classic. The movie doesn’t do justice to the Cathedral. It is a huge and impressive structure. Everything about the church from the doors and the carvings to the stain glass is simply breathtaking. Unlike a lot of churches you can take pictures inside. Here are just a few of mine.
Leaving Notre Dame we finished the buss route and landed up back at our hotel before heading out to dinner and to revisit the Eiffel Tower at night. If the tower wasn’t incredible enough during the day at night it is lit up with blue lights. On top of that every hour there is a five minute lights show where the whole thing sparkles against the Paris night sky. It was the perfect way to end our first day in Paris.
By the time we woke up on our last day we were VERY tired, and had only a few things left to do on our list. Since our hotel was near the red light district we figured we couldn’t leave Paris without checking out the famous Moulin Rouge.
It was pretty easy to find with the famous windmill on top, but I’m glad we were looking for it in the daylight. It is not called the red light district for no reason. It was really funny seeing families posing for pictures right outside. We snapped a few photos and headed for the Louvre. Out of all the museums I have been to in my life I have to say this one is easily the best. It is no wonder people say you can spend multiple days inside. We didn’t have as much time as we wanted so we picked a few things to see. Of course we started with the Mona Lisa. I have to say that she was kind of a disappointment…sorry Mona.
Because there are so many tourists trying to snap pictures you aren’t allowed to get anywhere close to the actual painting. I would say 15 feet at best. Don’t get me wrong I am really glad I can say I saw the real Mona Lisa but it was hard to appreciate the actual painting. After seeing Mona we spent some time in the Italian and Large French painting hall. Some of my favorites were The Raft of Medusa, by Gericault, and The Wedding Feast at Cana by Veronese. After leaving the paintings Nora and I set off to see the Apollo Gallery. It has mostly dining objects from the time period of Louis XV. At the end of the gallery are the coronation crowns of Louis and someone else I can’t remember. One of the crowns was covered in gems and had 262 diamonds alone! We also walked through the Egyptian and Greek hallways before finding ourselves in the Napoleon Apartments. I have to say this part of the Louvre was my favorite. I don’t know how they did it but it honestly looks like the museum was built right on top of the apartments. Grandeur and splendor only begin to describe the apartment. They are simply incredible; Napoleon was defiantly living the good life. After that we got lost for a little while before finding our way to our last stop at the Venus de Milo. Unfortunately, after that we had to head back, but I would have loved to spend a LOT more time there; one morning is just not enough.
We thought our adventures were coming to and end as we boarded the plane to Milan, but we were wrong. Long story short, we arrived at the Milan train station to find it closed! It was just after one when we got there and found out that we couldn’t get in until 4. Needless to say we were a little worried what we were going to do for about 3 hours. We started at McDonalds but they were technically closing at 1. We were able to sit there until just after 1:30. Once we had to leave we found a bar that was open until two, so the three of us each got a drink and hung out there till just after 2. At that point we were out of luck and had to head to the train station. We, being three girls alone at 2:30 in the morning didn’t really want to hang out with the homeless people outside the station so we found a nice little spot right next to the police SUV. We just sat and talked for a while. Eventually the police came out and talked to us, asked us what we were doing there and so on. They were really nice and they hung out with us for a while and told us if we wanted to be escorted into the station when it opened to just let them know. Just after 4 we headed inside and bought our tickets for home. Unfortunately the first train didn’t leave till 5:30 so we had some more waiting to do. By the time the train came I was so happy to finally be on it and headed home. Once we finally got back to Perugia I was excited to be back in my apartment!
Looking back over this week I cannot believe how many amazing things I was able to do. I feel truly blessed to have had this experience because it is unlike any other. Of course parts of it were frustrating, tiring, and wearisome, but on the whole I cannot imagine a more incredible week. Looking back through pictures I feel so proud of the three of us, setting out on our own across Europe, making it from place to place without the help of anyone else. We saw and did amazing things that some people will only ever get to dream about. I wish everyone could have an experience equal to this at some point.
You pay one flat free and you get transportation, a place to stay, breakfast, and a guided tour of the city. It worked out great, we even ran into fellow Stonehill-er Kait Mendell. So after boarding the buss Friday evening we drove for almost 10 hours before reaching Munich. Every year Munich decorates for the holidays and celebrates with famous Christmas markets. You can buy all sorts of holiday presents as well as food. If you can believe it, I held off my shopping/ eating bug just long enough to take a walking tour of the city and see some of the highlights…did you know there were surfers in Munich?? Here are just a few picts from around the city.
You pay one flat free and you get transportation, a place to stay, breakfast, and a guided tour of the city. It worked out great, we even ran into fellow Stonehill-er Kait Mendell. So after boarding the buss Friday evening we drove for almost 10 hours before reaching Munich. Every year Munich decorates for the holidays and celebrates with famous Christmas markets. You can buy all sorts of holiday presents as well as food. If you can believe it, I held off my shopping/ eating bug just long enough to take a walking tour of the city and see some of the highlights…did you know there were surfers in Munich?? Here are just a few picts from around the city.
Lions are the symbol of Munich, you can rub their noses for good luck. 
Sunday morning we slept in before heading out to fight the crowds at the Christmas Markets. 
The entire main square is turned into a Winter Wonderland. Sunday became a day of eating local treats and shopping. We also took a shopping break to watch the Glockenspiel clock go off. For as famous of a clock as it was I was slightly disappointed by the show. But my huge pretzels, 4th or 5th bratwurst of the weekend seemed to make up for it. Before calling it a day Kait, Lindsay and I had a glass of Gleuwine which is a warm spiced wine. I have to say, that it is not my favorite German holiday food.
Sam and I working on the apple pie
It looked even better once it came out of the oven
Thanksgiving with the Italian fam
In the afternoon we headed right across the boarder into France for a little hiking. Mont Salève
The Colosseum
