Traveling Europe With My Parents
Well here is the final Blog entry. My last night in Salzburg
began with an approaching storm. I left my dorm early because I was afraid that
I’d have to travel in the rain. A friend of mine met up with me and kept me
company for a few hours before my train arrived. The ride to Zurich was very
uneventful. I was luck enough to find a sleeper car with only two other people,
then eventually only two of us. So I got to lie down and sleep. I awoke with an
hour left of my journey and saw the sunrise over the mountains. I was glad I
got to see this because there aren’t mountains where I live. I arrived at the
HBF in Zurich then transferred trains for the Airport to meet my parents. The Zurich airport is laid out very
interestingly. I finally found the car rental and sat to wait for my parents. I
saw them walking and ran to meet them. We got our rental car and headed to the
hotel. We only missed it by one exit. We then took the train back into town to
explore a bit before turning in for the night. Being the nerds we are we did
find the Apple store in Zurich J.
The next day we traveled to Caen in the region of Normandy,
France. This was quite a long drive but was so much fun. Mom rather liked the
fact that we could drive very quickly on the highways. I listened to music and
read a book during the drive. We arrived in Caen and checked in to the little
Bed and Breakfast we were staying at. It was a quaint inn and very homey. We
decided on McDonalds because they have a Royal with Cheese, yes this is in
reference to Pulp Fiction. I might
add that this trip was not only a WWII trip but also a Movie trip. Meaning we
were seeing historical sites from WWII as well as famous filming sites from
films we love.
Normandy is a beautiful region. If I spoke any French and
could stand to live in France, this would be the region I’d live in. We went to
the beached of Normandy and to Pont du Hoc. Pont du Hoc is where the cliffs are
that US soldiers climbed to get into France. It was an amazing sight to behold.
We could see where bombs had blown up and were now overgrown with grasses and
flowers. We climbed in and out of bunkers and my dad was pointing out what
everything was. It was neat to see him so excited about being there and it was
not hard to be excited as well. We also visited two cemeteries, one was an
American cemetery and the other was a German cemetery. It was humbling to see
all the souls lost in battle. One neat thing was that A-10’s were flying over
constantly. I also got to get my picture taken on Omaha Beach and with a big
Anti Aircraft gun at Pont Du Hoc.
From Normandy we went to Paris. Paris was fun. For me this
was all about movies. Specifically DaVinci Code and National Treasure 2. We
were only spending one day in Paris then moving on. So, in under 9 hours we got
to see everything you could wish to see in Paris. We saw the Pyramids at the
Louvre, Pont Neuf (which is a bridge), Notre Dame, Eifel Tower, The mini Statue
of Liberty, Arc de Triomphe, and Saint Sulpice. I also got to indulge in a
Nutella and Banana Crepe. It was fun running around Paris and reciting movie
lines with my parents. When we arrived to Saint Sulpice and I saw the Roseline
I about died. DaVinci code is one of my favorite books and I love all the
history combined with conspiracy theories. One cool thing about the Eifel Tower
is my mom’s maiden name can be seen on it, Luplace. Pretty cool huh? Oh I
forgot to mention that Europe LOVES roundabouts. There’s one around the Arc de
Triomphe and my mom was terrified that she’d have to drive through it. Luckily
she didn’t as the entrance to the motorway was just before the roundabout.
From Paris we traveled to Füssen Germany. This is a lovely
little town where Neuschwanstein is located. We stayed at a lovely bed and
breakfast for the night. The next day we hiked up to Neuschwanstein and went to
the bridge to take a few photos. Then we drove through German countryside to
Salzburg. We were going to stay two nights in Salzburg. So I did some last
minute shopping and visiting of the Dubliner for one last pint. –Did I mention that I stayed in a hostel by
myself in a room that ended up being used, the second night, by guys attending
either a bachelor party or wedding. Let’s just say that the amount of AXE body
spray and loudness used was ridiculous. They were also pretty loud. The next
morning though, one of the guys found me in the lobby to apologize for being
rude. It was nice of them. How could I blame them from having a fun night out
haha.
While in Salzburg my dad and I took a tour up to the Eagles
Nest, which is actually in Germany. It was really neat to see where Hitler
visited, although he was afraid of heights. My dad and I climbed up part of the
mountain that the Eagles Nest was on and took pictures of Salzburg below. The fireplace
in the main dining room had pieces of the marble chipped off by soldiers as
souvenirs during the war. We also got to go to a little mountain town for lunch
where my dad and I had the best Jägerschnitzel ever!!
After saying farewell to Salzburg, again, we headed to our
final destination. Venice, Italy. I was super excited to go back to Venice. We
were staying two nights all together in Venice, but going to the Island only
one day. The hotel we were staying in was really nice. I had my first Strawberry
Daiquiri and it was delicious! The bartender was cute too haha. I was excited
to see Venice again. We arrived early in the morning on the island. We then
wound our through the city, on a very hot day, and saw the church where they
filmed Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade library façade. We also got to see
Saint Marks. It was gorgeous as ever. To enter Saint Marks though, women must
have their shoulders and knees covered. So I was exploring Venice in the middle
of July in jean capris and a tank, which could be covered with a shall. To say
I was hot was an understatement. We did get to have gelato twice though which
was very refreshing haha. I also got a pretty sweet mask too. My brother plays
Assassins Creed and I kept picture Ezio running through the city along rooftops
and diving into haystacks. Oh and just as we were leaving I got my picture
taken with one of the doctors masks from the renaissance era. EPIC!!
We ended our stay in Zurich. We stayed one night there and I
realized my time in Europe was over. I cried a little about leaving and was
excited to go home. However it wouldn’t end easily. At the Zurich airport I was
sent on a wild goose chase to check in for my flight. After 45 mins and myself
being quite frustrated, to the point of frustrated tears in my eyes threatening
to fall, I finally checked in and was homeward bound. After my flight from
Philly being canceled I made it to Cincy after getting on a different flight,
not caring about my luggage because I wanted to be in Ohio. I made it home at 1
in the morning and promptly fell asleep with my dog lying in bed with me. I
couldn’t have been happier.
On to the next adventure… Graduation!
