Day 18 – 6/4

Transfer to Florence – Pisa

Today we spent most of the day on the bus to Florence, Italy. Like the last bus ride, we watched a few movies and stopped at a few rest stops. The highlight of this bus ride was our stop in Pisa. The leaning tower of Pisa is the bell tower of a church. It started leaning almost immediately during construction. One hundred years later, when there still appeared to be no problems with the structure, they finished building it.

The church has three separate buildings; a bell tower, a cathedral and a baptistry. The baptistry is a circular building and the acoustics inside are outstanding. We listened to a short demonstration before going into the cathedral.

The hotel in Florence was wonderful. The only downside was that wifi cost 8 Euros. After sitting on the cold dirty sidewalk at the Jail Hotel, I gladly paid it.

Rather than go out to a bar, Christina and I walked to a liquor store to pick up whiskey and coke and a corkscrew to open the wine I got in France. On the way we stopped for gelato. I really wanted a cannoli but they were sold out. I am determined to find one tomorrow! On the way back we stopped at for pizza and lasagna.

Day 17 – 6/3

Lucerne – Mt. Pilatus

This morning we took a short walking tour of Lucerne . We stopped at a huge statue of a lion with a spear in its back. It is to commemorate the soldiers who died defending Marie Antoinette. Next we walked to the center of town for souvenir shopping. We also got two free collectable spoons from local gift shops. I had to go back and get mine later because I did not know about them and did not bring my vouchers.

I picked up a sandwich for lunch. It was a tomato, mozzarella an basil panini and it was one of the best things I've eaten since I've been here.

Around noon, we boarded a ferry to Mt. Pilatus. People used to believe that Mt. Pilatus was inhabited by dragons and haunted by the ghost of Pontius Pilate. It was forbidden to climb the mountain until an exorcism.

The views of the Swiss Alps and the surrounding towns from the boat were absolutely amazing. I have so many pictures to upload when I get home. The water in Lake Lucerne was so clean and blue. Everything was so beautiful!

When we arrived at the base of the mountain, we took a train to the top. The track was originally built in the 1800s and most of it is still original. Again the views as we ascended the mountain were beautiful!

The weather conditions today were rare for spring. The top of the mountain was above the cloud line. So as you looked out from the top, you could see the Alps surrounded by the milky ocean, as the call it, of clouds. The view was absolutely breathtaking. Pictures will never do it justice.

To descend back down the mountain, we took a cable car that was specially designed for the Mt. Pilatus. It is the steepest in the world at 48 degrees. We stopped at the second level from the top to toboggan down part of the mountain. Its supposed to be a thrilling attraction, similar to the luge in the Olympics. Unfortunately, it was closed today. We continued down the mountain in another cable car until we reached the stop where the bus was meeting us.

Day 16 – 6/2

Transfer to Switzerland

We spent most of today on the bus traveling from France to Switzerland. After about an hour we stopped at a gas station to use the restroom and get snacks. A few hours later we stopped in a town in Burgundy called Bone for lunch. It was a holiday so a lot of places were closed and the places that were open were very expensive so I got chicken nuggets. (Yes I know - not very adventurous but I'm saving my appetite for Italy.) On the bus we finished watching Moulin Rouge. Next we watched 300 as a courtesy to the three boys on our tour.

Our hotel in Lucerne is called the Jail Hotel because it used to be an actual jail. It would have been a cool place to stay if it wasn't so terrible. Our room was tiny and dirty. The window was open when we got there so there were bugs in the room, including a half squished spider on the wall.

We were fortunate enough to have a full bathroom with a shower in our room but every time someone used the community shower upstairs, it sounded like ours was running. I found, Christina, my roommate, in the stairwell when when I came upstairs from using the internet (which was only available for 12 people at a time outside on the sidewalk.) She said she doesn't even believe in an afterlife and the sound of our shower being on with no one else in the room freaked her out. We are sleeping with a light on tonight.

Day 15 - 6/1

Paris – Versailles

This morning we went to Versailles, the palace of King Louie XIV, also known as the Sun King due to his association with Apollo. The murals on the ceiling are of Greek gods who revolve around the the King or Apollo. The king's bedroom is located directly in the center of the palace.

The king would wake up, get dressed, eat, etc in public. Everything the king did was open to the courtiers. He built the palace with 4000 rooms so they could all live in the palace or have land near it. This kept him in good favor with the courtiers. They plotted against each other rather than him. More importantly, he could keep an eye on everyone giving him an absolute monarchy.

We also saw Marie Antoinette's bedroom. The french revolution started when they tried to kill her. I took a picture of the door where she escaped through interior rooms to the King's bedroom. She was not well liked by her people due to her lively social life and gambling habits.

After the hour tour of the museum, we walked to a patisserie where I picked up quiche Lorraine and a chocolate eclair for lunch. After taking a peek at the palace gardens, we took the train back to Paris.

Once back in Paris, I went to Notre Dame Cathedral. It breathtaking inside! The ceilings are so high and beautiful. Its dark inside because it was very hard to build windows that high. I lit a candle for Popi in the church. In the picture, its the one on the top in the center.

This evening, we went to a french show similar to the Moulin Rouge. They had beautiful dancers, each selected as an image of french perfection and acrobats. My favorite act was two brothers who did a very intricate juggling act. We watched the show while sipping champagne. It was a great experience.

After the show, we walked up to Momart, the oldest part of Paris where you could see the whole city at night. I had a Nutella crepe as I looked over the beautiful city. It was a wonderful way to spend my last night in Paris.

Day 14 - 5/31

Paris

Today I went on a walking tour of the city. It was nice to be outside in the sun. We went to an outdoor market where I got a chocolate and banana crepe and raspberry sorbet for lunch. I also got a handbag embroidered with pink and blue flowers to help transport my increasing amount of luggage. We also went on a tour of Victor Hugo's house and a museum of the history of Paris.

This evening, we went to the Eiffel Tower. We went up to the second and top floors. The views were absolutely amazing! I bought a few smaller pictures of the tower in the shop on the second floor to remember it by.

By the time we made our way down, it was after 10pm and almost dark. After dark, every hour, on the hour, the tower lights up and sparkles for 5 minutes. We waited until 11pm to see it. It was definitely worth the wait. It was beautiful! My pictures don't so it justice.

Day 13 - 5/30

Paris

Local Time 11:55pm

I love this city! Tomorrow, I'm throwing my passport into the Seine River so I can stay here forever. Kevin, if you want me you're going to have to come get me.

I had a wonderful day today. This morning we went on a sightseeing bus tour. Our guide's name was Terry. He was a very typical Frenchman. He was very funny. He explained a lot of history and general cultural information about the city.

He told us he doesn't like driving in America. He said its boring because of the lanes. In Paris, there are no lanes. The roads are pretty much a free for all. I'm glad I wasn't driving.

He also told us not to wait in lines at the Louvre, especially for the Mona Lisa. He said, “If you wait in line, you will never see her. Don't be rude, be French. Say 'Pardon' and...” (He made a shoving motion with his elbow. It was good advise.

On the tour, we stopped at the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs Elysées for pictures. While we were waiting for the bus to pick us up, we saw a fight break out at one of the souvenir stands. A man rode his bicycle into the newspaper stand. The owner of the shop came out and started yelling at him in French. They were shoving each other and shouting various insults, which one of the girls on my tour translated.

We also did a photo stop at the Eiffel tower. As soon as the bus stopped, we got ambushed by street venders. Closer to the tower, there was a man selling poster sized pictures of the Eiffel Tower and the surrounding area. I bargained with him and got two for 10 Euros. (Not bad considering he opened with 20 for one.)

After the tour, I went to the Louvre for a few hours. I could have spent days in there. Its the largest museum in the world. If you spent one minute looking at each piece, you would be there for 3 years. I took Terry's advice and got right to the front to see the Mona Lisa. She is behind 3 inches of bulletproof glass so my pictures didn't come out great but it was amazing to see her in person. I also saw Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory, the other two most famous pieces in the museum.

For dinner we went to a restaurant in the Latin quarter for a traditional french meal. It was 5 courses starting with, pink champagne. I had escargot to start. (Shocking! I know. Don't worry I have pictures to prove it.) It was actually delicious! Everyone who was brave enough to try it loved it. For my main meal, I had beef Burgundy with potatoes. It was amazing. After the main meal, they brought us bread and cheese. For dessert, I had chocolate mousse. It was by far, the best meal, I've had since I've been here.

After dinner, we went on a cruise on the Seine River to see the city at night. On one of the bridges we went under, couples attach padlocks and then throw the keys into the river. So romantic...

Day 12 - 5/29

Transfer to Paris & Brussels

Local Time: 3pm

We are just leaving Brussels, the capital of Belgium. We stopped for about an hour and a half for lunch and some quick sight seeing. I had an AMAZING Belgian waffle topped with whipped cream, chocolate and fresh strawberries. I also picked up some fries with mayonnaise, another food Belgium is famous for.

In the city, we also saw a little statue of a boy peeing. There are many stories about the purpose of the statue. One claims that it commemorates a boy who saved the town from burning by peeing on a fire. Another story claims that when a little boy went missing his father promised to build at statue exactly where the boy was found.

Local Time: 11:55pm

We are finally in warmer weather!!! I'll finally be able to wear my dresses!

We arrived in Paris around 8pm. After checking into the hotel I went out for a walk around with a bunch of people from my tour. We didn't see anything too exciting but it was nice to have a look around the city. Tomorrow we have a very bust day starting with a three hour bus tour.