Europe 2009 ~ Travel Journal

I had a phone that updated my location and allowed me to keep a travel journal. It let me see the entries, but I guess it wasn't user friendly for everyone else. So, I'm going to post the journal ~ it needs more details, but it's what I jotted down for my family and friends periodically: (Keep in mind that I took 2322 pictures...so I choose a few to share :)

Thursday, June 18, 2009 ~
Hi everyone! Just a quick note to tell you that I'm in Germany. We flew into Frankfurt this morning at 9 am local time...so you were fast asleep! By the time we got off the plane, went through customs, waited for our guide and bus, and met up with the rest of our group ~ it was 11:30. We couldn't go to our hotel until 3 pm, so we ate lunch in Frankfurt, shopped a bit, and took pictures of the beautiful city. It is so pretty!

We are sooooo tired. Luckily, we have 2 hours to rest and shower before we meet for dinner.

It's been a LONG trip, but it is fun and we are loving it. I still have a sore throat and NO VOICE!! That is a pain. (I had little or no voice throughout the trip ~ if you know me = sad)
More Germany tomorrow...

Friday, June, 19, 2009 ~

We got to see the beautiful towns of Frankfurt, Ladenburg, and Heidelberg yesterday and today. Germany is so pretty, but very humid. Today it started pouring rain, but luckily not while we were at Heidelberg Castle. Below is a view from the towers of Heidelberg Castle.

We got on our tour bus at noon to travel to the Rhine Falls at Schaffhausen~What a cool thing! It was pouring, but we had umbrellas!

We rode the bus for over eight hours today!! It wasn't too bad, because we stopped off and on, but it was long. We arrived in Lucerne, Switzerland tonight. It is pouring rain, as I said, but it is so pretty here. Hopefully it will stop raining because it really is amazing here and we want to get pictures of the quaint town.

Tomorrow we spend the day in Lucerne touring the city, we get to see the lion carved in the mountain...like the picture posted. Some are going up into the Alps, some aren't. Shopping will be done...there is Swiss chocolate to buy. :) Don't worry, we'll bring some home as well. We stay in Lucerne overnight again, then it is off to Montecatini and Tuscany (Italy).

It costs a lot of money for Internet access, so we just buy a little to fill you in. Hopefully we will find an Internet cafe soon!!
All is well...hope it is for all of you too!!

Saturday, June 20, 2009
The rain stopped last night. When Kristi got up to run this morning, she found that the locals were still up and about from a long night of partying. She was kinda freaked out, apparently there were old men out fishing from the bridges, half-drunk men mocking her running, and other odd behavior. She finished rather quickly!

We spent the day perusing the little shops, walking the picturesque town, and seeing the sights. PLENTY of Swiss chocolate was purchased and consumed. Lucerne is stunning. LOVE it.

Once we hit Italy, this "leisurely" pace will be lost...but we are ready for the adventure. Can I also say that water right out of the Alps is AMAZING running out of your facet...yum.

Sunday, June 21, 2009~

I'm so bugged! I wrote a HUGE entry...didn't post. Trying again...

Today we boarded our bus for the long drive into Italy. The Italian part of Switzerland was AMAZING! The view from our bus was beautiful, and we enjoyed to road trip.
Along the way, we stopped at the Italian version of a rest stop. It is so cool. It rises up over the lanes of traffic (like our freeway) and offers EVERYTHING you can imagine. All fresh food: sandwiches of every kind, pizza, a restaurant, candy, pop, toys, gifts...EVERYTHING! It is so fun.

Picture entering Italy from the bus window...

Then we drove to Pisa. WOW! We saw that amazing Leaning Tower, as well as the cathedral and baptistery. They are made from a beautiful marble, and we were able to see the mountains from which the marble came on the way. It was so cool. We were in awe!
We also caught a glimpse of the Mediterranean Sea on the way. This is all such a sweet experience!

We arrived in Montecatini at around 7 pm. Pisa and Montecatini are located in Tuscany...which could be one of the most beautiful parts of this world! We had bigger rooms and a wonderful dinner. After dinner we went into town for a gellato. YUMMMMMMMM...

A view of Tuscany from our bus window...

Tomorrow we are going into Florence with our guide, Nettah, and a local guide from Florence. The local guide will show us and educate us. Florence is not only the home of Michelangelo's famous David...which we see the next day...they are also famous for leather, silk, some jewelry. So, we will SHOP!!! We have a half of a day for free time tomorrow!
We are having a ball! Take care!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009~

Ciao! We spent yesterday touring the beautiful city of Florence. We saw beautiful buildings, sculpture, and ate a traditional (amazing!!!) Italian lunch. We also had ample time to shop. We were able to choose from leather products, silk products, and Murano glass. Everybody was able to find the perfect thing to bring home. It did rain on us, but it was still so beautiful, and we all had a great time.Then we went back to our hotel in Montecatini. We had a great Italian meal and packed to go on to Rome.

Ponte Vecchio Bridge in Florence, Italy ~ LOVE Florence!!!

It was an early morning today; we loaded our bus at 7 am to travel back to Florence for a bit to enter the Academia to see Michelangelo's David. WOW!!! What an amazing experience. I've seen it once before, but I was still stunned at the genius that was Michelangelo. No pictures allowed of The David...but it was STUNNING, I promise.

Back on the bus to travel back through the Tuscan Valley to Siena, also located in the Tuscan region. It was gorgeous in the country and Siena was both interesting and amazing. We were able to go into the Liberia Piccolomini located in the Cathedral. This Cathedral was done in the Gothic style and was seriously breathtaking. The Liberia Piccolomini is a collection of books with intricate calligraphy and illuminated letters. I've NEVER seen such precise talent. The library was, for me as a Calligraphy teacher, a highlight. See------------------------>

We then walked down and entered the square featured in the book New Moon, and it will be in the upcoming movie. It is where Edward is about to reveal himself in Italy from beneath the clock tower. The kids were pretty impressed. Imagine sparkly Edward under that clock tower...:D

Then three more hours on the bus to Rome. We were a bit frightened by the traffic and the lack of traffic laws, but we got checked into our hotel and went to a local restaurant for an authentic Roman Italian dinner experience. The food and dessert was so delicious!

Following dinner the group took part in The Great Renaissance Debate (the girls were persuasive!) and then were off to bed.
Tomorrow we will have a guided tour of Rome, enter the Roman Colosseum, the Forum, and then have free time to explore Rome. Thursday we will go to the Vatican City...then it's the overnight train to FRANCE. The time is flying by, but we are all safe, happy, and enjoying the opportunity of a lifetime!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

It's hard to get a good pic of The Colosseum...you walk up and it's in the middle of traffic. Weird.

Today was amazing. We were able to see the Colosseum, the Forum, and explored the city of Rome. We explored the city all on our own. We threw our coins in Trevi Fountain and wished to someday return. Italy is beautiful. The food is great, the sun is HOT, and the men are huge flirts. They are partial to blondes...lucky Kristi and Shelby :). We also went to the Hard Rock Cafe Rome. It was pretty fun. We enjoyed cokes with ICE, a novelty in Europe, and American music. We stopped at a small, hole-in-the-wall Hard Rock in Germany. Rome's is pretty posh.

I love Italy...we are kind of sad to leave.

Above is a picture of The Forum...

Saturday, June 27, 2009~ Blood, Sweat, and Tears...Literally

We've entered The City of Lights! Oh what a journey!!!? We rode an overnight train...that was NOT fun.

On Thursday we toured Vatican City. We were able to see the art collection, The Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, and more of Rome later in the day. There was so much to take in that it was a little overwhelming for all of us.

Here is an illegal picture of The Sistine Chapel...I got more last time, so I didn't push my luck this time. They take cameras away sometimes. It is small, but so amazing. You have to realize that everything is painted...it's an illusion created by Michelangelo. The ceiling doesn't really curve, it's flat. Every surface is painted.

We took a city bus on the way back from The Vatican ~ what an experience. All 47 in our tour group got on the bus and it was crowded, hot, and stinky. We couldn’t help but notice that there was a very large, interesting man in the rear seat of the bus. Kristi and another girl from our tour group had the “pleasure” to stand near him. He began picking scabs from his backside and attempting to flick them out the doors when we stopped. His hands were bloody, hence the blood. He also did something else that seems inappropriate to share in this venue, but it, along with the scabs caused the girls to relocate as soon as possible. Can I just say that public transportation is not proving to be our favorite thing. Plus, you can take a personal shower in your own sweat when you are on a train, the metro, or a city bus. Blood, sweat…

We had taken a map and navigated ourselves around Rome on Wednesday, so we got pretty good at it. It was SO very hot in Rome! We had to ride the metro and the local bus to reach The Vatican. We loved Italia, but after one more serving of gelato...we were all packed and kind of ready to board the overnight train to Paris, France.

So, we get to the train station and it is HOT. We've been in some serious heat. Anyway, Whitney, Shelby, Brittany, Kristi, and I are trying to lift our huge bags onto the train. All of the sudden, as if from heaven, a young man appears and helps us all with our luggage. Not only does he lift our heavy bags, but he takes them to our tiny compartment and arranges them for us. Well, none of us have done this before, so we assume that he works for the station. AND I even ask him, and he's like, "Yes!" I try to tip him a couple of euros, and at first he's like, "No, No..." and continues to load the luggage into the compartment. Well, he gets done and comes up to me and tells me that it's six euros. There are six people in a compartment, so I thought he wanted one per person. I only had four, but when I opened my wallet, he saw I had a twenty. So, he gives me back my four and takes my twenty. Somehow, he also gets Shelby to give him ten for change. and Brittany to give him twenty for change...but you probably guessed by now that he was scamming us. We did catch on and Kristi and I ran out to get him, but the train was leaving and he was a ways up the platform. So, the tears come in here (not literally, but still). The train offers a very unique experience. We were in a tiny compartment with six seats that transitioned into six beds, bunk bed style with three beds on each side of a two and a half foot aisle. Think of Harry Potter riding the train to Hogwarts, but get rid of the clean appearance, the treat cart, the air conditioning, and throw in a disgusting bathroom at the end of the train car that everyone shares and a bunch of creepy, lurking men outside your locked door and night…then you’ll be able to visualize our train ride. We had one bed/seat that wasn’t filled in our compartment. We literally prayed that no one would be assigned to our little space, but luckily, the girl who was an American graduate student traveling alone through Europe. I think she was so relieved to find that she was with us. Her name was Laura and she was from Texas. The next morning we woke up and struggled to dress and get ready for our non-stop touring schedule. (No shower...which may not seem like such a huge thing, but after touring the blazing hot city of Rome all day, boarding a sweaty train, sleeping in your clothing, and then anticipating another whole day with the previous day's sweat and clothing as your companions, it really is a huge deal...)

We went on a bus tour around Paris. There is so much to see and do in Paris. The bus dropped us off near Luxembourg Gardens where we ate delicious French quiche, pastries, and goodies. YUM! Our local guide pointed out everything in Paris, and then took us to a lookout point for beautiful pictures of the Eiffel Tower. Following our bus tour, we went to the Louvre. We saw AMAZING things, including The Mona Lisa. It was surreal and exciting to know that we were in the presence of greatness…well for me anyway. We only had a short time in the Louvre; we caught the metro to go get an up close and personal view of the tower. WOW!!! We bought tickets, went up (some to the top, some not…frustrating and NOT cool of them to split our group and not allow 6 to go to the top with the other 10), came down, and raced to dinner.

Dinner was amazing. A little French granny owns a little restaurant and employs her family to serve, cook, and mingle. The food was out of this world and she was particularly adorable.

Following dinner we took the metro back to the base of the tower and caught a ship on the Seine River for a night cruise. It was one of our favorite things. French music played as we saw The City of Lights at night. We had an excellent view of the lit up tower and caught it twinkling at the end of our cruise. Beautiful…
The next day we headed to Versailles, which is located 30 min. outside Paris. We arrived at the gilded, golden gates that morning and were able to see the castle, including Marie Antoinette’s room, and the stunning gardens. It was beautiful. It was also self-indulgent, as we learned from an interactive history lesson. As the royals were living in luxury, the peasants were starving…so sad. We discussed the French Revolution and learned about how France changed over the years.
Gardens below...

Following our tour of Versailles, we headed back into Paris to see Notre Dame Cathedral. Unfortunately, it was closed for a special last minute service, so we just saw the outside, which was Gothic in design and so beautiful. We then ate at a traditional French café. We enjoyed French bread, goat cheese, fruit, and the most amazing chocolate pie/cake with REAL whip cream ever. It was called Chocolat Fondant. We indulged in the free water as much as we could; indulged in free toilet use, and we shopped until meeting time...yes we did a lot of shopping. But, it could have been MUCH worse. Louis Vutton was right down the street...

From there we went to an art studio in Montmartre to learn to paint. It was quite fun. Then we saw Sepulchre, roamed Montmartre, and went to eat a delicious dinner. Unfortunately, the restaurant had allowed a strange man to “entertain” us with his horrible singing. It was funny, loud, and annoying all at the same time. The meal did not include French onion soup, so I ordered some. It was amazing!!! After a few more last minute pictures, we took the metro and sweated our way back to the hotel (which was NOT clean…yuck). Now it’s off to London via the Euro star Train. It’s hard to believe we only have two days left on tour, but I miss my family and will be ready to go home when the time comes.

Monday, June 29, 2008~

We enjoyed our ride on the Eurostar across the English Channel to London. Our hotel is VERY nice. We had a ton of free time in London. I love London. It is so clean and fun. They were so sad in Paris about the death of Michael Jackson, but here in London, they are devastated. Everywhere we go we hear his music. EVERYWHERE!!! Street performers are dancing to and singing his songs, each shop or major store blares his music, even the changing of the guard featured the guard playing a medley of his songs for the queen!! We went on a bus tour and saw all of the major sights: Big Ben, The Changing of the Guard,

St. Paul's, Westminster Abbey, London Bridge, Tower Bridge, museums, Tower of London, The London Eye...everything. Kristi and I had a spectacular view of the Eye out of our hotel window!! We ate fish and chips and Thai food...did more shopping, visited The British National museum, went to Hard Rock London for lunch, and ended our trip with a BANG!! We saw Wicked in London! It was AMAZING!!! Although, it was like 80 degrees in the theater, and we were dripping in sweat :(. London is usually kind of chilly, but it was blazing HOT! (But, oddly, still foggy at times?!)

We said goodbye to London...












We are grateful for this experience, but ready to go HOME...

Wednesday, July 1, 2009~

First glimpse of home...Lady Liberty

Holy cow! I wondered if I'd ever get home. Weather delayed our flights as we sat on the planes waiting for clearance to fly, a lady freaked out as we tried to leave New Jersey for Texas and she demanded to be let off of the plane making us two hours late for our connecting flight in Texas.

After an hour of arguing and persuasion, the airline bought us hotel rooms (it was nearly 1 am) for a few hours of sleep. We arrived in Salt Lake (FINALLY!!!) around noon today and began our 3 hour drive home. I can't wait to get home to my family...I think our group had fun...I did (yawn).

Current Date, Current Time? Time...Time is weird

So grateful for the wonderful opportunity, but jet lag has me feeling strange...

Last, but not least, one picture of Kristi and me--------------------->

Now it's time to get SERIOUS about losing the vacation pounds.