Well, I'm home. 17 days of touring 7 countries in Europe was amazing and exhausting and it's good to be home, and I'm SO glad I did it. Mostly I'm thankful for how well everything worked out.
Honestly, I don't know why it went so smoothly. Why those days when we came into town at 8:30 p.m. and didn't have a place to stay and the town looked boarded up we suddenly found an ideal circumstance or place to be in (this happened multiple times). Why we talked to just the right people in the nick of time quite by accident that helped us to make the right stop or decision so we didn't waste hours of valuable time in one shot (also happened numerous times). Why the timing worked out so perfectly to get the tickets, go to Europe, have the money we'd been saving up for this trip for two years (it cost almost exactly what I had saved)... The list goes on. Things exceeded my expectations all along the way.
Here was the itinerary (and highlights) which was created along the way:
Day 1: Frankfurt Germany (went to the LDS temple and around the city)
Day 2: Munich and Fussen: Castles
Day 3: Paris: The Louvre, Eiffel Tower, crepes, etc. around town
Day 4: Halstatt, Austria: Connie's good Austrian birthday dinner and exploring
Day 5: Halstatt, Austria: Exploring the small town and relaxing
Day 6: Salzburg, Austria: Sound of music sites, Mozart's birthplace and residence
Day 7: Venice Italy to Florence: Gondola ride, got lost in the back streets (that's what the travel guide by Rick Steve's told us to do and we followed his advice quite by accident)
Day 8: Florence to Rome: Saw Michelangelo's David, St Peter's Basillica, Colloseum, and other major sites (actually were true tourists by taking an open top bus tour)
Day 9: Florence market and leaning tower of Pisa to Cinque Terre
Day 10: Cinque Terre (Italy): explored all 5 towns
Day 11: Cinque Terre to Switzerland (big travel day)
Day 12: Gimmelwald/Interlaken Switzerland... I LOVE Switzerland. It's beautiful, and the train station is very tourist friendly. In the Alps... toured a ski town (Murren), enjoyed hazelnut yogurt, and more.
Day 13: Interlaken/Bern Switzerland: Another travel and roaming day.
Day 14: Amsterdam/Haarlem Holland: Saw Anne Frank house and toured Corrie ten Boom house. Very sadly missed seeing the Van Gogh museum due to the long lines and lack of time. :( I will have to go back for that.
Day 15: Brugges, Belgium: Love this town too. Rented bikes, toured museums, streets, chocolate factories, ate chocolate... a lot of chocolate. i think chocolate is what I had for lunch.
Day 16: Brugges, Belgium: market, basic touring.
Day 17: Frankfurt to Utah
There's not much I would have changed even in hind site. A small detail here or there, but really, it was quite ideal with very few problems or rough moments. What a memory!
2 comments:
Cheryl... I am so glad that you chose to do this! It sounds like an awesome adventure, and one that you will always be able to look back on with great memories! My advice - is to label all of your pictures quickly - so you don't forget where each one was. They all start to blend after a while...
Well, I've said it before, I'm saying it now, and I'm sure I'll say it again: YOU ARE MY HERO! That is awesome that you had the guts and spontaneity to go to Europe and have an amazing adventure! We are 100% jealous and 20% happy for you. Doesn't that make 120%? Just kidding, we are mostly just happy for you. What an incredible trip! It all worked out how it was supposed to because you and Connie really deserved such a great time! I look forward to seeing pictures.
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