France, Spain and Italy Oh My!
It's been a very exciting past couple of days. Betweenn Paris, Lauterbrunnen, Barcelona, Nice, Monte Carlo Verona, Venice, Florence and Rome I just don't even know where to start.
I probably already mentioned it at some point, but I'm on a Topdeck tour that travels to the most well known and famous parts of Europe (plus a heap of stuff you haven't heard of) over a period of 36 days from London to London. I started right back on the 15th (I know, forgive me internet for I have sinned, it has been 11 days since my last confession), and in the past week and a half I've been in and out of so many different cities that it has honestly felt like far longer than forever. So no judgey for the two week turn-around post.
We started in Paris, so that's probably where I should start, too, and even though I've been to Paris a couple of times before I definitely have to say that this may have been the most I enjoyed it. The city hadn't changed in the year since I'd last been there, but what was different was being there not only in the warmer months but to be there with a group of friends my age. We saw some museums, I finally made it to the Catacombs to see the bones, we had a picnic underneath the Eiffel Tower and I managed to some eat more escargot, macarons and to relocate a tea place that I'd found last year. I had also intended to make it to both the Opera Populaire and the Museum of Fashion but neither time nor reason seemed to allow the opportunity for that (sort of like always failing to make it to the Walt Disney Museum in San Francisco), although a cruise along the Seine compensated for the loss of excitement seeing the pretty pretty things would have given me. Not to mention all the flourish we saw at our cheeky cabaret. And man was it cheeky.
After leaving Paris we made it up into the Swiss Alps for the weekend and stopped off to stay in Lauterbrunnen - the most gorgeous little picturesque town in the Switzerland that is said to have been JRR Tolkien's inspiration for the Elven village of Rivendell. To be honest I didn't really see it, I think of Rivendell far differently than the little provincial Swiss village, but it was certainly beautiful with its wide open meadows, rambling mountains and numerous waterfalls. I tell you I could have lived there, but it wouldn't have been without pretending to be an extra from Heidi every now and then.
And let's not even get too into the complete amazing that was the Ice Palace atop the Jun-Frau, the highest peak in Western Europe. I can't even begin, and that was before I heard a friend of mine tried to lick it.
Or the mad dash a friend and I made to get to the top of a very high waterfall and back down to the bottom in less than 15 minutes.
Italy we reached into the second week, but not before we'd been through Avingon, Nice, Barcelona and Monaco all in a few days so chocked full of adventure and entertainment that I couldn't write it all down right now without exploding. Although Barcelona saw the beginning of a few long nights filled with revelry, drinking and more drama to boot that only continued to escalate through Monte Carlo, Venice and well into Rome. I would be lying if I said my friends and I weren't also privy to that kind of behaviour, but rest assured that we were all better for it in the end and no one was lost to the night.
Unlike Paris, Avingon and Nice both showed very different sides to France that I had never seen before and from what I did I found I really liked it a lot more. You know I love Paris, but Avingon is a medieval walled city and Nice is pretty much in the name. Even someone far from a beach person as I can appreciate the natural beauty of the Cote d'Azur and admire the dazzle of the lives of the rich and famous. More so in Monaco where it costs over 20 Euro for a cocktail, but the glitz can be more blissful than you think. And who wouldn't enjoy dressing up in their finery for a lovely night out in the very rich, pretty city home to the legendarily beautiful Casino de Monte Carlo. Although I will admit that Monaco was not at all what I expected.
Barcelona, on the other hand, that we reached between Avingon and Nice, was pretty much better than I had anticipated. It was hot and steamy, I got to wear my straw hat and some dangly earrings that I bought on the street, and see some pretty cool sights like the Sagrada Familia and Casa Battlo. Of course we went on a bit of a walk around the city when we got royally lost, but we still got there in the end and got to see Park Guell as well. All in a days work when you're city surfing with Sam.
Of course the night before was crazy, which is why the walk didn't go down as well as anticipated, and too much sangria led to a very flamboyant night out in Las Ramblas and then by the beach. We started with sangria then saw some traditional Flamenco, had some more sangria, and then more, and by the end of it everyone had a similarly manic night all over the place. Again, I say, this was only the first of many still to come including that in Monaco. Barcelona was of course a lot more of a gritty night than Monte Carlo was, but never say that it wasn't wicked fun.
By the time we made it to Italy and rolled straight into Venice via Verona, the party nation was in full swing. Dynamics shifted with the loss of some people and the gaining of some more, but these newbies were so quickly accepted into the family they may have been there from the beginning. Verona, I loved, and even more so loved that it became known as 'Love day' filled with love letter dedications and songs, a trip to Juliet's balcony and a movie night (on the bus) consisting of Baz L's Romeo + Juliet. It was also the beginning of a full week or more dedicated to eating as much gelato as humanely possible. And boy did we ever.
Venice I perhaps enjoyed the most this time because it was new, and seeing the floating sitting for real left a very funny flutter in my heart that may have been as much a love of the place as evidence of my wine hangover from the masquerade party the night before. There was just so much to be said for wandering through the windy alleys of Venice and cruising along the canals via gondola or vaporetto that one day was by no means enough. I could easily have spent more than a week there alone with enough time to just get lost the way that I really wanted to. The plus side did see a fun selfie with Charlie Chaplin's Italian descendent.
Florence via Pisa was just as fun, if taking selfies by the leaning tower wasn't all that it was cracked up to be however thought somehow my attempt managed to make it look straight. Seeing the Birth of Venus at the Uffizi in Florence was pretty distinguished since I decided not to wait in line for hours to see David when the exact replica was waiting outside just as naked. When you don't have more than a few hours, there is only time to see one famous naked person.
We drove to Rome that afternoon and managed to smash out half of the major tourist attractions in the space of 5 hours from the Spanish steps, to Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Roman Forum and the outside of the Colosseum. We went back in the next day to see what we hadn't the day before, and I spent a very lovely pre-birthday brunch in the famous Babington's tea house prior to seeing the inside of the Forum and Colosseum, the Bocca de la Virata and Piazza Navona. There wasn't much about Rome that I didn't enjoy the second time around, and when you remember that since the last time all the ruins mean so much more to me there really was no reason to frown on a day like I had in Rome. We did unfortunately have a bit of trauma happen at the end, as well as more revelry toga-style, but overall Rome was one place that I wouldn' trade for the world.
It's been a mad few weeks that have consisted of a new place almost every day, so much food and drink that obviously tastes so much better overseas and more fun and games and laughs than I could possibly put in words in the confines of this one post. So apologise for the time lapse, do forgive me, but I'll try to remember next time I'm sitting by the Cote d'Azur or eating pizza in Rome to update you.
Sam xox
I probably already mentioned it at some point, but I'm on a Topdeck tour that travels to the most well known and famous parts of Europe (plus a heap of stuff you haven't heard of) over a period of 36 days from London to London. I started right back on the 15th (I know, forgive me internet for I have sinned, it has been 11 days since my last confession), and in the past week and a half I've been in and out of so many different cities that it has honestly felt like far longer than forever. So no judgey for the two week turn-around post.
We started in Paris, so that's probably where I should start, too, and even though I've been to Paris a couple of times before I definitely have to say that this may have been the most I enjoyed it. The city hadn't changed in the year since I'd last been there, but what was different was being there not only in the warmer months but to be there with a group of friends my age. We saw some museums, I finally made it to the Catacombs to see the bones, we had a picnic underneath the Eiffel Tower and I managed to some eat more escargot, macarons and to relocate a tea place that I'd found last year. I had also intended to make it to both the Opera Populaire and the Museum of Fashion but neither time nor reason seemed to allow the opportunity for that (sort of like always failing to make it to the Walt Disney Museum in San Francisco), although a cruise along the Seine compensated for the loss of excitement seeing the pretty pretty things would have given me. Not to mention all the flourish we saw at our cheeky cabaret. And man was it cheeky.
After leaving Paris we made it up into the Swiss Alps for the weekend and stopped off to stay in Lauterbrunnen - the most gorgeous little picturesque town in the Switzerland that is said to have been JRR Tolkien's inspiration for the Elven village of Rivendell. To be honest I didn't really see it, I think of Rivendell far differently than the little provincial Swiss village, but it was certainly beautiful with its wide open meadows, rambling mountains and numerous waterfalls. I tell you I could have lived there, but it wouldn't have been without pretending to be an extra from Heidi every now and then.
And let's not even get too into the complete amazing that was the Ice Palace atop the Jun-Frau, the highest peak in Western Europe. I can't even begin, and that was before I heard a friend of mine tried to lick it.
Or the mad dash a friend and I made to get to the top of a very high waterfall and back down to the bottom in less than 15 minutes.
Italy we reached into the second week, but not before we'd been through Avingon, Nice, Barcelona and Monaco all in a few days so chocked full of adventure and entertainment that I couldn't write it all down right now without exploding. Although Barcelona saw the beginning of a few long nights filled with revelry, drinking and more drama to boot that only continued to escalate through Monte Carlo, Venice and well into Rome. I would be lying if I said my friends and I weren't also privy to that kind of behaviour, but rest assured that we were all better for it in the end and no one was lost to the night.
Unlike Paris, Avingon and Nice both showed very different sides to France that I had never seen before and from what I did I found I really liked it a lot more. You know I love Paris, but Avingon is a medieval walled city and Nice is pretty much in the name. Even someone far from a beach person as I can appreciate the natural beauty of the Cote d'Azur and admire the dazzle of the lives of the rich and famous. More so in Monaco where it costs over 20 Euro for a cocktail, but the glitz can be more blissful than you think. And who wouldn't enjoy dressing up in their finery for a lovely night out in the very rich, pretty city home to the legendarily beautiful Casino de Monte Carlo. Although I will admit that Monaco was not at all what I expected.
Barcelona, on the other hand, that we reached between Avingon and Nice, was pretty much better than I had anticipated. It was hot and steamy, I got to wear my straw hat and some dangly earrings that I bought on the street, and see some pretty cool sights like the Sagrada Familia and Casa Battlo. Of course we went on a bit of a walk around the city when we got royally lost, but we still got there in the end and got to see Park Guell as well. All in a days work when you're city surfing with Sam.
Of course the night before was crazy, which is why the walk didn't go down as well as anticipated, and too much sangria led to a very flamboyant night out in Las Ramblas and then by the beach. We started with sangria then saw some traditional Flamenco, had some more sangria, and then more, and by the end of it everyone had a similarly manic night all over the place. Again, I say, this was only the first of many still to come including that in Monaco. Barcelona was of course a lot more of a gritty night than Monte Carlo was, but never say that it wasn't wicked fun.
By the time we made it to Italy and rolled straight into Venice via Verona, the party nation was in full swing. Dynamics shifted with the loss of some people and the gaining of some more, but these newbies were so quickly accepted into the family they may have been there from the beginning. Verona, I loved, and even more so loved that it became known as 'Love day' filled with love letter dedications and songs, a trip to Juliet's balcony and a movie night (on the bus) consisting of Baz L's Romeo + Juliet. It was also the beginning of a full week or more dedicated to eating as much gelato as humanely possible. And boy did we ever.
Venice I perhaps enjoyed the most this time because it was new, and seeing the floating sitting for real left a very funny flutter in my heart that may have been as much a love of the place as evidence of my wine hangover from the masquerade party the night before. There was just so much to be said for wandering through the windy alleys of Venice and cruising along the canals via gondola or vaporetto that one day was by no means enough. I could easily have spent more than a week there alone with enough time to just get lost the way that I really wanted to. The plus side did see a fun selfie with Charlie Chaplin's Italian descendent.
Florence via Pisa was just as fun, if taking selfies by the leaning tower wasn't all that it was cracked up to be however thought somehow my attempt managed to make it look straight. Seeing the Birth of Venus at the Uffizi in Florence was pretty distinguished since I decided not to wait in line for hours to see David when the exact replica was waiting outside just as naked. When you don't have more than a few hours, there is only time to see one famous naked person.
We drove to Rome that afternoon and managed to smash out half of the major tourist attractions in the space of 5 hours from the Spanish steps, to Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Roman Forum and the outside of the Colosseum. We went back in the next day to see what we hadn't the day before, and I spent a very lovely pre-birthday brunch in the famous Babington's tea house prior to seeing the inside of the Forum and Colosseum, the Bocca de la Virata and Piazza Navona. There wasn't much about Rome that I didn't enjoy the second time around, and when you remember that since the last time all the ruins mean so much more to me there really was no reason to frown on a day like I had in Rome. We did unfortunately have a bit of trauma happen at the end, as well as more revelry toga-style, but overall Rome was one place that I wouldn' trade for the world.
It's been a mad few weeks that have consisted of a new place almost every day, so much food and drink that obviously tastes so much better overseas and more fun and games and laughs than I could possibly put in words in the confines of this one post. So apologise for the time lapse, do forgive me, but I'll try to remember next time I'm sitting by the Cote d'Azur or eating pizza in Rome to update you.
Sam xox
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