Our first city was Bruges. It's a quaint place, full of charm. It's all about soaking up the atmosphere. And eating the waffles and chocolates. THE WAFFLES!! To die for... Here's Bruges:
This picture was taken on a Saturday morning, just after 9 am. You'd think the place would be bustling by that time, right? But no. Nicole and I went walking for about a half hour that morning, and saw maybe 10 people. At the most. It was the most beautiful, silent morning and we had the place all to ourselves. Awesome.
Our second stop was Florence. I had heard great things about the gelato, and those rumors are true! But Florence is more well known for their beautiful art. And man, is there a lot of it! Among my favorite Florence sights were the Boboli Gardens and Ponte Vecchio. And the Arno River all lit up at night... Not to be missed:
Michelangelo's David was my other favorite thing. Believe me, it sounded slightly lame to me at first too. It's just a statue. How cool can it be, right? But, oh man!! That thing is beautiful! Man at his most ideal! It's probably wrong that I got a little turned on by the slab of marble, right? His body is perfect. And the details, down to the veins in his hands, were just jaw-dropping. So cool.
Next up, Paris! Or, as my Little Sister would say, Pairee! She just could not believe that I was going to Paris. And her sister said, wow, you must be really rich! I explained to her that it took a long time to save up the money.
I was probably most excited about seeing the Versailles gardens in full bloom. And man, was it worth it! So beautiful. That Marie Antoinette and Louis XIV really knew what they were doing...
And, of course, the Eiffel Tower. Such an awesome structure. Seriously. I could stare at it for hours...
Goodbye Paris... Probably for a long while. I can't keep spending good travel money on places I've already seen. But someday, I will return.
Our next stop, and the one I was anticipating the most, was Cinque Terre. And it exceeding my expectations a thousand-fold. It is the most beautiful place I have ever visited. Absolutely perfect. If I had all the money in the world, this is where I would honeymoon. This is where I'd have my yearly vacation home. This is where I'd live as an old woman.
The view from the window of our hostel in Cinque Terre:
Told you it was gorgeous. I just could not get enough of this place. Amazing mountains, check. Ideal beaches, check. Fascinating locals and tourists, check. I loved everything about this place.
The crazy beautiful beach of Monterosso...
Vernazza's beach was even more beautiful (see my blog heading picture for proof), but we didn't get the time to swim there.
Saying goodbye to Cinque Terre was a little soul-rending. Of all the places we visited, this was the only one I was truly disappointed to be leaving. I enjoyed my roommates, it's pretty much the most beautiful place in the world, and we barely even scratched the surface. But leave we did...
Our next, and last, stop was Rome. I enjoyed Rome the first time, but I probably would not have visited it again if it weren't for Nicole's desire to go. But one thing I'll always enjoy:
The Trevi Fountain... SO beautiful! And even more beautiful at night. I know it's a bit cliche to have my favorite place in Rome be the Trevi Fountain... But what can I say? There's a reason it's so iconic! But I was really excited to be able to visit the Mouth of Truth as well while in Rome. I didn't get to see it when I went last year. I was a bit too excited, probably. But Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck have been there!
Overall, the trip to Europe was amazing. How could it not be?! But there's truly no place like home, and I'm happy to be surrounded by family and friends again. And yes, I'm working on planning my next trip.
P.S. I just noticed that all but one of these pictures have some sort of water in it. Well, I guess that was a theme this trip... And that one picture with no water would have had the ocean in it if only the camera was angled just a bit more.
