Europe via EF Tours
First Stop: Layover in Amsterdam
Pompeii was way cooler than I expected it to be, I do wish I had worn sneakers though. But the bathrooms were beautiful, the commons were amazingly beautiful. The walkways, some of the houses were preserved just enough for you to be able to picture it yourself. They had 2-3 preserved bodies in glass boxes that they claim are from the actual disaster. I can't tell if I believe them but it was still such an experience and such an awesome learning opportunity. Plus, we got pizza and ice cream after anyway.
Now for the Vatican. I'll be honest I was being naive and expected it to be either a giant house just for the pope, or a church like the one I go to on Sundays just WAY bigger. But no, it's this beautiful museum that has the most amazing art that I've ever seen. The amount of dedication that went into this building is unbelievable. I have no words to explain how awesome it was. If you go to Italy you must go, even if you'r not religious. IT IS SO WORTH IT.
On our way to our first destination which is Italy, but with the lucky surprise of a seven hour layover in Amsterdam. First thing, the airport is beautiful, even the buses are beautiful. For a while we drove around and the tour guide showed us all of the gorgeous and unique architecture that Amsterdam has to offer. It was even more beautiful because we showed up as the sun rose. We drove through the red light district, my catholic school teacher wasn't too happy about it, but even the red light district was clean. Everybody there drives cute little cars and they all ride bikes, even the traffic lights are cute. The city had a unique smell and was unique in every way, there are house boats, and water goes through the entire city. And you take a corner from the busy city and there's a cheese factory that has cows, wooden clogs, etc. We went on a boat and went all the way around the city and saw so many breathtakingly beautiful houses and some really awesome house boats.
Second Stop: Italy
I don't really remember what Italy looked like when we first got there but I do know that it was super sunny. We drove to the hotel in a bus that looked like a normal size until we were on these little high ways and roads, with motorcycles weaving in and out of traffic, and cars the size of my suitcase. The hotel was small, cute, and clean but definitely not made for large groups. I roomed with four other girls and they squished a little cot into the already squeezed room. But that definitely didn't take away from the beauty of Italy. We went to Rome, Florence, Pompeii (and I'm not sure if we went anywhere else). Florence seemed like another world to me, it seemed to be sorta enclosed and had beautiful stone roads and stores of every kind. I remember the smell of the leather shop that we all went to. I remember the quaint pizza place that I went to with two of my best friends at the time. And oh, we wanted to order some wine so bad. I'm pretty sure I walked around for hours and didn't once get bored. I remember fighting with my boyfriend of the time and I still had an amazing time. The colors there just seemed brighter, the street art was unbelievable. They had an H&M that was three floors and it might as well have been a palace.
Pompeii was way cooler than I expected it to be, I do wish I had worn sneakers though. But the bathrooms were beautiful, the commons were amazingly beautiful. The walkways, some of the houses were preserved just enough for you to be able to picture it yourself. They had 2-3 preserved bodies in glass boxes that they claim are from the actual disaster. I can't tell if I believe them but it was still such an experience and such an awesome learning opportunity. Plus, we got pizza and ice cream after anyway.
Now for the Vatican. I'll be honest I was being naive and expected it to be either a giant house just for the pope, or a church like the one I go to on Sundays just WAY bigger. But no, it's this beautiful museum that has the most amazing art that I've ever seen. The amount of dedication that went into this building is unbelievable. I have no words to explain how awesome it was. If you go to Italy you must go, even if you'r not religious. IT IS SO WORTH IT.
Here are some more pictures from Italy!
Third Stop via Overnight Train: France
The train was without a doubt the worst part of the trip. I had to share a closet sized room with 5 other girls, two of which had suitcases that took up more than half of the room together. The beds were uncomfortable and the window would not stay closed and my ears popped all night long since we went through the mountains. But WOW. Paris was gorgeous and the hotel we stayed at seemed like a 5-star hotel after the hotel we stayed in Italy. I don't really remember it though so I have a feeling we only stayed for one night, maybe two. Paris has these beautiful gardens that seem like they might never end. There is this building in Paris that is taller than the eiffel tower, and if you go to the very top floor you can see the Eiffel Tower, which is also super cool because we got to watch the sun set while the tower lit up. We went to the Louvre, which was like a maze and I thought I was never going to find my way out. In Paris we also went on a boat that went through Paris and also had a great view of the Eiffel Tower. Hint: The pasta sauce in France and Italy is super gross and tastes like Chef Boyardi.
