1 Comment
I began my trip to Nice, France with what I believed to be a ankle sprain. (1) 50 pound bag, (1) backpack, and (1) small roller bag is everything I would carry on the train ride. It was enough though when you have an injury but luckily I had some help after the first train. Alex (one of the girls) helped me by switching bags and her suitcase was nothing compared to the weight of my bag. We had a stop in Milan and lucky for one girl that is where the embassy was for stolen passports. Hannah has been pick pocketed while looking at souvenirs in Italy. It happened the night before we were leaving to Nice. She was fortunate enough to find a embassy in Milan and that happened to be our first stop. We had about 10 minutes time to reach our next train and so I had no choice but to run on my foot. We were on our next train and I stayed in the center of where you walk from car to car. I had my luggage and me, rocking back and forth in a non-secure place. Why wouldn't I just find a seat and sit down? Well, we discovered that there were some rude people that refused to move out of OUR seats. We had paid for these seats and they would not move. Finally, they were able to get the conductor to move out of our seats. I got to rest my ankle for about 3 hours and it was great. The next train was a short one but I fell asleep and let me say that was the wrong thing to do. I was filmed with my mouth open in the background of a now made music video and the featured song was "Call me Baby." This shows how it was worth every little long awaited moment. The day at the beach was great because it was beautiful weather and just the beauty of it. There were plenty of boats in the water and you could see the distinguished colors of the dark blue and light blue. I nestled my feet under the rocks and laid out in the pebbled beach. After a day of relaxation, I went out to eat and had some yummy gelato. I could not have enough gelato. =] That night I went out to a cool bar & dine place. It was great dancing on tables and listening to the whole place sing along with the musicians. It was like a scene from "P.S. I Love you" where they are all singing. It was off to a difficult beginning when we had to change trains because of a fatality. We were having the worst luck with trains. Last time it was due to a mudslide that we had to switch trains. Apparently, communication was key because half the group heard the wrong stop. We had no choice but to continue to our hostel and hope that the other group knew how to get to our hostel in Italy. Thankfully the other half of the group arrived a half hour later. Our hostel was great but seemed to be infested with mosquito's. I was lucky enough to not be eaten to death but majority of our group was not so lucky. My room fitted three people comfortably and I was able to get to know two incredible women. Alex and Katie made the experience in our room, fun and interesting.
A group of us was able to find a hole in the wall place to eat. The food was absolutely amazing and delicious. I had angel hair pasta with coca cola, and of course; bread. Bread, Pasta, and Pizza were definitely the key to an Italian's heart. Also, there was not an option for one course, or two courses, but three courses. Mangia! Mangia! A family friend used to say these words all the time. Mangia meant "Eat" and this is exactly what Italians love to do. I was told that Jersey Shore's rendition of the Italian family of the character "Vinny" is key when exploring how there are many courses, as well as breaks in between. Italians and myself are a lot alike when exploring food. We love to eat and we love our family. The next day was a cloudy and rainy beginning but later it cleared up. The free day had turned into a shopping day for the majority of us girls, while the boys suffered. I found some great buys and lovely gifts for my family. It was really fun to bargain my way out of prices and cut it down to a suitable deal. I learned that vendors rather cut down the price than lose money entirely. They do not know if they will get someone else to buy the particular item and so they will bargain if all else fails. I had learned that while on my trip that my foot that was hurt on the previous day was getting worse. Back when transferring trains from Switzerland to Italy, I had twisted my foot to the side. Instead of relaxing my foot, I continued to walk on it and did not want to miss out. Well, this day of shopping killed my foot, and it started to get a little swollen. Finally, when I got to the hostel I took a painful shower because of all the blisters from walking. I had worn a new pair of shoes and learned quickly it was not smart to break them in on a day of straight walking. I had to buy earlier that day a pair of cheap, grandma looking shoes. A pair of comfortable, navy blue, but ugly shoes. They did help my blisters from getting worse and so I refused to care about the fashion aspect of it. I was bleeding on the heels of my feet and I couldn't complain after buying these shoes. Anyway when I went back to the hostel, I collapsed on the bed and fell asleep after my shower. The last day to explore in Italy, and so I went to Murano. It was a cute little island and they made the famous "Murano glass." Of course, I was ripped off because I bought some from the actual place that I saw make it. Unfortunately for some people in our group, they missed the glass making demonstration. Although, I was able to capture the demonstration on film, but they were very rude in the shop. I was behind the counter looking to buy a ring and a lady literally shewed me from behind the counter. Well, I found some other great finds of the Murano glass for cheap from some vendors. I continued to shop this day but my ankle started to hurt again really bad but one of the girls wanted to continue shopping. We have to stick as a group and I did not know how to get back. I had to wait with her because it is so easy to get lost in Venice. It is small city, but there are so many corners and alleys. My foot was definitely swollen the next day and that's when we had to head to Nice, France. Beautifully expensive is the two keywords that I would use for this trip in Switzerland. Surprisingly the food seemed to cost more in Switzerland then it did in Paris. The food was okay but cheeseburgers tasted a little weird to me. Kind of like a veggie burger with chunky pieces. After our tour of Switzerland, when we first arrived, well we tried to seat all of us at a pizza restaurant. Apparently, people eat and shop early because nothing seemed to be open around 7pm. The pizza place that we tried to eat at, said they were closing and were a little rude. So, we ended up splitting into groups and getting something to eat individually. The thing that you could never do is become thirsty while on this trip with all the magnificent, public drinking fountains. The drinking fountains were just great to look at and sit around to dream up your thoughts. Wow! Another word that I would use to describe the mountains and the serene water that flowed through. I decided to save my money while traveling here because I wanted to use most of it for Venice. One day I spent blogging about Paris because it was a time to relax and Switzerland was the exact place to do all of this. What was better about relaxing, rain, and blogging with great WiFi. It was a free day for us to do what we wanted of our choosing but what is more exciting then capturing a moment from a movie scene? The option to explore the cafe's that were featured in the film from "Midnight in Paris." We explored many places like the Hemingway cafe, little alley ways, Shakespeare & Company bookstore, the "lock bridge", and many more.
We started off walking past little food markets and exploring the town. Of course, I got my shopping on and I am not much of a shopper but how could you not when in Paris? The vendors lined the streets and offered some great prices for posters, key chains, and more. It rained while we were walking and I had no umbrella but I liked the fresh drops on my face. We must have walked for hours and eventually we split into seperate groups. It was miraculous when I looked down at my seat in a cafe and saw the plaque that read "Hemingway." Those that were there had a espresso that was more like an espresso shot. I had a shot of espresso while sitting where Hemingway's plaque was at. Awesome! In the end it was perfect because we climbed to the second floor in the eiffel tower and a group of us ended at the bottom when it twinkled. This was a spectacular dream that I could have never pondered myself. A perfect ending to the greatest night ever! Day 6: A captivating beginning started with an early morning walk in the rain to Notre Dame Cathedral. It was a beautiful light rainfall and it was in Paris (what more could you ask for?), I loved it. Growing up my dad always told me about the cathedral and when I left how extravagant it would be. He was definitely right and I am so blessed. The interesting thing for me was going into a Catholic service and seeing it become a tourist attraction. It was kind of weird to walk in and see people taking pictures. They walked around and shot pictures of sculptures (no flash of course), but it was beautiful. The pews to the ceilings were noticeably well done and was clear that there was a lot of effort into the architecture. The outside of the cathedral had gorgeous sculptures of angels and more. We continued on our path to another great cathedral called "Saint Chapelle." This cathedral was even more amazing to me because of the beautiful stained glass windows throughout. It was a small little cathedral but absolutely a wonderful one. It was small, quaint and had a peaceful feeling about it. Although, I still loved the architecture of the Notre Dame Cathedral but this had so much more detail. Saint Chapelle took 5 years to build as where Notre Dame took about 200 years to be collectively finished. It shows how much work goes into the Cathedrals when you give a timeline. This place was a jaw dropping moment for me when we approached the Palace of Versailles. Can you believe that this gate is made out of real gold? I know, I could not believe this either. The palace had beautiful rooms throughout with paintings, and gold on the walls. The room that interest me the most was the birthing room (I think that's what it was called." Basically, a women of the palace would give birth for everyone to give,"congratulations" and welcoming to the new baby. I could not imagine being in pain and having everyone watch as I deliver a newborn. It was quite interesting and alarming when I heard our tour guide Monsieur Jan say this. I definitely had fun visiting this place and admiring all the gold on the walls but I do not think that I would want to be royalty. I guess it would be too much in the public eye. Day 5: About a estimated 2 1/2 mile walk to the underground transportation seemed forever when rolling suitcases down the street. Especially, when you have a 50 pound suitcase in your hands. I guess the "pack light" message from Stew at the meetings prior, did not quite set in. I certainly planned on working on my blog on the Eurostar but was not feeling to good. I did get a little motion sickness on the train and that was even after I took Dramamine. After, I got sick I decided to sleep the rest of the train ride. We soon arrived to meet our tour guide Monsieur Jan at Paris Gare du Nord train station. My throat was still feeling a little soar and scratchy. I was not really feeling like eating anything but ice cream. So, I did the least expected and had my first Paris (Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream). Before, I could enjoy some ice cream, I had to get my money exchanged. $100 US dollars = 65 Euros back. =[ I lost $35 Us dollars, it is hard coping with the currency exchanges. 7.40 Euros later, I was enjoying my Framboise Ice Cream. It was a delicious Raspberry Ice Cream and I really did enjoy it. The tour guide in Paris was really nice and we were able to see all the beautiful places that you only see in movies. London, England from BrittanyCervantes on Vimeo. It was very heart wrenching when I found out that I was getting sicker by the moment. However, how could you not push yourself to go further in such a great country. One of the nights that I was in London I met a girl that helped direct me to the nearest McDonalds. Yes I know but it was when I was so sick that I had to stay in bed for the day. So, I did get American food because that was pretty much all that was open. Plus, it was cheap and that phrase is not commonly used for Europe.
Anyway I met a friend from London and it was really exciting to explore on my own. London has been fairly easy to follow on the subway system. Basically, get on the underground and then look for your next stop. I think I find it really easy as well since everyone speaks English in London but it is just with a accent. The girl I met said of course that Americans stand out like swore thumbs. Haha The overall experience was wonderful but so quick. I cannot believe how fast everything has passed. An update on Paris, France and Lucerne, Switzerland well be shortly provided. =]
It is so nerve racking as I await to aboard. The gate that reads Flight 282 to depart to London, is a dream. The only way to explain it is a daze that seems impossible. This is really happening, this is me going to Europe. Sorry if I am making you a little anxious yourself or bitter but I urge you to promise yourself that you will take a trip of a lifetime.
We are not meant to just pass life by and wave as it goes past but to enjoy the seconds as they come and go. What is life if you live for it to end? Live for it like it just begun. I encourage to write a bucket list and let me say that this can definitely be crossed off my list. It is not to say that I will never go again but just to say until next time. Xoxo, await the post when I'm in Europe. |