My Travel Journal Part One

Old Feb 1st, 2004, 11:34 PM
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My Travel Journal Part One

My Travel Journal!

12 Days in Europe (Paris, Florence, Rome, and Zurich)

Day 1:
Me and my travel companion took a flight from Los Angeles to Frankfort Germany. We Left Los Angeles at around 2:45pm and arrived the next day in Germany at 10am. Once in Frankfort we then took another plane to CDG airport. That took about an hour and a half so we arrived in Paris at 1230pm. Once in Paris we took the RER B to Gare Du Nord. Once at Nord we followed the Metro Signs to the #2 and then got off at Anvers (The Sacre Coeur Exit). We stayed at this little hotel called The Perfect, which was very far from perfect. It?s a little one star hotel that is very small and basic. We didn?t mind much because we weren?t going to be in the hotel very much. They did have a lift which was accommodating, and an included continental breakfast, (which was a baguette and a cup of coffee, like I said very basic.) We got to the hotel about 3:30pm. It took us a little longer then expected simply because we had to ask everyone how to get to each location. We weren?t very prepared which was unfortunate, but we made it none the less. Once we got into the room we took a nap due to the extreme exhaustion of our traveling, jet lag, and the extreme amount of over packing we did. *This was the first time we really realized that we brought WAY TOO MUCH STUFF* When we awoke from our nap it was about 6pm and we awoke and decided to see the Eiffel Tower. We took the Metro 2 to Charles de Gaulle Etoile then transferred to the #6 which we took to Bir-Hakeim. From that exit the Eiffel Tower was just a few minutes walk. It was so cold that first night and the wind didn?t help. We walked over to the Eiffel Tower and took lots of pictures. We paid the 7,75E to go to the second level, which I thought was worth the money due to the fact that the view is much better. We were there for approx. 1.5 hours. We then bought some souvenirs from the gift shop which was a HUGE mistake because we quickly realized we could have bought the same exact things in any tourist shop in Paris at a fraction of the price. Luckily I only spent about 25E where my companion spent about 60E. Needless to say she wasn?t thrilled about that. After the Eiffel Tower we went back to the hotel and slept. A quick note about visiting the Eiffel Tower, it is wonderful at night. We were in Paris four days and we saw the Eiffel Tower numerous times but the sight of it illuminated and sparkling was very special so I would recommend seeing it in the dark!

Day 2:
We awoke at 7am due to the time difference, and we got right down to the sight-seeing. We stopped downstairs and had a quick breakfast, and then made our way around the city. First stop was Sacre Coeur which was about 5min walking from the hotel. It was an AMAZING sight. However we paid the 5E to go through the Dome/Crypt which was a horrible experience. It was nothing but a spiral staircase which seemed never ending. My friend who I was traveling with has a bad knee and it was quite difficult for her to climb these stairs. Plus you don?t have any clue when your close to the top since you can?t see the end due to the spiral. We got to the Top and the view was really cool but we saw the same kinds of views throughout Europe without having to go up hundreds of steps! The church is amazing and the architecture is absolutely amazing as well. This is a must see in my opinion. Next we got on the Metro and we to Ave de Champs Elysees. This was a lot of fun for us! We walked down the street, taking frequent breaks because we were so tired due to the steps of Sacre Coeur. We loved the beauty of the trees that lined the street without the foliage in the winter time. We made a few small purchases and took lots of pictures. We walked both sides of the street and then checked out the Arc de Triomphe. I must say that this was my favorite land mark in all of Europe. I really don?t know what it was but I really enjoyed the way it looked and its prime location. I?m just weird though =) Next we got on our tour bus called Les Car Rouges which took us throughout the city with a lot of information in several different languages. Its stops included the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, Champs de Mars, Lourve, Notre Dame, D?Orsay, Trocadero, Opera Galeries Lafayette, and the Grand Palais. This tour bus is one of those double decker red busses that takes you to all the stops and allows you to hop on and off. In addition you had two full days to use the bus which was advantageous. We decided to then get off at the Lourve and check out its beauty and some of the prized art that we had heard so much about. The size of the Lourve is unbelievable. You couldn?t see the entire museum if you had a whole week devoted to it! Since we are not HUGE art lovers we just decided to see some of the main highlights and then move on! Needless to say we saw the Venus De Milo, Mona Lisa, As well as the Victory of Samothrace. We also made a point to see the Dying Slave, and Borghese Gladiator. Like I said if you?re a huge art lover there are countless others to see but, we had limited time so unfortunately we didn?t have the luxury to really sit and view all the fabulous works of art =( After the Lourve we had some dinner at a small café and then went back to the hotel for the night?

Day 3:
Again we awoke at 7am! Today we checked out of the Perfect and took the metro two stops awake to Blanche and checked into the Prima Lepic. The is in the middle of the sex district of Paris! I couldn?t believe all the sex shops that lined the streets! We got to the hotel in about 10 min. Its all up hill from the metro stop, which again was hard due to the baggage situation. Once we got to the hotel we were amazed at the quality. It was a 2.5 star but was very nice in our opinion. It included a TV, nice & modern bathroom, and a decent breakfast with cereal, croissants, bread, juice, coffee, yogurt, among other treats. After checking in we got back aboard our tour bus and went to Notre Dame Cathedral. This was Such a Wonderful sight. Its architecture is so creepy and spooky it added to its wonder. The church was beautiful and the area was fun too! It is located Isle de Cite (I believe). We did lots of shopping this say too and also had to take care of our Train tickets around Europe! We did this at Gare du Lyon. When we came back into Montrematre we walked up and down the street amazed at the libidos that supported the shops! We took some pictures of the famous Moulin Rouge and then went back to the hotel for some R&R.

Day 4:
Today was a simple day. We were exhausted from all the moving around so we decided to take it easy and just absorb some of the city today. We explored Montrematre and took a trip near the Seine River. What a beauty! I wish I could have taken one of the little boat rides! This day we also bought some rolling luggage. We couldn?t travel anymore without something a little easier to transport! Again a TIP PACK LIGHT!!!!! We brought way too much stuff.. My companion couldn?t even lift her bag and I constantly had to help her which made my trip a little less fun. And the steps in the Metro stations aren?t easy with huge bags! So a SMALL little rolling suitcase that doesn?t way much and a purse/backpack is all you should bring to Europe! I know it sounds like nothing but you will be so thankful! I had to learn the hard way.. Even after buying rolling luggage it still was a Horror to have to lift it up and down the stairs.. However it was better then the duffle bags we originally brought! We ate another dinner, this time at a small pizza place near our hotel since we were tired and didn?t want to go too far. Plus we weren?t too fond of French food. (I know I know we are horrible uncultured Americans? =) I also had a wonderful crepe from a little corner stand. It was Wonderful! I loved it!
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Old Feb 2nd, 2004, 03:49 AM
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Thanks for the report, airo. Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip.
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Old Feb 2nd, 2004, 07:32 AM
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Encouraging you to forget about separate postings for "PArt Two" etc - - post the additional installments right here as "replies to yourself".

Or alternatively, start all over with a new posting, whose message header includes the big picture of the trip: "My travel journal: 12 days in Paris, Florence, Rome and Zurich"

Much more considerate to casual browsers of similar planned trips (or very dissimilar ones, who might not be interested at all!)

Best wishes,

Rex
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Old Feb 2nd, 2004, 07:43 AM
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ira
 
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Hi airo,

Thanks for sharing.

I second Rex's suggestion that you repost and keep just one thread open.
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Old Feb 2nd, 2004, 04:31 PM
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Day 5:
Ok This day sucked. We got up and ate breakfast at the hotel. Made a few quick stops in the morning to pick up some last minute gifts for friends and family and then packed for our trip to Florence. We had to take an overnight train that departed From Gare du Bercy at 7pm. We had no idea where this was because apparently it?s a station that is usually used to transport automobiles. We got off the Metro at Bercy and luckily found the station. We gave ourselves way too much time and had to sit in the train station for about 6 hours! This was unfortunate because the time could have been better spent wondering around the city or at some of the other sites we wanted to explore in depth! Anyways we got to the train station and just relaxed, read some magazines and listened to some music? When it was time to board the train we realized that the lady who sold us the tickets gave us the tickets for February instead of January. We thought we would have to spend another day in Paris without a hotel and have to reschedule our entire trip! Luckily the conductor allowed us to board and go to an empty compartment. This was nice because we got the entire compartment to ourselves. During the night we slept on the train and we constantly awoken for ticket checks and passport checks! This was a little annoying but I guess a must. We finally arrived in Florence an hour and a half late. This sucked because we had a friend meeting us at the SMN train station and she left due to her having to attend school. This annoyed us..

Day 6:
So we arrived at SMN late and we then got a taxi to our hotel on Via Covour which was called the Cordova. It was a small budget hotel, but it did the job. Again, who goes to Europe to sit in a hotel room. It had beds and a shower, it was just fine. As we waited for my friend to be done with school my companion and I unpacked a little and relaxed. At about 1230pm my friend Melinda arrived and we got some lunch at a popular little restaurant called Mario?s. The food was good, much better then the French food in our opinion. After that we began our tour of the city. We visited the Duomo, the Baptistery, Pointe Vecchio, Santa Croce and had countless bowls of gelato! Gelato is the WORLDS BEST INVENTION! All throughout the time we were in Italy, we ate as much gelato we could possibly stomach? Melinda was a wonderful tour guide, giving us insider info about the city and its history. She pointed out a secret passage way that was near the Uffizi which the Medici family used, and which was also used by the allies in WWII to gain an upper hand on the Nazis who were occupying Florence. We also visited many piazzas and bought many authentic Italian souvenirs. We liked Florence a lot more then Paris. It must have been the comfort it gave being a small city. It was much less overwhelming then Paris. We easily walked back and forth throughout Florence about 2 full times the first day we were there. Starting from SMN to Pointe Vecchio and Santa Croce. We saw it all. I fell in instant love with this city.
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Old Feb 2nd, 2004, 04:49 PM
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Day 7:
Today Me and my companion, Summer, visited the Academia Museum which is where Michaelangelo?s David resides. We also saw many other beautiful works of Renaissance art and even a small wing of the museum which was devoted to Instruments used in the Past. I really enjoyed the museum as a whole, but the main attraction was without a doubt Michaelangelo?s Statues, in particular David. I couldnt believe how intricate David was in person. It was quite a shock to walk down the hall and have it standing there.. it was amazing... For lunch we went to a small restraunt and i had my first plate of authentic italian spagetti! Good food is always a highlight of a trip! The rest of the day we just explored florence. We Went to Santa Croce again, visited the Duomo again as well as some other highlights. THat night we were invited for dinner at melindas house. This was special because we were going to have an authentic homecooked italian meal! We were a little nervous because summer and i didnt speak a word of italian and the lady Melinda lives with doesnt speak any english. However it worked out because melinda acted as a translator. We discussed politics and American involvement in the Middle East. It was interesting to hear what people that are not American have to say about all of this ... We feasted on Eggplant Parmeasean, Salad, and a Wonderful pasta with cut up salmon in it. Everything was so tasty! After dinner and sitting around for about two hours talking me, summer, melinda and her roommate, walked to a nearby gelateria. We couldnt get enough of this stuff! After that it was off to out hotel to get some much needed rest for Roma!!!

Day 8:
This morning we departed for Roma! We arrived in Rome around 11am and then walked a few blocks to our hotel called the Kennedy... after JFK, weird... Once we were settled we wasted no time in seeing some of the things we had been dying to see. We walked down to the Collesium and were absolutely taken aback. Rome has so much to offer! When we walked up there were some men dress like Roman Trojans and then asked to take a picture with us.. So us being the naive americans decided to take a cool picture with these guys and havea nice little souviner. Little did we know we would be charged 10E each for the pic. We tried to haggle with them but they were stuck to that price and we didnt want to get in any trouble so we coughed up the 10E and chalked it up to being naive. We made a plan not to do anything else that seemed too good to be true on the trip! After the collesium we walked over to the Ruins and spent quite some time looking through all the history. Then we made our way over to the Victorio Emmanuel Monument. That was quite a sight. HUGE!!! and you had a wonderful view from the backside looking toward the Collesium and the Ruins. Beautiful, Kodak Moment! After this we walked back toward our hotel to take a little rest. After our rest we went to Piazza Navona and found this wonderful little restraunt. It looked to be VERY pricy but when we looked at the menu we couldnt believe how affordable it actually was. We walked in and sat down and enjoyed a wonderful, filling meal. Then restraunt was empty except for me and summer, and a man and his elderly mother! We had the place to ourselves, so that was nice. After dinner we looked at the statues at Navona, and then made our way via bus back to the hotel! What an exciting day!!!!
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Old Feb 3rd, 2004, 03:54 AM
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Still enjoying your report, airo. Thanks for sharing it.
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Old Feb 3rd, 2004, 04:22 AM
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Hi airo,

Nice report. You ate **bowls** of gelato?

You might want to read Mark Twain's 'Innocents Abroad' and compare your adventure to his.
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