10-day traveling!! it has come and gone, thank goodness!

Europe
November 9th 2006

Published: November 9th 2006

ok, don't get me wrong i had an awsome time on 10-day!!! but it is always nice to come back to campus and rest.

so here are my tips when traveling abroad in europe and really this is what my days consited of.

when traveling in europe use the trains. although if you go as cheaply as i did, don´t expect to get wonderful nights sleep. however, this is the european way of things and is worth the experience.

paris-start the day at the effiel tower (after noon it gets busy and the lines are too long). go all the way to the top if it is open, otherwise go at least to the second level, 700 stairs. while going up, utilize the fact boards as short breathers. next go to the river and walk. it is beautiful, breath-taking, and inspiring, especially in the fall when all of the trees are changing colors. go to notre dame simply because everyone should. along the way there will be souvenior shops and i recommend getting a poster to capture the memories.

barcelona-make sure there is enough time to actually look around. go to La Rambla, which was recommended to

Paris in the Fall

me by my sister sarah. all along the street there are vendors like at the fair selling some interesting objects and it is actually pretty cheap in tourist terms. beside these vendors there are also different acts if you want to take the time to see a michael jackson impersonation, a guy walk on glass, or a magic trick.

bern-walk around, everywhere you can get to. this place is simply beautiful. go ahead and buy a swiss army knife too. they are on a different currency, but most places are nice enough and take euros.

zurich-go to at night and in the christmas preparation season. the sales are pretty good if you want to shop, but just walk around and look in the windows. go into the chocolate stores that have the christmas decorations up.

vienna-put aside time to shop and then time to see all of the historical sites. walking from the trainstation it is a good 20 minute walk to get past all of the stores and into Inner City Wien. for a meal make sure you get a thing of potato wedges from one of the street vendors in a shack on the sidewalks.

ME and notra dame

they cook all of the food in big barrels and it is wonderful.

praha-there is so much to do. start the day by going to praha castle. the veiw down onto the city is amazing. next go to the church that houses the Child of Praha and take a moment to relax and see their museum, just make sure you don´t talk. walk down the street to Charles Bridge. make sure you take a lot of pictures. next is Old Town Square with the astronomical clock and more picture opportunities. for bohemian crystal go to st. wensalaus square. i would recommend getting to where ever you are staying by 9 though. dark falls at 5 and then the schechy characters come out.

munich-save munich for last, that way you can go to the Dachau concentration camp. really it provided for an emotional grounding after days of trying to have as much fun as possible. it was not exactly the funnest experience because nothing like that ever could be, but it was a growing experience to add to the others i had learned from my travels. going through the entire site takes a couple of hours, but rushing through

notra dame

it is no fun, and really to absorb everything the place has to offer about learning from the past, it requires time. after visiting dachau, go back to the city and lift your spirits again. this time of year there is a lot of christmas around. the spirit in the air took me to an emotional high. to eat in munich, go and get some worst and kraut. it is simply amazing, even better than the German Sausage Dinner that my church does every year. yeah, that good. by all means go to the haufbrauhaus. it is an experience that is just fun to say, hey yeah, i did that.

so this was what my 10-day consisted of. i really wish i had more time to do everything i wanted, but like my uncle james told me, always save something to come back to.

so until then europe.

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