The trip of a lifetime, in pixel form

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Well, it's been over two months since my final entry, but the experiences didn't stop there. After my semester ended, Erin, Jordan and I took a grand trip around Europe (Italy, Switzerland, Germany, France, and Spain)... it was an experience that can never be repeated... some of the most amazing 17 days of my life. Going to Spain, I felt like I was experiencing a culture that was entirely new and different to me, but traveling to four other countries made me realize just how many unique places, cultures, and experiences there really are to be had out there. Now that I've finished editing all of my pictures and settling back into life on this side of the Atlantic, I've truly started to grasp what an incredible trip this one was, and I'm just blown away by how much I got to do in such a short period of time. The girls (excellent travel buddies, by the way) and I saw, did, and ate more famous and fascinating things than many people will get to in a lifetime, and that idea positively floors me.

In order to do all of that, though, we needed the support (both financially and emotionally) of some awesome people, and so, in honor of the Oscars on Sunday, I need to thank those who helped:

Mom and Dad, Elizabeth, Sarah, Kurt, and Jerry, I know this wasn't easy on you, but I don't think you will ever understand what everything you did for us means to me. I can tell stories for years to come that I wouldn't have been able to without you, so thank you.

The Vaas Family - Your gesture was unbelievably generous. You gave Erin and I the ability to do something incredible, and I can't thank you enough. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU... nope, still not enough.

To my awesome aunts and uncles - You allowed us to eat a little better and see a little more, and for that, I forever thank you. An unnecessary gesture that means so much to me.

My grandparents - I was able to take back some beautiful momentos from this trip, and I have you two to thank for that.

To everyone else - I thank you for reading this blog, for asking questions, and for checking out my pictures. A trip like this wouldn't be half as cool if I didn't have anyone to share it with, so thanks for allowing me to do just that.

I really hope I didn't miss anyone, and if I did, I'm truly sorry and I thank you too!

Alrighty, now onto the trip details. I hope this doesn't disappoint, but there are so many things to recall that I've decided to make this a picture post... a hefty picture post at that. I'll load the captions with information and stories, but I think my poor fingers would give out if I did this as a typing post only... also, you wouldn't have this for another few weeks. Also, my camera died about halfway through the trip, so the second half of pictures from Erin's camera will be coming in a follow-up post!

So, without further ado, enjoy the pictures! Don't worry, I'll be sure to recount all the stories in person 😊

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Photos

That's a pizza pie!
First dinner in Rome... pizza! Unfortunately, food was extremely expensive in Italy, so we didn't end up eating really good pasta until we got to our hostel in Germany (weird, I know). The pizza was good though!

A little too much Christmas
So, one of the biggest trends we noticed in Italy was their lack of decorating skills. Just about every Christmas tree looked as though someone had taken every decoration they had and threw it at the tree. Not so attractive.

Vatican City!!!
Erin, excited to be in St. Peter's Square. This was our first big stop in Rome, and we returned quite a few times afterward.

Hey there, Benny!
Pope Benedict XVI's offices and living quarters are up in that building behind the square.

The Pope lives there!
The Pope's bedroom... when we arrived for Christmas Eve mass, the light in his room was on, and 10 minutes before mass started, it was flipped off... COOL!

Enjoying the view
Some tourists enjoying the view of Rome from the Vatican museums. We didn't go up into the dome of the Basilica, so this was the best view we got of the city.

Imitating art
We did this quite frequently on the trip... imitating the artwork. We're cool like that.

Wipe your feet!
Some of the beautiful floors in the museums... I almost didn't want to walk on it!

Some statues
Just a couple of statues in the museums... the tour was a couple of hours long because the museums were HUGE!

Creepy...
At one point in history, artists tried adding eyes to their statues... the result was a little creepy. Thankfully, they stopped that tradition.

Old time special effects
So what's really cool about these ceilings is that while they look 3-D (as in, the plaster was molded), it's actually just an illusion! That's all paint! How cool is that?

A lovely little tapestry
First, this tapestry isn't little... it's HUGE. Second, it's not lovely... it depicts the murder of the first born sons before Passover. This, aptly enough, is located in the Hall of Tapestries.

A rather long hallway
The Hall of Maps, which contains exactly what the name implies.

The School of Athens
Raphael's "The School of Athens," a rather famous painting depicting many great philosophers, mathematicians, and thinkers.

Sly
Also featuring Sylvester Stalone!

Botero
The museums contain a lot of modern art as well, which surprised me a bit. This is one of Botero's works (who's my favorite artist).

Shhhhhh
The Sistine Chapel!!!!! It was absolutely breathtaking. Pictures weren't allowed, but I managed to sneak a few secret ones. I was seriously amazed that something so grand could ever be possible... I would've spent hours in there if possible.

The altar
The altar of the chapel... also incredible.

Again
The ceiling again.

Last one!
Okay, I'll move on now... it was just SO cool!

Haha!
This cracked me up... these were posted around the Vatican. My guess is that the bottom is the proper way to walk down the stairs, and the top is the improper, but infinitely more fun way.

Comments

[Cindy Cochran]

great shots!
These are fantastic photographs, Laura! I can see why you deserved your win in the photo contest!