Posts tagged France
Spain, Italy and France!
Literally, I cannot believe how much sightseeing, culture immersion, and fun I have had in the past two weeks. The last we spoke, I was rambling about Las Ramblas in Barcelona. If you’re looking for a mini-world tour walk up and down the street several times. You’re bound to run into something you’ve never even heard of.
Then we took a quick jaunt over to the south of France. Hysterical moment: I’m walking down this seemingly quiet street in Avignon at a typical French market. I stop to look at a booth and buy a present for
a friend back home when all of a sudden, this woman runs up to me from her booth holding purses and screaming in the “sacre bleu” French. No lie, I almost wet my pants. Luckily, I was with a fluent French-Canadian (Thank God For Canadians) who informed me that all she said was “I have these bags in black and silver!” Really great.
Another highlight of the tour was my trip to the Monte Carlo Casino where I won 30 euro! I was happier than those people on Deal or No Deal when they find out that the models were only faking them out. But legit, the casino is beautiful. It’s covered in ornate and decorative paintings that give it this billion dollar shine. Not to mention the Benzes, Porsches, and Jaguars parked out front. Unfortunately, my winnings can’t buy me a Rolls Royce, but it was still pretty sick.
Then, we on down to Cinque Terre and Florence (in Italian, it’s Firenze). I loved it. Once we crossed the border into Italy, I was totally stoked. Seriously, I must have eaten enough food in my days here to last an entire mountain village four days. No, make it five. But it’s just so good – the pesto is fresh, the tomatoes are ripe, and the pizza – move over Domino’s – the best in the world.
Other things to note: our tour guide was amazing. If, and when, you head over to Europe as for Emma. She is just the most fiesty Scottish woman who will greet you every morning with an “Okey guys”
and a “Wakey, wakey, wakey”. With our Italian gigalo bus driver (he identifies himself as this), the whole experience was a hoot from start to finish. Gotta love it. Peace out guys!
Visting Swizterland and Paris
From the relaxed chaos that is Italy, we made our way to the on-time and ever-clean country of Switzerland…and what a stunning country it is!
Seriously, folks – the scenery is wild.
Upon entering the country, we hopped on a tram and headed up to the mountains to appreciate the Alps and lakes spread out beneath us. Even the most talkative were left momentarily breathless (and not just because of altitude).
We rocked out with those big horns you see in Ricola commercials (what are they called again?) and pretended we were mountaineers, standing tall and proud above the green and snowy peaks. I’ll tell you – that’s a great way to clear your mind. If ever you’re in need of some R&R, hit up Stanserhorn. After that, we ventured on to Lucerne, a stunning little place! We wandered about awhile before drinking in the scenery on an evening cruise upon the lake. Then back to the hotel…a converted woman’s prison. Uh, what?? Not as creepy as it sounds, though…unless you’re alone in a 4-bed room like I was! Oh dear 
Then after Lucerne, we made our way to the city of lights and love: Paris. Upon entering the city, Pom Pom and our driver Super Pete took us on an absolutely fabulous Illuminations Tour of the city by evening. In all seriousness, I had been to Paris twice before, and this tour made it new again. New and perhaps even more exciting than it had been the other times. Honestly! We got jokes, history, and unparalleled guidance before making it to the Eiffel Tour just in time to see it light up with flashing fairy lights it displays each evening. It was an entirely magical evening.
The following day we were free to roam Paris, so I attended the optional perfumery tour, got all snazzed up with a new fragrance, then explored the city with some of my new found friends. We made sure to visit cathedrals, drink plenty of coffee, and ride the carousels like any good Parisian would do. And if that’s not Parisian, well…okay, so the carousels bit isn’t really, but it was a blast anyway! Then on to the Arc de Triomph and Champs Elysees for some shopping.
That night we hit up a traditional Parisian cabaret which was absolutely nuts! Balancing acts, women twirling about on ropes hung from the ceiling, magic, juggling, dance and song…not to mention the delicious dinner and drinks. Wow, buddy was the show awesome! And after that, we had one last night all together in the big city of Pah-ree before heading our separate ways the next morning. Let me just say that it was really difficult to say goodbye to all the people we’ve gotten to know so well over the last two weeks. I miss them already!
Alas, the incredible whirlwind of a trip has come to an end and I can’t stress enough how blown away I am by the amount of fun I had on this tour. I met an insanely fun bunch of people, visited a crazy number of vastly different cities and countries, and mixed the cultural, social, and geographical in ways I didn’t think possible in 13 days.
And for those of you who have been asking about my tech gear, I’ve been using the most chic little black Mac you’ve ever seen. I’ve heard more pickup lines while carrying this thing than during the entirety of my life…all the youngsters just want my laptop 
I’m using iMovie and iPhoto for the pics and podcasts, so check them out if you’re into user-friendly programs!
Off to Berlin tomorrow to meet up with tour two, so wish me luck! Look forward to being in contact soon.
