My Eurotrip
As promised a long while ago, here is the day-by-day list of occurances from my trip, as written in the journal that I wrote in semi-frequently...
May 22nd, 2006
BD's for Lunch
Travel Day - O'Hare to Dublin
May 23rd, 2006
Arrive in Dublin, Transfer to London
Clouds part over London - Aerial view pics!
Late Lunch/Early Dinner @ Italian Restaurant
Walk with James, Erica, & Kyle...
Trafalgar Square
National Gallery
Piccadilly Circus
Buckingham Palace
St. James's Park
Big Ben & Parliament @ Night
Shakespeare's Globe
King's Cross - Platform 9 3/4
May 24th, 2006
Westminster
Tower of London - strong winds break some umbrellas
Tower Bridge
Harrod's
Dinner w/ James's friends @ Pub, very rainy (oh typical London)
May 25th, 2006
British Museum - Rosetta Stone
Lunch in Russell Square - Pidgeon Attack, started by the throwing of chips @ Kyle
St. Paul's Cathedral
London Eye w/ James & Erica
Met up with everyone at Trafalgar Square
China Town for dinner
May 26th, 2006
Paddington Station for Train to Heathrow
Early Flight! Made it with 5 minutes to spare
ROME!
Walk w/ James & Erica...
Repubblica
Wedding Cake - we explored it inside and out
Roman Forum/Foro Romano
Arc of Constantine
Colesseum
Cool Hostel roomies - Adam & Blake from Colorado
May 27th, 2006
Colesseum Tour
Palatine Tour
Arc of Constantine
Ceasar's Place of Cremation
Wedding Cake - walked past
Pantheon
Trevi Fountain
May 28th, 2006
Mass @ St. Peter's Basilica
Lost Tom & Jen afterwards and missed them by 10 minutes :(
Train to Beach on the Mediterranean - BEST gelado
Back to Rome - BEST Pizza Place for dinner two blocks from our Hostel
Mojito Disaster
May 29th, 2006
Vatican Tour
Museums
Sistine Chapel
St. Peter's Basilica - Pietà
Attempt at going to Ostia Antica, but it was closed :(
EXTREMELY overpriced dinner at restaurant at the top of the Spanish Steps
Bill comes with 24 euros worth of something... realizing that each bottle of soda - much smaller than the average bottle - was 6 euro EACH!
AVEDA STORE FOUND!
Spanish Steps - stupid scaffolding at the top
Trevi Fountain
May 30th, 2006
First Sleep-in day :)
Third and final tour of Rome
Circo Massimo
Mouth of Truth
Catacombs
St. Peter's Church of Chains
Return to the BEST Pizza Place - waiters freaking out that Tom looked like he was about to put vinegar on his pizza
May 31st, 2006
Train to Florence!! - with the Fiasco on how to return to Rome :/
San Lorenzo
Duomo
Baptistry Doors
Outside of the Palazzo Vecchio - lots of replicas of Statues
Walked past the Uffizi
Old Bridge - Ponte Vecchio
Pitti Palace
Boboli Gardens - Giardino di Boboli
Excellent Dinner
Played Detective in the Hotel - Robby railing Daisy
June 1st, 2006
Galleria dell Accademia - David
Attepted to go to the Uffizi, and failed :(
Duomo Dome RUN!
Train to Rome
Hostel Fiasco
Shopping near Trevi
VERY nice and complete dinner (thanks to Kyle!) at Restaurant diagonally across from our Hostel - thanks again :)
LATE night talking with Irish and Floridian Roomies in our Hostel
Last Night in Rome :(
June 2nd, 2006
Passport & License Fiasco
Early Train for Early Plane
Went to Ace Hotel/Hostel with Jen, Tom & Kyle
Wagamamas for late lunch
Kensington Gardens & walked past the Kensington Palace
Peter Pan Statue
Thought I saw Michael Caine sitting on a bench
Back to their Hostel for some down time/planning what to do the last few days in London
Went solo to the National Gallery
Sat on a park bench and watched a father play with the family kitten
Made our way back to James's dorm, since their flight was delayed til much later
Straightened it up - since three prople dwelling in it causes messiness
June 3rd, 2006
Semi-early morning for Notting Hill - Portobello Road Market
Lost Erica! but eventually we all met back at James's dorm around 1:00
Avenue Q w/ James, Erica, & Kyle
Burger Night w/ James, Erica & Nicci
Mission Impossible II
June 4th, 2006
Breakfast on the Thames
w/ Erica - Tate Modern & Long Walk
Aveda Academy
Lunch - PBJ's!
Abbey Road
Bumped into Kristina & her sister - who saw George Clooney!
Dinner @ Pizza Express (on the Thames, near the Globe) - last meal with everyone :(
Pub w/ Erica, James, Nicci & Kristina
June 5th, 2006
Golden Tours w/ Jen, Tom & Kyle of Salisbury, Stonehenge & Bath - felt rushed at most stops :(
Saw lots of the English Countryside
CRAZY tour Guide w/ Bad Jokes & Animal Noises
Tom, Jen & Kyle went back to their Hostel
Stopped off solo at Covent Garden for shops - redirected myself in the direction of James's dorm
Night Alone (James & Erica at friend's Bday party)
Packed while watching first half of Ocean's Eleven, then Monster's Inc
Last Meal - Fish & Chips (and Smirnoff) :)
June 6th, 2006
Goodbyes
Arrived at check-in BEFORE Tom, Jen & Kyle! :O
Travel Day - London to Dublin (one of the shortest flights I've ever experienced, probably because I fell asleep and woke up to us landing in Ireland), Dublin to O'Hare
Overall, this was the best trip I've ever had. Definitely opened my eyes to the world, as any trip out of the country should do. My favorite days were probably the first one in every city. For both the day we arrived in London and Rome a few of us just decided to walk whereever our feet lead us. Because its purpose was to walk and just experience the cities, we got to see the most of each city on these days. Since we were in Florence just about 24 hours *tear* we did as much walking and exploring as time allowed us.
My favorite thing in London was St. Paul's Cathedral. The best part about it was admiring the intricate artwork in the dome, and the second best was the immense climb you needed to make in order to get a very high, scenic view of London. Since we went a couple days into our trip, it was cool to identify certain things from above :) My second favorite thing might be going to Notting Hill to the Portobello Road Market. I had heard about it from random things and just walking amongst so many small shops/carts/etc with people really gave me a taste of their part of the city. Especially when you realize they do this every Friday and Saturday morning :)
My favorite things in Rome were seeing the Roman Forum and the Sistine Chapel. Nothing could express the instant when I first glanced over (from a high viewpoint on the Wedding Cake) and saw the Colesseum and the Roman Forum below. So much history in that city and I was lucky enough to walk among it. Only negative thing about the Sistine Chapel was the amount of people in it. Being claustrophobic in a huge room where everyone wasn't looking where they were going (since they were in awe of the ceiling above) was a little frustrating. But that is when I found an open area where not many people were and just looked up. Wow... Seeing that, the Last Judgement, and the School of Athens takes your breath away when you realize you are standing infront of pieces of work that are in SO many books and are referenced in so many places around the world. Click this site to get a closer look ---> http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/CSN/CSN_Main.html
My favorite thing in Florence was seeing David in his greatness. The pictures don't even do justice to how much detail went into his body, and surprisingly, my eyes were drawn to how Michelangelo was able to sculpt the veins in his right hand as it is hanging to his side. I HIGHLY recommend seeing him in person. Never will any man be able to compare :P My second favorite thing was the Duomo, including the dome run Erica and I took to get to the top - 30 minutes for both up and down. And even though it was SOOOO damn windy, the view from above was worth it. This is a city I NEED to return to, since 24 hours was not enough :(
What I miss most - the italian food!!!
For my next adventure, I conquer Spain. But I don't think invading Spain is a solo mission, especially for little me. I will need to search for a sidekick to join me :P
May 22nd, 2006
BD's for Lunch
Travel Day - O'Hare to Dublin
May 23rd, 2006
Arrive in Dublin, Transfer to London
Clouds part over London - Aerial view pics!
Late Lunch/Early Dinner @ Italian Restaurant
Walk with James, Erica, & Kyle...
Trafalgar Square
National Gallery
Piccadilly Circus
Buckingham Palace
St. James's Park
Big Ben & Parliament @ Night
Shakespeare's Globe
King's Cross - Platform 9 3/4
May 24th, 2006
Westminster
Tower of London - strong winds break some umbrellas
Tower Bridge
Harrod's
Dinner w/ James's friends @ Pub, very rainy (oh typical London)
May 25th, 2006
British Museum - Rosetta Stone
Lunch in Russell Square - Pidgeon Attack, started by the throwing of chips @ Kyle
St. Paul's Cathedral
London Eye w/ James & Erica
Met up with everyone at Trafalgar Square
China Town for dinner
May 26th, 2006
Paddington Station for Train to Heathrow
Early Flight! Made it with 5 minutes to spare
ROME!
Walk w/ James & Erica...
Repubblica
Wedding Cake - we explored it inside and out
Roman Forum/Foro Romano
Arc of Constantine
Colesseum
Cool Hostel roomies - Adam & Blake from Colorado
May 27th, 2006
Colesseum Tour
Palatine Tour
Arc of Constantine
Ceasar's Place of Cremation
Wedding Cake - walked past
Pantheon
Trevi Fountain
May 28th, 2006
Mass @ St. Peter's Basilica
Lost Tom & Jen afterwards and missed them by 10 minutes :(
Train to Beach on the Mediterranean - BEST gelado
Back to Rome - BEST Pizza Place for dinner two blocks from our Hostel
Mojito Disaster
May 29th, 2006
Vatican Tour
Museums
Sistine Chapel
St. Peter's Basilica - Pietà
Attempt at going to Ostia Antica, but it was closed :(
EXTREMELY overpriced dinner at restaurant at the top of the Spanish Steps
Bill comes with 24 euros worth of something... realizing that each bottle of soda - much smaller than the average bottle - was 6 euro EACH!
AVEDA STORE FOUND!
Spanish Steps - stupid scaffolding at the top
Trevi Fountain
May 30th, 2006
First Sleep-in day :)
Third and final tour of Rome
Circo Massimo
Mouth of Truth
Catacombs
St. Peter's Church of Chains
Return to the BEST Pizza Place - waiters freaking out that Tom looked like he was about to put vinegar on his pizza
May 31st, 2006
Train to Florence!! - with the Fiasco on how to return to Rome :/
San Lorenzo
Duomo
Baptistry Doors
Outside of the Palazzo Vecchio - lots of replicas of Statues
Walked past the Uffizi
Old Bridge - Ponte Vecchio
Pitti Palace
Boboli Gardens - Giardino di Boboli
Excellent Dinner
Played Detective in the Hotel - Robby railing Daisy
June 1st, 2006
Galleria dell Accademia - David
Attepted to go to the Uffizi, and failed :(
Duomo Dome RUN!
Train to Rome
Hostel Fiasco
Shopping near Trevi
VERY nice and complete dinner (thanks to Kyle!) at Restaurant diagonally across from our Hostel - thanks again :)
LATE night talking with Irish and Floridian Roomies in our Hostel
Last Night in Rome :(
June 2nd, 2006
Passport & License Fiasco
Early Train for Early Plane
Went to Ace Hotel/Hostel with Jen, Tom & Kyle
Wagamamas for late lunch
Kensington Gardens & walked past the Kensington Palace
Peter Pan Statue
Thought I saw Michael Caine sitting on a bench
Back to their Hostel for some down time/planning what to do the last few days in London
Went solo to the National Gallery
Sat on a park bench and watched a father play with the family kitten
Made our way back to James's dorm, since their flight was delayed til much later
Straightened it up - since three prople dwelling in it causes messiness
June 3rd, 2006
Semi-early morning for Notting Hill - Portobello Road Market
Lost Erica! but eventually we all met back at James's dorm around 1:00
Avenue Q w/ James, Erica, & Kyle
Burger Night w/ James, Erica & Nicci
Mission Impossible II
June 4th, 2006
Breakfast on the Thames
w/ Erica - Tate Modern & Long Walk
Aveda Academy
Lunch - PBJ's!
Abbey Road
Bumped into Kristina & her sister - who saw George Clooney!
Dinner @ Pizza Express (on the Thames, near the Globe) - last meal with everyone :(
Pub w/ Erica, James, Nicci & Kristina
June 5th, 2006
Golden Tours w/ Jen, Tom & Kyle of Salisbury, Stonehenge & Bath - felt rushed at most stops :(
Saw lots of the English Countryside
CRAZY tour Guide w/ Bad Jokes & Animal Noises
Tom, Jen & Kyle went back to their Hostel
Stopped off solo at Covent Garden for shops - redirected myself in the direction of James's dorm
Night Alone (James & Erica at friend's Bday party)
Packed while watching first half of Ocean's Eleven, then Monster's Inc
Last Meal - Fish & Chips (and Smirnoff) :)
June 6th, 2006
Goodbyes
Arrived at check-in BEFORE Tom, Jen & Kyle! :O
Travel Day - London to Dublin (one of the shortest flights I've ever experienced, probably because I fell asleep and woke up to us landing in Ireland), Dublin to O'Hare
Overall, this was the best trip I've ever had. Definitely opened my eyes to the world, as any trip out of the country should do. My favorite days were probably the first one in every city. For both the day we arrived in London and Rome a few of us just decided to walk whereever our feet lead us. Because its purpose was to walk and just experience the cities, we got to see the most of each city on these days. Since we were in Florence just about 24 hours *tear* we did as much walking and exploring as time allowed us.
My favorite thing in London was St. Paul's Cathedral. The best part about it was admiring the intricate artwork in the dome, and the second best was the immense climb you needed to make in order to get a very high, scenic view of London. Since we went a couple days into our trip, it was cool to identify certain things from above :) My second favorite thing might be going to Notting Hill to the Portobello Road Market. I had heard about it from random things and just walking amongst so many small shops/carts/etc with people really gave me a taste of their part of the city. Especially when you realize they do this every Friday and Saturday morning :)
My favorite things in Rome were seeing the Roman Forum and the Sistine Chapel. Nothing could express the instant when I first glanced over (from a high viewpoint on the Wedding Cake) and saw the Colesseum and the Roman Forum below. So much history in that city and I was lucky enough to walk among it. Only negative thing about the Sistine Chapel was the amount of people in it. Being claustrophobic in a huge room where everyone wasn't looking where they were going (since they were in awe of the ceiling above) was a little frustrating. But that is when I found an open area where not many people were and just looked up. Wow... Seeing that, the Last Judgement, and the School of Athens takes your breath away when you realize you are standing infront of pieces of work that are in SO many books and are referenced in so many places around the world. Click this site to get a closer look ---> http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/CSN/CSN_Main.html
My favorite thing in Florence was seeing David in his greatness. The pictures don't even do justice to how much detail went into his body, and surprisingly, my eyes were drawn to how Michelangelo was able to sculpt the veins in his right hand as it is hanging to his side. I HIGHLY recommend seeing him in person. Never will any man be able to compare :P My second favorite thing was the Duomo, including the dome run Erica and I took to get to the top - 30 minutes for both up and down. And even though it was SOOOO damn windy, the view from above was worth it. This is a city I NEED to return to, since 24 hours was not enough :(
What I miss most - the italian food!!!
For my next adventure, I conquer Spain. But I don't think invading Spain is a solo mission, especially for little me. I will need to search for a sidekick to join me :P