Eurotrip| 5.24.14| Paris Day 1

5.24.14 - We landed in Paris for the first leg of our 2 week trip! I think it was pretty certain where our first stop would be, the Eiffel Tower! We took the metro and I was really excited to see this landmark for the first time with my own eyes. I've been in love with Paris since I was 16, like every other girl, this was the city of love, romance and fashion. I almost went to Paris instead of Australia for my exchange program, but decided I wanted the ease of an English speaking language and 2 of my best friends had already completed their programs in Sydney. I figured I could always come back to Paris and make a Europe trip out of it and 2 years later, I'm here! Walking out of the metro, Aaron led the way as I followed behind. As we were about to reach ground level, he told me to close my eyes until he said I can open them. Shielding my eyes so I won't peek, he led me to somewhere in the middle and stopped. After a few seconds, I got the okay and looked up to the infamous tower of Paris. It didn't feel real. Even as we walked towards it passing the dozens of street venders selling Eiffel keychains and speaking French. The tower was so perfect even with the light rain which only made it more beautiful because of the rainbow that appeared as soon as the rain stopped. 

There are two ways to go up the Eiffel. You can spend 5 euros a person to walk up to the first level, probably around 3 stories high, or you can take the lift which was around 9 euros a person. It would be cool to say I climbed the Eiffel, but I wanted to go to the second level. It was a good excuse to take the lift. The view from the lift was amazing, especially withconcert and music blasting from the courtyard below. 

By the time we got off the lift, the Eiffel tower was lit up and sparkling. It was the perfect first day in Paris. I was able to take a picture of my macaroon and the Eiffel and recorded a bit of the concert from that night. 

Eurotrip| 5.25.14| Paris Day 2

5.25.14 - This was my favorite day of the trip. We started the day by walking to the local deli to pick up sandwich supplies. Aaron is a self professed sandwich master so we brought French baguette, salami, Gouda and walked to the Notre Dame where we started to make sandwiches. It was the cutest thing, tasted good, cheap, and I got some traveling baguette photos out of it. We also walked along the bridge with locks of love. I heard a lot of these lots are cut off to prevent overflowing but some of the locks looked old. 

After our morning excursion, we were off on our way to our main attraction, Chateau de Versailles! Make sure you don't hop on the wrong train like we did. After figuring out and transferring to our correct train, we had to navigate to Versailles due to all the constructions making us take a detour. After an almost hour and a half commute along with befriending lost Spaniards with the same itinerary, we made it to the golden gates! Versailles has to be one my favorite places in Europe. I felt like I belonged there and that time period, gossiping alongside Marie Antoinette before the French Revolution executed her. It must have been a delightful time for the rich then with all the grandeur and parties and fashion. Nothing was considered too much and you can see this in the garden of Versailles. Everything was extravagant from the rows of immaculate trees and mazes. Imagine how many people it took to upkeep this garden. I love that I could easily transport my mind to another place and time. It was so serene that I wouldn't mind just staying there forever and living in bliss. A lot of the fountains weren't working when we got there and there were constructions or renovations to preserve the garden but nothing to ruin the scenery. Aaron and I did the boat ride in the man made lake and it was the most romantic date I can ever imagine. He rowed the boat as I sat and took in the scenery. I originally wanted to do the bike ride around Versailles but this was so much better because of the timing we went. I can always go back and do the bike ride but this was perfect. 

We did a lot of walking that day going to the other end of Versailles where Marie apparently lived. On that side was the queen's hen? I'm not sure but it felt like a different place and time right next to the castle. There were cottages with windmill and fields of green farmland. Make sure you bring some comfy walking shoes, aside from that, Versailles was definitely my favorite day of my 2 week trip.

Eurotrip| 5.26.14| Paris Day 3

5.26.14 - It still feels like spring in Paris with the damp weather. Today made a perfect museum day and we checked out the infamous Louvre. This place is massive and Aaron was a sweetheart for seeing it with me for my first time even though he has been here twice before. This is definitely an all day thing even if you did the drive by look and fast walk like I did. The highlight of this museum is the Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci. Expectation- be able to leisurely examine the painting  and see the significance of this painting and why it is a masterpiece. Reality- pushing and shoving my way through a crowd of 50 foreign tourist just to get a quick glance and picture before getting pushed out. I don't understand why people take photos of themselves standing in front of each paintings, how many times are you going to look at that photo when you're home and why do you need proof that you were actually there. And there's no way those pictures you took are going to be better than the ones you can grab off google. At least we had some time afterwards to stroll around another garden area and surprise, with another fountain in the middle. I actually love the parks around Europe and wish there were more in the States. We were suppose to grab dinner with our Parisian friend tonight but decided to get a cheese and wine platter at a small cafe outside by her work beforehand as a snack. I love the cafés out here with their tables overlooking the streets. What I don't like however is all the smoking everyone from teenagers to the elderly do out here. It's so gross to be enjoying your food then getting a taste of someone else's smoke in your mouth. Julie took us to an area filled with small cafés, after leaving the first place for the bad service, we decided to go to her cheese fondue place. Julie is very French and she wanted to make sure to send us off with an authentic French cuisine experience. We had cheese that was melted like a fondue, fois gras, an apple tartine dessert, and wine. Our cheese platter earlier made us too full for dinner. The fois gras was very good, interesting taste and texture and I'm glad I tried it. It's not something that I'll hate the States for banning though.

Eurotrip| 5.27.14| Paris Day 4

5.27.14 - Last day of our first leg in Paris before our flight to Florence. There so much to do in Paris and we managed to squeeze in one more must see, the Catacombs underneath the city of Paris also known as the boneyard. The line for the tour was very long by the time we got there around 11am because only 160 people can be down there at a time. We waited for 2.5 hours, thank goodness it wasn't raining. Once inside, you have to go downstairs, roughly 100 steps and it has an eerily feel. Slightly damp and with the audio tour playing grim music, it was pretty freaky. About mid way through you'll see the bones of the dead from hundreds of years ago. All the bones are stacked, the top ones are loose and you could probably pick them up, some stacked in designs decorated with the skulls. There's something humbling about seeing all these bones since these were once living beings and I found it uncomfortable that they weren't tucked and buried away. Apparently, the city ran out of places to bury the dead back when war, famish, and diseases were a main cause in deaths, so they moved all the bones to the unused quarries under the city. Not a good place to visit for the claustrophobic but if you can, I would recommend it. It's a good contrast to all the romanticized part of Paris that I enjoyed very much, almost like a secret of the city.

More info on the Catacombs

Eurotrip| 5.28.14| Florence Day 1

5.28.14- First day in Florence and we started our day with food obviously. We went to a tourist trap location next to the leather market called Trattoria Zaza. I should have known not to go there since it was on my hostel map but it was also on my Florence to do list. You can't win them all. Our hostel was behind the train station so we had to walk across the bridge to the city center which is gorgeous with churches and old structures everywhere. Explored a bit after lunch which was followed by gelato. I was having some fun copying some of the tourists' poses in my own pictures. Make sure to visit Ponte Vecchio, it's a bridge with jewelry store fronts from start to end. I was hoping to get a piece of jewelry for my mom and myself for this trip but the windows had hundreds of pieces and none of them stood out. The ones that did were too out of my price range. I'm sure I could have found something if I kept looking but I didn't want to fight my way in there with all the other window shoppers.  You can sit along the bridge and look out at Florence which is built by a river. It's an amazing view but I much prefer the beach over river, must be my Cali side but why look at brown stream water when you can get the blue green ocean. There were some people sitting along the river, you can climb the barrier and go down closer but I didn't bother considering I'll be going to Greece later in the trip. 

Next and final sightseeing stop for the day was the Boboli garden. I love that you can walk everywhere in Florence unlike Paris. The garden is surrounded by a museum. It was a nice day to be outdoors and the garden is amazing. I love the parks of Europe with their fountains and their vast greenery. You can feel the grandeur of the time this was made. The park is big but we finished in about an hour. There is a big fountain to the right which was gorgeous. After the garden we did a quick trip around one of the museum that came with the admission. It was a small museum with few items on display and even the rooms were kept in its original state. It was a quick walk through, they had a display of jewelry which I found interesting but other than that, it was okay. On the way out you can find Grotta Grande, created by Bernardo Buontalenti built in 1583 and intended to be a fantasy inspired grotto. It's beautifully ugly as best described. beautiful in respect that there were so many details and the statues were perfect in its depiction of the human body and scenery, ugly in a sense that it looks like hot molten or acid was poured over the entire grotto making it look like it belonged under the sea. Aaron said this was in the same style as the buildings in Spain which makes this a must see for me one day. I found this building the most fascinating in all of Florence because there was nothing else like it.

Eurotrip| 5.29.14| Florence Day 2

5.29.14 - Last full day in Florence and we made sure to eat at some of the places on my list before leaving to Rome tomorrow. Our first meal was from Gusta pizza, apparently a must for their pizza and also happened to be the American hot spot. That last fact alone turned me off from the place as it was filled with American students going there for the cheap pizza. The margarita pizza was a disappointment and I found the pizza at Eataly in NY better since it's not as soggy. It was the typical thin crust with fresh tomato sauce and mozzarella, but I wasn't sold especially having to wait a good 45 mins. The least they could do was cook my pizza so it wasn't soggy in the center. That night we went to a restaurant that was also owned by the same family, Gusta Octavia which proved to be so much better than the crap they were selling the American students. You know that when a restaurant has a limited menu their food tends to be good and this place blew all the other pastas I've had out of the pasta water. I had the farfalle with zucchini flower and shrimp and it was the most amazing thing I've ever had...ever. I couldn't figure out what the amazing sauce was, but it tasted like butter sauce mixed with uni? Either way, I ate every bite as if I was in heaven and probably sold the dish to other tables as they watched me practically licked my plate. Also make sure to visit the leather market. The vendors can be pushy there so don't let them talk you into buying anything right away. Most of the bags are knock off designer bags but they have a few original designed bags with very nice leather. Florence has their own stamp that looks like a spade but I didn't like how it also said "Florence" under it. I'm sad to be leaving Florence, well sad to be leaving the food and gelato. The city instead is pretty small and there wasn't much else for us to do. Did I mention it's a couples spot? People asked if Aaron and I were there for our honeymoon but I just pointed to my finger and said "Sorry, he didn't put a ring on it". We decided to call this our prehoneymoon honeymoon instead. 

Eurotrip| 5.30.14| Rome Day 1

5.30.14 - Left Florence after lunch to our next destination, Roma!. We caught the train which costs around 34 euros each, make sure to validate your ticket before hopping on the train or you'll get fined 5 euros like us. It took about 4 hours. Once in Roma, we took bus 85 from Roma termini to our next hostel in the heart of the city and a small block away from the Trevi Fountain. This has to be the best location in all of Roma and it was such a charming and clean hostel. Since we arrived late afternoon, we were able to do some sightseeing and stumbled upon the Pantheon. Roma is beautiful in a way that i can't explain, almost like the same feeling of Versailles. It's feels like an open history book and everything was left as is. Everything is old but you can walk around and explore as you please without going into a museum. It's really cool to see the Rome's drinking fountains everywhere you go. These are called Naso, and they were built back in the 1800's and still working to this day. Another reason to love Roma, free water everywhere you go!

Eurotrip| 5.31.14| Rome Day 2

5.31.14- Started the day visiting the Trevi fountain and made a wish as I threw a coin over my left shoulder.  We were able to explore all of Rome in one day thanks to the electric bike. It was 20 euros for 8 hours, and it is the best modification to a bike known to man. We rode to the Vatican, up the hillside barely sweating at all, down to the Colosseum where we parked, did the tour and headed back home. It was a good way to explore all the landmarks of this city if you don't mind it from your bike. It would have been nice to walk around the steps of the Vittoriano, but I can live with just seeing it from afar. 

I forgot to mention the food in Rome is also as amazing at Florence, aside from that farfalle pasta dish, nothing tops that. I curbed my photos on food because there were sooo many other things to take photos of in Rome besides food. I definitely got a vacation belly while in Italy from my pasta and gelato binges. I had gelato everyday and pasta sometimes twice a day while traveling italy and I don't regret it at all. The cafes are very European with their outdoor seatings and it's very nice to have dinner while people watching. The live music really added to the ambiance and I love how I never felt rush to leave after dinner. Instead, it was always the opposite since people sit and enjoy an espresso after their meal which I've learned to do. Wish we had more places like this back at home. 

Eurotrip| 6.1.14| Rome Day 3

6.1.14- I'm sad that this is our last day in Rome. We spent a lot of time the last two days hanging around Piazza Navona. This places feels like the cultural hub of Rome with the various artists and live music in the  small plaza. We came here the day before to watch some spray painters and stencil artist work the tourists. Beware of an old Italian lady that yells at you for no reason and spitting the infamous 'pew pew'. 

It's a bit heartbreaking to leave this city but I know I'll be back again. 

Eurotrip| 6.2.14| Athens Day 1

6.2.14- We left Rome in the early morning to catch our flight to Athens at noon. It was a 5 hour trip to Athens on the cheap airline easyjet. They were giving some people a hard time because of the size of their carry on luggage. You can't even have a purse as your other item which I found ridiculous. I watched a lady stuff her nice LV bowling bag into her small carry on. Athens is such a clean city compare to Paris and New York. Their metro is very easy to use and everything was sparkling clean! The hostel I booked was a party hostel right in the center of Athens. It had it's only rooftop bar with a view of the Acropolis, a restaurant, and a laundry mat with free detergent! We spent most of our time waiting for our laundry there while hanging at the bar next door. They get you with the dryer because you have to put it in for two cycles. I think we spent a good 10 euros for one wash and two cycle of drying which is a rip-off. Later that night, we went to an area with restaurants lined up just like Europe with outdoor seatings and souvenir shops everywhere. Makei sure you shop around before buying because everything is 50% off as soon as you walk in. Aaron fell in love with a traditional Greek dish of Lamb and potatoes cooked in a clay pot. After dinner, we walked around the area to see the Acropolis at night and from our rooftop. Our ferry to Mykonos departs early tomorrow at 7:30am so we didn't stay to take advantage of our party hostel which is okay with me. 

Eurotrip| 6.3.14| Mykonos Day 1

6.3.14 - The boat departed at 7:30am and took about 5 hours to arrive at Mykonos. I was scared that I would get seasick but the boat was huge! We took a taxi to our airbnb spot in Kalo Livadi beach which is 20 minutes away from the main city and in a more remote area. It's nice to end our trip with some R&R after backpacking through Europe in such a short time period that we were just looking forward to doing nothing but sit by the beach. As soon as we arrived, our airbnb host helped up rent a quadro/atv as our transportation for our stay. We rented a quadro for $25 euros a day which I thought was a good deal. Wanting to make the most of our first day, we took our ATV to the beach below and then to the only small town around us for food. Mykonos is such a gorgeous island and the water is so clear and blue. Unfortunately, the weather felt like Paris and it started to rain as we were driving around in our quadro. Not sure if you've ever driven outside in the open rain, but when you're going 40 km/hr, those pellets feel like paintballs going straight to your face.

Also, remember to drive slow if you're driving home with eggs in your quadro trunk. We lost two out of six on the way back home.

Eurotrip| 6.4.14| Mykonos Day 2

6.4.14 - Weather was still cloudy with light rain. We went to the small town for lunch and supplies and rode our quadra around the island. It was a nice quiet day just what we needed.

Eurotrip| 6.5.14| Mykonos Day 3

6.5.14- Final full day in Mykonos and the weather was finally warm enough to go into the water. The airbnb location, Seaside Studios, was a nice choice but it was five studios right next to each other, not as much privacy as I would like but still worth it. I miss the beach already. 

Beach day wouldn't be complete without a sand castle

Eurotrip| 6.6.14| Mykonos Day 4

6.6.14-  We didn't leave Mykonos until 12:30pm, make sure to check times beforehand because we left the villa thinking the boat departs at 7:30am. We barely slept the night before because our room was infested with very small mosquito and as soon as Aaron would kill one, another flew down to attack us. There were 7 waves of them and one died on my shoulder as Aaron squashed it with his hand as I was sleeping. Since we didn't get to explore Mykonos city  earlier because of the distance from our villa, we decided to check it out as we waited for our boat. After Aaron took a 2 hour nap outside a bakery and me killing time by stuffing myself with Greek pastries so they wouldn't kick us out, we bought tickets back to Athens and had brunch at a cafe overlooking the ocean.


Once in Athens, we had dinner at the same restaurant and Aaron got the Lamb and potatoes again. Watch out for little gypsies selling roses. They claim they're free and will corner you, once you take one they flatter you by asking for your name and telling you how beautiful you are then beg for 1 euro. Thanks Aaron for watching me get guilt trip and hustled by a 7 year old. 

Eurotrip| 6.7.14| Athens Day 2

6.7.14- Started my day with an authentic Greek yogurt with strawberries and honey. This place is the real Yogurtland because you can choose your type of yogurt: light, traditional (sour), or rich and creamy (my choice), then your toppings! I might have to bring this to the States!

The Acropolis hike is a must go if you're in Athens. It only takes an hour at most and I made the mistake of going at noon when the sun was beating down making me race through the old ruins. It's 6 euros for reduced student and truly an amazing experience. Try to go in the afternoon around sunset since you'll be overlooking the city.

This concludes the end of my Eurotrip!