Pictures of my trip through Europe
My more artistic photos while in Europe
When I planned this trip, I really wanted to see everything. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get another chance to come back to Europe, so I wanted to see new things that I had never seen before. But I also wanted to see old places and old friends along the way. I got free maps and documents of Europe from AAA. I received the following items from Marlene Jett at the Beaverton, Oregon AAA office: Rail Europe, Europe Vacation guide for Independent Traveler, Europe Land Planner, Map: Italy, Austria, and Switzerland; Map: Planning map of Europe; Map: Germany, Poland, Czech, and Slovak. Now I knew that this itinerary was very tentative, and I really changed it several times. But I knew that I wanted my main destinations to be London, Brussels, Cologne, Stuttgart, Munich, Innsbruck, Verona, Venice, Florence, Rome, Pisa, Genoa, Milan, Bern, Dijon, Paris, and back to London. That is seventeen stops.
On January 13, 1998 I purchased three books. I bought the Italian Phrase Book by Rick Steves, Europe by Eurail ‘98-’99 by G & L Ferguson, and Europe “The Rough Guide 98 Edition. On this day, I also called Rail Pass Express, Inc for information on prices and options for rail passes.
On January 20 I called Railpass Express back at (800) 722-7151. My Hostel Membership cost $25 and the 10 days in 2 months Flexipass cost $444 for the student rate. To receive overnight delivery it cost and extra $15. The total came to $484. I shouldn’t include the price of my plane ticket, as I purchased it to study abroad, and I was gone about six months, so a plane ticket for three weeks would be a different price. Probably about $500 to $1000.
On March 23, 1998 I received a letter while in Wales from my friends in Krefeld, Germany. They were not going to be home during the time that I was planning on visiting them. So, I decided to rearrange my whole schedule and do it backwards. At this time, I was also able to discuss some details with my travel partner, now that I was with her in Wales. Because I was now in Europe, I also had some new information on travel opportunities which made me make even more changes
1. One big backpack (with extra room at beginning of trip) and one small daypack (that could easily fit in big bag). Make sure your bag isn’t too big, because you are the only one that will be able to carry it. Others will have their own bags to carry.
2. Passport
3. Hostel Membership card
4. Guide book (Let’s go, Rough Guide)
5. AT&T Operator Reference Card
6. Camera and film (6-8 rolls)
7. Shammy (or small towel)
8. Phrase books (Italian, French, German)
9. Travel Journal
10. Deck of cards
11. Liquid laundry soap
12. Personal items
13. Packable raincoat with hood
14. Sturdy shoes (they will know you are American if you where white tennis shoes! So you may want other comfortable sturdy shoes)
15. Small battery operated alarm clock
16. Non-wrinkle clothes (shorts optional for beach – be prepared for hot weather and very cold weather)
17. Money belt
18. Maps with highlighter (so you know where you are going and you can mark where you’ve been)
19. Eurail pass!
20. Credit cards (2 or more, just in case one isn’t excepted – MasterCard and Visa most common), travelers checks, and cash.
21. List of addresses (to send postcards) and emergency numbers. Exchange emergency information with your travel partner.
22. Medication (if necessary) and pain relievers.
TIP FOR EVERYONE! Keep and open mind! Things are not ‘strange’ or ‘weird’! They are just different!
Thursday March 26, 1998. Cardiff to London by train. The day of our departure, we bought our return train ticket to London and our one-way bus passes from London to Paris from the travel agent on our campus. $1 is about 1,66 pounds. The train ticket (with a Young Persons Britrail discount pass) was 23 pounds and 75 pence (about $40). The bus pass to Paris on Euro-line was 27 pounds (about $44.82) Now with our big backpacks packed and our passports, bus passes, and train tickets we head on our way. To show our excitement, my travel partner, Jenny, and I get some funny pictures taken at the Cardiff Train Station. We took a late train to London and in London we stayed at the Easton Hotel. For one room, it was 40 pounds a night split between me and Jenny. The room had a double bed, our own bathroom, a TV, a tea station, and the price included breakfast.
Friday March 27. Day 2. London to Dover/Calais to Paris by bus. We ate a small breakfast at the Bed and Breakfast and then went to Victoria Station to catch our bus. The station was just down the street from our Bed and Breakfast. The bus left at 10:30am (London time). The bus took a ferry from Dover to Calais and arrived in Paris at 7:30pm (Paris time). A total of an eight hour bus ride. The currency exchange is $6 to 1 Franc (FF). I took out FF300 at an ATM, and I also had some coins from a previous trip. We first purchased Metro (Paris Subway) tickets in a pack of ten for FF48 to share between me and Jenny. One ticket was valid for one way. Then we took Metro line 3 to Republic. We stayed at Jules Ferry HI for FF113 a night. We reserved for two nights. (Tel: 01.43.57.55.60). They were bunk bed rooms with shared bathroom (non coed rooms and bathrooms). There was a paid internet access available in the lobby, which for me was heaven sent. Breakfast was included in the price, and the location was not very far from a Metro stop and the main part of the city.
Saturday March 28. Day 3. Paris. Breakfast at the hostel was traditional for France. Small with bread, butter, and jam with choice of drink. For some it might not be enough, so you may want to grab a couple extra breads. We took the Metro near to the miniature Statue of Liberty. But, the statue was currently in Tokyo. We walked to the Eiffel Tour (not hard to find, you can see it from the Statue of Liberty). A trip to the top is FF59, but we decided to come back at night and take it. We took the Metro to the Arc de Triumphe. Admission to the top is FF23 for the student rate (the elevator isn’t open on all days, so check if it makes a difference to you before you buy your ticket). Walked the Champs Elysees (hint: do not eat at Burger King or McDonalds here because it is 3x the prices in America and 2x the prices in the rest of the city). Jenny and I bought a baguette from a vendor on our way to the Louvre for lunch which was very inexpensive. Admission to the Louvre is cheaper after 3pm or so, so it is a good idea to check. But if you want to see the whole museum, then you need to be there from open to close. Next to the Louvre is the Seine River and as you keep walking next to the river, across the river is Notre Dam. At this time, we catch a bite to eat at a McDonalds that is close to Notre Dam. Yes, McDonalds is American, but it is also cheap. And, both Jenny and I had not been in America for a while. And since we live in Britain, we don’t eat meat there to be safe. So I was very excited to be eating beef again! By this time, it is dark. So we head back for the Metro station and catch the Metro back to the Eiffel Tour at night. Be prepared for long lines and a lot of Americans. After taking all of our pictures, we headed back to the hostel.
Sunday March 29. Day 4. Paris via Lausanne/Bern to Interlaken using Eurail pass. We got up early (ate breakfast) and took the Metro to the Catacombs in South Paris. Then we took the Metro to Gare de Lyon (a Paris train station). This is where we validated our Eurail passes. There was an extra charge to reserve seats. For lunch, I bought a cheap baguette with ham and cheese and drink and ate it on the train. We traveled on the TGV to Lausanne, Switzerland. Here we had customs come on board and check our passports. We changed trains and went to Bern. Then we changed trains again and took and InterCity train to Interlaken. Some people think trains are good to sleep on, but on this day, I am glad that I didn’t sleep, as the whole trip was absolutely beautiful. Exchange rate for Switzerland is $.73 to 1 Swiss Franc (CHF). While in Interlaken, we stayed at a private hostel called Balmers Herberge. It was recommended to us by a friend we met in North Wales. It was only CHF 19 for one night (we reserved for two nights) and includes breakfast. This place had internet (for a fee), kitchen for guests, laundry facilities, store, bar, public TV, bunk rooms, and games. Not to mention our room had the best view of the Alps! After we were settled in, we found an ATM and we tried to find an inexpensive place to eat. We found a really good Italian restaurant in town.
Monday March 30. Day 5. Day trip to Alps via Lauterbrunnen, Murren, and Schilthorn. Breakfast was two breads with butter, cheese and hot drinks. Anything else was extra… cold drinks, cereal. You also had to pay for hot water in the showers. During the day, the bunk rooms are locked from 9:30am – 4:30pm (which is common at all hostels). We took trains and cable cars (prices discounted with Eurail pass) up to Schilthorn for CHF 80. This is up in the Alps. It isn’t the tallest place to visit, that would be Jungfrau. But we chose Schilthorn because it was cheaper, and it had a view of Jungfrau. It is also where a scene from the 007 movie Her Majesty’s Secret Service was filmed. After we came down the mountain, we spent the rest of the day walking through Interlaken and we also got some shopping done at a supermarket. Dinner was again at McDonalds for CHF 10. We were also able to get some e-mail done and our laundry back at the hostel.
Tuesday March 31. Day 6. Interlaken to Riomaggiore, Italy via Speitz, Switzerland; Brig, Switzerland; Milan, Italy; and La Spezia, Italy. Breakfast was at the hostel and then we took the 9:45am train from Interlaken Ost to Speitz. 10:38 train to Brig. Ate lunch from food bought at supermarket. 14:00 train to Milan (on CIS train, CHF 7 required for reservation of seats). Exchange rate of $1 to 1,700 Lira (L). 16:10 train to La Spezia. When we arrived here, Momma Rosa had found us. Rick Steves and other guides recommended her private hostile in Riomaggiore, and that is where we had planned on staying. 19:40 train to Riomaggiore. Found ATM, took L200,000 and checked into Momma Rosa’s for L25,000. We found a pizzeria and ate there for L14,000. There was a kitchen available at Momma Rosa’s, but there was also no heat and no hot water. And this place smelled of cat urine.
Wednesday April 1. Day 7. Cinque Terre (Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, Monterosso al Mare). No breakfast available at hostel, so we went across the street for a donut. The day was spent hiking the trails between the five cities in beautiful weather. From Riomaggiore to Manarola, this trail is called Via dell amore “walk of love”. It lasts about 30 minutes and is a simple level stroll. From Manarola to Corniglia, it is an easy walk about 45 minutes. From Corniglia to Vernazza is about 2 hours, and it is a hard hike with stairs to the city. Here, we found a café with internet access (surprised us!). So I did some e-mail while Jenny started on the hike to Monterosso, which is described as “tough, but worth it!” and is 1½ hours long. I chose to take the train, as Rick Steves says it was pretty difficult, and as others said at the hostel it was too. We went swimming in the Mediterranean Sea that had beach access, and took the train back to Riomaggiore to the cold, smelly hostel.
Thursday April 2. Day 8. Riomaggiore to Pisa to Roma. We went to a market and bought some food for breakfast and lunch then caught the 9:19 train to La Spezia. Then the 9:40 train to Pisa. Here, you had to pay for the restroom at the station. We took the #1 bus (L1,500 for one hour and L2,000 for two hours) to the leaning tower, took our pictures and then back on the bus to the train station. It was also raining, so we didn’t even care if there was more to see (but even the guide books said there wasn’t else much to see). Here we made phone calls to Rome for a room, but most of the rooms were full because of Easter. We found the cheapest room available at Di Rienzo (06/446.7131) for L90,000 a night (these are Easter prices). We took the 13:15 commuter train (more stops than regular train) from Pisa to Rome and arrived at 17:10. In our hotel, we had our own bathroom and it was clean, smell free, and warm! Our own window with a pretty good view. Very worth the money, and it was nice to splurge a little bit. Especially after staying at Momma Rosa’s! We went shopping at a market for dinner and breakfast for next morning. This place didn’t offer meals or a kitchen.
Friday April 3. Day 9. Roma. I had cereal and yogurt and strawberries for breakfast… the food I bought from yesterday. We walked all over Rome, never once used public transportation (rumor that Rome is big on pickpockets on subways and buses, saves money too). First stop was to the Colosseum; Mamertime Prison: 2500 year old cistern noted for it’s famous inmates (Saint Peter and Paul were said to have done time here); Bocca della Verita (The Mouth of Truth); Trevi Fountain; Spanish Steps; Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM): smallest Internationally recognised country in the world (recognised by 80 countries), 68 Via Condotti; Ara Pacis Augustae; Piazza Navona; and final stop was Pantheon. On our way back to the hotel, we ate dinner at a really good Chinese restaurant for L13,300. During the day we also tasted Italian Gillatti… YUM!!! The day was so warm and beautiful, you didn’t even need a coat at night.
Saturday April 4. Day 10. Roma. Needed cash to pay for our room and also needed to send some letters and we bought some bread. We walked to the Vatican City (clear across town). Just a warning… they won’t let you into the Sistine Chapel after 12:45, no matter how long you waited in line. The Sistine Chapel closes at 13:45 and is L13,000. To get into St. Peter’s Basilica (the Popes church) is free. There is a museum that is L5,000 for students and it has the treasures of all the Pope’s. And the dome lift (including to the cuppla) cost L6,000. The whole day was just spent in the Basilica, and we didn’t even get into the Sistine Chapel, so be aware of your time. Make sure you leave a whole day just for the Vatican City. We walked back to the hotel and also bought some more food for dinner and tomorrow.
Sunday April 5. Day 11. Roma to Firenze. Breakfast was the rest of the cereal. After we left the hotel complex, a stranger approached us and told us we had to go back inside and that we weren’t finished yet. We didn’t know who he was because we only had seen the cleaning ladies and the one man who checked us in. He told us to leave our bags outside and go back up. We said we’d keep our bags on. Then he tried to get us to go into the elevator, we took the stairs, it was only one flight up. After we refused to take the elevator, the guy was gone. We went back into the hotel, and the man in charge said that we were finished, we were free to go. After that… I trusted no one. Jenny and I seriously could have been in some trouble if we didn’t have our heads screwed on as tight as we did. We could have been injured and could have lost everything. It was scary, and so we ran off to the train station. I had a lot of trouble receiving cash from ATM’s while in Rome, and they told me I had insufficient funds, when I really didn’t. Luckily, I had a couple of back-up resources for cash, so I had some money available to me. We took the 8:20am (commuter train) to Florence and arrived at 11:45. From there, we called the hostel to find out if they had an availability and how to get there. We took the #17 bus (bus stop is to the right of the station… had problems figuring that out) to the official hostel. Price was L24,000 including breakfast. They had laundry facilities, a free English movie, a full dinner was available for L14,000, TV lounge, pay phones, a bar, and bunk rooms. This place is absolutely beautiful! It is out in the countryside, and the grounds are the romantic Italy that you picture it to be. Jenny was very ready to quit the trip right here and tell everybody to move out of the hostel, because she wanted it all to herself. I didn’t blame her. The reservations are first come first serve, so I suggest you be there at the time they start checking in. After we settled in, we took the bus back to the city and got off by the Duomo. We walked to Santa Croce (open until 6/6:30). Here is Michaelangelo’s tomb and Galileo’s tomb. Admission is free. We had dinner at the hostel, but for half a meal it only cost us L7,500. It was good!
Monday April 6. Day 12. Firenze. Breakfast was at the hostel and then we took the bus into town. Our first mistake was being in Florence on only Sunday and Monday. On these days, mostly everything is closed. But we were able to get into the Duomo (free), Palazzo Vecchio (Palace with copy of David out in front of it, L40,000), Ponte Vecchio (the bridge, free), and the Baptistery (L15,000). Everything was within walking distance. We found a really good deal on Internet connection! A place called the Internet Train on via Dell ‘Orivolo (also one on via Guelfa). L8,000 an hour. We spent a whole hour there! Boy did that help us catch up on stuff, because we didn’t see an Internet Cafe anywhere in Rome. The rest of the day was spent walking around the city, and when the weather started getting bad, we took the bus back to the hostel. There we caught up on our journals in the great scenery and called our parents. We ate dinner at the hostel, and it cost me L6,500. The prices differ by what you order. You have choices on your meals.
Tuesday April 7. Day 13. Firenze to Venezia. Breakfast at the hostel. We took the bus to The Accedamia and stood in the line for one hour to see David (L12,000). After we caught the 11:07 IR train to Venice (there are two stations for Venice, and when you take the commuter train, you have to get off at the first Venice train station and switch trains to Venezia SL station. The total trip was about 2 hours, our train was 30 minutes late arriving. We took the #82 waterbus towards Giobecca and got off at the stop that is marked for the official youth hostel. Check in was 1:30pm and is L25,000 including breakfast. We got a reservation through the official hostel in Florence. A full dinner is offered for L14,000 and there is a snack bar, 10:30 curfew, bunk rooms, great view and easy to find. Lockers in your room are available. Once we were settled in we took the waterbus around the whole route and just looked at everything without getting off and walked around the island that our hostel was on.
Wednesday April 8. Day 14. Venezia. Breakfast at the hostel. We bought a 24 hour ticket (L15,000), but when we first arrived, we should have bought the three day tourist ticket for L30,000 for the waterbus. First we went to San Marco Bastile (the biggest church in Venice) and the tower (L8,000 for elevator). The day was spent walking and walking, and walking. No particular place in mind, just walked everywhere. It was Venice. There were no cars, we just took in the scenery. All of the bridges, the gondolas, and yes… the smell. But you get used to it, because Venice is an amazing place to be. We went to Santa Maria della Salute, not much to look at, but it was built and dedicated to Mary, if the city were delivered from the plaque that was ravaging. The Salute means ‘health and salvation’. It was designed to save them from the outbreak that was to kill about a third of the population (senate decree of October 22, 1630). We didn’t eat dinner, but we did take the waterbus at night to see Venice at night, which still runs and takes the main stops. Venice is pretty active at night near San Marco. Jenny and I didn’t go out at night very often since we get up so early, but I’m so glad that we did in this town. It was so much fun!
Thursday April 9. Day 15. Venezia to Wien. Breakfast at the hostel. Checked our bags in at the luggage check in at the train station for L5,000. Went to the Picasso Museum (L14,000) at the Palazzo Grassi Museum. Wandered around and enjoyed the beautiful city. We ate dinner at the hostel for L10,000. We took the 20:35 train to Vienna, there was no reservation needed, but it was available. This is where we were happy that we had the Eurail tickets. You don’t need to wait in line for tickets when you have Eurail passes. We were originally going to go to Salzburg, but we decided that we had enough time to spend in Vienna. Train was leaving in 5 minutes, and we changed our plans and ran to catch the train. If we didn’t have those train passes, we never would have made the train to Vienna. The train was an overnight train. Overnight trains can be uncomfortable, but they do save you a nights lodging. So if you have the opportunity to take one, it will save you some money.
Friday April 10. Day 16. Wien. $1 is 12 Austrian Schillings (OS). Arrived in Vienna at 6:20am. Got money (hint: ATM’s, the cards go in upside down). Bought a 24 hour transport ticket that is good on trams, buses, U-Bahn, etc… for OS 50. We found a place for breakfast, and the only place open was McDonalds. We hung out there until everything was open. We found an information place and got a pamphlet for all hostels in Vienna. And we walked to Jugendherbergen Official Hostel for OS 165 which includes breakfast, and has a TV, lunch, and dinner is available. Settled in and took the trams to Freud’s house (OS 40), Beethoven’s house (OS 10, student), and to Mozart’s house (OS 10, student). We had our own food for lunch in a park near Beethoven’s house. We bought tickets to a concert (OS 100) and to the Spanish Riding School performance/museum (OS 400). We went to the concert and had dinner at Subway (OS 48). Yes, even Subway restaurants are in Europe. We took public transportation home.
Saturday April 11. Day 17. Wien. Breakfast at the hostel. Able to get a second night at the hostel, but had to change rooms. Took U-Bahn to the Spanish Riding School – white horses that are trained and breeded special for this school. What I call a ‘posh’ (rich) rodeo. A rodeo for the royals I guess. Then we went to the museum. It was very different, and there are two different shows to choose from. I was hoping to go to the other show, but it wasn’t playing while we were in town. We had lunch in a park with our own food and we went to the church in the middle of the city. I went looking for a internet cafe. Found one at Café Stein (OS 65 for half hour). Something different was that on the keyboards, they switched the Z and the Y, and there were added keys for their extra letters in the German alphabet. So that took some getting used to. I also noticed that Austria had cheap phone rates, so if you want to call home from here, it would be the best. I spent the evening in the hostel catching up on my journal and postcards while Jenny went to an evening Easter service at the Catholic church in the middle of the city.
Sunday April 12. Day 18. Wien to Salzburg. Breakfast at the hostel. Took the U-Bahn to the Westbahnhof train station. We caught the 11:20am train to Salzburg, there was one earlier that we could have made easily… but for reasons, we didn’t take that one. I can’t remember exactly why though. When we arrived in Salzburg, we took the #55 (and/or #5) bus from the station (it doesn’t matter what side of the street you catch the bus at, it goes to both sides). The hostel is seven stops from the station on the #5 bus. We had to wait for the reception to open at 4:30 (on Sundays) and it was no problem getting a room. They have a laundry facility, game room, bar, lunch and dinner are available (OS 70 each), breakfast is all you can eat, TV, “Sound of Music” movie everyday. You receive a discount on the “Sound of Music” Tour that leaves everyday at 8:45am and 1:30pm from the hostel (OS 300). We had dinner here, full course is OS 70.
Monday April 13. Day 19. Salzburg and “Sound of Music” Tour. Breakfast in hostel. Caught bus at 8:45am for tour. Tour takes you a lot of places, tells you the real story of what happened to the Von Trapp family and shows you some of the sites from the movie. I had apple strudel for lunch (OS 56). Tour was over at 1:30pm. I went to Mozart’s Birthplace (OS 55, student), Fortress (can walk up or take the cliff train for a fee), St. Peters (Abbey where Maria lived), bridge from the movie. Just walked around the city. Dinner was at McDonalds for OS 59. And we hung out at the hostel in the evening, my friend Jenny went out with a girl from the hostel. A lot of people were asking me about the tour, and about the true story. A lot of people were disappointed by the story, and so was I. But I enjoyed the tour, it was worth it. Even though I admit it was a little corny.
Tuesday April 14. Day 20. Salzburg to Munchen. Breakfast in hostel. Started to snow in the morning. Took the bus to the train station and caught the 9:33 train to Munich. Lots of snow along the way and in Munich. $1 is 1,60 Deutsche Marks (DM). Took the U-Bahn #1 to hostel (25 DM, a 20 DM key deposit that is refunded), breakfast included and dinners are available, TV, and bar available. It was in a good location, clean rooms (but the locks on the bunk room doors were really hard to use). We took the U-Bahn and S-Bahn to Dachau. Then the bus (1,70 DM one-way on bus – Metro ticket costs 8 DM for one person all day and 12 DM for two persons all day). Dachau Concentration Memorial Camp is free (closed on Mondays). Dachau definitely helps you understand things a little better about the war. Any concentration camp would. Dinner was at the hostel (9,70 DM), but there is a grocery store right across the street. We decided to go out again in the evening. But this time, we had a special destination in mind. The Hofbrauhaus near the Marianplatz and got there by U-Bahn and S-Bahn. Now this place is Germany all in itself. This is where they serve beer by the liter, they have an oom-pah band, big and delicious pretzels. We sang, we danced, it was a lot of fun!
Wednesday April 15. Day 21. Munchen. All you can eat breakfast at the hostel. Took the U-Bahn and S-Bahn to Marianplatz. We went to the Information Center and got an English map for 0,50 DM. We went to the top of the Glockenspiel clock (3 DM), went to a church (to the top of that for students is 2 DM). The Glockenspiel clock rings at 11:00, 12:00, and 17:00. We walked to the Royal Residence. We saw the Residence and Royal Jewels for 6 DM combo student ticket (4 DM each). We went to another museum for 4 DM. We ate lunch with our own food, and dinner was at an pizza internet café. You order a pizza and drink and you have unlimited access on the internet. Since we were taking a night train, we spent most of the evening here catching up on e-mail. They said it was unlimited, but after two hours they asked us to wrap it up and leave because they were getting busy. The computers were right there at the table, it was very interesting. The dinner only cost us 13 DM. We caught a night train to Cologne.
Thursday April 16. Day 22. Koln (to Krefeld). Train arrived in Cologne around 6:30am. We waited in McDonalds and had breakfast there while we waited for everything to open. McDonalds didn’t even open until 7am. The Dom opened at 9am (you can climb to the top for a fee, but there are 509 steps). Museums open at 10am (5 DM). There is shopping and the Rhine River. You are able to take boat tours too. Then we took the train to Krefeld, and we stayed there with my old host family. I would recommend to others though, to stay in Cologne at a hostel and then the next day take the train to Amsterdam. Friday April 17. Day 23. Krefeld (recommend to be in Amsterdam). We spent the day with my family and they took us shopping and to visit the grandparents. We also went out to pubs and to a disco. In Amsterdam, you should see the Red Light district (hard to avoid, the Hard Rock Café is there), some museums, and Anne Frank’s House.
Saturday April 18. Day 24. Krefeld to Cardiff via Koln, Brussels, Eurostar to London, and return Britrail ticket to Cardiff. (Recommended to fly back to the states from Amsterdam). This is the 10th day on my Eurail Flexipass ticket. It worked out perfectly. Took a train to Cologne, then a train to Brussels. Bought a Eurostar ticket to London. In France the train gets up to 200 miles an hour. You are only in the tunnel for about 20 minutes. It just seems like a tunnel, not like you are under a lot of water. But once you get in England, the train doesn’t go as fast and it seems as though you take forever to get to London. In London, we took the London Underground to Paddington train station. And we used our return ticket to get to Cardiff.
I was very proud with our trip. We were very lucky, because we really didn’t have any horror stories or anything bad happen to us while we were traveling. It was a lot of fun, and we got to see a lot. We didn’t get robbed or pick-pocketed. It was a great three week spring break. It also helped that I had a great travel partner, we got along pretty well. I don’t think I’ll be able to top this trip for a long time. I didn’t feel rushed either. We basically spent 2-3 days at each location and it felt like we saw what we wanted to see. The last two days spent at my old host family’s house really was very nice. Jenny and I got to relax and kind of recuperate. We didn’t have to worry about where we wanted to eat or about finding a place to stay. It was really nice seeing my family again. I got to show off my old ‘home’ too. If people have the funds to experience a trip like this, I really recommend it to anyone. It definitely is an experience. I am so glad that I got to do it. It had always been a dream of mine to do something like this. Overall, I think I would give the trip a 9. We had it all. It probably would have been a 10, except for my problems with some of the ATM’s and staying at Momma Rosa’s. But if people are prepared for anything to happen, then they can make the most of this trip and make it a complete success. Just like mine was.
1. Ferguson, George and LaVerne Ferguson. Europe by Eurail. 22nd Ed. Old Saybrook, CT: The Globe Pequot Press. 1998.
2. Rough Guide to Europe, The. 1998/4th Ed. London: The Rough Guides. 1997.
