PuddleJump719

The Vatican is simply amazing! I’m completely non-religious and it is still one of my favorite places I’ve ever been.
But you must remember to wear comfortable shoes with good support! You’ll be walking for hours to get through the whole museum on marble, much of the time. I wore comfy sandals once when I went and by the time I got 3/4 of the way through, every step was sending shock waves of pain up to my knees and back (and it’s not an age thing…I was 17).

That’s a really good way to ruin the experience. Also, keep in mind that there are no trash cans until you get out. I ended up with the same piece of gum in my mouth for the entire tour—it was pretty gross.

Lastly, try to enjoy the art as much as you can. It can be really hard, especially in the summer, because you’re literally shoulder-to-shoulder with complete strangers all shuffling forward but try to block out the hordes of people so you can really appreciate where you are and what you’re seeing.

It being such a tourist trap, there are people everywhere. Watch out for people selling things. There are people who will try to sell you bracelets. As they do, they’ll slip one onto your wrist to show you how good it looks. The bracelets are attached to a line that they will pull to make the bracelet tighter and tighter until you part with some of your money. Not a good feeling!

I was born in Erlangen. I haven’t been there since I was an infant and would love to go back!

Zurich is adorable! There are ceramic bears on all the streets. Each one is different. It really makes walking the streets so much fun! I would definitely suggest checking Zurich out at least once. I hope to return someday.

I stayed with a local family in a small town in Austria for three days, two nights. It was great! It was fantastic to really live with the locals…see their country as they see it.

I love Rome! I fell in love when I went and cannot wait to go back. I feel like that is where I want to spend my life.