Cindy

Love love LOVED Florence. More laid back than Rome, just as pretty, and it’s cheaper too! (0.70 euro for an espresso…gotta love it) I really wish I’d spent more time there….we focused more on Rome and Venice when we planned the trip, and little did we know that Florence would be a total gem in Italy.

• Unless you’re in an area filled with families with their children in tow, or you see other tourists snapping pictures without getting any bad consequences, PUT YOUR CAMERA AWAY. No one likes a beating from a prostitute with a Heineken can. :P
• Dutch bakeries are just as heavenly as the French ones. We stopped by this bakery called Holtkamp, where I ordered a petit four with a chocolate covered strawberry on top of it, dusted with chocolate powder….when we made our purchases, the woman at the counter smiled and say “thank you, and enjoy it….that’s the important part…that you enjoy it!”...very sweet lady, selling equally sweet pastries. :)
• The Red Light District! I’d never seen so much boobage in one place in my life, haha.
• The drugs….I know drugs are well-tolerated in Amsterdam, but it was still a shock seeing it in action. I walked into a cannabis/mushroom shop out of curiosity, and it was filled with all sorts of devices and different forms of drugs that I didn’t even know existed. Apparently you can snort ‘shrooms….who knew?
• I saw mainly two types of people in Amsterdam….the really friendly, laid-back locals, and the crazier ones that were DEFINITELY high on something. Either way, it makes people-watching that much more entertaining in Amsterdam, haha.

• Vienna has by far the nicest people I’ve ever met in Europe. They’re friendly, they’re more than willing to help you when you need something, and they always greet you with a bright smile. I’d go back to Vienna again solely for the people.
• I snickered at first when I saw the word “wiener” everywhere…then I realized that “wiener” is actually German for “Viennese”, and that “wurst” is actually the word for sausage, haha.
• Mozart, Mozart, Mozart…..if you get lost in Austria, and you see “Mozart” written EVERYWHERE, chances are you’re in Vienna.
• The Haus der Musik is ridiculously fun. It’s a museum dedicated to music and the science of sound, and it’s got all sorts of gadgets and machines to play with, including a virtual baton where you can conduct the Viennese Philharmonic….and if you suck, the orchestra will heckle you, haha.

• Munich became one of my favorite spots in Europe, if not my absolute favorite. You know how there’s cities with famous tourist attractions, but not much else (like Orlando), and then there’s some cities where they don’t have any huge touristy sites, but the whole city is tons of fun at a simpler level? Munich is one of those less touristy, fun cities. :) Beer halls are awesome, because it’s full of happy, bubbly people (instead of fights breaking out anywhere else with that much booze), German food is fit for a king (a fat king at that, haha), and Munich is just enough of a big city to appeal to city slickers with the buildings, the big shopping, etc….but it’s also got enough of a medieval German charm to appeal to those who would rather take a walk in a park along the river, or visit some castles just outside of the city.
• If any of you guys visit Munich, I’d definitely suggest a visit to the former concentration camp of Dachau. Definitely a haunting experience, but it’s something good to see, and it’s nice to know that Germany acknowledges their dark history, but doesn’t accept it.

well, ok, I didn’t really go to HOGWARTS, but I DID see Platform 9 3/4….so that counts, right? :)

• Lotsa touristy spots, and really expensive….after seeing the rest of Europe, I felt that London didn’t have as much of a flair as other cities, but it definitely has a lot to see and do….I’d love to go back, but maybe after I get that paycheck, haha.
• Everything closes by 7pm.
• As my friend put it….apparently the British don’t believe in salt or something. Bland bland food. I’m not saying ALL British food is bad, but even if I did eat some decent meals, I found myself missing the stuff that I ate in Italy, France, and Germany. :P
• One cool thing about London is that a lot of the museums are free! So if you’re a museum lover, London’s a good place to be. :)
• I said the Mona Lisa in Paris was kinda smaller than I thought…I saw the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum…that rock is a lot bigger than I thought. :P
• Harry Potter geeks should visit Platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross Station….I got all giddy seeing it there. :)

• Crepes are to France as gelato is to Italy. You can find them anywhere, they’re relatively cheap, and they’re really, REALLY good.
• French food rocks. There’s so much butter that it’ll make you fat and happy.
• French bakeries are heavenly….one morning I had a delectable strawberry tart, with fresh strawberries on top and a creamy custard base to it, complete with a shortbread crust….it was probably the best thing that I ate for breakfast on the entire trip. :)
• French people really aren’t that mean if you at least try to put in a few French words here and there. On the other hand, service in restaurants tends to be slow because the French generally take their time more than other cultures….so rushing them will only piss off your server (we didn’t do this, but we met some people who had really bad service because they rushed their servers).
• The beaches at Marseille are beautiful….the old topless women that inhabit them are not. :P
• I saw the Mona Lisa at the Louvre….the painting itself is actually kind of smaller than I’d expected. And there’s a ridiculous amount of protection over it, haha.

Rome – absolutely beautiful, and the ice cream is definitely some of the best I’ve ever had. And most of the stuff you can visit is free. St. Peter’s Basilica was amazing….I’m not religious, and even I was blown away by the place. And it’s kind funny to visit John Paul II’s tomb, because the rest of the pope’s tombs are empty until you hit this HUGE crowd around one tiny little enclave, haha.

Pisa – there’s the leaning tower. and tourists taking pictures of the tower. That’s it.

Florence – Love love LOVED Florence. More laid back than Rome, just as pretty, and it’s cheaper too! (0.70 euro for an espresso…gotta love it) I really wish I’d spent more time there….we focused more on Rome and Venice when we planned the trip, and little did we know that Florence would be a total gem in Italy.

Venice – expensive, touristy, and smells like a fishtank. and everything dies by 8 pm.

kinda interesting, but otherwise it’s boring. I’d rather go to the Museum of Natural Sciences if I wanted to go somewhere fun AND informative.