Being in Germany, Italy and France
Mini Vlog (Click Here after)
So as I talked about in my last post, my trip to Germany was eye opening. I was anxious about being gone for 24 days but now I think I could've stayed even longer. The weather was great, the food mouthwatering and the scenery spectacular.
**** THIS BLOG HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY DRAFTS FOR AWHILE NOW. IVE BEEN PRETTY BUSY WITH LIFE'S UPS AND DOWNS*****
Germany
My official trip started in Wiesbaden, Germany visiting my family. One of the first places my family took me to was the Christmas Markets in the downtown area. Apparently, Germany is well known for their sausages. The market gave me the opportunity to try several different things. Currywurst and Bratwurst are two names that come to mind. Currywurst is a cut up sausage served with ketchup like sauce and curry powder on top. The other sausage came in the middle of a powdery bun and had options of mayo, ketchup and mustard to go on top. LOVED IT isn't even the right phrase. I also tried a hot chocolate that tasted like light chocolate moose. For a couple of extra euros you get to keep the tall glass too. Another popular is the hot wine or "Gluhwein". It was a warm cindery wine that is sure to keep you warm. The market is filled with small Christmas looking houses that sold souvenirs, wooden dolls, ceramic plates, meats, you name it. But everything was very authentic. When I visited Rothenburg, Germany I kind of got North-Pole vibes a little. The village was very fairy-like with its colorful painted homes and cute boutique like storefronts. Many Christmas shops in Rothenburg are year-round. The town is also surrounded and well preserved by the "Rothenburg Wall". I don't know the history on it but i felt like medieval knights were coming out to say hi. Another city in Germany I experienced was Cologne. Cologne reminded me of big cities in the US. It had H&M, restaurants, transit, electronic stores, you name it. But what made it stand out was it's gothic-like cathedrals and architecture. The "Cologne Cathedral" was possible one of the tallest churches I have seen so far. It was beautiful, dark, covered in gargoyles in every corner. MAGNIFICENT. What was even more fascinating was the gold shrine of the three kings. YES the three kings. As in the ones who brought gifts for the birthing of Jesus Christ as told in history. It was pure gold and very secured. I could not believe I was standing right next to their shrines and bodies.
Oh, Italy!
Where to start...The first awe in Italy was the leaning tower in Pisa. It's really mind blowing seeing a tower just leaning to the side. You'd think that with one strong earthquake it'd fall. We got our pictures (check out my pose on my last post), a couple souvenir's and headed to the next town. Oh, I tried a margarita pizza from one of the restaurants outside and it wasn't all that. Let's just say that me and the toilet hung out a couple times that night. If you're interested in purchasing a replica handbag there are plenty of sellers near the parking lot. I am not sure what the laws are but the knockoffs were lined up as far as the eye can see. Anyways, we made our way to the Cinque Terre that same day because it was only an hour drive. If you're not driving, you can take the train to "La Spezia" stop as well. Many people, actually travel all of Italy through the train system if you're interested because they go everywhere and its pretty cheap. People hike through Cinque Terre to visit all five villages along the coastal side. The coastline is very rugged but romantic with it's steep vineyards and traditional mounted homes. I had never seen so much beauty before I went to Cinque Terre. We drove through a couple villages but walked around in RioMaggiore. It is a very popular fishing area making the seafood from restaurants fresh. The water was crystal blue. There were tiny roads in between the homes up on to the hills. Fresh oranges and lemon trees everywhere. TRY AN ORANGE from a store by the way. WOW. If you're there stay for the sunset. You could fall in love there, feel inspiration and overall refreshed.
After leaving the Pisa area, we headed to Rome and made a two hour stop in Florence. Florence was a nice city. Beautiful churches, bridges and it was a pretty big town. We got to admire the architecture and musicians on the street. The color scheme was oranges, browns, tans and white. Next we made it to Rome......OMG. The city was lively. You heard people, trains, buses, music. It was a Friday night the 23rd of December. Everyone was preparing for Christmas mass the 24th and 25th at Vatican City with Pope Francis. We checked into the hotel and rested because the drive from Pisa was 7 hours and we were going to be doing a lot of sightseeing the next few days. Because the hotel had free parking and it was near the train station we decided to take the metro like the locals do. Instead of taking a tour bus, we decided to walk through Rome to really get to know it. We walked to the Spanish steps, the fountain of trevi, the piazza of the people, the pantheon, largo de Argentina (not sure if my spelling is correct but Julius Caesar was murdered here) and the grand finale was the incredible Colosseum. I tried gelato ice from a popular instagrammy store, a crepe, REAL pizza that was as long as the table, penne pasta and whatever crossed my path lol. There are so many options of places to eat and the prices were not bad. There were a lot of places that sold $5 plates of pasta. FOOD HEAVEN. The next day was Christmas Day (25th). Originally we were going to attend the Chrsitmas mass at Vatican City at 12:00pm but as we made our way to the front of the line the police officers closed the security check point. We were the next ones to be called but we missed it by a few seconds. There were so many people inside and outside the Vatican area. I did get to see the band of soldiers march around the place as they ended the event. When mass finished they allowed everyone to walk around Vatican City but unfortunately the pope has already went inside. However, I did get to see his little window where he usually makes his appearances.
Check out my Instagram out for the pictures in Venice too. It's a must!!
France
After returning back to Germany from my trip to Italy, we had planned to make the last visit to Paris New Years Eve. But because it was late, all the hotels were booked and the ones that were left didn't suit us ($$$). So we decided to plan it for the following week before I returned to NYC. We stayed at a hotel in the middle of Paris called the "Hauteville Opera". In my opinion the name of the hotel gave me Halloween chills and after getting their my guess was correct. It had very dark hallways, the floors creaked, the bathroom sinks had mold around the edges but to top it off at the very beginning the first room they gave us had not been cleaned at all. It looked like whoever stayed their the night before must've been partying hard and had been untouched for days. I guess it gave it a gritty Paris vibe. Besides that Paris was so chic. The structures and atmosphere of Paris were very European/Dark/Fashiony. If that makes sense? Oh, and everyone smokes cigarettes. No offense to those who do or don't. It was just the image I had of Paris. But I loved that. I visited The Louvre, the Pantheon in Paris, Arc of Triumph, Notre Dame, Princess Diana's memorial and the lovely Eiffel Tower. For Paris I recommend you checking out my pictures on Instagram as well if you follow me. I did an infinite amount of walking that day. But I made it and in heels. If you go to Paris, feel free to wear sneakers. Your feet might thank you. I had another crepe that day. Bought the most souvenirs. I felt like a total tourist. It was so worth it. At night I stopped at a tapas bar "Le P'tit Barcelone" to get some tapas which is a Spaniard appetizer plates. Small plates filled with amazing food. I also had a refreshing sangria.
So as I talked about in my last post, my trip to Germany was eye opening. I was anxious about being gone for 24 days but now I think I could've stayed even longer. The weather was great, the food mouthwatering and the scenery spectacular.
**** THIS BLOG HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY DRAFTS FOR AWHILE NOW. IVE BEEN PRETTY BUSY WITH LIFE'S UPS AND DOWNS*****
Germany
My official trip started in Wiesbaden, Germany visiting my family. One of the first places my family took me to was the Christmas Markets in the downtown area. Apparently, Germany is well known for their sausages. The market gave me the opportunity to try several different things. Currywurst and Bratwurst are two names that come to mind. Currywurst is a cut up sausage served with ketchup like sauce and curry powder on top. The other sausage came in the middle of a powdery bun and had options of mayo, ketchup and mustard to go on top. LOVED IT isn't even the right phrase. I also tried a hot chocolate that tasted like light chocolate moose. For a couple of extra euros you get to keep the tall glass too. Another popular is the hot wine or "Gluhwein". It was a warm cindery wine that is sure to keep you warm. The market is filled with small Christmas looking houses that sold souvenirs, wooden dolls, ceramic plates, meats, you name it. But everything was very authentic. When I visited Rothenburg, Germany I kind of got North-Pole vibes a little. The village was very fairy-like with its colorful painted homes and cute boutique like storefronts. Many Christmas shops in Rothenburg are year-round. The town is also surrounded and well preserved by the "Rothenburg Wall". I don't know the history on it but i felt like medieval knights were coming out to say hi. Another city in Germany I experienced was Cologne. Cologne reminded me of big cities in the US. It had H&M, restaurants, transit, electronic stores, you name it. But what made it stand out was it's gothic-like cathedrals and architecture. The "Cologne Cathedral" was possible one of the tallest churches I have seen so far. It was beautiful, dark, covered in gargoyles in every corner. MAGNIFICENT. What was even more fascinating was the gold shrine of the three kings. YES the three kings. As in the ones who brought gifts for the birthing of Jesus Christ as told in history. It was pure gold and very secured. I could not believe I was standing right next to their shrines and bodies.
Oh, Italy!
Where to start...The first awe in Italy was the leaning tower in Pisa. It's really mind blowing seeing a tower just leaning to the side. You'd think that with one strong earthquake it'd fall. We got our pictures (check out my pose on my last post), a couple souvenir's and headed to the next town. Oh, I tried a margarita pizza from one of the restaurants outside and it wasn't all that. Let's just say that me and the toilet hung out a couple times that night. If you're interested in purchasing a replica handbag there are plenty of sellers near the parking lot. I am not sure what the laws are but the knockoffs were lined up as far as the eye can see. Anyways, we made our way to the Cinque Terre that same day because it was only an hour drive. If you're not driving, you can take the train to "La Spezia" stop as well. Many people, actually travel all of Italy through the train system if you're interested because they go everywhere and its pretty cheap. People hike through Cinque Terre to visit all five villages along the coastal side. The coastline is very rugged but romantic with it's steep vineyards and traditional mounted homes. I had never seen so much beauty before I went to Cinque Terre. We drove through a couple villages but walked around in RioMaggiore. It is a very popular fishing area making the seafood from restaurants fresh. The water was crystal blue. There were tiny roads in between the homes up on to the hills. Fresh oranges and lemon trees everywhere. TRY AN ORANGE from a store by the way. WOW. If you're there stay for the sunset. You could fall in love there, feel inspiration and overall refreshed.
After leaving the Pisa area, we headed to Rome and made a two hour stop in Florence. Florence was a nice city. Beautiful churches, bridges and it was a pretty big town. We got to admire the architecture and musicians on the street. The color scheme was oranges, browns, tans and white. Next we made it to Rome......OMG. The city was lively. You heard people, trains, buses, music. It was a Friday night the 23rd of December. Everyone was preparing for Christmas mass the 24th and 25th at Vatican City with Pope Francis. We checked into the hotel and rested because the drive from Pisa was 7 hours and we were going to be doing a lot of sightseeing the next few days. Because the hotel had free parking and it was near the train station we decided to take the metro like the locals do. Instead of taking a tour bus, we decided to walk through Rome to really get to know it. We walked to the Spanish steps, the fountain of trevi, the piazza of the people, the pantheon, largo de Argentina (not sure if my spelling is correct but Julius Caesar was murdered here) and the grand finale was the incredible Colosseum. I tried gelato ice from a popular instagrammy store, a crepe, REAL pizza that was as long as the table, penne pasta and whatever crossed my path lol. There are so many options of places to eat and the prices were not bad. There were a lot of places that sold $5 plates of pasta. FOOD HEAVEN. The next day was Christmas Day (25th). Originally we were going to attend the Chrsitmas mass at Vatican City at 12:00pm but as we made our way to the front of the line the police officers closed the security check point. We were the next ones to be called but we missed it by a few seconds. There were so many people inside and outside the Vatican area. I did get to see the band of soldiers march around the place as they ended the event. When mass finished they allowed everyone to walk around Vatican City but unfortunately the pope has already went inside. However, I did get to see his little window where he usually makes his appearances.
Check out my Instagram out for the pictures in Venice too. It's a must!!
France
After returning back to Germany from my trip to Italy, we had planned to make the last visit to Paris New Years Eve. But because it was late, all the hotels were booked and the ones that were left didn't suit us ($$$). So we decided to plan it for the following week before I returned to NYC. We stayed at a hotel in the middle of Paris called the "Hauteville Opera". In my opinion the name of the hotel gave me Halloween chills and after getting their my guess was correct. It had very dark hallways, the floors creaked, the bathroom sinks had mold around the edges but to top it off at the very beginning the first room they gave us had not been cleaned at all. It looked like whoever stayed their the night before must've been partying hard and had been untouched for days. I guess it gave it a gritty Paris vibe. Besides that Paris was so chic. The structures and atmosphere of Paris were very European/Dark/Fashiony. If that makes sense? Oh, and everyone smokes cigarettes. No offense to those who do or don't. It was just the image I had of Paris. But I loved that. I visited The Louvre, the Pantheon in Paris, Arc of Triumph, Notre Dame, Princess Diana's memorial and the lovely Eiffel Tower. For Paris I recommend you checking out my pictures on Instagram as well if you follow me. I did an infinite amount of walking that day. But I made it and in heels. If you go to Paris, feel free to wear sneakers. Your feet might thank you. I had another crepe that day. Bought the most souvenirs. I felt like a total tourist. It was so worth it. At night I stopped at a tapas bar "Le P'tit Barcelone" to get some tapas which is a Spaniard appetizer plates. Small plates filled with amazing food. I also had a refreshing sangria.
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