Arrived in Roma Termini..
After walking 20 minutes in the wrong direction in the rain, we finally arrived at our hostel, Fawlty Towers.
Slept well and woke up for a visit to Vatican City. Took the Metro Line A from Roma Termini to Vatican City. Times like these that I'm glad I've mastered the subways in New York City...
Slept well and woke up for a visit to Vatican City. Took the Metro Line A from Roma Termini to Vatican City. Times like these that I'm glad I've mastered the subways in New York City...
St. Peter's Square... busy setting up for Easter Sunday...Swiss guards...
St. Peter's Basilica...
Raphael's School of Athens...
Mailing mom and dad a postcard from Vatican City :)
Spiraling staircase to some more gelato time...
Walked past nice artwork in Piazza Navona. It's pretty easy to navigate Roma... follow the complimentary map from the hostel and then look for the crowds of people...next stop: The Pantheon.
Began our next morning with a 20 minute walk from the hostel to the Colosseum. We took the audio tour of the Colosseum...
The underground...Hypogeum
The girl working in the museum may have been my double- same physical features, etc. It was nice to meet her...she was very excited to hear my last name was "Piazza"... she thinks we may be related in some way. Anything's possible!
This gelateria is pretty special. It's called Gelateria Della Palma. Very modern shop... featuring countless flavors...so many to choose from. In the Austrian spirit, I got Sacher Torte on top of some refreshing Ananas (pineapple) ...
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| Gelato & the view of the Pantheon... |
On the walk back to hostel, we passed the glowing Vittoriano. Had a very early start the next day so the night ended early. Took care of the check out process and went to sleep..Rise and Shine- Ryan air is a popular low-cost carrier airline in Europe. Very cheap flights, but their flights usually leave from small airports outside of the major cities. So we had to take a Terravision bus at 4:30 AM from Roma Termini to Ryan Air's little airport. after leaving the hostel at 4:25, we barely made it around the block to the bus. The driver said we had to validate our printed tickets...Oy.. so we ran into the cafe to do so...ran back to the bus... phew- now we on our way to the airport.
Ciao Roma! Ciao Italia...
Bonjour Paris!
First Ryan Air flight...
Rome-SUCCESS
First Ryan Air flight...
Rome-SUCCESS
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April 5, 2012- Ryan Air... sneaky little low-cost carrier. The small airport they fly into is EUR 15 and over an hour bus ride away from Paris...saved money- but spent a lot of time in transit...not to mention it took about 30 minutes of shuffling ourselves through the line to get on the bus...and it was a lot colder than Italia!
Bonjour Paris
inside the Notre Dame Cathedral
Exhausted from the early morning leaving Roma. Took a nap in the hostel so we could have a productive night touring the city...
Julie and I looked at a tourist map of Paris and thought it was walkable to the Eiffel Tour...not realizing that it would take approximately 2 hours. We came across the Pont des Arts ... (yes, the bridge seen in Sex in the City). You write your names and lock your love to the bridge, then toss the key in the river below... romantic-however, we learned that every 3 to 4 months they put in new panels and remove the locks on the bridge...
for grandpa ♥ :)
We made it- Eiffel Tower...
After attempting to countdown til 10PM several times, the tower began to sparkle.... and the crowd said "Ohhh..."
Before the light show, we went to the local grocery store and bought snacks... buying fresh baguettes for less than EUR 1, grapes, and biscuits (cookies). One of the guys selling souvenirs walked over and was very aggressive, asking us to buy mini Eiffel Tower key chains... he offered us several low prices, but nobody wanted one. He looked down at the snacks and said "Biscuit for Eiffel Tower?"...so- we traded biscuits for mini Eiffel Towers!
A few weeks later there was an article in the newspaper in the USA that mentioned one these mini Eiffel Towers and how millions were stolen from souvenir shops...Doh!
Hopped on the metro, had to switch trains 2 times to get back to the hostel... Such a big city! We split 10 metro tickets for EUR 12.70.
Had a great baguette at the free breakfast in MIJE and fresh juice.
April 6, 2012....Met our friends in the Notre Dame gardens...then took a free city tour with Sandemans tours.. 3.5 walking tour of the city with our British tour guide, Daniel.
Seine river
The Louvre
Jardin des Tuileries
Napolean's Tomb
cafes on every corner
Arc de Triomphe
After the tour we went inside the Louvre- showed our ID's and got in for free. It was free after 6PM for those 26 and under...
Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa smile...
Offcially one week into an amazing trip. Exhausted, giggly, and proud of ourselves for navigating these major cities...
My travel buddy, Julie (USA), and I at the Louvre...
Metro to MIJE... had to get a good night's sleep to get ready for our DISNEY DAY :D
April 7, 2012...Later start than planned- my alarm went off at the right time, but another girl in the hostel heard it and ran to the shower...very considerate- NOT. So after running downstairs, checking out, and having no time for breakfast, I grabbed my baguette and boarded the metro once again...It was like clockwork- took the metro from St. Paul to Nation...saw our friend on the platform... he joined us, then we all made the next connection to regional train to the last stop- Paris Disneyland...and the excitement begins...
I grew up going to Disney often... sometimes what seemed to be every other weekend. Orlando, Florida was just a short drive from my house. Disney is very near and dear to my heart, as it brings back so many great childhood memories.
I worked for Disney in Orlando at Disney's Hollywood Studios in the Backlands Attractions. Had a blast there...having worked for Disney had it's perks. Julie is also a fellow cast member. We combined our perks and got everyone into the parks!
Our friends whom we met studying abroad in Innsbruck were home in France for Easter holiday. They joined us in the parks for the day :)
Home sweet home.....
Walt Disney Studios, Paris
Toy Story Playland ♥
"Buzzed Marissa... to the vineyards and the caves" Thomas (France)...
Ah, back to being Andy's toy ♥
French Kiss...
Crush's Coaster- Orlando needs one of these...
We rode Tower of Terror, Rockin' Rollercoaster, saw some shows....I loved hearing the ride spiels and safety instructions in French.One park down, one to go...
USA & France go to Disney on the 20th Anniversary of Paris Disneyland..
We took advantage of FastPasses... in the meantime went to the Haunted Mansion, Thunder Mountain...had a competitive ride on Buzz Lightyear... and visited some shops..
Candy store- no rice crispy marshmallows.... only candy apples and cotton candy- and the carts in the parks also don't have Mickey Premium Bars...bit disappointed in this difference...
It's a Small World, Dumbo, Tea Cups, Pirates of the Caribbean..
The castle show was great. So many popular Disney songs in French... overall, Disney Day was a success.
We arrived at Thoma's house in the city of Reims. His father came downstairs and greeted us, "Bonjour"..his mother said, "Hello"... and brother said, "Hi"...Thomas had a good laugh, as his family only speaks French...
We went to the Ch.Remy Vineyard in Champagne...the owners took us on a
personalized tour, as my friend translated their French to English. We
saw the Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier vines. I even drove
the tractor through the vineyards...
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes
Buckle up! driving through the vineyards
After the tour, we sat around the table in their home and enjoyed their Champagne.
We had interesting discussions about America, France, and the need to travel and experience cultures around the world. Thomas translated most of the conversation. They gave us a bottle of Champagne and extra labels from their bottles.
Thoma's mom treated us to more homemade French cuisine! Cheese, wine, baguette, repeat! ♥
Packing up... after getting help to stuff Adeline's car (France), we're ready to drive 9 hrs from France to Austria...on the autobahn in Germany- yikes...
3 hours in France, 4 hours in Germany, almost 2 hours in Austria... and we're back to the Austrian Alps...
Paris & Reims-SUCCESS
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What a great first 10 day European adventure...
4 trains-5 buses-1 plane-8 metros-1 car ride (9hrs)...
Be open to trying new things, learn basic words, take in everything around you, respect that each way of life isn't necessarily better or worse.. it's different, embrace culture, be confident (even though I'm not a fashionista)...and be proud to be a tourist...
Stay tuned: Another trip under the Tuscan sun...Siena, San Gimignano, Florence...
then to Sorrento, Pompeii, Ercolano, Capri, Amalfi, Positano, Roma...
weekend trips to Salzburg and Dachau...
trip to visit my cousin in Dublin...
Vienna school trip....and of course more life in Innsbruck <3
(Yes, I'm a bit behind on my blog! Havin' too much fun...)
April 5, 2012- Ryan Air... sneaky little low-cost carrier. The small airport they fly into is EUR 15 and over an hour bus ride away from Paris...saved money- but spent a lot of time in transit...not to mention it took about 30 minutes of shuffling ourselves through the line to get on the bus...and it was a lot colder than Italia!
Bonjour Paris
Took the metro to the hostel, MIJE, at the St. Paul stop...put our bags in luggage storage and set out for Notre Dame...
Julie and I looked at a tourist map of Paris and thought it was walkable to the Eiffel Tour...not realizing that it would take approximately 2 hours. We came across the Pont des Arts ... (yes, the bridge seen in Sex in the City). You write your names and lock your love to the bridge, then toss the key in the river below... romantic-however, we learned that every 3 to 4 months they put in new panels and remove the locks on the bridge...
We made it- Eiffel Tower...
After attempting to countdown til 10PM several times, the tower began to sparkle.... and the crowd said "Ohhh..."
Before the light show, we went to the local grocery store and bought snacks... buying fresh baguettes for less than EUR 1, grapes, and biscuits (cookies). One of the guys selling souvenirs walked over and was very aggressive, asking us to buy mini Eiffel Tower key chains... he offered us several low prices, but nobody wanted one. He looked down at the snacks and said "Biscuit for Eiffel Tower?"...so- we traded biscuits for mini Eiffel Towers!
A few weeks later there was an article in the newspaper in the USA that mentioned one these mini Eiffel Towers and how millions were stolen from souvenir shops...Doh!
Had a great baguette at the free breakfast in MIJE and fresh juice.
April 6, 2012....Met our friends in the Notre Dame gardens...then took a free city tour with Sandemans tours.. 3.5 walking tour of the city with our British tour guide, Daniel.
Napolean's Tomb
cafes on every corner
Arc de Triomphe
Mona Lisa smile...
My travel buddy, Julie (USA), and I at the Louvre...
April 7, 2012...Later start than planned- my alarm went off at the right time, but another girl in the hostel heard it and ran to the shower...very considerate- NOT. So after running downstairs, checking out, and having no time for breakfast, I grabbed my baguette and boarded the metro once again...It was like clockwork- took the metro from St. Paul to Nation...saw our friend on the platform... he joined us, then we all made the next connection to regional train to the last stop- Paris Disneyland...and the excitement begins...
I worked for Disney in Orlando at Disney's Hollywood Studios in the Backlands Attractions. Had a blast there...having worked for Disney had it's perks. Julie is also a fellow cast member. We combined our perks and got everyone into the parks!
Our friends whom we met studying abroad in Innsbruck were home in France for Easter holiday. They joined us in the parks for the day :)
Home sweet home.....
Ah, back to being Andy's toy ♥
Crush's Coaster- Orlando needs one of these...
We rode Tower of Terror, Rockin' Rollercoaster, saw some shows....I loved hearing the ride spiels and safety instructions in French.One park down, one to go...
Space Mountain- launches you from outside to inside- big difference... there is also a loop! Went on it about 3 times...
Candy store- no rice crispy marshmallows.... only candy apples and cotton candy- and the carts in the parks also don't have Mickey Premium Bars...bit disappointed in this difference...
The castle show was great. So many popular Disney songs in French... overall, Disney Day was a success.We arrived at Thoma's house in the city of Reims. His father came downstairs and greeted us, "Bonjour"..his mother said, "Hello"... and brother said, "Hi"...Thomas had a good laugh, as his family only speaks French...
We snacked on a variety of cheese, more baguettes, and champagne. It was close to midnight when Thomas said his friends were waiting for us at their local nightclub...
Exhausted, but managed to dance the night away in Reims...
April 8, 2012....We woke up on Easter Sunday to chocolate Milka bunnies from Thoma's mom. She also prepared an authentic, delicious French lunch...fresh veggies, potatoes, ratatouille, cake, fruit salad, meringue fluff, and wine.
Wine, more wine, and baguettes... my kind of meal...
"Buzz Marissa, to the vineyards and the caves"..
Thoma's family friends have a vineyard. Ch. Remy..
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| The Press |
After the tour, we sat around the table in their home and enjoyed their Champagne. 
We had interesting discussions about America, France, and the need to travel and experience cultures around the world. Thomas translated most of the conversation. They gave us a bottle of Champagne and extra labels from their bottles.
It was a great afternoon in the vineyards..
What a great first 10 day European adventure...
4 trains-5 buses-1 plane-8 metros-1 car ride (9hrs)...
Be open to trying new things, learn basic words, take in everything around you, respect that each way of life isn't necessarily better or worse.. it's different, embrace culture, be confident (even though I'm not a fashionista)...and be proud to be a tourist...
Stay tuned: Another trip under the Tuscan sun...Siena, San Gimignano, Florence...
then to Sorrento, Pompeii, Ercolano, Capri, Amalfi, Positano, Roma...
weekend trips to Salzburg and Dachau...
trip to visit my cousin in Dublin...
Vienna school trip....and of course more life in Innsbruck <3
(Yes, I'm a bit behind on my blog! Havin' too much fun...)
It's like I wasn't even there :(
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