I remember in grade 4 when we started learning how to speak French I felt so bilingual because I could count to 10 in 2 languages. A couple years later the movie "Monte Carlo" came out and I knew I wanted to go to France just like the girls in that movie. About 9 months ago now the opportunity came and I got a ticket. Here are a few highlights:
How does one go to London and not expose their Harry Potter geekiness at King's Cross Station? It just can't be done. Right beside platform 9 and 10 there's a separate wall with this (so it doesn't mess with actual traffic) and a long line behind it. Beside this wall there is a huge Harry Potter store with everything Hogwarts and wizard you could ever want. There are 2 workers outside in the line, one a photographer, and the other puts a scarf on you and throws it up when the photographer takes the picture. It was wonderful and well worth the long line. It was so fun to feel like a witch for a few seconds.
This is Burg Eltz, home to 3 different Eltz families a very long time ago. The picture above is a courtyard we waited in before going on a tour inside where pictures were not allowed. The inside reminded me lots of the TV show "Merlin". It was large but kind of crowded. Inside the master bedroom they had an altar for church, but it had to be elevated because God is separate. To help with draftiness in the winter they had huge tapestries in the room and very small windows. It made me realize that castles actually aren't that wonderful! I can see why to the lower classes at the time how a castle would be such a luxury, but to us now, we have so much better... Germany was a good start. It rained more than anywhere else, the autobon was cool to see, and we were in a convenient place for day trips to other places.
After church in Germany one day we drove the 3 hours to Basel, a city right across the border of Switzerland. It was sunny and warm and very very charming. Switzerland gave off a nice chill and gentle vibe, and the streets seemed particularly scenic.
Amsterdam! A very busy city with so much to see. After seeing the flower market and doing a boat and bus tour we sought out the bench from "The Fault in Our Stars" and got to see the sunset. It wasn't easy to find, but a man smoking outside saw me looking at benches and directed us to the right one.
The next day we went to Belgium which had the most amazing food. I have never had better fries or waffles. We just walked into this cool courtyard with tons of tourists and cool buildings and started taking pictures. Tatiana told me to do a ballerina jump...clearly the ballerina inside of me died a long time ago.
When we arrived in Montpellier (southern France) we weren't really sure what to do, so Tatiana's brother Carl who lives there took us downtown. It was a peaceful walk in the evening in the sun. There was this arc, the water, and pretty trees lining the walkways just like a movie. It was the perfect change from our cold visit in Germany.
Must I even explain...? Watermelon and Nutella gelato. In Italy. Perfection. I could live off it for the rest of my life, which would be significantly shorter but oh well. There was a mean man in the line up behind me that was super annoyed the lady took my order first, since she'd done everyone else in our group. He stormed off. I was embarrassed but pleased to have my gelato. We didn't get to spend much time in Italy because we went to Monaco later that day. Italy seemed charming enough except for the extremely windy roads down towards the water. We walked along the sea wall for awhile, that was fun.
This is St. Malo, in Normandy, France. It used to be a pirate village so it's built like a fortress. It was really exciting inside, with lots to see and do.
The view from the wall where we later walked out to.
While Douglas was perched on his wall, Tatiana and I sat on the sand watching this lady have a maternity photoshoot done. We discovered the sand was sparkly.
Douglas' catlike reflexes enjoyed climbing and perching on everything.
The Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles. It is such an intricate, elaborate palace. There is so much to see and so much to learn. There wasn't a detail left out. Even the domed ceilings were a giant canvas with no spot left unpainted.
It was as magical as I always hoped it'd be.
We had to maneuver our way through some crazy techno parade thing in order to find our way here.
Hyde Park in London was the perfect Sunday activity. A lot of people had the same idea.
The night before I left we had a fhe and I told my siblings about my trip and where I'd be going, just to give them a little idea of where I'd be for the next 3 weeks. They kind of understood. When they were asleep I went into their room and took this stuffed dog to bring on my trip. Bailey (named after the movie) is in most of my pictures. It was fun having a piece of home with me all the time. I missed my family and thought about them all the time. They liked seeing the pictures with him and I'd get told all the time to hold him a specific way. This Thanksgiving I am grateful to be back with them and to know that we will be together for eternity. They do so much and have taught me so much. I am grateful for the time I got to spend in Europe seeing God's creations. It was interesting seeing the churches and noticing the differences between them and mine. All of His creations are wondrous and beautiful.
