Ok, You Asked for a Long Post with Lots of Pics!

I'm back! I'm so sad that my trip is over, but I am happy to be home. God Bless America and the respect for one's personal space! jk It was a fantastic trip and we had sooo much fun! We saw tons of fantastic and amazing things, but that's not even the best part. I feel like every time I go to Europe I discover myself again. I love it! This time it kind of put things into perspective for me again. I was reminded where my love for flowers came from and what I really do want to do with my life. I want to have a floral design business so badly, and that's what I'm going to do. I'm glad that I have been reminded of that, because I think I was beginning to have some doubts about it.


Also, Joni and I are both independent women who like to be in control, and this whole trip taught me to let go. I had a hard time leaving things at work because I didn't think anyone could do my job right while I was gone. Things apparently went fairly smooth and when I returned I wasn't half as stressed as I thought I would be. I need to remember that I can trust people. Of course things weren't done exactly as I would have done them, but they were done and I'm quite happy about it.


I feel like at the beginning of the trip Joni and I butted heads a teeny tiny bit because we both wanted to be in charge of what we did and how we got there, but then we figured it out and just kind of fell into individual responsibilities. I really do tend to get kind of high strung at times, and I am a slave to time because I deteste being late for anything. I would rather be early and wait, then be late and disruptive, or rushed, or disrespectful. But I have learned to relax. I let Joni be in charge of the majority of things and just kind of sat back. It was good for me. I'm glad that she and I have similar personalities. Clearly we made a few mistakes and wrong turns because we're human, but the whole trip was supposed to be an adventure so it just made it more fun!


I have also learned that time is more of just a number. We missed a few scheduled things - like a train to Florence and a boat tour in London, but we still arrived where we needed to, albeit a little bit later than we originally anticipated, and we accomplished everything we wanted to. I feel like I came back from Europe with an open mind and open eyes, and a new outlook on who I am. Ok, when I came back from being a nanny in Paris I had gained a little weight (ok, a lot!), but for some reason I felt the same way then when I returned as I do now. I feel a little more humble, and more confident in myself, if it's possible to be both at the same time.

Alright, enough of that. I know all anyone really wants to know is what we did, what we saw, and what our favorite things were. So, here we go...and I'll try to make this as "Reader's Digest" as possible, so as not to bore you to death.


Munich was fantastic! We started going as soon as I got there and rented bikes and rode all over the city. My cousins from Cardston and Berlin came and stayed a night with us and we had a blast! We went to the Haufbrau Haus and got hit on my a hord of drunken Italian men who were quite entertaining. Joni and I went to the castles (Neuschwanstein & Schloss Hohenschwangau) that are about 2 hours outside of Munich, and due to a very competent European car rental service, we didn't get the car Joni reserved and I had to drive because it was a standard. Oh well, we made it safely to the castles and back. Oh, and I tried Curry Wurst. It was delicious! So...in Munich the castles were my favorite thing.


Venice was beautiful! Contrary to what everyone told us, it does not stink! It smells like any other coastal Californian city. We ran around all day and visited St. Mark's Basilica, which was amazing because it was floor to ceiling mosaics, the Doge's Palace, and the Rialto Bridge. The Palace was cool because we went over the Bridge of Sighs to the prison and stuff. Yes, we did go on a gondola ride...after we got absolutely drenched in a sudden downpour and had to buy cheap-o plastic ponchos from the cutest little Italian ladies! Um...we may or may not have missed our train from Venice to Florence (we slept in) and had to buy new tickets about an hour later than our original train. Ooops! That was an adventure. So...in Venice I would have to say that St. Mark's Basilica and the adventure for the gondola were my favorite things.



Florence was very interesting. It was a lot more crowded that I had expected, and I literally almost got hit by scooters twice! It was amazing though because of the things we saw. Our hotel was super cute, and the lady who runs it was a very sweet, classy Italian woman. When we first got there and were leaving she lowered her voice to us after giving us some directions and said "I notice you have double bed. Is ok?" So funny! So, we saw Michaelangelo's David, and then went to the Uffizzi gallery and saw many other amazing famous pieces. We literally ate gelato every day for lunch in Italy, too. We figured we walked enough to make up for it. I definitely have the blisters to prove it. I had one on my baby toe that we named Monstro because he was so big and just kept coming back! Oh, and Joni flat out tripped on our way back to the train station, with her suitcase, face first, spread eagle on the cobblestone! Sorry Joni, but it was so funny! And anyone who knows me really well will be impressed to know that I waited until she was back on her feet and ok before I laughed at her! So...in Florence my favorite thing was the David. Amazing!!



Rome was fantastic! We saw everything!! We went to Vatican city first and saw the Sistine Chapel, which was absolutely breathtaking! We also went to St. Peter's Basilica, and we tried to find all of the chapels and signs in Rome from Angels and Demons. We're nerds. We went to all of the fountains, churches, the Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Colloseum, Palatine Hill, Forum, Mouth of Truth, Castel St. Angelo, Borghese Museum...you name it, we saw it. We did a lot in a few days and my body definitely noticed. It was soo hot! I brought home a sunburn, which turned into a slight farmers/flip flop tan! Hey, I'll take any color I can get! Joni and I both have somewhat poor circulation, so we got some bruises on our legs just from walking, I popped a blood vessel in my finger, and got a nosebleed all in the same day. Oh well, all in the name of adventure! I have to admit that I didn't know a lot about Palatine Hill and the ancient ruins down at the Forum and I was absolutely amazed by the history of it! That stuff dates back to only a couple hundred years after Christ, which is unfathomable to me. So cool! Oh, and Joni was an attempted pick pocket victim. Crazy! We went into this little cove of what used to be the church that Caesar Augustus was burned in and these 3 young girls followed us in and we very weird when they bumped into Joni. When we left, the zipper to Joni's fanny pack (yes, I said fanny pack. We are cool.) was open but nothing was missing because it was the pocket where all of our maps and such were. So...in Rome my favorite things were Palatine Hill and the Forum (clearly aside from the Sistine Chapel). LOVED the history in Rome.



Paris...sigh. I love Paris. It was kind of strange because as soon as we got to Paris I kind of relaxed and let go a little bit, and slightly let my guard down because in a strange way I felt like I was home again. I know that seems odd. I mean, I knew where to be cautious, and I knew where not to be so much. It was great because I got to take the reins and show Joni around, and we did some things I hadn't done when I lived there also. We went to the Versailles gardens the first day and I showed her Marie Antoinette's Hameau, which is her cute little peasant village. It was my favorite place in the world to go to when I lived there. We saw the Arc de Triomphe and took a stroll down the Champs Elysees. We went to the beautiful Louvre, of course, and saw the Venus de Milo, Winged Victory of Samothrace, Mona Lisa, and many other beautiful works. We went to the L'Orangerie and the D'Orsay Museums and saw fantastic impressionism. We went to the Rodin Museum, which I hadn't done before, and I was so moved by quite a few of his pieces. We walked to the top of the towers at Notre Dame, climbed the steps to Sacre Coeur, and did dance moves in front of Moulin Rouge. We took an eventful trip up the Eiffel tower that took 3 hours - 2 1/2 of which were spent in lines or in elevators. We shopped!! I think we successfully covered the best of Paris in record time. So...in Paris my favorite thing was and always will be the Hameau, but that's a given. My favorite new thing was the Rodin Museum.



Finally, London! I hope you're still reading! London was slightly chilly, but it was a nice break from all of the heat we had gotten in other countries. We took a double decker bus tour all around the city and it was so nice to be able to sit and see everything. We're lazy. We did walk down to Westminster Abby and saw the tombs of a whole bunch of famous people, and then we walked to Big Ben and the Parliament building and literally sat across the river waiting for the sun to go down for over an hour so we could take pics of Big Ben in the dark. We did kill a little bit of time in the arcades and Joni won Heffy McHeffster. We took a boat tour the next day after a very late start, and then we attempted to go and see the crown jewels at the Tower, but it was too late. We saw Shakespeare's Globe Theater, tried to watch the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, but they didn't do it that day, went to King's Cross Station and took pictures at Platform 9 3/4, which seriously made my entire trip!! We shopped!! We visited the British Library and saw original writings and sketches and music by Shakespeare, DaVinci, Isaac Newton, Darwin, Galileo, Beethoven, Mozart, etc. We saw the first printed Bible, and the Magna Carta. It was a really cool library. Then to finish off our trip we went to Wicked!! I cried multiple times. It was so powerful and soooooo good! I LOVED it! It was the perfect end to a fantastic vacation! So...in London my favorite things were Wicked and King's Cross station...seriously. I'm so lame!



So, there you have it. If you made it all the way to the end you are a trooper and I'm surprised you weren't bored to unconsciousness reading my giant epilogue. That was my trip. I'm glad to be back, sad to leave.