Europe Tour

My sister and I went on a group tour through Europe in June 2011. We traveled by bus through eight different countries with 48 other people from around the world.
 

Paris
Our first day we traveled by bus and ferry and arrived in Paris at nightfall. We took a bus tour of the city in preparation for sightseeing the next day. It was amazing to see the Eiffel Tower lit up at night! We were able to tour via elevator to the second floor of the Tower.

The next day we visited the famous Mona Lisa at the Louvre, experienced a religious service at the Notre Dame Cathedral, and visited the Arc de Triomphe. We enjoyed the paninis and lemon sucra crepes. This city is very beautiful with so many things to experience! It was difficult to see it all in one day!

French Riviera
This is where we visited the city Nice. Our visit was more relaxed than the bustle of Paris. We enjoyed shopping in the Old Town Markets and laying on the pebble beach.

Florence
On the way to Florence we visited a French Perfumery and had an hour of fun taking pictures of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We had a walking tour of Florence and enjoyed the beautiful architecture of the Duomo. We also decided to forgo the fitness test of climbing 414 stairs to the Gioto's Bell Tower.

DUOMO and BELL TOWER

Rome
We took a walking tour of Vatican City, and experienced the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. Both were absolutely breathtaking! After the tour we visited the inside of the Colosseum. This city has so much history and was truly the highlight of the trip for me!!

COLOSSEUM

Venice
Ahh... Venice. This city was so relaxed and simple. To tour Venice, you must walk through small alleys or travel by boat. It was so quiet and romantic without noisy car traffic. We took a gondola ride through the city and ate dinner on the canal near the Rialto Bridge. Oh I wish we had more time in this wonderful city and would love to return to enjoy it more someday!

Munich
We traveled through the Austrian Alps to Munich, home of the Oktoberfest. Here, we had dinner at a famous beer hall. We ate pork knuckle, drank some authentic beer, and danced the night away!

Rhine Valley
We learned how beersteins are crafted and saw the world's largest coo-coo clock. We also had a wine tasting and got to see Lorelei Rock. We stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast that felt a bit like home!




Amsterdam
We did a lot of shopping and toured the famous Anne Frank House. This was a wonderful experience that so many people would enjoy. It took me a few hours to tour the house. I will not ever forget the feeling I had seeing where Anne Frank stayed during their hiding. I also bought her book and am almost finished reading it {stay tuned}. Anne Frank's excellent writing talent makes this book extremely moving.

ANNE FRANK'S HOME

This trip was an amazing opportunity that I will never forget! I am glad I had the chance to experience Europe with my sister and am thrilled to share a piece of it here. I hope this offers inspiration to you!