If there's one thing I learned about my trip halfway across the world, it's that there are nice people everywhere.
I just returned from a 17-day trip with friends to Greece, Italy and France.
Along the way we saw a lot of amazing things - as evidenced by my 300-plus photos - and experienced the expected minor frustrations of travel.
During our sojourn in Europe we had interesting conversations with travelers from all over the world, and were aided by more than one Good Samaritan.
Whether it was two Sicilians who guided us to our hostel in Rome, Italy (they laughingly assured us that they were "no gangsters"), or the French businessman from Aloette Cheese Company who ensured that we got on the right train to Versailles, France; we were pleasantly surprised with the goodness of people.
We did encounter some jerks along the way, but, as the French say, "C'est la vie." (That's life.)
Days One and Two of the trip consisted of travel. My freshman year college roommate and I flew from Minneapolis to Amsterdam, Netherlands; to London, England; to Athens, Greece.
We spent two days and three nights at a hostel in Athens. We visited the Acropolis and the Parthenon, saw the ruins of the Ancient Roman Agora and the Church of the Metamorphosis, rode a tram up Lycabetta Hill for a panoramic view of the city, and took a train to Olympic Park, site of the 2004 summer Olympics.
We ate Moussaka, a traditional Greek food, with tomatoes, eggplant, meat sauce, ground beef and potatoes.
I nearly melted in the 102-104 degree Fahrenheit heat.
Day Five was spent stuck in the Athens Airport thanks to a flight delay followed by a cancellation, followed by a rescheduled flight.
We spent the night in Sorrento, Italy, after receiving a far under-priced bus ride from the Naples train station. (A Good Samaritan bus driver delivered us right to the front door of the hostel. We tipped him heavily, needless to say.)
Day Six we toured the Pompeii ruins (near Sorrento). The temperature was 97 degrees Fahrenheit. I ate my first Italian food: pizza and Gnocchi (potato dumplings.)
Day Seven we took a ferry to the Island of Capri and went swimming in the Blue Grotto. Later that afternoon we hopped a train to Rome via Naples.
Day Eight we visited Vatican City. We saw St. Peter's Basilica (and climbed the 340 steps to the top), St. Peter's Square and the Sistine Chapel. We saw the tombs of the popes, including John Paul II, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain and Bernini's Fountain: the "Barcaccia" (Wretched Boat.)
That night I had the best Fettuccine Alfredo of my life. (It's not called Fettuccine Alfredo in Italy. It is just Fettuccine and its hit or miss whether there is white, cream sauce. We also had honey and strawberry gelato at San Crispino - the best gelato in Italy.
Day Nine we saw the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, and Pallentine Hill.
Day 10 we visited Florence, Italy. We saw Michelangelo's "David" at the Galleria dell' Accademia (it's 5 meters tall) and the giant Durmo church.
Day 11 we toured Florence and hiked up to the Piazza Michelangelo to see panoramic views of the city. We took the train to Pisa, Italy and saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
A 24-hour train (and bus) strike was underway so we had an unanticipated overnight at the "Torro" hotel.
On Day 12 a few local trains were running. We arrived in LaSpezia, Italy and took a taxi to Biassa, Italy, where we spent four hours hiking Cinque Terre (five costal cities linked by a hiking path.) The temperature was between 81-84 degrees Fahrenheit.
Day 13 we traveled from LaSpezia to Milan by train, and then on to Venice and our best hostel of the trip, the "Hotel San Samuele."
Day 14 we toured Venice and took water taxis in lieu of a gondola. (They are extremely overpriced.) We shopped for glass items made by the nearby Island of Murano glassmakers. We also visited St. Mark's Basilica and ate Caprese sandwiches (grilled tomato, mozzarella and basil or spinach.)
That night we took an overnight train from Venice to Paris.
Day 15 in Paris we visited the St. Chapelle Church and the Conciergerie prison (connected to the "Palace of Justice.") 2,700 prisoners were executed during the Reign of Terror (1793-1794) during the French Revolution. We saw the cell where Marie Antoinette was held before execution. We also visited the Arc de Triomphe and "Charles De Gaulle" Place - the largest roundabout in the world. (It's a free-for-all.) Of course we saw Notre Dame cathedral and the Eiffel Tower. The temperature was 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
Day 16 we took a train to Versailles and toured the palace that was the home of King Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette. We also visited the Louvre museum and saw Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.
Day 17 we saw the Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart) Church. I took an afternoon flight out of Charles De Gaulle Airport and arrived in Minneapolis that evening after a 9.5-hour flight and a 3.5-hour layover in Iceland. (Some passenger had a medical emergency and needed to deplane.)
All in all I had a wonderful trip; I'm amazed with all the things I saw and experienced. I'll have memories for a lifetime.
Next up: Ireland?
