Barcelona was the last leg of our 24-day trip with EF Ultimate Break. We got up early to leave Rome and were on the bus by 6am. We flew on Vueling to Barcelona and were there by the afternoon. We stayed at the Student Hotel – Marina, which was perfect for us. They’re set up dorm-style and a lot of people use them for study abroad as well! My first thoughts on Barcelona: it was warm and a little humid, but nothing like Rome because we had the ocean breeze.
My friends and I went to La Taverna Gallega for dinner by the ocean. We had seafood and lobster croquettes, sangria, and paella with shrimp and squid and clams. It was SO good and I got to test out my Spanish with the waiter – he was gracious with my mistakes, haha. We all walked along the beach then walked our 20 minute way home. It felt super safe because although it was late, they don’t start to go out until 12 or 1 there so we saw a lot of young people around.
The next day we started at Parc Guell. Antoni Gaudi used broken ceramics to design all the art around the park, and you can see the whole city from the top. We then saw the exterior of the Sagrada Familia and learned a little more about its symbolism. It’s incredibly detailed! After eating, we returned to the Sagrada Familia to tour the inside. This was my FAVORITE building we toured, hands down. Stunning is the only way I can describe it. The block-style sculptures at the back of the church were my favorite. The style was so unique but still portrayed so much emotion.
After, we had tapas at Nuvio with an incredible crispy fried eggplant with honey. Then I walked around the Born district, which is really cool with a lot of handmade jewelry and clothing boutiques. I didn’t see anything I loved enough to buy, but it was all so unique. We then went to see the Magic Fountains, a light show that coordinates to popular music. At the top of the steps, you have the royal family’s residence and a great view of the city.
Barcelona is known for its nightlife, so of course we had to go out! Our entire group went out together. We started at Sonoma sports bar – and they had KU signs in it! It had a lot of American sports paraphernalia. We then went to Razzmatazz because it was a few blocks from our hostel. We got there at midnight and we were literally the first people there – but it was extra fun because we had all gotten to know each other by then, so we danced and hung out til the rest of the crowd showed. We went home at 3:30 am and people were still going to the bars.
On our last day, my friend Lauren and I went to the Gaudi house of Casa Vicens. It was the first house he ever built and had the iconic marigold tiles on the outside. It wasn’t crowded at all and inexpensive to visit as well. We then had lunch at Balmes Rosello, a three-course meal for only 10 euro!
We then ended the night with our whole group dinner at Balthazar. It was really sad to say goodbye to everyone and end the best trip ever – but I’ll admit I was ready to be home.
After being pleasantly surprised by how much I loved Florence, we were off to what I most looked forward to on the trip: Cinque Terre! It was a 2.5 hour bus ride to the trains. The trains go through all five cities (Cinque Terre translates to “five lands”) so it’s easy to take the train or hike between the cities.
Our first stop was Manarola, where I got these photos of the iconic coast. We were only there for 20 minutes so I could take the photos, then we took the train to Vernazza for lunch. I got fried calamari at Antica Osteria Il Baretto – if you’re eating here, it’s much less expensive to eat further away from the water. You won’t have the view but it’s only a five-minute walk to the water, tops, so nothing is prohibiting you from going down there anyway.
After we ate, we took the train to Monterosso for the beach! The water was stunning – super clear and turquoise. I know my photos seem unreal but I edited it exactly as I saw it with my eyes! The beach is very rocky, but it makes the water clearer because there’s no sand. I swam for about an hour and it felt incredible, it was so beautiful and unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. We were all exhausted on the way home but it was so worth it.
Rome
The next morning, we drove to Orvieto for a few hours. We happened to be there on the day of the Corpus Christi parade – it seemed like the entire town was in the parade! I had some pizza (what else) at Il Dialogo. The Duomo there was beautiful and built in the 1300s, with really pretty mosaics decorating the outside.
After Orvieto, we drove to our hostel in Rome. The majority of the bus ride was filled with Lizzie McGuire references and songs – if you’ve seen the movie, you know haha. We stayed at the Travestere Hostel. I would NOT recommend staying here if you can help it. It was supposed to be a gentrified area, but it was the first (and only) place that I felt unsafe where we stayed and returning to it at night.
Trevi Fountainyou guessed it – the Colosseum
We did a short walking tour with our tour director, Kyri, and he bought us gelato for his birthday! We saw the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish steps. I had my first carbonara of the trip – it was so good – then we went back to the Trevi fountain later at night in hopes of it being less crowded. No luck! It’s in a much smaller square than I had pictured previously. Rome was the first place that I had felt itchy, like I had hives, even though I knew I hadn’t eaten anything wrong. It was also the hottest place of our entire trip, which didn’t help. I took a couple of Benadryl every day I was there but I think it must have been something in the air, because the second we left, I felt fine.
the Roman Ruins
The next day, we went straight to the Colosseum for a three-hour tour. It was WAY too long and they only had cakes and pastries available for breakfast at the hostel, so the majority of us hadn’t eaten. The heat was the worst part and I think everyone was starting to not feel well. We walked around the Roman forum as well, then met our tour director at the Campo di Fiori market. I wandered around the market for a little bit but really hated all the vendors yelling at me to get my attention – can you tell Rome wasn’t my favorite already? It was cool to see the variety of meats, cheeses and produce though. We then went to the pasta making class at In Rome Cooking. I don’t have any photos because it was extremely messy, but it was fun to get a look at homemade pasta! I think I’ll stick to Barilla though 🙂
our homemade pasta!
We then went back to the hostel around 3 and I took a nap and bought some cereal at the market next door. This was the first time during the whole trip that I prioritized sleep and taking a rest – I definitely needed it, seeing as it was day 19! I also brought a tube of Nuun with me (tablets for electrolytes) and this was the thing that helped me the most. We then went to Buddy’s for our “Italian feast” that we signed up for. They were SO great about my allergy. I started with a great bruschetta, then I had my own personal allergy-friendly charcuterie board with apples, prosciutto, salami, cheese and a blackberry-cherry jam. The prosciutto was incredible and I could have just eaten that the entire meal! We finished with pasta – of course. I was kind of burnt out on pasta by then, but I’m pleased to report that didn’t last long 🙂 We ended the night walking around Lungo Il Tevere, a First Fridays-esque market along the river that’s only open at night.
il Pantheon
The next day, we went back to the Pantheon. This sounds so spoiled, but it didn’t seem all that special to me. After seeing some of the gigantic tiled churches, you would probably think that too! Then we went to Antica Caffe Greco, the oldest coffee shop in Rome (founded in 1760). Hans Christian Andersen and Franz Liszt are known to have had coffee there. Then for lunch…we finally hit our breaking point and had McDonald’s. It was actually SO good though – I had an egg mcmuffin, fries and a chocolate shake. It was the fanciest McDonald’s I’d ever been in and I had no shame!
By this point, it was just my friend Lauren and I trying to explore. We waited for 45 minutes in 95-degree heat for the bus, only for a very nice English man to inform us that the public transit was on strike! We had to figure out how to get a taxi back to the hotel, then went with our group on a bus to the Vatican. It was very hot (again) and packed with tourists, but so pretty and ornate. The Sistine Chapel was much smaller than I thought and photos weren’t allowed, but several people were blatantly taking them anyway. It was hard to see the paintings because they were so small and so high up. I enjoyed Saint Peter’s Basilica a lot more and thought it was much more impressive.
if this doesn’t illustrate the crowds I don’t know what will haha
After the Vatican, we went back to the hotel for a little bit then went back down to the river like the other night. I had a cheeseburger and a Coke – clearly today was my culinary breaking point! We went back to the hostel after dinner and some gelato at Otaleg (not my favorite), I showered and called it a night.
Rome was not my favorite city, but a large part of that had to do with the heat and whatever allergy thing was affecting me the whole time. I’ll link my map below and also added some things on my map that I didn’t get to, but were recommended to me in my research!
These posts should have been finished months ago, seeing as I went on this trip in June – but here they are anyway!
Venice
After seeing beautiful Switzerland, we went on the second half of our trip and set out to explore Italy. We took a bus from Engelberg, Switzerland to Lake Como. I’ll admit that I had higher expectations for Lake Como (it was very dirty and filled with litter). After a lunch stop in Lake Como, we made our way to Venice and stayed at the Anda Hotel in the Mestre area. It was one of my favorite places we stayed throughout the whole trip. Some of us then took the bus to the main area of Venice, down by the iconic canals.
Lake Como a basilica in Lake Como
We had dinner at Trattoria Povoledo Venezia and it was surprisingly inexpensive for the waterfront view. The shrimp scampi was so good – but I was a little in shock from the giant shrimp sitting on top of the pasta, eyes and all! Afterward, we wandered around the streets, looking at all the Venetian masks and blown glass in the store windows. We found a Frulala stand with fresh fruit frozen cocktails and they were so good. I don’t like wine so this was a good substitute 🙂
the aforementioned GIANT shrimp (prawn?)
The next day, we started with another walking tour. After walking around town, we ended the tour at St. Mark’s Basilica. The dress code required pants and covered shoulders, so I just wore my Athleta pants under a dress so I wasn’t dying of heat the rest of the day. It was definitely a good choice because it was around 97 the entire day and several of my friends were wearing jeans the whole day! I don’t think it was worth it or necessary to go inside – it’s definitely beautiful, but the mosaics on the outside are just as pretty. Afterward, we saw a glass blowing demonstration and then looked at the gorgeous (but crazy expensive) pieces.
St. Mark’s BasilicaSt. Mark’s BasilicaSt. Mark’s Basilica
Next, we got to explore the island of Burano, with all the fun colored buildings. We took a boat to get there and most of us ended up being rocked to sleep! We ate at Trattoria Locanda and had a full meal of seafood lasagna, risotto and a fish filet. We then spent the rest of the time walking around and taking photos. If you want good photos here, I would go much earlier in the day to avoid the heat and the other tourists. It’s a small island too and doesn’t have much to offer, so I would keep your time short there.
Once we got back to the mainland of Venice, we went for a gondola ride. I honestly didn’t enjoy it – the gondolier was purposely rocking the boat the entire time and kept messing with us, making me so nervous with my camera! We then got pasta at Dal Moro’s, a to-go pasta place. Only in Italy! I then got my first (of many) gelatos of the trip at Boutique del Gelato. It was so good! Because of my nut allergy, I did a lot of research in advance to figure out the best places for me to eat along the way. Hazelnut is very popular here and they often used the same scoops for multiple flavors, which was risky. This particular gelato place was known for its allergy-friendliness and was even on a popular travel food show called Somebody Feed Phil.
View from the Gondola rideThe first gelato of the trip
I wrote in my journal here that I could end the trip here if I truly had to. I wasn’t homesick, and I wasn’t sick of traveling, but I was realizing that I was always tired and was looking forward to a routine again. I’m so glad I didn’t end the trip there – some of my favorite places were after this!
Bologna & San Gimignano
We took the same bus from Venice to Bologna for another lunch break. I noticed that Bologna was very modernized, with a strong mix of history. You’d have the Disney store and McDonald’s on the left and a basilica that was thousands of years old on the right. There were some smaller market streets that we took advantage of and I had the best cherries of my life there!
After a few more hours of driving, we made it to our campground in Florence. Yes, campground – we stayed at Firenze Camping in Town. Many people had campers but we had our own little bungalows in groups of three. They had a really nice restaurant as well as a pool. After dropping off our things and getting ready, we went to San Gimignano for a few hours. It’s a small medieval town that looks a lot like a fortress on a hill, with a gorgeous view of the Tuscan countryside and vineyards below.
The views in San Gimignano
I had the BEST gelato of my life here at Gelateria Dondoli, which has won the world gelato championships several times. San Gimignano is known for its Vernaccia, a sweet white wine. I don’t love wine but I had their Vernaccia-flavored gelato. It was so good that I got it twice within the hour and a half that we were there!
the BEST Vernaccia gelato
We then drove to La Tancia, a third-generation family-owned vineyard. They bottle up to 9,000 bottles of wine a day! We had a big homemade meal, starting with penne with the freshest tomato sauce I’ve ever had. Next, we had an incredible bruschetta with onions, olive oil and fresh mozzarella. I then learned that the course went backward and regretted not eating more pasta and bruschetta while I could (I thought it was the appetizer!). Last we had a panzanella, which is a kind of bread salad. The entire meal was incredible and I couldn’t ask for a better experience.
La TanciaI missed my dogs so much on this trip but luckily Italy had lots to see and pet!In the vineyards of La TanciaTheir beautiful winery/restaurant
Florence
Florence was one of my favorite cities we visited. The walking tour was one of the best we had on the whole trip. We learned that Florence was built only 7 meters above the Roman ruins, so you can look into some of the shops with glass floors and see the ruins below. It’s incredible how much history is in this city – it’s almost tangible. The Duomo is absolutely stunning and was my favorite big monument so far. The pink and green marble stand out so well and it’s so elegant when the light hits it just right. We ended the tour at the Leonardo leather and gold market. I didn’t buy anything, but they had some gorgeous pieces.
Il DuomoIl Duomo
The ruins under the shops
Some of us then went to Mercato Central for lunch, an indoor Florentine food court. There were so many great options for local food at a fantastic price point. I think my gnocchi was only 6 euro. We then walked about twenty minutes across the river to get gelato at La Carraia. There are two locations in Florence and if you’re here, you MUST go! I had the best dark chocolate gelato. It was my second-favorite of the whole trip, after the Vernaccia.
Il Carraia – look how rich that gelato is!
We then waited in line for the Galleria dell’Accademia, where the David is housed. It was in direct sunlight and so hot, so I would definitely recommend bringing a little hand fan if you can! I studied some art history in college and I was in awe when I saw the David – it was much bigger and way more detailed than I had pictured it in my head. We wandered around and saw the rest of the art. One of my art history classes was Italian Renaissance history – I hated it at the time because it was incredibly tedious, but I was so thankful I had that education when I got to see the art in person.
After the museum, we went across town and made our way up to Piazzale Michelangelo, with the best view of the Florence skyline. It was worth the hike up the stairs. We then walked back across town to get dinner at Il Cavallino, splitting bruschetta then I got some of the best pizza of my life. It was located in Piazza della Signoria, the square in front of the Palazzio Vecchio, which held replicas of some of the most famous sculptures. It was also great for people watching. We ended the day with gelato at Perche No – which translates to Why Not? – a perfect name for a gelato shop. Florence had beautiful art and architecture and I can’t wait to return.
Apologies for the lack of posting – it’s been a crazy football season!
Our trip to Switzerland from Paris was quite possibly the longest day ever. Switzerland was the place that I had been looking forward to visiting the most on the whole trip (honestly, mainly because of the Amazing Race!). After my first visit to Salt Lake City in May, I was in awe of the mountains and how close they were, so I was so excited to see the Swiss Alps on the bus from Paris to Lucerne.
the Lion Monument relief in Lucerne, carved into rock
We took a train to Basel first, then arrived in Lucerne around dinnertime for a quick bathroom & food stop. I got pretzels with raclette on them from Brezelkonig at the train station – an incredible welcome to the food in Switzerland! The currency is the Swiss franc, but they accept euros in most places. However, they’ll just give you francs as change.
the raclette pretzel!
Lake Lucerne had the bluest and clearest water that I have EVER seen. I was seriously in awe of how stunning it was. The architecture in the city was so beautiful, it was impossible to take a bad photo. After buying pretzels and wandering into the Migros market in the train station for snacks, our group took the bus straight into the mountains to our hostel.
We stayed at Ski Lodge Engelberg, the prettiest place ever. The drive winding up into the mountains was incredible. Everything was so green and vibrant. It was exactly what I pictured, complete with cows with bells around their necks that rang in the distance!
the view from our hostel balcony!
After settling in, my friends and I walked around the (very small) city and decided to eat at Urchig. There were only two restaurants open and the other was Mexican (?) so we went for Urchig. Our waiter’s English was good and he was great with us, but we all struggled with the German menu! It was expensive (like all of Switzerland) but seriously some of the best food I’ve ever had. My friends loved their meals too. After walking around a little, we went to bed. It was more of a hostel-style, but I had the best sleep ever. I seriously wish I could have taken the duvet home with me!
me, Caroline, Michaela and Laurenthe best meal at Urchigcows by the lake down the road from the hostelthe lake by our hostel!
The next day, we got up early for a day in the Alps. We took the bus to Kriens then rode the world’s steepest cable car up to Mt. Pilatus. We took the alpine slide down part of the mountain – totally worth it. If I didn’t have a job or if I knew German, I would move to work there in a heartbeat. We went to the top of the mountain and had an incredible view above the clouds. It was only 7000 feet of elevation but it felt way taller. Photos can hardly serve to show how beautiful it was.
alpine slide from the cable carthe tiniest church on the mountaintophonestly I don’t even know how you would get to this! taken out the cable car window
When we were up there, I met a kid from KU! He was wearing a shirt from the Jayhawk Cafe (the Hawk if you really know) and had just been studying abroad. After going down the mountain in a tram, we cruised across the lake to get back to Lucerne. Almost everyone fell asleep, got sunburnt or both – I’m guilty of both! The one thing I wanted in Switzerland was chocolate, but because of my allergy, I decided it wasn’t worth it.
I’ve never been more jealous!! I wanted to go paragliding so badly but we didn’t have time
Once we made it back to Engelberg, some of us got fondue at Hotel Engelberg. I had an incredible lemon ricotta ravioli to start and seriously thought about it the rest of the trip. We split a sausage fondue and a regular cheese fondue. After fondue, we hung out outside the hostel with some of our group and I had the BEST hot chocolate ever. It was the perfect ending to a short two days in Switzerland!
the lemon ricotta!incredible hot chocolate
Here’s the link to the map of all the places listed! https://goo.gl/maps/r2Wm3D5gwzBTMZxU9
We kicked off our journey to Paris with a fairly short travel day. We took the train that lasted about four hours from Amsterdam to Paris, traveling through Rotterdam on the way.
Once we arrived in our hostel (Generator Hostel Paris, located in the Grange aux Belles area), we ate next door. Our server was young and corrected our poor pronunciation of ‘merci’ and ‘bonjour’ – and thankfully, he was nice enough to just tell us not to bother! I made the mistake of getting a cheese omelette that was runny and somewhat undercooked – I think most are cooked that way in France? I was thankful I traveled with ginger root capsules to ease my stomach!
The hostel was certainly nice, but the group rooms had packed bunk beds with little room for our suitcases. We were on the seventh floor and got lucky because some of my friends on the first floor could hardly sleep at night due to the super loud club in the basement! The rooftop was amazing though and had incredible views.
Notre Dame (walled off from the construction)Notre Dame from the side where it burned – so horrible
After eating, we took a walking tour by the area around Notre Dame. The cathedral had only caught fire a few months before in April. It was so sad to not see it in its full beauty and you could still see the charred remnants up top. We walked around the Latin Quarter as well and all the restaurants and little shops were so picturesque as you would expect! If I had known it was there, I definitely would have visited the Shakespeare & Company bookstore. Before we left for the rest of the night, our tour director (shoutout Kyri!!) got us all berets!
I travel everywhere with a red lip and Paris was the perfect place to show it off!
Women’s World Cup
That night, a group of us went to the Women’s World Cup! I was so excited to be able to see a world cup game while we were in Paris and made it a priority to get a group together. We saw the South Africa v. China game at Parc des Princes (where Paris Saint-Germain plays), right by the famous Stade Roland Garros where the French Open is played. We got there an hour and a half early, in what felt like the suburbs of Paris. It was much calmer in the area and a very easy metro ride over.
Paris Saint Germain’s stadium, Parc des PrincesI was so excited to attend the Women’s World Cup!
There were only 20,000 people at the match and we just missed the US playing in Paris by two days (ugh!). The atmosphere was so cool with the Chinese fans in full force. I almost didn’t get through with my camera and I KNEW I was pushing it with my lens but didn’t want to just not bring my camera. It was passed around by three different people all speaking very rapid French (that I obviously couldn’t understand) until I finally got in ten minutes later. We left early to beat the crowds and navigated a very busy subway on the way back.
Part of our awesome group that went to the game
Visiting all the touristy spots
The next day, we had a 3-hour guided bus tour. I think this was the day that the exhaustion hit for everyone because we were all half-asleep! Our tour guide was very animated and a little crazy. Someone asked if the French actually hate Americans and he said “no madame, the French spend too much time hating the Brits. We don’t have time to hate you, get over yourself.” Haha! We stopped by Les Invalides, where Napoleon is buried along with other French leaders. Les Invalides hosted Chanel in July for Paris Fashion Week and several other big brands hosted their shows at other iconic landmarks – like Yves St. Laurent at the Eiffel Tower last September. We then went to the Arc du Triomphe, then ended the tour at the Eiffel Tower. It really was truly impressive to see once we were up close!
Eating a croissant in front of Les InvalidesArc du Triomphe
I had planned to visit Monet’s Gardens in Giverny with my friends but we didn’t realize that the trip would have been an extra 10 euro for an external train ride outside of Paris (not just on the metro). Then since we didn’t have a plan, we ended up wandering around to get crepes and then sit out on the steps of the Musee d’Orsay by the Seine. It was the first sunny day the whole trip and improved our moods tenfold.
The oh-so-famous Eiffel Tower
While we were walking toward the famous ‘love lock’ bridge on the Seine, we almost got pickpocketed! Two women came up to our group of four, with clipboards that said “International Homeless Association” at the top and asked us to sign their petition. It asked for a zipcode, name, email and phone number and some of us started signing until this man came over and yelled “pickpocketers, don’t do it!” and took the clipboards from the ladies and ripped up the papers. They were very nice to us initially then quickly became angry when the man intervened and helped us. Thankfully nothing was taken, but we then became way more aware of our belongings throughout the rest of the trip.
Love this group of friends I met on the trip!
We took the metro to Musee d’la Orangerie, which houses the two 360-degree rooms of Monet’s water lilies, along with a Franz Marc exhibit with Kandinsky and other similar artists. Not going to lie, I teared up a little seeing some of the work. My grandmother, who passed away in my junior year of college, was an artist and I wish she could have been there with me to see all the beautiful works of art.
On the steps outside the Musee d’Orsaythe ‘love lock’ bridgeMonet’s beautiful water lilies
After the Musee d’la Orangerie, we sat in the gardens outside the Louvre. It was so peaceful – but at this point, we had all eaten nothing but crepes (and I hadn’t eaten since breakfast because it was so hard to find something I could easily eat with my allergy) and it was late afternoon. Once it hit 6pm, we were able to go in the Louvre for free (Fridays for 18 to 25-year-olds are free!) and wandered around inside for an hour. We headed straight to the Mona Lisa…and I have never been more underwhelmed. What a joke of a painting! I know this will sound so unappreciative but I studied art history through some of college and the Mona Lisa was never one of my favorite works. It was cool to wander through the other galleries though and see paintings on paintings, gigantic and stacked up the wall.
the Louvrejust a glimpse of the crowd around the Mona Lisa!
After, we booked it for a grocery store and found a Monoprix. We had definitely wandered into an area with all locals that knew exactly what they were doing and had no business staying out of our way. We got some meat, cheese, bread and fruit and took it to the Eiffel Tower to watch the sunset. The Eiffel Tower sparkles every night at dusk, for 5 minutes on the hour. There was a very audible “wow!” from the crowd when it began to sparkle. It was really pretty and of course, I loved the challenge of shooting it. (Use a lower shutter speed to capture the lights as your eye sees it.)
Sacre Couer and Montmartre
The next morning, we got up early and went to Sacre Couer and Montmartre. The view from up top of the city was absolutely gorgeous – it made me glad I didn’t pay to go up in the Eiffel Tower! The church was very pretty and had some gorgeous stained glass. Montmartre was so charming! It was what I had imagined Paris to be like. There were so many artists set up in that area, all selling the same style of portrait or Eiffel Tower paintings.
Sacre CouerOn the steps of Sacre Couer, overlooking the cityBeautiful stained glass reflecting in Sacre Couer
Ali Labelle, Ban.do’s creative director, had just posted about a man named Bernard that did her portrait in Paris. That was all the details though – but I was so lucky and found him! His work is so unique and now I have a beautiful keepsake from my trip. I believe the portrait only cost 30 or 40 euro, which I thought was incredibly fair for his work. I also didn’t do a lot of shopping for souvenirs throughout the trip in general, so I chose my souvenirs very carefully. Being in that area definitely redeemed the trip for me. After, we stopped by the Luxembourg Gardens as a perfect end to the trip.
Bernard! He is very recognizable and easy to find! My final portrait Luxembourg gardenscan you believe someone lived here??
Thoughts on Paris
Paris was my least favorite city that I visited overall. Maybe it was because I did all the touristy things and didn’t explore the other parts of Paris much, maybe it was because I was so overwhelmed by the language or both? I was only able to pick up ‘bonjour,’ ‘merci’ and ‘oui’ – but I’m sure I still butchered those!
maybe my favorite photo from the whole city
Everyone’s style in Paris was so beautiful and I wanted to copy it all. So many loose blazers, tweed, silk tanks – outfits that could have come straight off the runway. There was a ton of great design and type inspiration as well.
I definitely want to go back now that I’ve done most of the touristy spots and visit the ‘real’ Paris!
We traveled from London to Amsterdam by train on the Eurostar, stopping in Brussels for about an hour and a half. Allow yourself enough time to go through security going from London to another country, it was at the same level as airport security. However, once we were traveling throughout the European Union, it became incredibly easy to go from country to country. We were able to just walk in and out of the train station, no problem (not at all like airport security) and our tickets were only checked once one-way on the train.
All my places listed below are linked here! https://goo.gl/maps/jfVXh6GmiZhGGLhz5
We arrived in Amsterdam at around 4 and then went on a walking tour. A walking tour is planned in every city when traveling with EF, which is phenomenal to orient yourself right away. However, we got caught in the pouring rain! It rained the majority of the time we were in Amsterdam, so I honestly don’t have that many photos.
It’s so different from London but in the best way possible. I loved the architecture and the uniqueness of the canals. Our guide said that 78% of people in Amsterdam speak 3 languages – including English, which made it very easy to communicate and get around. Most signs also had English along with the native Dutch, and many menus had English options as well. We stayed at the Meininger Hostel West, which was in a quiet area of Amsterdam but just a quick train ride to the Central Station in the middle of town.
Bike tour
The next morning, we went on a bike tour! I would highly recommend doing this if you can. We got the chance to explore the countryside and also bike through the city. Bike culture is very prevalent in Amsterdam. It was interesting to see all the bikes lined up on the road and to see how few people wore helmets. I feel like American bike culture is so insistent on bike safety, but in the Netherlands, they bike so often that it’s much safer to bike there. Bike lanes are wide and not an annoyance to drivers (I believe) unlike in America.
Partway through the bike ride, we stopped at a place called the Roundabout for pancakes. They were gigantic and they’re thinner, so they’re rolled up with your fork to eat. We were even given powdered sugar, sprinkles and syrup to eat it with – the more sugar the better!
I Amsterdam, Canal Cruise and Ice Bar
We ended the ride by the Eye Museum’s I Amsterdam sign (you have to take the ferry across the water to get to it). There are multiple signs around the city but this is a great option that’s a little less crowded. We also got tickets for the Amsterdam Lookout and swing. It’s this rooftop with an amazing view of all of Amsterdam – highly recommend.
A’DAM Lookout
After the bike ride and eating lunch, we took a canal ride around the city. EF provided drinks and snacks, which made for a very fun ride. It’s a good way to see a lot of the city at one time, but I would recommend doing an open boat ride rather than an enclosed ride. Those looked packed and not much fun.
The canal cruise I mentioned not taking – but it makes for good photos‘Cool Ranch’ Doritos are called ‘Cool American’ in Europe!Apparently the coffee shop that Miley Cyrus and Snoop Dogg prefer to smoke at…if you’re interested! I didn’t partake in that part of the city!
We then went to the Ice Bar – personally, I think this was a waste of money, but others had fun. They give you coats to wear with gloves but I was wearing sandals and honestly wasn’t even that cold! We ended the night stopping by Mama Pancake for pofferjus (baby puffy pancakes) and that was the best late-night snack.
Anne Frank Museum
The next day, we went to the Anne Frank Museum. I got my tickets three months in advance and that was enough, but I wouldn’t recommend waiting longer than that. We happened to be there on what would have been her 90th birthday – what a crazy coincidence. The Anne Frank Museum was incredibly moving. There really aren’t enough words to describe it. The end of the museum had a guestbook and a video with many notable people talking about how the museum impacted them. John Green, the author of The Fault in Our Stars, had a quote that really stood out to me.
“The book was turned to the page with Anne Frank’s name, but what got me about it was the fact that right beneath her name there were four Aron Franks. FOUR. Four Aron Franks without museums, without historical markers, without anyone to mourn them. I silently resolved to remember and pray for the four Aron Franks as long as I was around.”
This really struck me. I wish I had time to visit the Jewish Historical Museum while I was there as well, to get a broader look at the impact of the Holocaust on Amsterdam itself and the entire Jewish population rather than just the Frank family and their counterparts. It’s still so shocking to me that something like this happened. Anne Frank’s words are so strong though and serve as such an important reminder of what she and many others endured.
Begijnhof, Bloemenmarkt and Kalverstraat
After the Anne Frank Museum, we went to Begijnhof. This is a group of historic buildings (basically apartments) that were founded in the Middle Ages. It used to be a community for religious women, like nuns but less strict. Now it is a space for only single (unmarried) women to live in. The history behind it is fascinating.
We also went to Bloemenmarkt, one of the more popular flower markets in Amsterdam. There were lots of souvenir options. If you want to buy flowers there, you can’t bring it back through customs, but many shops had websites that you could order things like tulip bulbs through. Then some of us went shopping down Kalverstraat and got stroopwafels (what Amsterdam is known for!) at van Wonderen, a famous waffle shop.
The night before, my camera battery charger had short-circuited and it was my only option for charging. I went to Kamera Express in desperate need of a charger and they were SO helpful! I am forever grateful to this shop for their help. Just another example of the friendliness I encountered while in Amsterdam.
Later that afternoon, we went to the area with the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum, but the Van Gogh Museum was sold out. If I had more time, the Moco Modern Art Museum looked really interesting. It was pouring rain so museums were one of our only options that day.
World Press Photo Exhibit
I made the last-minute decision to visit the World Press Photo exhibit at De Nieuwe Kerk. This was one of my favorite parts of the entire trip! I spent two and a half hours there – it was absolutely fascinating. The photos were incredible and so moving to me. The exhibit itself is housed in an old church that functions as a museum. The church was one of the most beautiful churches I saw throughout the whole trip.
de Nieuwe Kerk
Amsterdam thoughts
I loved Amsterdam way more than I thought I would. I didn’t do too much research about Amsterdam compared to some of the other places on the trip beforehand, and I think that made it better. I was able to fully absorb the city instead of thinking about every touristy stop I had to see. The city was so clean (again!) and the metro was especially easy to navigate after London. I felt very comfortable and safe there. It was also a slower-paced portion of the trip, which was much needed after the rush of London.
I started my trip with three days in London. (Quick reminder: I went on the Highlights of Europe trip with EF Ultimate Break – NOT sponsored!!) Every place listed here will be in my Google map linked down below for easy access.
We had a driver pick us up from Heathrow and take us to the hostel, YHA London Thameside. It was pretty nice and the area seemed more relaxed than downtown, which I liked. Part of our group walked down from the hostel to eat at Leadbelly’s. We immediately learned the importance of having enough cash to not have to split the bill – our waiter seemed so annoyed when the six of us were struggling to put money in, but he offered to split the bill for us, thankfully. After walking around the area by the Canada Water tube station, we got ready for EF’s welcome dinner.
Russell Square StationChinatownPiccadilly
EF includes a welcome dinner as part of the trip to get to meet your tour director and other people on the trip, so we all took the tube to the Marquis Cornwallis for traditional fish and chips. I also tried Pravha lager, a light beer that was decent. That night we walked around Chinatown, Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square. We were there during the Women’s World Cup so Piccadilly Circus had giant billboards advertising the English team, which was so cool to see! The entire time we were walking around the area, I honestly felt like I was on the set of a Harry Potter movie. I’ve dreamt about being in London for so long and it didn’t feel real!
Piccadilly
Day two
The next morning, we were on a bus tour around the major landmarks of London. We started at Tower Bridge (not London Bridge). We then went to Leadenhall Market, which was J.K. Rowling’s inspiration for Diagon Alley! I am a huge Harry Potter fan and could immediately recognize the area. It was so cool to see. The majority of the scenes in Diagon Alley weren’t filmed here due to the size. However…around the corner, the London Migraine Clinic’s door was used as the door to the Leaky Cauldron! It’s painted bright blue now but it’s instantly recognizable.
Tower Bridge
Next, we went to St. Paul’s Cathedral, where Princess Diana got married. We didn’t have time to go inside, but the outside alone is stunning. St. Paul’s was consecrated in 1300 (meaning it was dedicated as a Christian space of worship then, but it was built even earlier). The amount of history in London alone is just indescribable. St. Paul’s also survived the German Blitz in World War II – this photograph is incredible.
St. Paul’s Cathedral
Buckingham Palace
We ended our bus tour just in time at Green Park by Buckingham Palace. Random tip – when we were there in early June, the pollen count was super high and there must have been a certain kind of tree in the area by the palace because everyone was having issues with sneezing and pollen getting into their eyes. I had to go buy medicine for hay fever at the pharmacy really quick and that helped. It only seemed to be in that area though. I would even start having issues as our train pulled into that station by the palace. No clue if that’s common though.
The day we were there, it happened to be the day of the Trooping the Colour celebration. (The link explains it in much further detail, but it is essentially the Queen’s ‘official’ 93rd birthday celebration.) We got SO lucky and got to see her pass by in her carriage. We then walked around the St. James’s area, then returned to the palace grounds about a half hour before she was scheduled to be on the balcony for the royal flyover. We were held way back as the street was blocked off and couldn’t even see the palace from where we were standing, then somehow we got lucky and were able to make our way all the way up to the gates of the palace!!
The incredible array of photographers at the Queen’s Trooping the ColourThe Red Arrows (flown by the Royal Air Force) flying over the Victoria MemorialThe Queen and the Royal family! The Cambridge family is clear but Harry and Meghan of Sussex were tucked back by the doorsCheesin too hard after seeing the Queen!!The Queen’s guards
I can’t even describe how exciting this moment was. We were so, so close and were able to be in front of the Victoria Memorial fountain. I’ve been obsessed with the Royal Family for a long time now (there goes my shot of playing it cool with a prince) and it was so exciting to see the Queen, the whole Cambridge family (including Louie!!) and Prince Harry and Meghan (marking her first public appearance since the birth of Archie).
Trafalgar Square and St. James
While we were in St. James and Trafalgar Square, we stopped by Fortnum & Mason. This is known to be the Queen’s grocery store and it certainly looked the part. It was very elaborate and had just about everything you could want in there. They have a space for afternoon tea if you’re interested. Next door is Hatchard’s, known as the Queen’s bookstore. I didn’t stop in, but it is the oldest bookstore in the United Kingdom – so cool!
the National Gallery
We also went by the National Gallery. The building itself is beautiful and there are so many notable paintings inside. Even if you’re not an art history nerd like me, you’ll certainly recognize some of the work from art class in elementary school. The best part? It’s free!
Burberry down Old Bond St.
After the excitement of seeing the Queen, we walked around and went down Old Bond Street (I believe it’s the Mayfair neighborhood?). It has some of the most iconic designer brands out there – Gucci, YSL, Givenchy, Prada – and even if you don’t go in, it’s worth just looking at the storefronts.
We also went by the House of Minalima, the graphic design studio responsible for all the Harry Potter films. I thought it would be more of a working studio, but it just seemed to be a museum and shop. It was still very cool to see nonetheless.
the House of Minalima design store
King’s Crossing
We also made our way over to King’s Cross station. It was cool to see but very out of the way. This is where the iconic Platform 9 and 3/4 photo op is. However, it was an hour and a half wait in line for a $10 photo and we were starving, so we just took a photo of someone else doing it! Right next to the station is Granary Square, a very local shopping area. They had some boutiques and restaurants. I wish I had known this beforehand – the Youtube Creator Space is in the area, which would have been cool to drop by.
Going out in London
Later that night, we tried to go to Sketch (after reading that Fran Acciardo went on her spring break and saw Alex Pettyfer and Chris Hemsworth!!) but it was Saturday night and they only took reservations, and we were certainly not dressed properly! If you’re going, I would recommend getting reservations in the afternoon for the pink gallery room and packing a skirt or a dress to wear. I would have been so underdressed in my jeans!
EF organized a pub crawl for us with some other groups (I actually ran into two girls that went to KU, just on a different EF trip!). This included going to the Zoo, Tiger Tiger and the Piccadilly Institute. Out of the three, I think Piccadilly Institute was probably the coolest space. I had an Aperol Spritz which I wanted SO badly to like, but it was terrible! I am sensitive to alcohol but I had several other girls try it and they agreed it was terrible too. It’s highly debated on the Internet…
Day three – Oxford and Windsor
The next day we took a trip to Oxford and Windsor! Windsor, the Queen’s castle and residence, was first. It’s very cool if you’re a nerd about the Royals or British history and the grounds themselves are beautiful. We toured the State Apartments and I loved St. George’s Hall. You can’t take photos but it’s still so worth it. We also saw St. George’s Chapel, where Meghan and Harry got married.
This used to be a moat, but they turned it into gardensSt. George’s Chapelthe Queen’s residence
Oxford was incredible! Made up of 39 colleges, it’s one of the oldest universities in the world (and the oldest in the English-speaking world). I thought Christchurch and New College were the prettiest. Christchurch’s dining hall was the inspiration for the Great Hall in Harry Potter, but they couldn’t film the movie in there because there’s only room for three tables in the space and they had to fit four tables for each house. You can tour it, but we didn’t have time and the line was crazy long.
Christchurch Gardens
The Divinity School in the Bodleian Library was used to film the infirmary scenes and the ballroom dance scene. There was a wedding going on at the time so we couldn’t go in – imagine how much that must cost! Radcliffe Camera is beautiful from the outside, but you can’t go in unless you’re an Oxford student.
the Christchurch dining hall
New College has a gorgeous chapel. It also has the iconic quad where they filmed the scene in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with Malfoy being turned into a ferret. They also have the oldest dining hall in Oxford. We got to peek in and see the menu – it was a quintessential English meal.
Radcliffe CameraNew College quadNew College dining hall
The downtown area of Oxford was super nice and had several souvenir shops. We ate at Franco Manca and had really good pizza (there were of these restaurants throughout London) and the best lemonade I’ve ever had.
Thoughts on London
There were no trash cans ANYWHERE! The city was SO clean. Everyone was incredibly polite and the British stereotype rang true with everyone we experienced.
London was a great introduction to the trip. They have a great tube system that set the foundation for the rest of the metros throughout the trip – and the fact that they speak English helps!
On my trip to Dallas, my family decided to go down to Waco, Texas to see the now-famous Magnolia Market. If you haven’t heard of Fixer Upper yet, the show is on HGTV–what are you waiting for? Joanna Gaines’ design style is to die for, Chip’s humor keeps the show entertaining, and the two of them are couple goals.
We got to Magnolia Market on Monday morning and showed up around ten minutes before opening time. In summer, they’re open from 9am-6pm. There were a few people there waiting, but it wasn’t an issue at all to wait in a three-person line! I would definitely recommend going on a weekday, because I’ve heard the lines are insane on Saturdays (and they’re not open on Sunday). We got to go in right away and look around at all the gorgeous products, some of them designed by Joanna herself and some of them sourced from the same design style. You can see her influence on the way the whole store is staged.
If you’ve ever been on the Magnolia Market website, you’ll know that it’s reasonably priced for the repurposed style, but definitely not cheap. While all the things sold in the store are certainly beautiful, I wouldn’t necessarily say everything is original. There were several items I picked up that looked like something I’d find at Anthropologie or World Market–but there’s also the draw of being able to say that you got that item from the Magnolia Market. If you’re looking to buy something in particular, I’d search the website beforehand to check out all your options so you can seek it out in the store. By going on a weekday, it was no problem for my family to take our time and browse through everything, but I can see someone feeling rushed if they went at a particularly busy time.
I loved the style of all of these signs and I might try to recreate the look for a gift soon, so keep your eyes out for a DIY post!
Outside the market, they have the iconic silos and a big lawn space for families to play games, along with all the extra space for the local food trucks that come. I would recommend eating at the food trucks instead of the Waco area..there’s not really a ‘downtown Waco.’ (Side note–if Steel City Pops is there when you are, it’s a must-try!) They have the Magnolia Seed and Supply garden shop in the works, but it wasn’t open yet when we were there. You can shop some of the items online though. They had these planters everywhere in the gardens and I love the repurposed look.
If you’re not into spending $$$ but still want that Magnolia Market souvenir, the t-shirts were reasonably priced and seem like they’re high quality. They also have cute mugs with the signature logo on it, as well as stickers with the seal over in Chip’s Demo Day section.
Be sure you walk around the corner of the market to snap a picture with the logo wall! It’s on the opposite side of where you enter the market. Overall, my mom and I spent about an hour walking through the whole market and looking around at everything in the silo area, but I feel like we would have been able to spend another hour there once the Seed & Supply Shop and the Bakery were open.
After visiting the market, we went over to Harp Design Co, Clint and Kelly Harp’s shop. Clint is often featured on the show (and now has his own show on DIY Network!). Their shop was more my style with more colorful accents, but they do have some products that are similar to the Magnolia style. It’s open 10am-5pm Monday through Saturday at 808 N. 15th Street. This shop is definitely smaller than the market, so don’t expect to spend a whole hour here.
Lastly, we made a stop at the Magnolia House in McGregor, Texas, about twenty minutes away. The address is 323 S. Madison Avenue, 76657.(We thought it was in Waco, but it’s not the house with the blue striped awnings!) It’s booked through the rest of the year and always fills up within hours of the bookings being open again! We were lucky enough to meet Rob, who manages the property and lives in the carriage house behind the actual house. He was very friendly and we stayed to talk to him for around 10 minutes in hopes of getting a tour, but we lucked out. Here’s a FAQ on Magnolia’s website about staying at the house.
I’d love to answer any questions you have about the trip in the comments! Are you a Fixer Upper fan?
