Last Stop, Denmark.

Today was kind of our last day of vacation. We drove from Germany all the way to Denmark, and now we’re staying in a lovely four star hotel. The drive was a pain. I tried to sleep through the whole drive, but I just couldn’t. I was basically in the stage where you’re half awake and half sleeping, not knowing if you should be awake or not. The drive was so boring because there was nothing to see or do. Germany was flat and filled with trees, while Denmark was totally flat. There were no trees in sight.

All I did in the car was read and make some poems. I was inspired by the weather to make this one:

Once we drove up to the hotel, I was amazed. The hotel’s white buildings were very nice and well-kept. We walked into the reception and were stunned by the design. Everything was new and modern, which differentiates from almost all the hotels we’ve been to. My sister and I decided to explore the hotel, finding foosball tables, a Wii set, a billiard, an upgraded gym, a table tennis table, and a dart board. We played everything, and I’m telling you that our foosball tournament was very intense. Sadly, I lost and she claimed the victory. Though, I did get back at her in table tennis (on the Wii). 🙂

The rest of the day was spent driving in the city of Horsens and relaxing in our hotel rooms. When we were in the city, we went to go get something to eat. We walked back to the car, only to find a parking ticket hanging from the window shield. What happened here? Well, we were fined because we didn’t have a clock in our car. Yes, a clock. Apparently, in Denmark everyone needs a clock in their car to show how long they’ve been parked. The fines are huge, so if you’re driving in Denmark, buy a clock! You can get them in any gas station. We were fined a whole 600 kr (88 dollars!)

Anyway, I can’t wait to get back home. I’ve only been gone for two weeks, but I miss my house and my pets. Even though Norway has the worst summer weather right now, I can’t wait to go back.

On the Road

Another day on the road… We’re on our way back to Norway, so there’s nothing much exciting happening. Everyone is tired of traveling and I honestly can’t wait to get back home. It’ll be nice to have a homemade dinner for once. Though, I’ll miss everything. I already miss Paris and especially the Louvre. I wish I could go to the Louvre everyday and just sketch whatever I want to or read up on the history of numerous artifacts. It sure has been an awesome and life-changing experience traveling through Europe.

We drove through two new countries today: Belgium and the Netherlands. We stopped by a very cute, little town in Belgium called Brugge (pronounced Broosh). It was a totally different world compared to the city we drove from in France. There were tons of more people, lots of shops, and medieval architecture. It’s a place worth stopping by.

Later, we were in the Netherlands and also found a nice city. It was bigger than Brugge with more people and larger buildings. There were literally bikes everywhere! There were also bike roads people rode on, which also had streetlights. I found that so fascinating. It made the city feel different from all the other big cities we’ve visited.

We arrived in Bremen, Germany later today. It was around 7 pm when we checked in and found our rooms. I think we were driving for over 6 hours in total today. There was so much driving and my whole body has been cramped up. When I was done unloading my luggage, I went on an evening walk with my dad. I just needed to get some sort of exercise.

My evening with my dad was really amazing. It’ll be an evening I will never forget. There were people everywhere drinking beer and having a great time outside. We found a nice outdoor bar. He ordered a beer, while I had an icy cold Coke. We found some seats right next to a big river. We talked about the most random things, some being important. He sure made me think twice about some things 🙂 It was such a nice night.

Resting Day

I was so tired this morning, I didn’t even want to get out of bed. I got ready anyway and ate my breakfast quickly. We were going on the road again today, but for only around 3 hours. In the car, I just stared out the window, being in my own world. We also played some music to help us stay awake. We were so tired from all the touring we’ve been doing for the past couple of days. We’ve walked for hours on end everyday, going from one tourist attraction to another. It sure has been a busy vacation, but it has definitely been worth it.

We drove all the way from Paris to Dunkirk in Northern France. The city   wasn’t entirely what I was expecting. I thought it would have more beaches and more people. Instead, there was only one beach with a lot of buildings and museums. There were also some monuments for both the World Wars. Dunkirk is a small place and there’s not many people here. Though, the beach was pretty nice.

  
 After checking into the hotel, we went out to eat some dinner. We went to the recommended restaurant, L’edito. The place looked so impressive from the outside with its balacony hanging over the ocean. There was also a harbor right next to the restaurant, filled with old sailboats. When we entered the building, we were struck by the old-fashioned decorations. It was almost like we entered an old study room. Bookcases filled with old books, globes, and typewriters where covering the walls. The whole design was impressive.

We were taken to our table, a comfortable booth with a beautiful view of the harbor. Our menus were in English (thankfully) and we skimmed through them. Some of the meals sounded delicious, while there were other very strange ones. For example, there was a pizza with potatoes on it. There was also a fish burger where the fish replaced the meat in a regular burger. I went with my gut and ordered a normal burger. Though, I thought I should’ve ordered a meal with fish, since we were right next to the ocean. The restaurant was bound to have great fish dishes. My mom ordered scalaps, my sister had wok, and my dad ordered fajitas. I wasn’t expecting wok and fajitas to be on the menu, but I couldn’t  judge the meals without trying them.

As we waited, we looked around us and there was absolutely no one else in the restaurant. We were shocked because the hotel receptionist said that this was the best restaurant in town. We did come early for dinner though (4 pm), but there was bound to be more people anyway. Later in the day, two other people came, but not more than that.

We were soon greeted with our food. At first glance, everything looked delicious. The plating of my mom’s scalaps looked amazing. My dad’s fajitas looked appetizing. My dish looked like any ordinary burger with a bun and a pattie inside. When I took a bite of my burger, I immediately tasted something buttery. It was from the bun, which was weird. It almost tasted like one of those buttery croissants you sometimes get here in France. There was a weird kind of sauce in the burger that must’ve been made out of a tomato base or something. It was a weird burger, but at least the meat was cooked perfectly.

I asked my mom if I could try one of her scallops. Before even looking at it, I shoved it in my mouth and chewed. I immediately realized it was really undercooked, on the brink if being raw. I forced myself to swollow it down, even though I probably should’ve spit it out. What if I get food poisened by it? I wasn’t surprised because judging by the others’ faces, their dishes weren’t as good as they looked.

My sister’s wok was made out of tomato sauce and it barely had any noodles in it. It almost looked like it could’ve been spaghetti with a large amount of undercooked vegetables. My dad’s fajitas were ok, but yet again it tasted like tomatoes. My mom also had a salad with her scalaps, which looked terrible. She didn’t even dare try it.

We were all disappointed with our meals, but mine was probably the best out of all of them. It’s pretty hard to screw up a burger. We were actually so disappointed that my dad complained to the waitress. He asked her to send the message on to the cheif, stressing that the wok was terrible. She left us waiting, but soon brought back the general manager of the restaurant. My dad looked at him in the eyes and was straightforward about our complaints. He even said that the wok was so bad, it should’ve been taken off the menu. We saw the manager walk up to a computer and change something. The waitress came back with our receipt, which was changed. The manager took off the wok from the menu. In the place of the wok price was the word “void”. We didn’t have to pay for that horrendous meal.

So, overall impressions of the place wasn’t all that fantastic. I do give the restuarant a plus for its decorations, but they seriously have to work on their food. For being the best restaurant in town, it was just plain sad. Hopefully, the will make a better menu and hire a better trained chef. Where’s Gordon Ramsay when you need him?

While walking back to the restaurant, I was kind of creeped out. There were hardly any people on the streets, only a handful of people. Nothing seemed new, especially considering the buildings and boats. Eveything looked run down and very depressing. There was just no joy.

We walked in between narrow roads closed in by large buildings. We suddenly noticed that some of the run down buildings were actually places where people lived in. I was surprised when I saw curtains in the window of a trailer-like building. My dad was making fun of it, banging on the walls of the steel plates. I told him to stop because I was so freaked out. I was afraid someone would come out of the building and cause a ruckus. My dad even went up to a door, and I swore I thought he was going to knock on the doors to see if anyone would open the doors. My immediate reaction was to grab him by his shirt and pull him back. I didn’t even think about it. It happened so fast, I couldn’t sop myself. He cursed and all of a sudden the mood changed. I was furious at him for being mad at me. I was only scared. What kind of people do you expect to live in places like that anyway? You never know. I was just trying to protect my family, but I guess it isn’t my job to do that.

So, the rest of the day was spent in our hotel rooms. Today was out rest day, which meant watching hours on end of Netflix. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day with a 5 hour drive to Germany. I’m really looking forward to that drive (not).

Exploring Paris

This morning, we drove the car to the Palace of Versailles, which was about a half an hour’s drive from our hotel. The first thing I noticed when I stepped out of the car, was that it was hot. The warm air immediately hit my body as I stumbled out of the car. I then saw one of the most beautiful gates I’ve ever seen. It was gilded in gold leaf and had very intricate designs. The gold complimented the black steel rods, which reached high up in the sky.

Once I walked through the intriguing gates, I immediately saw the huge palace and all the people waiting in line. We showed a worker our “front of the line” tickets, and we were placed behind everyone else. Apparently, everyone in the line already had their tickets. They were just waiting in line to pass through security. I thought to myself, What did I get myself in to? There were so many people… The line weaved back and forth three times! Even though there was a long line, everyone moved quite fast. We were at the security check point after 45 minutes, which isn’t too bad for a popular tourist attraction.

The palace was very beautiful and elegant. Almost every single ceiling was vibrantly decorated with murals. The murals were also adorned with gold leaf, which helped enhance the paintings’ beauty. The ceilings were just as magnificent as those in the Louvre. The only difference was that Versailles didn’t have as many rooms as the Louvre. 🙂

Many rooms were decorated in the style of the 16 and 1700s, including Mary Antoinette’s room. We also saw the Hall of Mirrors, which was very beautiful and huge. The hall was very long and seemed more elegant with the chandeliers hanging down from the ceiling.

Then we saw the garden, which at first wasn’t particularly fascinating because of the huge dirt roads. Then, I saw the newly clipped green grass and carved trees. A huge man-made lake was also in sight. At first, it just seemed like a regular man-made lake, but then I learned that it was built over night! It was so big, I don’t even understand how the King could’ve arranged that. There must have been thousands of workers who worked all night to build it. I also found out that the lake was built for Mary Antoinette as a birthday gift. How many people get huge lakes for their birthday? Haha, not me!

Garden

One of the fountains

Another fountain

We went to go get something to eat, just a couple of sandwiches, when I experienced something very different. I saw a man come out of the bathroom and he was just acting so strangely. He studied his hands and twisted them around in odd angles. He wobbled from side to side as he took staggering steps forward. He stopped and peered at the weirdest things. I soon found out that he was on drugs. It freaked me out a bit, because I haven’t seen any “high” people before, at least not so close to me. My family and I left our spots to go explore more of the garden, when I noticed that he was following us. Luckily, he didn’t bug us any more than that, and he also wasn’t violent. He was just quiet and calm, very interested in particular things. It was sad that that had to happen in such a nice place as the Gardens of Versailles, but you don’t need to go through security for the gardens. Anyone can get through.

Anyway, I had a very nice time in Versailles, but it did get very hot. It was about 39 degrees Celsius at one point (about 100 degrees Fahrenheit). The palace was definitely worth the 3 and a half hours of my day.

We soon went to the hotel to rest our feet. We were so tired from walking and standing, we just needed some time to relax. My sister and I watched some Netflix while sitting comfortably on some nice chairs. We were soon up and out of the hotel to go walk to the famous avenue, Champs-Elysees. Before walking down the street lined with brand stores, we took a detour to the Arc de Triomphe. The monument was enormous! The carvings on it were very fascinating and reminded me of the Louvre. We climbed the stairway all the way to the top, and the view was spectacular. We could see all of France from up there. The Eiffel Tower was in plain sight, along with Notre-Dam. I absolutely loved Arc de Triomphe, and it’s one of the highlights of my trip.

Arch de Triomphe from a distance

The view from the top

We exited the monument and walked down the famous street. We saw designer stores with guards standing in the entrances. We passed a Louis Vuitton store that had a line of women waiting to get in. I wanted to see inside the store, but I was so sick of waiting in lines that I passed the chance. I went to go see other stores like Lacoste and Tommy Hilfiger. Though, everything was so expensive considering that most of the items were clothes and purses. They don’t even last that long. Clothes wear and tear very easily, so what’s the point of spending 60 dollars for one shirt?

After that, we ate some Haagen Daz ice cream and dinner. At the restaurant, I accidently dropped my camera on the floor, not thinking that there was a lot of damage. The problem was I literally dropped the whole camera facing down on its lens. When I opened my case, the cap was smudged into the UV filter, which means that I can’t take off the lens cap to take pictures. Thankfully, I can take off the UV filter, but then the lens wouldn’t be protected from the sun’s rays.

Even with that problem, I joined my sister and my dad to go see the Eiffel Tower (finally). As we neared the tower, I became more and more excited. It was so huge! It stretched out for 100s of feet above my head. When I looked at it, it didn’t even feel like the tower was there. It was just so far over my head, that it didn’t even look like it was real.

I was soon let down when I saw the line to get into the tower. Our passes didn’t work, so we had to buy tickets. That meant  waiting for over 45 minutes. My sister and I couldn’t handle waiting around longer, so we went back home to the hotel.

Now that I think about it, I had a pretty awesome day. I saw the Palace of Versailles, climbed up the stairs in the Arc de Triomphe, went into stores that only rich people can afford, ate some delicious ice cream, and saw the Eiffel Tower close up. This really was a day of touring Paris and just having a journey of a life-time.

The Louvre

Another day of waking up at 7:30 a.m. and leaving the hotel early in the morning. We’ve been doing this basically every single day of our trip because there’s just so much to do. When we were staying in Austria, we could’ve stayed there for a couple of more days because it was so nice and beautiful. We could’ve also taken a gondola up a mountain or taken a long walk along the turquoise river near our hotel. We could’ve stayed another night in Colmar to shop for more clothes. And Paris… that could take a whole week, and we’re only staying for three days. In just the first two days, we’ve experienced a lot. Yesterday, we had the opportunity to celebrate Bastille Day, see the Eiffel Tower (from a distance), walk on the Parisian streets, and eat weird, but delicious French food. Today, was another exciting and inspiring day.

We called a taxi early this morning to take us to the Louvre, the museum I’ve been dreaming to visit my whole life. Instead of walking the extra 45 minutes from our hotel to the museum, we took the cab and enjoyed the ride. As the cab neared the Arc de Triomphe, I gasped and pointed it out to everyone. The monument looked so beautiful, especially when the sun was shining on it from an angle. It was so big and tall, and beautifully decorated.

As we passed the widely known monument, I glimpsed out the window and saw dozens of brand stores lined up beside each other. Louis Vuitton, Lacoste, Abercrombie & Fitch, etc. Too bad you have to be rich to actually buy something in some of those brand stores. It would be nice to own a Louis Vuitton bag or a pair of Louboutin heels.

As the distance between us and the museum were becoming closer, the buildings and monuments around us were becoming bigger and more majestic. Decorative gold leaf and beautifully carved marble were added to them. One after another, the buildings became more majestic until we finally reached the Louvre, the most majestic of them all. Saying that the museum was huge is an understatement. The museum must’ve been spread out over hundreds of thousands of square feet of area. It kind of had the shape of a half rectangle with its opening facing the road we just came from.

The Louvre Museum

The opening was also filled with an enormous glass pyramid where hundreds of tourists were waiting in line to buy tickets. My mouth gaped open when I realized how long these people actually have to wait until they finally can go in the museum. After hours of waiting and standing around, they would finally be able to walk around the museum. Though, there backs and feet would already be hurting from all of that waiting.

Thankfully, I have a very smart dad who thought ahead. He bought front of the line passes for everyone in the family, which really did make a big difference. We walked passed all of those waiting, tired people. I felt special, unique, and almost important. It was a very great feeling to know that I didn’t have to wait for hours to buy tickets, but I felt bad for everyone else.

Once we passed the security guards and metal detectors, we went through the doors and into the glass pyramid. We followed the flow of people and took the escalator down to the ground floor. I soon saw the entrance of the Louvre open up before my eyes. Hundreds of people were walking around the floor, deciding where to go first. My family and I decided to take the whole 1st floor first, which had the Mona Lisa and other very famous paintings.

I was first struck by the very high ceilings and the polished marble walls. The hallways were also spacious and helped to avoid crowding. The first very popular statue we saw was “The Winged Victory of Samothrace”. There were so many people gathering around it taking pictures and admiring it. I was soon squeezed in between people I’ve never seen before, while I was trying take at least one good picture. It was so warm and the air was so stuffy that I soon had a headache. There was also an awful stench that hit my nose. It was the terrible smell of hundreds of sweaty people crowding around just one statue, taking pictures. When I think back to that moment, I couldn’t believe how that one statue could attract so many people at one time. There were hundreds of thousands of different statues, paintings, sculptures, and art pieces that were also beautiful in their own unique way. Many paintings and sculptures held the same amount of splendidness. Each piece had its own story to tell, each story different from one person to another.

After escaping from that crowded room, we walked into many different rooms. The rooms were gigantic and spacious, most with beautifully painted ceilings that expressed a different feeling. The first couple of rooms were bright, inspiring, and optimistic. One of the rooms I remember the most, was a very long, rectangular room with its ceiling and walls covered in paintings and gold leaf carvings. Paintings of kings and leaders, painters and politicians hung from the walls. Gold frames were placed around the pictures, matching the rest of the room’s coloring. The whole room was basically covered in gold. It was just so beautiful, I can’t even explain it in words. It was even difficult capturing its true beauty in one shot. I tried taking pictures with different setting and techniques, but nothing could compare with what I saw with my eyes. Glass cases filled with rubies and emeralds stretched along the center of the room. Rings, necklaces, and crowns of royalty were placed before me with only a glass casing separating me and it. That room was one of the nicest rooms of the whole museum.

Once we were finished marveling the golden room, we walked further along the 1st floor. We entered an Egyptology themed part of the floor with tablets of hieroglyphics on display. There were also statues (both big and small), tools, and scarabs behind glass incasing. This was also on of my favorite parts of the museum because I’ve always been a big fan of Egyptology and archaeology. Even just hearing the words opens a whole world of imagination for me. I love discovering how people used to live hundreds of thousands of years ago. Different religions, languages, and life-styles interest me and compel me to discover more about them. The Louvre is really the perfect place for me.

A sphinx

We went through some more rooms and saw some 18th century room designs and furniture. We just skimmed through everything, because we knew that there was so much more to see. We can’t read about everything behind every artwork or sculpture.

Then came the time to see the Mona Lisa. We followed the signs that pointe to “La Joconde”, which is the French name for the Mona Lisa. People started to pile up as an art gallery opened up before me. Huge art pieces hung on the walls, each one very powerful in their meanings. Some where sad and depressing to see, others were very vibrant and brought joy to me. I then turned a corner and saw a huge crowd around something. I couldn’t see what it was, but I knew it was the Mona Lisa. There were so many people, it was almost sick, but everyone wanted to take a picture. I went along with my sister to go take some, too. I was immediately squished, and it was difficult to move. Thankfully, it wasn’t warm in there and I didn’t notice any foul stench. After waiting and sometimes pushing my way through, I made it to the very front of the group. The painting was safely secure behind thick glass and security guards were continually controlling the crowd. Everyone says that they are disappointed when they see the Mona Lisa because it’s so small. But really, it isn’t. In my opinion, it’s an ok size. What I focus on is the feeling I get when I see it. Since there was so much going on around me, it was hard to just enjoy the moment. I couldn’t actually just stand there and stare at it. The guards were telling us to move right after we were done taking pictures. I wish I could’ve acknowledged the beautiful, steady brush strokes and disproportionate shape of her head. Even though I couldn’t enjoy the moment, I’m beyond glad to say that I’ve seen the Mona Lisa in real-life.

Mona Lisa

We looked at many more paintings in the gallery, depicting different stages of life. We saw paintings of naked babies, young women, strong men, and elderly people. All of them were impressively in great shape and they didn’t even look like they were hundreds of years old.

After grabbing a bite for lunch, we went to go see some Greek and Roman sculptures, which was also a highlight for my day. I’m a huge fan of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series. I basically grew up with those books and it was very fascinating to see some of the gods and goddesses come to life. As I passed by some statues, I saw some young people drawing the statues. I suddenly had the desire to just sit down and start drawing. Sadly, I have a whole family to think about. None of them would like standing around, waiting for me to finish drawing. I guess I will just add that to my bucket list: Go to the Louvre and draw off of sculptures.

Hercules fighting Achelous in the form of a snake

My sister wanted to go see “Venus de Milo”, otherwise known as the statue of no arms. Many people also crowded around this beautiful statue, but it wasn’t so bad. I thought the statue was beautiful.

Venus de Milo

After a whole 6 hours spent at the museum, we hailed a cab and went to the hotel. We were all exhausted after all of that walking, we just needed to have a rest. Later in the day, we had some dinner at Frog XVI, which is a bar restaurant. The food tasted so good, but everything was fried and covered with sauce. Even though it was unhealthy, it was delicious. It made my day. 🙂

A Dream Come True

We said our last good-byes to the wonderful city of Colmar. We hit the roads again, this time driving for about 6 hours to Paris. Yes, Paris. It’s Bastille Day (France’s National Day) and we’re in the largest city in France. There wasn’t any traffic getting into Paris this afternoon, which was a little strange. I then noticed some signs hanging over us. It kind of worried me when I read the signs (in French), since they told us to avoid going to Paris from today until sometime in August. Oh well. We can’t do anything about that!

Paris is exactly how I’ve pictured it. The buildings are very nice with beautiful steel railings and cute little balconies. The buildings look so elegant, even though they’re right in the middle of the city and only a few feet from the roads. The hotel we’re staying in is absolutely beautiful with its marble floors, freshly clipped flowers, and nicely decorated rooms. The rooms are so nice and modern with nice views of the rest of the hotel. It’s also nice because my sister and I have our own separate room, just like yesterday.

Once we dropped off our luggage in the rooms, we decided to go see the city. My dad was leading the way and thought he knew where everything was. We were in the elevator when my mom decided to go to floor 0. Once the doors opened, my dad looked out through the doors and said that it was the wrong floor. Floor 0 wasn’t the exit to go outside, it was the floor below the exit. So, we listened to him, not 100% agreeing with him. We followed him up to the 1st floor, where we found out there were only rooms. Then, we went down to floor 0, not really going out of the elevator. We went up and down a couple of times after that, and went further and further into the halls. Finally, my sister and I had enough of it. We just knew that floor 0 was the exit. So, we took the elevator to that floor, dragged my dad out, and proved to him that it was the floor. We saw the exit door just around the corner, and we finally went outside in the warm Parisian air.

We walked around the somewhat crowded streets. I had my camera around my neck, prepared to take pictures at any moment. We immediately noticed the Eiffel Tower peeking behind trees and buildings. I was amazed and relieved to finally see the Eiffel Tower. I’ve always wanted to my whole life. I still can’t believe I made it to Paris with my family, and I’m just excited to see the Louvre, Versailles, etc. There’s so much to see in Paris.

We walked down some streets and found ourselves walking on a bridge with a perfect view of the tower. It was beautiful with the Seine River flowing beneath us and the Eiffel Tower standing so majestically in front of us. I took as many pictures as I could without annoying too many people who wanted to take pictures of themselves and the tower. We walked off the bridge and away from the tower. Here is a nice picture I took of it.

It was so beautiful, but it saddened me when I saw so much criminality around me. Some guy was facing the other way, swallowing a huge slurp of vodka in front of us. There was a lot of illegal selling going on around us with guys selling the same things, but in different places. There were some drunk people walking around, not fully aware of their surroundings. However, that’s how it’s like in big, metropolitan cities. There’s always criminality lurking around the corners. Even though there was weird stuff going on, the city didn’t lose its charm. I still think Paris is a very unique and nice place that’s worth taking a visit to.

We continued walking through the city and we soon took a loop back to the hotel’s street.

A picture of the tower and river from another bridge.

Walking in the streets

Beautiful architecture

Cool streets

When walking up to the hotel, we noticed that many police cars were parked everywhere on the sides of the roads. They were lined up against the whole street, just car after car of police cars. It frightened me a little, because I didn’t know if there was going to be some kind of parade for them, or if there was something going on. Terrorists, maybe? There’s been so much going on in Paris lately, especially on huge days like this. It is the national day after all.

Instead of going inside the hotel, we went to go eat some dinner at a restaurant. The place served burgers, pasta, and salads, which sounded pretty good for us. We sat down, ordered our food, and just had a great time. It took some time until our food was finally delivered to us, but we were patient and had a great time. The restaurant was very busy anyway with its waiters running from one table to another. My Californian salad was delicious with its grilled chicken, corn, artichokes, and dressing. After finishing my salad, I ordered a dessert I’ve been waiting to try: crêpes filled with nutella. My dad also ordered some more wine when the waiter came. We waited and filled the time with conversations, mostly in Norwegian so people couldn’t understand. Then, all the armed police officers began checking everyone’s bags. That made me a little more frightened, but at least if something happened, there were hundreds of police officers to protect us. Anyway, I was focused on my dessert once it came. The crêpes were warm and filled with the perfect amount of nutella. They were delicious!

We went back to the hotel, and I finally felt 100% safe. Nothing bad could happen in the hotel, away from all the people around the Eiffel Tower. Everyone was preparing for the fireworks, trying to find seats, while my sister and I were just chilling in our rooms. The big moment finally came at 11 pm, when the Eiffel Tower lit up. Fireworks blazed around the monument, creating rainbows in the night sky. It was so fascinating seeing all the lights around the Eiffel Tower. It was so beautiful.

Good night Paris!

The Old City of Colmar

I woke up this morning with heavy blankets over me, paintings depicting France hanging on the walls, and flower-painted cabinets beside me. I really did feel like I was in an ancient place, in a good way. The hotel is hundreds of years old, dating back to 1381. The hotel’s exterior is just gorgeous with its very rustic wooden shutters, painted walls, and hanging old signs.

After admiring my hotel room for the hundredth time, I got ready to have my first French breakfast. My family and I with some friends went to a nice restaurant around the corner. Once we found our seats, we greeted our waiter and ordered. Most of us had an order of the “standard” French breakfast: a croissant and baguette with complimentaries such as butter and honey. We also received a hot drink and orange juice. The breakfast was very good, even though it was a lot of bread. The croissant was just amazing. It was my favorite part of the meal.

We soon went exploring in the city, Colmar, which is absolutely gorgeous. I’ve never been in a city like Colmar, ever. All the buildings were so old, ranging from the 1300s and up. I was amazed that these old buildings still exist. They were most likely restored, but the history this city holds is so fascinating. I absolutely love history, since I’m an archaeology freak 🙂 haha. So this is the perfect town for me. It’s almost like I can feel the history. In a way, I picture how people used to live here and how this city looked like so long ago.

I admired the city as we walked around everywhere, basically getting lost. We finally found a shopping center and found a little tour train next to it. We decided that that would be a great way to see the whole city and learn its history. After waiting five minutes, we hopped on and got our selves comfy.

We passed by some very old buildings, many archaeology museums, and a very old church. The church’s roof is made out of copper tiles, which have rusted from its exposure to the oxygen in the air. Because of this, the tiles were a very bright green and it was just amazing to look at. It was so beautiful and in a way exotic.

Taking the small train was cool, but also a little frightening. It weaved through some very narrow streets, where people were walking. All of a sudden, the train stopped. We waited a couple of minutes until we found out that there was a car blocking the street in front of us. While we were waiting, groups of people slid in between the train and the wall. I was shocked when a woman was pushing a stroller in front of her through that tiny little gap. Surprisingly, she was able to fit the stroller, but the train started moving. I thought the train would drive right into her or the stroller, but she made it out safely.

We walked around for a couple of hours, looking around and doing some window shopping. We saw some people taking a boat through a narrow river, just like in Venice. People actually call that part of town Little Venice. We sat down and had lunch  right next to where the boats were riding. We ordered some light food, fish and salads. We thought the quality of the food would be like yesterday’s dinner, since the prices were about the same. But, no. It was like we were on a whole other planet. The fish I ordered was perfectly cooked and the salad was nicely plated. The food was basically decorated on the plates and it  looked very appetizing. It was my first time ever eating a whole fish with bones and head still attached. Even though it looked a little frightening at first, I cut into it and ate it up like a pig, It was just very delicious.

Fried trout with a salad

For dessert, we had a delicious crème brülée with a perfectly hardened top and soft cream below. I recommend this restaurant for anyone who’s going to Colmar, France. The restaurant is called Les Bateliers. It really is a great restaurant and definitely worth a visit.

Crème brülée

I was literally sitting right over the river,

My sister and I went on a shopping spree when we were finished eating. We tried to find the shopping center we found earlier, but it was tougher than we thought it would be. We basically walked a full circle and had to start all over again. We finally found the place after a while of looking around, not know where the heck we were. Once we found the place, all we did was look around. Further down the street, we went into a French book store, and I finally bought what I wished for: the first Harry Potter book in French. I really don’t want to lose my French, so I thought it would be a good idea to start reading French books. Though, Harry Potter is going to be a little bit difficult to read in French. Oh well, I have to live with it. 🙂

My sister and I met with the adults later and we all went to go on the boat ride. Once I jumped into the boat, I got my camera all set up to take pictures. Then, all of a sudden, the whole boat swayed to the left and then to the right. I swore, it could’ve tipped over. I turned behind me and my dad was the one moving the whole boat! Gosh, it scared me so bad. I was sure we were going to tip over at some point in the trip.

Once we pushed off the wall, we glided on top of the water and I took a ton of pictures. Then, suddenly, my camera stopped working. I looked at the camera to see what was wrong, and I saw that the memory card was full… My 64GB memory card was full! Wow, I was not expecting that. I must’ve taken like thousands of pictures for it to already be full. When the tour was over, we walked all the way back to the mall and bought a new memory card. This time 32 GB.

When I went to go pay for the card, the lady behind the desk started speaking in French. I just looked at her, and didn’t say a thing. I was really concentrating on what she was saying. I then figured out that she said I had to go to another cash register and get the card out of the box.  I replied with a couple of “oui ” and a “merci”. I think she thought I spoke French, but she kind of gave me a weird look. Probably because I looked kind of lost and confused. Anyway, I understood her and I was proud of myself for pretending to speak great French.

Well, that was my day today. It was amazing to finally get into my hotel room and just rest. My feet are literally killing me, and it was about time to get some rest.

Switzerland, Liechtenstein, France…

We left Austria as soon as we were finished eating our breakfast. Our bags were crammed in the car, and I felt like there were things everywhere. Blankets and pillows were under my feet, books inbetween the seats, and snacks on my lap. Our things are starting to pile up.

Our destination today was Colmar, France, but we took a detour through Switzerland and Liechtenstein. We actually drove back and forth between all three countries plus Germany. Part of the time, we didn’t even know which country we were in! The borders were very unclear in some places, and it’s kind of important to know which country you’re in. Each country has different driving rules, for example you need to have a freeway pass in Switzerland. And I’m stressing on the word “need”. The fines are even higher than in Austria if you’re caught without one. Though, they’re worth it because they last up to a year. So, if you want to travel there often, it’s smart to stick it on to your car.

The first country we actually stayed at was Liechtenstein, one of the smallest countries in the world. At first, I had no idea we were in a different country. All of sudden, my dad said that we were in Liechtenstein, and I was like, “What?” We supposedly were in the capital, Vaduz. It felt like a very small town with only tourists walking around. Though, there were some very fascinating buildings in Liechtenstein, like the Prince’s castle. It stood high on top of a hill, peering over the land. All the stores and buildings in the town were also cool and had that “Austrian” look to them.

We sat outside of a nice restaurant and ordered different kinds of food. I shared an Italian pizza with my mom, which was very delicious. Then, all of a sudden, we saw people we knew. Liechtenstein really is a small place. I was so surprised that I let out a huge gasp that everyone around me heard it. My parent’s friends, who we were going to meet in Colmar, sat down at our table. I was still shocked that we met them.

After eating lunch, my sister and I walked around town and saw that there was a sand volleyball tournament. We quickly went to go find some seats. The men were playing against each other, one team from Poland and the other from Germany. My sister and I let out some “Oohs” and “Aahhs” as the men shot the volleyball back and forth. They made some very great saves and their spikes were so powerful. I wish I could’ve stayed longer to watch!

We said our good-byes to the small country, and pulled over to the nearest gas station in Switzerland. While my dad bought the freeway pass, I took some pictures of the area.

After that, we mainly drove through Switzerland. Though, during that short period of time, what I saw was beautiful. The mountains were gorgeous with their pointed tops and the buildings reminded me of the ones in Austria. They were very unique with colorful walls and open shudders. There were also many old buildings and churches all over the place, and I really do mean all over the place. There was literally a church on top of a mountain. All I thought about was: how do people get up there?

Switzerland was also very green with many trees everywhere, especially along the road (which made it difficult to take some nice pictures…). It was that much different from Austria, but it was probably greener and warmer. We also passed by a very gorgeous turquoise lake. It was so beautiful, that we pulled over to take some pictures.

So, we drove for a couple more hours until we finally reached the French border. I was a little scared at first, because it was the first place with guards. We tried to not look suspicious when we passed them 🙂 After that, we were in France! I was immediately struck by French signs and I could see the language everywhere. It was very cool, and I just can’t wait to use the French I know.

We finally reached Colmar after driving through miles of open farm land. Colmar was a very nice city with ancient buildings. The buildings were so rustic and beautiful. We just had to go walk through the streets after checking in.

We soon went out to eat some dinner. It was my very first French dinner, and I had absolutely no idea what to get. There were so many things to try like onion soup, snails, etc. I chose a steak with mushroom sauce and a salad on the side. It was good, except for the fact that the meat was over-cooked and chewy.

 

Disney Castle Adventure

I started my morning with a typical Austrian/German breakfast: an open-faced sandwich with boiled eggs. I was surprised when I struck my knife against the egg’s shell and found that the yoke was hard, but the white part was runny. Yuk! I quickly gave it to my dad. Poor him, he had to suffer eating that weird egg. It still puzzles me how that could even happen… How can the yoke be hard and cooked all the way through when the white part is runny?

Anyway, our first stop today was at Hohenschwangau Castle outside the city of Füssen, Germany. The castle was a very light shade of yellow with gardens that surrounded its perimeter. The castle stood on top of a mountain, and it was right next to the famous Neuschwanstein Castle (the inspiration for the Walt Disney castle). The place was filled with tourists from all over the world. I was literally suffocating from all the different people. They were from every corner of the world: China, Sweden, Germany, Austria, USA, Spain, the Netherlands etc. Just to think that so many people from different places came to see the castles was just amazing. Though, in my opinion, it was so cliché to go to a place like this during our vacation. It’s a place where everyone goes to visit and it just ends up being too much. Too many people, too much waiting, and too much walking around. The place I went to yesterday was so much better because there wasn’t a lot of people. It was a special little place that people wouldn’t think of visiting. I actually thought that the ruins I saw yesterday were better and more interesting than the castles. You can read more about it here.

Even though I was quite disappointed of all the people, I was impressed by the castles. The first one we went to, Hohenschwangau Castle, is a less popular castle, but it was very nice. It was built by King Maximillian II of Bavaria in the 19th century. I thought it was beautiful with its highly decorated rooms of exotic themes. One room had the theme of the country Turkey, another had a starry sky painted on the ceiling, and another room was made for the interests of the King’s son, Ludwig. The rooms were very elaborate and eye-catching. I sadly wasn’t allowed to take any pictures inside because of copyright issues, but I do have pictures of the outside of the castle.

The view from the castle

Our next stop was Neuschwanstein Castle, which was higher up on the mountain. My family and I were freaking out because we thought that we only had 30 minutes to make it to our guided tour. My sister and I were basically speed walking up the mountain. We were kind of disappointed because we wanted to ride the horse-pulled carriage, but the line was way too long. Once we were almost to the top, my dad checked the times for our tickets, and we had a whole hour left… Well, my sister and I got some good exercise.

When I first saw the castle, I was stunned. It looked magnificent with its white façade an its beautiful view of Southern Germany. It really did remind me of the Walt Disney castle. I took like a million pictures, but here are just a few.

The back of the entrance

The entrance

The view

The castle was built and owned by the son of King Maximillian II. His son, King Ludwig II, was crowned at the early age of 18 1/2 years, soon after his father died. King Ludwig was known as “the king of fairytales”.  People say that he was crazy, but I have different opinions. After my reflection of the castle and its interior, I believe that he was depressed and lonely. I think that he was not fully accepted in his time period, which led to the fact that he wasn’t able to live his life in the same way we do today. Back in the day, a psychiatrist declared him crazy/insane without even meeting him to diagnose him properly. I find it strange that people found them both dead in a lake three years later. Today, the incident still remains a mystery.

After a long day walking around, bumping into people, and trying to find my way around Austria, I’m existed and ready for a good nights sleep.

Last evening in Austria. Colmar, here we come! To my followers, any suggestions of what to do in Colmar?

Amazing Austria

After a shopping spree in Würzburg, my dad took us on the road again. My sister took one last picture of the place, and I was just amazed.

A garden outside of our hotel

On the road, we reached speeds up to 100 mph (165 kph), legally. That was the first time my dad drove that speed legally, other than when he was drag-racing in California in the late ’70s. But, he assured me that he has been above that speed limit many times in the past (illegally, haha).

We said our last good-byes to Germany, and 3 and half hours later we were on the border of Germany and Austria. The border was literally inside of a mountain, and two-thirds through it, we were in Austria. Thankfully, there was a gas station right outside of the border. We had to make sure to buy a freeway pass to avoid getting a huge fine if pulled over by the cops. I think the fee would be as much as 300 euros (about $300).

The first thing I saw in Austria were the enormous, majestic Alps. It was almost like they were reaching up to the heavens. These mountains were unlike any I’ve ever seen before. The rocky, steep slopes joined together in numerous of sharp points in the clear skies. The mountain’s rocks were a very light color: a gray with a tint of brown. Evergreen trees grew from the sides of the mountains, and lessened in thickness the higher up I saw.

We drove further into Austria, and came across a small village. We drove in and explored the unique place. The buildings were so different and beautiful. Yellows, whites, and browns filled my eyes as I gazed at the landscape. Windows were square with shudders dangling from their sides. Paintings of family crests and Christianity decorated the walls. Small fences guarded the houses and their newly clipped yards.

 The most beautiful river I’ve ever seen soon caught my eyes. The river was very turquoise and was framed by very smooth, white pebbles. It almost seemed like it could’ve come straight from a fairytale.

When we arrived at the hotel, we unloaded our bags and went to our hotel room. We could see gorgeous mountains and castles from our balcony. We were soon inspired to do something exciting in the area. My sister then found a brochure of Highline179. It’s the longest Tibet Style pedestrian suspension bridge in the world. The bridge is designed so that people are able to walk across it all year round. It also connects the ruins of Ehrenberg castle with Fort Claudia.

My dad, sister, and I quickly packed our bags and tied on our shoes. Once we were there, we bought our tickets and climbed the steep hill up to the suspension bridge. We were first struck by the sight of old ruins. Then, we turned our heads and saw the medal bridge. My jaw dropped and I just couldn’t believe it. It seemed like the  bridge stretched out for miles. I was stunned to see that the narrow bridge could support so many people without falling. When I took my first step onto the bridge, my body began to sway. I looked back and said to my dad, “Stop moving the bridge!” He said, “I’m not doing anything!” And then I realized that it was the wind… The wind was moving the whole bridge back and forth. I gripped the railing with one hand, and held my camera with the other.

Here are some of the pictures I took on our trip:

After the bridge, we went to go look at the castle.

I don’t have much of a poem about today, other than: “High and low, up I go / On the top, I’m like a pro”.