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Emily
and I visited Europe in July 1999. My parents were spending their
summer over there that year. We decided to join them for a ten
day vacation. We drove more than 3000 miles, made stops at five
countries (France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Monaco) and more than
ten cities during this trip.
We arrived in Paris and met my parents there. During our first
day in Paris, we visited the beautiful Notre-Dame Cathedral, the
famous Arc de Triomphe and the crowded Champs-Elysées.
On our second day, we went to the magnificent Versailles.
We spent our third day in Munich, Germany. We walked around in
the Marienplatz, which is the heart of the city, and its Altstadt
(Old Town). There we found big department stores and grand churches.
North of the Marienplatz, we came across the town hall built in
the neo-Gothic style. We also visited the city's main park, the
Englischer Garden (English Garden).
We spent our forth day in Vienna, Austria. We took a bus tour
circling around the city, passing through the Staatsoper (the
National Opera House), the Donauturm (the Danube Tower), the Danube
River, and numerous churches and museums built in austere majestic
style. We visited the Schonbrunn Palace. At the Gloriette, an
elegant arched observation platform, we had a superb view looking
out onto the Schonbrunn Palace and Vienna.
Our
fifth day was spent in the Alps. We were at the mountain region
around the Grossglockner. The Alps is absolutely beautiful. We
took many pictures with splendid view.
Our stop on the sixth day was Venice, Italy. Venice is a beautiful
and unique city. We took a pleasant ferry ride to Lido, a small
island with some charming beaches. We also visited the famous
Piazza San Marco (St Mark's Square). And we had a wonderful view
of Venice from the top of the bell tower of the Basilica San Marco
(St Mark's Basilica).
On
the seventh day we drove down to Rome, the capital of Italy. First
we made a stop at the Vatican, a state which is headed by the
Pope and is the smallest in the world. Piazza San Pietro (St Peter's
Square), embraced by two semicircular colonnades, was magnificent.
Basilica di San Pietro (St Peter's Basilica) was enormous and
impressive.
Rome
is a compelling historical cities. We took a bus tour exploring
the city's countless ancient sites. We took pictures at the Campidoglio
(City Square), which was designed by Michealangelo, and the Colosseo
(Coliseum), which was a classical amphitheater and a site for
the Roman gladiatorial games.
On
the eighth day, we visited the Torre Pendente (Leaning Tower)
at Pisa. It was from the top of this tower that Galileo (1564-1642)
carried out his experiments which enabled him to establish the
laws of falling bodies.
After we left Italy, we continued our journey driving to Monte
Carlo, Monaco. Monte Carlo is Europe's largest gambling center.
Its exceptional location between mountain and sea also makes this
place an ideal destination for a romantic vacation. We walked
around in the flower-filled gardens and the luxury casinos and
had a late lunch by the sea.
That evening we spent a delightful time at the French Riviera,
taking long relaxing walk at the beaches in Nice and Cannes.
The
last day of our trip was spent in Grenoble. We took a cable car
to get up to a mountain to have a gorgeous full view of the city.
That
afternoon Emily and I had to say good-bye to my parents. They
were planning to stay with their friends at Grenoble for a few
weeks. We drove back to Paris that evening and took a flight back
to New York the next day.
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