Hiatus for Backpacking through Europe

Hello dear friends,

Tomorrow at 2 p.m., I will be leaving for a 19 days of backpacking through Europe. I will be unable to blog while backpacking because I will not be bringing my laptop, but I will post many entries about our adventures once I return.

For those interested, our itinerary is: Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, then Marseille, Avignon and Nice in France, then Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, Capri, Cinque Terre and Stresa in Italy and ending up with a day in Annecy, France.

I hope everyone has a great three weeks. I will post as soon as I can.

Love,
Olga

The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music: Salzburg

Though Salzburg,Austria is known for the movie "Sound of Music," it has so much more to offer. I had hoped to take the Sound of Music tour, but Chris and I weren't able to afford it once we found out the tour was €40 per person. At least the tour will give us an excuse to go back to this beautiful city once we have more money.

Salzburg is proud that Mozart was born in and lived in the city.

The night we got to Salzburg, we ate at a wonderful place called Ristorante Beccofino. I had lasagna and some amazing raspberry tiramisu. I can't wait until we go to Italy so I can try some tiramisu there.

My delicious raspberry tiramisu.

We woke up at 6 a.m. so that we could see as much of Salzburg as possible since we had to leave at 2 p.m. Unfortunately, it was an incredibly foggy day so we weren't able to see much of the city. We climbed all the way to the top of Hohensalzburg Fortress, only to find out that it was closed and wouldn't open until much later in the day. I'm sure the view for the fortress is spectacular, but unfortunately, all we could see is fog.

On the way down from the fortress, we discovered the road had ice so we tried not to slip while walking downhill. It was quite the entertaining experience.

I love the green color of the Salzburg Cathedral.

Then, we had breakfast at a bakery and walked around town. The Salzburg Cathedral is beautiful and the Salzach River provides a lovely setting for the city. Did you know that Salzburg means "salt mountain" because of the large salt deposits in the area? I thought that was interesting. I also enjoyed seeing the Mirabell Palace and its gardens. I bet the gardens look absolutely beautiful in the spring and summer.

Salzburg Cathedral from the side. 

We left Salzburg too soon, and I really wish that we could have seen more of the city. It is a city that I plan to visit again as soon as I can.

The Salzach River and part of the city. I am sure it is even more beautiful without the fog.

The Mirabell Palace has a beautiful park. I bet it looks incredible when the flowers bloom.

Our trip back to Maastricht from Salzburg was difficult. Our trip was almost entirely booked with reservations so we were unable to get a seat with our Eurail pass and had to sit on the floor near the door with nine other people for three hours. It was unfortunate, but we still managed to laugh about it and have a good time.

Johnny and I sitting on the floor of the train

This week is difficult with finals and major papers due, but after it is over, we get 20 days of independent travel. We are using our independent travel to go to Spain, France and Italy.

Living a Fairy Tale: Neuschwanstein Castle

The day we visited Neuschwanstein Castle was an absolute fairy tale. The castle, which was used as a model for Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland, was situated in the beautiful mountains.

Neuschwanstein Castle in Fussen, Germany.

Me with the castle in the background

When we got to Fussen, Germany, the city where the castle is located, from Munich, light snow was falling on the ground so we grabbed a hot chocolate and took a horse-drawn carriage to the castle gates. It was amazing to get to ride up to this enchanting castle. 

Chris and I in front of the castle.

In the courtyard of the castle.

Once inside, we took a tour that told us more about King Ludwig II and the building of the castle. Ludwig II was obsessed with swans so there are swans all over the castle. Construction began in 1869 and was stopped in 1892 due to the king’s death. In the 23 years of construction, one floor of the castle was never completed. 

Another picture of us with the castle.

Doesn't it look magical?

With the snow falling and the beautiful scenery, our visit to Neuschwanstein Castle made for a perfect day. Even now, I can’t wait for the chance to go back to this beautiful place. 

Drinking hot chocolate on the horse-drawn carriage ride.

All the Glamour and Glitz: Viewing Versailles

We just got back from Carnaval celebrations so I thought I would do a quick entry on our trip to Versailles.

On Sunday, before we left Paris, we took the RER to Versailles. It was definitely worth the trip. Versailles is absolutely gorgeous. I loved all the decorations inside (It is interesting how the king’s room is the least ornate — I guess since no one else was meant to see it?) 

I thought the grounds were just as impressive as the building. The parks and The Grand Canal were beautiful. I can only imagine how they would look in the summer!

Tomorrow afternoon, we leave on a night train to Prague. I’m excited for our first night train experience.

I might try to post an entry about Brussels tomorrow, but I have a lot of homework to get finished before we leave for the week so it might not happen.

Anyway, since photographs are worth a thousand words, here are a few from our trip to Versailles.

Chris at the Versailles doors.

It's so beautiful.

Me at the Hall of Mirrors

Absolutely beautiful parks

Part of a chapel.

Chris decided to put a crown on my head.

In Love in the City Known for It: Our Valentine's Day Weekend in Paris

I apologize for not writing about my weekends lately. I have developed what I have affectionately nicknamed “the gunk.” I was sick a few weeks ago and Chris caught it.

Chris has been sick since before we left for Munich and still hasn’t gotten better so I ended up catching it from him again. Now we are both sick. Hopefully we will get better soon since Carnaval break starts tomorrow and we will be traveling for a week straight!

Anyway, enough about the gunk. On to more interesting things- like our trip to Paris.

Going to Paris was an absolute dream come true. I have been wanting to go to Paris [and France in general] since I first started learning French as a 12-year-old. Nine years later, there I was, taking in the beautiful architecture in this spectacular city.

La Tour d'Eiffel <3

The trip couldn’t have been more perfect. Paris met all my expectations and then some. What a beautiful, amazing city with so much history. I was in love.

On Thursday night, Chris and I took the Thalys train to Paris. Once we got settled into our wonderful hotel, we went to a great restaurant called Bistro de Breteuil.

Side note: Did you know that “bistro” is actually a Russian word? During a war, Russian soldier would go into French cafes and say “bistro,” which means “be quick!” in Russian. Thus, French cafes started putting up the word “bistro” in front of their cafes so that the Russian soldiers would know it is a place for a quick bite. Interesting how it caught on and is now all over!

The food at Bistro de Bretuil was delicious. We ordered off a “prix fixe” menu, which included an apéritif, bottle of wine for two, entrée, plat and dessert. I even tried escargots! (Those who know me know that I am hesitant to try new food.) Everything tasted great, especially my crème brûlée. As Chris put it, “it was the best crème brûlée ever!”

Afterward, we took a walk around the city at night. It was absolutely spectacular.

The next day, we took a free tour around Paris. Our tour guide told us all about the history of France’s most powerful city. I have learned about French history in my US History and French classes so it was amazing to see all of the historically important buildings. The 3.5-hour tour took us all along the banks of the River Seine from Notre Dame to the Louvre, the Palais Royale, the Grand and Petit Palais, the Tuileries Garden, the New Bridge and ended near Invalides.

Me at the Jardin Tuileries

Afterward, we went on the Champs-Élysées to shop and see the Arc de Triomphe. Then Chris took me on a night river cruise on the Seine River. It was amazing to cruise down the river while the Eiffel Tower was doing its light show and all of the other buildings were brilliantly lit.

Me at the Champs-Élysées

The weather on our first day in Paris was beautiful- we didn't even need jackets! It was about 60 degrees and Parisians told me that it was the first beautiful day they had had in months! 

Amazing Sunset

The next day, we went to see the beautiful churches, Notre Dame and Sacré Coeur. The view of Paris from Sacré Coeur was amazing. The church is located on a hill, and though the steps weren’t too fun, the view was definitely worth it.

Sacred Heart Church

The Notre Dame was beautiful on both the inside and outside. The stained glass windows inside were breathtaking.

Chris at Notre Dame

Stained glass windows at Notre Dame

We also went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, which was a really neat experience. If you can’t tell already, I adored this city. We also walked to the Opera House to see it up close and ate some pastries at a patisserie nearby. I love patisseries- so many delicious desserts in one place!

Us at the top of the Eiffel Tower

We tried to go to the Louvre, but we got there an hour before it closes, and apparently you can’t get tickets that late. It’s okay because we are meeting Chris’s parents in Paris in two weeks so we can see it then!

Me at the Louvre

I was so grateful for the opportunity to speak French all the time. I have been taking French in school for almost 10 years now, but I rarely have the chance to talk to native speakers. It was so exciting to see that French people understood me, and that I was able to keep lengthy conversations going in Paris. 

Egyptian obelisk and Eiffel Tower at Sunset

 Well, I feel like this blog entry has already become too long so I will write a separate entry about Versailles tomorrow. We are taking day trips this weekend. Tomorrow we are going to Bruges (in Belgium). Friday we are planning on going to a city in The Netherlands, possibly Rotterdam or Utrecht, and on Saturday we are planning on visiting Amsterdam!

We are also done with school now for a week because we get a Carnaval break! During Carnaval, we are headed to Prague, Vienna and Switzerland. I will keep y’all informed about our adventures!

Love,

Olga