Day 11: Rome, Italy

Since our cruise leaves tomorrow, today was my first and final full day in Rome. But we honestly covered enough in one day that it was all I (and my legs) needed.

After a nice breakfast at Cafe de Paris, we walked to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. As we circled the stadium, it took me back to the guided tour I had when I was with my study abroad group. It's probably not very shocking, but the Colosseum hadn't changed much in the past two years... in fact, the Roman Forum and the Spanish Steps looked pretty much the same, too. They were just as amazing and beautiful as I remembered. 

From there, we headed back to Piazza Navona, the area where we ate dinner last night. By then it was early afternoon, so naturally it was gelato time. (*Sidenote: On my study abroad trip, I somehow managed to lose weight between the large amount of walking and replacing meals with Billa Billa yogurt/bananas. I highly doubt that's going to happen this time around. YOLO?)

One of my favorite parts of Rome is near the Pantheon. As you're walking toward the structure that dates back thousands and thousands of years, you pass modern shops and cafes. Then, all of a sudden, you can turn a single corner and see one of the world's most iconic landmarks. Just like that, it pops out of nowhere. And really, it takes you by surprise. How many places in the world can do that? Rome truly is incredible.

On the agenda for tomorrow: a private guided tour of the Vatican. Then, we hit the seas!

*I'm really hoping I'm going to be able to get full WiFi access on the ship, but if not, I'll be updating this bad boy as much as possible!

Spanish Steps

Outside the Colosseum

Gelato #2: Nocciola, Straciatella, e Menta e Straciatella

Day 10: Rome, Italy

Today's post is lacking on pictures considering the majority of my day was spent on a moving train. 

At 9 a.m., I caught a train from Lucerne to Arth-Goldau, then Arth-Goldau to Milan, and finally, Milan to Rome. Eight hours later I made it to the hotel in Rome, just in time for dinner at Santa Lucia, a small restaurant right outside of Piazza Navona. We found out later that the restaurant was actually one of the filming locations for the movie "Eat, Love, Pray" with Julia Roberts.

Rome is exactly as I remember it from two years ago. Everywhere you go, there is new and old. It's amazing that while you're in a totally modern city, you can be surrounded by so much history.

That's it for today. Traveling has caught up with me -- and I'm exhausted.

Day 9: Lucerne, Switzerland

Lessons from Lucerne:

Bicycles have the right of way. Always.

Swiss people are incredibly nice.

They are also incredibly attractive.

If you're in the market for a new watch, you're in the right place.

It may be summertime, but forget a jacket and you will hate yourself.

A little bit of walking can take you a long way.

Many alleyways look the same (you might learn the hard way).

Picking out food from Coop City is more fun than going out to dinner.

The flowers always look fake. They never are.

And finally...

It is one of the world's most breathtaking places on a beautiful day.

Europeans may not always appreciate Americans, but their ducks are all about us.
Hi, friend.

Day 8: Lucerne, Switzerland

When I first starting planning the Lucerne portion of the trip, I discovered the idea of a half-day trip to Mount Pilatus. The 7,000-foot mountain stands above Lake Lucerne and several small towns, and the only way to get to the peak is by cable car or cog railroad. 

This afternoon, we purchased round-trip tickets that took us away from the city, up the cog railroad (the steepest in the world), into the main shelter area at the top, back down in a cable car and finally back to Lucerne's Central Station via bus. Unfortunately for us the day was super cloudy. And contrary to what many locals told us would happen, the clouds didn't lift at the top.

So we're climbing up the side of the mountain in the cog railroad train, and we can see water and houses dotting the green below. Suddenly, we head into the clouds with zero visibility. When we finally emerge, we're surrounded by snow. I can honestly say I was not prepared for a scene like that in the middle of May. My advice to anyone who wants to visit Mount Pilatus: go in late summer, and make sure it's the most beautiful day. We heard the view is unbeatable.

Tomorrow morning my mom leaves for the second half of her trip, and I will head off to the second half of mine on Saturday. To celebrate our final night together, we had an amazing dinner at one of the hotels by the river. Traveling with my mom is something I will always remember, and I am so grateful to have had her by my side for the past week.

View from our hotel in Old Town Lucerne

Day 7: Lucerne, Switzerland

If you ever go to Switzerland, visit Lucerne. The great part about Lucerne is that you truly can get anywhere just by walking. We began the afternoon following the path lining the waterfront, surrounded by ritzy hotels and the casino. After stopping for pistachio gelato (first of the trip!), we checked out three of Lucerne's top landmarks.

The Lion Monument. The dying lion carved into the side of a cliff was created to commemorate the Swiss guardsmen who died in the French Revolution. The serious detail really was amazing in person. 

Musegg Wall. The Musegg Wall towers above, offering the best views of the mountains and the city below. I can't lie -- it's a hike to get up there. But the pictures really speak for themselves. 

Chapel Bridge and Water Tower. This landmark is the most-used on postcards and brochures of Lucerne. Spanning across the Reuss River, it's a wooden covered footbridge that connects Old Town Lucerne with the more modern part of the city.

I know it's terrible to spend a night in a foreign city at the movies, but a pre-screening for "The Great Gatsby" (released in Europe tomorrow) was at a local theater. Those who know me probably know about my love for the novel, and they know how long I've been waiting to see this film. Maybe it's dramatic, but I couldn't wait another day. So was it worth 23 Swiss Francs? Absolutely.

Leaving on our mark in one of the towers in of the Musegg Wall

Day 6: Zurich, Switzerland

The third and final day in Zurich was the prettiest by far. For the first time since we arrived in Europe, I actually was a little hot -- and believe me, it was a much welcomed change. Who would have thought May would be so cold over here?!

We kicked off our morning with a short uphill tram ride to check out the University of Zurich. The views from above were incredible. Besides the hundreds of students moving around the campus and grabbing lunch from the dining hall, it was hard to believe I was at a college. Definitely a far cry from the University of Florida.

After, we hopped on a different tram that took us as far south as possible. We walked the path back to the hotel, stopping to snap pictures of the flowers and sailboats around one of the popular parks. It seemed like everyone and his mother was out today in Zurich. I think they had all been waiting anxiously for just one solid day of no rain or clouds so they could lay out in the grass, run or boat. 

Part way through the walk back to the hotel, we stopped at Cafe Odeon for drinks. The remodeled cafe was the place where Lenin originally developed many of his plans for the Russian Revolution. We ended the day with dinner at Cafe Schlauch, a small restaurant hidden behind a gate and a narrow walkway in one of the cobblestone alleys. The food was great, and the people were so nice -- something we've noticed pretty much everywhere in this city.

It's been real, Zurich. But now it's off to Lucerne in the morning! 

University of Zurich

Drinks at Cafe Odeon

Day 5: Zurich, Switzerland

Zurich is the epicenter of beautiful people, well-tailored clothing and world-class shopping. Spending the day on Bahnhofstrasse on the left bank, I definitely had the full experience of all three. Sunday had been slow and quiet. But today it was crazy around lunchtime.

Later in the afternoon, we took a quick spin on one of the water taxis. The boat maneuvered under Zurich's low bridges and brought us out to the main lake. The views of the Swiss Alps in the distance looked better in person than they ever could on a postcard.

After four full days of too much good food, we decided to keep dinner simple. Attempting to "do as the locals do," we went to Coop, one of the major supermarkets in Zurich. We tried to do the whole self-serve you-weigh-it thing, but couldn't quite figure it out. And we certainly weren't going to use up one of our "Help Us We're Americans" cards on a problem like that. So we settled for some pre-packaged sushi (honestly, everything just tastes better over here) and ate it down by the water. 

To top off the night, we went to Jules Verne Panorama Bar for drinks. The swanky bar is inside an old observatory deck, 11 floors above the city. From our seats, we had a nearly 360 degree view of the Monday nightlife. Not at all a bad way to end the night.

Macarons from Sprüngli

The city by night