Since it was Summer and I had remained in the UK due to unforeseen circumstances, as my lease came to an end, I packed my bags and went on a Europe trip that left me poor but incredibly satisfied.
This was how it went:
28th Aug - 31st Aug: I was at Sophie's place in Rugby (her mum kindly invited me !) and we went exploring around her area and she also brought me to Stratford-Upon-Avon (Shakespeare's hometown ! Wish we could have watched a play or something). Details would be up in another post.
1st Sept - 2nd Sept: Cologne (The place where the Eau De Cologne was created, and did you know that in modern times, Eau De Cologne meant that it contains 2 - 5% perfume oil but the original Cologne created by Giovanni Farina contains about 12% of perfume oils so it would actually be classed as Eau De Parfum which is about 10 - 20% of perfume oils !)
2nd Sept - 5th Sept: Berlin
When in Berlin, there are a few things to check off the tourist list:
1) Beer: As I can't have too much alcohol, I tried the alcohol-free beer (Malt beer) on one day and it was not too bad, but to me, it tasted just like Malt syrup, but a little less sweet.
2) The Wursts (Germany is very famous for their Currywurst, but in this case, I had the original Berliner somethingWurst, sorry I didn't exactly catch the entire name ! But all you need to know is that it is good, very very good)
3) The Berlin Wall: If you love history, this is where you want to go. Read how the great divide grew from one wall to layers of defense and find out for yourself the desperate measures people went to escape East Berlin. Another place to visit if you enjoy such things, would be Checkpoint Charlie and the Museum.
4) Museum Island: This glorious place is where you have 5 museums in close proximity to each other and if you are into fine arts, you are in for a treat ! I would talk more about the individual places to go in another blog post which I hope wouldn't take too long to write. But yes, you will love it, you will enjoy it.
There are of course more things to do in Berlin, but on a short trip, these are some really good places to go to.
5th Sept - 7th Sept: Paris
I've already been to Paris earlier this year during the Easter break but ! This time round, I stayed in a different area of Paris. Montmarte is truly a very charming place and this time round, instead of being extremely touristy, I did something different.
It was 2 days filled with art supplies shopping, visiting the Sacre Coeur (which, should be no surprise to people, I can't pronounce), trying out the delicious French pastries, getting lost in the flea markets, walking around Montmarte (the graveyard was absolutely gorgeous and it was very different)
Oh and of course, intended to visit Musee d'orsay on the one day the museum was closed.
7th Sept - 9th Sept: Nice
First thing to say ?
The photos doesn't do it justice. Not even kidding. The Sun was shining brightly, the sea was such a beautiful shade of blue and when you are there, you would definitely understand how it got its name Côte d'Azur (Azure Coast), a name that's truly befitting it's gorgeous sea.
I was incredibly lucky that throughout most of my trip I had great weather, but truly in Nice, you would love it. The Sun was so bright you could hardly open your eyes (something you won't get much of in Britain) and the warmth of the sunrays kissing your skin truly reminded me of Home. So as I got up from the sea with the cuffs of my jeans wet despite my best attempts to roll it up, settled down on the bench and sat down with my eyes closed ....
I cried as I miss home.
But the sadness didn't stay for long because Nice was absolutely gorgeous with its beautiful historic town centre, the lovely breads I got from a local bakery that was extremely fluffy, and the lovely crepes I had that day.
And Nice is that beautiful city that never sleeps. I remember it being almost 11pm when we arrived at our accommodation and people were just leaving the place for a good night out. Something to think of if you are visiting Nice !
9th Sept- 11th Sept: Venice
Now, when you are planning for a trip to Venice, you hear this from the people who already visited the place.
"Visit Burano and Murano ! You will not regret it !" This statement, I testify it to be true. When we think of Venice, we think of Gondolas (not wrong) but for me, I think of the 2 years of Upper Secondary School as I chomped down chunks of information about how Venice rose to power in the 11th Century (if I remember correctly, that's information that 6 years old) and then fell in the 16th century.
And of course, the famous Murano glass (from where I bought a few glass dip pens !) It is a place that I would want to visit again !
Now, if you are in Venice, do this:
1) Visit Murano for Glass
2) Visit Burano for Lace and it's beautiful and striking buildings
3) The gondolas which are cheaper if you go in a group of 4 -5 or ride with someone else (I didn't do it but my friends all highly recommended me to and from their pictures, I wished that I had the guts to ask someone to go with me)
4) Squid ink pasta. Each part of Italy would have their own main ingredients, and for Venice, that's squid for you !
5) St Mark's Basilica. You will love the gorgeous interior
6) Stroll along the promenade
7) Buy yourself a mask and pretend you are a noble in the 14th century.
To me, Venice is a truly special place because it is one where I spent 2 years of my life studying really hard for and learning about everything about it. I remember the Council of Ten, I remember the glass and the arsenals, I remember the parties they put on which sort of played a role in their decline, I remember Marco Polo, I remember so many things about it that I am actually surprised.
As I leave Venice, I felt like I was closing a chapter of my life. As a student in secondary school, I always thought that I want to visit Venice and see it for myself. I never thought it would be this soon, or this easy.
But it was (:
And I am glad I came, but I would definitely go back there again a second time and do all the things I missed out the first time round !
In short, I had a good time this trip, I learnt a lot and I would revisit some places on this list again. -wink- (detailed posts on each place would be up once I have got the pictures ready, but of course... with the amount of backlog I have of my travels, it might just take a while.)
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