This summer, I had the chance to cruise through Europe and visit three countries. I went to places I once dreamed of seeing. My Pinterest boards became reality for me this summer, and I was so grateful for every minute of it.
My family’s shared album almost reached 800 photos. Thinking back to the two-week trip, we experienced and saw a lot. So, let me take you to Europe quickly and let you in on all we saw and did.
First stop…
Italy
We traveled to Rome, Salerno, Pompeii, Catania, and Florence. Rome was my favorite.
In our two days in Rome, we went to Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain (both during the day and at night, which was so much more gorgeous), Vatican City (seeing the Sistine Chapel and all the other parts around the museum was so beautiful and jaw-dropping), the Colosseum, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Forum. Of course, we stopped for gelato (both days, obviously); the pistachio flavor was glorious. I also tried authentic pasta carbonara and took many bites of my family member’s dishes as well.
After Rome, we hopped on our cruise, so the rest of the stops were for one day.
Salerno and Pompeii were hot. Walking around Pompeii during the heatwave was like cooking in a massive oven maze. However, putting the heat aside, seeing Pompeii was extraordinary. It was crazy to look around at all the preserved buildings that I once only saw in textbooks. It sparked so much curiosity. We wrapped up the day with a sweet treat (Italian ice) and some pizza from Salerno (which I still dream about).
Catania was the most authentic Italian living. The city felt refreshing and calm. It was a nice break from our heavy walking days. It was slow and real. Our noses were first greeted by a fish market. Fishermen displayed their fresh catches of the day as locals walked around buying ingredients for that night’s dinner. The buildings weren’t tall, so it felt open, and you could see so much of the blue sky and Mount Etna in the distance. Many alleyways between popular streets were decorated with umbrellas that danced with the slow breezes. And the last stop, best stop, was cannoli!
Honorable mention: At one in the morning, while cruising to our next destination, we spotted an erupting volcano from afar. It was really cool. We just saw a glowing orange spark in the sky while the rest of the ocean was dark.
Florence was the last stop in Italy. An unpopular opinion: it wasn’t my favorite of all the Italian cities we visited. It was still beautiful, fun, and lively, though. We walked through markets, scoped out leather bags, got an amazing lunch of ravioli and caprese, photographed loads of impressive statues, stopped by the Duomo, and saw the whole city from a higher view.
And just like that, our time in Italy came to an end. Next up, France!
France
We went to Villefranche, Nice, and Marseille.
Villefranche is where our cruise docked, but due to how small the dock was, we anchored in the water and took a tiny boat to the shore. Approaching the small village was a dream. The town is what I expected most of the Mediterranean coast to look like. The bright, colorful buildings that rested on the side of the cliff were picture-perfect (literally because the buildings fill my camera roll). We took a train to Nice, and after spending all week walking in 100-degree heat, a dip in the water was much needed, as we spent the rest of the day at the beach.
Marseille was very different. It was not my favorite site, but my brother loved it. We did not have a rigid itinerary for Marseille like some of the other cities. We just took time to stroll around, appreciating the various architecture, vendor stands, and art that were scattered across the city.
After a quick glance at France, we were off to our final destination.
Spain
Barcelona time!
The everyday steps were getting to us, but we pushed through into our last stretch. We spent two nights in Barcelona. My favorite part was seeing Gaudi’s architecture all over the city. Park Güell was stunning. I could stay there for hours looking at all the individual mosaics that were embedded in the benches, ceilings, statues, walls, and houses. Sagrada Familia was another site that just left us in awe. Just like that, ten days flew by, and we ended our stay with some yummy churros!
Our whole trip was eye-opening, beautiful, and energetic. We got to immerse ourselves in many different cultures. We appreciated the work of many architects and artists. We learned so much about the history of our world. We saw so much in such a short time. The trip was exhausting at many points, but it was also so fulfilling. Altogether, I am so thankful to experience a Euro-summer with my family.