In the times we live in, I often find myself reflecting back on trips I took before Coronavirus struck.. I think back to all the amazing adventures I went on, the food I ate, the museums I saw and I thought to myself, why not share my travels with you. So, when you get vaccinated and Europe and other countries finally let us in, you are prepared to get the BEST experience. The main focus of this article is Europe. I have been fortunate enough to have been to seven countries: United Kingdom (London), France (Paris), Austria (Vienna), Czech Republic (Prague), Germany (Munich), Italy (Rome & Amalfi Coast), and Greece (Santorini & Mykonos). In this article, I will be discussing my first trip to Europe in 2018. If you are traveling to Europe for the first time, you are most likely going to be overwhelmed. When I landed in London and started walking around, it was overwhelming (London is very similar to New York) but even with that in mind, you are entering a new culture and society. What I realized after my first trip to Europe, the pace and mindset in Europe is completely different than the United States. The United States is fast paced and has a work-oriented mindset, Europe is slow-paced and social/mental health-oriented. With that in mind, you can expect your usual thirty minutes to an hour meals to last at least an hour and a half to two hours. Needless to say, as a woman I felt completely safe everywhere I went in Europe and every person I interacted with was so friendly. The best advice I could give to you as a fellow traveler is to take everything in, Europe is beautiful and has such rich history. Enjoy my trips…
UNITED KINGDOM (LONDON)
Restaurants: Sketch London (very cool Tea place), Pret de Manger (grab and go sandwiches and salads), Hoops and Grapes (pub), Toi and Moi (breakfast), Harrod’s Steakhouse (HIGHLY recommend), Peggy Porschen (desserts), Polpo (dinner), and Natural Kitchen (breakfast)
Sight-Seeing/Tours/Shopping: The original bus tour (hop on, hop off bus- great for seeing the monuments), The Tower of London, National History Museum, Carneby Street (shopping with high end stores), and Jack the Ripper Tour (actually walk and see the places that the murders took place)
FRANCE (PARIS)
Restaurants: For breakfast and lunch, my family and I would eat at cafés where we stayed but besides that we went to: Yoom Dim Sum (dinner/lunch), Ippudo (dinner), Soul Kitchen (breakfast)
Sight-Seeing/Tours/Shopping: Musee d’Orsay (near Notre Dame), Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower (recommend booking a tour through an outside company, get more access to tower), Sacre Coeur (white church on hill), and Merci (high end store)
GERMANY (Munich)
*Was only there for half a day (passing through)
Restaurant: Spantenhaus an der oper
Highly recommend walking around Max-Joseph Plaza (has beautiful monuments and small shops)
AUSTRIA (Vienna)
Restaurant: Plachuttas Gasthaus Zur Oper (dinner), Merinque (dessert), Grill Café Pavillion in Maschmarkt (breakfast), L’Osteria (dinner), Handwerk (brunch), Junn (dinner), and Good Food (dessert)
Sight-Seeing/Tours/Shopping: Bus tour around the city (hop on hop off), Naschmarkt (farmer’s market), and Vienna Zoo- Tiergarten Schonbrunn (HIGHLY recommend, most beautiful zoo I’ve been to)
CZECH REPUBLIC (Prague)
Restaurant: Mlejnice (dinner), The Farm (breakfast), Taittinger (lunch), and Piknik Park (dinner)
Sight-Seeing/Tours/Shopping: Charles’s Bridge aka Prague Bridge, Prague Castle (Prazsky hrad tower), and Prague’s streets are lined with small shops and vendors to check out
I hope that this guide helps you and leads you to some amazing experiences. These five places are some of the most amazing places I’ve traveled to. Whether you are in each of these places for a day or five days, there is so much to see and do while you are visiting. Soak in all you can and happy travels!