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Lucerne, Switzerland

It was my last stop before leaving back for the states. It was toward the end of October. Switzerland was beginning to show signs of a cold winter and I was beginning to show signs of a major depression.

Lucerne, Switzerland looked like I felt - gray, chilly, hazy, and out of money. Well, that last part was just me I guess. Yes, the cold, hard truth was I wanted to stay longer in Europe, to continue my journey up north to Austria, Belgium, or any other country willing to take my money. The problem was, I didn’t have any left!

Through the course of eleven weeks, three days, a variety of weather, new friends, old friends, and the general potpourri of traveling solo, I found myself in a state of poverty. If only I’d worked a few extra shifts at the bar, if only I’d sold my Playstation … but I’m not Oskar Schindler and my cause was selfish. I wanted to stay overseas and explore all cities, but I’d have to settle for the dream of coming back. And Lucerne was a great and beautiful last city to be in.

I mentioned Lucerne was gray, chilly, and hazy, but through the mist was something extraordinary. A city not unlike Certaldo in Italy or Granada in Spain, Lucerne portrays a city lost in translation, masked by popular others around it: Zurich, Interlaken, Bern, and the highly visited Geneva. But Lucerne’s picture-perfect town creates for a genuinely ideal stop along my overall journey and I was alertly happy to zip up my “borrowed” Balmers jacket for one last walk around one last Swiss town.

Again, I must address how my social butterfly status beamed through every stop since my arrival in Interlaken back at the beginning of my trip. In Lucerne, it happened at the Main train station where I went to the information booth right behind another couple, Amanda and Chris, who were Australian and totally hilarious!

We wound up receiving the same hostel recommendation and in lieu of no company, I walked to the Backpackers Hostel (located not even a mile from the station) learning of my new friends’ trip and reliving parts of my own.

Stopping at a grocery store along the way to the hostel encouraged an invitation on their part to join them for dinner in the hostel’s very clean and well-supplied kitchen/dining room. A few cans of Eichhof beer and an invitation to join them the next day around town presented itself and I agreed, overjoyed to experience the town with adventurers like myself, of course with much cooler accents.

The next morning turned out to be similar to the one prior but our first coffee (we all agreed on Starbucks!) induced our brains to take in the Swiss culture and buildings surrounding us, not the gray weather covering it.

Like I said, the town of Lucerne holds a remarkable and friendly atmosphere where nothing seems pretentious or out of place. The famous Lion Monument was embedded within a neatly maintained neighborhood with colorful roofs and the monument itself enlisted a sense of humbleness no American can deny. There’s culture and history to be understood and big or small, the people of Switzerland are proud to demonstrate both. It’s displayed again, overhead as you walk through Lucerne’s biggest landmark, the Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge).

The Kapellbrücke is in the heart of the town and after grabbing another café latte, Amanda, Chris and I mapped out the next part of the day on the other side of town. The sky was beginning to clear up and the morning turned into a wonderful surprise as my last days in Europe came to an end.

Amanda suggested going to see the Castle of Chillon that was on the other side of the bridge and we were off. Approaching the castle, I noticed there was a somewhat easy path up to the top and it took our breath away in both ways: it’s a trek up those steps but it’s a gorgeous view from anywhere you look down!

Hard as it was to leave the castle, our stomachs pounded with hunger and we stopped at a small but quaint restaurant behind the main road (those are usually my favorites). The beer was cold and the food was hot, a perfect blend of Swiss sausages and overpowering German sauerkraut. I love Europe. The female half of the digaree doo couple ordered mashed potatoes as a side and her kangaroo-loving counterpart ordered fried. Then they both got one order of French fries!

As for me, I declined the offer of starch and ordered onion rings. I got French fries. Ah well, it was all washed down with more beer and laughter for half of what the couple was saying, I barely understood anyway. Who says Australian and Irish accents aren’t in themselves a foreign language?

After linner or dunch or whatever you call pigging out in the middle of the afternoon to the point of your stomach looking like a floatation device, we cruised (more like dragged) our bloated bodies, through the outskirts of town, fascinated by the artistic drawings on sides of the walls and fluidity of the Swiss people going about their day.

There is so much beauty in Switzerland it’s hard to select where to go while you’re there. I skipped over Geneva and Bern and selected Lucerne on a gut instinct. It turned out my gut was right.

Go with your own instincts, but if they’re not churning up an answer, go with mine and head to Lucerne!

The Arc de Triomphe, Paris, France

We all have to admit that we’ve visited certain tourist sites, not because we knew what they meant, but only because we thought we should. Well, I think the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France fits into that category of sites for most travelers. I’d like to change that now.The Arc de Triomphe was conceived by Napoleon in 1806 as a war memorial for the French army. Not until 30 years later in 1836, was it completed under Louis-Philippe. Since then, it has confirmed its symbolic role with parades of victorious troops marching through it and the burial of the unknown soldier beneath. Even today, every evening at 6:30, the eternal flame is rekindled to commemorate the deaths in the two world wars. Also, every year on November 11^th (Armistice Day), the President of the Republic lays a ceremonial wreath on the tomb.

There. Now you know the bare minimum to be able to visit the Arc de Triomphe Once you get there, you’ll see what an incredible setting the Arc is nestled in. The site is called the Etoile (star), and for good reason. There are 12 avenues converging and swirling with traffic around it, the most famous of which is the well-known Champs-Elysees. This fact makes it an extremely difficult and dangerous mission to get to the Arc…believe me, I know. That’s why my pictures are taken from the other side of the street! I’ve been told there is an underpass to get over to the arc safely, I highly recommend looking into it, because then you’ll be able to take the elevator to the top of the 165 foot tall Arc and look around the 360 degree view of the heart of the city.

Arc de Triomphe
Place du Général de Gaulle, 75008 Paris.
Tel: 01-55-37-73-77.

Admission Fees: Standard - 9€; ages 18-25 - 5,50€; under age 18 - free.
Admission Hours: Apr.-Sept. 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. daily; Oct.- Mar. 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily. Closed on Jan. 1, May 1, May 8 (morning), July 14 (morning), Nov. 11 (morning), and Dec. 25.
Métro & RER: Charles de Gaulle - Étoile.
Bus: #73.

The Arno Bridge and River, Florence, Italy

In many of my previous blogs, I’ve mentioned how many different and unique people you will meet along your travels and how many I met along mine.

While in line at the Uffizi, I met a great couple from Iowa who were in Italy for their annual vacation together after six years of marriage. They chose Florence as one of their three cities to visit while in Italy (Venice and Naples were their other two) and I asked them if they picked the right ones so far. Neither one of them answered right away so I let it go. It wasn’t until we got to the Arno Bridge that one of them mentioned their reasoning for choosing Florence.

The Arno Bridge has become the epitome of what “my Italy” stood for in the past centuries where I imagine little fat Italian men selling fresh bread on a sunny morning before the chill wears off, or where grapes were sold in bunches bigger than my head and tiny children fought over who rode on their father’s shoulder as he walked down the cobblestone streets on a quiet afternoon.

I’d like to think at one point all the bridges, including the Arno, represented a passageway into a new part of Florence that showed off its prototypical Italianness in that there were people proudly displaying their culture through tiny cafés and pizzerias where the cooks flipped dough in the air. That and actually speaking Italian!

Instead, I and the traveling couple, found peddlers chanting in English, the streets were dirty and not cobblestone, and the kids sent out alone, probably trying to pickpocket the unsuspecting tourists.

Despite all this, the couple told me through each other’s sentences that they still chose the right city to visit. They were enjoying themselves in a city new to both of them and they felt fortunate to have come this far together.

I sought out my own answer… was it wise to come to Florence? and I agreed with the couple from Iowa. There was something ancient still and worldly about Florence’s appearance. Much like all of Europe AND America, things will never be as they were or even how they could be. We live in a generation of spoiled and tainted societies. But I was new in Florence. I was in Italy, the farthest I’d been from home, and felt fortunate to have visited such a place and to me, the idiosyncrasies that once made up the Italian culture (we’ve been skewed by television and movies) still exist if only for brief moments.

You just have to be there to catch them.

Nighttime in Florence, Italy

Florence at night. Remarkable. So many reasons why.

For one, the lights at night have a yellowish tint to them that permeated throughout the entire city illuminating it like an old man’s birthday cake. Candles lit up the outside tables at every restaurant and you could see excited faces as they looked upon their food, wine, or simply their company across the table just as eager.

That brings me to my second favorite nighttime noun: the people.

The Italians seem to thrive, almost surpass themselves productively, later at night. Painters were still painting, but by moonlight, their work appeared crisper, more professional, classier, and serious. The servers had smiles on their faces, customers laughed with their heads thrown back, and the superfluous tourists - perhaps exhausted from museum lines or stuffing themselves with too many bowls of rigatoni - disappear leaving the city to its true citizens and the few wannabe world travelers dedicated to witnessing the reality.

Much like the Coliseum in Rome, the Duomo in Florence is beautiful at nighttime. You don’t have to go in it to appreciate it, for this drastic change on the surface shows how gorgeous Italy really is overall. With any city, there will be patches rough enough to perhaps deter visitors to not advise going, but for Florence, it is plenty recommendable by just being there for one day and seeing the Uffizi, staying at the David Inn Hostel and walking down Via Nazionale through the town with nothing but the dim lights to guide you.

Make Florence a “night trip”, and I promise you’ll see why you went to Italy.

The Statues of Florence, Italy

Don’t be fooled. There are several statues of the famous David all throughout Florence and I’m sure all throughout Italy there are several more. The real one, or so I was told and paid to see (12 euros) is housed in the Galleria dell’Accademia.

My advice? Take a photo of one of the fakies and tell your parents it’s the real deal. Or just buy a postcard at one of the million kiosks that sell postcards. For 12 euros, you can get something a lot greater than a fuzzy digital photo and sore feet. Save your walking for the architecture around you for it is the city’s actual delight. The hundreds of other statues that envelop the city’s streets are enough to keep you busy and are quite interesting in their own right.

For example, near the Uffizi Museum, there are several provocative statues indicating the Florentines past statue makers had more than Italian ice cream on their mind. One that caught my eye (more than once I should add) was the one of two men intertwined and tangled in an embrace only love could inspire . . .it was breathtaking and wondrous, a sight to truly behold, but sadly, nobody was around looking at it except me. Perhaps ignored for its size as it was somewhat smaller than the other statues nearby, but I think it was the two men’s, um, let’s call them man parts, were perhaps too close together . . .

My art teachers and literature teachers have told me alike that art and literature can be interpreted and pulled in more directions imaginable. I’d like to think the creator of that particular statue was making a statement, even if it was hundreds of years ago. Be open minded.

So, grab those comfortable shoes . . . you’re about to enjoy walking again!

Signoria Square, Florence, Italy

It’s hard to miss Signoria Square when you’re site seeing in Florence. In fact, you’ll walk right though it several times probably not knowing you were even in it. It happened to me a lot anyway, that I’d be walking through plazas, squares, or whatever else you want to label a giant amount of space, and realize I’m probably in something important or historical, or just plain popular.

Signoria Square was an outburst of painters, peddlers, parents, and journeymen. The painters lined up along the sidewalks each seemingly creating something better than the artist next to him or her. Peddlers streamed the streets with open hats or hands and all I could think was, at least paint me something! Parents from all angles of the square looked like they were running marathons to try and keep up with the zigzagging children just out of their reach. Then there was us journeymen and women . . .

With all the chaos, we soloists (maybe it was just me?) tried to tune out the noise and concentrate at the task at hand. Try and get through Signoria Square and not get distracted! It’s a challenge because I wanted to do this and see this and go to this before it closed or whatever. But the Square itself is a site too. There’s a quaint bustle to the ear that cannot go ignored and its one of a city bursting with mid-morning energy. SS (yeah, I think TGTGs are cool enough to abbreviate) also hosts some of the most surprising highlights of my day trip to Florence - its statues.

Duomo, Florence, Italy

Every time I think of Florence, I will forever wonder what the inside of the city’s main cathedral looks like.

I can’t go into detail about the inside of the Duomo because I didn’t get to go in!! The moral of the story is to make sure to pack a pair of pants because in certain sites within Italy (Vatican City, Sistine Chapel, and the Duomo to name a few) you can’t wear anything above the knees. And I didn’t know that of course because there was no TGTG website telling me such a fact However, if the inside matched even half of what it looked like on the outside, I’d say go in!

It’s hard to miss the gregarious beauty of the Duomo’s presence within the city. It stands out much like the Twin Towers did in New York, although not nearly as tall of course. The Duomo’s large circular shape makes it appear like an ancient baseball stadium and as you walk closer, you begin to see the truly amazing details it encompasses and why it’s such a popular site for locals and travelers alike.

I feel bad I didn’t go buy a cheap pair of Italian pants just so I could quickly get into the cathedral’s interior, but I was only there for a day and I had some other things on my Florence list . . . So there’s your warning… wear pants!

Uffizi Museum, Florence, Italy

What a delicious treat this place was. I heard in peak tourist season aka summertime, the Uffizi draws thousands of people and the lines are so long it takes hours to get in (TGTG Tip: I was there in early October and waited approximately fifteen minutes). After hearing that fact, and viewing what I saw in the Uffizi, I felt the wait would have been worth it either way. I was lucky to have only waited for fifteen minutes, which I was more thankful for because it was chilly in October and I was still without a warmer jacket, but if you’re a true art lover, or just appreciate beautiful things, the Uffizi Museum is a must see while in Florence.

First of all, the paintings displayed inside (and it’s not even to full capacity) are remarkable. I didn’t take art history in college (I wish I had) but the art inside is not just for those who memorized artists’ names and what the rough texture of the Botticellis meant or whatever. The colors, the landscapes, the largeness of the canvases, and the tiniest of details some of the paintings demonstrated mesmerized me. Some of the lesser known artists had some of the best paintings and of course, I always love the unappreciated!

The gallery is located on the third floor. The couple I was with and I took our time looking at each room that was open to the public (some are periodically closed for restoration). The building itself is extremely old, built by Cosimo I in 1560 (I love Wikipedia) and its obvious antiqueness is stated throughout its architecture. There’s a lot of history within the museum walls of Italy and the Uffizi is just one of many you can go in and experience.

Uffizi Museum (gallery is on the 3^rd floor!)
Loggiato degli Uffizi, 6
Florence
Tel: +39 055 2388651-652
Open: Tues-Sun, 8:15am-7pm
Tickets are around 6,50 euros (about $9.50 US)

Florence, Italy

Hands shaking, teeth chattering, mood weary, I arrived at The David Inn hostel in downtown Florence from the great Certaldo with the love of Italy still in tact. Unfortunately, Florence was my last stop while there and it meant one stop away from home; that was something weighing on my mind as I arrived. It should be stated I was severely tempted (while overseas) to sell my car, house, future first born . . . whatever, to make it up to northern Italy but it was not meant to be (at least not yet!!)

Back to Florence then. Hmmm . . . I’ll try not to be influenced by what others who’ve been there have said about it, particularly because no person can have the same experience while in any city, especially ones unknown to them.

A couple things right off: yes, the streets are overcrowded with tourists all cramming in together taking the same picture of the Duomo (the cathedral). Yes, litter covered these overcrowded streets with the tourists all cramming in together taking the same picture of the Duomo. And yes, there were gypsies panhandling money and ignoring the litter that covered the overcrowded streets with tourists, well, you get the point.

But here’s the thing about Florence: within these crowded streets, and tourists with extra cameras and gypsies begging for money, there are so many things that catch your eye – statues planted throughout the interspersed buildings, shops with numerous displays of their proud country’s soccer jerseys, painters painting the same things you just saw as you passed by – and so you can overlook the obstacles getting in your way of viewing a rather nice city.

Go to the Uffizi Museum, wander the streets until you find yourself intermingling with ancient hand-carved statues, or perhaps cross The Arno River Bridge and indulge in some cliché photographs overlooking the river’s edge, but no matter what, you’ll find yourself in Signoria Square on more than one occasion. Ignore the Gucci bag “salesmen” and maybe skive off into an Italian ice cream shop for a gelato treat. It’s not the only way to experience this constantly changing city, but in my opinion, it’s the easiest. If you catch yourself looking around, you might be disappointed at the city’s lack of care. Stare straight ahead and march forward. Looking down only depressed me. I maintained a traveler’s eye and viewed Florence with a craned neck . . .

By far, Florence wasn’t my favorite city in Italy; however, the eccentricities of it remain enlightening enough to suggest taking a day trip if you’re in the other nearby towns of Tuscany.

Paris, France

A trip to Europe without visiting Paris, France is incomplete. This incredibly beautiful and culture-rich destination has something to offer every traveler, from backpackers on a budget to chic tourists looking for couture fashions…and everywhere in between. For my trip, I fell into the first category.

I am lucky enough to have a relative who lives in Paris, my grandfather, so I got the local’s guide to this fabulous city, that I can now share with you! I stayed for 2 weeks, and let me tell you, I still didn’t get to see everything. I’ll get right into it…

Arriving in Paris can be filled with mixed emotions for the first time traveler, or even for the seasoned veteran. A culture shock can be expected because of the language, the customs (how many times do we kiss hello and goodbye?), the road rules, the hordes of tourists, and the amount of sites to check off your itinerary. Don’t be overwhelmed, just take them one at a time and be sure to enjoy each once you get to them. Don’t be thinking of how much time you can spend at one site before you have to leave to go to another. If you don’t get to everything, be happy you have something to come back and experience next time, don’t jam everything in and realize you really didn’t get to enjoy any of them when you’re finished. Like I said, 2 weeks wasn’t enough for me!

While on the plane to Paris, (direct from Phoenix on AirFrance), I made a list of the must see sites, that I absolutely had to get to. This included, of course:

(Blogs Coming Soon!)

The Eiffel Tower
The Arc de Triomphe
The Louvre
Luxembourg Gardens
Champs Elysees
Chateau de Versailles
Notre Dame
The Opera House
Montmartre and Moulin Rouge

I felt that if I got to see these sites, I would be satisfied with my Paris experience. I was right, to a certain extent. These sites are the backbone of Parisian culture and give you a fantastic idea of how Paris was in the past, and how it has progressed into the future. You feel as if you are in a fairytale as you walk around the vast halls of Versailles, or climb the steps to the top of the Eiffel Tower, or float down the Seine River on a boat tour where you’ll glance Notre Dame. While gazing at the Mona Lisa in The Louvre, you can’t help but feel lucky that you had this opportunity. All of these are unmissable, and unforgettable experiences in Paris, but…there is another side to this romantic city. That side consists of the more local culture and lesser-known tourist stops. The less busy, and more day-to-day life of Paris, that really lets you feel like you know what it would be like to live there. For these experiences, you need to visit: