Spring 2007
My first trip outside of the United States was in Spring 2007 with EF Tours. It was a 10-day trip with teachers and friends during my junior year of school. We vistied Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Austria. We started our trip in Frankfurt, where our plane landed, and traveled by bus to Rothenburg and Munich, Germany for the first three days. Munich was, by far, one of the greatest cities I have ever visited. Reminiscent of New York and Chicago, centuries-old buildings cover the city with modern shops on their ground floors. A week could have been spent in Munich alone. Unfortunately our time on the continent was short, so we moved on.
Our next stop was Innsbruck, Austria, known as the host city for the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics. We only had a few hours in the small city, but seeing the Golden Roof and the city's famous ski jump was enough for me to truly appreciate the town. Later the same day, we drove through northern Italy to reach Venice Beach by sundown. Being Italian, the day in Venice was a meaningful experience for me, one that would only be matched the following year when I returned to Europe. From trying different pizzas, to riding in a gondola in Venice's canals and feeding pigeons in St. Mark's Square, I felt that I had done everything I needed to do in Venice.
The following days, we visited Verona, Italy, the setting of "Romeo and Juliet," and Lucerne, Switzerland. Unfortunately it was a religious holiday in Luncerne, so many places in the city were closed. Our trip ended back where it began, in Frankfurt, and on that 11-hour flight back to the US, I realized that I was fortunate to see these different cultures.
Summer 2008
One year later, I made my return to Europe. Although making it there and back was a part of the trip I tend to ignore these days, I was on standby flights both ways, this trip was even better than the one I took the year prior. Traveling with a few of my best friends and my best friend's family, our trip was centered around a 7-day cruise in the Mediterranean with Royal Caribbean. Starting with 3 days in Barcelona, Spain, as we waited for our cruise to depart, our group stayed in a rented, 4-bedroom apartment. Barcelona reminded me a lot of Munich in the way that the city is filled with older buildings that were renovated by modern businesses. It was also indescribable to see the Sagrada Familia church.
The cruise itself was worth the money. I come from a small family, so being able to eat with everyone on a nightly basis and having the opportunity to roam the ship at all hours of the night was a great experience. Our cruise began with a stop in Nice, France, which was a typical port city that I wasn't particularly impressed with. The third day of our cruise, we stopped at a port city in northern Italy and took a train to Florence. Our time in Florence was limited because of the long train ride but the highlight was being able to see the San Lorenzo Church. The following day, we visited Rome. Although we couldn't make it into the Sistine Chapel, make sure to buy tickets in advance if you ever plan on visiting, we did see St. Peter's Basilica (pictured right) and the Roman Coliseum.
Our next stop was Naples, Italy, where we had an amazing Italian lunch at small family restaurant. The final stop on our cruise was Palermo, Sicily, Italy. My grandfather was born in Sicily, so finally being able to stand close to the same place my grandfather was raised gave me a better understanding of his life and my family's history. Two days later, we returned to Barcelona, where we spent the last two days of our vacation. I would recommend this cruise for anybody who wants to see the best parts of Western Europe in a short matter of time.