Bon Voyage! France and Italy!

Ever since I was a small child, I have wanted to bask in the glory of the Eiffel Tower, feel the true power of God in the magnificent Cathedrals of Europe, and to relax on the seaside of the Mediterranean. I never imagined that during Spring Break 2012, all of those dreams would become reality. After the ten hour flight (My first flight ever!) to Paris, France, my eleven day vacation began with a self-guided group tour of the Louvre. This huge palace/museum was definitely a crazy place, that one wrong turn can trap you for hours. My group found that out within the first hour .  After touring Notre Dame, enjoying a sightseeing tour, having a boat ride on the river Sine, and seeing the entire city of Paris at night time, definitely the "City of Lights", from the top of the Eiffel Tower, we decided to turn in for the night. Bright and early (2:30 A.M.), we boarded our train into Milan, Italy. This was an awesome experience considering it was my first train ride, and after the entire day spent on the train, I was happy our tour director chose a comfy jazz club to enjoy our first Italian meal in! After a quick photo stop and tour of the Duomo De Milan, we headed to our hotel for a good nights rest. The next few days we experienced the full affect of Florence, Italy. We even ate at a small pizzeria where the pizza's were cooked old fashioned, hand-tossed and cooked in a brick oven, and the chef, Mario, was the perfect Italian man I had envisioned. I saw the Statue of David, rubbed the Boar's nose so I could definitely return later. The day after that, I was one of the few that to the excursion to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The day after, we headed deeper into Italy, stopping for the day at Vatican City. I purchased a rosary, had it blessed, toured the amazing Sistine Chapel  and even saw where the pope stands regularly to address the city. The few days we spent in the heart of Italy-Roma! The grandeur of the Colosseum, the beauty of the Roman Forum, the powerful Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and the amazing Pantheon. The next day, we spent our entire time at the amazing, and devestating, ruins of PompeiiThis is when we rushed back to the Charter bus to travel to the most relaxing part of our trip- Sorrento, Italy. After we checked into our hotel, ate dinner, and changed, we enjoyed the gorgeous sunset over the Mediterranean Sea. I found amazing pottery pieces, rocks, and shells to admire. After a stroll on the beach with my friends, we retired and left the windows of our room open, so we could fall asleep to the crashing waves. The last day of our trip had arrived. We loaded up on a cruise boat, my first cruise, that showed us the amazing Isle of Capri. After the cruise, we were dropped off to play and explore one of the most beautiful places in the world. We took the trolley up the island-side, and did some major shopping and picture taking. To end the perfect day, and the perfect trip, we tried some of the B E S T pizza in the world, the islanders really know how to live and eat! I could never be more grateful to my parents for this amazing trip. All of the moments are so unforgettable, and I did so much in Europe that I could not simply put all of it in this blog. I gave the major details and tourist spots I encountered. Europe is so amazing and beautiful, I would love to go again some day. I hope everyone at least experiences Europe once in their life-it is truly the best place to travel.