euro 2009 edition

I just got back from my trip to Europe. I had so much fun, I don't even know where to begin! I took over 400 pictures, so it's going to be hard to choose favorites to post on here, but I'll do my best. We spent the entire first day in London (and surrounding towns). We did all the usual tourist-y stuff; rode the double decker bus, explored the Tower of London, saw Picadilly, Trafalgar, Buckingham, Big Ben, etc. Then in the evening we took the tube out to Camden Town (known for it's unique marketplace and, let me add, people). There were tons of open air markets and some really neat antique shops.

The next day we headed a bit south to Portsmouth, a little old port town with tons of history. We saw the HMS Victory - the most famous war ship in the world. We also spent a great deal of time walking around the university portion of the town; there was a long old street lined with shops. We even got to see the birthplace home of Charles Dickens. We found a little shop on the waterfront and got some fish & chips. Late that night we boarded a ferry (more like a mini cruise ship) that took us to Caen, France.

Once in Caen, we rented a car and headed out to the beaches of Normandy. That was an amazing experience. Not only is it full of history and war artifacts, the towns that line the five beaches were adorable and many were full of stone medieval-type buildings. We walked through the beach front, meandered through old bunkers and pits in the ground that were left from bombings, went to Pont du Hoc, and checked out a few different museums.

Next we drove out to Mont Saint-Michel, a famous town of only 50 residents. It used to be an island, but as water levels have decreased through the years there is now a road. The town itself is mainly a castle and churches, cemeteries and old little cottages. It was a beautiful place and packed with history. Then we hit the road for Germany.

We arrived in Stuttgart, Germany after nearly 10 hours on the road. First thing we did was head to the Porsche museum/headquarters. That was really neat, got to see the entire history of the cars and company. We went to a huge showroom across the street and peeked at some fancy new ones.

Then we took the autobahn up to Heidelberg, an old quaint university town with a famous, half- destroyed castle. It was a gorgeous town. The castle was magnificent - ruins and all. We explored all around it and basked in the killer views of the town and Rhine river from atop the castle.

Next we drove south towards Switzerland. The alps were amazing! Already covered in some snow, they were picturesque. I didn't get to spend near as much time there as I would have liked, and I am pretty sure that someday soon I will return to devote an entire trip to Switzerland.

Then we headed to Liechtenstein, a tiny country that's sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria. It's the only country in the world that was "purchased", the family decided they wanted to buy a country. It was marvelous! Very clean, tons of charm. The Vaduz castle (which the royal family still resides in) is small but so neat. The prince is rumored to be worth 3.5 billion euros, which is a ridiculous amount of money. Then we headed to the southern part of Liechtenstein and spent some time at the Gutenberg castle. *ARE YOU NOTICING MY FETISH FOR CASTLES? We also drove through Austria, but spent only a few hours there.

Next we headed further south, back in to France, towards the Riviera (through the Alps, and by way of Lake Como, a beautiful town where George Clooney has a castle on the water). We stayed the next few days in Monaco - probably one of the fanciest places I've ever been. We went to the Monte Carlo casino and perused the shops in town. It was straight out of a James Bond movie, the whole experience.

Then we drove across the border in to the Italian Riviera. The first town we went to was Santa Margherita - like all of the Italian Riviera towns we went through, it was mostly empty due to the off season. Santa Margherita had a castle, many old churches and buildings, and a beautiful historic water front.

Later we drove through the national forest down in to Cinque Terre (a grouping of five tiny villages along the Liguarian coast), famous for it's lack of evidence of any modernization. We parked in Riomaggiore and began to explore. I fell in love with the Italian Riviera because of this town. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to go there. And it was everything I have ever dreamed it would be! We walked the famous coastal foot path to Manarola, the next village with tons of little boats lining the streets.

Then we took a short flight in to Rome. Rome was over-crowded and over-commercialized and while I do not regret visiting, I am not eager to return. While there, we explored ancient ruins at a large old park near the Colosseum, saw the Trevi fountain, spanish steps, walked all over town and toured the Vatican.