Friday, April 3
I left Granada at 5 p.m. only to pass the following 8 hours transferring from plane to train to bus to car with a good deal of “layover” time in between. Finally met up with my Uncle Franco and cousin Giulia at the Florence train station where we waited for Ross’s bus from the Pisa airport to arrive.
Saturday, April 4
After waking up in time for lunch (freshly made pesto pasta!), Ross and I went into downtown Florence where we caught site of a protest in progress. It was a very docile demonstration about city development, and was definitely a lot different from those I’ve seen in Spain.
How could I be in Florence and not visit the famous red-topped Duomo?? The cathedral is massive -- inside and out -- but not as gaudy as those in Madrid, Sevilla and Granada.
Sunday, April 5
With better weather, we explored more of Florence, making sure to walk along the Arno River and across the well known Ponte Vecchio.
We were sure to give the Florentine Boar’s gold snout a rub for good luck, even if it meant elbowing our way through the swarm of other prosperity-seeking tourists.
Monday, April 6
The obligatory pre-departure photos at my aunt and uncle’s house before Ross and I took the train into Florence one last time. Here I am with Ross and my cousin Giulia.
Ross and I flew out of the Pisa airport at 4 p.m. and were straight craving crêpes by the time we arrived in Paris a couple of hours later. After a navigating our way to our hotel via the subway, we went out for a walk around the city. Seeing Notre Dame at night was more impressive than I could have imagined. I only wish we could have had time to revisit it during the day!
The Eiffel Tower was equally impressive, and seeing how massive and aesthetically pleasing it is quickly helped change my opinion of Paris as a city of marginal personal interest to one of my favorites I’ve visited.
Tuesday, April 7
Fortunately, we were able to return to the Tower in the morning and view the city from the top.
After resolving to make a last-minute stop by the Arc de Triomphe, Ross and I madly scrambled to make our late afternoon train to Luxembourg City, boarding with literally seconds to spare. Looking back, spending less than 24 hours in the City of Lights may not have been the most practical of ideas, but I can’t say I wouldn’t do it again!
A quick two hours later, we found ourselves crossing the border into Luxembourg where Ross’s parents met us for dinner. And yes, we indulged in delicious Thai food before strolling around the super unique and very beautiful city.
Wednesday, April 8
From Luxembourg we rode back with Ross’s parents to the little town of Salmtal, a farming community just north of Trier and worlds away from the big cities we had visited earlier in the week. Spending the day walking among the vineyards and spying on the boxlike buildings of the countryside’s towns welcomingly slowed the pace of our rapid mini-tour of Europe. I really enjoyed seeing this side of Germany, and would love to see the country in the summertime when everything is greener.
Thursday, April 9
For a little bit of history (and more amazing German food), we took a day trip to Trier, the oldest city in Germany and a former capital of the Roman Empire. Everything seemed fresh and pleasant in the city despite there being ancient Roman ruins like the Porta Nigra, a Roman gateway, scattered about.
Friday, April 10
An early morning flight out of Germany had me back home in Granada in time for lunch. Though I had wanted to check out some of the Holy Week processions, I ended up choosing a long nap over a little bit of culture that afternoon.
Saturday, April 11
Woke up in time to enjoy several Easter parades, complete with hooded candle holders, bell ringing children, and large effigy platforms that required up to 30 people to carry for miles throughout the city. Each procession featured a different “theme,” the most elaborate being the Last Supper parade. I was impressed with how perfectly coordinated everything was, and how much was put into the Holy Week celebrations. Certainly something one would never find in a city in the States.
Needless to say, the week was absolutely fantastic. Europe is such a wonderful place, and I know I’m going to miss its diversity terribly when I return home in just more than a month. I keep reminding myself, though, that there’s no reason to be too upset about leaving if I fully intend to come back one day. And I definitely plan on doing just that.
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