The End of the Road

To those who have been reading, I apologize for the lack of updates. I did not have an internet connection in Paris, and our time in Rome was so quick I never really had time to update. So, I will do a quick recap of the remaining days of our trip. After meeting up with our tour group in London, everyone went out to dinner together and had a night out in Leicester Square. It was nice to meet new people and hang out enjoying new parts of the city that Annie and I had not explored yet on our own. The next day we had a day trip out to Stonehenge and Bath. It was so interesting to see Stonehenge, because it was literally right off the highway. Cars drive by this historic site everyday on the way to work, so everyone had a good laugh about it. 

After Stonehenge, it was off to Bath. This was a beautiful town in the country that had very interesting architecture. It is also the site of the famous Roman Baths. We got to spend an afternoon here hanging out and seeing different parts of the city before we headed back into London. The next day was a free day to explore the city, so Annie and I headed off to Buckingham Palace which she had not seen yet, the Royal Mews, and do a little shopping before we headed back to our group to see "The Sound of Music" on the West End. That's right...we saw not one, but two musicals in London!

The next we left London via a ferry crossing the English Channel. When we left shore we get a great view of the famous cliffs of Dover, which was actually shown in a scene of one of Annie and my favorite movies "Across the Universe" so we got pretty excited to see it. I was actually worried about the ferry as I get seasick very easily, but I was actually Ok and it ended up being a lot of fun. Once we arrived in Paris, we got a driving tour of all the very famous sites of the city, as well as driving what I think is a record 3 times around the Arc De Triumph.

The next day, we visited the Palace of Versailles, which I know Annie was the most excited about seeing as she had studied about this in school. The Palace was AMAZING! This was the palace that most of the King Louis' of France lived in (there were too many for me to count) as well as Marie Antoinette before she was executed by the french people with the guillotine. The actual palace as well as the gardens were so impressive. We also got to see the Hall of Mirrors. 

The next day Annie and I got to do a little sightseeing and saw the Louvre, as well as the Notre Dame Cathedral, which is definitely one of my favorite sights in Paris.

That evening, some of our group went out to the famous Moulin Rouge. Annie and I decided to stay behind but we still met up with everyone afterwards to see the location and hang out at one of the nearby pubs. I know Annie agrees with me when I say that this was one of our most fun evenings of the whole trip. It was great to see so many different people hang out, dance, and just generally have a great time!

The next day we said Au Revoir to Paris and took the overnight train to Rome! Let me tell you it is an understatement to say that the overnight train was nothing like what we expected. I can say that we at least survived it. I had heard different stories about staying overnight on the train, but it still did not prepare me. We had 6 people in one cabin plus our luggage which made for tight quarters. We got lucky and were in a cabin with all girls we knew so we stayed up most of the night playing cards and games and listening to music. It's safe to say we didn't get a lot of sleep! After arriving in Rome, we had about 20 minutes to get ready before heading straight to the Vatican. I was prepared to wait hours to get in from what people told me, but we walked straight in! They must have been aware of our VIP status :) Although, I don't know how much of a line we could stand since everyone was tired and is it just SO HOT in Rome! The sun there was intense. It was amazing to finally see the Sistine Chapel as well as the Basilica. Both Beautiful! We were also able to see the Spanish Steps.

The next day was packed with sightseeing. Luckily, Rome was pretty easy to navigate and most of the sights were close together so we were able to walk everywhere. While the food had been totally different, Annie and I found a new favorite....Gelato!!! I think we had about this about 3-4 times while were there. It was THAT good! We did try a different flavor each time including Coffee, Strawberry, Nochella, Chocolate, and Raspberry. None of them disappointed. We were also able to see by far my favorite site in Rome, which was the Trevi Fountain. And yes, we even tossed a coin in! It was one of the most beautiful sites on the trip for me.

The next day we were off for an early morning flight back to the states! Yes, I actually survived the entire 15+ hour flight....but barely! :) Thanks to everyone who read this and posted their comments. Annie and I had a unforgettable experience over the 2 weeks we were gone and it was just overall amazing! Here are some favorite experiences and closing thoughts....

• London: Liverpool (a trip we have been wanting to do for a LONG time!), Althorp, and Hairspray.
• Paris: Versailles, the Eiffel Tower, driving around the crazy Arc de Triumph, and our night out on the town with our fellow tourmates.
• Rome: The Trevi Fountain and Gelato!! 
• Number of times people from there own country asked us for directions: 4
• Number of nights Annie went to bed Early: 4...a new world record!
• Number of Books Amy read on the trip: 3...and in two weeks! I know you're impressed!
• Number of times Amy decided she want's a Vespa: 2,456,859.....
• Number of Dark Knight Advertisements counted on the whole trip: 138. What can I say, we are fans!
• Annie's favorite purchase: Her teal sunglasses that made her look oh so euro chic.
• Amy's favorite purchase: Artwork from each city to display in her room.

It is the end of the road for this journey. But I know we can't wait to go back!!