Happy New Year, everybody! I haven’t written since November – I needed some time off. Now, I’m back! I just returned last week from two and a half weeks traveling around Italy and Ireland. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!
My first stop over the Christmas period was Milan. After a small snag (my parents and grandmother getting stuck at the airport and not making their connection at JFK), things were smooth sailing from there. Even when my family wasn’t in Milan with me, I still made the most of it.
Paris is one of those cities you either love or you don’t. Some people fall in love with the perceived romance of the city, other people say the city smells. For me, Paris has always been one of the cities I knew I needed to go to, but I wasn’t very interested. Honestly, the main reason I wanted to go was to take a day trip to Normandy and see the Omaha Beaches (but that tour was cancelled …) Still, there is plenty to see and do in Paris, and I felt that I needed a little more time.
Being back overseas means getting to spend a Christmas abroad. This year my parents and I had decided on going to Paris for Christmas and London for New Years. To be honest, Paris is one of those places that I know I needed to go to but didn’t really have much desire to visit. The main reason I wanted to go to Paris was to go to Normandy and see the D-Day Beaches. We booked a tour, but unfortunately our tour was cancelled ten days out.
Once we decided on our destinations, we had to decide our order. Should we do London first or Paris first? Unlike London, things are actually open on Christmas. If you’re looking for a European destination at Christmastime, Paris is a great place to go for this reason. The trains and metro are open, which is fantastic! We used them both several times on Christmas day.
One of my favorite things about Europe is the ease and cost of high-speed train travel. After our rainy experience in Luxembourg, we boarded a train to Brussels, Belgium. The train tickets only cost €21 because we are under 26. Yay youth discounts! Two hours later, we were walking the streets of sunny Brussels.
I was nervous to fly and didn’t sleep much. There was a plane crash the week before, so I was freaked out. Luckily, our flight took off and landed safely. The only problems I had were the turbulence and the guys jabbing his elbows into me throughout the flight. We arrived to a rainy, cold Luxembourg. Being typical Erika, I left my umbrella in Spain.
Tip: If you are going to visit Luxembourg, do it when it’s sunny. And don’t go on a Sunday.