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I spent May and June of 1998 in Europe with my buddy Jenn Glover. We started our journey in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and ended in Athens, Greece. We travelled mostly by rail, but also by car - rented in Munich, Germany and driven (along the Autobahn!) to see the Disney Castle in Fussen, and in Switzerland thanks to my brother Steve's girlfriend Marlen, who hails from a town near Bern and who drove us to see Zermatt and the area around Interlaken. |
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At Neuschwanstein Castle: Bavaria, Germany |
We also travelled by boat - in Venice, Italy and to the Island of Corfu, Greece (by speedboat no less!), and then to mainland Greece. We also took a hydrofoil to the island of Hydra off the coast near Athens. One can't forget bus travel either! The most memorable rides being in Greece where buses are really the only way to get around...too bad the buses are old, they don't have air conditioning and the roads aren't too stupendous! Besides travel, we also met some amazing people and sampled some gorgeous food! Highlights of which were:
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 Piazza Michelangelo-Florence, Italy |
Italy and Greece were probably my favourite countries - this could be based on the fact that they are where we had the nicest weather! But Paris was definitely awesome - it's highest on my list for places to return to because we didn't get to see everything that we wanted to. Chamonix and Switzerland were awe-inspiring. Going up the Augille du Midi and standing that close to Mt. Blanc was stellar. Also finally seeing the Matterhorn and the Eiger were highlights. We were a little too early in the season to hike much in Switzerland which kind of sucked, but hey - even more reason to return! |
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 The Coliseum - Rome, Italy |
But no - Florence was amazing and Rome simply took my breath away. Finally finding myself standing inside the Colesseum and looking around at all that history was mind-blowing. We even took a bike tour around Rome which totally kicked - despite the fact that the temperature was in the mid-30's. Visiting Pompeii was really cool. I'd heard so much about the place and wasn't disappointed....pretty wild seeing bodies from so long ago just lying there, perfectly preserved. We also had a lot of fun exploring Herculaneum which was also destroyed by Mt. Vesuvius but is less touristed. |
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 Meteora, Greece |
We had five days in Corfu which rocked - chilling out on the beach is always rough :) Definitely a great place to visit if you're into the beach lifestyle - but stay away from the famous Pink Palace...DANGER! Seeing ancient Olympia was a highlight for me - and thanks to Jenn for going too! Seeing where it all began was really cool...unfortunately not much is left standing but one can still get the feeling. We also visited Delphi which had a lot more ruins - including a stadium with seating...just had to strike a pose there.... |
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Athens wasn't as bad as everyone said it would be. Yes it was busy and there was pollution but it wasn't over-powering. The acropolis was well worth the trip as was going to the port of Sounion to see the ruins of the temple there. We did take off for an overnighter on the island of Hydra - about 1.5 hours away from Athens. The only mode of transportation on the island was either boat - or donkey! Definitely a slower pace than Athens. The temperature got up to 38 degrees C so you can imagine that the water sure felt nice - too bad Jenn forgot her bathing suit in Athens! oops.... |
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 Ciao from Europe! Hydra, Greece |
HIGHLIGHTS:
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The
Parthenon