I went to Europe with my family in February 2005. We decided to go to three countries: France, Switzerland, and Italy. We traveled by bus and train during the two weeks, and had a good time. Although communicating was cumbersome, we were still able to travel with no major problems. We actually saw the famous places that we had only heard of before the trip. Above all, I was glad that I had the chance to experience so much of Europe's culture and spend so much time with my family.
In France After spending twelve long hours on the plane, we finally arrived in France. When
we arrived there, it was late in the evening. Fortunately, we had a guide waiting for us at the airport. From the airport, we took a bus to the Mercure hotel. We were so tired because of the long flight, so as soon as we arrived at the hotel, we fell asleep. When morning came, we left for the Louvre Museum. The world-famous museum contained many works of famous painters that we had only seen previously in art books. We saw artworks by Vincent van Gogh and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. I was very pleased to see these pieces of art that I had passed over without concern before. These works were much easier to understand with the help of the local guide, especially when I saw the Mona Lisa, the most famous painting in the world. Seeing the masterpiece in person, I realized that all the photos I had seen didn't do the real painting justice. When lunchtime came, we went to a famous French restaurant and ate a snail dish (escargot) and drank wine. After lunch we went out to the main Parisian boulevard, The Champs-Elysees, the name of which I had only heard in a song. It was so gorgeous it made me think to myself, 밳ou really are in Paris!?Next we saw the famous luxury boutique Louis Vuitton of which previously I had only seen pictures on the Internet. I also saw one of the famous Triumphal Arches. Then we went shopping, and time really started to fly! Evening came too soon, however. That night, we went to see the Seine River, which is the 3rd-largest in France. We went sightseeing while riding a boat in the Seine, from where we saw many famous places such as Notre Dame Cathedral, the National Police Agency, and the Eiffel Tower. The first night went quickly and the second day came. We left the hotel a little bit later than we did on the first day and we went to see Montmartre Hill. Montmartre means "Martyr." Montmartre was a very beautiful place-there was blue-colored grass and a merry-go-round along the way. There were many pickpockets on the road to Montmartre, however, so we had to be vigilant. We also saw many painters along the road. I enjoyed spending time walking with my parents. Next we visited Notre Dame Cathedral. We prayed together in the cathedral and it was a very meaningful time for us. Our next stop was the Sorbonne, the most elite university in the country, kind of like Korea's Seoul National University. Afterwards we visited the Eiffel Tower and Versailles Palace. Versailles was built by King Louis XIV. Within the palace is the hall of mirrors in which the Versailles Treaty which ended WWⅠ was signed. We bought many souvenirs in Paris and we had a great time. I hope to return to Paris again someday, but even if I don't get the chance, I know I will always remember this trip.
In Switzerland From Lyon station in France, we took the TGV train. The TGV is like our KTX train. The train ride took about five-and-a-half hours from Paris, France to Bern, Switzerland. We ate Chinese food for lunch and then we went to downtown Bern. There were only a few people in the streets and many shops were closed because it was Sunday. However, it was still so beautiful even though the streets were deserted. After visiting the Teddy Bear Museum, we left for Interlochen to check into our hotel. Interlochen has many hotels and restaurants because it is a tourist village. We rested for a while at the hotel, and then celebrated my parents?wedding anniversary at a nearby restaurant. We went to a cafe, met some Swiss people, and had dinner together. We couldn't communicate well with each other, but we enjoyed the experience of trying to communicate using just gestures. The following day, we left for the Swiss Alps in the Jungfrau region, but because of the high altitude and lower air pressure, I had an earache on the way to the mountain. I also felt very tired because of the 4 hour- long train ride, but at least we could see all the Swiss-style houses. We had often seen in movies or in cartoons. We also saw people skiing and sledding. Even though it was expensive, my family bought two bowls of noodles. Finally we arrived in Jungfrau. Surprisingly, Korean instant noodles were being sold there, but they were 40 francs each (about 5000 won). We also bought a postcard to send home. Our bodies were very tired and sore but mentally, we felt great. The whole day left me in delight.
In Italy We took a bus from Switzerland to Italy. We started in the morning and arrived around
three or four o뭖lock. On the way, we stopped at a resting place and bought some
delicious cookies and a map. During the bus ride we saw a video about Italy. We
arrived in Milano early in the evening. Milano뭩 atmosphere was entirely different from Switzerland. There
were many people and the streets were a little dirty, but I still felt good. We went to the Duomo Cathedral of Milano, which is famous in Milano and Florence. The cathedral features a pontoon bridge. When I saw the church, I was surprised at how grand it was. It was very unfortunate that we couldn뭪 see inside because the interior was being repaired. On the next day we went to Florence, the city selected as the most beautiful city in Europe. I especially looked forward to seeing Florence because it appeared in my favorite book, 밷etween Calmness and Passion.?Next we left for Venice, the city made famous by Shakespeare뭩 play, the 밠erchant of Venice.?Venice is famous for its mask festival, where a lot of marvelous masks and hats are
sold. We also saw the Bridge of Lamentation where Casanova delivered his speech. I was so pleased to ride a Gondola; it was just like I had seen in books and on TV. The guide told us many good stories. After the Gondola, we had Italian veal and spaghetti for lunch. After lunch we went to Sorrento and
Napoli. Although the streets were not clean, I liked Napoli very much. There were many warm-hearted people. I can still vividly
remember Napoli. Overall, I had a very valuable and pleasant time
during my travels. I learned a lot about the culture and architecture of Europe and I made many memories that I will keep forever. I hope everyone has the chance to travel to Europe.
By Sin Ji-ran