Europe Revealed!

Hey Dubai and the rest of the world, we (Ady, Evey, George ady's, and me along with our parents) are back from our some what refreshing break spent in glorious Europe and now we would like to share the experience with you all. Off course you guys back in Europe, well you know the place … As you know we started off in Frankfurt (Germany) .It seemed organized and exact with model like super humans walking from tram to train going about their daily activities. If one visits Frankfurt one does not have to bother about learning German because most of the people there speak fluent flawless English, it made communicating a hell lot easier since we were constantly asking directions to places where we wanted to visit . A must see place will be a kind of a square called Romer it famous for its lively chatter and colorful shops and buildings; this is also the best place to get souvenirs. I must tell you that going around Frankfurt is extremely easy because it’s all within walking distance if your legs can’t walk no more there is always the tram which pretty much goes everywhere. Frankfurt is a comparatively new city because much of it was destroyed by the 2nd world war. It’s also famous for its Banks.

We then come on to Vienna, now Vienna was some what the complete opposite of Frankfurt, the very minute you step on to Viennese soil you cant help but hum one of the tunes from “the sound of Music” its so colorful and brimming with cute small buildings all resembling each other, its also home to 2 brilliant palaces called the Schonbrunn and the Hofburg .Both at a certain time has housed the legendary Royal Sisi an almost mythical Queen surrounded by mystery and awe. I suggest that one takes a Ticket known as the “Sisi ticket” which allows one to visit 5 places the; 2 palaces which includes the imperial apartments the royal silver collection and an imperial furniture museum. When in Vienna be sure to sample one of their many local beers (actually do the same in Frankfurt too) since we are technically underage we stayed clear from that area and concentrated on the royal palaces while our dads had a few draughts. Vienna also has an impressive museum, matching the Louvre called the Kunsthistorisches museum. I suggest that one takes the metro or rather the “U” line (underground subway thingy) it’s much easier. A must see is also the state opera and St. Stephan cathedral.

St. Peter's Square (Vatican)

Ruins of Rome ( ancient Forum)

Fontana Di Trevi ( Barbirenni)

Now we move along to Ancient Roma ,now although the underground rail is not so advanced as Vienna or Paris it is efficient as all major stops is conveniently situated near a monument .Some must see sights are the Coliseum , the Vatican/ Saint Peter’s basilica ( free entrance ) and the Sistine Chapel ( not free) here you will be able to see the works of great artisans who have given their life’s work to the Vatican this including sculptures , frescos ( the creation of Adam, the last Judgment both by Michelangelo along with many other works of art that he has contributed to the massive complex. One ends their visit to the Musi Vaticani (Vatican Museum) by entering into the Sistine Chapel after passing through many rooms decorated by Raphael (know as the Raphael Rooms). The Vatican is a must see what ever ones faith!
After the Vatican makes sure you stroll down to the Fontana Di Trevi and toss in a coin, and may be you will return to Rome again one day. We visited the Roman Forum, many many churches, and ate a ton of fresh pasta!

We went to Venice but I did not really find the sinking city that appealing 1st of all it takes ages to travel there from the main station ( Santa Lucia it takes 45 min to the tourist interest centre) and when you get there its crowded and nasty… well not nasty its just crazy so be sure what your getting into ,sure Venice has its charm but is come at a price to make sure you don’t come out of Venice sinking, be sure to plan plan plan, Venice is not an easy place to visit but if you do be sure to visit the glass furnaces scattered throughout a place called Murano.

David in the Accademia

Remember when I posted that we will not be going to Florence well … we DID! And believe me when I say; I am so glad we did. Ady was the happiest because she got to see her long lost love David. And she found Florence “positively orgasmic”. The trip was a bit of a “round about” as it would have been easier to travel form Rome but on checking the train ticket prices, we found out that it was actually cheaper from Venice. Ok so any way we went to Florence and it was Beautiful it was like all of the worlds, best aesthetics were poured into that one city, well one must understand that Florence was host to the Florentine artists including greats like Leonardo, Michelangelo, Botticelli. We got to see the “Birth of Venus” in the Galleria degli Uffizi by Botticelli and David in the Accademia ( expect a long queue) and we ended our one day visit ( I know its tooo short ) by going to the Palazzo Vecchio where a mini David is placed. Tip: make sure you reserve a visit to the above mentioned museums (like we did not do) to avoid long queues or go in when the museum opens or 45mins before closing to avoid the crowds.

From Florence we went to the motherland of all Fashion ; Paris – it was fantastic although when I first stepped out of the train station, a poster of a rugby player holding a rugby ball to cover his regions, while standing naked greeted me, apparently it was some sort of promotional calendar as Paris was host to the 2007 world Rugby . Ady and Eve marched to the book store in the train station pointed to the poster and asked them what it was, when they found out that it was a calendar (Dieux du Stade) and that there were calendars from 2003 they bought 20 copies each to distribute them to their friends and asked the slightly scared book store keeper where they could find the rest of the years (must wash eyeballs). Paris still has that old world charm, showcased brilliantly in the “Moulin rouge” and every where we turned we saw couples kissing, the Eiffel tower, picture worthy bridges and baguettes. The first thing we did was ask for “the Paris Museum Pass” (30 euros for adults free for below 18’s) but because we were under 18 ( oops revealed our ages ) it was free for us our parents though had to take the ticket its about 30 euros but its worth it because you get to see a lot of monuments and museums with them.
We first went to the louvre then the Notre Dame, and ended the day with a stroll along the famed Champs Elysees (dropped in to visit Louis Vouttion).The second day we went to the Eiffel tower (did not go on top), the Arch and the Chateaux de Versailles. The third day were went 2 churches and then went shopping in a place called Galeries Lafayette. After dropping our shopping bags mostly our mothers at the hotel we went to the Musée d'Orsayand the next day we went to a palace and visited many other miscellaneous places.

From there we came back to Dubai and it’s good to be back! – Great job Pebe.
posted by ( the fetchies )