My Trip to Europe
by Katie Boucher
It has always been my dream to travel. There are so many places I want see, so many cultures I want to experience during my life. This past summer I got to cross five places off of my list.
My parents told me about my trip a year in advance. They were so excited for me that they made a whole day out of telling. They took me out to lunch and we went on a tour of the Budweiser factory. They told me in the car on the way to lunch. My mom handed me a brochure titled "European Dream." When I asked what it was she explained to me that my Nana had been planning a trip to Europe and that my Papa didn’t want to go with her. She then went on to say that Nana had called a few days earlier to ask my dad if she could take me with her. I was so excited that I just started crying.
The months leading up to the trip went by so slowly that I thought I was going to go out of my mind. It was all I thought about for weeks. I was more excited to go on my trip than I was to graduate high school, which is saying a lot because I hated high school.
When it was finally time to leave for the trip I was a bundle of nervous energy. I had all my things packed and ready to go. I could hardly sit still for the car ride to the airport. I can remember being so scared we weren’t going to make it in time for our flight, even though we were hours early. It turned out that our flight was delayed an hour so it wouldn’t have mattered if we were late anyway.
When we arrived in Rome I was over-the-moon happy. We got picked up at the airport by a driver and he called me Katarina instead of Katie, which made me laugh. The people in Rome drive like maniacs but the city was so beautiful. The three days I spent there were amazing and I learned so much history. We visited the Vatican City and befriended some monks. I got to see the Sistine Chapel. I cried when I saw how beautiful the ceiling was. It was truly incredible.
After Rome, we took a bus to Florence, Italy. While there I bought souvenirs from street vendors and I got to see the statue of David, which is something I’d always wanted to see. We had the most amazing food and wine, too. The dinner took place at a local winery so all the food and wine was made right there. Everyone from our tour group was talking and laughing and there was music and dancing, too.
The next day we got back on the bus and went to Venice. It was oppressively humid, but the city was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The canals were beautiful and all the buildings were original to the city’s creation. We got to visit a glass blowing factory and see a demonstration. I got the most beautiful necklace and bracelet while at the glass factory. We went in a gondola and sipped champagne. We also took a water taxi and the driver had a crush on me.
Katie Boucher
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