After Venice, we traveled to Lucerne, Switzerland. We went to the top of a mountain by train and the view was breathtaking. The air was so cold and clean at the top. The peak of the mountain is 6,227 feet high. We then took a tour of Lake Lucerne by boat. The water in the lake is from melting glaciers and is so clean that you can drink straight from the lake. After that we had time to wander around the city. We bought Swiss chocolate, which, I have to admit, I’m a little disappointed in. It wasn’t as good as people claim it is.
After Lucene, we went to the most beautiful place I have ever been to: Paris. I was so happy when we entered the city that I cried. The hotel we stayed in was beautiful. While we were in the city for the first night we went to see Moulin Rouge, which was simultaneously the strangest and most beautiful show I’ve ever seen. The next day we went to Versailles and the Eiffel Tower. The view of the city from the top of the tour was so incredible. We went to the gift shop that’s built into the tour's second level and I bought myself a bottle of French perfume. Later that night we went to a view point and watched the tour light up as it got dark out and walked across a bridge lined with the most intricate street lamps. I cried when we had to leave the next morning.
The last stop on our trip was to London. It was nice to go some place where the people spoke the same language as you. The first thing we saw when we entered the city was a protest because the day before was the day that Brexit happened. Nana and I decide to venture away from the group that day and explore on our own. We took the London Underground to Buckingham Palace and we did the Queen's Walk. We got to see the changing of the guard and a noble left the palace in a horse-drawn carriage, though we were too far away to see who it was.
We ventured to the far end of the city and saw the London Eye and got lunch at a place called The Gourmet Burger Kitchen.
When we left, we took a taxi to London Heathrow Airport. Going through customs at the U.S. border took so long that I almost cried. It was a bittersweet homecoming. I was sad my trip of a lifetime was over, but I was thrilled to see my family. My mom, dad, little brother, and Papa were all waiting for us near baggage claim with a big sign.
My trip to Europe was such a whirlwind that I still feel like it was a dream. It was the most magical two weeks of my life and I wish I could go back. I plan to return to Paris someday and explore the parts of the city I didn’t get to see.
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