To celebrate my wife’s graduation, we planned a big trip this year, to Europe.
The goal of this trip was to “Cover all the Touristy Places”. oh and “EAT”
We flew out of Cincinnati, direct flight to Paris, France.
Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe,
And then, proper French Cuisine @ Michelin Guide 1 Star Restaurant!
It was very sophisticated meal. Each dish has a little twist to the ingredients own flavor, and as a whole meal, it was very orchestrated, and had a flow from one dish to the next. They are not just tasty or beautiful dishes, but also has some depth that make you wonder. It was totally a new experience for me.
This was not just in Paris, but during the whole trip, bakeries were amazing! Maybe flour, water, or something, the bread tasted so much better during this trip.
To cover the bases, I couldn’t skip Macaron, French Onion Soup, and of course, Escargot!
The Next stop, Barcelona, Spain.
First thing we noticed was that Barcelona seems much more relaxed just looking at how people dressed, etc.
I met a girl in the bus from airport, and she told me that we should use subways or busses, since they are very cheap. She said “It’s very cheap, you can get 24 hour pass. and very safe. people may steal things, but they don’t punch you!”… ah… very comforting… It is true that we need to be more careful for our belonging in Europe compare to living in Ohio.
In Barcelona there is one thing you cannot miss. Gaudi. He was an architect designed very unique buildings, including the Sagrada Familia. The never ending construction! (which now planned to be completed in 2026!!!)
We visited several buildings that were built by Gaudi, and all of them are very very unique, very weirdly attractive.
In Spain, we had amazing Tapas and Paella.
Now to the final destination, Rome, Italy.
After delayed flight from Barcelona to Rome, we were welcomed by Hotel Staff of Hotel Dei Mellini with so much energy at Midnight, blow away our exhaustion! There were so many things to see in Rome, Started with Colosseum and Roman ruins, then museums, many many churches, Vatican, fountains, etc… with so much history, every street corner is worth seeing. I loved just walking around the narrow street from plaza to plaza between old buildings!
And in Rome, there are only two things you should be eating…. Pasta and Pizza!
The fresh pasta was so amazing… and the source! It is complete opposite from French cuisines, their flavors are so straight forward, we can taste each ingredients loud and clear. If it’s tomato sauce, it is tomato taste, no crazy twist, but it is just good. Fresh ingredients and simple recipe… oh, and can’t forget about the gelato!
It was an amazing trip. a lot of things we saw, and a lot of amazing food… I’m already missing it…
Special Thanks to Jess @ First Discount Travel for arranging our flight and hotels. All hotels she recommended for us was at great location. Very convenient to visit any of the sight seeing spots, and also their staff were very kind and helpful. If anyone’s planning a trip to Europe she is highly recommended!
