Europe!
My boyfriend turned fiance and I went to Amsterdam, Paris and London and then spent a week with his family at their lake house in the Ozark Mountains. The trip was amazing beyond words, but I will try to find the words to describe it. I will also show you the experiences we had...like getting engaged in Paris!
Amsterdam:
We arrived in Amsterdam a little groggy and tired. Being on a plane for 9 hours isn't the fun part of traveling. We went out to eat and shopped around at local shops. We kept it pretty low-key and just walked around the city taking in the beautiful canals. We had booked experiences on Airbnb, but they were canceled due to rain. We visited Rijksmuseum the Dutch national museum for arts and history, took pictures by the Iamsterdam sign, ate good Dutch food, and walked all around the city taking pictures. Amsterdam was full of life, but didn't have that big city feel. Bikes lined the streets and everyone was friendly and accommodating to us only-English speakers. I would definitely go back to this city to experience more.
Our view from our canal house Airbnb
An Amsterdam canal
Inside our canal house
Paris:
Oh, Paris. Paris is one of my favorite cities. I love the historic and grand architecture that surrounds the city. We went to all the necessary spots like the Lourve, Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe. On the first night we were there we had one of the best meals we've ever had! I even tried escargot for the first time and it was actually pretty good. Every meal was amazing in Paris. We walked around the Seine River at night and Notre Dame and then we went back to our Airbnb. Adam got down on one knee in the court yard and asked me to marry him and I said yes! It was the perfect night and made our trip even more magical.
The Eiffel Tower
The Seine River
Where Adam proposed!
A night long exposure of the Seine River by Notre Dame
Inside Notre Dame
London:
We were a little burnt out by the time we got to London, but we still trotted on and were tourists. A cool place we went was the Churchill War Rooms. I love learning about World War II history and Winston Churchill was a very interesting man. Something that wasn't touristy was taking a 7 hour walking tour around London. We went to little nooks and crannies that people aren't aware of. We went to Brompton Cemetery, a graffiti tunnel underneath Waterloo Station, and where the Mayflower left, among other terrific spots. We ate at pubs and of course, took a lot of photos.
Brompton Cemetery
The London Eye
Churchill War Rooms
Graffiti and entrance to underground music club underneath Waterloo Station
More awesome graffiti
Thanksgiving:
We relaxed with Adam's family in the Ozark Mountains after a week of running around three countries. It was nice to breathe fresh air and spend time with family. I also thoroughly enjoyed having three little dogs to pet and play with!
All in all, Europe was amazing! Experiencing other countries and their cultures is so fascinating. I love traveling and taking in those once in a lifetime experiences. Relaxing afterwards and spending times with my future in-laws was a great feeling. And now I'm off to plan our wedding!
