Dr. Phyllis Parsons: "Living My Life..... One Day at a Time"
Part 2 - Europe
Preamble:
The two trips are intertwined because my motivation to tour Europe was the result of a friendship that developed with a Frenchman from the South of France, whom I had met on the South American cruise. He extended an invitation to me to visit the South of France, and it was in my efforts to maximize on the visit that the whole idea of touring Europe was born.
My tour of Europe began on June 5, 2007.
I departed Orlando on June 5, 2007 and arrived at Montpellier, South of France (that was to be my base) the next morning (June 6). I spent the first week visiting with my friend, seeing some of the local sights and meeting his family and friends. Sampling authentic French cuisine was a new experience. Every meal is an occasion. Oh! The wines and the cheeses, and the bread! Selection, selection, selection.
On June 12, I departed Montpellier for Manchester, England where I was met by my sister. We then drove to Birmingham – just under two hours away to her home. It was typical English weather – non-stop rain, so I was not able to do much. In any event, I had visited London some years ago and had done the usual tourist haunts – Madame Toussards; Changing of the Guards – Buckingham Palace; Big Ben, etc. etc. The weather therefore gave me an opportunity to spend some quality time with my sister and her family and to get some rest.
I left London on June 16 by coach to Dover – crossed the channel by boat, to Calais, a French Port. In Calais, I joined the designated tour bus along with twenty-one other persons for what I have now named, “the experience of my life”. For the next 10 days, the bus would be an integral part of every waking hour and I would be subjected to a strict daily regimen.
The group was made up of a large contingent from Texas, USA, about four persons from Australia and one gentleman from New Zealand. I was the only one from Florida. It appeared we all had the same agenda – to have fun over the next ten days. We soon discovered also that we had an extremely skilled and competent driver, and an understanding, patient and knowledgeable tour director.
Our first stop was in Brussels, Belgium. I enjoyed the visit to Brussel Square, the famous “Arc of Triumph” monument; the beautiful Grand Place with its 17th century guild houses and the “Manneken Pis” (Little Man Piss). The Manneken Pis is a small bronze fountain sculpture of a little boy urinating into the fountain’s basin. I topped off the day by visiting a typical Brussels historical café, where I enjoyed a glass of old fashioned Belgian beer.
Day two arrived, much too soon, and we hit the road at 8.30 a.m. en route to Germany, with stops in Boppard, Rothenburg and Wurzburg. Have you heard of the Mighty Rhine? This is a must do. As I cruised along the River Rhine, passing all the quaint villages, castles perched high above the river and beautiful terraced vineyards, I had to pinch myself to make sure it was real – it was just so unbelievably relaxing and breath-taking. Equally breathtaking is the baroque architecture to be found along the banks of the River Main.
Time flies when you are having fun. And so before I knew it, day 3 had arrived. We were leaving Germany behind and headed for Innsbruck, Austria. I loved Austria - took a guided tour of the historical center of Innsbruck with its famous Golden Roof, and renaissance and Rococo buildings. Visited the tomb of the Emperor Maximillian and the Wilten Basilica.
Day 5 and we are in St. Moritz, Switzerland. From here we boarded the Bernina Express Train, which took us through verdant countryside, winding pathways and steep terrain to the very summit of the Alps where I was captivated by the snow-capped mountains– A breath-taking, unforgettable journey from which we descended into Tirano, Italy. We paused for lunch and then we were on the road again headed for Lugano, in south eastern Switzerland. The next two days spent in Switzerland – Lucerne – with its historical associations, particularly the William Tell legend, were sheer delight. We rounded off the
visit to Lucerne by attending a Swiss Folklore Party, where we were treated to authentic Swiss yodeling, blowing of the Alp horn, and traditional Swiss dances, among other cultural delights. But, we were not yet done with Switzerland, the next day – day 7 - we traveled through the Brunig Pass to delightful Interlaken, then to Gruyere, before heading to Switzerland’s most international city – Geneva.
From Geneva, Switzerland, we headed to another famous city, Paris, France. The Paris sight-seeing tour included La Sorbonne, Boulevard St. Germain, Eiffel Tower, Opera, Champs Elysees, the Rue de Rivoli, Palace of Versailles and the famous Gothic Cathedral, Notre Dame de Paris. The Cabaret show at the Nouvelle Eve, situated in the heart of Pigalle not only deserved the standing ovation given, but for me, was a beautiful finale to this part of my tour.
Tired, but exhilarated, I returned to my base in Montpellier, Southern France, spent two days with my friend and then I was off to Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona, is just under three hours by car from Montpellier. I spent two glorious days interacting with the local people walking the Ramblas – a boulevard of about 1.2 kilometres long with Port Vell at the southern end and the Placa Catalunya at the northern end. I sampled “Paella”, a rice dish which originated in Valencia, Spain. The highlight of my tour of Barcelona was the visit to Antonio Gaudi’s La Sagrada familia – the magnificient unfinished cathedral which Gaudi, a Spanish architect started to build. It is said the blueprint for the Cathedral was in his head, hence, today, 81 years after his death, there is controversy among architects as to how it should be completed.
Back to base, after my tour of Barcelona, I spent the remaining few days, catching up on some much needed R& R and attending various dinner parties, held in my honor.
I still have another year of this sabbatical to complete and I am now fired up to travel. I am actively searching for my next port of call. Click here for Photo Gallery.
