Prague

Like before in Rome, first impressions count. Walking out of Prague's train station we were met by many beggars and homeless people hanging around because the shelter was nearby. Many of them were drunk, shouting, and some were approaching people. We screamed "tourists" with our back packs, and I was scared. 

Once we worked out the tram system we got out of there as quick as we could, very relieved. Our hostel was an old school house which was very echoey but the people were nice. We got Kebabs from a local fast food restaurant, Megan's first one! And with such a long train journey and the nightmare that was the train station we were in bed by 9pm ready to be done with our day. 

The next day was our chance to do the touristy things. We were up early for showers and breakfast, and we braved the tram system into town. We were becoming tram experts by this point. 

Prague has many old buildings that are churches or museums. The old square has many, and a famous astronomical clock like the Glockenspiel in Munich. It wasn't the best weather with showers on and off, but we got around Prague pretty quick using the tram system, there was a castle and a mini Eiffel Tower type thing (which was more expensive than the real Eiffel Tower). 

When we ran out of touristy things we just strolled around. There was a famous old bridge to walk along. We got a coffee (cappuccinos) and sat in the square people watching. There were a few stag parties getting started. Soon we headed back and Megan wanted another kebab of course.

We left early the next morning for our next stop, Berlin.

-Evie

1) I'm not sure how I've lived my nearly 23 years without kebabs. 

2) Getting caught in the rain is not as fun as Rupert Homes made it out to be (though to be fair, I  not really sure what that song is about).

3) Even though the tour guide (of the tour we overheard) clearly stated that the Astronomical Clock was rated one of the most disappointing tourist attractions in the world, I was still a little disappointed. I suppose I was spoiled by the Glockenspiel. 

4) Sometimes, castles look better from far away.

5) Smoking is still a thing in some places and it is possible to purchase cigarettes from a vending machine. 

6) It is confusing when water and a beer cost the same amount of money.

7) Prague is trying very hard to keep up with tourism. They single-handedly ruined my Starbucks counting fun. There was even a Starbucks in the castle. Also, Prague is not nearly as cheap as the brochures made it out to be. 

8) The level of PDA that is accepted in Prague is about 500 time that of the level accepted in America. It's like ninth grade all over again.

9) I will now, and forever more, say no to any meal the consists of cabbage, potatoes, and bacon. I'm not sure if I will ever truly get the taste out of my mouth.

10) I have a theory that states that the importance of a building is directly correlated to how much scaffolding is around it.  

- Megs 

Venice, Salzburg, & Munich

Venice

Arriving in Venice, we knew it was our favourite very quickly. Less tourists, no busy roads, beautiful sunshine. Our hostel owner was friendly and everything was laid back. That evening we walked around the local area, we were away from all the touristy spots. We watched the Italy game in a square at a bar and tried a new European drink, "Spritz" which is like Campari and something. It was gross basically. As the sun went down we watched a lightning storm in the distance. Venice is beautiful at night. Many people were having candlelit dinners by the canals. I loved how everything was decorated with colourful flowers. Venice was just so pretty. 

The next day it rained a lot, until about 6pm. It didn't put us off though and we visited all the tourist spots in our €1 ponchos. The rain did get in the way of a gonadal ride, but that just gives us an excuse to come back. The tourist areas were busy and so we were relieved to be staying a long way from them. We did a couple of laps of the islands and didn't get lost, even without a map. We stopped for a cappuccino which was perfect in the rain. We were ordering cappuccinos now to avoid the whole latte issue again. 

That evening was our night train to Salzburg, and so we headed to the station around 8pm. We had to share a 6 seated cabin with two guys which meant there was extra legroom. It was difficult to sleep though, and when the trains swap carriages in the night it is loud!

- Evie

1) Having no streets, and therefore no cars or traffic makes getting around on foot much easier, and quieter, and prettier.

2) Watching an Italian soccer game at a bar in Italy is an experience I will not soon forget. 

3)Sometimes ponchos are necessary. Once you embrace that, nothing can bring you down. That being said, we are so ready for rain now.

4) The lack of touristy things to see in Venice was kind of refreshing. We walked around without any real agenda and it was perfect.

5) Also, lack of tourist things meant way fewer people trying to sell me knickknacks. However, there was an increase in people trying to sell me knockoff Louis Vuitton and Gucci handbags. Also, we are much more likely to buy things from cute children than we are from creepy adults, which explains why I now own a rubber band bracelet. If anything, we have chosen to 'invest in small, locally owned businesses.'

6) It was decided that if a gondola ride ever does happen, we would like it to be in front of, or behind, a group who paid for a guy to sing. It would be too awkward if he was singing for us, but we would definitely like the whole experience.

7) They have crepes in Venice (seriously America, step up your game).

8) Gelato is still good. I feel like I have an obligation to try all the flavours (Evie's iPad keeps adding u's to words).

9) Night trains are not good for sleeping. They are cold and oddly shaped. 

10) We are definitely coming back to Venice.

-Megs

Salzburg

We arrived in Salzburg early, early enough to get free breakfast at our hostel when we arrived. The hostel was full of school groups and the staff just weren't prepared for that, it was a mad house. 

We originally planned to go on our tour that morning, but some miscommunication meant that it had to be pushed back until the following day.

Instead, that morning we visited a castle on a hill, one you can see from all around Salzburg. There were great views up there and it was Megan's first castle! There was also an Austrian choir group singing up there which just added to the atmosphere of it all. 

We finished the day in the town, which was very small. There was some kind of celebration for some famous local chef so we crashed it and got a ton of free food, and wine for me. One of the bridges there was covered in locks, just like the idea from the love lock bridge in Paris. We've seen locks all over on our travels, and it's become a form of vandalism basically where a nice idea has really got out of hand. 

Later we watched the USA vs Germany game in an Irish pub before heading back to the hostel to watch the Sound of Music. For dinner we tried Bosna, some kind of fancy hotdog with mustard and onions.

The next morning we had our Sound of Music tour which took us all over. We saw a lot of the Salzburg hills and surrounding area, and stopped in a nearby town Mondsee. There we had one of Maria's favourite things, crisp apple strudel and ice cream, oh and cappuccinos too. 

After, we had to quickly head to the station for our next stop, Munich. 

- Evie

1) Driving through Germany was like driving through the forests of a fairy tale. I half expect to meet talking woodland creatures.

2) I'm pretty sure that every Christmas postcard of a snowy town with a church with a big steeple must have been based on a town in Austria.

3) Latterhousen are real things- like people where them to work and stuff. And you can tell a lot about a girl based on her dress, like where she's from, or if she's married or not.

4) One thing America does better than anywhere so far is the sports bar. No where else seems to have bars or restaurants set up to watch sports. Tv's seem to be an afterthought.

5) I now know more about The Sound of Music than I ever thought possible. If we ever watch that movie together be prepared to be bombarded with fun facts (like Christopher Plummer doesn't actually sing!!!! I know, mind blown).

6) At some fast food restaurants, they charge you extra for ketchup, and sour cream can be considered a dipping sauce.

7) Salzburg has done a really great job staying simple. It is modern without being flashy or pretentious, and has managed to keep the small village mentality.

8) In all of our travels in Europe, I've only seen 5 Starbucks.

9) The best wifi I've gotten in the past 3 days was in an 1000 year old castle.

10) I will never forget eating apple strudel in front of the church where the Sound of Music wedding scene was filmed in Monsee.

-Megs

Munich 

Because we were held up in Austria, we arrived in Munich late. Since we only had one night there we decided not to rush around and do touristy things, and instead just chill at our hostel. There were palace gardens close by so we walked around those first. Our hostel was basically a campsite with a giant tent full of bunk beds (for over 100 people). They had a BBQ and campfire, hammocks, and big litre beers. After a little ping pong we sat around the bonfire drinking from giant beer glasses and eating weird German sausages. It was all we needed from Munich really. 

The next morning we watched the Glokenspiel in the town square and had Currywurst for lunch. At 12:45 we had to be on our train to Prague and so we were saying goodbye to Munich as quickly as we arrived. 

-Evie

1) Crossing the border from Germany to Czech is more strict than any other we've done. We've already spoken to the German police twice and have had our tickets checked just as many times.

2) Currywurst is awesome, though it's hard to make something worse by adding curry sauce. 

3) Out of the two of us, I am definitely more up for trying the local food. It works out great because I can experiment and order something random while Evie has a safe back up plan. Everyone wins.

4) I haven't been to too many big cities in the US, but from what I can tell, almost every single place in the world has a better public transport system than we do. Same with recycling programs- a tent in Munich had a better system than most of America.

5) Almost everyone speaks at least two languages and we're lucky than English is so common.

-Megs

Rome

They say first impressions count. We already knew we liked Italy, but when we arrived in Rome we didn't expect so many crowds and so much graffiti. Graffiti was already apparent in Milan and Marseille, but Rome was on another level. the trains were so covered in graffiti it looked almost intentional. Admittedly when we first got on the metro to find our hostel we were scared. The trains were busy and covered in graffiti, and when we arrived at our stop, so were all the buildings in the area. Eventually we came to realise that unlike home, graffiti didn't necessarily equate to crime, but it's still a hard judgement to shake. 

That night we got pizza (bought by the kg) and gelato just like Megan had hoped. We had an early night after a long day of travelling ready for the long day ahead. 

Day 8

We had a lot planned for our day in Rome and so we were up at 8am. We got breakfast in a local cafe, and headed to the Colosseum on the metro. It's hard to miss as you exit the station, and we were pleased we'd got up early as there were no crowds yet. At 8:30am the doors opened and in we went, so excited to see inside the great stadium. 

We tried to read as much about the history as we could before we gave in and went to take a first look of the inner circle. It truly was amazing, imagining the kind of events they would have held so long ago. 

We then left the Colosseum to explore the ruins of the Forum next door. We didn't expect there to be so much still remaining. Pillars and walls of where politicians would have worked. Even as you exit the ticketed areas, walls that were built BC are just dotted around the streets as if no one cares. 

Nearby was the Piazza Venizia, one of the most impressive buildings we've ever seen. We don't have a photo on a phone to share with you, but google it, it was so impressive. 

After a lot of walking we jumped on a tour bus. It was a really perfect way to have a rest without feeling like we were wasting time. We stayed on for the full loop before getting off at the Mouth of Truth. A famous wall sculpture where tourists put their hand in the mouth of the face. 

We then headed over to Saint Peters Square and The Vatican (where the Pope lives). We found it strange to see such a famous place in real life. I feel like I've seen it a hundred times on the news, so standing in the square felt very strange, like it shouldn't be a real place. 

Our next stop on the bus was the Trevi Fountain. We were very excited for this stop too, but were disappointed to find it drained and covered in scaffolding. We felt robbed. So many tourists surrounded the pathetic empty sculpture and cursing the person responsible. It was a sad thing when I put my especially saved 5 pence coin back in my bag. 

Nearby was the Pantheon and Piazza Navona, so we walked through small windy streets to find them. We also walked to the Spanish Steps, and sat there as we decided what to do for dinner. 

We walked through some highly fashionable shops and beautiful Italian restaurants to find a small pizza place. I had my first ever calzone, in Rome. I felt very cultured. 

We jumped on our tour bus and headed for the metro and our hostel. On the walk from the station we grabbed more gelato, and were ready to crash. We'd done Rome in a day, and were ready for the next stop, Venice. 

-Evie

1)  I am so glad Evie and I are able to get up early. We are usually the first ones up every morning, and it is so great to be able to explore without the touristy crowds. We were probably one of the first hundred people into the Colosseum, which was absolutely perfect. To be honest, I'm not sure I could handle being in the large crowds, which is why going into the Vatican in the afternoon wasn't really an option. 

2) The amount of people who simply take photos of things, without ever really stopping to appreciate them is kind of sad. Evie and I make it a priority to just enjoy being in a place, which is why there are limited pictures on this blog (don't worry mom, I am taking plenty of pictures).

3) Gelato is good.

4) If you forget to ask for a caffe latte, and instead just order a latte, they will give you just steamed milk.

5) It is pretty fun playing roulette at a bakery every morning, just picking a pastry that looks pretty.

6)The people trying to sell stuff on the streets are driving us insane. We know you're selling water for a euro, we still don't want it, please go away. We don't want hats, sunglasses, or stupid toys of the major tourist attractions. There's just as many street sellers as tourists in the big cities, and Rome has been by far the worst.

7) Bus tours can be a great way to get around, and they provide fun facts, so it's really perfect for me. 

8)It is strange that some structures of Ancient Rome still stand, but others have been completely destroyed, and there's really no reason for either. Places were lucky if the Church adopted them, such as the Pantheon or the Arch of Constantine, but other than that, there was really no justification of why some places were spared. Once again, oblivion in inevitable.

8) It's funny how other counties are selling the Union Jack and Stars and Stripes as fashion. I've seen more flags on T-shirts, bags, and shoes than I have in my entire life. It's a very easy way to spot who is definitely not from the UK or USA.

9) I should have definitely rewatched the Lizzie McGuire movie before heading to Rome. 

-Megs

Marseille & Milan

Day 5

So when we awoke in Barcelona we knew that trains in France were on strike. We knew there were a few trains here and there and we had a vague plan of what route to take. We could not have imagined the journey we were about to have. 

We arrived at the station in Barcelona for our 7:15am train to Cerbere to find that our train would be stopping at Port Bou instead. This was one stop before Cerbere and the French border. At this point we had no choice but to get on the train and hope to find a solution at Port Bou. 

The train ride was the start of many beautiful scenic routes we would take over the next few days, with great views of the sea and coast. 

When we arrived in Port Bou there was nothing. No trains except back to Barcelona. A single person sat at a desk telling all the travellers there were no trains into France that day, so no solution for us yet. 

Soon the station filled up with multiple travellers in the same boat as us, and when we spotted some follow interrailers we figured we should team up. 7 of us planned to share a taxi to the next stop, Cerbere in France, in the hopes that trains might be running there. It was all we could do. As we walked down to Port Bou the single taxi driver already had a full car but said he would come back for us. Port Bou was small and charming with few shops. Everyone seemed to know each other. 

Once the taxi driver had relayed all of the stranded train passengers to Cerbere, we split up. Half went up the hill to the station to figure out what to do while the other half waited with the bags. As we arrived at the station we found no trains, no passengers, and one lady sat alone in a ticket office. She helped us plan a route which required us all to first catch a bus from Cerbere to Perpignan, and then to catch a train from there. 

As we got back down the hill more interrailers had arrived via the Port Bou taxi driver, he made a fortune from the strikes that day. We relayed our info and then had almost 2 hours until the bus would arrive. 

While we waited for the bus, the group set up in a restaurant sitting out on the terrace, with beers and tapas. The restaurant had wifi which we used to help plan other routes and check cancellations. All the locals were trying to help, and the lady at the restaurant was great. 

When a bus finally came at 1:30pm, the Frenchman was upset that he was about to fill up his bus at the first stop. He told us to wait for the train replacement bus at 2pm, and off he drove without us. Megan and I decided to skim stones in the sea while we waited, and we paddled in the water a little too. 

2pm turned into 2:30pm and no bus. We knew the next local bus was at 5pm and began to expect the worst. Many of us would miss the train we'd planned to catch if nothing happened soon. 

At 2:45pm a bus showed up. Not our bus though, a local one that had just finished its route. The lady who worked at the restaurant came out to see us all still waiting, and when she found out what happened she spoke to the bus driver for us. Some how through some crazy luck he volunteered to drive us all direct to Perpignan, which was about an hour away. We were saved. 

When we arrived at Perpignan we thought we were set. We would all be catching the train to Avignon and then change for a train to Marseille. When we arrived though we were quickly told there weren't trains leaving Avignon. We were stuck again and the only solution was an 8pm direct train to Marseille, a 4 hour wait. 

As we queued to reserve a seat on the direct train we tried to look out the window to Perpignan and make a plan for dinner. The queue was long and we were wiped out. Behind us near the back of the queue were some other members of our new group who looked the same. As a helper approached them they explained where we were trying to go, I could just about overhear. The lady perked up, she said to get the Avignon train to Montpellier, then to Marseille. It turned out we could make the final train as it was delayed. A miracle. 

We all ran from the queue to catch the train leaving in moments. It was a huge gamble but we just went for it. Luckily we caught it, and arrived in Montpellier soon after. 

Montpellier station was full of people trying to get to Marseille, Cannes, or Nice. Some helpers were giving out free drinks, and we had 30 minutes to wait for the delayed train. We ate dinner on the platform, pasta bowls we could heat in the shop microwave. It was heaven. 

When we finally made it to Marseille we were relieved, but we still had to find the hostel and it was 9pm. Walking was no longer an option and so we had to get a taxi. In the cab we realised Marseille  was much bigger than we'd thought, with a lot more bars. We also quickly learned that France was playing football that night.

Once we dropped our things at the hostel (up 4 floors of stairs) we went for a walk around the harbour before we lost the light.  As France scored a wave of cheers emerged from each bar around us, cars beeped their horns and people whistled. It was so noisy and the atmosphere was great. There were small market stalls and some buildings had been nicely lit in the darkness. 

We soon headed back for a well earned sleep, relieved to finally be off the trains. 

Day 6

Unfortunately we would be back on trains the next day. We had until 12:30 to start a new journey to Milan. 

That morning we walked up to Marseilles Notre Dame, on a big hill overlooking the city. It was a great view, especially early in the morning. On the walk back down the hill we grabbed Pain au Chocolate and a baguette for breakfast, and we finished our walk around the harbour. They were selling freshly caught fish which some people in the hostel had bought to make fish soup. They were Italian (not the fish, the fish soup cooks). The fish were still breathing as they prepared them I might add, or trying to breathe at least.

We skipped the taxi as we discovered a Metro train could take us to the station. Then once again we were sat at a station waiting for trains.

Luckily with the experience from the day before we were better prepared to face the strikes. Also the strikes seemed to be finishing, and so the journey was much more smooth, but just as beautiful. Nice and Cannes and Monaco are definitely on the 'places to go if I can ever afford it' list. We still arrived in Milan late, but at least we'd got to spend the morning actually seeing Marseille. 

When we arrived in Milan it was late and we had to make it across town before check-in closed. Once we'd finally found the place and checked in we needed to eat. We were starving and it was 10pm. We eventually found a nearby pizza place and ate. It was good. 

Day 7

Since we were so far behind schedule due to the French trains we only had the morning in Milan. We checked out the Duomo, another fancy cathedral, and a castle that was nearby. In the end we spent most of our time in a park and watched a fun run take place. We were sick of cathedrals and arcs de Triomphes and columns. All the places were starting to seem the same, and so we couldn't wait to be on our way to Rome. 

Our train to Rome left at 1pm, and so we enjoyed the chance to relax and see the beautiful views from the train of Bologna and Florence on the way. 

- Evie 

1) Dogs are allowed everywhere- on trains, in restaurants, it seems like almost everyone owns a dog. It is fantastic.

2) Navigating through Italy has been so much easier than it was in France. 

3) At restaurants, I haven't figured out a 'go-to' drink yet. My default for the past 22 years has been water, but if I order that now, I have no idea what kind of water I'm going to get.

4) It's crazy how there can be places like Monte Carlo, then 2 train stops away can be so poor and rundown.

5) It's very easy to tell which building is the church in every town we pass. Though they are always beautifully built, it always makes me wonder how much it cost, and if the townspeople had to go without because of it. 

6) Apparently you are not allowed to enter some religious sites, like the Duomo, in shorts.

7) Trains are a great place to catch up on my reading, my kindle is finally getting some use.

8) So far, I've seen lots of hills, but very few mountains.

9) Pretty much anything tastes amazing after traveling for 9 hours without eating (it could not be helped Mom, sorry).

10) I am very, very excited for the food in Italy. These next few days will be filled with spaghetti, pizza, and gelato-- mostly gelato.

-Meg

Stop 2 - Barcelona

Day 3

So we awoke at 5:45am in Paris to catch our Barcelona train. In the station we bumped into some fellow Pacific students which was a nice surprise! By 7:30am we were off on a train that reminded me of the Capitol train in the Hunger Games. On our way we enjoyed beautiful views of France and Spain, and arrived in Barcelona around 3pm. We got lost at the station, but after a full lap we managed to get pointed in the right direction. 

Our hostel was brand new, we knew this when we booked, but were still surprised to find how modern it seemed. It was small and compact, and no space was wasted. The beds were like little pods, each with an outlet and shelf, and rail to hang your blanket, sheets, or towel as a curtain. We both put up our blankets and they blacked out the light perfectly allowing you to be hidden away in your own space. It was perfect. 

We had no plans for that evening so we headed for the beach. We took the metro which luckily wasn't too dissimilar to the one in Paris. It certainly felt like a busy city beach, and not like the white sandy beaches Megan is used to. We walked along for hours trying to find a place to eat, and in doing so we found Las Rambles, a famous street in Barcelona for its restaurants, street vendors, and culture.

In the end we headed back toward the hostel and ate in a restaurant nearby. The waitress warned us that the pizza we ordered was spicy, but we disagreed after the tasting. Here we had our first holiday beer. Estrella daam. A Spanish beer we think/hope, and it went down very easy. It had been three days hard earned. 

We tried to stay awake to watch Spain lose the football but we were too tired, and so we retired to the bedrooms had a great nights sleep in our little pods. 

Day 4

The next day I woke up unnaturally early for me and dragged Megan out of bed. At 7:30am we were headed for the 1992 Olympic park in Barcelona, somewhere I had been lucky enough to visit once on hockey tour. We walked since it was sort of close, and so by the time we got there it was 9am and it was deserted. We hung around until the stadium opened at 10 and took a peak inside. We also used the gift store to read Barcelona guidebooks to help us plan our day. In the guide books I saw the ceramic works of Gaudi and knew we couldn't miss it, so that's where we headed. 

On the walk to the metro station we also passed a National Gallery or Museum of some kind, and the Magic Fountain. The buildings and views were beautiful. We knew we already liked Barcelona more than Paris. That might've been partly due to the beautiful sunshine we had. 

The walk from the metro to Parc Guell required many steep hills, and escalators that were built into streets, so we were sure to buy an ice cream on our way up. While you had to buy tickets to get into the main parts of the park, you could walk around the surrounding gardens and see most of it  from a short distance. Being on such a steep hill we also had stunning views of the city. It was also possible to walk around to the famous Dorici columns, which looked like Gingerbread houses to us. 

After a quick picnic in the gardens we headed to La Sagrada Familia, the famous Gaudi temple. It's is well know that it is an unfinished work, but we did not expect to see so much scaffolding and building work taking place. Apparently there is a plan to finish it by 2015. As you walk around you can tell the brickwork old and new. It is an incredibly detailed exterior, and given more time I think we would both love to go inside in the future. 

We then headed to Barcelona's very own Arc De Triomf. Theirs is more red than the one in Paris, and smaller. We walked down the strip to find gardens and then Barcelona Gothic quarter. Here the streets are narrow and winding. We also found a well know cathedral, Cathedral de la Seu, and some kind of castle and city walls. Eventually we found ourselves at Las Ramblas once again, and after another long search for the right deal for dinner we bailed and headed back to our hostel. 

We stopped at another restaurant near to where we were staying because they advertised 70c beers. It had been a long day. Despite the language barrier we managed to order spicy potatoes and a meal of fries topped with two boiled eggs and chicken. I can't explain why it was good, but it was good. 

A few more beers for me and then we headed back to the hostel. We had just enough time to shower, pack, and plan for our day of travel ahead before the England game. Even though we stayed awake for the whole game, England decided not to. So back to the pods once more before our next journey to Marseille. 

- Evie

1) I remember much more Spanish than I thought I would. After we got lost on the way to the hostel, I was able to somewhat understand the nice lady trying to point us in the right direction. However, Catalan is not as much like Spanish as I had hoped.

2) Knowing a second language makes traveling so much easier, this trip has definitely inspired me to try to learn one. 

3) People in Barcelona seemed much more willing to help us throughout our stay. Our broken Spanish plus they're broken English could usually get the job done. It was always satisfying when we managed to order a meal from someone who didn't speak English. It felt like we had accomplished a mission with the other person.

4) Hostels are completely dependent on the people who stay there. The hostel in Barcelona was a completely different experience to the ones in Paris. 

5) Train strikes are not convenient for anyone (I know that's the point), but seriously, super problematic.

6) The Mediterranean Sea is beautiful. The water is so clear and five different shades of blue. I definitely wouldn't mind spending more time there.

7) Some of these beaches are topless, that definitely caught me by surprise.

8) I don't care how comfortable they are, speedos should not be a thing.  

9) Spain is so much cheaper than France. An entire dinner for two, plus drinks was under €15, those are my kind of prices.

10) If you are traveling, always try to make friends with the people who look like they know what they're doing.

- Meg

Stop 1 - Paris

Day 1

So after catching the 4am train to London, and the 5:40am Euston train to Paris, there we were in France ready for our adventure to start. We'd barely been able to sleep on the train, we were tired and hungry, but first we had to reserve a seat on our upcoming night train to Barcelona the following day. Like zombies we stumbled around Gare Du Nord station trying to find someone to help us, and when we finally did, we discovered there was a train strike throughout France and Spain so the train we were going to take had been cancelled.

Welcome to Paris we thought. 

It was a bumpy start, but like everything if you throw money at the problem it usually gets solved. Reluctantly we booked an extra night in Paris and paid for reservations on a high speed train direct to Barcelona for Wednesday morning. We could only hope we wouldn't face the same troubles as we tried to leave Barcelona on Friday!

With the nightmare over we hopped on a metro train using tickets I'd been able to purchase on the Eurostar train. The metro was luckily very easy to navigate and not dissimilar to London's tube system, and so within 20 minutes we found our hostel. The reception/lounge area seemed small, but for what size it lacked in width it made up for in height. Five floors up we found our room and we weren't the top floor. This is significant because of the spiral staircase and the lift that was non-existent. We were able to store our luggage until our later check in time, and so once we regrouped we set off for the Arc de Triomphe. 

When we emerged from the station the direction was not clear, and I was reluctant to get my iPad out for the directions I'd saved. Instead we overheard some Americans chatting and I outright asked them. They were nice and pointed us up the right street. As we set off we quickly discovered the road has no rules, and just because the green man says it's safe to cross, it doesn't mean cars won't be driving at you. 

As we reached the Arc De Triomphe we both were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. We'd made it to Paris in one piece, and no one had approached us about sharing a taxi and thus beginning the opening scenes of Taken. The Arc De Triomphe is of course famously surrounded by the most unorganised roundabout know to civilisation, and so as we attempted to make it to the Champs Élysées we were sure to cross the roads with caution. The Champs Élysées was much shorter than I remembered, but perhaps that's because we didn't care to enter any of the expensive shops. Except the Adidas store of of course, we wanted to see how round the World Cup footballs really were. 

We ate our prepacked lunch that had travelled with us from London and headed to the Louvre. Our intention was to go in at some point during our stay, and when we discovered it was closed on Tuesdays (the following day) we didn't have much choice but to get in line. The queue was short, although once inside it was incredibly busy. We didn't waste any time and headed straight for the Mona Lisa. It was disappointing to see so many people simply taking photos of everything and not taking any time to actually look. The Mona Lisa had a mosh pit of tourists attempting to take the best photos, and of course, selfies. That was another interesting thing, couples taking their own individual selfies of the same thing rather than having a photo together. Another mosh pit was found at the Venus De Milo, something I know very little about except what I learned from that one Simpsons episode. We made an effort to look at most of the exhibits the museum map told us were important and then had to get out of there. Far to busy for us. 

We walked to Notre Dame and on our way crossed the "love bridge" or Pont Des Arts. You might know it from the end of that recent magician film? From what I understand, people come to the bridge with a padlock, lock it to the bridge, and throw the key in the river Seine. It seemed like such a sweet idea, and when we arrived it was clear many many people agreed. The bridge fences were covered in thousands of padlocks. Padlocks locked to other padlocks. On most of the fences you could no longer see the wire of the fence except for two panels that were very recently replaced. Megan explained that the news recently reported the bridge was beginning to strain under all the weight and so must have replaced the panels to ease the weight. That hadn't stopped people though, and the clear panels were filling up fast. While we both had an interest in doing our own padlock for fun we were reluctant to get ripped off by the men illegally selling padlocks on and around the bridge. We decided to look out for a cheaper padlock elsewhere. 

We eventually made it to Notre Dame, probably my favourite stop in Paris. We didn't go in and instead we sat in front of it and enjoyed the view. The bell rang for 4:30pm and we knew that that was the signal for dinner. We had planned for French crepes, and so we walked the streets to find the best place. We discovered small narrow streets in the surrounding area hiding many food stalls and restaurants with a huge variety. We soon found what we were looking for and shared one cheese and ham crepe, followed by one Nutella filled crepe. It was perfect. 

Although it was early it was time to get back. We'd been up since 3am. When we arrived back at the hostel we discovered our room wasn't a shared dorm but a private for 2 with a bunk bed. This was possibly the best moment of the day to be honest, discovering we didn't have to share with strangers. We unpacked everything, making use of every inch of the tiny room. I lay down and fell asleep in seconds. We woke again at around 8 and watched an episode of Band of Brothers on my iPad, and straight after we went to bed for real and we both slept through until 7am. 

Day 2 

The next day we had our buffet breakfast in our hostel: cereal, croissants, and baguettes. We stole a few baguettes to have for lunch too, and then moved to our next hostel. When we arrived we knew we'd been spoilt at our previous hostel. While the new place was clean and the people were nice, it was echoey and old. That night we would hear every sound in the building, including the mechanical workings of some kind of elevator next door. We should have slept in the train station to be honest. 

I've missed out the details of the day though. The Eiffel Tower was our first stop, and I was quickly reminded of Megan's fear of heights. We climbed the stairs to the 2nd level but that was high enough. The views were great and we used a map to try and work out what everything was. When we were too cold we headed back down and ate our baguettes on a bench with a view of the river. 

At this point we had no plan, and so we walked to the Musee d'Orsay which is famous for having Monet paintings. By the time we got there though the queue was far too long (probably because it was Tuesday and the Louvre was closed) and so we headed for the Luxembourg gardens instead. The sun was finally out and so we sat at the edge of a pond in the gardens deciding what to do next. At this point we were just trying to work out what else was famous so that we could go there. We ended up at the Bastille and walked around trying to read French and understand the history. 

Eventually we called it a day and headed back to our hostel. Since our new hostel was so close to the Louvre we grabbed more crepes for dinner and sat at the pyramid to the sound of a Cello playing: it was very French. The "love bridge" was nearby and we walked over it once more. We watched a few groups do their padlocks and took a few pictures. Suddenly the padlock sellers started sprinting across the bridge, and as we looked back we saw why; police. As one of them ran he dropped a padlock. I looked around, no one went to grab it, so I did. We had a purple padlock and a set of 3 keys for free, and so we found one of the empty sections of fence and did our own. 

It had been a crazy two days, and now that we finally felt settled we were heading off somewhere new in the morning. We could only hope it would all run smoothly!  

-Evie

Since Evie is clearly the writer of us two, I let her explain the big stuff. But since this trip has already doubled the amount of total countries I have visited, I figured I should add some things that I noticed.

1) France has a lot of castles and palaces. Too many for people to even care about or remember anymore. Palaces have been turned into places and castles have been left alone to just sit on top of a hill. Coming from a place with little visible history of anything before 1800, it's strange to see so much of history already forgotten. Just goes to show that oblivion is inevitable (tfios quote).

2)France is expensive. It's a good thing we are tiny people who are not fussed about where we end up eating, because if we were, we would probably already be out of money.

3) Everyone in America needs to learn to make crepes. 

4) People who were excited about the Louvre just to see the Mona Lisa missed out. 

5) Luckily, most everyone in Paris speaks English, which is great for us (though Evie's high school French can usually get us where we need to go -like the train station or the bathroom).

6)We have decided that good travel buddies are hard to find. The more people we meet/observe, the more we've realised that a) this whole trip is a seriously ridiculous idea and b) we are probably the perfect people to do this trip together. We are definitely not scared to tell each other we're going in the wrong direction, or drag each other to random places we want to see. We can share meals and be completely content sitting silently and admiring the things around us.

6) I am definitely still afraid of heights.

Paris is lovely, but I think if you want to really experience it as the most romantic city in the world, you need lots and lots of money.

7)Not paying tax on things is really cool. 

 8) Running into friends from Pacific is never out of the question, even in a train station in Paris.

- Meg

The start of our adventure...

Hi there.

Our adventure begins on the Monday 16th June 2014 when we will be travelling on the Eurostar train from London St Pancreas to Paris.

From then we will keep you updated with our travels!