My mother led a rather extraordinary life for a woman from her era. She grew up during the Great Depression, lived and began working during World War II and then moved from her childhood home area to California toward the end of the war.
While working on a military airbase in the late 1940s, she
experienced sexual harassment and decided to find a job far away from the
abuse. Her efforts landed her a job in
Wiesbaden, Germany as a secretary.
Although not highly paid, the US dollar was king in Europe post-war and
she was able to travel extensively through countries that had previously only
been the destinations of very wealthy Americans.
Not only did she travel, she also photographed her
adventures. I was raised on her stories
and dreamed of traveling to these wonderous lands myself. Like my mother, I never wanted to be on a
tour, I wanted to plan and travel on my own and confront and overcome the
challenges of a foreign language and culture.
My own travels began around my 40th birthday when
my first trip to Europe took me to Paris, Venice, and Florence. In all of my travels, I never tried to see
too much at once. I limited the scope of
my travels trying to immerse myself in the region in which I visited.
For as many amazing and wonderful things I have seen and
adventures I have experienced, I have my list of destinations I recommend to
others to add to their own lists of high priority places to visit. I have omitted most restaurants and hotels as
they too quickly change or disappear.
1.
Notre-Dame
de Paris. The great cathedral of
France and probably the most recognizable symbol of Paris next to the Eiffel
Tower. It is magnificently beautiful and
can be visited at any time of the day. I
do suggest taking the tours of the bell towers.
You will likely need to arrive early in the morning as the lines tend to
form early and be quite long. From these
towers you are able to have a close-up view of the gargoyles guarding the
cathedral along with striking views of Paris.
I also suggest trying to arrive early on a Sunday to be present at a
Mass and hear the pipe organ send its praises to God. Also, very near Notre-Dame, located in the
Palais de Justice is what I consider to be my favorite too-often overlooked
destination in Paris, La Sainte-Chapelle.
Its magnificent stained-glass windows will transport you to a heavenly
realm.
2.
Mont Saint-Michele. This unique monastery and village perched on
an island that is isolated part of the day because of the tide of the ocean is
a glorious sight. I was staying in
Normandy and drove from there to the location.
The drive alone was worth it, but as we approached the island from the
east, we could see it from the top of a hill.
It looked almost like a mirage, as if you had to blink several times to
be certain of what you were actually seeing.
The road traveled down the hill and then south and wound around until
traveling back north toward the destination.
I remember stopping repeatedly to get out of the car and take pictures,
almost as if this mirage would disappear before I could document it. Of course, it remained and simply grew more
amazingly beautiful the closer we got.
I must say, the walking tour of the monastery is not especially stunning
or beautiful, but treat yourself to an omelet in one of the many cafes in the
village. They are the lightest and most
fluffy omelets you will ever experience.
3.
Scavi Tour of the Vatican in Rome. Putting Rome and the Vatican on your list
of travel destinations is pretty much a “no brainer.” But, there is one additional place you must
visit. First of all, I highly recommend
visiting Southern Italy in the Winter.
It isn’t all that cold and the crowds are very light. This means you get to see a lot more in a
limited amount of time. Take your time
exploring St. Peter’s and find the stairs to the inner dome, the top of the
cupola, and the top of the portico. The
views are extraordinary. But, the
primary purpose of this item is to add the “Scavi” or “Excavation” tour to your
list of top things to see in your travels.
I would probably list this as the most incredible things I’ve seen and
am thankful to the world travelers who pointed me in this direction. Two levels below the main altar of St.
Peter’s Basilica is an excavation that took place in the 1930s. They discovered an entire necropolis or city
of the dead. Access is not through the
standard entrances. You must apply for
tickets ahead of time (the earlier the better) as they only take 100 to 200
people per day on this amazing tour.
Tours are in various languages so you can find the one that is most
suitable to you. Your tour begins with
a brief history of the area, the building of St. Peter’s, the discovery of the
necropolis and the eventual, supposed, discovery of St. Peter’s tomb. This is a tour perfect for a devout
Catholic, a Christian, or a history buff.
The taking of pictures is not permitted at any time on the tour.
4.
The Temples of Angkor. Located in Cambodia near the city of Siem
Reap are the temples of Angkor including Angkor Wat (the largest of the temple
complexes). I highly recommend you
visit this region in December, about the only time of year when the weather is
really pleasant. Otherwise, you will
likely be immersing yourself into one of the most intense steam baths
imaginable (as I did). My jaw did
actually drop and I did actually utter a profanity when I first stood in front
of the stone giants of Angkor. It is
beyond stunning. I highly recommend
finding a local, personal tour that will take you to and from the temples and
your hotel. One of the great benefits of
seeing the temples this way is that you can tailor your time with your guide to
the things that interest you the most.
It costs a little more, but it is well worth it. Guides are easily available in all languages
but I do recommend that you research this and reserve ahead of time.
5.
Murren, Switzerland. The
most beautiful Place on Earth. On my
first trip to Switzerland, I wanted to have the ultimate alpine
experience. I did some surfing on the
internet, using that exact phrase, and found the travel website of a couple
from Northern California. They raved
about a small village in the alps of Switzerland called Murren. They gave very specific instructions for
traveling to this village. I
thankfully, took their advice. I
traveled in May which seems to be the best time of year to experience this
alpine gem for two reasons. The first is
the cost, May is between the two peak seasons for the village, winter ski
season and summer tourist season. But
most importantly, this is when the snow has melted on the lower altitudes but
it still in its glory along the peaks in the Jungfrau. The ground was covered with wildflowers and,
during the day, the snow melts and waterfalls appear around the horseshoe of
alps surrounding the village. There are
no automobiles in Murren, only foot traffic.
You access the village by train from Interlochen, transferring to a funicular,
and then transfer to a small-gauge rail train to the village itself. When you board the train after the funicular,
sit on the left side of the train facing forward. The view departing the station will take your
breath away. In and around the village
are various walking and hiking paths, from easy to challenging. We took an easy walk down the mountain to a
point where we picked up a gondola that took us up to the peak of the mountain,
above Murren. The views are spectacular
and we were surrounded by snow.
6.
Le Cote d’Azur, France. This region is so beautiful and so popular
with the French that it almost should be avoided. On the other hand, the month of May seems to
be a good time to travel, before the crowds fully descend upon this
region. I suggest getting a car to
explore the inland villages. We stayed
at a magnificent, historical hotel sitting above Nice called Le Cagnard
in Haut de Cagnes. Our first night
there, we had dinner at the restaurant in the hotel. It was a multi-course extravaganza that was
paired with the beauty of the Mediterranean sky when the ceiling of the
restaurant retracted exposing the azure blue night canopy. The next morning was even more of a treat as
we all gathered in the breakfast room to a bountiful breakfast buffet of
breads, fruit, meats, yogurts, and eggs upon request. You fill your plate and then walk out onto
the terrace that overlooks Nice and the Mediterranean Sea. The warm breeze fills the air with the local
scent of lavender and rosemary. With
your car, you can explore many of the charming villages in the area or venture
into Monte Carlo, Cannes, and Grasse. Farther
down the coast is the beautiful port town of Saint-Tropez. You can easily spend two weeks exploring
this beautiful region. The beaches are
not ideal as they tend to be covered with small stones rather than sand. But lunch along the coast is not to be missed
either.
7.
Train Ride from Munich, Germany to Salzburg,
Austria. The entry was a total
surprise to me. I was not expecting
anything special, but I was rewarded with one of the most dazingly beautiful
journeys of my life. The only thing that
can come close to this is Murren, Switzerland.
Again, the perfect time of year is spring. The train trip takes you from the big city of
Munich to the Alpine city of Salzburg.
The ground is covered with wild flowers and the peaks of the Alps are
covered with snow. I bought a first-class
ticket and found myself jostling from side to side of the train to absorb all
of the beauty that the Lord had to offer.
Salzburg is a beautiful city, almost too perfect though.
8.
Venice, Italy. As Paris is my favorite real, or fully
functioning city, Venice is my favorite city that is simply preserved for all
of us to admire. The architecture is
stunning and mixed with the canals, it is a fantasy. We have all seen movies and cartoons of the
gondolas slowly winding their way through the narrow and large canals, but
gondolas are quite expensive. The last
time I was there, in 2004, it was over $100 for a 30-minute ride. About all I can say is that I did actually
ride on a gondola. Much more cost
effective is to ride on a vaporetto or water bus. The cost is quite reasonable and you can sit
inside or out. Like other parts of
Italy, off-season is best as there are no real crowds. The one exception is during Carnival in early
spring. I have attended once and must
admit that it is rather glorious to see the amazing costumes. But, my first trip was during January and the
city was very quiet and lovely, although also very cold. Walking through the alleys and piazzas and
hearing the bells toll in the various towers takes you back to another
time. Yes, Venice is Beautiful.
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