Italy, London, & Other Heavens

So I told you that I went to Venice. If you read my post, you would have read that it was breathtaking and the food was delicious. Venice was only the first stop on a crazy family vacation in Europe. Here are some more of my thoughts and pictures from Europe.

The mountains in Switzerland are simply stunning. The amount of green space is huge! My family and our gracious Swiss hosts took a two hour hike throughout the Alps and their mountain town and it was so gorgeous.

In the middle of our stay with our Swiss friends, we made a trip to Florence, Italy and Tuscany. We took a crazy tour that was supposed to be 12 hours, but due to an altercation with the Italian police, ended up being much, much longer. Even though the tour was SO TIRING, it was still amazing to see the Leaning Tower in Pisa, and the many amazing sights in Tuscany and especially looking out over the countryside at the beautiful vineyards on the mountains. The lunch that they provided at an organic vineyard was amazing, and the gelato at a small town in Tuscany was delicious, as well! It was cool going on a tour like that because my family met people from Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, and a few Americans, too.

LAKE COMO is actually amazing. We rented a boat with our Swiss friends and cruised around the lake for about two hours, admiring the wealth of the landowners and the natural beauty of the lake. Many Russian billionaires, Middle East royals, and American actors vacation at their homes in this stunning part of Italy. I was so psyched for this because I recently saw the pictures one of my favorite bloggers, "The Londoner", posted. It looks beautiful in the pictures, but this is definitely a place that looks the most beautiful with your own eyes.

 ^^ That's George Clooney's house on the lake! He actually owns about 5 houses that he uses for different things on one big estate. He was actually in his house when we rode by!

The small towns that surrounded the lake were adorable! Here is one of my favorite osterias that I snapped:

After Italy and Switzerland, we took a plane to England. I have always been really intrigued by the English lifestyle. The royals have always held a special place in my heart, as well. I loved London. It was the perfect mix of Paris in New York. I love Paris, but I don't think that I could ever master the language well enough to live there full-time. New York is lovely as well, but what I loved about London was that it wasn't all high rise buildings! They had tons of parks, and one of my favorite memories from London was walking in the park in Kensington one morning with my mom.

In London, we visited the Tower of London, took a boat on the Thames, ate a lot of Pub food (and delicious Indian food as well!), took a sightseeing bus (another one of my favorite experiences) and saw Big Ben and the Eye. The sightseeing double decker bus was dreadfully hot in the afternoon, but after a day of touring we hopped back on the bus a little after seven o'clock. It was a gorgeous temperature, and we were so happy to just sit (with no headphones telling us what we were seeing, unlike in the morning) and take in the city as it was just beginning to start coming alive for the night. I saw so many gorgeous neighborhoods, and I loved seeing everything from that perspective.

Anyways, this year I have gotten to travel more than I ever have before (and more than I will in the near future). I am so grateful for the experiences that I have had, and I am so excited to visit more places in the future. This summer is quickly coming to a close, with volleyball practices just around the corner, and I am so sad to see it pass. I can only hope that I will have amazing trips and happenings in the future.

XOXOXO,

Kelsey