Spring break with the best mom in the world!

Sorry for the lack of posts! I’ve been traveling and busy with midterms (yes, I’m actually doing some schoolwork) and my poor blog has been neglected.

Last week for my spring break my mom came and visited me in Europe. We met in Paris on Saturday morning and spent a few days in the city. I really like the city, but I do think it’s slightly overrated. I think there are places in Italy, Switzerland, and various other countries that are just as romantic and exciting. However, the baked goods in France are to die for. My mom and I tried a chocolate croissant a day into our trip, which was a day too late. We got at least one croissant a day for our remaining time in Paris. The weather wasn’t great, but thankfully we went up the Eiffel Tower on the sunniest morning and managed to snap some good pictures.

 

Sacre Coeur

No caption needed

View from the Eiffel Tower!

We didn’t go to the Lourve, which was fine with me because I don’t really fancy museums and the Mona Lisa is (in my expert opinion) rather ugly. However, we did to go to the Musee d'Orsay to see Monet's water lilies and visit the “Love Lock” bridge in Paris – formally known as the Pont de l’Archeveche.

Our journey in Switzerland took us to Luzern and Interlaken. Luzern was an adorable small town – famous for a medieval bridge and flocks of swans which arrived in the 17^th century as a gift from Louis XIV thanking Switzerland for protection the Swiss guards gave him.

Interlaken was just as beautiful as I remember it. Nothing more needs to be said about this place except if you ever get the chance to go – without hesitation, do it.

We took a train to Jungfrau, which is the third-highest mountain in the Bernese Alps. Snow and wind severely limited our view from the top, but looking out the train window on the way up the mountain more than made up for it.

At the top of Jungfrau! 

From Interlaken we went back to Basel where we boarded a night train. The night train was really cool – we each had our own bed in a little cabin to catch some much-needed sleep. For our last major travel day we spent a few hours walking around Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. The canals really beautified the city, but it was a little too touristy for my taste. 

We got back to Nijmegen Thursday night and I went home after my mom went on her way to a nearby B&B. The next day I took her around Nijmegen and we got lunch at my favorite spot: Bagels and Beans (how American – I know).

Saturday we went to Keukenhof (“kitchen garden” in Dutch) in the Netherlands. The country itself is known largely for tulips, but the gardens have hundreds of different flowers. According to the Keukenhof official website, seven million flower bulbs are planted every year. The gardens are only open from mid-March to mid-May but the recommended time to go is mid-April. 

The next blog post will arrive within the next few days. Stay tuned.