"My European Vacation"

All work and no play makes me a dull girl. Well, off to Europe I go for my vacation to Switzerland, Italy and Paris. After a long flight with no sleep, watching 3 movies non-stop and eating pretty delicious food on Delta Airlines, I arrived in Zurich, Switzerland. After going through customs and then getting my bags I was more than ready to fall asleep in my hotel room. After waking up and feeling refreshed several hours later, I headed out to explore the town and then had a bite to eat at a restaurant with outside seating. The next day I set out with my fellow travellers to Locarno, Switzerland to attend the Locarno film festival and check into another hotel.

The film festival was simply awesome. It was an open air movie theatre and the films they showed that night were a Japanese film by Hitoshi followed by "An American in Paris" starring Gene Kelly. It was a great evening. After the movies, folks were still having a party - it was 1 a.m. It was a fabulous affair!

The next day, off to Milano, Italy we went - another train and another hotel. Since it was a holiday in Italy where the majority of the stores were closed, only a handful of tourists were milling around The Duomo (the cathedral complex is located in the Piazza del Duomo - took 140 years to build), the square, the shops that remained opened and the restaurants. I must say, when in Italy do what the Italians do and enjoy the pasta, the sauces and all foods Italian. I really enjoyed the food, the shopping and the sights, including the beautiful architecture, water fountains, music and the fact it's the fashion capital made it that more exciting.

After three days in Italy, off to Paris, France we go, two trains, subways and yet another hotel. This time the hotel was strategically located very close to the subway for easy access to the Eiffel Tower, Arc De Triomphe, Champs-Elysees, the Louvre, etc. The next three days were simply fabulous. I enjoyed seeing folks enjoying themselves, feeling free to express themselves - I actually saw a man walking with only a t-shirt on while standing in line at the Eiffel Tower. The shops were fantastic on the Champs Elysees and the Arch De Triompe was a very humbling experience as this is the site dedicated to those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Ward. The Louvre - what can I say except The Mona Lisa was really protected. After enjoying the sights, sounds, smell of great food (bread, wine, cheeses); it was time to head to Zurich for one more day until our departure back home.

Once back in Zurich, we checked into our final hotel (number 5) and then hit the streets for one last stroll through the city. Dinner was at a chinese restaurant believe it or not - good food and drinks! So this was the end of my European vacation. I was jet lagged and had to get readjusted to the time difference and slept in for most of the next day.

Back to reality, gone are the trains - the best rail system ever, no more melodious sounds of different languages in my ears, the foods - wow! So, until my next European vacation, I hope you enjoy the pics!