When people travel, it gives them a sense of relaxation because they are getting away from work and their normal, everyday lives. Over Winter Break, I took a trip to the big 3: Paris, France; Mackenbach, Germany; and Londan, England, over the course of 2 and a half weeks. I had the time of my life with family and friends and am going to tell you some great places to hit up in each of these destinations, along with places I am planning to go this summer.
First up is Mackenbach, Germany. We went to Germany to visit my aunt, who is in the military, so she has to live in Germany for a while, and my cousins. My family and I arrived in Germany at 2AM after having departed from Chicago at 5PM. The flight was 7 hours long and was pretty uncomfortable. It was my first time going to Europe and flying longer than 3 hours. The hardest part about first arriving in Germany was not falling asleep because I needed to catch up to the time change. The time change in Germany from Chicago is 7 hours, so it was a big difference and I couldn’t stay awake.
After a day of relaxing and settling in, we decided to do some sightseeing. We went to the city to explore. We ended up getting fruit punch along with seeing a historical building called “Porta Nigra.” The Porta Nigra in Trier, Germany, is the largest and best-preserved Roman city gate north of the Alps, built around 170 AD using massive grey sandstone blocks without mortar.” It served as an entrance before being turned into a church in the 11th century, which saved it from destruction. It was pretty cool, but we definitely saw some better places, like a castle called “Heidelberg Castle,” which was “originally a medieval fortress [but] evolved into a grand Renaissance residence for the Counts Palatine before being severely damaged by 17th-century wars, lightning strikes, and fire…King Ruprecht III (1400–1410) was the first to establish it as a royal residence” (Schloss Heidelburg). This castle was much cooler to see because you were able to go inside of it. There was a really big wine barrel and we were able to get refreshments inside. They also provided tours for people, explaining the history of the castle.
One last thing about visiting Germany were the Christmas markets; they were the cutest things ever. “They offer traditional foods like Bratwurst and Glühwein, little gifts, and festive activities, providing a festive atmosphere for locals and tourists to gather during the Christmas season” (Google).
After that, we went to Paris, France. We commuted from Germany to Paris by train. The train ride was only an hour long, and we only stayed in Paris for two days and one night. For the first day in Paris, we headed to the major attractions, Porte Saint-Denis, Pont des Arts (aka Love Lock Bridge), and The Eiffel Tower. When we first arrived in Paris, we had to walk to our hotel and, let me tell you, Paris isn’t as pretty as people make it out to be. There was trash everywhere. It was super crowded, and it didn’t smell very nice. But the architecture was lovely; all of the buildings were impressive, and they were just as great as I had imagined.
Something that was really shocking was when I saw so many people smoking cigarettes. I was expecting it, but it was like almost everyone was a smoker. Almost every restaurant had an ashtray for the smokers; it was like smoking was a lifestyle for the French.
The second day, I went to the Louvre, Pont au Change, and a Christmas market. This was a pretty good experience, but the Louvre was closed. We at least did get to take pictures outside of the Louvre with all of the lovely castles and buildings in the background.
After traveling back to Germany from France, our third stop was London, England. We traveled to London by plane from Germany; the plane ride was about an hour long. The airport experience was very stressful. The Germans don’t play about leaving on time. We were a little late, so we had to hurry and get to the gate. Then, we had to sprint to the airplane because the gate was closing. But other than the airport experience, this part of the trip, overall, was very positive. Our hotel was much nicer than the one in Paris, and my favorite thing of all was listening to the Brits’ accents. It was really cold in London, but it was so beautiful. Seeing Big Ben and taking pictures of literally everything, because of how nice it is there, was so fun.
My only qualms about London was that it was so crowded and I was never able to ride on a double decker bus. I was so upset I didn’t get to experience being on one; London is so famous for their double decker buses and the fact that I didn’t get to go on one really pained me. I did get some pictures of them, though, and I also got pictures of the red telephone booths. My little cousin told me that taking pictures with the booths could bring bad luck, but there were lines to take pictures with them so I don’t think that was actually true. The food in London was average…not very different from American food, but it was still cool to experience it.
Some upcoming trips for me include Tennessee for a wedding in June. I’ll be in Michigan for a softball tournament, Ohio to see family and work, and, finally, a trip to Mexico to visit family. I can’t wait to go on all of these trips, make more memories, and take so many more pictures. I hope you take my advice and visit some of these places…or simply travel in general.
