#williamgoes

[william-goes-blog]

After the expose outside of Notre Dame, I ventured up to the hilly and picturesque town of Montmartre. The steep hills were worth the climb because the summit provided great views of Paris. There was an outdoor art market, where I could not resist to purchase a small piece, a well as a church called Sainte-Pierre de Montmartre ⛪️. Just outside the church, I found a very nice dinner café where I enjoyed a delicious Cesar salad, was serenaded by an accordion player, all while sitting right in the street of this quaint town. And did I mention there was a jazz band in the restaurant directly behind me? I then sat on the steps of the Square Louise Michel with a spectacular view of the sun setting over downtown Paris. It felt like a movie 🎥 🇫🇷.

[william-goes-blog]

I leave Paris today, and with that, this picture of my lunch on the Champs Elysees. Also, my final reflections and general observations about Paris 😁🇫🇷❤️ Parisians don't wear shorts, even on a sunny hot day. It has been a clear differentiator between locals and travelers. No one ever has their phones out. Almost no one wears bright colors. Like ever. You won't see paper towels in restrooms or public water fountains almost anywhere (shows the power and influence of the paper industry in the US!). This is a city you want to share with someone. Being alone in Paris can be a bit miserable 😆😭. Final thought: As I sit having my last lunch on the Champs Elysees, if someone were to come up to me and say that I had to stay in Paris and could never go back, I'd cry tears of joy, hug them, and rush off to start a new life in this marvelous city!! Au revoir!! ❤️🇫🇷

[william-goes-blog]

<p>After that episode, I walked over to the stating place for my bike tour of Prague. As it turned out, I was the only one so I got a private tour! My guide was my age and from Texas, so we just had a grand time going around talking about Prague and the NBA finals 🏀. We even stopped half way through at a park to get beers 😂🍻. After biking around, I ran home to shower and get ready for the concert. I grabbed dinner nearby the theatre at a fantastic burger place 😋 before heading to the performance. It was amazing! They first featured two soloists, one of whom was a young yet stellar violinist. They then performed a symphony called “The Inextinguishable,” which was spectacular.</p>

[william-goes-blog]

After inspecting the Arc from every angle, I meandered down the Champs-Élysées, poking my head into clothing shops here and there (Hugo Boss was the coolest). I took the metro over to see the stunning gold-plated sculptures of the Ponte Alexandre bridge. Heading over to check out the Pompidou, again it began to downpour, and I had no choice but to brave the rain and walk the 5ish blocks from the metro 😭. The Centre is very cool on the outside, but a bit underwhelming on the inside. I capped the day off with escargots and red wine at a café just nearby 😋. Before heading home, I ran by both Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower to see them lit up at night 🌃.

[william-goes-blog]

From lunch, I headed over to Schönbrunn, the royal summer palace of the Hofburg family that ruled in Austria for over 600 years. It was very pretty, though didn’t quite rival the magnificence of Versailles. Where it did have Versailles beat, however, was with the gardens 🌺. Due to time constraints, I wasn’t able to see as much as I’d liked, but the small part I explored was beautiful. Tonight, I attended a brilliant performance at a theatre in a park just inside the downtown area. It was Strauss and Mozart, with accompanying classical dancers and two opera singers 🎻💃. I then headed to a late dinner around the corner to a restaurant suggestion from Yelp. It was easily the best meal I’ve had since being in Europe: lentils with bacon and a bread-like dumpling. Truely superb taste!!

[william-goes-blog]

My time in Munich has been short (1.5 days) but so well spent! It really has been an amazing and fun experience. I designated the whole first day taking a guided tour of Neushwanstein Castle, located in the Swiss Alps about 2 hours outside of Munich 🏔🏰. On the trip, I made two new friends! Lori was a mom from Lawrenceville who has been a Braves season ticket holder for 20 years (best believe we talked a LOT about baseball)! Shirley was a young professional from Manhattan who went to Brown and works in market research! The castle was really cool (though not ornate, as it was less than half finished when King Ludwig II died).

[william-goes-blog]

One last night in the US!

Hello everyone, and welcome to my blog I will use to document my backpacking trip through Europe🇪🇺! I’m hoping to post every one or two days with pictures and descriptions of my adventures! Bellow is a brief itinerary of where I plan to explore!

Paris 🇫🇷 Munich 🇩🇪 Vienna 🇦🇹 Prague 🇨🇿 Berlin 🇩🇪 Amsterdam 🇳🇱 London 🇬🇧

Ciao!! 😁❤️

[william-goes-blog]

Today was probably my favorite so far 😃 I began in the morning by visiting Napoleon’s Tomb before grabbing a banana and nutella crepe 😋 I then took a brief nap on the steps down to the Seine before taking a guided tour of Notre Dame. On the tour, I FINALLY met people 😭 a nice group of 60+ year olds from Australia (who were a trip) and a family from Atlanta! Two of the Australians, Trish and Lynne, went with me on a boat tour down the Seine, sharing with me their incredible travel experiences and giving me tips for Prague and Amsterdam. Afterwards, I ran into a bread-making expose where I tried a sweet bread and a small pizza 🍞😋.