Paris avec ma mere

After we left Scotland, we headed to Paris. I was so excited to show this city to my mom. I spent a week there when I traveled with Rachel and absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, the weather was terrible for us. Cold, rainy, cloudy, and windy. Not exactly the same Paris I visited in June. We had a good time, but my mom isn't quite sold on the city yet. YET. I'm planning to take her in the spring sometime in the future so she can see it in all its glory.

Our hotel was in Montmarte a few streets down from Moulin Rouge. I missed this landmark last time I was here, so it was a nice surprise to come across. We walked to Sacré Cœur, which was also close to our hotel. A quick stop in Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, some shopping, Shakespeare and Company Bookstore, and some coffee about rounded up our trip. The rain really put a damper on things. We actually went to the movie theater one afternoon because it was so miserable. Sometimes you have to relax, right?

Because the weather was so bad, I have a total of 20 pictures from this part of our trip. Bummer. If you want to see more, I posted A LOT of pictures here.

Luss, Scotland

When we first arrived in Luss, it was dark. We weren't really able to see anything. I had seen a few pictures of the town from Lauren's post about the town, but other than that, we really didn't know what to expect. Let's just say we were pleasantly surprised the next morning when we woke up to explore.

Luss doesn't really have anything to offer in terms of entertainment. It's simply a little village on Loch Lomond with adorable streets and gorgeous walking trails. There is a motel that has a restaurant and bar. They also have wifi, which was great for us because our B&B didn't.

We spent most of the day walking around the town. The first street we turned on gave us a very happy surprise: Loch Lomond! We knew it was close to the loch but didn't realize it was right there. It was extremely cold and a bit rainy but so quiet and peaceful.

This village was such a great place to relax. Our B&B was small (just a room and bathroom) but very cute. There was another room in the small house, but no one was in it while we were there. The family who runs it was extremely sweet and very helpful. If you need a little getaway, check out Alderdale B&B. It's nothing fancy, but it gets the job done for a great price. If you're lucky like us, you might get the house all to yourself!

Driving in Scotland

Mom and I flew into Glasgow late Tuesday night. We originally planned to get a taxi to Luss, where our bed and breakfast was located. It was about 40 minutes from the city and we planned on staying in the town the whole time we were there. But when we got to the airport, we decided to rent a car. It's a little nicer knowing you have freedom to go somewhere if you really want to.

Driving in Scotland. That was an experience. Fortunately we knew how to drive a stick, so that wasn't a problem. BUT. They drive on the opposite side of the road. Which means the steering wheel is on the opposite side of the car. Which also means you're changing gears with your left hand instead of your right hand. So. Weird. There was definitely a learning curve. I should also mention that my mom had never driven through a round-about before. I was very accustomed to them since I've been living in France for a while. (The French really love their round-abouts.)

We started going without any problems. But then we hit our first round-about. I was trying to coach my mom through it but she was freaking out. There were three round-abouts just in the first five minutes. My mom was so worried she was going to have a wreck and I was just laughing the whole time. By the time we got to Luss, our abs were so sore from laughing. I really wish I had a video of this ride. It was a sight to see for sure.

The thing I love about driving through Scotland is the amazing scenery. I had experienced it before when I drove through the Highlands and around Loch Ness. But it was my mom's first time. The land is just so untouched. The first time I drove through Scotland, I wasn't able to take many pictures. It was a driving tour and there are only so many shots you can get through a bus window. This time, however, we were able to stop whenever we wanted.

If you ever visit Scotland, or any other country with beautiful landscapes, I HIGHLY recommend renting a car. That extra freedom makes the trip so much more memorable.

Florence, November 2013

After Modena, we took a quick train to Firenze. I wish I could say the weather was beautiful but it just wasn't. It rained the entire time we were there. Fortunately it was more of a sprinkle, which didn't stop us from walking around. We were only there for one full day and one half day, but we packed it full.

It was interesting visiting this city again for the third time. Of course it's still beautiful to me, but I wasn't so clicker happy with my camera. I guess that's true of all places when you think about it. Once you've seen something, it's not quite as special as the first time. It also didn't help that the sky wasn't the beautiful blue I was used to seeing.

Our first stop was the San Lorenzo Market. We bought purses, scarves, and journals galore. I was looking for one specific stall with a lady who I've seen the past two years. She sells these perfect clutches and leather gloves. But she was no where to be found! I was so disappointed but I guess the bright side is I saved a bit of money??? I'm still on the lookout for some good gloves, though. Winter in Geneva is brutal for this Georgia girl.

We just stumbled around the city for most of the day. Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, beautiful side streets...my mom loved it all. And I was so glad. It's still my favorite city so far. We ate dinner at Ciro and Sons. My mom had gnocchi alla sorrentina and I had margherita pizza. It was delicious. I highly recommend it. The staff was so friendly and the food was great. They even have a lot of gluten free options (you just have to call ahead if you want gluten free pizza).

The next morning we had breakfast, walked around the market a little more, and then hopped on our train to go to Milan, where we caught a flight to Glasgow!

Beginning of Mother/Daughter Travels!

My mom came to visit me in Europe back in November. Over two months later...I'm finally writing about it!

She flew into Geneva on October 31. Happy Halloween to me! Since her birthday is October 24, we ordered a cake to celebrate. We spent the rest of the night talking and packing for our week-long trip. I was so excited to finally see her after six months. It's awesome having Skype to communicate, but being with her in person was so much better.

We started our trip in Modena, Italy. I was able to introduce her to my host family from two years ago. It was awesome to combine those two worlds. Sadly, I have no pictures of us all together. That just means we have to go back again! While we were there, we took a bike tour around the town, had dinner with Nonna, went to the new Ferrari museum, and ate a lot of really delicious food. I went to Ski Pass with my "siblings", which is a huge ski exhibition hosted by Nissan. It was a lot of fun and there was even a huge party that night. Italians sure know how to party. I got to hang out with a lot of people I had met the year before, and I met some of their friends that I hadn't previously met. I even impressed myself with the amount of Italian I could understand. We were out until 4 am, and I was exhausted the next day, but it was fun.

While I was at Ski Pass, my mom went around town with the parents. I was a little nervous about leaving her alone but they all got along great. Further proof that these people are just the sweetest. I'm so glad my mom was able to meet them after hearing so much about them.

After Modena, we hopped on a train headed to Firenze!