Hello and welcome to An Eclectic Place! I made a poll over on my Instagram page @aneclecticplace about what you would like to read this week and part 2 of my backpacking trip won! I recommend reading part 1 of my adventure through Europe first, which you can read here. I’m so excited to share this part of my trip because I get to talk about my favorite place that I have ever visited! But first let’s start where we left off, heading to Germany to visit the Dachau Concentration Camp.
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An Eye-Opening Experience in Germany
It was June 1st and my friend Uzma and I were on a train headed to Munich, Germany. The views were stunning, as were most of our train rides, so I highly suggest traveling by train any chance you get. Anyways, when we made it to Munich we actually ate dinner at one of the first Italian restaurants there, started by Italian immigrants because it was right across from our hostel. We also finally found a real Kinder egg, not the joy versions you see now and I kept the wrapper in my travel journal because it was all in German.
When I was writing this post I struggled to put into words my feelings and experiences at Dachau. My mom suggested that I should copy what I wrote in my journal, so that’s what I did!
“An incredibly powerful and moving experience. It changed all the ways I had viewed World War 2 and concentration camps. Also, the fact that we went on a very warm day put me in the mindset of how it would have been to be living there, exhausted and deprived of sleep and food. I would think about it, but just couldn’t. One of the most eye-opening experiences was the fact that the people of Dachau didn’t know what was happening. They knew something, but were blinded by misconceptions and set up pictures by the guards. When the prisoners were liberated the townspeople went to the camp and saw the true horrors of what was happening. We saw video footage of them walking into the crematorium and seeing all of the dead bodies piled up waiting to be burned. To see that footage and be in the room, was just, it’s hard to explain. By the time we walked out of the gates my body was achy and stiff with all this pressure pushing down on me. At the train station, it had started to subside, but a part of me will never forget how I felt at Dachau.”
Uzma and I didn’t really talk the whole time we were there, it wasn’t until we were on the train heading to her family’s that we talked about our emotions and thoughts.
Unforgettable Family Time
We spent the next few days with Uzma’s family where we visited the sites around them including Rheinfall Switzerland, which is the equivalent of Niagra Falls here in the US, but I believe not as big, but I don’t know since I’ve never been. It was pretty spectacular hearing and seeing the roaring water and we also took a boat across the water to the other side and got some ice cream. Then on the way back to their house, we drove on the Autobahn, which was super interesting and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to be on the road where there are no speed limits, but not have to drive on it.
We also spent time with my family friends and my friend, who was my exchange student in high school. It was great to have home-cooked meals and see them and to be truly relaxed without having to worry about where we’re going to eat or what we’re going to do.
A World of Pure Imagination
After we spent time with Uzma’s family we made our way to Gimmelwald, Switzerland, this is my favorite place that I have ever traveled to! I don’t even know where to begin because I want to tell you everything at once, but I won’t share every detail since I would like to write more about Switzerland and Gimmelwald in the future. Where to start? How about how we found out about this hidden gem!
One of our past teachers had told us that we had to visit Gimmelwald if we were in Switzerland. I had no idea what to expect, I just knew it was a small village in the mountains. Well, I was amazed! From Bern to Interlaken to Lauternburren to Stechelburg and finally to Gimmelwald. If you are looking for a hidden gem off the beaten path, this is the place for you. With only a small number of places to stay, it is a great base for exploring the mountains and neighboring village of Murren, without the large tourist crowds. Just a gondola and bus ride from the storybook town of Lauterbrunnen and an extra train ride to the picturesque town of Interlaken, it is the perfect place to escape.
One of my favorite parts of visiting Gimmelwald was the people. I could just feel that everyone who was there wanted to be there. Uzma and I had been friendly the whole trip, but we kind of stuck together and chit chatted with some people, but that was about all. However, in Gimmelwald, we met up with two ladies from Sweden and went on a little “hike” with them. It was so great to spend time with them and I even stay in touch with one of them now! Even if you’re not a “people person” you should definitely try to strike up a conversation with strangers when you’re traveling, as long as you feel safe doing so.
We only spent 2 days there and I spent a lot of that time singing “A World of Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I still have no idea why, but of all the places to sing it, this is the place! We ended up having crazy fog one of the days we were there, but it was still stunning and picturesque! After procrastinating leaving Gimmelwald because it was absolutely stunning, we headed back down the mountains to spend time with my family friends as I said before.
A Day in Geneva, Switzerland
Our last stop in Switzerland was Geneva! Since I had been there before I toured Uzma around to some places and we discovered new sites. We started by walking across the Mont Blanc bridge where you can see the Jet d’Eau, the huge fountain on Geneva Lake, and Old Town Geneva. We wandered around through Old Town Geneva, went into Saint Peter’s Cathedral and the Chapel of the Maccabees, which is stunning and enjoyed the view from an area behind the Cathedral, and even saw the L’horloge Fleurie, the Flower Clock. We found a little spot for a picnic lunch where we could people watch and enjoy the view and even picked up some churros on the way.
The last thing we wanted to do was get closer to the fountain. We were walking out to it and we were getting a little too close, but we were fine, but then the wind shifted and we got soaked! I definitely recommend getting close to the fountain to see it up close, but just be careful if you don’t want to get wet. After spending time in Geneva we headed to France and spent time with my past exchange student and her family!
Paris, comment je t’aime!
After having a lovely visit with my friend we headed on our way to Paris, spending 5 days there, the longest we’d stayed in one place thus far. I had the opportunity to take part in a French exchange program in high school and fell in love with Paris and I was so excited to be back! Since I had been there before I knew the places I wanted to see again and the foods I wanted to eat, plus I ended up sharing lots of stories with Uzma.
We arrived during the afternoon and I knew after checking in the first thing we should do was go to The Eiffel Tower and find dinner. The Eiffel Tower at night is truly magnificent and it is worth staying out late to see! We ended up waiting for quite a few hours for the sparkly lights to show and I kept telling Uzma, “It’ll be soon. It shouldn’t be much longer.” Since we were there in June it got darker later, so it ended up being 11 pm when the lights finally shone. It is such a special moment and I’m so glad we waited so long because it was so worth it!
Over the next few days we visited The Eiffel Tower again and went all the way to the top, the Arc de Triomphe where we walked to Ladurée for macarons, The Catacombs, which is one of my favorite sites of Paris, and Le mur de je t’aime or the “I love you” wall. By far my favorite place to visit is Versailles, just an hour train ride from Paris, it’s the perfect day trip.
We bought a ticket to tour the stunning palace and if you ever have the opportunity to visit, you should definitely tour the palace! My favorite room is the Hall of Mirrors, right in the heart of the palace and probably one of the most well-known rooms. After spending the morning going through the rooms of the palace we picked up some lunch and wandered around the gardens. You absolutely have to rent bikes and bike all the way around the grand canal and visit the other buildings. We even listened to the Mamma Mia soundtrack when we were biking! 🙂
Paris will always have my heart and I’m excited to share more stories in the future with you!
The non-touristy side of London
London, England was our last stop before we headed home! We had been traveling for 5 weeks and when we made it to the House of Sebastiao Maria, where we were staying we both just wanted to relax and enjoy the awesome room we were staying in! From our window, we could see something was going on across the street and we decided to check it out. It was a giant food market and it smelled amazing, oh and there was an underground vintage market!! I can not even tell you how amazing the area we were staying in was!
This was the last leg of our trip and the effects of traveling non-stop definitely caught up to us, but we had a magical time in London that I will never forget. The part of London that we were staying in was quite eclectic, with lots of vintage shops, massive markets, and the most unique artwork. I couldn’t even tell you what part of London we were in, but it was the Eastside (I looked it up and I believe it was Hackney). My favorite memories of London are being able to watch Harry Potter, relaxing in our room, and hearing Jack the Ripper tours walk by every night (Fun fact: the place across the street was where he murdered one of his victims.)
For our last day in London, we headed to the Westside to explore the theatre district and watch some shows! Before we headed out we had a fun little photoshoot and then made our way to Piccadilly Circus, which was where a scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 was filmed and picked up some sandwiches and sat and watched the traffic. We had a little time before our first show, so we explored the area around the theater and ended up finding a place that sold bubble tea, where I tried the rose milk and strawberry jelly flavor. Our first show was Les Misérables, which was the original production with the turning stage and it was PHENOMENAL, but I may be a little biased because it’s my favorite musical!
We had a little time before going to see our next show, Mamma Mia and we ended up stumbling upon an “American” themed restaurant for dinner and the food was pretty good. At Mamma Mia we were able to get seats in the third row for a really good price! It was so amazing and fun and at the end of the show, we got to get up and dance with the cast. It was such an amazing way to end our unforgettable trip!
My thoughts now, a year later
It was truly an unforgettable trip filled with candid pictures, lots of laughs, and endless memories. I still can’t believe I did it! I backpacked through Europe for 6 weeks with my best friend! Looking back at pictures and reading my journal just makes me wish I could go back. I look forward to the day that I can travel back to Europe and revisit my favorite places and discover new ones along the way!
Take care and stay safe,
Renée
You most certainly did it! You and Uzma will forever have the memories of the challenges, the bus ride that seemed to go on and on, but most of all the accomplishment of traveling thru Europe with just the pack on your back!!
Bravo Renee! The photos are exquisite!