Europe 2004

C'est Beau La Vie.
(It's a beautiful life.)
**Taken from Haribo gummy bears.

Day 1
We arrived at the airport in Germany after 8 hours. Blah, we had lay-over in Frankfort for like 5 hours. Lufthansa Airlines. Lets keep this hush hush, the Germans are quite cold. Then, we got on a plane to Barcelona. At first, I was thinking, "Ugh, this place ain't nothing." But you know what? I ended up enjoying it more than other places. Checked into the hotel. The hotel was called err...Alimara Hotel. It's pretty peaceful there. :) That night, (tummies were growling and no one had recommendations) we ate at a weird restaurant nearby. Uyen ordered something and I decided to have the same. Oh! Bad decision! Haha, It turned out to be raw salmon in some sauce. It didn't look edible. Live and learn.

Day 2
We took the metro (It's my first time on the subway!) to Catalunya (Sp?) I bought postcards, of course. I'll post up some nice tips for young people who are going to Europe. Because you'll need it!!! Ate at Pans and Company. It's sort of like a European Quiznos. Mmm. I miss it. :D Next, we went on the tours. Bustouristic (I think that's it.) tours. Remember seeing those red buses with the open tops in Great Britain? It's similar to that. We saw Barcelona all in one day! Lots of walking!!! I had bad shoes. Live and learn. Um, I'm not going into details about the entire day because a picture's worth a thousand words.

Day 3
This day was made for shopping, and extra exploration. Go to the beach and you'll see topless ladies. We ate at Port Olympic because we ate there on the previous day and enjoyed it. All the restaurants on the port are engulfed with crazy hosts who will literally drag you into their restaurants. One who didn't drag was the one we ate at. A hottie's pick. Uyen went around asking hotties. Cool! haha. I wish I was that brave during the cruise. Live and learn.

Brilliance of the Seas

Day 4 - June 12
Cruise cruise cruise! Cau Anh, Co Yen, Thao, Bich, Phi, Uyen, Abby, Cuong, Hung, Kim, and I woke up really early due to excitement. (A big group huh? That's...1..2..3..11 people.) We bid our farewells to Dung and Minh as they, too, are vacationing in Europe. Bon Voyage. The hotel called us up a cool taxi driver. I learned that Paris is over-rated, and the French are lazy people. (They don't like helping people.) Hehe, our taxi driver was French. He's hilarious. He'd get arrested for placing so many people in a taxi but he's like, "No no, amiga, amigo." *Smooch Smooch* You'd laugh if you were there. We arrived at the port and Phi and I see this hot guy. You just don't understand. European guys really are hotter than American guys. Maybe it's just me. I think it's hot seeing them speak Spanish. (Well duh, Christie, they live there.)  We boarded the ship, The Brilliance of the Seas. Jason!!!...um, moving along. haha. We ate brunch (not sure if breakfast or lunch) and I decided to walk on my own. I basically explored EVERYTHING on the first day of the cruise. Later on, Phi joined me. Phi and I kept passing a korean-looking asian dude (It was the hair!) but paid no attention. Remember Jeff, for he's a key factor later on in the story. There are about three other important people. After exploring and what-not, I went to sleep, then we ate dinner. Ali and Edward were our waitors. Remember YUMMY YUMMY! Ali's favorite words. Phi and I went to the teen party and omg! No one was there. (But lets see what happens the last few days.) I met Jamie and Ester, who worked at the club. Remember Ester.

Day 5  - June 13
I forgot where we docked so I'm going to say Ajjaccio, Corsica. We took the tender boats to Ajjaccio. It's small and too boring. We saw like three places and that was it. Napolean's home, a cathedral (I've seen better in Rome!), and the markets, which had ridiculous prices. My feet ached from the previous days so Corsica was good enough for me. I told Phi I saw a HUGE asian group the previous night. (Wow, that's nice to know.) Haha, I was sitting in the beautiful church (Did you know it was a Sunday?) and Phi tells me to turn around. Tada! Big asian group. My first encounter with Sean and  Mr. Atchooo (Sorry, didn't quite get his name--They are also key factors! They will later be known as the Triads. You'll find out why.). Sean has a staring problem which made me think he was infatuated. It was scary! His eyes were open and his mouth was open.  <--Similar to that. hehe. We went back on the ship, ate dinner, got sea-sick, so Thao, Bich, Phi, and I got knocked out while everyone attended the magic show. I was sleeping on the couch and woke up at 1AM to brush the pearly whites. Haha, after I was done, I almost went to sleep but then I heard an Chinese couple SCREAMING at eachother next door. It was mad funny! I wish I knew Chinese. (Later in the story, I actually do mean it.) The man was all low and stuff and the woman was SHRIEKING. She went on like that for another hour. Haha, yeah I lied awake listening. Phi woke up shortly after and I was like, "HEY PHI! LISTEN!!!" She cracked up and she wanted Carrie to be there. Our very own translator. And off to bedheaven we go.

Day 6 - June 14
Rain rain go away. Villefranche, here we go. (Nice, Monte Carlo, and Monaco.) The walk was murder! Stairs, stairs, and more stairs! We were in Nice and took a train to Monaco. From the top of Monaco, yes TOP, we WALKED all the way down to Monte Carlo. That's AFTER WE CLIMBED THE STAIRS OF NICE! You guys should buy nice jogging shoes. Even my tennis shoes ached my feet. haha. Nice has a nice view. Monaco was such a rich city. We couldn't enter the Monte Carlo casino because we were under-age. (Phi, Bich, Thao, and I.) It kept raining! We walked back to the train station in Monaco and back to Nice and back to Villefranche. Villefranche is a gorgeous town. It's like a painting. Went back on the tender boat. It was rocking so much! To make matters worse, it rained. Okay, I forgot what I did after I got off the tender boat. I think we ate dinner and then Phi and I went to the hot tub in the Solarium. IT WAS THE BEST! You have no idea! The hot tub completed me. Hehe, after the hot tub, we went to the Seaview Cafe and then sat at the kiddy pool to eat. (Yeah, Dinner, Hot Tub, more dinner.) We were done and went to Deck 12. (Remember Deck 12, because that's where all the action's at.) Phi and I went in and we see the Triads.(Sean and Mr. Attchoo.) Mr. Attchoo ran to press the down button right before Phi pressed it. The elevator came and Phi and I were closer. We got into the elevator and the Triads were just too slow so Miss Phi Khuu decides that she wants to close the elevator door on them. Hehe, guess what? She did! Remember that event because we'll have a dejavu. Went back to Room 3110 on deck 3 and showered and slept. **I think I went rock climbing today. Hehe, no comment. Tomorrow is Livorno. (Florence/Pisa)

Day 7 - June 15
Florence makes me smile. I had my "I'm in Italy so I'm going to be happy!" approach. It's a beautiful city. I think we woke up at 6AM. (Which doesn't seem to be a problem with my jet lag.) Ate breakfast. The kids stayed home today with Cau Anh. They were just too exhausted from the previous days. There's a huge cathedral in Florence. When I say huge, I mean HUGE. It's so massive. Guess what? We climbed to the top! It was insanity. Spiral staircases all over the freaking place. Just when you thought you reached the top, there are more stairs. The dome was beautiful though. And the peak's view was magnificent. Ahah, I'm not going to recommend climbing the dome though. When I reached the top, I couldn't enjoy it because I was too tired. Maybe it was over-rated. It was a nice accomplishment though. Florence is the best place to shop. Make sure you go to the flea market because those stores will rip you off. The leather smells nice. We returned to the ship. It's formal night! Omg, we were all so tired but had to dress up nicely. Haha, the ship is cruel! I had to wear heels even though my feet hurt like a sucker.  We ate so much that night. I think that's when I saw him. Something that would develop into an infatuation. Yes, Jeff. Too bad the story is only partially about him. Well, Phi and I went back to our room and waited for the Midnight Chocolate Buffet. (I got pictures!) HOW SICK IS THAT! Haha, wicked cool. We brought three plates back to our room and that's it. We were stuffed. Pure chocolate.

Roma

Day 8 - June 16
Rome. When I think of Rome, I think of Gladiator. "There was a dream that was Rome. You could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish, it was so fragile." Let me tell you something, Rome ain't no dream. I thought this whole trip was a dream. I thought I dreamt it up all in one night, woke up the next day, and it was over. Man, it wasn't a dream. I have souveneirs to prove it. T_T We did a lot in Rome, but not enough. We saw a church, but I forgot what it's name was. Mm, I'll just describe it. It's greenish, pinkish, and white-ish looking. Haha, actually, we saw two churches that looked like that. The only one I remember seeing in Rome was the one I saw in the Vatican City, St. Peter's church. Everything I saw in Rome was a history lesson. It's history, it's art. I love both equally. I remember going to the Sistine Chapel. 'twas okay. I mean, the musuem was better than the actual chapel. It was the Capitoline Museum? Haha, I'm literally looking up all this stuff because I was "living in the moment." I'm never going to forget St. Peter's church. It's the most gorgeous thing ever. Blessed by God, built by man. Built by man. Oh! I forgot to mention that we saw the Pope there. It was a Wednesday, and supposedly every Wednesday, the Pope comes out and shares a few words. It was "fetch"!  People say the gelato, or ice cream, tastes better in Rome, but the gelato in Barcelona was rollin'. I guess it's where you find 'em. The pizza wasn't all that grand either. We had a nutty cab driver. He honked everything! I was sleeping in the car (too much fun, lack of sleep.) and I wake up to HONK HONK HONK HONK! It's WORSE than those New Yorkers. I mean, dang. Beeeeep Beeeep Beeep! "David" was hot. hahaa, just kidding. I'm referring to the statue by Michealangelo. Michealangelo is freaking gifted. Yeah so today, I told Phi about Jeff and when we got back to the ship, we're like looking for him. HELLO? We freaking passed him 34567890 times at the beginning of the trip. -__- I'm a freaking idiot. Hehe, we dragged the kids along too. Okay, it must be destiny or something because we found the Triads and Jeff (Family friends.)--on the 12th deck. This is when the story gets interesting. It's insane. I see them everywhere. Would I be considered a stalker if they were stalking me too? We're (Phi, me, and the kids.) all sitting at the foot of the 12th deck stairs. Fate is building a bridge of chance for the one you love. -My Sassy Girl. (THERE'S A MY SASSY GIRL 2!) Okay, sitting at the stairs. Jeff and the triads freaking pass by like a kazillion times. It's hilarious, if you ask me. But you didn't. So they left. We all walked downstairs. Speak of the devil! They're walking upstairs. (I tell Phi to SHUT UP in viet but she didn't hear me. Phi, then, cusses in viet. By the way, they are all Taiwanese. Cute and rich and smart and charming bastards. **referring to everyone but triads. ) Wtffffff!!! I'm in stalker mode right now so we go to the Crown and Anchor, on the 12th deck, and sit and talk. "Building my bridge of chance." Ahaha, they pass by the Crown and Anchor, staring, like 2345678904567890 times! This next part takes the crown.We thought they took the elevators somewhere, but apparently they didn't. I think we left the Crown and Anchor, and now we were returning. They walk in, we saw them, we walked out. (Should have seen the expressions.) It's like a frozen moment in time. Okay, we were sitting in the Crown and Anchor, and the Crown and Anchor in something that's kind of like an oval. There's a wall separating the other side, where the elevators are. The cat and mouse chase is kind of fun. So we thought they were officially gone, guess not! Haha, I can sense when they are approaching. Um, they walk around the circle, which was pretty pointless because WHO THE HECK WALKS A CIRCLE! No one! Why? Because circles go round and round. I'll call it a night. Tomorrow's formal night in Naples. More funny stuff.

Day 9 - June 17
Worth remembering: Ping-pong.

Formal night at Naples. We're all dressed up. We take pictures. Jeff, still crushing, and Jason, oh look! it's his older brother, are standing behind us. 'Nuff said.

"Hey Christie, why aren't you describing Naples for us?"
"Well, the answer is simple, Rob, Can I call you Rob? Okay Rob. Naples suck!"

To make matters worse, it was raining. And we had to walk like three miles to the train station. BEWARE OF PICK-POCKETING! (It happened to me on Barcelona on the subway, too. Geez, the woman got bad B.O.) Walking, walking, and more walking. I was getting sick, due to the rain. So got to the train station after asking a kazillion people. We just followed some guy who was heading there himself. Yeah, we went to Pompeii. Of all the days I chose to wear the thinnest flipflop ever. Pompeii is ROCKY! And soon after, it rained so it got MUDDY. Okay, 'nuff about Pompeii. Back to the train station. (Obnoxious Itailian boys.) Back to Naples. Back to the port safely. The driving is insane. The people were insane. Naples was dirty! And it was insane.

Okay, back to the ship. Back to dreamland. We all got dolled up. Ate the best dinner ever. The waiters did a dance for us. Phi and I just chilled in the Crown and Anchor afterwards. It's all good. We had a crazy Jeff moment. I don't feel like talking about. LOL, I guess it's over eh? Jeff made a new friend. And tomorrow, tomorrow is just another day.

Loveholic
Day 10 - June 18
A free day on the ship. That means we're on the ship all day long. I woke up with the sudden urge to look for them. All the teens on the ship are like vampires. You don't see them in the morning but when the clock strikes 9 or 10, it's like Boom! All the teens are out roaming the ship and partying until 4AM. Haha, well, I woke up later than usual...11ish? I had breakfast at the Windjammer Cafe. And oh! there was a BBQ outside. It's a huge party. Booty-shaking contests and things of that nature. It was uber crowded unlike other days when people are off the ship! Phi and I just chilled in the Crown & Anchor. We played the card game we learned the previous night. Some time after that, we all split up. I was walking around and around for like hours. I slept on deck 13th. It's soo quiet. I dunno, but it was awfully windy that day. I was holding on the rails and everything. Something happened that night that made me want to join the Optix, a teen club.  I was hanging out with Miss Anti-social too much! *sticks tongue out* I ditched my family and made some friends. haha, I know I know, I'm pretty bad. I had to have her consent before I did anything because I felt bad for leaving her. I wish she told me that it was okay though because I was hanging out with two groups. Jeff was hanging out with Ashley so that's over. I was chillin' in the Optix coloring Whitney's bandana and it was so cute. Jason, Jeff's brother, asked me to color with him. (Such puppy-loveish.) We talked and talked for a good 20 minutes. He's so freaking perfect. He's from Taiwan, cute, smart, etc. He was 17, and I don't know what it is with me and older guys. HECK! I'm stopping this now. I'm not going out with anyone until I'm 21-22.  (Maybe I'll talk. I don't want to be doomed for marriage.) Anyway, he's going to Harvard in the fall. His family's pretty rich. I wouldn't be surprised. Taiwanese people are generally rich and smart. You know I'm super into horoscope right? Well, he's a tiger and a cancer. So what's the catch? Me, I'm the catch. I'm the idiot. I'm the one who let it slip away. A week ago I was highly disappointed, but now I'm okay, just wondering. What happened was...He told me "be right back" because he had to shower and pack up because we all had to pack up our things that night. He came back, but I was busy cleaning up the monopoly pieces and I think I wasn't over Jeff. In fact, I didn't realize what I lost until thirty minutes after Jason left. I didn't stop him and ask him for any contacts. T_T Haha, yeah, that's my sick twisted story. It's okay, but you can only wonder what could have happened. Yeah, I'm the idiot.

Day 11 - June 19
We woke up early to leave the ship at 7AM? I dunno, but it felt early as cheese! Gosh. I was so tired. I saw Jeff at the Windjammer, but no sight of Jason. Haha, that's when I truly realized that I'm a bafoon. Hooray. She notices.Well, it's funny how things turn out. I told this story to Abby, Uyen, and Co Yen. Anyone who's willing to listen. I had my final breakfast and then, it was farewell to the Brilliance of the Seas. I loved it! Okay, to the hotel in Barcelona we go! Hung, Phi, and I, so hungry for the internet, went on a search for an internet cafe. Yeah baby! We found it! Yessss! hahaha.Okay, went on for a good hour and thirty minutes. Went shopping and what-not. It was fun. We ate dinner for a last time at the port. Man, it was the best dinner ever. :*o) I miss it. Okay, slept, and tomorrow morning, we say goodbye to Europe for good. A plane soars in the sky and heads west. The end.

Wait, is this really how the story will end? To be continued...

Forgot to mention:
-Uyen, Phi, and I had to sneak into the hotel.
-1 Euro is equivalent to $0.82. (Expensive!!!)
-First day in Barcelona: All the Taxis saw our luggage and turned us down.
-Dung and Minh came to visit us from Paris on the third day.
-I finally saw parts of Stairways to Heaven. (K-Dramas make me sad!--I created my own k-drama on the cruise!)
-Coke and Sprite tastes different over there--maybe better.
-The sun rises at 5:30 AM and sets at 9:00 PM.
(more to come.)
-It was formal night and the Triads were wearing their suits and their sunglasses. SUNGLASSES?...AT NIGHT? Whoa whoa whoa whoa! Haha checkin' out dem girls huh? Omg, Phi and I cracked up when we saw them. We literally had to hold it in.
-Everything in Europe looks like a painting. The scenery, the skies, the atmosphere, but I bet you already knew that.

10 Things a Young Traveler Needs to Know Before Going to Europe:
1. EUROPE AIN'T CHEAP! And that's under-stated. It's expensive as cheese. I mean every drop of water you drink is 1.80 Euros. EUROS ARE NOT CHEAP! Euros are worth more than Dollars. The exchange rate right now is nuts! So you give 'em $20, they'll give you $17. By the way, in two weeks, we spent 3-4 thousand dollars per person. It was worth it.
2. WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES. Hey, I'm saving you here. You need good, sturdy shoes. They are going to be worn out by the end of your trip.
3. Buy a digital camera. Save money, and you can delete what you don't like.
4. It's good to know some history before venturing out into the cities.
5. HAVE TOILET PAPER HANDY! Some public facilities don't have toilet paper!
6. WATCH OUT FOR PICK-POCKETERS! Those sneaky little bastards. Watch out, especially in crowded places like subways, elevators, etc.
7. You can bargain with them. You know those people standing on the side selling souveneirs? BARGAIN WITH THEM! Make it worth the buy!
8. The weather is unpredictable. In a place that hasn't rained in 7 years...(in June) It rained! And it rained like we were in TEXAS.
9. Be careful when selecting a restaurant. Ask locals. You may end up eating raw salmon in some weird dip if you're not careful.
10. LIVE IN THE MOMENT. It's going to be the best experience of your life. Don't forget it, but don't spend too much time trying to remember it.

Bon Appetite

Descriptions are ordered from left to right:
1. The first picture was taken in Barcelona. I thought it was really dramatic so I snapped a picture of it. Barcelona is usually busier. It's cool that I got a picture with no pedestrians in the way.
2. Ajjacio may be boring due to it's lack of sight-seeing, but it was a beautiful day with beautiful weather and beautiful scenic views.
3. Cau Anh, Thao, Bich, and I watching our bags on the day of the cruise at the Alimara Hotel.
4. Uyen, Phi, Abby, and I posing for a picture in Ajjacio, Corsica.
5. I think Kim took this at Ville France. It would've been a gorgeous day without the rain. Nevertheless, it was a beau.
6. This was taken on the ship, on the fourth deck. "View from the bottom."
7. Another picture taken on the fourth deck.
8. A sunset captured on the ship right after dinner.
9. In Europe, you see my favorite cars, the mini-cooper, but you also see the Smart car, which looks like a mini-van. It only has 2 seats. Cute!
10. This was taken in Barcelona. SHOES! The Europeans sure have nice shoes.
11. Phi, Cuong "Gay Uncle", Abby, and me are walking in Pompeii. Notice my super thin flip-flops. Needless to say, my feet was hurting on the rocky surface.
12. Phi, Uyen, Co Yen, Me, and Hung in Florence. It's so beautiful!
13. Me and David; taken in Florence. ^_^
14. A sign we all thought was interesting when walking up Monaco. Tourists! Plelase wear clothes. haha.
15. A nice view of Nice.
16. Me and my Cresent Moon; Taken in Barcelona.
17. A dark me on the fourth deck of the ship. (Proof I was there!) Shirt reads: "Everything is bigger in Texas."
18. Me ticking off my horse-friend. The grey horse's ears poked out my eye. Am I THAT short? LOL
19. It's living proof that Harry Potter exists!! haha, My little cousin, Thao, was scratching her forehead and I neat Harry Potter scar came out. XD
20. The man playing the guitar. He played our favorite song from Autumn in my Heart.
21. Phi, Thao, Me, and Uyen on the beaches of Nice. I got super curves!
22. Remember the dome we climbed in Florence? Those are the dark, dreary stairs. Don't under-estimate it! It gets worse! It looks like we're going up, but it's down. :)
23. A lovely view of Florence.
24. Abby, Thao, Uyen, Bich, Co Yen, Phi, Cau Anh, Me, Cuong in the Vatican. Is Bich (the pink thing) kissing the ground? O.O
25. Abby, Cuong, Me, Phi, Uyen, Co Yen, and Hung in front of the Gaudi Gothic Church in Barcelona.
26. Everyone at dinner on the ship. (Minstrel Dining Room) Ignore Thao and her thumbs up, please!
27.  Kim, Phi, Cuong, Hung, Abby, Thao, Bich, Minh, Co Yen, Uyen, Dung, and Me at the Alimara Hotel on the day set off for sea.
28. This was taken by me in the cab passing through Tuscany. (On our way from Florence to the port.)
29. Brilliance of the Seas, our ship.
30. Everyone at a beach in Barcelona. See those Spanish guys in the back? Uyen was getting her mack on. Haha, just kidding. We were asking for their recommendations for a place to dine.

There are so many more pictures, but just enjoy these snippets.

Arrivederci.