My wife Emma had always wanted to go to Europe so at the end of last year, wine in hand, she booked a whole month away for us.
I had never been to that side of the world so I was really excited (and nervous) to see what all the fuss was about, and I wasn't disappointed.
We arrived in Paris after 30 hours of travel to warm sunshine. I have always heard that Paris is a beautiful city, full of history and buildings that are older than NZ. I was kicking myself that I did not study history at school. Emma is an art buff, so we were off to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa and the gang, the Eiffel tower, River cruises and all the typical "touristy" stuff.
After Paris was Venice, what an amazing city! All these little alley ways and canals with gondolas and the classic clay coloured rooftops from all the movies… awesome. I even stood there for a second, to double check that it was all real and I was really there.
We spent a few days on a cruise ship through the Greek Isles and Croatia. Santorini was the big highlight, the postcard picture buildings with clear blue sea. The cruise ship was great if you like buffet food and jazz hand musicals (not my sorta thing) but as a big bus that takes you places while you sleep, it's pretty handy.
Florence Italy which hosts Michelangelo's David and all that good stuff, was a fantastic city. Everything is in walking distance, great food and friendly people. It was probably my favourite place; we spent a day in a '64 Fiat 500, out to Tuscany for lunch - it was a lifetime memory, and awesome to see Emma so happy, living out her dream. I was also lucky enough to go to the Ferrari Museum, but that's a whole other story...
Last was Rome, she's a busy city - full of history. The Colosseum was a highlight, along with Vatican City, Sistine Chapel, Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps. It was great to be in the hustle and bustle of it all. It was a great trip and I felt really spoilt by what we have seen, but it's always nice to be home.