The Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is an amazing metal structure in the heart of Paris. It sits upon four legs keeping it stable. Who doesn't go to the Eiffel Tower when they go to Paris?

The Eiffel Tower was built by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 Paris World Fair. Some Parisians didn't like it at first, I mean it is a giant metal structure in the middle of the city. But, the Parisians grew to love the Eiffel tower and it is protected today (apparently quite heavily, based on the armed guards we saw).

We did not want to miss out on this exciting experience. We took the gondola to the second story around seven o'clock (sunset). The view was breathtaking. All of Paris was spread out before our eyes. We could see at least one of Paris's unique landmarks in every direction.

That wasn't the best thing about the Eiffel Tower. If you stay up unitl eight o'clock, then the lights start to turn on. Every hour on the hour, hundreds of lights on the Eiffel tower sparkle creating the coolest light show ever. Thankfully, Master Chef was able to take a video of it.

The Eiffel Tower is clearly not a sight to be missed.

Speaking a Little bit of French in France

I am taking French in school so I thought, why not practice my French in France.
One instance where i spoke french was in Disneyland. I don't know what word i said but what ever it was, the worker believed that I spoke French fluently. I had to then ask him "Parlez-vous anglais?" (do you speak english). He was then happy to re-explain the directions in English for me.
Most of the time i helpd my family it was for numbers. Number of pastries, number of passengers for the ride, and price of gasoline.
I wish I could have used more. Next time.

Flying with 6 to Europe

A few thoughts on getting to Europe with a family of 6:

Chicago

First off I don’t like Chicago airport.  It by far was the most crowded and tricky airport we flew into.  I had to go through security twice.  We got divided up twice.  Once when we showed our passports and once when we went through security.  The security was very chaotic.  Next time I would try to skip this airport.

Zurich 

The Swiss airport was awesome.  The check point for passports had a nice happy English speaking gentleman who treated us great.  We also had a blast riding the tram from passport to check in, where you get to hear yodeling and whistling and see funny Swiss photos.

Swiss Airlines

Swiss air was great as well.  Before the flight began they gave the kids coloring books and crayons.  They had children's meals that were better than the adults' meals.  Seriously, in fact they told us we could all order kids meals next time.  Other passengers next to us even commented on the kids meals.  Tons of food and drinks.  They were willing to accommodate the kids.  They had kid friendly movies which is huge at our house.  Before you leave they pass around Swiss chocolate.  This happened on both swiss air flights we went on.

Venice

Getting out of the Venice airport was simple and quick.  However,  the massive amounts of people was a bit overwhelming.  Not the Italians, but the backpackers laying all over the ground and covering every seat possible.  I must admit it was a bit overwhelming and I don’t think it was just jet lag.

Making Connections

We had not one but two short connections (1 hour between flights), so our biggest worry was missing our connections, especially with 6 of us and carry on luggage for each. I'm happy to report that we made every connection with time to spare. So if you're flying with kids, making 1 hour connections is doable.

Getting to our destination 

I was super grateful that our Host University sent a driver to pick us up with all our luggage.  It was huge as we were all so tired and he knew his way.  He even dropped us at the University and then to our apartment.

Overall navigating the airports was exhausting with the security and passports.  The boys did great as they knew as soon as we got through they would get their choice of drinks and shows to watch.  I guess not having cable at home and getting free soda makes them really like flying.

Note for next time try to avoid Chicago.  Only pack one water bottle not two.  No need to have a traveling pillow on Swiss air they have great side pillows and blankets.  No need to bring entertainment they are super excited to just sit and look out the window, watch the big picture of where we are flying over at the moment, talk, or just watch what is being offered.  

Managing the Flight Carousel

We found out we were going to be spending a semester in Italy almost a year in advance (10 months to be exact). Though this gave us plenty of time to search for ticket options, it also gave us plenty of time to second guess our ticket options. For a while there, it was like watching the stock market. How low can we wait before we buy? How long before prices shoot up?

We played the game, and though we did come out somewhat ahead, we definitely could have done better.

First, it does matter where you buy them. I've never understood what the point is for sites like Expedia and Travelocity to advertise that they have the lowest deals. They never do, and in our case, they were consistently $200-$300 more than other sites. The best prices we found using CheapTickets, CheapoAir, and SkyScanner.

Second, it takes a lot of research, and we did our fair share, if not more. Where to fly in, when to fly in, what day (and time) to book tickets. What we found ranged from the common (fly out on a Wednesday) and not-so-common (buy tickets on Tuesday). Kayak recently conducted a study of thousands of flight purchases and found an interesting trend: the earlier the better rule isn't exactly true anymore. According to their research, buying within 50 days before your flight leaves is the best time to buy.

Our personal experience has been a little bit different. The cheapest flights we found were about 1 year early. Here's a quick run-down of the average round-trip ticket costs to Venice based on the time-frame that we looked at tickets:

Nov - Dec 2013: ~$750
Jan - Mar 2014: ~$900
Apr - May 2014: ~$1200
Jun - Aug 2014: ~$1100

After almost a year of checking flight costs, we learned one important lesson: If you find tickets to Europe under $900, book 'em. I'll also add that the travel tips floating on the Internet didn't really make a difference. For example, buying on a Tuesday was the same price as buying on a Thursday, and flying out on a Monday was the same price as flying out on a Wednesday. One thing we would highly recommend, though, is if you're buying online, make sure you clear your cache and your cookies on your browser before you buy. The airfare sites do track your searches, and prices do change based on your search history.

Lord Byron's 31 Flavors of Europe

I'm really looking forward to going to Europe. So I decided to write a list about where I want to go when I'm there!

        

1. Croatia

2. Pompeii

3. Brussels

4. Rome

5. Milan (probably their futbol team there).

6. Venice

7. Barcelona 

8. Catalunya

9. Tuscany

10. Germany

11. Austria

12. Switzerland

13. France

14. Madrid
15. Amalfi Coast
16. La Mancha
17. Slovakia
18. Slovenia
19. Sevilla
20. Berlin
21. Prague
22. Luxembourg
23. Czech Republic
24. Hungary
25. Turkey

26. Salzburg
27. Neuschwanstein Castle
28. Munich
29. Florence
30. San Sebastian
and last but not least
31. Siena

 So that's where I want to go! And I'll see you later!