TV in Italia

While not traveling in Europe we end up having down time to kill. Most of the time in the morning or while Curls is making dinner we decide to watch tv.

Most of our favorite shows are only available in Italian. It is really fun to watch Phineas and Ferb, Kung Fu Panda, Johnny Test and many others in Italian. Most of the time we just try to use context clues to figure out what is going on, or if we have seen the episode in English, try to remember the plot.

There is one show we can watch in Italy that's still in English: Mr. Bean (the cartoon). Because Mr. Bean only mumbles, they don't bother to translate it. This means they also don't translate the other English speaking characters. It feels like a little slice of home! We love Mr. Bean.

We're also able to watch some shows online still. Our personal favorite is Studio C on BYUTV. Every week we look forward to a new set of skit comedy sketches.

The Hunt for the Drinking Fountain

One thing you don't expect before you come to Europe is the surprising lack of drinking fountains. Even major cities like Paris have no drinking fountains. We even asked someone at the Louvre, and he said: "Drinking fountains aren't really Parisian. There's water in the restroom, but it's not very good!" We have quickly learned the value of bringing your own water bottle when visiting cities in Europe. If you don't, you end up overpaying for water you can get for free in your hotel or residence.

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.

Disneyland Paris: The Real Magic of Disney

At first our main plan was not to go to Disneyland  Paris because we thought that it would be exactly like the other Disney parks that we had already been to. We couldn't be more wrong. Disneyland Paris was an amazing experience.

We soon found out why most of the rides did not have the option for fastpasses. Most of the rides lines didn't go over 10-15 minutes. Rides like Rockin' Rollercoaster and Space Mountain barely went over 5 minutes.

This was a shock to us as we walked on to all of our favorite rides. And we came on a weekend!

It was also really fun to enjoy the rides in French. Of course, some were translated into English.

Another thing that we enjoyed is that a majority of the rides were a step above their starters in the 
US Disneys. Big Thunder Mountain went in the dark for a little while. Space Mountain: Mission 2 has 360 degree inversions, and the Indiana Jones ride has loop-de-loops.

The unique rides were also fantastic. Ratatouille was a video ride that drives you through chef Gusteaus' kitchen.

Crush Coaster is a rollercoaster that puts you in an East Australian Current, sending you backwards and up and down hills. My mom and I laughed the whole time!

The only things that we did not enjoy was the fact that you could smoke in line, which you can't do in the U.S. In fact, sometimes it seemed like Disney Paris was the place people in Europe go to smoke.

Besides that, however, we loved Disney Paris!

What to Bring on a Trip: Kids Perspective

Whenever anybody goes on a trip, the first thing that they think about is clothes and of course, money and passports. Our family was going to be staying in Italy for three months so the first thing we, the kids,  thought of was: Entertainment

For us the main entertainment is of course the traveling, but what about when we have down time? For this specific time we brought four main things to do:

The first thing that we brought was card games/deck building games. We brought three of them in a card box so we could fit dominion along. Our personal favorites include: Love letter, Dominion, Guillotine, Curses, Farkle.

The second thing we brought was Kindles to read on. Everyone in our family enjoys reading so we of course brought an easy way to read books on long travels.

The third thing we brought was DS and iPads. What kid doesn't love video games? Although we don't get to use them that often due to not having enough adapters.

The last thing that we brought was the main thing that none of us like to do. Can you guess what it is? That's right (if you guessed correct. If not.. well,you're wrong). It's homework. Our parents didn't want us to fall behind in our schooling so we brought along workbooks and online passwords for the textbooks. We try as hard as we can to keep up with the lessons as we can. The main problem with that is we were using our school emails to communicate and they took those away so we cant rely on those. But otherwise, our homework and study habits have stayed under control.

Mozart and Mozart Balls: Salzburg is Mozart Crazy!

In Austria people are crazy about Mozart...and even crazier about Mozart balls. Mozart balls are creamy chocolate delight with a flavorsome inside. They have Mozart balls in all different packages. But Mozart balls are very expensive in the main stores. If you go to the market near the cathedral they sell Mozart balls 3 for 10 Euros. But if you go to a Hofer (which is Aldi in the US), you can get a packet of 10 for 3 Euros. Personally, I think the Mozart balls are delicious. They're not overrated just because they have Mozart on them. My younger brother wanted them so bad on the way there he was singing about Mozart balls. My brother thought Mozart balls make the world go round.  

Of course, there is more to Salzburg than Mozart balls. The old town is breathtaking.  There are so many places you can see. My favorite is the Mozart house. I love the Mozart house because it has some of his personal things. They had his wallet, his violin when he was 6, his personal pictures, and even a piece of his hair! 

Hellbrunn Palace: An Amazingly Wet Experience

Of all the places we visited in Salzburg, Austria, my favorite sight was Hellbrunn Palace. After seeing so many serious (yet enjoyable) places, Hellbrunn was surprisingly fun. 

The Hellbrunn Palace was built for Salzburg's Prince Archbishop Markus Sittikus von Hohenems. He used the place as a summer palace and as a way to entertain and house parties for the guests, especially those who had what they referred to as the "trendy illness": Melancholy. 

The whole site is today is a nice break from the normal site seeing in Salzburg—the tour guides make sure you get your money’s worth, especially with the trick fountains.  Now you might think, “Oh this is just like a water park where you can play in fountains coming up from the ground.” Not with these fountains. The tour guide controls the water to spray unsuspecting tourists. My advice? If the ground is wet where you’re walking, then protect your camera!

Another piece of advice, pay close attention to the parts of the tour where the sites are the most beautiful. It’s an easy trap: Tourists whip out their cameras and snap pictures while the tour guide turns on the fountains unnoticed! Here's one where the tour guide set me and my brothers up. She said to pay close attention to the mechanical show in front of us (a song from Mozart's Don Giovanni), and while we were paying attention, she blasted us. You'll notice that I planned ahead and wore my rain jacket!

Not to worry though, the guides usually save their hijinks for unsuspecting kids, rather than adults with expensive cameras.  My siblings and I were the only ones that wanted to get wet in our tour group so at each station, the tour guide targeted us!

Overall the experience was amazing, even if we did end up drying off for the next hour.