My Month in Europe: Lake Como

Lake Como, Italy

This is where our travels ended.

We were originally supposed to spend our last day in Europe in Cinque Terre, but it was a very rainy day and our instructor knew better than to attempt cobblestone streets and swimming in the Mediterranean on a sub-par day.

So, Lake Como it was, and Lake Como could not have been better. 

This day was bittersweet from the moment we woke up.

Everyone knew it.

The bus ride was full of jokes and laughter as usual, but there seemed to be this air of awareness over all of us that this was the last day we'd spend together traveling Europe.

But instead of getting all teary-eyed right now, let's talk about Lake Como, because it was remarkable!

We all took about an hour-long boat ride around Lake Como, but before that we naturally had to find a gelateria that was open early in the morning.
This particular gelateria had a balsamic-strawberry mascarpone gelato.
Let's just say that isn't something you can describe and effectively get the point across, so I'll just leave it to this:
It. Was. Heaven.

Our boat ride around the lake was beautiful.
We were able to drive past George Clooney's property, but we unfortunately didn't spot him or Amal (even though this was just two or three days after their wedding which shut down the entire city!).

After the boat ride we wandered around Lake Como for a bit and found a spot for lunch.
Now, I have to admit, I'm not the biggest fan of gnocchi, so I had yet to order it anywhere in Italy, but the place that we ate lunch had a Havarti Chickory Gnocchi that I had to try.
It did not disappoint!

It was so delicious and light, and to this day I still haven't had gnocchi anywhere else because I'm sure it won't be nearly as good!

After lunch we went back for a second round of gelato, and then just walked around the homes and piers.

Lake Como was the best way to end one amazing month. Italy, you're fantastic! #lakecomo #italy

We all kept remarking on how surreal it was that this was our last day in Europe, and that we'd soon be back in the United States with the memories we made and experiences we'd had.

When you spend a month traveling Europe with a group of people you've just met, you create a truly unique bond.

Whenever I think of the month I spent in Europe I think about more than just the places I went to and the things I saw.
I think about the friends I made, the people I met, and everything that I learned about myself as well.

So after our beautiful day in Lake Como, we took the bus back to Milan, where a group of us just couldn't resist riding the metro back to the heart of the city for yes, you guessed it, a few last scoops of gelato.

We walked around the shops and Duomo, and stumbled upon a street performer.
All of us in the group I was with looked at each other and just knew that we were all feeling the same thing.
It was one of those indescribably palpable moments - like a scene from a movie, which resulted in teary eyes from almost all of us.

I took a video, and I'm putting it below, although I'm fully aware it won't even begin to translate what that moment felt like! 

At that point we went back to the hotel to get some sleep before our early (and long) venture back to the United States!

We were exhausted, excited, sad, and already nostalgic, but most importantly, we were changed for the better as a result of every minute we had spent in Europe.
We had made it home - until next time :)

Tomorrow morning I board a plane back home, but a part of my heart will forever be in each part of Europe I have visited over the last month of my life. I have seen rolling hills and sheep in Ireland, walked the streets and fell in love with London, spent half an hour in awe of Van Gosh's Starry Night at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris, came closer to God while hiking the Alps in Switzerland, was kissed twice on the hand by a completely wasted man in the famous beer hall of Germany, sampled every type of balsamic vinegar and olive oil in Austria, ate more gelato than I should have in Milan, and got lost in the squares of Venice. I have developed relationships with the people I have traveled with as well as the people I have met along the way. I have gained a deep appreciation for all cultures and the lives each individual leads, and most importantly, I have learned more about myself than I ever would have anticipated upon boarding an airplane from New York to Dublin. This has been the most spectacular month of my life, and is one I am not soon to forget. 

My Month in Europe: Milan

We started off our day in Milan with a business visit to the AC Milan soccer stadium, which was pretty impressive despite not being a big soccer fan. 

^That's the face of a girl who's spent nearly a month traveling Europe and is so brilliantly exhausted.

Afterwards, we headed downtown near the Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping center for lunch and gelato!

We went to the most amazing gelato place, called Cioccolati Italiani!

(Side note - I just googled it for the correct spelling and the pictures made me incredibly nostalgic.)

This gelateria was incredible. 

They have chocolate fountains with three different types of chocolate, and thee best raspberry gelato my mouth has ever tasted and probably ever will!

With one bite of Italian Gelato my life was forever changed. I may have purchased gelato here three times today... #nevergoingbacktoamerica #italy #milan #gelato

Okay but really, I had 16 scoops of gelato in my 3 days spent in Italy.

I don't regret it.

After lunch and gelato (I swear, my memories of Italy revolve around when and where we got gelato) we had a business visit with World Expo 2015.
We had a beautiful view of Milan from their building and it was a really interesting visit!
It was crazy to think then that the event was still a year away, and now, as I'm writing this, we're almost a year beyond it.
Proof that I'm the most diligent blogger ever :)

From there we headed back to the main shopping area and toured the Duomo.
The Duomo is the third largest cathedral in the world, and I absolutely loved it.
It was the millionth cathedral we had seen in Europe, but easily the most impressive.

Visited the Duomo Cathedral today in Milan!

We spent the evening shopping (well, mainly window shopping), eating pizza and, you guessed it, gelato!

I bought a pair of jeans at Zara, drooled over purses at Prada, and savored every spoonful of Cioccolati Italiani gelato :)

It was a great Milano day.

My Month in Europe: From Munich to Milan

This day was our travel day to Milan!

You guys, this drive was honestly the most beautifully stunning drive of my life!

We went from Munich, Germany --> Rattenberg, Austria --> Lake Garda, Italy --> Milan, Italy.

We saw and drove through the Austrian Alps and then stopped for a while in the little Austrian town of Rattenberg. I immediately fell in love and Austria definitely made my list of places to go back to! 

Quick stop in Austria on our way from Munich to Milan! I will definitely be back to spend more time here one day. #austria

Rattenberg was so quaint and cute with the all of these amazing little shops.
One of the shops had just about every type of balsamic vinegar and olive oil you could imagine (among many other products) and I spent way too much time in there taste-testing them all!

I bought my mom blutorange (blood orange) balsamic vinegar and basilikum (basil) olive oil in these cute glass cork-top stackable jars.

I only spent a couple of hours in this charming Austrian town, but I will definitely be back to explore more of that beautiful country! #tbt #austria

I can't wait to go back to Austria some day, particularly Vienna.

From Rattenberg we traveled on to Italy.
As mentioned previously, this drive was absolutely stunning.
I was beyond exhausted and wanted nothing more than to sleep, but I wouldn't let myself because the drive was just perfect.

After traveling through the Austiran Alps we started to get into the rolling hills and vineyards in Italy.
It was a foggy day with some light rain, and I'm certain that Italy could not have been more beautiful than it was on our drive that day!

For dinner that night we stopped in Lake Garda, Italy.
Unfortunately, it was pouring rain and our choice of restaurant for dinner was rather unimpressive, but we did get our first taste of gelato, and it was divine.

Once we got to Milan and checked into our hotel, Hotel Raffaello, Katy and I went just across the street and had our first Italian pizza, and it lived up to all of our expectations!

Actually, it far exceeded our expectations, and we ended up going back the next night to get the same pizza for a midnight snack :)

We were off to a great start in Italy!

My Month in Europe: Germany Days One and Two

Our first day in Munich was pretty relaxed.
We woke up early to travel from Zurich to Munich, and as soon as we arrived we had a business visit with the U.S. Consulate, where we were able to hear from a few of the different departments.
It was really interesting!

From there we went to the BMW factory for a tour!
We were able to look around the showroom floor for a bit before the tour, and even though I'm more of an Audi girl myself, it was pretty fantastic! 

The tour was about two hours long and it was SO cool.

We were able to see the entire process of making and manufacturing BMW's from start to finish.

Unfortunately, photos weren't allowed :)

That evening some of us went out to explore Munich and get some dinner.

While exploring, we stumbled across Aston Martin, and I just about cried tears of joy...

So this happened today... My heart rate quadrupled and I think I nearly passed out. #astonmartin #beauties #munich

The next day when we were out and about we walked past this beauty just casually parked on the side of the road...

One day I'll own one ;) 

(In my dreams!)

The next day was one that I was looking forward to in a very somber way.

We drove to the Dachau concentration camp and we were very fortunate to be given a guided tour by an incredibly knowledgeable man who seemed to know every last detail about the holocaust.

As soon as we stepped through the gate the atmosphere was incredibly palpable.

"We live in a free world today because in 1945 the forces of imperfect goodness defeated the forces of near-perfect evil." Michael Dipaulo #dachau #germany

This gate was unfortunately stolen not even a month after we had stepped foot through it.

As our guide walked us through the camp he gave us a ton of information and focused on the things we wouldn't be able to find or read about online.

We saw the living quarters with rows of bunk beds.
Three people shared one of these bunkers.

The people who were sent to Dachau weren't Jews, but were those who the Germans felt to be a threat - sympathetics, homosexuals, and many more.

We also saw the gas chamber and incinerators.
Before going inside and while walking through I felt this extreme heaviness on my chest and wasn't sure I'd be able to do it.
It was extremely difficult, but in a weird way I'm glad I was able to be there to experience what I did.
I learned a lot and my worldview definitely shifted a bit.
Even now, a year and a half later I feel a heaviness in my chest when I even look at these photos.

These were all plots were the bunkers had been. The Germans came back to tear them down to get rid of proof near the end of the war. 

Touring Dachau was one of the most sobering and palpable experiences I've ever had, and one that I am not sure I'll ever be able to forget.

 After a pretty quiet bus ride back to Munich a group of us decided to go rent bikes and ride through the city and the English Gardens!
I absolutely loved it! 

It was a perfect day, the gardens were beautiful, and I had some great company!

Bike riding through the English Gardens of Munich on a perfect call day with these lovely ladies!

Riding through the city was a different story, and a tad stressful, but it was still so fun :)

That night we went to dinner at the famous beer fall, the Hofbrauhaus.
It was chaotic, loud, packed full, and so fantastic :)

The food, oh my goodness, the food.
I ordered Spatzle, bratwurst, and sauerkraut, and it was to. die. for.

What really made this experience though were the people and the atmosphere!
The hall had a live band playing traditional music, as well as a whole lot of drunk people ;)
We had to wait for a seat and had to actually ask people if we could take their table when they were done.

We ended up sitting by a woman, her dad, and three of their friends.
They all got so incredibly wasted and it was so entertaining!

One of the men who was so drunk he was literally on the verge of passing out said there were no words for how beautiful I was and kissed me on the hand twice.
Talk about out of my comfort zone, but it was definitely a night to remember!

Hey Europe friends! I'm sorry I've been holding out on you guys. I have sooo many pictures I'm going to try to get them all up this following week. Here's a video from Germany where we met Peter. I miss you all!!! Ohh and I should probably mention we were not drinking. Just FYI!
Posted by Kendra Weiss on Saturday, February 7, 2015

So much fun :)

After dinner we went to get some gelato (of course!), and head back to the hotel.
On the way we stumbled upon a pianist named Daniel Stenway, just casually playing a grand piano in the middle of Munich.

He was SO good.

I took a few videos of him playing, and once he saw me taking a video he got slightly upset and nodded his head at me.
Apparently in Europe when you're a street performer it isn't cool for people to record you, so I'm doing him a favor (or in my opinion, a disservice!) by not posting any of the videos on here.

Too bad, because he was fantastic!

Overall it was a long and emotional, but great day in Germany.
:)

Our second day in Germany was nothing special, and was probably my least favorite day of the trip so far.
Exhaustion has really set in, and emotional/grumpy Melissa made an appearance (along with a migraine).

We went to a branch in Germany for church and it was a very interesting experience.
Church was all in German with people translating, and Sacrament meeting went about half an hour over.
I was trying to hard to enjoy it but I was just exhausted.

We took the nearly hour-long trek back to the hotel and I took some Excedrin and a much needed nap.

That evening we had a YSA fireside with a traditional German dinner - homemade pretzels, sausage, and the most amazing apple streusel!

After dinner we had the fireside where me and two of the girls in the group sang I Know That My Redeemer Lives, at the request of our bus driver, Patrick!

Overall, the evening ended up being great, but as soon as we were back to the hotel I fell asleep faster than I ever have before, and I didn't mind one bit :)

Las Vegas Bowl

My dad and I were casually discussing the BYU bowl game over Thanksgiving and talking about whether or not they would end up in Vegas.

We were 99% positive they would, and decided that if they ended up playing Utah we had to be there.

My oldest sister was already going to be there with her family for a vacation, so before Utah was announced as BYU's opponent we got tickets.

Good thing we did because tickets sold out pretty dang quick once Utah was announced.

We got in the night of the pep rally held down on Fremont Street.

For this being my first time to Vegas, I was less than impressed, and couldn't wrap my head around the appeal of Vegas from what I had seen.

                                 

                                  

The pep rally was fun, but we were hungry and anxious to get to dinner!

We ended up at the Wynn and had the most delicious dinner!

                                 

                                  

We ordered three mini desserts and it was brought out on this cute little tray with orange flavored cotton candy.

The desserts were warm cookies and mint milk, creme brulee, and a decadent orange mousse cake.

The entire dinner was absolutely incredible, but the desserts were definitely the icing on the cake!

I've never tasted cotton candy like that in my life.

Not only was it orange flavored, but you couldn't taste the chunky sugar at all.

We even asked if we could take it to go because we were going to be meeting up with my niece and nephew, but the waiter told us it would disintegrate by then anyway!

                                 

                                  

We walked around the displays and shops (PRADA, anyone?!) at the Wynn and then headed to our hotel for bed.

I woke up the next morning so nervous, and let's just say the day didn't start off too great.

My mom had a migraine and stayed at the hotel, the parking situation at the stadium was an absolute nightmare, we barely made it for kickoff, and then within the first seven minutes of play time Utah was up by five touchdowns.

It was rough.

BUT...

It turned into a game and I could not have been happier with how BYU played from then on out!

Utah fans got quiet real quick and (in my humble opinion) if BYU would have gone for an onside kick in the fourth I think they easily could have tied it.

After the kind of start that they had, I was proud and happy in the end!

The entertainment was great, as to be expected from Vegas.

Before kickoff, Nellis AFB did a flyover and it was deafeningly spectacular! 

That's one way to get a crowd riled up for a game!

They also had some of the cast from Cirque du Soleil perform during halftime.

After the game we met up with my sister and her family and headed out to explore some of the resorts. 

                                 

                                  

That was the Vegas I expected!

All of those hotels are incredible.

We ate at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville and then headed over to the High Roller to see Vegas from the sky!

                                  

Vegas redeemed itself a little bit, although I do have to say that I swear I just saw dollar signs everywhere I went.

That entire city just screams money.

The next morning before leaving to head back home we went to brunch at a french restaurant in the Venetian (I know, it didn't make sense to me either ;) ).

It was so good and made me seriously miss the food in France.

We walked around some shops, including Louboutin...

                                 

...had some gelato (nothing like the real stuff!), and then headed home.

It was a great quick trip with some of my favorite people!