European Vacation

Welcome back to school, everyone. I hope you all had a good break and are ready to start a new term with your friends and teachers. What did you do this summer? Did you go to the beach? Did you work at a part-time job? Did you go abroad?

I went to Europe with my mother. My mother is a painter and her whole life she has wanted to see the Louvre Museum in Paris, so she thought that it was about time she did. Luckily, I was able to go with her, so I got to have a great holiday, too.

We decided to travel for two weeks and visit France and Switzerland. We chose France for Paris and the famous museums there, and Switzerland because my good friend Justine just got a job in a little village in the Swiss Alps, called Leysin.

We flew into Paris on September 1st. My mom from Los Angeles, and me from Narita. It was a long flight, but seeing the lights of Paris at night made it all worth it.

The first few days, we took a trip down the River Seine, visited the Louvre, and followed the Lonely Planet walking tour of Montmartre. Then it was off to Switzerland by TGV, the French version of the Shinkansen.

The French countryside was beautiful,　covered with green, rolling hills. We arrived in Geneva, Switzerland in the early afternoon, transfered to a local train, and made our way to Aigle, at to foot of the Alps. We then took a cog-wheel train straight up the mountain to Leysin. Leysin in an Alpine town with many international schools. Justine teaches at the Kumon Leysin Academy of Switzerland. It's an international high school for Japanese students.

Leysin is just beautiful. We stayed at a really nice B&B and had a great time. One of the best things was eating dinner at a fondue restaurant. There was even a huge pot of hot cheese roasting on the fire!

Our next stop was Vevey, on Lake Geneva. We stayed at a very nice, friendly, clean youth hostel there. We enjoyed a visit to a castle, a boat ride, and a lot of good food.

After that, it was back to France: The TGV to Paris and then a local train to Giverny to see the house and gardens of the famous Impressionist painter, Monet. My mom loves Monet's paintings, so it was a good place for her to visit. The town was beautiful and the gardens were breathtaking! Did you know that Monet had a huge collection of Japanese woodcut prints? He was very impressed with Japanese art.

Then, it was back to Paris for a final three days. We visited the Orsay Museum and the Orangerie Museum, took a dinner cruise along the Seine, and shopped at an outdoor market. A highlight was making a picnic lunch of fresh bread, cheese and olives from the market and then eating it on the banks of the Seine. Sublime!

It was a wonderful trip and I highly recommend both France and Switzerland as excellent vacation spots!