European Tour with Mom and Aunt Diane (London, Florence, Cinque Terra)

We started our tour out in London which was fun because I got to be a bit of a tour guide. We arrived in the evening after quickly exploring Leeds and went straight to dinner with Erin and her friend! It was such a lovely evening. We ended up eating in a little place right on the road of the London Bridge which provided a great view.

The next morning we went to see the changing of the guards which was a first for me.

There were some huge crowds at the palace. Little did I know I would be at the wedding a few weeks later with even bigger crowds!

When it was done with, we went to do the London Eye which was also new for me!

A picture of one of the other pods at the top of the eye.

We had some amazing views from the eye and I'm really glad we did it!

After our time in London was up, we hopped on a plane and headed to Milan for a quick day visit. We flew over some of the Alps on the way down which I thought was amazing.

My favorite menu in Milan.

Our first real Italian meal was delicious!

When we arrived in Florence we went on a fantastic walking tour that really got us acquainted with the city.

We got to see some really nice statues in the center of the city including the (fake) David. We got to see the real one later!

We went to the enormous cathedral in town. It was such an amazing site.

A great little bridge with really cute shops on it.

One of the many markets lining the streets of Florence.

Had to get a picture on our great little balcony before leaving the hotel.

When we arrived into Cinque Terra, we immediately found a great little place for lunch with some amazing focaccia.

We walked around our town for a little while after lunch. It was an adorable little town called Levanto just next to the Cinque Terra.

That night we had our first really great Italian meal. We got different pastas to share and also some squid! We also got a great local wine. The next morning we took a boat ride to the farthest Cinque Terra town to begin our exploring. We got some beautiful views along the way!

 We took the Via Dell'Amore or "Lovers Walk" to get from the first town to the second.

 The thousands of locks are placed there by couples taking the walk.

The official Via Dell'Amore lock.

 We found a fantastic little hidden gem for lunch that day that happened to have an amazing view and more local wine.

More of the view from the restaurant. After lunch, we took a walk around the top of the town (recommended by Rick Steves) to see some of the vineyards and breathtaking views.

 All of the towns were so beautiful and great to explore!

 Mom and Aunt Diane offered to stay at the bottom of the tower to get a picture of me.

Our last night in the beautiful Cinque Terra.