Love in Europe

When you think of Europe, you picture the various notable cities, from the most romantic city of Paris to the breathtaking Swiss Alps, beautiful Florence and the Eternal City of Rome. The places to visit are endless, each filled with its own cultural beauty and diversity.

Europe has always been a dream destination for me and I had the opportunity to live the dream when I travelled across the globe to meet my boyfriend, who was then studying in UK.

Summer in Europe was lovely and great, and with the sun setting at 9pm every night, the opportunity presented us with an abundance of chances to explore every possible corner during the long daylight hours.

Paris - Shopping is usually a MUST for ladies and what better place to shop than the Galeries Lafayette and the chic boutiques of the Champs-Élysées, where you can explore beautiful statues and monuments. A visit to this romantic city would not be complete without a visit to the iconic Eiffel Tower.

Eiffel Tower - Day

Eiffel Tower - Night

Love Lockets on the Bridge

It was the first Sunday of the month and the Louvre Museum was opened to the public for free. The queue was so long that we decided to forgo the idea and instead we took a slow stroll along the Pont des Arts Bridge towards the glorious Notre Dame Cathedral.

Panoramic View

Seine River

Parisian Stalls

The rest of the afternoon was spent sitting in cafes to people-watch and cycling around Paris - a great way to feel the pulse of Paris and to get up close to some of its finest monuments. It was so romantic and refreshing at the same time. We cycled past Eiffel Tower; the Seine River where there was a man-made beach to Napoléon's Tomb, Musée d'Orsay, Tuileries Gardens (the former royal garden) to the Alexander III Bridge.

We spent our last night in Paris taking a romantic stroll, hand in hand, around the Eiffel tower and watching a cabaret live musical show to take in all that Paris had to offer.

Lucerne, Switzerland - An amazing place to visit. Every spot is a picture-perfect opportunity, from Lake Lucerne to the surrounding mountains. The view will simply take your breath away.

Chapel Bridge

We started the day with a morning walk to explore the quaint town of Lucerne and the market around Chapel Bridge. Seeing the locals go about their daily marketing, from getting fresh seafood from the local fish market and buying fresh and beautiful flowers, to picking the best cheese and locally-produced vegetables, was indeed a great way to immerse yourself in the beautiful environment and enjoy the slow pace of the life of the locals.

Rosti and Sausage

After the walk, we took a boat ride across the pristine waters of Lake Lucerne and hopped onto the tram up to Mt. Rigi.

Quiet lovely stroll along Mt. Rigi

View from the Mountain Slope

Italy is such an amazing place to visit. From Florence to Rome to Venice, there are still so many unexplored territories that this beautiful country has to offer.

Pisa, Italy - The Leaning Tower is one of the most remarkable architectural structures still standing today from the medieval Europe period. The tower is one of the four buildings that make up the cathedral complex called Campo dei Miracoli (‘Field of Miracles’) or Piazza dei Miracoli (‘Square of Miracles’).

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

Florence, Italy - The city, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982, is a major centre rich in historical roots and the arts. We started the day walking around and admiring unique beautiful buildings and the many amazing churches. We passed by the magnificent Duomo (‘Florence Cathedral’) and crossed the beautiful Ponte Vecchio bridge, admiring past legacies of legends such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. This is a city that is home to around one-third of the world's great art treasures. The rest of the afternoon was spent shopping for Italian leather goods for which Florence is very famous for, and enjoying yummy gelatos in the perfect summer weather.

Yummy Gelatos

In the evening, we set off for the Tuscan Hills countryside for a wine tour.

Tuscany is home to some of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. We explored the winery, listened to the owner telling us about the process of wine-making, and enjoyed a fabulous day learning the art of drinking wine. We enjoyed an al fresco dinner of home-cooked delights coupled with remarkable Italian wine.

Family-run Winery

Home-cooked al dente Pasta

We ended the evening by enjoying a breathtaking sunset view from the Piazzale Michelangelo on a hilltop with magnificent panoramic views of Florence.

Sunset - Florence

Panoramic Sunset View of Florence

Rome - We were very excited to finally reach Rome as it is home to the famous Vatican and 2,000 years of history, not to mention a stunning array of sights and historical sites. It is a city where the ancient and modern intertwine, and undoubtedly one of the world's great destinations!

Must-see sights include the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, towering Victor Emmanuel II Monument and Pantheon, to name a few.

At the Trevi Fountain, there is a legend that one must toss a coin over your right shoulder. The first toss signifies good luck and health. Second toss is to bring you back to Rome and the third toss is for marriage within the year. Guess how many coins we tossed into the Trevi Fountain?

Trevi Fountain

Colosseum is probably the most impressive building of the Roman Empire and was completed in AD 80. Known as the Flavian Amphitheater originally, it was the largest building of its era. The structure has fallen into ruins, but even today it remains a beautiful sight.

The next stop was the Vatican City, which is considered a different country altogether. It houses many paintings and art pieces that date back thousands of years ago and are still in good condition. The Vatican Museums is the world’s second largest museum and one of the highlights is the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. The ceiling in the chapel was free-hand painted by Michelangelo and other famous painters. No superlative could describe my admiration of the fine artwork.

Colosseum

Interior of Pantheon

Beautiful Paintings

Venice, Italy - A city consisting of an array of small islands, interconnected by countless beautiful bridges. Venice is the one and only unique place on earth where you navigate your way around by using a network of canals.

We walked through quaint alleyways across piazzas and admired the colourful houses along the canals and at the same time, mesmerized by the gondolas, bridges and canals.

Canals and Bridges around Venice

Colour Houses - Venice

Gondola rides in Venice is a must-try. We sailed through the Grand Canal and soaked in the romance of Venice. Seeing the city from a gondola, which is being maneuvered about in these small canals by a handsome Venetian man with only a gondola stick was an beautiful experience.

Vicinity of Grand Canal

We visited a local lace school and admired the delicate masterpieces created by the locals, and we learnt about the time and effort put into the handmade sewn laces. We finished our walk in St Mark's Square with its magnificent basilica and the rest of the evening was spent getting lost in the endless alleys of beautiful Venice.

  

Venetian Masks

Austria - This destination did not pop up immediately to us when we first reviewed the places to go in Europe. But surprisingly, after a visit to Austria, this place ranked as one of my personal top destinations to visit in Europe.

Being a Singaporean, I craved for the quiet and scenic ideals of a holiday and Austria proved to be a perfect choice with its quiet, stunning Alpine scenery.

We opted for paragliding and after seeing how the gliders came down one after another, I got really scared and skeptical about going ahead with the idea. Luckily, my boyfriend managed to calm my nerves and although my legs were all ‘jelly’ just before takeoff, once I was up in the air, the experience was really unbelievable. The view from up above is guaranteed to take your breath away and the experience will be totally worth it.

Paragliding

Paragliding

An absolute MUST-TRY as the experience was really so fun and you would really feel like a bird with astonishing views.

To sum up our amazing Europe holidays in a few pages would be doing injustice to the fun we had experienced. You have to travel to Europe to discover the various gems of individual countries. Try the different cuisines, meet friendly locals, and see and feel a different world of its own. Visit Europe, for an experience of a lifetime.

*Photos and content contributed by Ida Chia

*The views and opinions expressed in this article are that of the writer and do not represent the views of New Shan Travel.