London on the Track

my x-ray, 2 days before leaving | 2019

I was seventeen, the dancing queen, prancing around Europe with one good foot and soaking up as much as I could. Would you believe me if I told you I broke my foot by slipping on a puddle running toward a pop fly at a co-ed softball practice two days before I left for Europe? Yes, that ACTUALLY happened. How did I prevail you ask? Lots of ibuprofen and stuffing my face with crepes and croissants. Rubbed some dirt on it and got back on the horse. Broken bones can wait, I need my close up in front of the Eiffel Tower!

Two weeks and four countries later, I learned more about the world than ever before. I turned my boot into an accessory and hobbled my way across the world. Cheers to the field trip that changed my life forever!

I Was Seventeen

the Dancing Queen

The London Eye,

London, UK

South Dakota —> UK

After a 12 hour flight, we landed at Heathrow (yes, the airport Freddie Mercury worked at before his big break) and hit the ground running. Lacking quite a bit of sleep from the time change, we started doing all of the touristy things, including this impromptu telephone booth photo shoot. This picture did, in fact, get me in trouble. We ditched the educational tour for 2 minutes to snap this pic and got yelled at in the process, but HAD to do it for the gram.

On an unrelated note, we also saw some Brits taking part in their annual Naked Bike Ride. Yes this is real and yes it was shocking. Feel free to look up their website on your own time, lol.

P.S.

(yes, the scrunchie on my wrist IS vintage.)

PEACE GARDEN WAR MUSEUM | 2019 — PEACE GARDEN > WAR MUSEUM | 2019

UK —> France

Ah yes. The rumors are true! It tastes like croissants!

There are a plethora of photos of me, in this outfit, at the Eiffel Tower. The real tea is that we were on a bus tour of Paris and our tour guide told us we had FIVE minutes to snap a few pics and get back on the bus. OBVIOUSLY this is a NIGHTMARE for instagram baddies. I need AT LEAST 15 minutes to figure out how and where to pose, if my face needs to be fixed, how my hair looks, etc. You HAVE to look like a baddie in front of the Eiffel Tower because it’s a once and a lifetime opportunity!

So we were FURIOUSLY taking a million pictures, clicking the button AS FAST as we could, getting ALL the angles and then would switch so the camera man could also get some fire pics. The universe was on my side this day, because every picture SLAYED.

SUCH a thrilling five minutes.

Paris was a daydream, we ate crepes and macaroons, and danced our way into The Lourve, where I saw the Mona Lisa. What a story that was.

From Paris, we traveled to the beaches of Normandy, where D-Day took place.

i dabbed in front of the mona lisa

France —> Italy

On the road again. We took an overnight train from France to Milan and the train actually travelled underwater for a portion of the ride. In the morning we arrived in Italy and travelled by bus to Rome. The days in Rome were INSANELY hot, but we made the most of it! We visited THEE Lizzie Maguire fountain (AKA The Trevi Fountain) and yes, I made a wish. And no, you can’t know what it is!

We toured The Vatican, which was a life changing experience. We marveled at the architecture and the art inside, I saw the Sistine Chapel and The Creation of Adam with my own two eyes! No, I didn’t get a picture of it because they forbid it, so you’ll just have to take my word for it.

La Pietà

Italy —> Germany

Our final stop was in Munich Germany. We did tours of castles, BMW headquarters, and explored around the area. This place felt the most like home, so I think it was the perfect way to end the trip.

BMW Headquarters was very cool. We actually sat in a BMW and Levi hooked up to the bluetooth and bumped rap music. Iconic way out to say the least.

I also had by first LEGAL beer in Germany. Was that against the rules of the trip, 100%, but you HAVE to drink a beer in Germany! (this is between me and you so don’t tell anyone).