Europe's Greatest Hits

We loved Europe. We got to see some amazing things. The trip was great the sites were amazing. Some places we loved more than the others though (not that any of them were bad); we just had our favourites.
k: My three favourite sites to see were as follows...
1. Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe - Berlin, Germany

This was one of my favourites because it was so educational. There are about 2100 of these grey cement blocks in a grid, all different sizes and heights, representing jews who were killed in World War II. Underneath it (underground) is a little museum/visitors' centre with a lot of information and clippings from personal letters and journal entries of those affected by this inconceivable historical incident. It started Eric and me on a World War II kick. We were fascinated to learn and read more all over the city and on the internet when we got home at night. It was beautiful.
2. Basilica di Santa Marie del Fiore (the Duomo) - Florence, ItalyThis whole square caught my eye as soon as I saw it, even at 11pm when I was tired and we were lost finding our hotel. The outside of it is stunning and overwhelming all at the same time. it's really something. Then come to find that our hotel was on a street just off the corner of the square so we got to see it every day we went outside. It was great for me.

Built in 1296, the building itself is an architectural gem. It seems impossible for this massive dome structure to have been built during that time period, but when you see the paintings on the ceiling, you're even more amazed by the hard work and earnest effort these people put into their places of worship. Stunning!

THEN you climb the 414 steps to the top and this is what you get to see. Breath taking. I actually could have spent an entire day up there looking at this. I don't think I could have gotten enough pictures of it, and definitely not ones that could do it justice. It was amazing.

2. La Fontana di Trevi - Rome, Italy
I don't really know much about this fountain actually, but it is beautiful. I tried to read about it a little. I got that, with the help of a virgin, a spring of pure water was found here; about 13km outside the ancient city of Rome. In about 1629 the Pope decided that the old fountain was not sufficiently dramatic and so he commissioned a new one. After he died the project was abandoned, then somewhere along the way it was picked back up again and this masterpiece was created. Anyway, I don't really understand it all, but you can finish reading about it over here. The important things are it's beauty and magnificence, and also the legend that holds that if someone throws a coin into the water they are ensured to return to Rome. So of course, I did that.