Trip to Europe (Part 1): Sharing Scenic Beauty with Everyone

Xi'an - Prague. On March 25, 2018, we boarded China Eastern Airlines flight MU2770 from Xi'an. The flight originated from Shanghai Pudong with a stopover in Xi'an, and arrived in Prague at 19:00 local Czech time. The entire journey from Xi'an took over nine hours to reach the destination.

The flight we took this time

A corner of Prague Airport

Arriving at the destination, it had just rained lightly. A bus picked us up and took us to the hotel.

The local hotel we stayed at in Prague

After checking in, we immediately planned to go out for a walk. At the entrance, we checked the phone map and found the hotel was in a rather remote location with no commercial areas nearby. We took a short walk around the entrance and then returned to the room to rest. We also bought some souvenirs in the lobby. The salesperson was impressive—she could speak a little Chinese.

Prague - Salzburg. March 26. This was the first breakfast in Europe. As we traveled, we realized that the first breakfast was the most abundant: there were fruit juices, coffee, hot water, hot milk, and the greatest variety of breads. Perhaps it was meant to be a booster for every traveler, filling us with energy for the journey ahead.

Various breads, all very tasty.

Various kinds of bacon, also delicious.

After breakfast, we boarded the bus for this European trip and headed to Salzburg, the hometown of the musical prodigy Mozart in Austria.

The first thing we saw: free self-service bicycle repair tools for the locals.

Mozart's birthplace, the residence of the musical genius.

Salzburg Cathedral

This is a photo of Salzburg taken from Mirabell Garden.

Bach Bridge in Salzburg

Salzburg is located in western Austria, at the gateway to the Alps. The city's architecture is predominantly Baroque. According to historical records, Salzburg is the oldest city within the current territory of Austria. It is the birthplace of the musical genius Mozart, who spent more than half of his short life of less than 36 years in Salzburg. Salzburg is also the hometown of conductor Herbert von Karajan and the filming location of the movie "The Sound of Music." In 1996, the old town of Salzburg was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

We arrived in Salzburg at noon and walked to a local Chinese restaurant for lunch. After lunch, the guide took us to visit the square, Mozart's former residence and workplace, and Mirabell Palace. On the way back, there was a little incident: we had to return to the parking lot on our own, but the area had so many alleys that we got lost. Fortunately, the online maps were well-developed; we used the guide's shared location to navigate back to the bus stop.

That evening, we stayed in a small town in Slovenia, at a hotel called Grajski Dvor. As the bus entered the town, we spotted a supermarket. As soon as we checked in, we immediately went to that local supermarket. Throughout the entire European trip, this was the place with the lowest prices. We bought some beer, wine, and snacks.

A corner of the local supermarket

Vegetable section of the supermarket

A library in the small town; it was a rather beautiful building.

The accommodation in the Slovakian town confirmed what the guide had said earlier: it was not as grand and luxurious as one might imagine—a tiny elevator, simple rooms, no toothpaste or soap, etc. We even stayed in a hotel that felt like one from the 1980s in China. More details later.

Slovenian town - Venice, Italy. March 27. After breakfast at the hotel, we took the bus and entered Italy directly. The first stop in Italy was Venice. We had learned about the water city of Venice and the Merchant of Venice in primary school textbooks, so we were very much looking forward to the trip. When we arrived in Venice, it seemed that buses were not allowed into the city. We transferred to a local bus to the waterfront, had lunch at a Chinese restaurant, and then took a cruise to one of the most famous islands.

Buildings on the water city, photographed from the cruise ship

St. Mark's Basilica

Canals of Venice

St. Mark's Square and St. Mark's Campanile

After landing on the island, the guide introduced and took us to visit famous attractions: the Bridge of Sighs, St. Mark's Square, St. Mark's Basilica, the Doge's Palace, and other well-known sites. We also went to a duty-free shop under the DFS group. Before entering Italy, the guide repeatedly reminded us to keep our bags securely fastened, as there were many thieves. He himself dared not hold up his flag because thieves know that guides carry a lot of items and are prime targets.

Interior of the DFS duty-free shop

After visiting Venice, we boarded the bus again and traveled to a small town about 20 kilometers from Florence for accommodation. The hotel was called DATINI HOTEL. We arrived very late, so dinner was on our own. Fortunately, there was a sandwich shop across the street. After checking in, we went to the shop across the street to buy some food.

This is the hotel where we stayed tonight.

There was also a small bar in the hotel lobby.

Various vegetables available for sandwiches.

After eating, we quickly returned to the hotel to rest. We were exhausted from either sightseeing or sitting on the bus. I will continue writing when I have time later.