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On a cold, frosty morning, armed with a seated van, a small travel cooker, printed maps, a variety of currency and essentials, our family made a leap into the unknown by embarking on a trip of a lifetime. So let me set the scene, a hard-working father, untiring mother, aspirational four daughters, and newly recruited son in law were about to embark on an unplanned journey around Europe. Setting off from Leicester we made our three and a half hour journey to Dover, filled with excitement as we prepared to start our journey to Calais via ferry. If at this point any of us were not aware we were seasick, we would soon find out. Feeling fresh and prepared to practise our French, we arrived in Calais and continued to make our way to Brussels, Belgium. After a two hour journey of driving on the right-hand side of the road and picking up tasty food along the way, we reached our destination. The first of many attractions, the Atomium, left us mesmerised as we learned about the single unit of iron crystal with 9 spheres represented atoms. At the foot of the Atomium we were able to explore 80 cities and 350 buildings in miniature version by visiting the must-see Mini-Europe attraction. As a family of cheese lovers, our bellies were churning at the thought of feasting on some edam cheese as we enthusiastically made our way over to the Netherlands. As we reached our eyes and stomachs were able to feast on a variety of delicious, fresh dairy products, which led us to purchase a large ball of edam for our journey. This ball of edam was enjoyed with freshly made bread and salad that we had purchased along the way and thoroughly enjoyed during our pit stops. As if our trip had not already been so fascinating, we stopped by and explored the quaint streets and splendour of the Old Quarter of Luxembourg City, which left us wanting to explore more. Our highlight was the taste of the local sweet dessert of Quetschentaart (plum tart), which we yet have to find of similar taste in the UK. Continuing on our journey, we could not have prepared ourselves for the beauty of Geneva that we had witnessed from the songs in Bollywood films. We were able to live the dream by hiring a boat and driving around Lake Geneva, Bond Style, which is something we still fondly remember today. We then feasted our thirsty eyes on the Jet d'Eau (Water-Jet), a large fountain in Geneva, which is one of the city's most famous landmarks. In true tourist style, we all took it in turn to take photos which looked as if the fountain was sprouting out of our hand or mouth. Preparing ourselves for the latter half of our trip, we wrapped up in woolly jumpers, scarfs and hats as we made our way to Chamonix. On our way we stopped off at a large deserted car park area, which was surrounded by fir trees, spruce trees, pine and larches. Nothing but the echoes of our conversations, the smell of the food and the warmth of being together on this unknown journey surrounded us. As if we had not already experienced so much beauty, we checked into a picturesque chalet with breath-taking views of snow-capped mountains and sat with mugs of hot chocolate and relived the special moments of our journey so far. The next day, we set off to Mont Blanc, which is personally one of my fondest memories and highlights from this trip. We were amazed and slightly scared by the views from the glass-bottomed lifts and the views of people enjoying skiing in the distance. As we came to the final leg of our trip, we realised the journey would not be complete without stopping off in Paris and taking a ride up the iconic Eiffel Tower. We were able to explore the beauty of the Arc de Triomphe and Palace of Versailles and enjoy the variety of delicacies before the thought of returning to the UK loomed over us. Sometimes taking a leap into the unknown could take you right where you need to be.