Back in England!

I just arrived back in Leeds Saturday night at 2 am and I am still overwhelmed with all the places I saw, the people I met and the cultures I experienced.  There is so much going on in my head, but I do know that this experience can never be taken away from me and I will have these memories for a lifetime.  

After Nice, France, we headed to Geneva, Switzerland.  Geneva was a pretty town sitting right on Lake Geneva and looking out towards Mont Blanc.  While I was there I toured the UN as well as the Red Cross Museum.  Switzerland is a beautiful country, with picturesque landscape and villages spotting the hillsides.  But it is also a very expensive country and it did quite a toll on my bank account.  Just to get "cheap" food was equivalent to about $10.  I now know though if I ever go back I want to go to the Alps.

After Geneva, it was onto Vienna, Austria.  To get there we took a night train.  This was a very interesting experience.  Think plane seats but with 6 people crammed in a car facing each other while also trying to get a good nights sleep.  Sounds comfortable doesn't it?  I probably finally got 2 hours of sleep once I figured out I could push my seat down so I could be horizontal, but I really had to curl up in order to fit.  However, once we got to Vienna we had the whole day ahead of us and it was a beautiful day.  Vienna itself is a mecca of culture.  There are art museums and operas and a wonderful market full of decadent foods. 

One night in Vienna we waited in line to get standing tickets so we could see an Opera in Vienna.  The line took about 2 hours, we got 4 quid tickets and then got to stand for 2 hours to watch just the first act of the opera in German.  Need less to say, it was really interesting and we got our money's worth with just the first act.  But it was rough to stand for that long.  

After Vienna, we headed up to Prague, Czech Republic where we got to see the lively Easter Markets and learn about all the effects communism had on the area and see how some of those affects can still be felt.  

After Prague, we were off to Berlin.  Another city full of recent history that can still be seen and felt.  It was interesting as well because Berlin is now a very liberal city.  It went from being a city being oppressed by communism and Hitler's regime, to being one where alcohol can be drunk in the streets and marijuana can be smoked in the parks.  However, it was a wonderful preparation for Amsterdam, a city of much controversy.

Yes, while I was there I walked through the red light district and enjoyed the atmosphere of a coffee shop.  But once you go outside of this area there is a lot more culture than many know, including the Van Gogh Museum which was a wonderful display of many of Van Gogh's works.

This is where my trip ends.  There are many more stories to tell and many more things that I saw and experienced.  But this is just a synopsis.  Now its back to essay writing in a currently sunny (crossed fingers) Leeds.

Adventures in Europe

Hello Everyone!!! I am currently in Nice, France where I have been enjoying the sun (as well as my sunburn) and the beautiful Meditteranean Sea. So far the trip has been wonderful and I can hardly believe that my friend Diana and I have been traveling for 2 weeks already!!

We began in Barcelona, Spain where I was able to revisit sites that I remember from years ago when I was there with a high school group. It was very cool to be able to remember where I was going as well as to utilize my spanish speaking abilities. I believe that my second time in Barcelona allowed me to find more interest in the city. There is so much beauty there, beautiful parks and markets and interesting sites as well. Some highlights were listening to street music and watching street performers, seeing Park Guell again and eating a wonderful paella dinner.

We then flew to Rome, Italy to begin our Italian tour. Since I was only there a year ago things seemed very familiar and I could remember my way around quite well (which was cool). You could definetely feel a different vibe from Spain to Rome as well. In Barcelona the streets seemed more empty late at night...however, in Rome when we arrived at 8 there were still many people shopping and walking. In Rome, we walked around the Roman ruins, Piazza Navona, the castle and the river as well. Since I had done a lot of the sites only a year ago Diana and I split off from each other quite a bit. I attempted to explore places I hadn't seen before (the Isola and the Parco Gianicolense) but on the way to finding the park I just ended up getting lost on that side of the river. Which was definetely and experience and a lesson in map reading.

We then took a train towards Pisa the next day but stopped in Florence for the afternoon. Another place I had already been, and could recall the areas and streets fairly well. It was raining here, but we walked around the markets, the Duomo and the river. We attempted to see the David but the line to get in was 2 hours long!!! I've decided that while I don't enjoy traveling in large groups it definetely has its up sides for getting into museums faster.

We then finished our travels to Pisa where we stayed for 2 nights. However, Pisa can be done in an afternoon because all there is to see is the Leaning Tower (which is 15 Euros to go up!!). But it was nice to be able to sleep in and watch some TV instead of walking and touring all day.

It was then off to Venice. I was VERY excited about Venice and it definetely lived up to what I thought I would see. Right away we were walking across bridges and along small and narrow streets. There are no motor vehicles or bicycles and it is easy to get lost. Venice is the one place where a map is no use because the streets never go straight for long and will dead end where you thought they continued. So in Venice, we got lost a lot...but it was okay because its an island and you can't get off! In Venice we took day trips to Burano, Murano (glass blowing) and Lido each had its own feel and different nuances. It was also in Venice that we had one of the best hostel experiences yet. It was in Venice that we met our travel buddy for a few days, Robert from LA.

Robert had been traveling for 20 some days already and had been wanting to go to Nice but never made it, so he decided to tag along. It was fun having a third travel buddy (as well as a guy to help with our bags...lol). But the 3 of us headed to Nice, where we have laid on the pebble beach, walked along the shore and seen Monaco and their fancy cars (as well as had my first gambling experience...and it was a bad one at that...but don't worry mom and dad I only lost 5 EUR to the slot machine).

That is a very short but long summary of my travels so far in Europe. Tomorrow we head to Geneva, Switzerland. This trip has been wonderful, life changing and has already allowed me to grow. I have learned how to use European transportation, figured out ways to communicate in languages I don't understand and find my way back to a hostel every night. This is the time of my life and I am looking forward to the next two weeks! Hasta Luego, Ciao, Au revoir!!!