"There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharial Nehru

So I am chilling out in my hotel room before my big adventure begins tomorrow. I know all of you are curious about my plans, so I am posting an itinerary. This way you know where I'm at and where I'm going. And I really hope no crazy stalkers are going to read this and follow me around Europe because I don't know anyone with a special set of skills to come save me. I mean, how sucky would it be to get kidnapped over here? For all of you who are taking part in Angela's Backpacking Adventure drinking game you would all have to do like a keg. But I digress. I'll risk it. Here are my travel plans:

May 1- Leave Madrid and fly to Switzerland

May 1- 4- Interlaken, Switzerland

May 5-10- Dresden and Berlin, Germany (I'll be staying with my friend Christin)

May 11- This is a travel day

May 12-14- Malmo and Stockholm, Sweden

May 15- This is also a travel day (Sweden is a little out of the way)

May 16-17- Amsterdam, Netherlands

May 18-20- Glasgow and Edinburgh, Scotland

May 21-30- Galway, Cliffs of Moher, Aran Islands and Dublin, Ireland

May 31- Fly from Dublin to Madrid and stay in a hotel for the night

June 1- Fly back to the States

So there you are! If I want to change my plans and stay longer in one place I can, but I'm going to try and stick pretty close to this. I fly to Switzerland, from Amsterdam to Scotland, and from Scotland to Ireland because the UK doesn't accept the Eurail Pass. Otherwise all other travel will be by train.

I am incredibly excited. I managed to fit everything I want/need into my backpack so that was a major win. I want to say my posts will be more frequent as I'm sure I will have plenty to tell you all, but I have no idea what to expect from this trip. This is way out of my comfort zone. I have no idea how busy I'll be or what the internet situation is in my hostels. All of them say free internet, but that doesn't necessarily mean wifi. I might have to use the hostel's computers and those, I have learned, come in varying degrees of...let's say technological advancement. (That's much nicer than suckitude.)

And with that I am off to bed. I'm still battling a sore throat, but I'm hoping some fresh Alpine air will do the trick :) Wish me luck!

xoxo

I'm leavin on a jet plane, I don't know when I'll be back again. Oh, I hate to go...

Wow. Where has the time gone? I don't even know how to sum up my time in Spain. It has been life-changing. That's the best way to put it. My only regret is not studying abroad sooner and giving myself enough time left in college to do it again. Tonight is my last night in Caceres and tomorrow is my last night in Spain, so I thought I'd treat you all to my 'Angela Misses from the States' and 'Angela will miss from Spain' lists. Enjoy!

Angela will miss from Spain:

*My family- Mercedes is a capital-M Mom and I hit the jackpot with her.

*My friends- I've met some great people with whome I'm sure I will have lasting friendships. See most of you in the fall at ISU!

*Fanta Naranja- There are just no words to describe the deliciousness

*Divina Comedia- So many fantastic nights, so many memories, so many tequila shots...

*Siestas- Seriously people, why is there no nap time in the States?

*Traveling- Travel in Europe is so insanely cheap and easy

*Parque Principe- I need to find a prettier place to run besides Ames Raq Fit

*Discos- I can't dance to save my life, but it is so much fun!

*Cheap wine- A 2 Euro bottle of wine here would cost $20 in the States easily. It's all cheap and it's all good.

*Epi- If I could bring my dog home with me I would do it in a heartbeat.

Angela misses from the States-

*My family

*My friends

*Having an income- Good lord how I miss this one...

*Not smelling like an ashtray after I go out- I mean really? It's just gross

*Football- I know I'd miss it there too, but at least I'd have other people to miss it with me.

*Driving- My car is getting a hug when I get back. Not even joking.

It's going to be so incredibly difficult to leave the place I've called home for the last three months. The discos, Divina Comedia, my family and my friends here...it's going to be so strange not seeing them all every day. I can't even wrap my mind around it. I miss you all and I am thrilled to be going backpacking, but Spain has become such a huge part of me, and I think when I leave I'm going to be leaving a part of me here too. It's selfish to want more, I know.

I'm not completely sad though. I'm looking forward to starting the next chapter of my adventure on Saturday. On to Switzerland!

The Legend of San Jorge

I am going to attempt to describe to all of you the most amazing festival ever. This weekend was San Jorge in Spain. (That's Saint George for those of you non-Spanish speakers :P). San Jorge is a huge deal in Caceres because he is the patron saint of the city. There was a huge theatrical production re-enacting the legend. I am going to do my best to tell the story. You have to picture me as a distinguished-looking older man sitting in a huge arm chair with a pipe in front of a fire. Actually, having all you picture me as a guy kind of bothers me. Just picture a guy telling you this story. Oh, and you have to read it with a Masterpiece Theater voice in your head. But before I begin I would just like to say that I have absolutely nothing against Christians or Muslims. This is just a story and in no way reflects my personal feelings. So, that being said, gather round everyone while I take you back many, many years ago to a time of knights, princesses and dragons...

In days long past the country of Spain was inhabited by Muslims, and in the west of Spain lay a grand city called Caceres. In the days of the Muslims there was a King and Queen who ruled over Caceres. They had a beautiful daughter and all the subjects of the court loved her for she was beautiful and kind. It is said that so great was her beauty that roses refused to bloom in her presence for their color paled in comparison to her ruby lips, and there was nary a star that shone bright as her eyes.

One day, the Princess went for a walk with her maid outside the city limits. It was there that the Christian knight, San Jorge, first met her. Upon his first gaze of her beautiful face he fell in love with her and she with him. In those days the Muslims and the Christians were enemies, and so theirs was a secret love. However, seeing the purity of their feelings for one another, the maid took pity on them and helped them hide their relationship from the King and Queen. The maid stole a key to the city so that San Jorge might sneak in at night to see the Princess.

For many nights all was well, but one day the key fell from San Jorge's pocket in the Christian court. The Christian king was angry and declared war on the Muslims. He put San Jorge at the front of the line to prove his loyalty to God and his people. When the Muslim king learned that his daughter had fault in causing the war he was infuriated. So great was his anger that he sent for a wizard who turned the beautiful princess into a hen.

The war was long and bloody. Many a knight perished in battle, and the Christians were losing for the Muslims had unleashed a fierce and fiery dragon upon them. The battles were long and the Christians fought fiercely, but none could best the great beast until one night, in the heat of a great battle, as Christian men were falling left and right around him and with the anger of losing his true love burning strong inside him, San Jorge mounted his white stallion and took up his fire-tipped lance. He charged the dragon and fought with every ounce of strength within him. With a great surge of strength and with the guidance of the Lord he plunged the lance into the mouth of the beast. The dragon let out a terrible scream and perished as his body burned.

And so San Jorge slayed the dragon, winning the war for the Christians. The Muslim kingdom fell and the Christians overtook the castle and city in the name of God. San Jorge was raised up and lauded by all. He was named the patron of Caceres for his loyalty to the cross, and all the Christians rejoiced in their victory.

And never was there a story of more woe than that of...oh wait. Wrong story. My bad...

So that's the legend. The festival was amazing. They acted out this whole story. There were belly dancers, fire jugglers, acrobats, sword fights and a parade. There were fireworks that would put the fourth of July to shame (lit off the top of a roof directly over the crowd so we were pelted with hot ash and legit fireballs because apparently burning its citizens isn't a huge concern of Spain). There were freakin ninjas! But the coolest, most bad ass thing about this festival was the fact this was all acted out in the Plaza Mayor. In front of a real castle that's over a thousand years old. Where a man dressed in armor on the back of a real white horse plunged an actual fire-tipped lance into 20-foot tall dragon. Yes. A dragon. They build one every year and have some guy slay it. And it actually burns. It. Was. Awesome. I want to found a town and make up a crazy legend just so I can have my own San Jorge. And you bet your ass we will burn a freaking dragon every year.

My pictures aren't great because it was night and everything was moving so fast, but here are a few for your enjoyment.

Princess in the castle

Sword fight!

Scary dragon!

San Jorge is so BA

Burning the dragon

Dead dragon

And the town rejoiced!

The End

I've got sunshine on a cloudy...er, ashy day?

Ah Paris. City of lights...or so I hear anyway. See, I wouldn't actually know because I have never been there. Sigh. And so begins yet another travel nightmare tale.

As my friends, Sara and Drew, and I were making the 4-hour bus trip to Madrid we received a text message from our airline saying our trip was cancelled. Commence pandemonium. We were supposed to be meeting Sara's boyfriend, Tyler, in Paris and his flight was cancelled as well. We spent the remaining 2 hours of the bus ride after getting the news trying to figure out a plan B. And C and D...

At the airport the line for the desk was, as you probably could have guessed, long. And not only was it long, but it was moving very, very slowly. We spent about 2.5 hours in line. Thankfully AirFrance is not some lame budget airline like EasyJet and I will be able to get a full refund for my ticket. We also made some new friends in line! There was French Guy and Irish Couple and Holland Man and Japan Dude. We had a little international party in line.

Now see, we're poor college kids. None of us could really afford to get a random hotel room at a moment's notice in Madrid. So I got the pleasure of sleeping in yet another European airport. Well, I didn't so much as sleep as I played cards and watched re-runs of the Big Bang Theory on my iPod.

Okay, so this all sounds awful and ridiculous. And I suppose it is to some extent, but honestly? Last night was one of the best nights of my trip. We were exhausted and mildly hysterical. The whole night was hilarious. We decided our misfortune was my fault, because apparently I just can't win in Europe. (I mean seriously, this is the third trip in a row that has gone wrong. My next trip is backpacking. I'm a little nervous.) But we had a blast. And it's so ridiculous that it makes for a great story. I mean, think about it. We got stranded in an airport, my second airport, because a volcano in Iceland erupted. A volcano. In Iceland. Erupted for the first time in like 200 years. Because, my friends, that is how my life goes. How many people can say they got stranded due to the explosion of a previously dormant Icelandic volcano? I mean besides the other several thousand Europeans stranded as well. As the Almighty Rick Steve's once said, you have to be "militantly optimistic". Well, General Optimism reporting for duty! (Leave me alone, I just stayed up all night in an airport. I'm sleep deprived.)

So let's re-cap for a minute. My trip thus far, and it is far from over, has included: having my bank information hijacked and a sizable chunk of my money stolen, stupid ticket mistakes, sleeping in airports, getting lost in Sevilla, near-missed buses, and a natural disaster. No less than 4 people have told me to write a book, and I am honestly considering it. Tentative title: How (not) to Travel in Europe: A traveler's guide to surviving the outrageous abroad.

Everything that has happened to me is so unbelievable that it is believable. I've come full circle! You cannot make this stuff up. Steph and I have decided that my life is permanently on plan D. Oh! Alternative book title! Plan D: Go with it. I'm telling you. Best-seller. I'm gonna be rich.

All that being said, I wouldn't trade a single second of this trip. I have amazing new friends, far-fetched volcano stories, and I've had more than enough adventures to last me a life time. And I still have 6 weeks left! Just think of the hilarity to come! I told Steph that I'm going to end up stuck in Sweden working on a fishing boat to earn my way home. Hopefully some attractive Nordic man named Sven finds me adorably pathetic and takes me in so I have a place to stay.

Now for those of you who live for my pictures, take heart. Because in our deliriously hysterical mental state we brought Paris to the Madrid-Barajas International Airport. Thanks to the modeling styles of Ms. Sara Dobbin, I give you:

The Eiffel Tower

The Arc of Triumph

and The Mona Lisa

Bajamos!

Hola friends and family! I hope everyone is well and enjoying the warmer weather. I currently hate you all as the forecast for the next 10 days in Caceres is rain, rain and more rain. Last weekend I went to Lisbon, and I leave for Paris tomorrow. I thought I would update this before I leave so I don't get behind. Now, Lisbon:

Freaking fantastic city. I LOVED it. It was gorgeous and sunny and warm. I went with my friends Steph and Kayla and we could not have picked a better weekend. I am currently rocking an awesome farmer's tan. (Yeah. You know you're jealous.) We only had a day in Lisbon because the bus schedule to there from Caceres is really crappy, but it was definitely worth it. For those of you that don't know (I sure didn't anyway), Lisbon is known for its pastries. And now I know why. A-MAZ-ING. Seriously. So good. We didn't get real meals. We bought pastries. And no, we did not feel guilty.

We did a lot of walking around and sight-seeing. We went to the Torre de Belem

and the view from the top was amazing. It looked out over the river and the ocean. Very cool. The staircase to the top was tiny and narrow and winding. Which was interesting because Kayla is claustrophobic. Plus people go down and up the same staircase because it's the only way to the top. So we're going up and all the sudden we hear these little old ladies yelling from above us "Bajamos! Bajamos! Bajamos!" Now they had the right idea. It

was just this constant stream of one word- bajamos! It was hilarious. You kind of had to be there.

We went to the castle too, and oh my gosh. It is impossible to find! Seriously. It took us forever. The thing is on a hill, you wouldn't think it would be that hard to find, but oh no. Turns out they purposely made the damn thing hard to find in case of an attack. It was ridiculous. You could see it. You could look up and see the stupid thing looming over you, but you could not

find the street to get there to save your life. But we did find it. It was like a grown-up playground. Lots of towers and passages and stuff. Very fun. And there

was a wedding! It

was so pretty!

New life goal: get married at a castle in Europe. Oh, it'll happen people.

So basically Lisbon rocked. We had like 4 hours to kill at a park in Badajoz between buses so we played a Spanish card game called Jota Be. I intend to teach you all. It would make an awesome drinking game. We had a blast. It was only one day, but it was so worth it.

However. Getting there almost didn't happen. So I had emailed mine and Kayla's bus tickets to Kayla's host-mom Esther to print off. There were 2 attachments because we needed 2 sets of tickets (we had to take a connecting bus in Badajoz to get to Lisbon). Well Esther didn't see the second attachment so we just had our tickets from Badajoz to Lisbon, but not our tickets from Caceres to Badajoz. Which isn't a big deal. We can have them printed at the bus station. So we go to give the guy our names and passports and he tells us he can't print them off without our confirmation numbers. Which is a LIE because we've done it with just our names before. Several people in the group have. But the guy decided to be a total doucher and insisted we needed the number. Well we didn't have computers or internet access. Problem.

Solution. Hey! There's an info desk! So we go ask them if we can use their internet. They're like uh, can't he just use your names? We're like yeah apparently not. So they're like well we can't let you use the internet. Eff. Problem.

Solution. Call Michelle! So we call our friend Michelle and beg her to go into my email and find the ticket numbers. At this point our bus leaves in 7 minutes and there isn't another bus we can take. I give Michelle my info and she tries and tries and it won't let her log in. Turns out she thought I said B when I said D. So we figured that out. 5 minutes till departure. She's searching and can't find the email. It's in my trash. She finds the email. 4 minutes. She opens it and can't find the second attachment. She's looking and she can't find it at all. I know I attached it, I know I did. Well Michelle, thanks for trying but we're going to have to buy new tickets.

3 minutes till departure. We have our money out. Doucher (as he will from now on be known) keeps waving people ahead of us from the line. So we're like nu uh. So we ask to buy new tickets. The bus is full. FULL. The last 2 seats on the bus are ours that we don't have the numbers for. We can't buy new tickets. Kayla and I are freaking out because at this point we've both spent 65 euro to get to Lisbon. The guy behind doucher just keeps saying "Tranquilo! Tranquilo!" Calm down, calm down!

0 minutes until departure. Michelle calls. She found them!!! I'm scribbling numbers furiously on paper and Kayla is whipping them at Doucher like it's her job. And he printed our tickets. And they held the bus for us so we got to go to Lisbon. So yay. Happy ending. I'm paranoid now, though. We'll see how Paris goes tomorrow. I have the correct plane and bus tickets, and they are printed and in my bag. I'm telling you, one of these days I'm going to have a trip go smoothly...

Steph, me and Kayla

The world just does not fit conveniently into the format of a 35mm camera. ~W. Eugene Smith

The world just does not fit conveniently into the format of a 35mm camera. ~W. Eugene Smith. But I tried anyway. Here are some of my spring break pictures, all labeled for your convenience. Enjoy!

Corniglia

Monarola

Vernazza

Monterosso

Riomaggiore

Cinque Terre at sunset

Blooming cherry blossoms

This one makes me think of fairy tales

Locks on Via del Amore

Claire and I by the sea

Dangerous climb!

And the actual not-so-dangerous climb

Florence

Florence again

Probably guessed- the Leaning Tower of Pisa

Our classic, cheesy tourist photo

And one last cheesy photo

Arrivederci!

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie that's amore!

A giant pesto pizza pie. Now that's amore! (Go back and read the blog title. Got the connection now? Okay, good!) And this sentence will be explained later.

Hello all my friends and family members! Just to forewarn you I am in a goofy mood. This post might be slightly odd. I blame a lack of sleep mixed in with the sugar high I'm on right now. Diet coke and white chocolate m&ms (Delicious by the way. I will have withdrawals upon my return to the States). Could life get any better? So anyway. Spring break!

I had a beyond amazing time in Cinque Terre, Italy. It was gorgeous. We relaxed, we hiked, we took in some sunsets, ate fantastic Italian food, and just pretty much had a ballin' week. (Why yes, I have picked up lame slang since being here. I now say things like 'legit' and 'ballin'. I blame Kayla. God willing this phase will not last much past the duration of my time in Europe. But I digress...) It was the most relaxing vacation ever. Everywhere you looked you got smacked in the face with gorgeousness. Cliff views, the Mediterranean, charming little pueblos painted bright colors...sigh. I would kill to go back.

Okay background info: Cinque Terre is an Italian national park and consists of a string of 5 little towns and the land between them. My friend Claire and I flew into Milan and hopped a train to Cinque Terre. We stayed in Corniglia which is in the middle of the 5 so it was a perfect location. There were 2 towns south- Manorola and Riomaggiore, and two to the north- Vernazza and Monterosso. All gorgeous, all with incredible food- and believe you me, this post will center around the food. But first the hikes.

South was an easy route. The trail from Corniglia to Manorola was okay. There were lots of fun places to climb down and get right be the sea. We had to be kind of careful though because in winter the waves are huge and like to try and kill you. We decided death was not on the agenda, but still had fun exploring. From Monarola to Riomaggiore was a cake walk. It is known as the Via del Amore and is completely paved. People clip locks to the fencing to signify their eternal love for one another (cough...excuse me...had to swallow a little bile there...). Some are engraved with names and dates and you can buy one for the low, low price of 10 euros! Like $13. For a lock. That you don't keep. And that's not even one of the fancy engraved ones.Maybe I missed the day they were handing out the romance gene. Any who. It was gorgeous. The hike north, while equally gorgeous, was designed by sadists who like to play God and watch lesser people suffer (thank you Juno, and props to whoever got the reference). Corniglia is pretty high up in the mountains. Vernazza and Monterosso are at sea level. Well that's not so bad you might think, but then you might be thinking oh so very wrong. You go up and then down and then up some more. And then down. Then up. Then around because there are 80 million switchbacks in the freaking mountain. The whole thing is stairs designed to make you wish you were handicapped and had an excuse not to take them. And just when you think you're going to level out, just when you see that light at the end of the tunnel, that last little slice of hope that allows you to make the last 200 stairs (that is not an exaggeration FYI)...you turn a bend and have to go up more. At one point the ledge, and I do mean ledge, was about 6-8 inches wide. One side was a sheer drop-off- the kind that kills you. Which is one thing if the ledge is smooth. But oh no, it was rugged and uneven and there were all kinds of loose rocks just waiting for you to step wrong and plunge to your rocky, watery doom. Round trip from Corniglia to Monterosso and back was about 7.5 hours. Yeah.

But it was all worth it and now Claire and I can say we hiked the Cinque Terre in its entirety. Oh and side note- there were a few people running it. Running. They were running the up and down and twisty, uneven path. The uneven stairs and the things that were supposed to be stairs but I'm pretty sure were just strange dents in the rock. Not to mention the ledge of terror. Yeah. Nutcases. Suicidal nutcases.

Now the food. Oh good lord the food. First of all it was actually pretty cheap so we were pretty happy. We did picnic lunches because it was cheapest. Baguettes, cheese, blood oranges and pesto- OH MY GOD THE PESTO. Okay let me break this down.

Baguettes/Cheese: Baguettes baked fresh daily and full of deliciousness. For cheese they would just cut a chunk off of a wheel and it was also absolutely delicious. And cheap. Way cheaper than in the States so I am saddened.

Blood oranges: Sounds gross, but they are amazing. Take the most delicious orange you have ever had in your entire life then times it by like 4000 and you will have a mediocre blood orange. They're red inside (hence the name) and juicy and oh so freaking fantastic. I will find them in the States. I know they're there. I will find them.

The Pesto: OH MY GOD THE PESTO. I don't think I can even describe it the Pesto (it deserves to be capitalized at all times). A friend touring through Italy who stopped to visit us in CT describes its as thus: People say that on the 7th day of creation God rested. Really on the 7th day he made Pesto and then realised he couldn't make anything better so he just quit. Pesto is like heroine, but good for you. I have a recipe and I am going to try and duplicate it. First I need to buy a mortar and pestle though. A marble one. Apparently that's one of the keys to making it so amazing and I'm not going to take any chances. I wish I could put it in words, but alas- it can't be done. The traveling friend, Ryan, met some guy randomly in Venice and told him about the Pesto and very generously allowed the guy to try a tiny bit of his Pesto. The random guy changed his trip plans to side trip to CT just to get this Pesto. It's that amazing.

Pesto Pizza: Some genius one day thought to himself "Now how can I make the most amazing thing ever and make it even better". And BAM! Pesto Pizza was created. It's the amazing Pesto on a thin-crust, marinara and mozzarella cheese pizza. So much goodness should be illegal.

One afternoon it was raining and we didn't have much to do so we ducked into this little wine store. There was a wine tower from the top of the bar to the ceiling. It was probably about 7 feet tall and all I could think of was how that might actually last the Pralle family like 2 or 3 get togethers. There was this guy in there playing the guitar and singing (apparently he's mildly famous), but by the time we got there he was drunk so he was making up some crazy song in broken English about the Sahara Desert. It was so cool. We sat and listened and had a couple glasses of wine and chatted with a few other people- a couple from from California who just got engaged and a couple from Italy vacationing for their anniversary. It was great.

Okay. So after CT we decided to change our plans a little and side trip to Florence. It's a beautiful city. We walked around for a few hours and grabbed some gelato. It was a pleasant day. Then we went to Pisa for the night. Pisa really only has the tower so we were glad we were only there for an evening and early morning. Then we flew out of Pisa International Airport back to Madrid...or so we thought...

Now, my friends, here is where you all get to call me a dumb blonde and make fun of me for the rest of my natural born life. And I will gracefully take the criticism because I deserve it. Oh boy do I deserve it. While waiting for our flight from Pisa to Brussels (our route was from Pisa to Brussels and then Brussels to Madrid) Claire was looking at the tickets. Suddenly she asks me, "Why do these say March 26?" We were flying out on April 1st. Yeah. Our Pisa to Brussels tickets were fine, but I, your one and only incredibly moronic Angela, bought tickets to Madrid for the wrong day. We ended up stuck in Brussels. We had to sleep in the airport and buy new plane tickets to Seville (which cost me 400 euros, but I did deserve it for being so stupid) and then had to buy new bus tickets to Caceres because we were no longer going there from Madrid. Yes. I am a moron. We were stuck in Belgium for hours. Freaking Belgium! And my card wouldn't work to buy the plane tickets (either of them) so poor Claire had to buy them. I will insert here that I am in no way making her pay for my stupid mistake. I am paying her back all 400 euro for the plane tickets and I purchased the new bus tickets as well. I am at least owning my own stupidity. I really don't know what happened. See, with Ryanair (shitty airline by the way, don 't ever fly with them) you can't just buy the whole round trip. They make you buy each ticket separately so you have to go back to the home page and do everything a million times. The only thing I can think of is that the default date must have reset and I didn't realize it. Which I should have. But whatever. What's done is done.

So there you have it. My break, with the exception of my epic mistake, was fantastic. We had an amazing time. And for all of you who are worried that while backpacking by myself I am going to get lonely you can relax. I met so many people at my hostel in CT. I even invited a few to stay with me in Iowa. One girl, Sarah, is from California and is studying in Israel for a year but was on a break backpacking through Europe by herself. She said she's met so many people and had such an amazing time. So no need for any of you to worry about me! I'll be fantastic.

So now that this has turned into a book, just a couple more things. I'm going to Lisbon this weekend and am looking forward to it. It's supposed to be a beautiful city and is one more country I can add to my list! Next weekend I am going to Paris and I'm really excited about that one. I'm dying to see the Louvre. And, again, another country I can add to my list. Then the next weekend I am going to spend in Caceres because it will be my last weekend in Spain. I'm kind of sad. I can't believe how fast this trip has gone. I'll fly to Switzerland May 1 and start my backpacking trip. It's less than 2 months now until I go home. I'll be sad to leave Europe, it's been such an incredible experience, but I can't wait to see all of you.

I will be doing a separate post of pictures later this evening because right now it's my siesta time :) And it's just easier to do a separate post rather than make this one even longer. I miss you guys tons. Love you all!

P.S. Please feel free to comment, even just to say hi. I haven't talked to some of you in ages! You can comment without an account or facebook (okay Aunt Nancy? :P).