16 September 2008

Hiya!

It has been nearly a year since I have started writing this blog.  I can't believe it!  I also can't believe that the anxiety and tension I had before I had left felt nearly the same when I came back.  Yep, that's right folks!  I'm back in Chicago... finishing off my school... FINALLY!

First, and foremost, I want to thank you all for reading my blog and keeping up with my adventures abroad.  I'm not too sure how many of you actually read this, but for those of you who did, thank you.

I'm not sure if I had mentioned WHY exactly I came back to Chicago when I had absolutely no intentions of coming back to America at all.  I mean, I was even taking applications for husbands when I first moved there!  But, the school where I had attended told me that if I wanted to finish my degree over there, I would practically have to START OVER.  I said, "Hells NO!"  I only have 7 classes left to take.  How stupid would I be to start all over again just so I can live in another country for a couple of years?  But then I thought, well, I could put my education on hold and live my dream.  I was concerned with the implications of doing that.  When I decided to come back home, was I going to be required to take additional classes that I wasn't prepared for?  So, rather than only having 7 to take, would I have to take 10 or more?  You never know with our stellar education system.  It seems as though they're always trying to get an extra buck out of you.

So, then I decided... well, if I go back and finish my degree I will have finally accomplished what I have been striving for over the past FIFTEEN years!  What a load off of my shoulder that will be!  Well, until I have to start paying back my student loans.  My father once told me, "Denise, you always start things and you never finish them."  I guess that statement hurt my feelings quite a bit, but it is probably one of the reasons why I am so determined to finish.  And it's not totally true!  Granted, there are a few art projects that I have started and never finished... or books I have started and never finished, but the important things I start and always finish.  If I found reading a book important, I would finish it... same with my art projects.

Anyhow... the question now remains... when I finish my degree, do I try to make a life in London?  Or do I stay in America?  I have to be honest... I didn't really like London all that much.  The first time I visited there, I wasn't all that impressed.  While I lived there, I still wasn't all that impressed, but it was a different culture, a different experience.  And what I loved the most was I could fly on a plane for an hour (or take a train) and I would be in a totally different country.  THAT'S what I liked about living in London.  Other than that, it's very crowded, the weather isn't all that desirable, and everything is way too expensive in relation to the salaries, which in turn, doesn't allow for me to actually enjoy life there.  I always had to worry about whether or not I was going to have enough money to last me for a while, and I wasn't even paying rent!  It was a very stressful and hard life!  Would I do it all over again?  Absolutely!  Do I have any regrets for going over there and selling my life here?  Not at all.  It was an amazing experience for me!  And I was able to live my dream!  I lived the London life, worked at a really amazing place, and traveled.  That was my dream.  Everything else was icing on the cake... especially when I met the love of my life, Dan.

As life is a constant rollercoaster, and as my teacher told us tonight, "The future is a fantasy..." I'm really excited to learn about the fantasy... and I must say, I fantasize about my future all the time.  Where will I go next?  Will I move back to London?  Or maybe try New York City???

24 August 2008

The last weekend in London has arrived and Dan had everything planned out for me.  Friday was also my last day at work.  My co-workers bought me all of these really great souvenirs.  It was then that I had realized I had not bought any for myself, so I was glad they had!  They bought me a pen with a british flag with a man with a hat as the clicker part, a pencil box with a picture of the Parliament on it and sweeties inside, a coffee cup with the same scene, a snow globe with London scenery, a british flag key chain, and a kilt towel that I'm looking forward to sporting on the Chicago beaches.  It was so sweet of them!  They also gave me a really lovely card... I received 2 actually!  The other card is from the guys upstairs.  I'm really going to miss those guys!! :(  After work, I went across the street to meet up with some of them for a quick drink before meeting up with Dan.

After the drinks, Dan had invited me out for some Jazz.  We didn't go to Jazz Cafe, as I learned they don't really play Jazz there (such a tease!), so we went to this really quaint little French Jazz Cafe to listen to Gypsy Jazz.  It was really wonderful and the food wasn't so bad either!  Anna, the girl I had met up with in Stockholm, told me her sister was in town, so I had invited for her to meet up with us.  Her name was Sofia and she was absolutely lovely!

We had to get up EARLYYYY the next morning.  Well, early for a Saturday morning.  We had quite the aggressive agenda for the weekend!  We went to Camden Market and walked around quite a bit and took some pictures.  Camden Market was very interesting.  I could see Amy Winehouse all over the place... her style, mostly.  It's very alternative... and very crowded!  

We were able to get home with enough time to relax for a little bit before getting ready to go to Afternoon Tea at Brown's.  I had been to Afternoon Tea once before at the Ritz in Atlanta, GA, but never in London.  That's definitely something I would recommend you do when going there.  It was such an AMAZING experience!  The service was impeccable!  The food and the tea was amazing!  Before endulging in the tea, they gave us a rose champagne.  Yummm.  With strawberries and cream.  

They give you a menu with about 20 teas to choose from, so I had a Black Currant infusion and it was delicious!  Then they bring the plates of goodies.  It's three tiers.  The bottom tier has finger sandwiches.  There are four varieties - salmon, traditional cucumber, egg salad with tomato, and ham and cheese.  The second tier had scones that you eat with this sort of cream and jelly.  And the third tier has little desserts.  They re-fill all of the plates, if you want them to.  They refilled the 1st and 2nd tiers for us.  We were so full by the time we left there.  What an amazing experience!!!  I'm so grateful that Dan set that up for us!  It was his first time too and he's lived there for 5 years!

Later that night, we met up with Quentin and Ana from Paris for some drinks.  We had a couple of beers and then we went home to prepare for our next day.  It was so lovely to see them again!

Saturday was busy busy.  Our first stop was Petticoat Lane.  It was a very popular market in the 70's.  There, you can buy super cheap clothes, shoes, and household linens.  Afterwards, we took the train to the Tower Bridge and took some pictures.  We were going to go straight to Greenwich on the train, but the train we needed to take was closed, so we decided to take the boat instead.  This was also the first time Dan has ever taken a boat along the Thames.  I was shocked!  We arrived to Greenwich and had a little bit of lunch.  I had a Cottage Pie and it was DELICIOUS!  Yumm.  It was sorta like a Shepherds Pie.

We then walked to the top of the hill in the park there to see the view over the city.  It was SUCH an amazing view.  I loved it!!!!  Up there is also where you can stand on the 0 degrees Longitude mark, the Greenwich Meridian/Prime Meridian.  You have to pay to go in to the museum to stand on the line, so we didn't go in.  But I saw it!  The view was more amazing than the line. ;)  Visiting Greenwich took more time than we had expected, so we didn't get to do any of the other things on the list.  We were scheduled to go to Hamleys (the toy store), then to Carnaby Lane, and lastly to Hamstead Heath for another amazing view of the city.  Instead, we went to Traflagar Square and then Piccadilly Circus to take some pictures.  I was happy with that!

Afterwards, we rushed back to meet up with Quentin and Ana for dinner.  We went to this really amazing Ethiopian restaurant and then over to the best gelato ever at Gelato Mia.  Yumm.  Then it was back to finish up my packing to head off the next day.  Ugh.  Packing sucks!  I was so exhausted!

19 August 2008

Time is winding down and my time here is becoming so minimal. This past weekend, I decided that I was going to run a few errands. Those errands included spending a return voucher I had from a high street store, so they call it. Every town has a High Street, which usually has the same kind of clothing stores - Monsoon, Jigsaw, Top Shop, Karen Miller, etc. All of which do not exist in America. Dan lives close to Kensington High Street, which is in Kensington (ta da!). They have all of those shops PLUS L'Occitaine (my favorite skin care place) and American Apparel and even a Whole Foods!

After my short time in Kensington, I decided I wanted to go to Spittlefields market to buy a good 'ole British hat. People in America don't wear these hats, but I think they're the coolest things! So, of course, I'm planning on bringing the British fashion to Chicago. And I'll love that I'm the only one with such a thing! Unfortunately, after about an hour and a half of travel on the wretched tube system, Spittlefields was closed. I was really surprised! So, I got on a bus and made my way to Harrods to pick up some little treats for some friends. Harrods is down the street from Kensington High Street and I should have gone there first. Would have saved me 3 hours of traveling... hind sight is always 20/20, isn't it.

Harrods is a BEAUTIFUL store. It's certainly a London landmark for shopping as they have EVERYTHING you can imagine there. I was going to go in to detail about Harrods, but I thought I would just add a link instead - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrods. Here is where I found a lovely feather hair piece (not necessarily a hat, but I absolutely love it and can't wait to sport it!) and some tea in cute little tins for a couple of my friends.

That evening, I was feeling quite lazy and tired from the day. I wanted to take a nap, but that never happened. Kelly, Dan's friends fiancee, was having her "hen" (a.k.a. bachelorette) party. They were going to this club in Covent Garden and I told them I would meet them there. After much deliberation, I snapped out of the lazy Denise mode and got on that tube and met up with the girls. They were all dressed up like the Pink Ladies. It was so much fun!!! Aside from having tequila spilled on my toes from a guy who hates tequila and was feeling the pressure from his friends to drink it... and getting ice thrown in my eye by another bloke that I assume was trying to pick me up... it was good fun! And I was very grateful to check off an item on my list - go to a proper club in London. I was also very surprised at the musical line up - Working 9-5, Grease Lightning, and many other American tunes... I counted 1 British song and that was it!

After getting home at 3am, I had wanted to wake up at 10am to leave for Bath. Dan felt guilty for waking me up, so he didn't, and I slept until 11:30. Got up and made us an omelet. Around 1pm or so, we finally left for Bath. Bath was so beautiful! I love the architecture there! Although I didn't get to see much, I was happy to go to the Roman Baths. It was absolutely amazing to see this monstrosity the Romans had created over 2000 years ago. They were so advanced for the technology they didn't have in those days. And everything was so beautiful! It was really cool imagining what it must have been like in those days. I really enjoyed that!!!

Afterwards, Dan recommended we go for a swim at a "Bath Spa". There weren't any baths, so to speak, but more of an indoor pool and a rooftop pool. There was also a sauna with 4 rooms to choose from... with 4 different flavors - Mint, Eucalyptus, Lavender, and Frankincense. It was such an amazingly beautiful place! I was so grateful to have spent that time with Dan there... it even almost brought a tear to my eye from the joy I had.

We went out to dinner and were then on our way back to London. We didn't get in until midnight and Dan and I were both completely shattered!

The following evening, Dan and I were invited to go to an album release party for Don-e. Jeremiah, a guy that works for me, plays the bass and he was performing at this party and will do a little traveling with Don-e as well. I believe they're going to Spain in a couple of weeks time. Jeremiah had also been asked to tour with Mary J Bilge, but he declined due to work (sucker!). Now, he says when he gets an opportunity like that, he's not going to turn it down. He was amazing! The party was good fun! And Grace Jones was there!!! Just in case you don't know who Grace Jones is, I certainly didn't, she's a vocalist/actress/model. She was a Bond girl in A Time To Kill. Don-e helped produce a couple of her albums.

On my list of things to do before I leave:
- Take evening pictures of London
- Go to Greenwich (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwich)
- Go to Jazz Cafe in Camden
- Explore the Camden market
- Explore the Petticoat market
- Go to Hummingbirds (it's a bakery that's suppose to make great cupcakes!)

1 August 2008

In Paris, love is always in the air. You can feel it... and see it. It's as romantic as you probably imagined from all of the stereotypes that are out there. ;)

Arrived in Paris where Quentin greeted me with a smile. He took me to his flat where his lovely lady was waiting for us, Ana. We relaxed for a minute and then decided to take a walk to watch the sun set over the city from a park down the street from their house. It was so beautiful! I tried to take pictures, but the pictures don't do it justice. The park was really lovely as well! Lots of people... and lots of love. Awww.

After a quick dinner a la Quentin, which consisted of mashed potatoes and a hamburger patty (he said it was going to be casual and I certainly wasn't complaining), we went for a night walk around Paris. We started off at the Notre Dame and walked along the river down to the Louve and back. It was so beautiful and peaceful. People were out and about everywhere (as it was a Saturday night afterall) and entertainers were drawing the crowds. We walked around for probably about an hour... got some ice cream and went back to the flat. We were all so exhausted! Ana was tired before we left, but she was determined to not go to be before 10:30pm on a Saturday night.

The next day, we lounged around for a bit before making our way around the city. Had a late breakfast and then we were off. Our first stop was Champs Elysee and walking along the avenue taking in the sights and the massive Louis Vuitton store. Just looked. Didn't walk in. Went in to an elegant pastry store where Ana purchased some expensive, yet tasty, cookies. And before we knew it, we were at the Arc de Triomphe where I found the Foy name graced on the walls. Afterwards, we made our way over to the Eifel Tower and then over to Montmartre. Montmartre was awesome! They filmed quite a few scenes from Amelie there, so it was really cool to go to where she worked for a coffee... and to see the park area. When you get to the top, you can see all of Paris from above. It's such a breathtaking view. As we were admiring the view, we noticed the rain was coming our way so we dashed down the stairs and over to the metro to make our way back to the flat. After all of that walking, we were all so exhausted. It was nice to relax for the rest of the evening.

I started coming down with something. My throat was really soar and it was really hard to swallow. Quentin and Ana took good care of me. While Quentin was making me drink nasty drinks and giving me medicine to take (they just had the same thing), Ana was making me tea with honey. It was so sweet!

The next morning, the two of them were off to work, and I was out on my own. Didn't have a map or anything to guide me, so I decided it would be a good idea to start where we started my first night there... which was close to the Notre Dame. I walked in the opposite direction where Ana said there were a lot of really cute boutiques. Didn't see the boutiques, but did run in to a really cool building, of which I can't remember the name. I walked in to a church, which had some beautiful artwork and lovely soft music playing in the background. And then I stumbled on to a book store where I found a tourist map... and I finally had some direction. Planned my route and decided to walk along the river and over to the Louvre to see the pyramids. During my walk along the river, I saw "Papi Dance". He was so cute. He was probably in his early 70's, but in really good health, dancing to Rihanna's "Please Don't Stop the Music". It was hilarious!

I heard that during the Summer, Paris opens a "beach" along the river. I didn't know what people meant by that. I thought maybe they import a lot of sand and people lay out. It wasn't quite that. It was more of wooden decks they put out with umbrellas and lounge chairs... men in speedos and women in bikini's... things that spray out a light midst of water... some Foosball tables... minature golf, etc. It was really cool! Children were playing in the water and on the little slides and such and everybody was enjoying the weather.

When I finally arrived to the Louvre, I was amazed at what I saw. It was so massive! The buildings went on and on. Ana said it took them 200 years to build it and that there are several different architecture styles, but I didn't notice that too much. Inside the square, were the pyramids... made of glass. There was one LARGE one and four small ones. There was also a beautiful fountain. People were sitting on the edges with their feet in the water. It was really lovely.

After that, I decided I wanted to get more pictures of the Eifel tower with the sun and pretty skies, as opposed to the ones I had taken the day before with overcast and not so pretty skies. So, I walked through the back streets to see if I could see something I wouldn't have seen on the "beaten path". Ran in to a couple of museums. It was a really lovely walk. When I got to the Eifel Tower, I just took a couple of pictures and went back to the apartment to clean up. I think that sightseeing for three weeks was starting to catch up with me at that point.

That night, Ana made a really delicious green chicken curry. Yumm! While she was cooking, I was trying to make space on my computer to store more pictures. Somehow, I have managed to use all of the 100+ gigs on the computer for... I don't know what. I discovered about 30 Gigs were just of pictures, as I had deleted them all. The last time I backed up my computer was when I was in Lausanne, so I didn't totally loose everything, but I did loose all of my hard working Paris pictures. I was shattered!

As you can imagine, I wasn't going to leave Paris without the pictures that I wanted. So during my last day there, I tried to go to every spot I had been the previous 3 days. I made it back to Montmartre, over to the Eifel Tower, and then to the Louvre and then back to the apartment to clean up before I went back to London. It was such a quick run around the city... it was exhausting!

Being back in London was a little strange. I forgot how the train system worked and which trains I needed to take to get back to Dan's. Although, it didn't take long for me to get re-acclimated. Looking back on the trip, everything just happened so quickly. It almost felt like a dream! But in the end, it was unforgettable. I will always remember these days... and will be greatful that I had the opportunity to make such a journey.

31 July 2008

Laura and her lovely friend of whom I can't remember her name (it was strange to me!) walked me to the train station.  I couldn't believe it, but I was already off to Lausanne, Switzerland!

It was a hot hot day and the trains don't have a/c.  I was feeling so uncomfortable in my jeans (it was cool in Salzburg) and t-shirt.  I had my ticket stamped and was on my way to Munich.  I was crossing my fingers that we would get there on time.  I was so thirsty and was dying of water and didn't have any Euro's on me.  Ran from the train to the kiosk where they sold the water.  I asked in my broken German, "How much does the water cost?"  He replies in English, "2.50."  What a rip off!  Ran to the ATM and withdrew some cash.  Ran back to the counter.  Got the water.  Ran to the train and jumped on as I had 1 more minute before it was leaving me in Munich.

I finally find my seat.  Get sorted and try to relax for a minute.  Was playing Sudoku and the conductor comes around to check my ticket.  He tells me that my stamp from the previous leg was stamped for the day before, so I had to explain to him that I had just gotten off a train from Salzburg and showed him my itinerary, etc.  He was really giving me a hard time about it!  I was starting to get nervous!  He finally let it go and I was able to relax again... this time in a train that has a/c.  It was much more comfortable.

We arrived in Zurich and I had to make another switch for the train to Lausanne.  This switch was much easier as I had plenty of time to change.  I was craving an ice cream, but realized that I didn't have any Swiss Francs and wasn't in the mood to look for another ATM.  Humpf.  I guess the ice cream would have to come later.  Got on the train, got settled in, and was feeling a bit toasty... again.  I asked the conductor guy if he could turn up the a/c.  He didn't realize it, but there was a problem with the system and the a/c wasn't working.  He kept trying and was making comments in French that I didn't understand.

The people on this train were different... in their behavior.  A few guys were drinking, which was causing a foul smell in the cabin... another girl was talking really loudly on her cell phone (I guess she needed to be entertained)... it was just a very loud journey.  Usually, in most trains, people are really quiet and they try to respect people by not being noisy.  Hm.

Anyway, I arrive to Lausanne, FINALLY, and there was Muriel there to pick me up in her car.  She asked if I wanted to go out for a drink somewhere.  I really didn't want to go, but I didn't want to tell her that, so I obliged.  I really just wanted to go take a shower.  Can't stand feeling sticky!  Don't know how I managed to live in Florida all of those years!  But we went out to a really nice bar and had a couple of beers... and inhaled a LOT of smoke.  I was missing the London/Chicago scene where people aren't allowed to smoke inside.  EVERYBODY there was smoking, including Muriel.  She says she only smokes socially, but I found out later that's not the case.

We get back to her place.  It was a really cute place!  She's a photographer as well and has had a few gallery shows, so I was able to see some of her work.  I really liked the way she had it displayed!  Some of it was in glass panels.  Really good idea!

The next day, I woke up quite late.  I was really surprised!  We had breakfast outside on her porch, which overlooked some of a mountain.  It was a really beautiful area where she lived.  Had some delicious coffee with bread and jam.  And then we were off.  Muriel drove me EVERYWHERE!  First, we went to the lake then she drove me through the countryside to another small town outside of Lausanne... where we stopped for some ice cream.  It was definitely one of the best ice cream's I have ever had!  We walked around this little town for a little while and then we were off again through the vineyards and over to the top of a mountain/hill... not sure which.  At the top, there's an elevator you can go up to see the view, but the visibility was really bad as it was raining and very overcast.  Instead, we went to a little cafe for some sausage and local wine... and to say hello to the cows.  Moo.

On our way back, I was noticing that I was getting motion sickness going through the ziggy zaggy streets that I had to close my eyes as she was driving.  Was so relieved to be out of the car.  I forgot to mention!  While we were in the little town, we picked up a new friend.  We named him Sticky the 1st.  He was a snail... and he somehow landed on my window.  He stuck around with us for the rest of the day.  The next day he was gone and I was quite curious to know where he went.  Hmm.

After a quick nap, we went to watch the firework spectacle in the center of the city.  That Friday was a national holiday for Switzerland... and there was a lot of Swiss pride!  The fireworks show was great!  There was the main one over the water, but there were also several little shows going all down the lake.  We were on the hill near a cathedral so we could see them all.  After the show, we went out for another couple of drinks... ran in to some interesting people.  I think there was a bachelor party going on because several men enter the bar looking like Bjorn Borg, the tennis star.  They were quite humorous and very entertaining to watch.

The next bar we went to, there was this guy that was going crazy!  He would he a song he knew and then all of a sudden he was dancing around like a mad man - banging his head and doing push ups.  It was so entertaining... he had the whole bar captivated!

Walking back to Muriel's was quite tough as it was straight up a hill.  I didn't think I was going to make it back without falling over a couple of times... and it wasn't because I had a few drinks, it's just hard exercising when I have had a few drinks.  Luckily, I made it.  Took another shower and went directly to bed. :)

The next day I didn't have much time to tool around.  But it was a better day than the day before, so we went to the lake again and I took a few pictures.  Then we went to get an icy.  And then I was off to Paris... to see Quentin and Ana.  Hurrah!

30 July 2008

As I was leaving Prague, I met a couple of ladies from America... Texas to be exact.  They were mother and daughter celebrating the mothers birthday.  She just turned 60!  And we were all heading over to Salzburg just to do the Sound of Music tour!  We had a great time together... singing some of the songs from the movie and sharing stories.  Their names were Kimberly and Betty was the birthday girl.

The ladies were planning on going outside of the city on Wednesday, but instead, I had convinced for them to do the tour with me. :)  They didn’t have set plans, so their schedule was flexible and we scheduled a time to meet up close to where the tour departs.

My host in Salzburg, Laura, is such a wonderful girl!  In the morning, she took me on a little climb up one of the hills, where I saw a really beautiful view of the city... and the castle.

Laura is a film student and is currently working on a documentary about why people come to Salzburg just for the Sound of Music tour.  In Austria, the film was not at all popular, so the locals really don’t understand the phenomena.  She had to watch the movie for school, but still doesn’t understand.  So, while we were on the hill, she set up her camera and she interviewed me.  It was funny!

Shortly thereafter, we were scheduled to meet up with Kimberly and Betty.  I grabbed something from the bakery, since I knew the tour was 4 hours and I would probably get a little hungry.

Betty was so excited to go on the tour.  She said it was her mother’s favorite movie, as she teared up a little.  Laura also interviewed them very quickly before they got on the bus.

The tour was amazing!  Although, I’m sure some of the stories were not true, it was still very entertaining to hear and to see some of the breathtaking views.  No wonder why they choose Salzburg!  We also sang quite a few of the songs on the bus.  I was surprised with the knowledge of the songs from the gentlemen!

Salzburg is also where Mozart was born.  At the time of my visit, they were having the Salzburg Festival, which I believe is where he was discovered!  But I didn’t get to go to that.  It’s too expensive.

My last day there, I went to the farmers market that was set up a couple of streets down from where Laura lives.  It was so great to see all of the locals out and about.

I would love to go back to Salzburg to take my mother on the tour, but there is also a lot more to see that I didn’t realize.  For example, you can go on an ice cave tour.  I’m told it’s the largest ice cave in the world!  I wanted to go up the cable cars to the top of the mountain too, but didn’t have time for that.  Hopefully, there will be another opportunity to go there...

27 July 2008

Ahhhh Prague!

Arrived in the early morning (around 8am) and was completely shattered.  Although I had a whole row of seats to myself, I didn’t get any sleep on the train this time around.  Ended up going to the hostel and falling asleep on the sofa in their lounge until around 10am.  I couldn’t check in to the hostel until around 3pm, so I had quite a lot of time to spare.  Ended up walking to the river and finding a cafe for my morning fix.  

Was still struggling to find the energy to walk around, but soon realized my time here was very precious and I needed to make the most of it... so I climbed a mountain!  Or, what felt like a mountain.  In Prague, the palace is situated on a hill, overlooking the entire city.  To get there, you have to climb lots and lots of stairs.  But once you get up there, the view is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

I was so amazed to see the palace had its’ own cathedral!  It was so amazing!  Since I was so exhausted, I didn’t spend much time up there.  Walked up, took pictures, and walked down and took the metro back to the hostel.

The hostel was really nice.  It was called Miss Sophie’s and it was very central to the city.  I spent maybe about $40 per night, which I’m told is on the high end, but it was worth it to me.  The bed was comfortable, the showers were really nice, and the location was great!

While staying in the hostel, I met several other people who were traveling alone.  My roommates the first night was a very cute little Austrian, Michael.  He’s from Vienna and was so much fun to hang out with.  We decided to go walk around at night and take evening pictures.  Boy was it BEAUTIFUL with all of the city lights!  And it was nice to have a chaperone.  Michael left the next morning to go back to Vienna.

My next roommates were a guy from Newcastle, England, Stuart... and a girl from Seoul, South Korea... and I can’t remember her name because I could never pronounce it.  I think it was something like Huyjong.  She was so cute and fun to hang around with.  I invited for her to go walking around with me at night again so I could take a few more pictures.  Stuart joined us.

We took the same walk Michael and I had taken, which was up to Winceslas Square and over to Old Town to watch the clock ring in the new hour and then over to the river for the view of the palace.

On my second day there, I decided I wanted to take a walking tour.  My massage therapist recommended that I find a lady with the yellow umbrella, but couldn’t find her, so I choose the orange umbrella instead.  Next to the Astronomical Clock tower, there are several people with umbrellas trying to sell tours.  I wanted an Architecture tour of Old Town and I got it!  It was a 2 hour walk and I met several other people: 2 couples from England and 1 couple from Sydney, Australia.  They were all very pleasant and fun people.  And the tour guide was really great too!  He had a lot of little tid bits of information to share with us... who knows how much of it was really true.  He was a great storyteller!

After that, I was so sticky and yucky that I thought it would be a good idea to go wash up and relax at the hostel.

I really enjoyed my time in Prague.  I know there is a LOT that I didn’t see, and would love to go back to explore.  But must go back before 2012 or 2013, when the Euro is introduced and their rates are raised to the roof.  Prague is VERY cheap at the moment.  I was so relieved...

25 July 2008

As we were leaving Denmark and on our way to Germany on the train, the train stops in a tunnel with a lot of cars around us.  The conductors came around to get us out of the train and I was a little perplexed!  Come to find out, I was on a BOAT!  Well, a ferry.  The ferry was almost like being on a cruise ship with really nice stores and restaurants.  I sat on the balcony and watched the thousands of jelly fish go by.  Eww. Once I got back in to the train, I started talking to the lovely couple across from me.  They were both from Birmingham, England and they were history teachers to young children.  We had an interesting conversation about racism in young children in England and their travels throughout Europe.  They were going to Auschwitz to see the concentration camps... along with several other cities.  They were so interesting to talk to.  We exchanged e-mails and I hope to see them again before leaving England.

Finally arrived to Hamburg after 15 hours of traveling on the train.  Yvonne, my host, met me at the train station.  She was so awesome!  And I was so grateful she had met me there, as there is no way I would have figured out the ticketing system for the train.

Once we got to her cozy little apartment, I had asked her if there was anywhere nearby that I could do my laundry.  She said, “Yes!  I have a washer in my bathroom!”  Sweet!  I had quite a bit of laundry to do and was so happy she was willing to let me do it at her place.  After everything was washed and hung to dry, Yvonne took me around the city and gave me a little tour.  We went to the top of a burt church’s steeple to see the city from above.  It was so beautiful!  And then we walked around a little bit more and went down a shopping street.  She had introduced me to curry sausages.  Yummmm.  And then we went to Burger King for some ice cream.  Ha!

Yvonne had to work later on that evening, so I met up with Stephanie, another CS’er, at the bar where Yvonne worked.  Really like the bar!  It was so cute and neighborhoody.  You can sit outside and it felt like you were sitting in somebodies garden.  The chairs and tables were all reminiscent of a garden... it was lovely.  And Stephanie, she was great!  She walked me around the area and gave me some interesting facts about the area.  We saw a few bunkers and she explained their existence.  She said the bunkers were suppose to be torn down after the war, but because so many people had lost their homes, they kept some of them up as families were living in them.  She also explained to me how guilty the German people feel, even to this day, about the war... and how her family won’t talk about it.  It was very interesting!

The next day, Yvonne and I walked back over to her bar (she forgot her mobile there) and we sat down and talked to one of her friends.  Her friend, I can’t remember her name at the moment, invited us to go to a pool with her.  It was a hot hot day and cold water was definitely needed!  We went back to Yvonne’s place and changed in to our bathing suits and headed over to the pool where I was probably the only non-Hamburger!  The water was SUPER cold and I was very reluctant to get in, but after about 30 minutes of the girls saying, “Come in! Come in!”, I decided I shouldn’t be a whimp and dove in.  But only for a few minutes because it was really that cold.  It was arctic cold!

After a few hours in the sun, we went back to Yvonne’s house and I packed and took a shower and sweet Yvonne made me dinner before getting on the train to Prague.  She made me whole wheat spaghetti with a creamy tomato sauce and veggies.  Yumm.

As we were making our way to the train station, I had 30 minutes to get there and I felt like I was cutting it so close.  Yvonne assured me it would only take 7 minutes from her house.  As we were on the subway, it got stuck one stop before we needed to get off... there was a problem with the door.At this point, I had only 15 minutes to catch my train and I was getting REALLY nervous.  We ran out of the train, down the stairs, down the street, and in to a taxi.  We get out of the taxi, run through the train station and to the platform.  As we arrived, the train was just pulling up.  I had a couple of minutes to spare... phew.

Yvonne was so great!  She was so much fun to hang out with!  I was overwhelmed with her kindness in picking me up from the train station and dropping me off there (she was afraid I would get lost).  And she made the best coffee’s in the morning and gave a really nice breakfast spread with breads and cheeses and veggies.  I was so grateful for her hospitality and friendship.  I am sure we will be friends for life!

21 - 24 July

Stockholm is a very beautiful city.  It holds a lot of history and culture since it was one of the cities that wasn't effected so much by the war.

My first day there, I felt a little lost.  I didn't have an Emilie to hang around with and my couchsurfing host was at her summer house.  I didn't have a map of the city and I didn't know where I should start, so I decided it would probably be best to go back to the central station and see if I could find a hop on hop off tour bus or something.  On the way to finding a bus stop, I found a book store that sold maps and books of places around the world.  Luckily, they had a book there in English about Stockholm.  Bought it and felt much better.  Guidance!

The hop on hop off bus tour really didn't take you around to many areas, but it was helpful to see the tourist areas and to pick and choose where I wanted to explore.  The most interesting area, to me, was around the water.  The archipelago is so beautiful with some of the buildings built on what looks like a cliff.  And, well, I was just so fascinated with the archipelago and all the tiny islands... and all the boats in the water.  It was so relaxing.  I got me an ice cream (of course) and waited for the ferry to arrive so I could see what was on a couple of the islands at least (it was included in my bus pass, so I thought "why not?").

After I had gotten bored with that, I went over to Gamla Stan, which is considered their Old Town with buildings dating way back.  The architecture in Sweden is somewhat different than anywhere else I have seen.  I suppose after a while, it all looks the same, but here it seemed to be unique.  I walked along the cobble stone streets and went to the palace and watched the changing of the guards... got lost in the tourist crowds walking along a popular shopping street... and then it was time to head home.  I was exhausted!

The next day, I decided it was going to be a kayaking day.  I thought, "How cool would it be to go kayaking in the archipelago?  I don't know anybody who can say they have done that."  Me trying to be different again.  It was a good idea in theory, but I think my goal was a little too ambitious.  When renting a kayak in Chicago, they show you how to hold the paddle and give you pointers of what to do and not to do.  This guy handed me the paddle and said, "The boats are over there".  I thought it was weird he didn't give me a life jacket, but I just assumed that's how they rolled in Sweden.

I got myself situated in the kayak and started rowing along thinking "this is so lovely and peaceful".  Since I had the kayak for 3 hours, I heard him mention something about going around the entire island and I thought "oh, I can do that in 3 hours!".  So, I tried.  I went around part of the island, which took 1.5 hours to do... was starting to get really tired in my arms, but I was determined to go all the way around.  I get to the part where the waters meet the Baltic Sea and it started to get very choppy and there was a lot of wake from the boats and cruise ships coming through the harbor.  I got REALLY scared!!  I knew that I wouldn't be able to make it for another hour and a half in those waters and I was really afraid I was going to tump over with my camera and everything I had in my bookbag... so I decided it was probably a good idea to turn around and go back to the calmer waters.  At this point, I was rowing solely on adrenaline.  Once I got back to the calm waters, it was ok, but I did notice a few people kayaking towards that direction and I felt like I should warn them as they didn't seem like they were very experienced.

I finally make it back to the deck and I take everything out the kayak.  I couldn't really remember how to get out of the kayak at that time.  I have done it time and time again, but I was so exhausted of 3 hours of rowing that I just wasn't thinking clearly and I tumped over.  The water was only 2 feet deep, so it wasn't a horrible spill, but I was completely soaked, aside from my hair.  Later, I was grateful for being wet as it was really hot out!  heh.  How embarrassing walking around with a soaking wet dress!

As I'm making my way back to Sarah's house, I'm walking along the boardwalk, I guess you can call it, and I see a man painting with oil paints and he has several pieces of art on display.  I saw one that I really liked and bartered my way down 100 Kroner.  It's really pretty!  But it's a little big and it's definitely a pain to take with me everywhere I go.  I hope to ship it to my parents. :\

Later on that evening, I met up with another CSer.  Her name is Anna and she's from Stockholm.  It was really nice to meet up with her.  She showed me around another part of town that I hadn't explored yet and gave me some suggestions of places to go the following day.  It was great!  We also went out to dinner at this really cool Thai restaurant and I had Green Curry.  It was so much fun to hang around with a local and have interesting conversations.

My last day in Stockholm, I was feeling quite lazy.  I still wasn't feeling good from my cold and all I wanted to do was to relax, but I forced myself to go walk the path Anna had suggested.  This path gave a panoramic view of the city center and Gamla Stan.  It was so beautiful!  Then I walked back over to Gamla Stan to find the oldest functioning well (it was very ornate and beautiful) and then over to the palace to people watch, where I met a lovely German couple... and then to another major shopping street and plopped myself down from some Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes.  Yummm.  Couldn't leave Sweden without having Swedish meatballs.  After that, I was so full, that I had to make my way back to Sarah's for some R&R before leaving for Hamburg.

Swedish TV is so great!  They have shows like Shear Genius and Project Runway and Sex and the City... all in English with Swedish subtitles.  It's great!  I have been missing out on so many American shows that I felt like I was able to catch up a little. :)  ha.  The Swedish government doesn't allow for voiceovers, which I guess is good because most Swedes speak with a perfect American accent... and they all speak perfect English.  It's great!

After a couple of hours of R&R, it was time to head off to the central station to go to Hamburg...

19 July 2008

After leaving Copenhagen, I made a quick stop in Malmo, Sweden.  It is there where I had to catch the train to Oslo.  I had an hour before the train left, so I decided that me and my luggage would go on a mini-tour to take a few evening snaps.  The last time I was there, it was SO cold that Morten and I only staying for about 30 - 45 minutes before heading back to Denmark.  The weather was much better this time around and I was able to re-take some of the pictures I had taken in the past.  It's a cute little town and was so alive with people out to dinner and enjoying the patios, etc.

On the train to Oslo, I was so lucky to have a bunk bed.  There were 6 of us in this little room and it felt a bit crowded, but I managed (sometimes I can feel a little claustrophobic).  There was a German couple that I had ran in to while I was waiting for the train in Copenhagen that were in my room.  I thought that was quite a coincidence!  But another thing I thought instantly is that they looked like the snoring type, so I knew instantly that I wasn't going to get much sleep.  It was 2am and I noticed the snoring was louder than it was before... it was unbearable.  And I noticed that I noticed the snoring because the train wasn't moving.  Usually, the train will stop for a few minutes, but this time it stopped for longer than 30 minutes or so.  So, I got up and opened the door of the car to see what was going on.  I couldn't tell what was going on, but I did noticed that we were in Gothenburg, Sweden.  I made a mental note so I could put it on my map. :)

I went back to the room and the snoring persisted and the girl on the bunk across from me was awake by this time as well.  We giggled about it for a minute and then decided to put on our iPods to reduce some of the noise.  It worked!  And I was able to sleep for the rest of the journey!

We arrived in Oslo and I started talking to the girl in the bunk across from me.  Come to find out she, Emily, is from France and is currently living in Paris... much to her dismay.  She's 25 years old and she too is doing a journey similar to mine, except that she's making her way WAYYY north in Norway.  She wants to go where the sun doesn't set.  Burrrr.  Anyway, we decided that since we were both traveling alone, that we would travel alone together... and that we would meet back at the train station at around noon.

In the meantime, I had to make my way to my accommodation.  This may sound strange, but I have decided to couch surf!  Not sure if you've heard of it, but you can check it out at www.couchsurfing.com.  It may seem a bit risky, but once you get familiar with the sight, it's really just a bunch of people who love to travel and want to do their part in the world by helping other travelers out.  I'm doing this in Oslo, Stockholm, Hamburg, and Lausanne. 

Since this is my first couch surfing experience, I didn't really know what to expect.  Kiva is my host in Oslo.  She is a professor at a University here and had to work today, so she left the keys at the Shell station down the street from her house.  I picked up the keys and let myself in... opened the door and my jaw dropped in awe.  Her place is so amazingly beautiful!  It looks like a model home!  Everything is in place.  There isn't anything lying around anywhere.  The furniture, art, books... everything is amazing!  I let myself in to her room and put my bags up neatly.  Got ready to take a shower and was so afraid I was going to make a mess.  I'd hate to say it, but it's even more tidy that my mom and dad's house! :0  I took pictures so I'll never forget this place.

I make myself back down to the city centre and I meet up with Emily.  We get a little lost, so we decided to take the tram to one of the spots I had noticed on the way up to Kiva's house.  It's the harbor.  And it's beautiful.  And it is very difficult to capture the beauty of this place with the camera lens.  Emily was a great travel buddy!  We just walked around and soaked in the sights around the water... took a little train tour and then a cruise through the Oslo fjord... which is when the sky opened up and poured down rain.  I didn't take much pictures of the cruise and what we saw in the fjord, but it was beautiful, even with the pouring down rain.

In the fjord, there are 40 islands.  Not all of the islands are lived on, but the ones that are have most peoples Summer houses on them.  The Summer houses are either red or yellow, so I can remember.  They all pretty much looked alike... and according to the guide, there is a waiting list to get a Summer house on some of the islands.  I think tomorrow, we will take a ferry over there to walk around the little town they have built up there and to go to the Holocaust Museum.

Later in the day, I received a text from Kiva telling me that she left the keys to her bicycle if I wanted to borrow it... and that she has a family reunion to go to over the weekend.  So it looks like I won't be able to meet this little angel of mine during this trip.  But hopefully we can keep in touch and unite some time in the future...

17 - 18 July 2008

What a longggg train ride from Amsterdam to Holbæk!  It took us over 15 hours!  They nearly stopped at every station between the two cities, it was amazing!

In the train cabin, it is broken up in to about 6 little rooms where you can fit 6 people.  We had 5 people in our room.  Three girls in their late teens were together and they were from Lausanne (one of my stops on my journey).  Very lovely ladies and they spoke excellent English.  It was fun talking to them!  They were so full of life and so excited about the journey they had ahead of them.  There was also one guy, probably in his early 20's, who is from Okinawa, Japan.  Interestingly enough, he studied Danish (of all languages) in Japan and then came to Denmark to study for a year.  He was on his way to Sweden for a trip very similar to what I'm doing.

It was hard trying to fall asleep on the train.  One of the girls was having a really tough time falling asleep, and every time she got up to get something from her bag or to change positions, I would wake up and start coughing again.  But, I think I managed to get a few hours of sleep in there... somewhere.

Once we had arrived to Denmark, I noticed on the map that the train was more than likely going to stop in Roskilde, which is closer to Holbæk than Copenhagen was.  I packed up my bags and was getting prepared to get out there.... and the train doesn't stop.  I was so surprised!!!  It stopped everywhere else!!!  It did stop in another town that wasn't too far from Roskilde, so I got out there instead and headed directly over to Holbæk.  It was easy peasy!

I had sent Lenette, Morten's sister, a text message to let her know how close I was.  When I arrived, there was Hanne, Lenette's mother, waiving a paper Danish flag and greeting me with her arms wide open.  I have to say, it was such a joy to spend time with Lenette, Hanne, Finn, and Lenette's boyfriend, Sebastian.  At first, I was a little apprehensive about staying there, but at the end of the journey, I had an amazing feeling of gratitude and happiness.  They are such an amazing family!

The night I had arrived, I told Hanne that I wanted to help her cook dinner.  I really wanted to learn a Danish dish that I could take home with me and make for other people.  It was so funny cooking, because it seems like Hanne likes to be in control in the kitchen.  I helped her prepare by cutting up some mushrooms and trying to open the cans of tomatoes and cocktail hot dogs, but I wasn't used to their can opener and I knew I would stab myself somewhere as that has been happening a lot lately.

We hung around the kitchen and had a great time chit chatting and catching up.  They were reminding me of some Danish I had learned years ago, and teaching me new phrases and pronunciations.  When you see a Danish word, you don't pronounce it the way you would think.  They like to stick their tongue out quite a bit. ;)  Kidding.

After dinner, we went for a little drive around the area.  Sebastian was the chauffeur taking me to tops of hills and scenic spots in the area as well as to the ocean.  It was so beautiful and so difficult to capture in a camera lens.  After that, I was feeling really ill and a little eager to get back to the house to go to sleep.  I think it was the cold air and the climbing that made me worse.

Lenette was sick too... and the next day she and I were both worse.  We spent the first half of the day lying on the sofa watching shows like Just Shoot Me and Scrubs.  And then I noticed the time.  It was already 3pm!  I needed to get my things together and head off to Copenhagen... and go to Tivoli!  I can't let a little cold get in my way of my goals... and Tivoli was my Denmark goal.  Lenette and family were going to come with me and then we were going to go out to dinner somewhere, but since Lenette was sick, the family stayed home to take care of her.  Fair enough.  She was so disappointed that she was sick... she had told me she was looking forward to that day for so long.  Boo.  The idea of the family coming with me excited me so much!  But when I got to Copenhagen, I felt a little discouraged.  Didn't really have the energy to find Tivoli, but I thought I would give it a go anyway.  On my way to trying to find Tourist Information center, I walk outside and what do I see?!?!?  TIVOLI!!!  WoW!  That was easy!  Put my bags in a locker and walked across the street to start my Tivoli adventure.

Tivoli is suppose to be a gardens and a theme park.  It, too, is in my book of 1,000 things to do and see before you die, so I couldn't go to Denmark AGAIN and not go!  I paid my 87 kroner to get in (I bought the general pass as I wasn't feeling like riding on rides alone and with a cold), and walked around for a couple of hours.  It was lovely, but I had expected for it to be more garden like and much larger.  Lenette warned me that it was small, but I didn't realize it was THAT small.  But anyway, I was very excited to be there anyway.  Snapped some picture and went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant, where I was seated next to a lovely older couple from Vancouver.  They were a pleasure to talk to and I really enjoyed their company.

Oh!  When I first entered the park, the guy at the gate told me that there was going to be live entertainment that night... he said it was going to be "Danish rap"!  I can't imagine what that would sound like!  But when I was leaving, all the kids were lining up to see the performance, so they must not be that bad...  heh.  Danish rap.

Next stop is Oslo, Norway...

16 July 2008

First stop on the whirlwind tour... Amsterdam.  I took the Eurostar from London to Brussels and LOVED it!  It was so quick!  And it was very comfortable... and I didn't have to get there an hour and a half early and deal with all of the airport lines and stress.  It was so easy.  Get to the train station 30 minutes beforehand, board the train and you're off.  This is my new preferred traveling method... when it makes sense.

So, I get to Brussels and rush to catch my next train to Amsterdam... except that it's 2 hours late.  I observe a couple of Americans acting like idiots and I was feeling extremely embarrassed.

Finally, the train arrives and my seat is situated, oddly enough, with three other Americans (it was a table for four).  Two of them were boyfriend/girlfriend and they were taking a trip similar to mine, but at different locations.  They were 18 and 19 years old, but acted much more mature than that.  They were both from Los Angeles.  The other guy sitting next to me is a teacher in Amsterdam.  He, too, is from California, except I think he said he's from San Diego.  He was very very nice and is really enjoying his live in Europe.  He loves teaching over here and says the children are really dedicated to their work.  We discussed the similarities of the children in the US and the UK and came to the conclusion that there really isn't much difference.  But on the mainland, his experience is different.  Thank goodness!  I won't get much in to that discussion, because that could make for a veryyy long post.

When we finally arrived in Amsterdam, I grabbed a taxi and headed off to Inge's apartment.  She lives in a really cute part of town, in a really cute little apartment... alone.  That's unheard of in London!  You'd have to be really wealthy to live alone in London!  She told me that she pays about 350 Euro's a month in rent and I about fell over.  People in London will pay £350 a week in rent!  So, we got on to my favorite discussion about the salary differences and the cost of food, etc.  My normal economical questions.  I find it interesting how it can be so expensive in one city and so cheap in another... and they're not that far from one another!

The next day,  I decided I was going to walk everywhere I needed to go.  Amsterdam is a really small city, believe it or not.  They have a tram system, but it's really not necessary if you have a lot of time on your hands.  So, I walked to Cafe Americain for some coffee (it was in my book of 1,000 things to do and see before you die and it's not a typo).  The Cafe was part of a Hotel and it was absolutely beautiful with art deco interior.  After that, I walked over to the Blomenmarkt, a little flower market along a canal.  I was surprised to see that there really wasn't as many flowers, but more flower bulbs.  So, I bought a package of tulip bulbs to send mom and dad.  I thought since they have been working so hard in their garden, they might want to spruce it up with some tulips from Amsterdam. :)

After the flower market, I walked up to Dam Square, which is supposedly where the city began.  A short walk later, I was at Oude Kurk (Old Church), which is the oldest church in the city and is conveniently located next to the red light district.  Oude Kurk plays beautiful music from its' tower... sometimes during the Summer, they will have concerts with their bells and it sounds extraordinary!  I heard a little sample while I was walking around the area.  My goal was to climb up the tower to get a birds eye view of the city, but they said it was closed from renovation.

I'm not sure that I really have to explain what the red light district is, but for those of you who probably don't know (mom!), it's where all of the men can go hire a hooker.  Even though I already knew what to expect, I was so shocked that across the street from this beautiful church were women in their undies standing in windows trying to lure the men in for a quick buck!  What do you think that says to the church?  As I'm sure the church was there before the hookers...  There were some beautiful hookers... and some really... ummm... not so beautiful hookers.  I really felt bad for them for about a second... that they have chosen this path of employment.  The Dutch are funny.  Not only is prostitution legal, so is smoking marijuana.  There are "coffeehouses" all over the place where you can buy a joint.  And there are two directly across the street from the church!  At least the government gets taxes off of the sale... something the American government misses out on quite a lot.

I read an article not too long ago about the prostitutes in Amsterdam.  I didn't know this, but since it is a legal "trade", they also are required to pay taxes on their "services".  And since it is a legal professions, the government also ensures that all prostitutes are able to access medical care.  Now that's something, isn't it?

After my mini exploration of this area (I think there was more, but I had seen enough), I made my way over to the central station, which is close to the main canal.  There's a lot of construction going on there at the moment, but I finally found my way over to Lovers (the boat cruise shop) to purchase a ticket for the cruise, except the guy wasn't selling any and he pointed over to another area and told me to go get tickets on the other side.  Got the ticket and went on a lovely cruise throughout the canals of Amsterdam.  It was so beautiful!

Next, and last, on the list was to go visit Anne Frank's Huis.  I arrived there and the queue was so long that I didn't think I was going to have enough time to wait in the line and complete the tour as I only had a couple of hours left before I had to head off to the train station and I still needed to pick up my luggage at Inge's house.  Instead, I sat on a bench in front of the "huis" and imagined what it must have been like during those days.  I read my Amsterdam guide about the huis and reflected.  Took a picture, but you can't see that it actually says "Anne Frank Huis" on it.  It's quite the popular destination.

On my way back to Inge's house, I walked through Jordaan, which is the oldest part of town.  Didn't do much walking around there as I wasn't feeling too well (was coming down with a cold) and I think my walking shoes were pretty worn out by that time.

A couple of hours later I was off, by tram, to the Centraal Station to head off to visit Morten's family in Holbæk, Denmark...

14 July 2008

You will be happy to know that the birthday was fabulous!  Dan baked me the lemon cake and it was delicious!  He also made me breakfast and let me groom him and dress him up for the night, although he never heard the end of it from his roommates. :)  He looked good, though.  I was so proud of him!

To celebrate the birthday, we went to this place called Lounge Lover.  It was so beautiful!  I LOVED the decor.  It was like walking in an art gallery of some sort... well, not really, but it was really ornate and very well done.  There were about 9 of us at the table.  After a drink or two there (they were quite expensive), we went to a smaller, more relaxed pub.  There, about 4 more people came to join us.  It was so much fun!  We did a little dancing and a lot of laughing.  It was great!  And not to mention, they had some Chicago beer there... Honkers Ale, which is made by Goose Island.  I was so impressed!!!

Sunday was spent mostly doing research and trying to get all of my planning done for the big trip.  I'm leaving tomorrow, but before Sunday, I had no idea what I wanted to do at each of these cities!  It was really bothering me that I didn't know what to expect, but now I have a list of things I want to do and see... hopefully the weather will comply.

So, the next time you hear from me, I will be somewhere fabulous! ;)  Hurrah!