Home Sweet Home (this is a long one)

So after 3.5 months of backpacking, staying at hostels, attempting to understand languages and cultures, seeing amazing views, and making the most wonderful memories, Michelle and I have made it home safely!

Of course, there is a story behind getting home. It took 3 days of traveling (2 planes, 1 car) to make it home so let me back track a bit. We left Madrid on Saturday the 20th. Our flight left at 5:10 p.m., but the check-in gate closed at 4:40. We left our friend Stacy's house around 3:20ish knowing the subway would take about an hour to make it to Terminal 4 of Madrid Airport (we were told by a source that we needed to go to Terminal 4). On the tram, we both started talking about how chill we were, how blessed we were, how we were ready for the wind down.

We arrived at Terminal 4 with 15 minutes until 4:40. We looked for Ryan Air on the departure screen. Let's just point out that M is proficient at Spanish...thank goodness! Also, Ryan Air does not fly out of Terminal 4; it uses Terminal 1. We jammed with our 30 pound (15 kilo) packs onto the bus that goes from Terminal 4 to Terminal 1. The bus driver was assisting a handicap person and the bus was still being loaded. With every appendage of ours nervously tapping, we had to face our greatest, final test: everything happens for a reason (up until this point we thought we had learned this lesson). We tried to release knowing that we couldn't drive the bus any faster, etc. We ride Terminal 3...Terminal 2, handicap person must be unloaded...Terminal 1. We jumped off the bus and ran into the airport looking for computer screens. We ran to the counter. Time: 4:45! Missed the desk by 5 minutes. The clerk tells us to go to Ryan Air info desk. We ran to the desk. We have a slight chance of getting through security, taking our packs as carry-on, and paying a penalty over-weight fee of 30 euro. We ran to security and pleaded in Spanish to let us get our packs through. We both have our packs, day packs, and a liter of water (so about 35 pounds or 17.5 kilos). They won't let us dump our water so we are forced to down an entire liter each while untying our shoes and throwing everything on the belt. We then have to empty everything out. Luckily, our security officer was quite lenient, but we dumped everything out as fast as possible. The only really valuable liquid we lost was a jar of Spanish honey a couple gave us (and our 2nd corkscrew lost to the carry-on rules). While still zipping bags and without shoes on, we RAN (I mean full leg extension, marathon-style running) with our heavy packs to the Ryan Air boarding gate. Time: 5:17! Missed it by 7 minutes! There was nothing the staff could do. Defeat! I have never tied my shoes so slowly before. We dragged ourselves to the general information desk to see if other airlines had flights. Fortunately, Easy Jet did. We slowly walked to the Easy Jet ticket counter after attempting to bail our honey out of security (no luck). The ticket line was excruciatingly slow, but the clerk was by far one of the nicest service people we had met in Europe (Stacy, she is definitely an exception to your sarcastic Spain: #1 in servicio). We bought 2 tickets that would put us in London at around 10:30 p.m. and in a different airport than before (I had written our hostel directions based on the original airport, but luckily we had already been to London and knew some of the major stops). We waited and chilled at the airport cafeteria and went to our gate about an hour in advance. To sum up this lesson, get your ass to the airport early (thought we had learned that earlier in the trip, but our run-to-every-mode-of-transportation mentality didn't work for us on this one). Total damage: 135 euro each (which was way less than we had expected since it was a last minute booking) plus 44 euro for baggage. So basically, it was around a 157 euro hilarious story and a great workout (and yes, we were extremely sore the next few days).

I wish I could say that adventure ended there, but it didn't. We boarded the flight (there were a couple of minutes where the panic almost set in. We had to get to London because the international flight back to the U.S. is a flight neither of us could have repurchased and there is no other way than by plane to get to London in that amount of time). We landed at Gatwick Airport and bought train tickets to Victoria station. If you have ever been to London you know this next story to be true. If you haven't, let me warn you about the London street and numbering system. We exited the station following the hostel's directions. We took Eccleston until it turns to Belgrave. The hostel's address is 71. Well, in London the addresses go 108 Belgrave and the neighbor's is 2 Belgrave, then 16 Belgrave, then 49 Belgrave. You get the point. Basically, I'm assuming the home owners pick a number they like and run with it. No #71. We back track and come back thinking we missed the hostel. We walked around the entire square that is set at the very end of the street. In total, we probably walked 4 miles (with our packs) until we came across 2 females that had a cell phone. Let me also note, even though it was a Saturday night, the British do not party like the Spanish. It was around midnight, but there was NOBODY on the streets. We called our hostel. We were going the wrong way. We should have turned "right" out of the "other" exit and apparently the Eccleston turns into Belgrave in the other direction. So not only did we have to walk about 20-30 minutes back to the station, we had to walk another 20 minutes to the hostel in the opposite direction. We arrived at around 1 a.m. Our room was completely full with 6 other, sleeping people, so we showered, changed, and packed using the great room (it's amazing how modesty goes out the window with a trip like this). We finally got to sleep around 2 a.m. We woke up at 7 to get to the airport by 9. With minor issues figuring out the tube system since announcements were being played that said the trams were shut down for the day, we finally made it to Heathrow with PLENTY of time. It worked out very well for us. Not only did we not have the pressure of running to catch something (as was the usual), we got upgraded to Premium Economy. Sweet! We had no idea what that meant, but the offer was very appreciated (note: the seats have reclining chairs that have leg supports, the pillows are higher quality, and the earphones are nicer). 10 hours later we made it to San Francisco. It was a bit of a trip knowing that we were back in the States. M's family picked us up at the airport (my original plan was to take a Greyhound back to Reno, but this alternative was much nicer). All of us spent the night at her family's house. The stories just poured out. Once we hit the pillow, we slept hard! Monday morning we woke up, had a hearty American-style breakfast (our last "naughty" meal before we start our serious-anti-Europe-weight-gain regiments), and drove home. I have to admit the tears didn't hit me until we started driving. I can't remember the song on the radio, but there was a chord that just resonated with me. I got a picture in my head of one of our many memories. A quick smile released a stream of quiet tears. I was totally content.

So, it's now Wednesday evening and this is the first time I've had time to actually get a minute (so I apologize for not responding or sending emails). I can't say that I've had enough time to reflect or allow everything to settle. I'm doubting that I've even had time to accept the fact that I'm actually home. It almost feels like I never left...like everything is just a dream. What I can say with my minimal amount of reflection is that this trip was AMAZING! There is not one thing I regret or would change. We lived with very little for 3.5 months and never needed anything. Even in times of high stress (which we handled extremely well if I say so myself), we always kept things in perspective: we had our health, each other, and our adventure.

Here are the tallies: we made it to 8 Western European countries (England, Ireland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain); we didn't have anything stolen; I lost a few non-important items (M only lost items to holes), we only missed one thing: our flight from Madrid to London; we met so many amazing people; we further developed our life skills (I'm confident that we could be placed anywhere and still be able to navigate, plan, organize, respect, learn, and negotiate regardless of the language or culture); we came under budget (only about 70% of the expected cost); we went through 6 bottles of olive oil (and that was just from the end of April), countless bottles of wine, bread loafs, and cheese rounds; we know how to say "cheers" 7 different ways; we never once fought, we could finish each other's sentences and were so emotionally in tune; we have about 1200 usable pictures and 52 mini videos.

So there it is. I hope you've enjoyed the adventure. We lost internet access for a couple of weeks so some stories shall remain to be told. Michelle has put together a photo album, which we should receive in the mail next week. I'm so excited to look back on all of our memories!

Love,

Justin

Olá

Today is our 11 week mark (I think). It's pretty sad when 1) you can't remember exactly how many weeks it's been 2) you have no idea what day of the week it is 3) because you don't know what day it is, you don't know how many weeks it's been. So, we're just going to say 11-week mark has been hit today. How exciting! We're officially on the home stretch. I've even been working out how I'm getting from San Francisco Airport to Reno. By the way, FYI, Southwest doesn't make that flight anymore. So, since we have less than a month and time is limited, I most likely won't have much internet time. Blogs will be limited and personal email replies will be even more so. This is the last stretch to learn and take all that I can from this trip. I need to make sure that I'm "I'm in the now" as much as possible. I will be catching everyone up a little later.

Hope everyone is doing really well.

Lots of positivity and happiness,

Justin

Where in the World Are J&M?

It has been quite awhile since my last blog. I guess I just haven't had the motivation lately. But today, I have something to write about. This morning, J and I jumped on a plane and ended up in a completely new country in an hour and a half. Plane travel is so amazing! When your alternative is an 18 hour train ride, you can't help but give a moment of silence in gratitude for the Wright brothers. We must also appreciate the amazing technology we have today that allows you to book a flight less than 24 hours in advance using the Internet. For travelers like J and I who can't make up our minds and put off making travel arrangements until the very last minute, having this capability is quite necessary.

We haven't taken a plane for about a month and had to "plane pack"this morning. This is a term we have developed for the significantly more diligent packing job that must occur for plane travel. For train travel, you just chuck everything in your bag and carry anything else that doesn't fit, like the liter sized bottle of olive oil we always have on hand for cooking, balsamic vinegar, wine, produce etc. To "plane pack" all liquids either have to fit in the backpack or be donated to the hostel community. The backpack needs to be neatly packed and organized so it can be checked, meaning no dangling laundry bags, shoes, soggy towels, etc. It has been so long since we last "plane packed" that we forgot something that didn't belong in the carry-on and therefore had a tragic airport security casualty....our wine bottle opener :-(

We are now in Lisbon, Portugal. Neither one of us have ever been here, and we've heard so many amazing things about it. We haven't equipped ourselves with a vocabulary of useful Portuguese phrases yet, but we are here for 2 weeks and have plenty of time to pick up the language. I'm looking forward to some beach time, but first on the list... a nap!

~Michelle

¡Feliz cumpleaños...to me!

So my actual birthday started last night at midnight, but I'm including our amazing dinner in the celebration. We started the evening (Thursday night) by doing a cooking class. We learned how to make sangria (a wine, brandy, juice, fresh fruit combo that is amazingly delicious-dangerous), tapas, and paella. So good! After several pitchers of very strong sangria and a stomach-bursting delicious paella, we convinced our table to join us for the nightly festivities. That meant 4 Aussies and 2 Belgians joined M, Stacy (our friend who is living in Madrid and came up for the weekend), and myself for a night of more drinks and lots of dancing. It was awesome! I have to admit, we showed this town how to party! =). Of course for anyone who has ever partied in Barcelona, you know that's impossible, but we gave it our best. M and I made it back home and had to tip toe so we wouldn't wake up our 4 other roommates. Then after going to bed at 4 am-ish (which is very early in Barcelona terms), we got up around 10 to change rooms (a luxury of last minute planning). M and I then changed into our bathing suits and sun dresses, packed some apples and sunscreen, and headed to the metro station to join Stacy. The minute we left the building we realized the sun may be avoiding us on our attempt for a beach day. Regardless (in sleeveless dresses), we bought a pass to an outside town called Sitges and headed on a 40 min. metro ride. We made it to the beach after stopping for some lunch and enjoyed about 30 seconds of the high-wind waves. After that, all 3 of us were bundled lying spoon style underneath 2 blankets and a towel. Even as we shivered to sleep for a short nap, I wouldn't change a thing! Why else would we all be bundled if it wasn't for being freezing in little sun dresses? This is what creates memories...none of that vanilla stuff for me. After about an hour on the beach and having enough of a cold draft come through the blankets, we jumped up and headed to the metro. M and I dropped Stacy off and found ourselves trying to take a "short" cut home. Yeah, that was pretty much a failure, but at least we worked up an appetite (it's also important to note that we probably walked 12k the other day from our hostel to the Sagrada Familia then to the Parc Guell and tonight still was a lot...thanks flip flops). We made it home to enjoy our homemade sangria (made in a pot and drank from recycled marinara glass containers) and tuna salads. The perfect round 2 birthday dinner! After talking for a bit (and drinking for more than a bit) we both realized how tired we were. We took showers (officially my first of my new year) and got ready for bed. We then tried to look up flights/trains/buses to our next destinations. That lasted for about an hour before we gave up on that too.

We're both getting pretty tired of the planning aspect...yet, we're down to the nitty gritty. We hit our one-month-to-go mark yesterday! In other terms, a month sounds like forever. I can remember all of the months I've wished away in my life (usually school related). However, with a trip like this, a day is a sunrise (something we don't see very regularly), breakfast, walking, lunch, sightseeing, dinner, a sunset, another dinner, drinks, possibly another snack, then bed. A week is only 7 of those. Of course, there are the travel days...yes, the dreaded travel days! A month is only 4 of the weeks. They fly! I hope I never wish another day away in my life...something I shall strive for in my search for total happiness. I look at where we've already been. It's amazing. We've come so far. Oh, the stories...!

-Justin

Yeah España!

Buenas Tardes,

We made it to España! We arrived this afternoon after taking an 18-hour ferry from Genova, Italia. The ride was nice. We had a bit of an adventure getting to the port (of course! That's how we roll). After spending about 10 hours "killing" time in Genova, we had to rush back to the hostel, grab our packs, rush back to the bus stop, catch the #40, get off and switch to the #30. While waiting for the #30, I have to admit the 2 cappuccini caught up with me and my nerves. After waiting for what seemed like forever and seeing a sign that I incorrectly assumed meant the bus to the port was delayed, I finally asked someone (in Italian =) ) why the #30 still hadn't shown up. Luckily we found one of the few amazingly sweet Italians. She (in Italian) told some other bus options and what port to go to. We kept talking and her parents picked her up. We said "Grazie" and then she told us to get in the car. Yup, personal escorts to the port! See, everything happens for a reason. Had I not been minorly freaked (actually for those that know me very well, that has become quite infrequent on this trip) thanks to the caffeine, I would never have asked anyone, and we would´ve been left taking a bus crammed with our huge packs (yes they´re getting bigger), day packs, and our bags of food (we all know the large priority that food has become on this trip). I couldn´t help but smile the entire way to the port...we were really meant to get on this ship on time! We did. We then lightened our food packs quite efficiently and enjoyed a 4-person cabin to ourselves (gotta love off-season during a world-wide recession). That meant hot showers and total darkness and quiet (a rarity). We woke up totally refreshed ready to take on Spain. Once we finished our last bottle of Italian wine we were ushered to the deck for port arrival. We spent the rest of our Italian ferry trip speaking only Spanish. I´m hoping my years of Spanish so many years ago some how come back. Thankfully M is very proficient with the language. I´m still dealing with hearing Spanish, thinking in English, then in Italian, and finally trying to respond in Spanish. Whew! At least the mental hamsters are getting a bit of a workout with the last two countries of our trip. We spent the rest of today finding our hostel, walking around our neighborhood, heading to the beach to people watch, then calamari and sangria. We plan on heading out for the Spanish night life a little later. No one eats before 10pm and the bars don´t get started until 1, so we got a bit of Spanish wine to start the party (of course!).

-Justin

Leaving Recco today

Ok, since a lot has happened since we left Santorini (literally an entire country has been explored) but we haven't had time to write about it, I'm going to just post emails that were sent.

I am very happy to say that we have figured out how we're getting to Barcelona...Genova! Ok, so we leave Recco (a small town outside of Cinque Terre) this afternoon (of course we have to get some more beach time in) and head to Genova. We spend tonight and tomorrow day there. Then tomorrow night we have to catch an 18-hour ferry to Barcelona. We're both getting very excited about Spain. We have 3 nights booked (up until Thursday night), which means that I'm still not sure where we'll be partying for my birthday (on Friday). That's always exciting.

Italy has been great. I will say my broken Italian isn't really much better, but it has helped quite a bit since we've been here. I can say that we have gotten rooms for cheaper and talked ourselves out of very expensive fines (yes, always validate your train tickets!). I do recommend if anyone wants to come here they take some crash course/tape-study to learn the basics.

Anyway, we're off to start packing and lubing up the sunscreen for some beach time. Hope everyone is doing well! Talk to everyone soon. We have about a month left, which I'm sure will be a blurr so we'll try to fill everyone in while we begin our new chapter in Spain.

Love,

Justin

Sent May 14,
So we just made up our minds. After spending 4 nights in Chianti region, we're leaving tomorrow to Pisa for the afternoon and then to a town outside of Cinque Terre. We plan on staying there for a couple of nights, then somehow making it to Barcelona (plane, train, ship...still up for discussion.)

Still waiting for real internet access. Within a couple of stops hopefully.

Sent May 11,
We're packing up this morning and heading out...to Chianti! Yup, our time in Firenze was nice but now we're ready to head back to the country side. Our new hostel advertises free breakfast and a pool...yeah! Some more water time. Our last time in water was in Sorrento, which was breathtaking. There's nothing like swimming in the sea, floating on your back, taking in the amazing view of the Amalfi coast and cliffs. It's not too bad having the opportunity to swim where Odysseus got stuck (Sorrento is the land of the Sirene. We actually got to see the 2 islands that the sirens °lived° on). Anyway, now we're off to wine country and pool time.

Sent May 9,
So, we've officially made it to Firenze. I'll have to write about it later, but let's just say after our last 42-hour hell adventure to Sorrento from Santorini, we needed an easy, somewhat direct train experience to Firenze (Florence) from Sorrento. We got that. We left our little bungelow heaven in Santorini this morning not knowing exactly where we were going. We stopped at an Internet Cafe, checked out some hostel options in Florence and just went for it. The train left 2 hours later and arrived in Florence (no train swapping, thankfully) 5 hours after that. We found our hostel quite easily, changed clothes, and enjoyed our first pizza and gelato in Firenze. Now it's really late here and we want to explore the entire city tomorrow.

Sent May 3,
We made it to Italy. It was a 24 hour day from hell...still really hasn't ended yet. We are still looking for a place to stay. Hilarious story, but at 3 euro for a 1-2 hour, will have to explain it later. Hope everyone is doing well. Our adventure continues, but we are healthy and will be happy (once we sleep).

Sent April 25,
Can't really talk, we only have 5 mins before we have to go. We met about 5 other people in our hostel, so today we're all going on a ATV-caravan around the island. It should be amazing! The weather is a little cool, but the sun feels great. We plan on watching a sunset at IA beach. We'll be filling everyone in when we have more time.

Γιασου!

So we just booked our 1st day of our next adventure. We leave tonight very late (technically May 2nd after midnight) to leave for Athens. The ferry takes a couple of hours to get to Athens from our beloved island of Santorini and if it's anything like the ferry here, we'll be glad we kept our thermal underwear. Notice I said "our" island. Yup, like every other place, Santorini is our island and Perissa beach is our beach. We've spent more time here than Killarney (talk about land squatting). It's been amazing here in Santorini. We've pretty much explored everything we wanted to and had more than 8 days on the beach. We've met some amazing people here. To the phenomenal women that came into our lives: ιαμας (ia mas!) and good luck. The Fab Five girls had an amazing day today! After a wonderful dinner party last night and lots of vodka, we danced the night away. We woke up today feeling a little rough, but we rocked this island! (Yes, Sarah that is for you =) ). We spent hours touring the island in a rented car, hiking to the Red Beach and watching the most inspiring waves, and then we metaphorically finished our Santorini trip by watching the most amazing sunset at Oia. You know it's breathtaking when the viewers give a round of applause for mother Gaia (Γαια): Thank you for the most intense, awe inspiring sunset!

To sum up the 8 days that we spent here: fantastic new (and hopefully life-long) friends, cheap vodka (the only drink we can afford on the island), fried eggplant, a great, pool-side hostel room, amazing drinking, chill, then partying sessions, and then of course the island itself! Beach, beach, and more beach! The best part is how much we may not have expected the trip to be like this, but quickly realized our souls needed this place. I'm refreshed, happy, light hearted, well feed, skin damaged, and totally content. Now we're off to my dream land: Italy! Sorrento, Italia, here we come! (By the way, thank you uomo Italiano for the Italian practice and the ανδρας for your Greek lessons).

Born to Be Wild

Justin and I were counting the different modes of transportation we've used on this trip so far: plane, metro, train, car, bus, ferry, and now we have a new one, ATV. Neither one of us had ridden one before, and Justin actually had no intention to drive until she was forced to. We got a group of fellow hostelers, 7 of us total, to go on an ATV caravan around the island. We only had 4 people with drivers licenses, Justin being one of them, so she had no choice. We rented 4 ATVs from our hostel for 15 Euro per ATV for 24 hours and 2 people per vehicle. I had the song "Born to Be Wild" stuck in my head all morning! I sure felt like a biker chick in my helmet, dress, leggings, and flip flops. After a quick tutorial on how to make the things go and stop, we took off on our adventure. We started on one side of the island at the Red beach and drove all the way around to the other side. It was an exhillerating experience. The views were breath taking. There is only one major road and it winds around the cliffs and through the 2 major towns of the island, Fira and Oia. We took lots of photos of the Caldera, which is the spectacular inner U shape of the island and is steep cliffs, crystal blue and teal water, and the famous white houses with blue rooves hanging off the side of the ridge. It took us about 2 hours to make it to Oia on the other side, and we stopped for lunch and had Gyros. We had been freezing our tails off the whole way, so we had to pull some tables out into the sun and defrost. The weather has not been as warm here as we would have liked. When the sun is out and the wind is blocked or slow, it's beautiful and we quickly strip down to our bikinis, however it's usually short lived periods and we have to put our long sleeves back on. We found a beach in Oia after we ate that was perfect. It was a secluded black sand beach cove that was protected from the wind. We had to park the ATVS and hike down to it. We soaked up as much sun as we could before bundling back up for the ride home. Originally, the plan was to watch the sunset in Oia, but there is no way we would be able to survive the hour long ride back home after the sun was down. It was an amazing day, and we were both so glad we did it. We have met a great group of people here at the hostel and have had a blast with them. J and I had been craving the hostel social life a little bit. We had some good weather yesterday and all of us went to our beach for the day. Layed in the sun on lounge chairs and ate burgers on the beach. It was fantastic. The weather is not as good today; it's really windy, so we are going to take a bus to Fira and walk around the city. All for now!

~Michelle

Athena for a Day

Well, we made it to Greece! J and I took a very early 6:30am flight on Easy Jet, which involved packing in a whirlwind at 3am, leaving the house at 4:30am to speed walk over a mile to the train station and take a taxi to Orly Airport at 5. We could have eliminated some of the stress this morning by packing instead of drinking 2 bottles of Bordeaux wine and rocking out to Justin Timberlake last night, but where's the fun in that? It's amazing how quickly a 3 hour plane ride goes when you are watching the back of your eyelids.

We were exhausted when we landed, but the excitement and overwhelming stimulation of being in a new foreign country got our adrenaline going. We found our hostel with no problems, ditched the bags, and headed out again. We walked in the direction of the Acropolis which is only about 15-20 min. walk from our hostel. Along the way we came across a huge market that had meats, fresh sea food, produce, nuts, herbs, etc. The meat section was a little unnerving for us, as we are so accustomed to our meats being disguised as 'steak', 'drum sticks', and 'chops'. I'm not personally a big fan of my food looking back at me, but it was definitely a cultural experience.

We got our workout today by hiking to the top of the Acropolis where the Parthenon is perched in all its glory overlooking the entire metropolis of Athens. If you can just look past the scaffolding and block out the hundred other tourists up there, you can picture yourself as Athena or Aphrodite wearing nothing but a toga, eating olives, and sipping wine. After the exhilarating hike, we decided to treat ourselves to some authentic Greek cuisine: tzatziki (thick dip made of plain yogurt, garlic, and cucumber) and pita bread, cheese saganaki (fried cheese), and spanakopita (puff pastry stuffed with spinach and feta). We are planning on going to bed at a decent time tonight because we have to catch a ferry to Santorini at 7:25am. We are really excited for some beach time. It was cloudy and cool today, but I am fully confident that Greece has gotten the memo that we have arrived, and the sun will be shining brightly for us tomorrow. All for now!

~Michelle

Bikinis in a week? Yikes!

So, we have come to a realization that Cadbury, French bread, and Hefeweisen does not look good in a bikini. We booked our flight to Athens, Greece, and it leaves on April 23. Less than a week from today!! We will stay one night in a hostel in the city and take an early morning ferry to the beautiful island of Santorini. Needless to say, the pressure is on to get our bikini bodies ready. We're talking serious damage control here! Today, we went for a 5 mile, 2 hour hike with our backpacks on in the rain and wind. There's no time for messing around; sissy workouts won't stand a chance against international delights we've devoured in the last 5 weeks. It's after 2pm and all we've eaten is cream of wheat and carrot sticks. I'd say we're making progress.

Yesterday, J and I went to an adorable little town called Tubingen that was highly recommended by our host family. It was a picturesque classical German town, and we were totally romanced by its charm. We did, however, find ourselves much less prepared than we typically are for a day excursion. The weather has been beautiful, so we didn't even think to bring a jacket and ended up freezing our tails off. We also went into the town with only 17 Euro between the two of us and no debit cards because we weren't planning on running across the cheap sun dresses we've been searching for all week. But do you know what we did bring?....umbrellas and ponchos! Those came in handy for the torrential downpour that occurred right as we were leaving. There has definitely been a learning curve on this little adventure of ours... always carry an umbrella, bring more money than you think you will spend just in case, and picture yourself in a two piece before downing a plate of Schufnudln.
-Michelle

Ouch!

What do you mean my shoes are causing blisters?!

So M and I had the bright idea to walk to the next town, Waldenbuch, yesterday. It only took us about an hour and fifteen minutes (45 mins. less than we initially thought) walking at a semi-brisk pace. We made it to the town after exploring wonderful, little paths through the forest. The scenery here is amazing. We arrived with no problems. Once we got to Waldenbuch, we had one thing on our minds: the Ritter Sport chocolate factory (well, of course. Why else would you walk miles? =) ). We found the factory with minimal issues. Yes, we did ask someone a question in German (see, our skills are developing...). We indulged in some chocolate samples and a shopping spree.

This is where the adventure begins. On our walk home, we decided to take another path up to the main street. In typical M and J style, we ended up getting a little turned around, but as always, we ended up exactly where we needed to be. We started on our forest path and were walking at a just-downed-a-chocolate-bar, must-meet-someone-in-less-than-an-hour-and-half pace. We came to a couple of forks in the road, no problem. Noticed some trees we hadn't seen, no problem. Noticed an entire field we hadn't seen, a little problem. Strong and wrong, we continued down this unknown path. Now mind you, we had to meet our host mom, which meant catching a bus and a train. As we came out of the forest clearing, we noticed a town. Ok, definitely wasn't Weil im Schonbuch. Once again, in German, we asked how to get to our correct town. It ended up working out (as is common with this wonderful trip). We just had to walk up the steepest hill, which is delightful after walking a total of 2 1/2- 3 hours in the sun and shoes that cause very expensive blisters (yes, I officially trashed my shoes and now they're mad...revenge is on). End result: we most likely walked about 10 miles, have enormous blisters, showered, dressed, and snacked all in less than a 1/2 hour, caught the bus, and watched a cute movie...oh, yes, we're wearing flip flops today!

-Justin

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to everyone! We're currently in the land of people who know how to truly do it up right. The entire country pretty much shuts down Friday through Monday for holiday. Because of our ignorance to this, we have spent our fair share of time at bus stations waiting for buses that never show up (I guess EVERYONE gets the days off). Luckily, nature is always awaiting and our adventures have led us to enjoy the beautiful scenery surrounding our home in Weil im Schönbuch (a town in the county of Böblingen, outside of Stuttgart). I highly recommend people type the town into GoogleEarth to get an idea of what we're dealing with. It's absolutely beautiful! The towns are so cute here. Picture shades of green and brown patchwork broken up with small little doll-house-looking villages. The homes have A-frame roofs with terracotta or brown colored tiles, stucco exteriors with dark brown wood planks outlining the windows and creating the stereotypical German looking cottage. (Interestingly, these cottages have a huge amount of solar panels. We're talking serious amounts of energy.) It's amazing!

Monday M and I might walk to one of the neighboring villages and check out a Ritter Sport chocolate factory. In case anyone is wanting the food update: we have now moved to a craving of Cream of Wheat and Ovaltine. Yup, who would've thought after mowing down Cadbury chocolates, then bread and reds, then Hefe Weizen (by the way, it looks like our fest adventure has cured us of that)? We figure we're going through phases during our stay in almost every country. The fact we can say this is very cool!

-Justin

Fruhlingsfest

Yesterday, Justin and I got exposed to one of the infamous German fests, the Fruhlingsfest. This is the Spring equivalent to the Oktoberfest, and yesterday was the kickoff to the month long event. Our host parents, Jeff and Hope Call, took us down there to meet up with some of their coworkers. We took the subway, which was packed, and everyone got off at the same stop. The fest is set up in the fairgrounds in downtown Stuttgart and the place was absolutely packed. Everyone was dressed in their Fest-best ranging from miniskirts and heels to full-blown lederhosen getups. We were very impressed with the set up; the carnival rides, games, and food venders were similar to a State Fair in the U.S., but on a much grander scale like a permanently established amuzement park would have. The smell of "wurst" and fried snitzel was in the air, which was hot and sticky. It was one of the hottest days Jeff and Hope had ever experienced in their time in Germany. We decided to pass on the gut-tossing carnival rides, and headed straight for a beer tent.

The beer tent was huge and packed with drunk "festers". Of course it was loud, crowded, and sweltering hot in the tent, but it was the place to be. There was a live band playing American songs, and everyone was singing along and dancing on the tables. Because the beer was only served in one size mug, 1 liter, it was not long before we were joining them. After a couple hours, we had had enough and decided to go check out what kind of greasy goodness the food venders had to offer. We decided on splitting a rothwurst and some schpfnudln cooked with sourkrout and ham pieces. I also got a chocolate covered banana from another cart that had pretty much any type of fruit (strawberries, coconut, pineapple, chili peppers) covered in chocolate. We also stopped by a cart on the way out that sold carmelized, roasted nuts. I would say (minus the carnival rides) we experienced everything the Fhurlingfest had to offer. It was fun, but I think I've had as much fest as I can handle.

Prost!

~Michelle

Afternoons in the Beirgarten

All I can tell you about Stuttgart, as of now, is there is an amazing family, the Calls, that lives here that has opened up their home to us, and it also has some fantastic beirgartens. Our afternoons since we arrived have consisted of sitting either outside on a patio or laying on the grass soaking up the sunshine and sipping locally brewed hefeweisens. Yes, I have been drinking beer. Suprising to those of you who know how I despise carbination, I know. You just cant come to a country that is famous for its beer and not partake in the marriment. We went to the Schombach Bruahous, a well known brewery in the area. We sat outside on the patio and sampled a variety of different "weisens" (Krystal-, polar-, hefe-). We ended up hanging out there and drinking and talking for 4.5 hours! Let's just say the walk home was a lot more fun than the walk there! Today we went into downtown Stuttgart and ate our picnic lunch in a large park that conveniently happens to be a beirgarten as well. The weather was absolutely beautiful. Probably about 80 degrees; not a cloud in the sky. We sported t-shirts today; however for the sake of everyone around, we did not reveal the sasquatch situation hidden under our pants!

This week is perfect timing for being in Germany. The Fruhlingsfest starts this weekend and is the spring equivalent to Oktoberfest. We plan on joining in on the festivities and learning a bit more about German culture and tradition. We bought a special pass that will let us use all of the public transportation in, around, and out of Stuttgart from Fri-Mon for 15.80 Euro for the 2 of us. We plan on being in the city all weekend. We are going to check out the Ludwig Castle tomorrow, then possibly check out the Stuttgart Friday night scene. Hopefully it has a bit more to offer than Augsburg. That's all for now!

~Michelle

Sprechen sie Englisch?

Yep, we were meant to venture of the beaten path and into the unknown. Yesterday we arrived in a city we had never heard of until the day before we left. It couldn´t have gone any smoother. Even when the man at the front desk of our hostel didn´t speak english and couldn´t find our reservation, we didn´t once panic. I would say for two girls as organized and analytical as us, that is definitely huge growth. He did find our reservation, to the relief of eveyone involved, and we have a nice private double room. We went out on the town last night. There are lots of young people here, although we found ourselves in a club that could very well been our stomping grounds in Reno. The music is the same anywhere you go thanks to the U.S. dominance of the music industry. It´s also amazing to me that as soon as you tell a guy you are American he immediately wants to talk politics. I´m sorry, but discussing Obama in a nightclub is not my definition of a good time.

Thankfully a lot of people we´ve run into "sprechen sie Englisch" because our German is even more limited than our French. The most common response it "a little" when we ask, but we´ll take what we can get. We haven´t ventured to try weinersnitzl, bratwurst, or the famous German weisbeir yet, but we have enjoyed the German custom of drinking in the streets in the afternoon. We had a picnic of german salami, cheese, multigrain bread, olives and cream cheese stuffed peppers, grapes and a rum cocktail we mixed "hostel style" and ate sitting on the cobble stones of the main plaza in town. We decided to stay an extra night so we have some more time to explore. Then we will head to Stuttgart on Monday.

Auf wierderseheh for now.

~Michelle

Change of plans

So a change of plans. In typical J and M fashion, we have decided Augsburg fits in the budget- Munich definitely does not. This realization came about after the tickets were purchased (gotta love that!) Well, an adventure is what we wanted and what we shall receive. Here goes Augsburg...

-Justin

P.S. We now may be posting only after we have actually arrived somewhere...

Au revoir Paris...for now

So a little catch up: hopefully you all got the link to view our pics. If you didn't, let me know and I can forward you that. Also, we haven't had a consistent internet connection so I haven't been able to return emails or send out some info. Sorry about that; I plan to catch up once we have a steady computer situation and a keyboard that is American-inspired (the French keyboard is very different).

We've been in France since last Tuesday (so this definitely takes the cake on land squatting...Killarney has nothing on Paris). We've seen some of the tourist sites (i.e. Eiffel Tower, Louvre (yes, I had a moment with Mona Lisa) and Gardens, Notre Dame, Luxembourg Gardens, had lunch and wine at the Chàteau Versailles (pretending I was Marie Antoinette- pre-beheading), and had another moment at the Cimetière du Père-Lachaise with Jim Morrison). In addition to doing the tourist stuff, Angela has been the most amazing host. We got to experience a ballet/opera qt the Opèra National de Paris-Bastille (note: if you wait in line about 3 hours early, you can get a €80 ticket for €5, but you may have to stand up the whole time- definitely worth it!) And did I mention the copious amount of food and wine consumed?! Cadbury chocolate has nothing on the reds, breads, and cheese! (I don't know how these people stay thin.) Speaking of "these" people, I have never met people as friendly or helpful as the French!

Other time has been spent...well, eating (Angela is a great cook, picnic-lunch packer, and knows all of the good restaurants), getting through cat allergies (she has 3 cats), and fighting colds. We're definitely not the easiest home squatters. Our time here has been amazing and we are so appreciative that we got to experience this (so thanks to those that helped make this trip possible =) ). Thank you Angela!!!!!

That brings me to our next plans. Yesterday we purchased our tickets to Germany! I should add that we purchased round-trip tix (and just when Angela thought we were leaving... =) ). We're starting in Munich. We have a friend that may be joining us from Spain...Stacy get it together...we'd love to party down with you. We'll probably be there for about 3 days and then we're not sure. Amsterdam was the original plan, but it's very expensive to get and stay there, so that's out.

I think we may be getting anxious for Italy and Spain... places where we can speak a little of the language (although my French, which was obsolete beforehand, has improved. I can now say about 4 phrases!) But first we must experience German...if it's one thing that we've figured out, it's that we are now confident with our navigation skills! We are definitely a power team!

Au revoir et baisers

-Justin

Language Barrier

First of all, French key boards are incredibly frustrating to type on, so I'm just going to type how I normally do, just to make things interesting! So, J qnd I hqve been in Pqris for al,ost q week noz qnd qre hqving q greqt time: Zent to the Eifel Tozer qnd the Louve yesterdqy: I think the huge crowd zqs just as interesting qs the Mona Lisa itself: Definqtely enjoying the french food qnd zine: Ze qre beco,ing mqsters of the French trqin stystem: It's amazing hoz intimate you can get zith co,plete strqngers qround rush hour!

Angelq qnd her girls hqve been greqt hosts qnd hqve helped us so much: The girls qre very curious qbout Qmericqn culture qnd just as ze qre equally interested qbout the french: They hqve been greqt teqchers: They're 3 cats hozever, hqve not been so kind: J and I hqve probqbly gone through q box of tissue qlreqdy!

You dont reqliwe hoz dependent you qre on communicqtion until you cqnt do it: just simple things like qsking zhere the toilettes qre or ze cqn ze get a bottle of zine qnd some breqd qround here?! The phrqse 'Parle vous Engle' hqs come in hqndy on severql occqsions: Have tqken lots of greqt photos: Ze'll try to post them soon!

Au Vios
~ Michelle

Bienvenue à Paris

So we have made it to Paris (we're in a neighborhood called Antony staying with family friends and daughters). So far we've only seen Paris by plane, train, and bus (not a fair sample). I must say that we impressed ourselves by navigating the airport and tram system, buying train tickets, catching the train, and getting off at the correct place with a language barrier (obviously minimal questions were asked). Today we hope Angela's lovely daughters will be able to show us around a bit. A couple of notes so far: 1) the French computer keyboard is completely different (so it's taking me a very long time to type and forget about spell check) 2)Although we had less than a 10 min rain shower, once we started to get cleaned up for the day, the sun came back out. It's further proof that we are bringing the sun! We're not sure what today's plans include...love that. Tonight we are probably going to an English trivia-game dinner. I'm not convinced M and I will rock that as much as we should.

Hope everyone is doing very well. I'll/we'll be posting once we know more and have seen more. Another note: because of the speed difference with typing (and the fact that the girls have to go to school early), I may not be able to respond to individual emails for awhile. Have no fear, our adventure continues and we will try to keep you all updated.

-Justin

Land Squatting

So by definition, how long can we stay in one place before we technically own it? In case anyone is counting, today we paid for our 6th day in Killarney! Yup, we started here after Dublin (which as Michelle said, was a complete cluster) with 2 days reserved. On the 2nd day, we woke up and said we wanted another 2 days. Yesterday (Thursday) we decided another 2 days would only be appropriate. I can't say that we've spent a lot of time in the actually town of Killarney (other than St. Patrick's day. We watched the pro-town and economically boosting parade). Instead, we've spent most of our time walking through the Killarney National Forest, sitting and thinking on wonderfully comfortable rocks (which are perfectly shaped to lay on) on beautiful lake beaches, seeing old castle ruins, walking 5k one way to old houses with beautiful gardens, or literally discovering old wall ruins in the middle of forest pee breaks. Might I add a couple of journal entries and drawing sessions. This leg of the trip has been very beneficial to us. I think we definitely needed some re-connection, recharging time. Now that our crystals are cleansed (and yes, I did get a chance to cleanse mine in Lough Leane), our souls are a little inspired, and our minds are energized, I think we're ready to continue on our travels...that is unless we totally adopt this place. We are now calling everything "our." For example, our rock, our beach, our mountain, our lake, our lake-viewing spot, our secret garden, etc. Another couple of things we've "picked up" since we've been here: a horrible, unsatiable appetite for Cadbury chocolate (yes, it's gotten that bad!), Bailey's (we finished our 2nd bottle today...we bought and finished our 1st one on St. Patty's), and a salami, cheese, bread combo (which packs wonderfully well for our day-long trips). In addition, our living arrangement has rocked. Our hostel, Neptune's Hostel...highly recommend it, gave us a 6-person room with just the 2 of us! We moved today since they were losing serious revenue, but we're now in a private 2-bedroom. The vibe here only adds to our experience. It's so great that our nightly routine consists of showering, eating, playing King's Corner card game, and drinking tea and Bailey's. We only live about a block from the supermarket so we've been making our own food, which is wonderful and cheap (and for anyone that knows me, that means Michelle has been making wonderful food and I've been washing dishes and prepping the salads...and pouring hot water).

Our next plans consist of enjoying our last day here. We leave for Cork, Ireland and stay there for 2 days, then we're off to Paris!

Another thing I would like to add: I think today is the spring or vernal equinox. How amazing is that? To be in Ireland, the land of the Druids, on the ceremonial first day of spring...yes, I believe there is significance in that.

-Justin

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Justin and I arrived in Killarney yesterday evening and are so excited for a change of pace. The big city life can be a little overwhelming, especially in Dublin where a million people come to party Irish style. But let me tell you a little bit about "Irish style" in Dublin. Picture the biggest frat party you've ever seen and multiply it by a hundred. Add some "I love rock n' roll" and "Man, I feel like a woman" No wonder there weren't even any Irish people there! We made the best of Dublin, but it wasn't really our seen. Now picture this: rolling hills covered in some many different shades of green it looks like a patchwork quilt. Add some cows and sheep. And some "Top O' the mornin' to ya" and that's Killarney. We are also surrounded by mountains and forest which makes the air smell like pine and old stone. We are staying at Neptune's hostel which has a rustic charm to it. Beautiful weather has been following us everywhere. We've had nothing but sunshine everywhere we've gone. Still cool, but not wet. We are going to take a walk to Ross Castle this morning which is in a national park and overlooks a lake. There is a spot on the peninsula were you can't see a single house. Then there is a parade through the town center at 2:00 we are going to watch. At 7:00 our hostel is holding a free bbq to celebrate. We have one more night here, but we're thinking of booking one more. Then we will probably head down to Cork and then fly from there to Scotland. After that... Paris!! So, as you can tell, things are going great, and we are having a lovely time (lovely is a word we've adopted from the British vocabulary, along with brilliant). We are planning on posting pictures when we get to Paris and have free Internet, so just hang in there a little while longer. We have some great ones!! Miss and love you all!

¬ Michelle

Delayed Jetlag

We had a pretty wild night at the hostel last night. Justin is no longer allowed to drink cheap wine with South African chics with relationship problems or Australian musicians who have lived in the hostel for 3 months. (Sorry chicas, you're amazing! Hopefully we'll get to see you again in Amsterdam! Good luck with your jobs and your hearts!) Needless to say, we weren't feeling in tiptop shape this morning. We got up for breakfast then crawled right back into bed for a midmorning nap. Our recovery nap lasted about 3 hours and then it was time to eat again. We didn't want the whole day to go to waste, so we walked down the street to the Natural History Museum. We learned yesterday that in England you pay to go in churches but museums are free. Fantastic! We looked at dinosaurs, mammals, and a whole room full of cases of rocks and gems. That of course was our favorite!

Did a little souvenir shopping in the one shop we could find. As always it was accompanied by a 3 mile walk trying to figure out how the hell to get back to our hostel. Wiped out once again, we took yet another nap until dinner time. We think we found where the 7 hour time difference went. Hopefully we're all caught up now so we don't miss anymore precious exploring time.

-Michelle and Justin

Angry Feet

Justin and I had an amazing night sleep last night. Got up early for the free breakfast downstairs in the kitchen: cornflakes, banana, and toast with peanut butter. We discovered a brochure for a free walking tour of the city and decided to go for it. We had about 2 hours until it started, so we went to the grocery market down a block away and bought turkey, cheese, french bread, yogurt and cottage cheese for our lunch later. At 9:45 we left the hostel and walked through Kensington Gardens and Hyde park to the meeting spot of the tour. Our guide was great; she was actually Irish but knew a lot about the city. The tour was about 2 hours long and led us through the city to all the highlights, including my future residence, Buckingham Palace. I just have to meet my Prince Charming first ;-) We also saw Big Ben, Westminster Abby and the House of Parliament. By then, however, we found ourselves on the opposite side of the city from our hostel with incredibly full bladders, empty stomachs and angry feet. Using a very basic city map, we managed to navigate our way back to home sweet hostel. Over all we estimated that we walked over 15 miles in 5 hours. We could have kissed the hostel steps when we arrived!! We immediately exchanged our hiking shoes for flip flops and limped to the kitchen for sandwiches. As Justin described it, it was "nirvana". A 2 hour nap was definitely in order, so we passed out for awhile.

Next item on the agenda was laundry in the bathroom sink. We are now professional washwomen!! We even rigged a clothes line and everything. Then it was dinner time. Walked to the market again for olive tomato hummus, french bread, olives and feta cheese, and a bottle of wine. I think we will learn very quickly that one bottle of wine will never be enough. The food was amazing and we met a group of girls from South Africa who also enjoyed our passion for Vino Tinto. Needless to say we had to take another wine walk to the market. We have enjoyed a bottle of Bordeaux and a Rioja, and lots of great conversation. And hey.....our feet, along with everything else are feeling pretty darn good at this point!

-Michelle

Cheerio!

So we made it! Yeah! 1/2 day down in London. So far, this trip is rockin'. Everything is going very smoothly! Back up: we left Reno on Monday and rode the bus to San Francisco. After wandering around for a little bit, learning about Belgium beer, crashing at a friend's place, and wandering around a bit more, we made it to SFO. We figured navigating the Muni and BART gave us some practice. The plane ride over here was extremely fast and actually very enjoyable. It could have something to do with the free wine that was provided (and taken advantage of). Admittedly, 3 glasses of "French" wine was definitely enough. Thank you British Airways.

After a few hours of post-drinking, high-altitude sleep (more enjoyable than it sounds), we landed in London. We went through a rather quick (but much longer than average) passport screening session. The guy had a tough time understanding that we're going to be here for 3.5 months, but we only have 1 week worth of plans. Go figure.

Hostel update: Our hostel, Astor Kensington, is only a few blocks from the tube station. It's actually pretty nice (luckily). There are 2 bunk beds, a total of 4 beds. We got here earlier than expected so we dropped our bags and ran out for some fish and chips and beer (of course). Ok, have to admit had my first cultural shock. I've never walked into a pub and had no idea what to do. So here's a few things we learned: 1) you order at the pub (or bar) and pay. 2) you find your own seat and they will drop off your food. 3) you get your own water (there's a pitcher at the pub and a few glasses). I should warn you that when you ask for water you get a look like you asked for something they've never heard of (that or it's the most disgusting thing ever). 4) you don't tip the server at a pub. 5) fish and chips served at The Queen's Arms (a pub that our receptionist recommended) comes with mashed peas, big fries, and almost the entire fish fried. Yes, it was good, but I may be cured on fried items for awhile. The dark ale was good. So then back to our hostel for some good nap time. A desired "cat nap" turned into a 3-hour snore session. Apparently we have roommates, but we haven't met them. Nothing like waking up and seeing someone's stuff just chillin' there. Thank you British Airways for the eye masks! Our ear plugs also need to be credited.

Anyway, we're trying to get some internet catch up time (at about £1 for 40 mins., which I guess is a steal). Oh yeah, one other thing: I learned the not so tough way that my cards are being declined. Luckily, when I did call the c.c. companies (and yes, I did do that), they told me that withdrawal fees are waived at Barclay's. So far, we've found a Barclay's, the post office, the bus stop, the tube station, and The Queen's Arms. We're off to a good start.

Talk to you all soon!
-Justin

Last Minute

Leave it up to me to post an entry the very last day I'm in Reno. It's about 6:45 a.m. on Monday the 9th. Within 6 hours, Michelle and I will be on a bus bouncing off our seats with excitement. Although this trip has been a long time coming, my pre-trip nerves, the frantic packing, and my goodbyes have made this past week fly.

Before I leave, I do want to say a couple things to some majorly important people. First of all, there are no such things as accidents (or more commonly known: everything happens for a reason). I have met some incredible people these last couple of weeks. Your involvement in my life has enhanced it tremendously! For my energy sisters (there may have been a brother), thanks for your assistance in bringing me back down. Remember to ground yourselves! For midnight-chat buddies, thanks for starting the process of tearing down walls. It was initially uncomfortable, but I'm beginning to find out a little bit of discomfort helps with growth. As Dr. Frankl says, "the truth- that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire...the salvation of man is through love and in love." For my girls, thanks for your friendship (not to mention the last few nights of partying). Good luck with your new job opportunities: Germany isn't that far away! If nothing else, it's a good excuse to eat nothing but bread, cheese, and drink lots of wine. For the long-distance girl, you're amazing! What a roller coaster the first five years were, but the last five (even with a state between us) have been very rewarding! I treasure you! Good luck with the boy, job, and golf. For my incredibly supportive family, thank you for everything!!!! You've been there through the thick and thin (and very hormonal, volatile mood swings). I love you so much! I promise to be safe and smart. Try not to worry. Yes, your little girl is growing up (I realize for some that's very appreciated). Lastly, thank you Michelle! This trip is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. There is nobody else that I'd rather explore an entire continent with!

So, here goes. Off to a new adventure and a new chapter in my life...

Love,
Justin

Mary Poppins

Justin and I did our major Walmart shopping trip tonight. As I'm sitting here looking at all of the stuff I've been accumulating and setting aside to pack, I'm wondering where Mary Poppins got her magic bag and if she could hook me up with one by next Monday. Luckily I'm a pretty good Tetris player, so I'm confident in my abilities to make this all fit, but, unfortunately, I don't have any tricks to make it weigh less. IB profin was definitely on our shopping list because I foresee some incredibly sore muscles in our future...at least until we adjust to our new pack mule/nomad lifestyle. Maybe Poppins and I could work out a deal for one of those flying umbrellas too!

-Michelle

2 Weeks!

I thought it would be fun to write a few posts before we embark on our big European adventure. In two hours it will be the two week mark! This trip has always been something that seemed so far in the future, and now it is only two weeks away. Man how time flys when you are working over 50 hours a week! As Justin says, "If you know your Why, you can deal with the How," which is what I've been telling myself since December. I'm going to get almost 4 months off from work, so I'm working my butt off right now. Every few hours I work is the train fare to a new city or a splurge on a hostel with only 2 beds instead of 10 and private bathroom!

Our initial arrangements are falling into place. We have booked a hostel in London, so we have a place to crash after our long journey, a plane into Dublin on March 14th so we can kick off St. Patrick's Day Irish style and a hostel to crawl back to after pub hopping with the million other people who will be there to celebrate with us. After that, who knows what's next...that's the most exciting part. I must say that the anticipation is killing me! Although I know the next two weeks will fly by, it seems like it just won't come soon enough. I can't wait to see what happens in the next few months. Not only will it be a once in a lifetime experience that will create life-long memories and stories that Justin and I will share and reminisce about till we're old, it will also be an opportunity for personal growth and discovery for both of us.

I hope our family and friends enjoy reading about our experiences and following along with our travels. Although we will be busy and distracted, we will miss you all very much and will do our best to keep in touch.

~Michelle