Day 5 & 6: Rhodes, Greece – Cyprus

The island of Rhodes, Greece was very much similar to the coastal town, Nafplion I visited during the semester. We were there on a Sunday so a lot of the bigger shops were closed, but a few touristy streets were open and neat to look through. Rhodes is so small you could walk around the entire island in a day if you wanted to. We walked along the water for a while, some of the docked boats we passed had shells and sea sponges displayed in huge baskets for sale. The ‘evil eye’ is famous symbol for both Greece and Turkey. A lot of the bracelets they sell have the blue eye incorporated in their design and you see it everywhere. We passed a pretty (very Greek) church on our walk. There was a service going and we got to peek in while it was in progress—it was gorgeous on the inside. Candles lit the whole inside and they had two huge hanging chandeliers that lined the aisles.

We also found this really neat old castle that was pretty much still fully intact. You could see where the mote used to be and the cannons were still there, facing outwards—ready for attack. This is one of the few historical things Austin actually took interest in. The castle itself was huge, we didn’t go inside but we took pictures in front of the walls.

We had a very delicious Greek lunch. The restaurant was perched up on this balcony and it overlooked the whole square. You can immediately tell when a local family sits down verses one of our fellow cruise groups. A lot of the Greek folk are really nice—there is just a feeling you get in Greece that I liked more and felt more at home than Turkey. The sea seems to stretch on forever, the air smells like moss and salt, the streets are all hand-laid, stone by stone, making the compassion that these people have, virtually tangible. I don’t know, I’m rambling. I like Greece. A lot. Whether it be coastal or inland, it could feel familiar to the most stranger of strangers.

OH AND WE GOT THE BEST BACLAVA KNOWN TO MAN. OMG it was so good. We got traditional and this chocolate filled one. I could NOT stop shoving it in my mouth.

Cyprus is another story. It could have been our overly chatty tour guide, Rosemary, or the fact that she took us to archeological sites that made me feel like we were all in Middle School again, or it could have been what we were looking at in general, but I didn’t like it. The city was dirty, and I mean dirty. We drove through downtown and honestly, every apartment building and hotel looked, meh, about ten seconds from collapsing altogether. The shops were grungy and gross smelling and everything seemed dim. I don’t have a whole lot more to say. It’s an island half controlled by Turkey and half control by Greece. It switched to using the Euro two years ago. Its three main exports are wheat, olive oil, and wine. And they are proud members of the EU. Wooohhooooo, Go Cyprus.

Cyprus, I will give you this—the restaurant we ate at had incredible pizza. And I’m not a pizza person at all. So if anything, you’re little island is good for something.

Tomorrow morning marks our exploration into Egypt! We are staying overnight at a hotel and having a full two days to explore the pyramids, Cairo, and King Tut’s tomb. 48+ hours in Egypt… SO excited =)

Day 4: TURKEY!

Our first port was a success… we got to explore Kudadasi, Turkey for the day! We took a 3-hr tour to an old excavated city 20 minutes outside of port. It reminded me a lot of the ruins we visited in Olympia and Athens. 90% of the city was completely excavated from the ground up, meaning only 10% was rebuilt/reconstructed modern day. The ruins were incredibly detailed and Mom and I were sitting there trying to imagine people back then spending hours and hours carving every outline and every symbol.

There are a ton of stray cats in Turkey—more than any other country I have visited, which was cute at first and then it was kind of gross. Austin made friends with them and Mom would get mad at him for touching the diseased things running around everywhere. There were even some circling our table when we sat outside at a café to eat. Their little beady eyes…Uggghhhghgh.

After the tour we walked around town. Megan and I bought charms for our charm bracelets Mom got us for Christmas. It had an Eiffel Tower charm already on it and we are supposed to collect one everywhere we go. Such a cool idea and Megan and I absolutely love them J

The little souvenir shops reminded me of every town we visited that relied heavily on tourism. The guys will stand outside their shops and tell you to come in their store: look at the pretty clothes, you want jewelry don’t you?, oh you’re so pretty—free price! Free price! It really doesn’t phase me anymore but Meg and Mom we wide-eyed, looking at Dad to protect us. Meg, Mom and I all got scarves (my umpteenth one) and the boys bought a few things too. Austin was set on trying the famous “Turkish Delight” (which only made me think of Chronicle of Narnia) but we got some and he actually liked it. It’s like a jelly-like substance that’s powered and not very appetizing looking. But I didn’t hate it.

The port and skyline of Turkey was incredible! It takes too much Internet brain capacity (apparently?) to upload photos but I will when we get home. When we were en route to board before 6pm the sun had just set, filling the sky with hot pink and orange. My camera could not do it justice but the attempt was there :)

Last night we went and saw this guy from Denmark do this magic show. He wasn’t too bad looking (ha) and actually really good. He had techno music and made a girl DISAPPEAR out of this box on wheels—crazzyyy. AND I WAS WATCHING THE GROUND AND SHE DIDN’T JUMP OUT SO IT REALLY WAS MAGIC. I am an official believer… ;)

Next stop: Rhodes, Greece!

Day 1 & 2 of our Holiday Cruise :)

Day 1: Board/ Set Sail at 5pm—leave Barcelona

We got on board, got to our room, and settled in to “the boat lifestyle.” After a mandatory emergency drill where we stood in a single file line and watched crew members show us how to put on a lifejacket, we toured the 11 different floor of the boat and explored.

There are 2,500 people on the boat, 500 of them American. That leaves plenty of room for plenty of language barriers, but it’s been more entertaining than annoying. The 850 person crew represent over 60 countries and the boarders, over 50 countries. Every announcement made is first in English and then always followed by Spanish and sometime German.

Internet, we found, is hard to come by. And by hard to come by I mean, they take full advantage of charging as much as they want. You can buy packages to make it cheaper, and since I type these up in Word and then just paste them onto my blog, I am barely online for 5 minutes. It’s kinda nice because other than blogging and emails, I remain socially unreachable. My semester continues, huh? January 5^th will be quite the culture shock, that’s for sure.

Last night experienced high winds. Austin and I didn’t have a great time—we sat down in the dining room for our 830 seating and after a motion sickness pill and our salads, we were headed back to the room and passed out before 10. Megan, Mom and Dad were fine—Megan and Mom were more nervous about the rockiness, not sick from it. At one point in the night I was awoken from being hurled into the wall. That was fun.

Our room is very spacious for a cruise. We have a sitting area with a TV and couch. Megan, Austin and I share a room (Austin’s bed folds down from the wall) and the parents have a room. We have 2 bathrooms and it plenty of space to store our ungodly amount of luggage.

Last night before we left to see the nightly show before dinner, Mom, Megan and I played Banana scrabble J We had champagne courtesy of Nathan, our travel agent, and had LoTs of fun :)

Day 2: At Sea –Merry Christmas EVE!!! ♥

Today I woke up groggy from close to 11 hours of sleep. Anyone who knows me knows I really can’t take more than 8-9 hours, but that motion sickness pill KNOCKED me out. Austin was right there with me. We woke up starving since eating dinner was just not the in the cards for us last night. We ordered room service, had some delicious French toast and I headed off to my haircut. I haven’t had my hair cut in close to 4 months, needless to say I was due. It feels sooooo nice to have it healthy again, definitely a treat!

Megan and I spent the rest of the morning with our lattes playing Bananagrams outside in one of the sitting areas. We have a ton of British people on our cruise and were having a blast listening to them talk. Haaaa SO funny.

Austin and Dad went to play basketball and put-put golf. I told them to come get me for put-put because I LOVE it, but it was a little windy so hopefully we will play tomorrow.

It’s so weird that it is Christmas Eve. I really does not feel like it. They are playing lots of Christmas music, which makes me happy. Tonight they are showing The Polar Express, Megan and Austin and I are going to go :) We might rope Mom and Dad into it if they end up not going to a show at the same time.

Tonight we are eating at one of the restaurants on board. It’s a steak house and it’s supposed to be yummmyyyy. We are going to get dressed up and celebrate this special time of year. I don’t know when the next time (if ever) our little family of five will have another Christmas where it is just us. It is east to forget the “reason for the season” (--that’s from your blog, Tiffany J) so I try to make a conscious effort to remember. We are so lucky to all be healthy and happy and here. I am thankful. I hope everyone’s Christmas Eve is special and memorable. Merry Christmas from my family to yours♥

I wonder if Santa will find us in the middle of the Mediterranean…

Christmas Day will be at sea, and then the 26^th marks our first stop: TURKEY!

MY FAMILY IS HERE!!!!

I've been waiting 3 months and 17 days for this day and it is

FINALLY here!!!

My family just landed, I just got off the phone with my Dad--words cannot describe my excitement... the five of us will be one happy family again :) I missed birthdays, Thanksgiving, college acceptances, and Austin's first Homecoming-- but spending a 'European Christmas' with all of them will surely make up for it.

"The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together." ~Erma Bombeck

French Food Anyone?

I would come back here for the food. Hands down, OMG!

Aidan and I spent the day wandering the snowy streets--

looked through the biggest department stores,

window shopped,

went to Angelina's for the best hot chocolate in Paris, (aka melted chocolate)

walked through the gardens,

went to the Christmas market

and rode the ferris wheel :)

For dinner? We had steak that would make any vegetarian break down. The restaurant, LeRelais de l'Entre'cote (LIZ I think this is where you guys went too??!!) doesn't have a menu, they just come to your table and ask you how you would like your meat prepared. I took this as a good sign. They bring out a small salad and then, not too long after, serve you steak perfectly prepared with a pile of french fries. Oh and wait. Once you finish they serve you again--more steak and fries. We split a bottle of wine and sat and ate and talked and enjoyed being warm and happy.

I mean, come onnnnnn.....

Snowflakes in Paris

I wake up this morning to pretty white snowflakes gracing the wonderful streets of Paris. Officially the first snow here all winter! :) Aidan tells me I must have brought it with me from Austria. Maybe I have one of those gifts like the people in X-Men... Storm Girl, Wolverine, etc. I have yet to brainstorm a name though. Wow--I must still be reeling from exhaustion. Ha.

With the longest day of traveling OF MY LIFE behind me, I am looking forward to spending the next few days enjoying Paris at Christmastime before the fam flies in on Saturday!!

Life's not too bad...

**Just uploaded these pictures--a ode to my girls...

"A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be."

~Douglas Pagels

for what it's worth, it was worth all the while♥

I am sitting in the Berlin airport, looking at six hour of “me” time with this lovely layover before I head to Paris. I officially said goodbye to Salzburg; the Monchsberg, my top bunk and Austria. I woke up and only had to throw a few things together in order to be “walk-out-the-door-ready” to catch my taxi that was picking me up at 9:15am. The girls had already left me; they were up bright and early leaving the house at 4:30am. So it was just me in our room. The bare walls and empty shelves kind of hit a nerve—as if Clorox wipes could simply erase months of everything we lived and breathed.

Time is such a weird concept. When you want things to just be over already, the days drag and each week seems a day longer then the last one. When you want more of it, someone is always there to hit the fast-forward button and you find yourself just trying to hang on.

We had our banquet dinner Monday night and our program director, Kevin, put together a slide show of the semester in a glance. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the Wintergarten when all the good times were splashed across that big white screen. That night was the most sentimental we got. It was emotional but it was actually good because we got it out of our system and had the whole next day to pack and clean and do those last minute things.

But standing in my room this morning I felt sad. It is always hard to say goodbye to somewhere you know you’ll never be again. I will never be in Zimmer 3 of the Monchsberg, sleeping on bunk beds with three of my sisters. Or in our group of 30—friends who have made more of a difference to me in three short months than a lot people have in years.

It makes me appreciate things. Appreciate the good times, people, & memories. We tagged the O’Malley’s bathroom last night—a Salzy tradition. It’s the background of my phone now and looking at it reminds me of the place in my heart I have made for Salzburg. Auf Weidersehen, it was fun.

Everything that I once thought important

Just got blurry and I can’t tell what is what.

Every time I see you I get butterflies,

Did I ever tell you that? --fall 09

Switzerland gives new meaning to "Winter Wonderland"

Skiing in the Swiss Alps, anyone? What a better weekend to end my European semester. 12 of us night trained it over to Gridelwald, Switzerland where we spent two full days marveling at the snow and enjoying the powder:) Our hostel was incredible, we saved a ton of money by buying an insane amount of pasta to make spaghetti.. making good use of the fully stocked kitchen at our lodge! We got to our hostel close to 10am Friday morning and were geared up and on the tram up to the slopes by 11. Friday visibility was rough, it was snowing a TON but no one could complain. It made Saturday all the more sweet when the snow that was fogging up our goggles was nicely on the ground creating the powder of a lifetime. Incredible. I use that word a lot when describing my weekend adventures, don't I? ;) Well it was.

We trained it all day back to cozy Salzburg on Sunday--everyone was feeling it. Sore, broken, back aches, and bruises. We were quite the scene! There was really not enough Advil to go around, all of us were dehydrated and our bodies were mad. I had a minor spill on our second day, Saturday. We were trying to get over to this other gondola to take it up to this crazy bowl but somewhere between point A and point B I end up EATING IT, (yard sale is an understatement..) skis and poles everywhere, goggles and hat off-- I felt like I was going to be Redlands new paraplegic. Yeahhhh. Only minor injuries, though. Face scratched--turning into a super cute burn looking mark across my cheek and my neck doesn't really turn left. I know my family is reading this and wondering who in the heck is writing this since I am the definition of a fair-weather skier. I go down runs at my own pace, focusing more on my form than bombing it down a given slope. No need to fear, family.. I was trying to follow boys on snowboards going MOCK-10. Lesson learned: I don't go that speed.

Needless to say, that was my last run in Switzerland. I am lucky it didn't happen Friday or I would NOT be a very happy camper!

Well, what I am going to do every Monday now that I don't have epic weekend adventures to write about?? I am going to miss these trips down the Monchsberg to get internet, buying a cappuccino and spilling my heart out on all the places I've fallen in love with. (*sigh*) I guess I am just going to have to go back to blogging about Redlands-- boring old Southern California, classes, and sorority life. Just kidddiinngggg. But seriously, this thing is going to be wayyyyy less entertaining sans ski trips to Switzerland and the Eiffel Tower.

I just took my last final earlier this morning-- my fall semester Junior year is officially over (academically speaking.) Weird? Yes. But nice. These next two days are dedicated to packing and saying all those goodbyes I don't want to say. The nice thing is even though all 30 of us will never be in this setting again, I can see all the smiling faces I've gotten used to everyday day at school, around campus, etc. A comforting thought.

Here are some pictures of Switzerland. Gorgeous Switzerland, snowy mountain sides, cozy ski nooks and all.

one of my favorite girls. ever.

miss holly jo

I know I kind of look like a scary alien with that handkerchief over my face but I was without a neck warmer and in desperate need.

a picture's worth 1000 words...

♥

some of the group:) oh yeah, and that's a mountain in the clouds behind us, in case you were wondering ;)

3 months in Europe and I think I've figured out as much as I can at 20

Ahh I just have so many thoughts bouncing around in my head I hope this post isn't too all over the place. Try to bear with me!

I have less than a week here and although I do have daily access to a calendar, I just realized this small fact yesterday. In other words, a lot of things just hit me. Examples? Sure. Maybe the fact that I wont be throwing on comfy clothes, walking downstairs to eat a buffet breakfast prepared for me, and then climbing many flights of stairs up to class with a cup of coffee in hand. Or maybe just the "free pass" I've clung to as my excuse to be more or less MIA from my life as of August 2009. I don't know if the reality check that will come promptly on January 5th will be sweet or anxiety ridden.

Jim asked us in our last EU class.... after all of this, these three months of traveling, exploring, learning, and absorbing, if we could chose, where would we live? Europe or the US?

Hands were instantly raising and people were throwing out their responses... Europe is more accepting, language barriers are hard, trains suck, they are so green in Europe--why can't we be like that? etc. But I couldn't collect my thoughts fast enough to answer the question. After a day and a half of "collecting" I came to the absolute 100% conclusion that I would never live in Europe. It has been one of the greatest gifts to come here and get thrown (literally) into a lifestyle that is so different from the one I grew accustomed to for 20 years it is just funny.

But I miss home too much. I miss the open spaces and the universal language that is English. I miss Starbucks and my car. I miss cable and the way Washington smells after a good rain. I miss running on the golf course and showering in a space I can fully turn around in. I miss the 70% of my wardrobe I couldn't bring over here. And I miss school. Oh how I miss school. The comfort of campus, frat row, and weekends of commons brunch.

We did teacher/course evals today and it was hard for me to fill out Jim and Eva's because I honestly couldn't find the right words to accurately express how much they've done for me. I did Europe for three months and they made it what it was. Jim's "ask me anything" mentality is something to be admired. He wants nothing more than to give his students everything they need to make smart decisions and make the bad ones too. I can see why he had six kids, he must be one of the best Dad's in the world.

Eva is just something else. Her maternal instinct is something that is never too far... whether its telling us about the dangers of Greece and the creepy Italian men or what she's in the kitchen cooking. She always has the most nurturing demeanor. Sometimes I just want to get up and hug her. Her passion for teaching is something that you can't learn. She just is. More than quizzing us on our daily German vocab, she above all else wants us to understand and appreciate the language as something to be respected. So many Europeans know English and know it well, it's her way of extending a hand to us Southern Californian students who speak broken Spanish after six years of classes, minimum.

Our last classes were sentimental for me. I feel like I've just survived some kind of intense internal battle with myself and I'm realizing that no, the world did not come to an end, I just came out of it a little stronger and slightly better off. It's funny what three plus months away from home can do to you. When you're in the middle of it, it is more a day-to-day struggle and you don't really realize each day's impact. But now, ten days into December and its pretty apparent that whatever you want to call the last three months, I will look at it as nothing less than a huge piece of me I didn't know I was still looking for.

It's weird because at 20 I feel like I kinda get things. I understand people, relationships, and the importance of staying true to yourself. I get what happens when I screw up, tread unfamiliar waters, and find myself flailing. Before, I think during hard times when the "flailing" occurs I was half expecting to be saved. I think a little time on my own taught me that often times, no ones going to be there. Not in a dramatic "no ones going to be there" way but in a realistic one. Unfamiliar waters are nothing more than adventure, and if anything, I will always love Europe for showing me that.

I am ready to see my family, come home and continue my junior year. I think I've found my path; and I'm excited to get a little messy and see what happens. ♥

So the post right below this one is my somewhat tardy tribute to Amsterdam. I have had that blog typed out and ready to hit send for two days now but because of this crazy semester coming to an end things have been hectic: enjoy! :)

Did you know there are more bikes than people in Amsterdam?

Amsterdam was put on the calendar right around Thanksgiving, in other words a late addition to our semester’s allotted travel weekends, and I’m SO glad we did! I had no expectations for Amsterdam. I couldn’t really picture it in my mind and really went into it thinking it will be fun to say I’ve been there.

WELL... I’m definitely glad I can say we spent three full days exploring Utrecht (city outside of Amsterdam, 10 min Intercity-train ride) and the Red Light District of crazy AmStErDaM! Thursday night we took the night train into Amsterdam and arrived Friday morning. From there we caught a taxi to Merril’s apartment (Holly’s friend who did a year exchange program in Michigan with her their junior year of high school.) Merril was nice enough to let us stay with her Friday night in her ADORABLE apartment, I felt like it was straight out of Bridget Jone’s Diary—honestly! The cutest thing ever, she showed us around, took us to the Anne Frank house, showed us Amsterdam’s beautiful canals, and showed us some local hotspots her and her friends hang out at. It was so nice to be taken around by a local—I feel like we’ve been lucky, Aidan in Paris, Liz and Hil in Barcelona… and now Merril in Amsterdam!

Saturday was a little wet and cold but we still had a lot of ground to cover. We got some much needed sleep and woke up to Merril brewing us tea and making plates of bread and cheese. We grabbed some coffee and took the train into downtown Amsterdam. Saturday was also December 5^th which is a big holiday for the Dutch—Sinterclaus (sp?) which is as big a deal to them as Christmas is to us, but more so for little kids (they also celebrate Christmas) So anyways, Merril had to say goodbye to us on Saturday but we were fine on our own, learned how to navigate the bus system and get by marginally on our own. Saturday night we stayed in a hostel right on the main strip called Bob’s Youth Hostel. We were put in an all girls room painted bubble gum pink and met these two really nice girls from Australia. There were lockers for our important stuff and the beds were clean and everything seemed nice, our 22E each included breakfast the next morning.

Saturday night we walked around the Red Light District... ummhmmmm the one where the girls stand in the windows with red fluorescent lighting in lingerie and people just walk up to their window and order! Yup! REALLY INTERESTING to watch this legalized form of prostitution. A lot of the girls were disgusting looking too so I just don’t even know how it works. Blahhhh. Gross but very eye-opening. Oh the land of "everything goes." By everything they mean everything. The only restriction really is that you have to be 18+ to go into bars and “coffee shops.” Coffee shops are not where they sell coffee (ha ha) they sell weed. You can get it in many forms, cupcakes (they call these Space Cakes), spiffs (a mixture of weed and tobacco) or weed that you can just buy by the ounce. VERY DIFFERENT LIFESTYLE. To grow up learning about drugs in school and have them forbidden all my life to taking an overnight train and arriving on a different planet. Literally.

That night we were in our hostel relatively early, and woke up the next morning with more to see. Our train wasn’t leaving until 5pm so we had the whole day to explore. I really wanted to rent bikes and take them all around the city but it was too rainy on Sunday to do that so instead we took the intercity bus to the Van Gogh Museum. The museum was really cool—but Starry Night was on tour!! Or something? Anyways, it wasn’t there which was kind of sad but I still saw some pieces I really connected with.

Seascapes near Les-Saintes-Marines-de-la-mar was one of my favorites of Van Gogh. I also liked Wheatfeild under the clouds. And La Corniche near Monaco was a really pretty one done by Monet.

There was also this really cool coffee shop called The Bulldog that we went to a few times and a lot of people from years back told us to go to. The bulldog is Redlands mascot so students will by shirts from the coffee shop and wear them around school, kind of fun. Anyways I got a grey one and LJ got a white one. They will always remind us of our visit to lovely Amsterdam J

what in the world would I do without them?

pretty canals... even if it was a little dreary!

I AMSTERDAM... modern art galore!

Merril... our amazing host/tour guide!!

when in amsterdam...?

Cheers to 21 years...

To my best friend,
Who has been there through it all—
Even when I forgot to call,
Or accidentally kicked her in the face with that soccer ball.
It was a growing up of many firsts,
From 3rd grade poetry readings, to bad movies, to blackberry picking.
From braces, to boys, to proms.

We collected many friends along the way,
Some dear and others that may have strayed.
But we kind of always knew it would just be
The two of us.

I sometimes think that if we never met I would somehow strangely never feel completely whole. I would look at the people with best friends and be jealous that they found theirs.
We got it right at the age of eight—I guess I’m one of the lucky ones.

You were there to make me laugh when all I wanted to do was cry,
And you were there to call that one girl in math class a whore.
What else could a girl ask for?

So here’s to you, my Lizzie:
to your passion for life,
your bubbly,
sarcastic,
and genuine being;
my other half.

To a childhood I wouldn’t change the world for.
21. Wow.
Here’s to 21 more…♥