*I have to apologize for all of the typos in these next few posts. I’m working on a European keyboard and have no clue what I’m doing!

Smiling from ear to ear as I left the train station

Foggy and drizzly but no one seems to notice

The romance of the canals and historic weathered buildings sweeps you up

St. Marks  square was uncrowded and not what I expected

Wish I knew more of the history of the basilica

Paid 1 Euro to feed the birds-possibly a mistake (I’m still deciding)

Hundreds of birds flew to me- i couldn’t see my clothes (wish I had a picture)

(I got it about 10 times worse than this guy)

I was scared and couldn’t see my feet to run away

I was left covered in poop and had to dig through the trash to find something to wipe myself off with …seriously it was that bad

Hunger led me to a pizzeria- Happy Thanksgiving

I blushed when they brought it out- at least 12 inches in diameter

I was even more embarrassed when I ate the whole thing!

Ordered wine and it came in a carafe

On glass number 3 and feeling it!

Glad to be here  and wishing I could share it with friends and family

Everywhere I look, i’m reminded this is a lovers paradise

Took a vasperro down the grand canal

Crossed the famous Rialto Bridge 

Walked around eating Gelato and grinning ear to ear in the pouring rain

Tossed and turned all night from the snoring of my neighbor- GRRR

Day 2

FLOOD!!!! Feeling lucky to have been here for such a cool experience

Everything is covered by water but the city doesn’t miss a beat

St. Marks was even better under water

Ate more Gelato and laughed at the tourists wading around

Took a water taxi over to Murano and admired the gorgeous glass

Made friends with a salesman and he took me into the back to watch the glass being made (lucky me and finally warmth!)

Bought some awesome presents for everyone!

Made my way back to Venice and stopped for a cheap lunch…and more Gelato ( I cant help myself!)

Spent the remainder of my money on a gondola ride

Wish I could have shared it with a certain someone….was romantic and relaxing anyway (treated myself to a bottle of wine for the ride)

Walked around the city with no money, getting lost and discovering  the true Venice

Found a lost puppy…made a temporary leash and walked him around for an hour until I found my hostel and pawned him off on a little boy selling Carnavale masks

Not actually staying at the hostel anymore but I made friends and bummed a shower before my train ride to Rome

Killing time…its dark…raining….I’m tired, broke…and my train doesn’t leave for another couple of hours!

On my way to Italy! I’m so excited but also nervous about traveling so far on my own. I have 13 hours and 3 train changes ahead of me until I reach Venice. Hopefully everything will go smoothly. After this trip I’m happy to but a closure on my Europe dreams….what is next on my list I’m not sure. I never thought about how I would feel once I actually accomplished my dream. Time to start making a new list!

It will be sad  not being with friends and family this Thanksgiving- its my favorite holiday. no gifts or obligations, just time to appreciate all the people around you and blessings throughout the year. Even though I’m away from home, I still feel the thankful spirit. Ive already had two turkey dinners!

I went with Auriel and Jessica to their church dinner. It was pretty chaotic considering everyone else spoke German. There as a lot of confusion and laughter as we tried to figure out what we were being asked to pass. It was difficult but a good experience. We got to share a part of our culture and tradition and that was fun!

Thought you might be interested in more details from my Paris trip (that and I’m killing time until my train leaves for Rome). Here it is:

November 10, 2007

Paris!

We left last night around 10pm and were lucky enough to score an overnight train. For the first time I experienced the luxury of a sleeping car. About the size of a small bathroom, 6 beds are stacked on opposite sides of a narrow walkway. A tiny latter leads to the sky high beds and I found my home for the night on the second floor.

Surprisingly cozy- I slept soundly for 7 hours as we made our way to the romantic city. Once in Paris we navigated our way through the metro and ended up at the Eiffel Tower. This landmark is simple yet stunning. The cold, bronzed structure stands out against the aged buildings and cracked cobblestone streets. It really is a place of romance…just looking at it makes you fall in love.

Homeless, clueless and now standing in the rain, I approached a segway tour guide and asked for his help in locating a nearby hostel. He led us back to the tour headquarters where we booked our hostel. Oddly enough the segway headquarters were also the meeting place for the bike tour we wanted to take!

For once everything was falling into place. We had a place to stay, we were set for out city tour and made a new friend along the way!

November 12, 2007

What an incredible weekend! Paris is so much fun and my feet are killing me. There is so much to do in this amazing city and I think I did (and walked) to most of it.

Our bike tour was a great start to the weekend. We saw a lot of the major sites, learned some history and best of all learned our way around the city. On the tour we stopped for lunch at an outdoor cafe near the Louvre and enjoyed some warm soup, hot chocolate and the company of our fellow cyclists. Turns out a few of the girls on the tour are from Cal Poly. They are studying abroad through the Spain program that Alissa and Alan did! It was fun to chat about SLO and how great Balìs is!

Tired from our bike ride, we checked into ou r hotel, took and nap and then got fancy for our night at the Eiffel Tower. About 5 minutes into our stroll I was regretting my high heels. I’m done trying to blend in with the locals.

The Eiffel Tower was magical. Every hour it begins to dance in lights and my heart beats a little faster. The sparkle adds that final touch of romance and glamor. It makes you feel like you really are at the Eiffel Tower in Paris- its no longer a dream!

We climbed our way to the top and took in the city lights amongst the freezing cold. From up top we could point out all the sights we had rode to on our bikes and talk about where we would go in the morning.

We eventually dragged ourselves away from the fantasy and lure of the tower and into a warm local restaurant. Tonight was about feeling beautiful and luxurious so we broke the budget and ordered steaks and wine. This was pretty much my first real and full meal in two months of traveling. It was fabulous and worth every expensive Euro. Sometimes you just have to go for it and we did!

The next day we crammed everything in that we could:

Arc de Triumph for the Armistice (?) parade

Shopping (more like window shopping) down Champs Elysse (sp?)

Louvre Museum

Church and cathedral behind the Louvre

Crepes at the park

Moulin Rouge (this is where I met the *I love Michael Schofield* guy)

Napoleans Tomb

Eiffel Tower (again)

Pillars for Peace

….and finally dessert! Not just any dessert but the Eiffel Tower. Chocolate, carmel and vanilla ice cream, chocolate brownie, hot fudge, whipped cream and of course champagne-YUM! Again, I broke the budget but its Paris!

With the help of the champagne, we called it a night  and crashed in our cozy, quiet beds. Waking up early we headed to the Notre Dame Cathedral. The detail and sheer size of the cathedral just makes your mouth drop. You dont really know where to place your attention for fear that you will miss something. Walking inside you feel as if youve stepped into a whole new world.

Its cold, dark and silent except for the sound of the bishop conducting mass. His voice echoes off the domed ceiling, stained glass windows and stone floors. You immediately feel like a speck amongst the prescence of something so grand.

We quietly sat down with the group and joined mass. For the first time in a while I was inclined to dive into prayer. How could you be in the Notre Dame cathedral and not feel spiritual? I thanked God (he-she-it-whatever) for the people and blessings in my life..for opportunities, for joy, for love, laughter, seeing beautiful places. I prayed for some humility, patience and for a generous spirit and giving heart (you know I need it with some of the situations that have come up!)  I prayed to be a light to others, to bring joy and love and laughter to those around me, those who need it most. I asked for wisdom to do the right thing, to see and take the right doors that open. More than anything I was just thankful. I believe that I could not be in a better place in life. Im healthy, loved, live in a beautiful place, have great friends and family, no stress and iàm just living!

Bonjour!

    Paris was amazing…I loved the city…the lights…the romance (although I was missing a certain someone)….the food….the history…it was all great. Everything went perfect this weekend….amazingly even the train ride was a great experience.

    We immediately headed for the Eiffel Tower and to our amazement it was right outside the train station. We were off to a great start and decided to take a city bike tour to help orient ourselves and to knock out all of the major sights. We rode around the city for about 4 hours and saw everything from the Eiffel Tower, Arc De Triumph, Louve, Napolean’s Tomb…….

After a long bike ride we started our search for a hostel. Pretty much everything was booked and so we landed ourselves a cheap hotel. I can’t tell you how nice it was to a have a private room with my own shower and bathroom. I took my sweet time getting ready for the night enjoying the facilities and reveling in the fact that I didn’t have to share a counter with other travelers.

We decided that our first night was going to be all about glamour and living the Paris lifestyle. I might have felt beautiful but about five minutes into our evening stroll I was regretting my choice of footware. Heels and cobblestone streets don’t mix!

After what felt like a 5 hour hike (honetly it was maybe 10 minutes from our hotel) we arrived at the Eiffel Tower and began our ascent to the top. I have to admit that I shed a few tears as I climbed to the top of the sparkling monument. I WAS FINALLY HERE-IN PARIS- AT THE EIFFEL TOWER!!!

After a long week of work and a roller coaster of emotions, I was reminded of what this entire trip was about. Being in Paris, looking out over a bustling city of luxury and beauty was a nice refresher and refocused my attention on the amazing fact that I was in Europe, traveling around fulfilling a dream!

To top off an already amazing day and incredible night, we headed out for dinner. On the corner, looking back on the Eiffel Tower, I indulged myself in a fabulous steak and a nice glass of French wine. YUM!!!

The next day we woke up early and found a great farmers market around the corner. We grabbed a quick breakfast and some snacks for the day and headed out for our Tour De France. We headed back to the Arc de Triumph and watched the French Military parade down Champs De Elyss in celebration of Liberation Day and then walked down to the Louve. On the way I grabbed an amazing crepe…..just about the best thing I’ve ever eaten!

The Louve was great and overwhelming. The place is just massive and there is so much to see. We pretty much ran through the museum catching highlights like Napolean’s apartment, the Mona Lisa and my favorite the African, South American, and Indonesian artifacts.

After the Louve we headed out towards Moulin Rouge. It had started raining at this point but nothing could stop us. Again, as soon as we got off the subway we were welcomed by bright lights and the historic Moulin Rouge theater. Unfortunately the show was over 100 Euro and our budget just couldn’t accomodate such a huge expense…something to do next time I’m here! 

We did so much in 3 days that I can’t possibly blog about all of it. Check out the photos!!

Top of the Eiffel

At the Farmers Market…do you see what’s wrong with this picture? (Oink Oink)

Mona Lisa’s got nothing!

I’ve triumphed!

Hiking next to the Siene River (outside of Notre Dame Cathedral)

Last weekend Melissa and I took off to Belgium for a much needed escape. Things at work have been less than pleasant and we were all looking forward to a few days away from Darmstadt and each other.

Our trip started off to a rough start. We didn’t make it out of work until 11:30 PM and when we arrived at the train station at midnight we found that our train had been delayed for 3.5 hours. Not a lot of fun when you are exhausted, hungry and cold.

 Finally our train showed up and we were delighted to find out that our rail passes weren’t valid for this specific type of train. We were dumped off at the next stop…literally escorted to the door and told to wait for another hour or so for the next train to come along.

This new train we were supposed to take was also delayed and when it finally showed up we questioned whether or not we should even continue on with our trip. It was now Saturday and the “train” we were supposed to catch was literally a cargo train that had one passenger car attached to it. This picture pretty much explains my reaction to the ice cold, bench seats we were supposed to relax in for the remaining 4 hours of our travels.

Once in Belgium everything began to work out. We leisurely strolled the quiet, cobblestone streets, walked the leaf covered paths along side the historic canals and enjoyed lots and lots of Belgium chocolates. One word describes our trip…relaxing. We took our time, nothing specific we wanted to see or do. We just enjoyed being away for a few days and followed our stomachs from fritas stands, to chocolate shops to waffle houses and back.

We spent Saturday in Bruges, known as the “little Venice of the North” and spent Sunday in Bruxelles. All in all it was a nice, relaxing and uneventful weekend. My favorite memory from the trip was on the way home. We arrived at the train station in Bruxelles early and found ourselves in the aftermath of a farmers market. Roses, tulips, lilies and sunflowers were left randomly throughout the sidewalks and to kill time I wandered around gathering up a boquet to take home. As I was collecting these leftovers, a group a local kids and woman began to do the same. After a few minutes of gathering flowers, they brought over a small bouquet to add to my collection. All week I was able to look at my beautiful flowers and remember the great time I had in Belgium!

 Pictures from our boat ride in Bruge…

Food….

Beautiful Bruxelles…

Hard to compete with Ryan’s Halloween pictures…but here they are anyway. Settle down boys and don’t trash my house!

A night out on the town, Kalakaua style! Hope you all had a fun Halloween. I know, I know… it’s a bit of an immature departure from Heather’s recent posts, but a fun night is a fun night and I think you’ll get a kick out of some of the photos (God knows Bobby and Dobber did when they got their first look at them tonight and didn’t remember the majority of them!). So, with that warning, here are a few shots from last night. There were TONS of people out — so many that we never even made it to a bar! As far as our costumes go, Dobber was an injured construction worker, Bobby was a gyno, and I was a confused product of the 80s.

Adding some final touches to Bobby’s costume…

With so many shots of me like the one below, it’s hard to believe I was the least drunk out of the three of us and the only one to survive the night without a hangover…

Shakas all around! Very much a recurring theme throughout the night.

As we were finishing up our costumes a midget came busting through the door and started running around the house. I tried to catch him but he just kept running between my legs. Bobby just couldn’t take it as the little guy raced around.

Things got worse when that midget got his hands on the camera…

Dobber making a phone call he won’t remember tomorrow…

By this point Bobby was just sick of chasing the little guy around…

We weren’t more than a few blocks from the house before Bobby found his first clients…

The funny thing about the following sequence of shots is that Bobby doesn’t even remember talking to this girl. Must have been that half bottle of vodka he drank before leaving the house. Wait, no… maybe it was the few shots of rum he had after that. No, couldn’t be. It must have been that flask of whiskey he picked up once we were on the streets (that he polished off so casually despite loads of cops walking around supposedly policing for this kind of stuff)!

Still have no idea what that chick was supposed to be…

Funny… doesn’t look like he won’t remember this tomorrow!

After losing the guys for a bit, we met back up at the house and rallied for one more trip down the streets. The 80s headband was getting itchy and my junk was becoming claustrophobic in those tight cutoff jeans, so I changed into an outfit with a bit more room to move.

Back out on the streets again…

Come on… where’d everybody go?!?