Brittany- Well, I just have to say that I'm super excited and greatly blessed to be getting to take this amazing trip to Europe. I can hardly believe we're going! Anyone reading this knows me I'm sure, so I will just say that hopefully you will enjoy our little blogs about what we're seeing and experiencing while we're away. We intend on updating this regularly, and adding photos too, so we'll see how well we keep it up. I miss everyone from home, love you all!
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Hilary- Well, although I take credit for initiating this "little" trip I wouldn't be going if it wasn't for two of my favorite people who are going with me. I can't wait to go and know that we are going to have a blast. I hope you all enjoy hearing about our adventures and am sure that you will hear a ton more when we get back
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Jamie - This trip seemed like it would never get here, between finishing up undergrad and getting ready the last few days, it's only now sinking in that we're going to Europe. I hope everyone enjoys reading this as much as we're enjoying writing it and experiencing it. Love you all!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Friday, August 31, 2007
Home At Last!!
So just wanted to report that the three of us have made it home finally. We are all safe and sound and very glad to be home!!
-Hilary
-Hilary
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Home in Site!
So as many of you probably know we are a week out from heading home. It has been a while since we have posted but a lot has happened, but I will try to catch you all up on all the news.
After having a really good time in Nice, we woke up to leave around 11am for another long day of travelling, and didn't get into Barcelona until 10:30pm. After checking-in we headed out to our first tapas style dinner where Brittany and I tried our first patatas bravas and sangria. Very good and we would suggest them to anyone who goes to the city. After crashing that night we rose to get some breakfast and head out to look around town, shopping and seeing what we could find. the Picasso museum and the Chocolate Museum. The Picasso museum was great and totally worth the wait in line and money spent. The Chocolate Museum Brittany and I didn't even end up paying to go into but we bought a glass of liquid chocolate and about died. It was quite good but we decided that we couldn't have any more dessert for the rest of the trip. After venturing up La Rambla again we headed back to pick up Jamie for dinner, she had been tired and not feeling well so she had headed back to take a nap. Our second dinner was less memoriable but was followed up by another early weekend. Our second full day we headed to the Picasso and the Chocolate Museums. The Picasso museum was great and totally worth the wait in line and money spent. The Chocolate Museum Brittany and I didn't even end up paying to go into but we bought a glass of liquid chocolate and about died. It was quite good but we decided that we couldn't have any more dessert for the rest of the trip. After venturing up La Rambla again we headed back to pick up Jamie for dinner, she had been tired and not feeling well so she had headed back to take a nap. The third full day we headed to the beach and it ended up being a great idea because the weather was rainy and cold the rest of the days. That night we all ate in, Jamie ate a rice bowl and Britt and I split nachos, fajitas and a double bottle of sangria which ended up being our dinner two nights in a row. That night we stayed in but met some great people and learned a few new games to teach friends when we get home. Our fourth day we saw Sagrada Familia and Park Guell, and that night we headed out with a roommate in search for the Traveller Bar, suggested to us by a few friends. After a long search and no luck we ended up at a place called the Paca Vaca. Our last day in Barcelona Brittany and I fought the rain to go take a look at the Olympic park and the Barcelona Pavillion. Somehow we ended up finding the bar from the night before and watched a soccer game between Manchester United and Manchester City while a huge storm passed through. The next day we awoke early to leave for our long, last train trip to Paris.
After spending a 9.5 hour trip in Perpengion we left on our overnight train to Paris.
More to come later but we enjoyed Spain but are all ready to get home.
-Hilary
After having a really good time in Nice, we woke up to leave around 11am for another long day of travelling, and didn't get into Barcelona until 10:30pm. After checking-in we headed out to our first tapas style dinner where Brittany and I tried our first patatas bravas and sangria. Very good and we would suggest them to anyone who goes to the city. After crashing that night we rose to get some breakfast and head out to look around town, shopping and seeing what we could find. the Picasso museum and the Chocolate Museum. The Picasso museum was great and totally worth the wait in line and money spent. The Chocolate Museum Brittany and I didn't even end up paying to go into but we bought a glass of liquid chocolate and about died. It was quite good but we decided that we couldn't have any more dessert for the rest of the trip. After venturing up La Rambla again we headed back to pick up Jamie for dinner, she had been tired and not feeling well so she had headed back to take a nap. Our second dinner was less memoriable but was followed up by another early weekend. Our second full day we headed to the Picasso and the Chocolate Museums. The Picasso museum was great and totally worth the wait in line and money spent. The Chocolate Museum Brittany and I didn't even end up paying to go into but we bought a glass of liquid chocolate and about died. It was quite good but we decided that we couldn't have any more dessert for the rest of the trip. After venturing up La Rambla again we headed back to pick up Jamie for dinner, she had been tired and not feeling well so she had headed back to take a nap. The third full day we headed to the beach and it ended up being a great idea because the weather was rainy and cold the rest of the days. That night we all ate in, Jamie ate a rice bowl and Britt and I split nachos, fajitas and a double bottle of sangria which ended up being our dinner two nights in a row. That night we stayed in but met some great people and learned a few new games to teach friends when we get home. Our fourth day we saw Sagrada Familia and Park Guell, and that night we headed out with a roommate in search for the Traveller Bar, suggested to us by a few friends. After a long search and no luck we ended up at a place called the Paca Vaca. Our last day in Barcelona Brittany and I fought the rain to go take a look at the Olympic park and the Barcelona Pavillion. Somehow we ended up finding the bar from the night before and watched a soccer game between Manchester United and Manchester City while a huge storm passed through. The next day we awoke early to leave for our long, last train trip to Paris.
After spending a 9.5 hour trip in Perpengion we left on our overnight train to Paris.
More to come later but we enjoyed Spain but are all ready to get home.
-Hilary
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Nice, France
So to all of you who knew our planned schedule for the last two and a half weeks throw it out of the window. You are probably also wondering why I am labeling this blog Nice, but it is true we are here. After a week of figuring things out we finally have our trains worked out all to get in and out of Barcelona. Let me start at the beginning of this story however.
So our last morning in Rome we awoke to get breakfast to head to the train station early in order to reserve our last few train tickets for the trip. After waiting in a relatively short international bookings line we get to the front and find out that we can't take the overnight train from Milan to Barcelona like we had planned. Not only can we not take it on the night that we planned but it was completely booked until the 17th of August and it is the only city in Italy that has connection to Barcelona. From this information we decided that we needed to consider our options and searched out the TI office, which we found only dealt with the city of Rome, but directed us to the train travel agency. After talking to the man behind the counter we had our options but none of them would be nice. We realized there was nothing we could do until we got to La Spezia and could talk to another train person. The train ride was one of anxiousness for all of us, when it should have been one of relaxation and excitement because we were heading to the beautiful area of Cinque Terre.
To make a long story shorter, we ended up deciding to lose a day in Barcelona and to stay in Nice for a night. Unfortunately our bad luck didn't end there. After dealing with getting into Barcelona we realized that night after the beach that we hadn't taken care of getting out of the city. So the next day we headed back to La Spezia, our third time at the train station in three days, to book our trip to Geneva. It was then that we learned we couldn't get a train out of Barcelona to Geneva at all. Everyday that would have worked was completely booked and since we were only spending three nights there we found an internet cafe again to once again way our options. After looking at flights, buses and everything we could think of we had to be realistic and just cut out that leg of the trip. It was very upseting but we knew it was the only way. Back at the train station we booked the first leg of our trip out of Barcelona but were told that because we were in Italy that we couldn't book from the France border on. (Don't ask me because we still can't figure that part out.) We had a schedule in hand and decided that we did as much as we could and enjoyed the rest of our time in Cinque Terre.
Once arriving in Nice we went to setup the rest of our trip our of Barcelona but were told that the train we wanted was booked solid. At that point we could get in to Blois one day late then we would turn around to leave the next day. We have decided against that as well.
So where we stand now. We leave Nice today to spend the whole day on trains to get to Barcelone where we will be for the next 6 nights then we will leave Barcelone, travel to some French border town, have a 9.5 hour layover and take a night train to Paris where we will spend 7 nights. We will have two trips left on our Eurail passes and plan to take two day trips from Paris before the passes expire, the plan is to go to Blois and Versialle (sorry spelling).
Through all this we have realized how much we miss home and how lucky we have been up until now. We have all the hostels taken care and have places to stay though we will lose a little money getting rid of our other hostels.
We miss everyone and will see you all in a few weeks!
-Hilary
So our last morning in Rome we awoke to get breakfast to head to the train station early in order to reserve our last few train tickets for the trip. After waiting in a relatively short international bookings line we get to the front and find out that we can't take the overnight train from Milan to Barcelona like we had planned. Not only can we not take it on the night that we planned but it was completely booked until the 17th of August and it is the only city in Italy that has connection to Barcelona. From this information we decided that we needed to consider our options and searched out the TI office, which we found only dealt with the city of Rome, but directed us to the train travel agency. After talking to the man behind the counter we had our options but none of them would be nice. We realized there was nothing we could do until we got to La Spezia and could talk to another train person. The train ride was one of anxiousness for all of us, when it should have been one of relaxation and excitement because we were heading to the beautiful area of Cinque Terre.
To make a long story shorter, we ended up deciding to lose a day in Barcelona and to stay in Nice for a night. Unfortunately our bad luck didn't end there. After dealing with getting into Barcelona we realized that night after the beach that we hadn't taken care of getting out of the city. So the next day we headed back to La Spezia, our third time at the train station in three days, to book our trip to Geneva. It was then that we learned we couldn't get a train out of Barcelona to Geneva at all. Everyday that would have worked was completely booked and since we were only spending three nights there we found an internet cafe again to once again way our options. After looking at flights, buses and everything we could think of we had to be realistic and just cut out that leg of the trip. It was very upseting but we knew it was the only way. Back at the train station we booked the first leg of our trip out of Barcelona but were told that because we were in Italy that we couldn't book from the France border on. (Don't ask me because we still can't figure that part out.) We had a schedule in hand and decided that we did as much as we could and enjoyed the rest of our time in Cinque Terre.
Once arriving in Nice we went to setup the rest of our trip our of Barcelona but were told that the train we wanted was booked solid. At that point we could get in to Blois one day late then we would turn around to leave the next day. We have decided against that as well.
So where we stand now. We leave Nice today to spend the whole day on trains to get to Barcelone where we will be for the next 6 nights then we will leave Barcelone, travel to some French border town, have a 9.5 hour layover and take a night train to Paris where we will spend 7 nights. We will have two trips left on our Eurail passes and plan to take two day trips from Paris before the passes expire, the plan is to go to Blois and Versialle (sorry spelling).
Through all this we have realized how much we miss home and how lucky we have been up until now. We have all the hostels taken care and have places to stay though we will lose a little money getting rid of our other hostels.
We miss everyone and will see you all in a few weeks!
-Hilary
Monday, August 6, 2007
Tuscany Pics (Florence, Siena, Pisa)
We missed a few at the end of Pisa but we will get them up in the next few days.
http://www1.snapfish.com/share/p=60061186394428363/l=296648164/g=98457132/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB
http://www1.snapfish.com/share/p=60061186394428363/l=296648164/g=98457132/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB
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