As most of you know, after having to cut last year short, I was stuck.
In Iowa. Now, Iowa is a grand place. But sometimes….sometimes you want something more.

And then Abby called.

The tourism bureau of Orlando is hosting a contest in which a team of 2 people are given a phone, camera, various interweb sites such as twitter and myspace and 67 days of Adventure.

Adventure.

I missed that word.

And so we discussed our options and decided to apply.

We’re perfect. I mean, c’mon. We got through Europe without harming a hair on our heads. (well….damn it)  and many a tale to tell–we want Orlando to be our next Great Adventure. (Great Adventures should always be capitalized).
So through illness, vacation and horrendous timing, we’ve managed to scrape together an essay and submission video.
Competition looks stiff–on youtube there are loads of great videos from people who want this as much as we do.
But….
I don’t think so. Granted, I don’t know the life stories of all of the contestants, but this is something….this is something my soul needs.
Not that I’m terribly tragic, but England was something that we counted down to from the 280′s. And to have it cut short under such—well, shitty, circumstances….
It was hard. And honestly? I haven’t recovered.

I still think about the Milton House—the way the doors would slam shut and that mark on the lawn from where I skidded out after a rainstorm and irreversibly stained my favorite pants. The crazy nights out and that stupid, stupid gate and the day we discovered the Fish Market. Everything has a memory attached and everything plays like movies in my mind when I start thinking on it—The walk through the wooded street with its named cottages and the subdivision they were building in the old school–the Intersection of Death, and my bike, that I was so proud of, still permanently parked in the bushes outside of Milton…the Shortbread Guy (oh Shortbread Guy if you’re out there…) the thrift stores and just…everything.
There was a moment, right before I left that I will always remember. It wasn’t a particularly unique moment or even that exciting– I had just gotten done making the difficult decision that I would get rid of my hair in order to make sure that I would be able to see my dad at Christmas (cue bitter irony)….I had stayed up all night debating and I knew that it was a now or never moment, so I grabbed my stuff out of the 24 hour computer lab and hopped that STUPID fence and made my way into town. It was still early, and since it was November the sky was barely light–I watched the sun rise from the clock tower benches while I drank hot cocoa and then went around town trying to get my hair taken care of. On the way home I bought a hat from a street vendor and stopped for some shortbread from my Shortbread Guy.  It was serene and quiet. That mile walk, so routinely repeated over the course of my stay became a reflection of everything beautiful, everything wonderful about England.  I know I’ll never forget the way that morning smelled—crisp and clean, faint hints of truck diesel and coffee and the echoes of steel bars and cursing fromthe the street vendors settting up shop while the sun rose—it was those private beautiful moments that I miss–and losing them and losing my dad at the same time left a hole. I didn’t get to say goodbye. I didn’t get to complete my adventure.
I’ve tried to fill it with other things, other alternatives and solutions—but nothing has come close to experienceing them and that feeling of adventure–having the world at my fingertips (if I could scrape together the pounds).
I want just one more adventure.
I need it.
I need it with all my soul.
So here’s hoping.

First off, on the train to Naples to get to Sorrento, the theory of Italian guys being very complimenting and vocal about what they think about you…well it got proved. We were sitting in the corridor of the train because we didn’t have actual seats since they were open tickets. We were fine with this and chose a nice quiet hallway type thing to sit in. We decided to sit by the area who had their windows shut with curtains…that way we would have to awkwardly stare at anybody in their seats. Good plan, right? No.

We were making jokes and being a bit loud, when one of the boys looked out his window at us, opened the curtain and opened the door. Instead of saying Hi, or even Ciao, he just sat there and stared at me. I tried to ignore it, but after 10 minutes this guy was still staring at me. So I decided to kindly ask him, ‘Is there a reason you’re staring at me?’ He started laughing and gave me a high five. I was confused, my friends were half cracking up, half wondering what the heck was going on.  He had two other friends with him and they preceded to try to talk to me. I barely knew any Italian, and only one of them barely knew any English so needless to say the conversation was enthralling. He was taking an english class and was trying his best to piece together what he had learned. But, all he could really get was ‘I….I….WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS!’ We all laughed so hard we almost cried. Then he tried singing NeYo’s ‘Miss Independent’ to me. I can now say that I was serenaded on the train in Italy.

When we finally arrived to Sorrento we were absolutely blown away by the amazing view. We took a bus to what we thought was a hostel, but it actually turned out to be little bungalow cottages overlooking the sea, called Villaggio Resort Nettuno. We thought we had died and gone to heaven. For only 14 euros a night we were in paradise.

The day after we arrived the ‘resort’ was running a deal where for 30 euros they would take you around Capri, into the Blue Grotto, and then you could spend the day on the island and they would pick you up at 430pm. So of course we took the opportunity!!

It was a 30 minute boat ride which is incredibly scenic. They took us to where the Blue Grotto is and since we were in a huge boat we figured that the cave where this thing is must be pretty big! I hate caves, so I was pleased. Well…not so much. They transfered us over to little rowboats and then pointed to where we were going…this little tiny holy that you literally had to duck in the boat in order to get through it. Holy crap. Luckily once you’re in the actual grotto it’s a lot bigger and going in there was one of the best decisions we made. Beautiful can’t really describe it…and pictures don’t even do it justice. You have to see this water with your own eyes to really understand just how magnificent it is. After the grotto, the boat took us to Manna de Piccola which had the bluest water in pure daylight that I had ever seen.

Capri is a beautiful island and if you have the money, find a hostel or hotel on the island and stay there. But it’s cheaper if you stay in Sorrento and take a boat to Capri for the day or two. Everything is very expensive on the island so it’s a good idea to pack a water bottle and some snacks with you.

Sorrento in its own right is just as beautiful. On our last evening in Italy we decided to head into the middle of town. They had tons of shops and curvy little streets. We took a little tour through the town on a little white train that looked like it had escaped the nearest children’s playground. And of course, found some gelato. (I seemed to be addicted to it.)

After returning back to our bungalow for the night, I decided to go down to the seaside with my Eat Pray Love book and have some ‘me’ time. It was nice to get away from everything and just sit and appreciate all that the last couple weeks had given me.

The best part about this Epic Eurotrip is that through all the disappointments, the stressful traveling instances, the heavy luggage….throughout all of that…I finally saw some of the world. And I loved every millisecond of it.

All I can say is I hope you, reader, have your own epic trip someday. One that really opens your eyes to the world. Even if it’s not to Europe…it could even be to the grocery store if you’re lucky enough, just a journey that gives you hope and new dreams that you never thought imaginable. I hope you do.

Epic Eurotrip ’09, OUT!

We stayed at the Hotel Positano. It was a great hostel to stay at, especially when you’re on a tight budget. But when on HostelWorld, don’t be fooled when they say they have internet. They don’t. The nice thing about Rome is that when you don’t want to pay the extra money for a hotel right in the middle of everything, they have an area that’s pretty much ALL hotels and hostels…so even when you’re not paying a lot, you can at least know that you’re still in a safe part of the city.

Since we arrived in Rome in the evening, we found a nearby pizza place and headed to our Hostel for the night and eventually fell asleep. Then, at 3:43 am, we all awoke to our beds shaking violently and our phones falling off the table. “What’s going on?!’ we were all saying…turns out we were in the middle of the now famous Italian Earthquake of 2009. Now there is an Epic Eurotrip adventure right there!

What I love most about Italy are the people. Everyone is so happy and so nice. And the guys are stupidly gorgeous to look at. Take my advice, if ever you are going through a terrible break-up or divorce…go to Italy. Your self-esteem will be flying through the roof by the time you get back! The guys are always complimenting the girls and calling them Bella. Who wouldn’t love this place?!

Finally, the rain didn’t follow us and we basked in the sun for the rest of our trip (and got some good suntans…or burns.)

We decided to gather up our money and do the Hop On Hop Off bus tour around Rome. It was a great investment and we saw sooo much. When I caught the first glimpse of the Colosseum was when it finally hit me that I was seeing the world.

Unfortunately, it was Easter Weekend…so the place was packed. We met up with a friend who was studying there and she said she had never seen it this busy before. I guess we just had some really bad timing with visiting…oh well, it was totally worth it!

Right by the Piazza del Popolo there is an area with a ton of stairs. Climb them and look out across all of Rome. It’s amazing. If you keep walking it’ll take you to the Spanish Steps as well. It was one of my most favorite places.

We stayed at the Villa Dori…which, don’t be fooled when it says it’s in Venice. It’s not. In fact, it’s so far that you have to pay for a shuttle to take you there each day. Not a positive. But, the hotel is a very beautiful hotel, very enchanting and makes you wonder if you somehow entered the Clue game. So if staying outside of Venice in the countryside is more your style, than this is more your hotel. For four college girls with little funds…not so much.

Venice is very captivating with it’s ancient buildings and water. At night it becomes even more entrancing and a bit spooky. I felt like I was on a movie set…or a maze. It’s extemely easy to get lost so make sure you know your way around.

The best thing about Italy? Cheap, delicious pizza.

We only stayed in Venice for one night…mostly because as beautiful and captivating as it is…it’s not really fit for cheap college kids. It’s a very good, romantic place for honeymoons and couples though. When I saw that it was 60 Euros for a gondola ride, I vowed that someday I would come back with a significant other and we would ride that gondola. I’m determined.

Still, I’m glad we went.

We stayed at the Garden House Hostel. It was the best decision we’d made since beginning this journey through the world. The Hostel is beautiful, clean, the staff is extraordinary and so helpful, and the rooms were AMAZING. Best of all? Completely in a college kid’s budget. It’s a big out of the way if you’re looking for somewhere in the center of town…but it’s in a really safe neighborhood and only two blocks from the train station which leads right into town. Farther down the street from it is a park that has a few hiking trails that lead up to the top of a hill that has benches, a large cross (which you can see from the balcony at the hostel.)and a magnificent view of the city and surrounding areas. All I can say is STAY HERE. It’s beautiful.

A good tourist spot is the Parc Guell. It was really packed when we were there, but hopefully it’s not always like that. The view is amazing and I believe an episode of America’s Next Top Model was shot there. And of course, being 20/21 year old girls, we found a playground and played around for a good hour.

After finding our child within on the playground, we decided to head back to the center of town and go to Barceloneta, and go to THE BEACH! It was just as beautiful as I had imagined it. And there were surfers EVERYWHERE. It was my first real experience at a beach (a downfall of living in IOWA.)  and I was absolutely blown away. When walking to the beach we passed by a lot of little shops and restaurants, but there was a gelato shop and it was AMAZING. I have racked my brain trying to think of the name, and I can’t remember it. But it’s there, and it doesn’t have any doors, completely open and on a corner. Try to find it…it’s amazing.

One day we took an afternoon away from the beach and sightseeing and went to the Barcelona Aquarium. It’s perfect for families and so awesome. And after you’re done staring at sharks, eels, and octopuses, there’s a ton of activities and toys for little ones. And of course, since we’re kids at heart, we spent a good hour messing around on the rides and activities. It was an afternoon well spent.

The only downfall of the sunny, beachy Barcelona is the crime. We had three attempts of pickpocketers with one success. Poor Maggie got her wallet stolen on the train. It was very scary but luckily she was able to get everything figured out and luckily she wasn’t traveling with a credit card. Still scary though…I was really glad my parents instilled in me good travel tips about pickpocketers and such.

All in all, Barcelona is beautiful and makes for a great sunny holiday…when it’s not raining. Go there!

Originally we meant to be here for a few days, see the sites, be college tourists…but plans got changed when we realized we HATED the cold and instead of going to another cold place, we wanted to go to where the sun never sets and rain doesn’t exist….SPAIN. But because of this quick change of plans, we only got to spend one night in Amsterdam since our bus left the next morning. Turns out…sometimes all you need is a night in Amsterdam.

We stayed in the Hans-Brinker Hostel…my idea, since I had such a good time there in October.

Since I had already been there twice before, the girls looked to me for directions and good places to go. Little did they realize that the last time I was there it was in a large group and I was completely oblivious to where we were half the time anyway. This can be troubling…especially when trying to get from the bus station to our hostel at 530 in the morning.  But after biting it on train track (we all knew I was bound to fall eventually…), seeing a man with a bloody face by a McDonalds, seeing men with kilts EVERYWHERE we went, and getting barked at by drunk boys…we made it to our hostel…only to find out it wasn’t ready yet so we waited and had free breakfast in the cafeteria. (The best thing about that hostel…their FREE breakfast!) We decided to walk around and see what was around…there was a shop that sold all American and UK foods in which we almost cried in excitement. (Probably the only time in my life I’ll be that happy to see a Fruit by the Foot and Apple Jacks.) And the Blue Dolphin Coffeeshop, which is literally right down the street from the Hostel and by far one of my favorite spots in Amsterdam. The place has the most epic decorations you’ll ever see…it’s underwater themed.

Then the interesting drama filled night happened. We went to bed a bit early so we could get up freakishly early for our bus to Spain. In the Hans-Brinker they give you cheaper rooms the bigger they are, so we had two extra beds in our room with one random roommate. We named him ‘Darren’ although we never really knew what his name was. He was nice, studying in France and there for a holiday. Seemed like a nice, studious guy….the perfect victim for Amsterdam’s ways. at 4:30 am we wake up to find him in the pitch black darkness fighting with the lockers, trying to get his bag out. It was louder than a stampede, I swear. We thought we were getting robbed, and there is still speculation to this day if he had a friend with him or not. There is also speculation about whether or not he leaned in and stared at Kristin. Either way, it was one of the scariest nights. Althought nothing technically happened…we were scared to death. Just another great story from the wonderful city of Amsterdam. I always said I’d be back.

First off, we had NO IDEA that the Megabus from Liverpool to London was actually a BUS STOP. We were on the verge of a breakdown with about 10 minutes until our bus was to leave because we could not find the place. And then, we saw the bus pull up to a bus stop right down the street from us.  How lucky was that?! We took that as a sign that we were meant to go on this trip.

I figured out when I went to London just how used to it I was. Danielle and I were meeting the other two girls in Paris, so we were on our own in the grand ole town for the day until our bus left that night. Danielle had never been to London which I thought was criminal since she’s been here since September! I was suprised with how well I knew the layout and how unfazed I suddenly was with landmarks and sites. Although it was nice to bid my final farewell to that city, I know that someday I will find myself back there staring at Big Ben all over again.

Since we are poor college students, we researched a lot online about how to get to all of these places for the best price. We decided upon EuroLines current deal in which you pay about 140 Euros and for 16 days you have unlimited travel to wherever your heart can imagine. So that night we hopped on the overnight bus to Paris. It wasn’t too bad of a journey, only about 8 hours…but we did go through the chunnel. And I hate tunnels…so that was a blast.

When we first arrived in Paris…it was actually on the outskirts of the city. Gallieni, actually. We were lost and no one seemed to want to help us poor little American girls who can’t speak a word of French. Huh, wonder why! After buying the wrong train ticket and still having no clue what to do or how to get to the airport, we decided to find a bus. After about an hour or so of trying to find the airport…we get a text from our friends about to take off that they’re actually arriving at a completely different airport that is 1 1/2 hours away…so we decide to not meet them and instead go to the Eiffel Tower. A much better meeting point.

When I first saw the Eiffel Tower I actually didn’t even realize it! Terrile, I know…but I just was so out of it from hours of traveling. Danielle and I set up camp on a bench by some apartments with a perfect view of it. And that’s when we experienced the first of many, many people who want your money. “You speak English?” a pretty innocent, Arabic girl asks…”Yes…” we reply, innocent and unknowing of her tactics. She hands us a letter and we read it thinking that she needs help reading it. Nope. The note speaks about how she’s left alone in Paris and her entire family is dead and she needs money. We tell her politely that we only have cards…no money. ‘I’ll take cards…” she replies. We just look at each other and walk away…only to be asked about FIFTY BILLION TIMES from FIFTY BILLION girls just like that in the next three days there. After awhile it almost because a game to come up with new answers…the best one being ‘NO I DONT SPEAK ENGLISH!”

It’s not only these girls who try to get your money. There are also men who will come up to you, grab your arm and stick a colorful bracelet on it and then ask you to pay for it. I learned that if you just keep telling them that you don’t have money while they’re tying it on you, they’ll eventually take it off and leave you alone. Free bracelets are not in their vocabulary. Neither are free roses, do not take them even when the guy says that ‘It’s gift for you!’ He is lying.

If you ever get a chance to go to Paris, go up the Eiffel Tower. Yes, it costs money but it’s completely worth it. Unless you are afraid of heights. Even I got a bit freaked out on the elevator to the third level. Eek.

The tower at night is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed. As is the Louvre. I was severely dissappointed when I didn’t have enough time to see as much of it as I’d liked. But, I am determined to go back and spend a week in there if I have to!

If you are a poor college student traveling around Paris make sure you don’t stay anywhere near the shopping center or huge landmarks…the prices for hotels are ridiculous. We stayed at Woodstock Hostel for only a few euro a night and it was surprisingly nice. And the hot chocolate is AMAZING.

All in all, Paris was grand. A bit cold…and rainy…but I couldn’t help but keep saying to everyone’…We’re in PARIS!’

More to come later…once I work on my final assignments….

Abby

I miss England. I miss exploring new streets and restaurants and finding shops and tasting strange and exotic dishes. I miss shopping in Liverpool and most of all, I miss my friends and teachers and everyone who made waking up each day in England bareable.

It was everything…knowing that even I did nothing but sit and eat cookies,I was still eating cookies…in England.AndI was still only a train ride away from Paris and Italy and famous works of art and museums that held things beyond my wildest dreams…all…just right there.

My time back has been good. I’ve caught up with a alot of friends that I missed, gotten involved in some great stuff and I’m slowly returning to life as usual. Ish.

It’s just hard. But I will not stop adventuring.

Dearest readers,

I am deeply sorry for not writing. There didn’t seem much to write about after I went home for break, seeing as how I wasn’t in England anymore, and then when I finally returned for the second semester my laptop decided to crash. After much patience and many phone calls pleading to my parents to send me the system restart CD, my laptop is finally back to its usual self and I can finally update! Although, this time, I am sadly without Catie. L

It is extremely weird to be here without her. We planned this whole thing together and I never thought in a million years that I could ever do this alone. As much as I miss her, I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Being here by myself, representing my home institution all on my own, is a big thing for me. And I’m already becoming so much more of an independent and stronger person than ever before.

Now to update on things happening! Last December, right before I went home for the holidays, I had the chance to go to Dublin, Ireland with a few of my friends. This was a big trip for me because ever since I was a little Irish dancing girl hopping my way through competitions and reading anything I could get my hands on about the country, I had always dreamed of visiting Ireland. It was a ton of fun, we stayed at a very nice hostel that was close to the center of town. I highly recommend you make sure you know exactly where your hostel is when choosing one because we saw some that were way out from the center of town. We were only there for a weekend, so we really only had one full day there. We spent it wisely though and, as any college kids would do, we went to the Guinness Factory. It was a trip of a lifetime and if you ever get the chance to go to Dublin, definitely visit the factory. We even got to pour our own pints at the end, complete with a signed certificate! I’m planning on framing it. J The one thing I do regret is only having about a day and a half there. I’m hoping to make it back there this semester and hopefully go to more of the countryside.

So far, there are no big trips planned. My parents are coming to visit in March and they plan on taking me to Scotland. And hopefully *fingers crossed* Catie will be able to come visit for spring break and we can finally go to Italy.

It is extremely weird being here without the Americans from last semester. Only three of us stayed for the full year and now we are surrounded by the newbies. Luckily, all of them are awesome and we have already formed many friendships. But it is hard to have such a dramatic change. I never realized that coming here would not only give me worldly experience, but the chance to make life-long friendships with people from all over the country and the world. And for that, I am forever grateful to the person who thought up the idea of studying abroad.

That is all for now. More later…and this time I won’t take so long I promise! (No, seriously Catie, I won’t take so long next time!)

Abby

For those of you who don’t already know, I had to leave early this semester, and I will not be returning to Edge Hill next semester. I loved my time here, but certain factors in my life have caused me to reevaluate what the best decision for me is, and after weeks of debating and many, many sleepless nights, I have decided that returning home is the best option for me.

This has not come easily. Abby and I have grown in so many ways while I’ve been here. It is almost impossible to find the words to express the amazing adventure we’ve had together, and saying goodbye to not only my best friend but the person I’ve relied on the most while here is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. There is nothing I can say to express how grateful I am to Abby for understanding, nor can I ever express how much her friendship has meant to me for the past three years.

We planned this and waited for this together for so long, and for my journey to be cut short so abruptly is really hard. I wanted to be there for our planned spring adventures, but I will have to instead pass the torch to Abby. I know she will do all of the things that we hoped we would do, and I could not be more excited for her to experience such wonderful things. I intend on coming back to visit as well, so those adventures will be carefully recorded for posterity as well I can.

Saying goodbye to England is difficult, especially because this time, instead of a short goodbye, it is a final one. I promise that I will come back on my own terms, when things in my life are sorted and I can enjoy my time here more fully. It’s not that I didn’t–I loved every minute of it. I have learned so much not only about differences of culture, but also about myself. Some of these revelations haven’t been so wonderful, but realizing this, I have also I think grown up a little.

This choice, in particular, is one that made me think hard about who I am and what is most important to me. It is difficult to say from my perspective that I have made the right choice, but I feel that I have. You can only be sure of things after-the-fact, and the fact is that right now, my heart is breaking. I just hope its for the right reasons.

We will continue the blog, don’t worry about that. I trust that Abby will update often, and I will live vicariously through her for awhile. I will continue to update, too. Iowa may not be as exciting as Amsterdam, but my belief is that every day, no matter where you are, can be an adventure. This blog has been my sanity and my outlet for the time I’ve been here, and we would like to thank our readers for coming back and taking interest in this great adventure.

And I want to thank everyone:

The amazing American students who became my family in only 2 months, the fantastic British students who welcomed us with open arms, and the people lesser known: The cookie guy, who makes the most amazing shortbread, Anthony, the guy who runs the hat shop and told me of his adventures traveling and how he spent 20 years doing nothing but, Tom, the awkward science fiction fan who bonded with me over vintage clothes, Robbie, the biker with a heart of gold who broke his leg in Iowa and once got chased into Portugal by the Spanish police–they were only in my life for brief minutes, but its the stories like this, the memories that I made here not only seeing the sights but being welcomed by such amazing people is what I will miss the most.

It is unfortuanate that the fates should colide at such a juncture in my life, but I believe, as hard as it was to come to this point, that I have chosen the right path. Someday, I will return, England.

This adventure isn’t over yet.