Home again, home again...

My god, I have never been so happy to see Oakland! After a million hours flying I finally made it home last night and couldn't be happier to be here. Until Friday that is, when I get to see everyone!

Thanks so much to all of you for keeping in touch with me, it meant so much to know you were all behind me in my fight against the evil train station agents of Europe. Also thanks to all of you who gave me advice, books, bags, euros, and everything else; I hope I can return the favor sometime. Except for the euros, I spent every last cent, god bless duty free shopping! I swear I was thisclose to buying a diamond ring at the airport...

And so, in the grand tradition of Walt, it is now time to announce the winner of our secret contest! For making the most blog comments (aside from my mom I think, but unfortunately family members of Bevco, Int'l. employees are prohibited from entry), the winner winner chicken dinner is: SHELLEY! Or any kind of dinner you want girl, we'll set something up when you're back in town. And you also get one week of free vacation at the Bevco villa in Tuscany (James, I picked out some nice possibilities, we'll need to go over the numbers)...

Okay, off to catch up on Tivo and have dinner with the fam, CAN'T WAIT to see you on Friday!

Lotsa love,
Bev

Found em!

How could I miss the hookers, they are right there in the window! It is seriously crazy, there are a few blocks where the ladies are in these street level window rooms, like the size of a phone booth. They're mostly wearing lingerie and they are just waiting for someone to come buy them I guess. Some were filing their nails or doing their make up or whatever, it was hot. Walt, the only price I heard mentioned was 50 euro but I don't know what that was for, use your imagination...and sadly no male escorts, can I get some gender equity over here please?!

So after I checked the red light district off of my list of things to do I did EVEN MORE souvenir shopping, I can't believe I had it in me. But I did such a good job of packing and not picking up too much stuff along the way that with only a day and a half to go I am gonna make sure that backpack is crammed full. Wooden shoes for everyone!

Yesterday I had a few more things on my list: Van Gogh Museum (loved it, bought a poster that will be a total pain on the plane), the Heineken Museum (10 euro and you get three free beers, and a free Heine glass to take home, luckily in a cute tin so it may make it home in one piece), and guess what, just a little more shopping. Then I bought myself a nice steak dinner (they seem to be really big on the Argentinian steakhouses here) to give me energy for the last little leg of the trip, and got on the right tram and off at the right stop so I found the hostel just fine.

Today I'm going to try to visit the Anne Frank house and then I'll take the tram to the train station to the airport to London, then my very own hotel room with private bath, back to the airport tomorrow morning, stop over in ATL and then HOME!!!!!!!! Can't wait!

Oh yeah, and I got my nose pierced. See ya soon!

Stooflvees is not stroopwafel.

Dude, Dutch is hard. It is like no other language I've ever seen, except maybe Swedish. Imagine if everywhere you went and everything you wanted to buy or eat or whatever was labeled with Ikea signs, it is crazy. They don't even look like real words!

So that is how I ended up with french fries with what seemed to be stew on top (stooflvees) for lunch and a crepe filled with chicken, BBQ sauce, and what I swear was fruit cocktail for dinner. But you know what, I am them both. Happy Ann? I forgot to tell you I also had carpaccio in Italy, I loved that. And I tried but couldn't get a hold of any escargots in France, they're slippery little suckers (ten points to the first person to name that quote! Shel, I'm countin on you.)...

Today was great, I went to a flea market that was hardly crappy at all, and then to a really cool museum that is in an old church. It wasn't exactly what I expected (the theme for the day) but they had a really neat exhibit comparing the same themes in art from all different cultures. It had a pie chart showing how you should view it though, that stressed me out a little...now I'm in the old city center and still on the hunt for hookers, wish me luck!

Mybe the Christians aren't so bad after all!

Ha ha, just kiddin Rachey! But seriously, this Christian hostel I ended up in (I decided it would be good to have a place in Amsterdam where there craziness is def left outside) is the best so far. The people are so nice and helpful, and it is super clean. I'm sure glad "the lord" called them to run a flop house! I saw through their offer of a free dinner and a "program" though, so don't worry I'm not getting brainwashed into their lifestyle.

Other than that Amsterdam is good so far. I headed to what the guidebook called the young hip area last night and it was def both of those things. I hung out at a coffeeshop for a while and got stuck talking to this old American guy who seems to have fully embraced the hippie lifestyle here. I passed on his offer of a boat ride today though, I didn't dodge the Christians just to let myself get kidnapped! Then I had dinner (sushi finally, yay!) and bought even more souvenirs and headed back to the hostel. Got super lost for the first time but found a police station (first time ever in one mom, I promise) and they helped me out. Now I'm off to see some more sights and wrap up my last wknd of vacation!

Mon dieu!

Wow, Paris has been great! I'm sorry Leah, I tried to hate the frogs on your behalf but they pretty much stayed out of my way. I did pick up the souvenir that you and Olav loved, I'm sure my almost two year old nephew will love it! Not saying that you guys were mesmerized by a child's toy or anything...

So in the last two days I've spent about 15 hours total in museums (Louvre, Rodin, and D'Orsay) and I have officially seen more art than you can shake a stick at. It was all amazing though, I've probably seen more masterpieces since yesterdya afternoon than ever before in my life. And I probably only saw about half of what was available in all of them. But I think I def got my money's worth out of France and I'm heading to Amsterdman tomorrow, where I plan to get my culture at the Heiniken brewery (free beer and snacks, just the thing for a budget traveler).

Ay yi yi, I can't even think straight, my last stop was the impressionist wing and so my brain has sort of taken on a soft, blurry tone. Goodnight guys, talk to you soon!

Bellisima!

Wow, I have to say yesterday was one of the best birthdays I've ever had, but I've been saying that every year since I met you guys, right?

The weather turned out to be gorgeous of course, but I'm still really glad I came into town from the campground. My little single room (number 27, coincidentally) was perfect, and in a fun area. I spent the day walking all over the island and buying lots of presents, mostly for others but I did get myself a nice handbag and I can't wait to say "Oh this old thing? Just something I picked up in Venice..." By the end of my wandering I was pretty beat so I hopped on a waterbus (and I even paid this time!) to head back to my neighborhood, and the ticket price was totally worth it as it went right past the Campanile, one of the iconic images of Venice (as seen in the picture hanging above my bed) and one of the main things I was hoping to see on my trip.

After that I relaxed a little, toasted myself with some nice prosecco, and went out to a lovely dinner, all in all just about a perfect day. And when I got back to the B&B I found that my mom had called to thoroughly embarass me by telling the guy in reception that it was my birthday, so I had a nice little Italian serenade and then it was off to bed.

I have most of the day here and I'm going to see if I can get myself over to Murano before hopping the night train to Paris! Ciao Italia, thanks for everything!

Happy birthday to me!

You know how I like to play my little "Where was I five years ago?" "Where do I think I'll be five years from now?" game on my birthday? Well if you had asked me when I was 22 if I thought I'd be sitting at an internet cafe in Venice on my 27th birthday the answer would have probably been to laugh in your face. But I love that, seeing how far off the track you can get but still being so happy. Makes me really excited to see where I'll be at 32!

After being trappe din the tent for a full day, with two more days of rain in the forecast I decide dto treat myself to a night in town and I found a great B&B right near the train station for only 50 euros, which is amazing. It is walking distance to everything and after all the time lying down and reading yesterday I really need to get out there and stretch my legs. Love and miss you all, wish so much you were here to share the day with me! Looking forward to celebrating when I get back!

Rain rain, go away...

Okay, the thunderstorm last night was kind of exciting and pretty bearable as my tent is totally waterproof (amazing) and I had a stock of cheese and Nutella, but now after a full day of rain the charm is wearing off. And it looks like Venice will be pretty waterlogged (well I mean more so than usual) until I leave on Tuesday night so that should be fun.

But Saturday was a great day once I got out of the train station. I really think that the lack of cars makes Venice seem a lot less overwhelming, and so I was able to walk around and see some of the sights and pick up some more souvenirs. I ended the day with a nice bottle of prosecco in a lovely little square off the tourist track, so it was really the sort of European experience I've been looking for since I got here. I actually think it was my best day so far.

The rain started just as I got to the bus stop to return to the campground, and pretty much hasn't let up since. So much for one more day by the pool! But this has been a great little break and I'll def be ready to take on Paris in a couple days, which should be more of the crazy running around that I did in Rome.

Not much more to say today, since I've spent just about all of it reading in my tent. Luckily there is a restaurant here so I'm going to go see about a nice hot dinner. Mmmmm, minestrone...

Fuck it, I'm going to Paris!

Despite a long term hatred of all things Francais (I spit on you Madame Eichman, French teacher from hell!), it seems that the direct trains from Venice are limited to only a few cities, so Paris it is! At least that was the best I could come up with, the Italian trian agents are useless. I've found that you have to ask at least three times to get a straight answer: "Do you have any maps of trains outside of Italy?" "No just Italy." "But I picked up this brochure of your trains to Switzerland, do you have other brochures like this?" "No only Switzerland." "Can you tell me what other countries I can get to direct from Venice?" "Here are brochures with maps for France, Germany, and Austria, go away."

I had to laugh when I booked my ticket because that was nowhere near my plan, but that's the fun of backpacking I guess. I'm taking and overnight train on Tuesday (so I sure hope I can get an extra night at the campsite here in Venice), and then will stay one or two nights in Paris (insert your own Hilton joke here). Nuts! But hopefully I can figure out the deal with reservations at the Louvre if necessary, so it doesn't just turn into another world class museum that I skip due to lines, ha ha. From there onto Amsterdam and then HOME!

My gondola awaits...

Actually, at about $75/hr for a ride it is going to be waiting an awfully long time, but I'm sure I will enjoy it from afar. I spent all day yesterday at the campground pool which was relaxing and fantastic. So I am getting my first real crack at the city today, but it looks very walkable so I should be good without a personal gondolier, though I will miss the singing...

My first stop when I get into town will be the train station because (and I imagine this will be about the only time in my life I will say this) I don't know what country to go to next! I was planning on Belgium but hostels in Brussels look pretty pricey so I'm open to other suggestions. I'm sure I'll figure it out after some quality time with the internet/guidebook/train schedule though, and actually it is pretty exciting to have so many options. Too bad stupid France is in the way, or I'd hop over to Spain for a few days.

Okie dokie, gotta go catch the bus (and another bus), luckily the ticket system here is as lax as everywhere else in Italy, so I'm saving lots of money on public transpo :-)

Love and miss you all!

How do you say "bug spray" in Italian?

Well, Florence wrapped up nicely and here I am in Venice! Still didn't get into any major museums due to huge lines but I saw the Duomo about 15 times to make up for it. I swear, it is an astonishing piece of architecture, but eventually it just turns into a big neon sign flashing "You are walking in circles!" But hey, at least I'm walking in circles in Florence, where there is great shopping around every corner. That was probably my favorite city so far, but I have high hopes for Venice. Especially that mosquito repellant is readily avaialable and does not cost an arm and a leg. Well I guess it doesn't matter, if they want these bumpy, itchy arms and legs they can have them!

Other than the mosquitos (which actually were a problem in the hostels too since nobody ever closes the windows), camping is still terrific. Because I stayed with the same chain I got a deal and so I rented out both beds to have the tent to myself for just a few euro more than I would have paid in a dorm type hostel, score! And this place is a bit more resort like, with a pool and bar etc., so I think I'll just rest up here tomorrow and attack Venice the next day. If the mosquitos don't carry me off first.

Gosh, totally brain dead now, it has been a looooong day (but awesome--I frickin woke up in Florence and am going to bed in Venice)...good night all, talk to you soon!

Who would have thought that camping would make me feel better?

So when I went to book my hostel for Florence pickings were getting kind of slim, but some girls at the hostel recommended a camping place, where they have platform tents and a great view of the city. I figured it couldn't be any worse than the hostels so what the hell, right?

And you know what? It is fantastic! The tents are for two people but nobody ever showed up to share mine (and actually the price is low enough that you couold buy both beds for only about 10 euro more than the hostel), so it was the first privacy I've had since I left Leah's. There are cots with thick foam pads and they are just as confortable as the crappy bunkbeds I've been in up to this poitn. And finally there are decent showers where you actually have enough room to work without touching the gross walls. I was able shave my legs for the first time in a week!

I also met a nice American girl who is traveling alone so we had dinner and are checking out the city together today, which is just what I needed. I know that this is a great opportunity to meet people from other countries and talk to them, but honestly half the time you cannot do anything beyond chit chat due to the language barrier, and going over and over the "Where are you from? Where have you been? Where are you going?" gets old really fast. It's been nice to be able to have an actual full conversation!

Florence is just as gorgeous but much less crowded than Rome, so I'm really enjoying it so far. There is more art on the street here than in all of the museums of SF I think, it is amazing. The two main museums have giant lines, but I'm going to see if I can make reservations to catch those later. Today I'm just getting the feel of the place and checking out the awesome markets for souvenirs. I also have a list of about six Mail Boxes Etc. so I am bound and determined to find a place to ship some of this crap home (so I can start refilling my backpack of course).

So all in all, I'm loving this place. It is beautiful and accessible, and people have been so helpful so far. I think I'll probably stay a third night here and then head to the sister campsite in Venice, which has a pool and should be a great place to relax. I was getting overwhelmed with running from place to place so I think I'll probably cut out a couple of stops (Switzerland still uses francs and I just can't handle another currency at this point), but I still have so much to see and do in the next week and a half! I think I finally feel prepared for it though.

Oh and when I got to the internet place (only downside about the camping is that their comms are really pricey) I realized I had bird shit in my hair, but that's means good luck, right?

Love and miss you all, wish you were here!

And then I started crying.

Well, this did not exactly turn out to be the relaxing day at the beach I had hoped!

Yesterday I asked a guy at the information desk at the train station where I could go to the beach. His English seemed quite good, and he asked me if I wanted to swim and so I thought we were definitely on the same page. Apparently we were not. Unless they have swimming at the airport, because that is where he told me to buy a ticket for. He wrote it down for me and everything!

Luckily I decided to double check this morning (after I had already bought my ticket of course, but it was only 10 euro) and the lady in the ticket office looked at me like I was crazy when I asked here what stop to get off at for the beach. She didn't think much better of me when I started weeping either, ha ha. I was just so tired and frustrated and all I wanted to do was lay in the sun and read my book and I just couldn't contain myself, but at least they were just the leaky tears, not big sobs. So, with 3 desk agents discussing the crazy American girl in rapid fire Italian, it was finally decided that I should go to Ostia, wherever the hell that is. But no problem, she wrote the directions down for me! And we all know how succesful that was the first time, right?

This time the trouble came when I needed to switch trains, and the station had no less that three different types to choose from (imagine BART, Caltrain, and Amtrak all at the same station, with very few signs and even fewer employees). So I walked and walked and walked through their underground maze of tunnels, and finally found another ticket agent and of course he said I needed to turn around and go all the way back to where I started. On the plus side, I had only bought one metro ticket by this point, because nobody in Rome seems to care at all if you have a ticket or not. Which is good, because I was hopping on and off trains and buses like it was going out of style. Eventually I saw signs for the Ostia train and guess what? There were four different stops. So I decided just to follow the two girls across from me who were in their beach gear, and who had been discussing the stops in Italian with the lady sitting next to them.

That seemed like a great plan until it became obvious that they didn't know where they were going either. At that point I decided to stop stalking them and actually ask them where they were going, and they kindly agreed to let me follow along. They were Austrian and were effortlessly switching from Italian to English to German, it made me feel like a total dunce but they were obviously smarter than I am so I was happy to be with them.

One last bus ride and we were finally at the beach. And it had only taken me 3 hrs to go about 15 miles. It wasn't a glorious Mediterranean retreat (because it was the Tyrrhenian Sea), but it was better than nothing and I had a few nice hours before I started the trip back. It was a lot easier since, as the saying goes "All roads lead to Rome," right? And now I am back safe and sound at my home away from home: the internet cafe.

And tomorrow I'll be heading to Florence! I'm looking forward to it because I hope the pace will be slower than Rome. I really am enjoying myself but there is so much to see that it is just overwhelming, and with all the logistics to sort out it seems an awful lot like work actually. But I'm sure I'll get the hang of everything, just in time to come home.

Buono sera (sp?)...

Apparently the internet = terrorism

So the Italian government is obviously just as nutty as ours in the good old US of A, because they have decreed that hostels cannot offer internet access as a means of reducing terrorism. Mmkay...so here I sit at an internet cafe, where I think they just charge you at whim, always a good thing for a traveler on a budget! But you know I just could not miss a chance to rub Rome in your faces...

Sidebar: keyboards her are weird, especially those that have been bashed to death by a million internet cafe visitors. So please excuse typos and lack of punctation.

Okie dokie, so to bring you up to speeds, yesterday I visited the Tower of London (what a downer, all they talk about is murder and torture, etc.) and then began the loooooong journey to Rome. Flying was still better than trying to take a train, but it took one London city bus, one airport shuttle, one hundred miles of walking in the airport (which was essentially a cattle yard, total madness), one airplane, one more shuttle and thankfully a very short walk to the hostel. Which kind of sucks ass. Aside from the lack of internet, it is in a pretty old building and it kind of stinks. The room is about the same as London though, which means dormtastic. On the plus side the showers are slightly better (no button) and you can actually control the temp yourself, as opposed to London where the only option was "too fucking hot for this muggy climate."

So! Feeling nice and clean and dry for the first time in about 3 days I set out into Rome this morning. I started out at a popular flea market called Porta Portese and let's just say I could have gotten almost the same experience at Lake Merritt BART. So I bought pirated DVDs for everyone! Too bad you won't be able to play them in America. Actually all I bought was a shawl for myself, I gotta get crackin on the souvenir hunting.

God, I can't believe that was only this morning, because I have basically been everywhere since then. I'm a total dumbass and didn't note the fact that most museums and sites are closed on Mondays in Rome, so I had to hit a lot of stuff today since I'm planning to leave Tues morning-ish.

So the list: Piazza Venezia, Roman Forum (and a couple other random forums)/Palatino, Colosseum, San Pietro in Vincoli, a nice lunch at Chinese place (I tell ya, these Italians sure know their lemon chicken), Palazzo Barberini and the Galleria d'Arte Antica, Piazza della Repubblica and the Museo Nazionale Romano, and now this lovely internet joint around the corner from the hostel. It is impossible to tell how much ground I actually covered but I estimate it to be roughly a lot. Roman public trans is cool, you basically don't have to pay. I did because I'm a sucker, but I'll be damned if I can figure out what to do with the day travelcard (no machines to run it through, etc). I guess it is the honor system. And speaking of, they aren't to hip to honor here because one of the first things I witnessed was the guy next to me on the bus getting pickpocketed (Mom, DO NOT tell Dad!). Overhearing his convo, it sounded like he didn't have anything for the thief to grab when he stuck his hand in his pocket, but he was all pissed off, which is pretty funny in a British accent.

I think I'm gonna head back to the hostel now and relax for a bit, and probably go grab dinner (there is a Korean BBQ place around the corner :-). Don't worry, I'll get to the authentic Italian cuisine soon, I just need my Asian fix after being away from Berkeley for a week. May try to go check out a couple more places tonight that I think will be nice all lit up (Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps), but who knows. If everything works out I'm going to the beach tomorrow (1/2 hr by train), and trust me, a day of lying down in the sun is just what this girl needs.

Love and miss each and every one of you, even those of you who usually piss me off ha ha. I'm a tiny bit lonely at times but looking forward to seeing you all when I get home is terrific. Can't wait!

Like I have time for HTML

Okay guys, I want to give blog Princess Leah (she loves to be called that!) a shout out and a link, but I am sure not getting into coding on vacation so here it is:

http://www.leahandolavgotoengland.blogspot.com/

Check it out for updates on her recent super fun house guest!

LOVE YA LEAH AND OLAV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One country down, three (or four or five) to go!

Well if I do say so myself I saw the shit out of London over the past two days! It was by no means enough time to do this city justice, but hey it is more than I would have seen if I didn't come, right? Today I went to Picadilly Circus (no scary clowns thank goodness), and then walked for seven hours. I went through lots of tourist areas, like Trafalgar Square, Chinatown, and Porntown (Jen, tell Zach I bought him a present!) but also saw some of what I think are more "regular" people areas so that was great. After a while I decided to sit down and have a beer (a nice imported Corona) and then I was going to walk to my next destination but I hopped on the tube instead to go one stop. And I swear to god, when I got out of the next station I could see the restaurant I was just at. Well I guess even a few minutes off your feet is better than nothing, and at least I got some more use out of my day travelcard.

So about 1000 miles (don't believe the hype, they use miles here, not km) later I found may way to the lovely Fortune Theatre and saw a play called "The Lady in Black" which has been running for over 15 years here, so I guess they think it's great. Me, not so much. But it was decent and half price, good enough for me!

Tomorrow I'm just going to wrap up a few things in the morning and then fly to Rome in the afternoon. Ho hum, just another Saturday for me!

Okay, that was different.

Just had to write a quick post about the hostel experience so far. Leah, it is nothing like the Shakesperience! It will probabably take some getting used to. And they could use more lasers.

The strangest thing so far has been the shower. You know how sinks in public bathrooms have that "water only runs when you hold the button" thing? Imagine trying to take a shower in that situation. Not the easiest thing ever, but hey at least there's hot water (if you hold the button long enough), right? A little tip from me to you: leaning back against it is the way to go but still kinda sucks. It's all part of the adventure though, right?

So now it's almost 11pm and I think I'm just going to call it a night so I can get a good start on tomorrow. Maybe I'll get to chat with my roommates before bed and learn about the far off places they are from (Redwood City and Los Gatos)...

Toto, I don't think we're in Leamington anymore.

Wow, now I feel like I'm really getting started on the grand tour! London is totally amazing. I know that's kind of a useless description but that's how I feel. It is just so obviously not America, so it is really setting in that I'm a long, long way from home, but in a fantastic way.

Leah and I took the train in this afternoon (about 1.5 hrs) and I got myself settled in the hostel. Meaning I claimed an upper bunk in the 8 person room (about the size of mine back home, crazy), threw my backpack down, and ran out to grab a pint ha ha. I had to get my courage up for the London Dungeon and let me tell you it was a thrill a minute, especially the pyrotechnics! I will never think of the plague in the same way again, that's for sure! Then it was a quick hop on the tube (I know you'll be shocked, but it's far superior to BART) over to the British Museum. Of course they were having a special event so the most popular galleries were closed, but I saw the Rosetta Stone from just outside the space where it is and a nice guard even snapped a close up pic for me. I also saw a replica in another part of the museum, and can you believe that Leah licked it? She is one crazy girl!

But that crazy girl has taken her leave of me and now I'm on my own, watch out London! I'm a little nervous but mostly really excited to see how I do (don't worry mom, I'll be fine). Heading back to the hostel now, hoping to hit the rooftop hot tub, and then make some plans for tomorrow. Updates may be less frequent now, but more action packed!

8 people to a room? Seriously?

So tomorrow I begin the actual backpacking portion of the trip, yikes! Goodbye privacy, hello earplugs! I'm giving the eight person room a shot in London since prices are so crazy expensive here, wish me luck. I figure if I survived a whole semester in the eight girl room in the sorority house, two nights here should be manageable, right? RIGHT?

Super fabulous Leah is heading into town with me and we're planning to check out the London Dungeon (dragon free since 1723!) and/or the British Museum. If it is anything like our trip to Stratford-upon-Avon today, I'm sure there will be a fantastic lunch and much confusion about which old church we are actually in at the moment (luckily only a couple of you will know the difference when I show you pictures). Hopefully fewer vicious swan attacks though.

Hmmm, I'm running out of steam since I hardly slept last night (note to self: reread Peavy's email re: sleeping pills; thank her again for her wonderful advice). My body is still totally confused about what time it is, and to be honest, between the 24 hour clocks everywhere and trying to figure out what time it is back home I barely know myself. It's definitely bedtime though!

Love and miss you all bunches!

Authentic English pub: check!

Just checked out a local pub here in Leamington and I managed all of one beer before they shut down at 11:30. Apparently if you're a local you can get "locked in" which means the place is officially closed but you can stick around and keep spending money for a couple more hours. I guess Leah, Lisa (L&O's neighbor from Michigan) and I didn't really qualify though, so here we are back home. Tomorrow is Stratford-upon-Avon, birthplace of Mr. William T. Shakespeare! I'm very excited to see that and then I'll be heading into London on Thursday. Okay, I have to go to the bathroom so no time to be cute, I'll talk at you all later! Love and miss you!

PS, Thanks for all the comments guys, I love feeling so in touch with you from so far away...hope you suckers are having fun at work!

And now we return to our regular (possibly boring) reports...

I was going to keep a journal of the things I've done and seen, but now that I have this snazzy new blog I'll just write here, and you can skip over the boring stuff...like the flight report:

The first leg to Atlanta was just fine. The plane was fairly empty so there was plenty of room to stretch out and enjoy the latest Ashton Kutcher tour de fource: "A Lot Like Love." Sorry Demi, I give your BF a thumbs down :-( Seriously, do they need to try to make these flights worse? To add insult to injury, the movie on the second leg was "Monster-in-Law" for goodness sake. Like it isn't hard enough to sleep without Jennifer Lopez yapping at me. Oh well, that's why god invented sleeping pills I guess (thanks for the tip Peavy!). The pseudo-pot roast and mashed potatoes they served for dinner were surprisingly decent though.

So I made it to Gatwick and got through passport control (guess that warrant hasn't shown up on the international records yet, heh) and the first thing I saw when I got through customs was a reporter rushing over to ask me if I'd come from America, and if so had I been affected by the hurricane. Over 6000 miles away and that is still all they're talking about! Unfortunately after 15 hours of traveling I wasn't quick enough on my feet to make up a sad story and tell the British public where they could send their donations to help me rebuild.

Olav picked me up just a few minutes later and we made the 2 hour drive back to Leamington Spa. Five airports in the London area and I manage to pick the one that is furthest from them, good job Bev! But both Leah and Olav have been incredibly gracious so far, and I appreciate their hospitality and generosity so much, especially since this is probably the last place I'll have a private bed and bath for three weeks.

Today Leah and I visited Warwick, the next town over and home to a very impressive castle and church. I'll show you about 50 pictures of them when I get home, you'll be thrilled! Now we're back at their place and planning on dinner and a pub, wish me luck! I hear these English people are serious about their drinking...

So hopefully that walked the fine line between boring you to death and rubbing your nose in the amazing time I'm having so far! I miss you all so much already and can't wait to see you again, I just wish I didn't have to come home to do it, ha ha. Talk to you soon!

Look at me now!

So not only have I embarked on the biggest vacation of my life (so far), but I've gone and got myself a blog! Proving that she truly is the hostess with the mostest (a title I gladly hand over), Leah got me all set up here at blogger. I think this will be the very best way to keep you all updated on how things are going, cutting down on the copying an pasting for me and the annoying emails for you. So swing by if you want to know where I'm at and what I'm up to!