I cried several times on my flight back to the US (I guess once you open the flood gates it is hard to close them again huh?), appreciative of the gift of travelling to so many amazing places that I have been able to enjoy (along with the help and generosity of many others – namely my mom and stepdad for watching Bun, Ginnie and my pile of crap in their house while I have been away). Not only have I learned quite a bit about myself, but I have seen the wonders life still has available and equal to it the challenges that are universal across all cultures. I hope I can carry much from this experience forward with me and that the healing, the grace and the willingness to be a part of humanity again continue. (The last thing I want is to fall back into old patterns, so slap me silly if it starts to happen!)
I am not sure how to capture this elated feeling of gratitude in words on a page, but the blessings have filled up my heart. I know so many people don’t get this opportunity – I am grateful you have allowed me to share my adventure with you. As I replay the last few months in my head, there is so much that I think went by so quickly, so much time that seemed to stand still, so much I learned, and so much that I am in complete awe of. From many of the places I visited to the people I met, the most important thing I learned is that food, drink, art, and company are vital elements to daily life. I want to continue these little traditions I have established of going out, writing in cafes, seeing operas, attending museums, and I am excited that I get to subject you all to all of it as my guests!
For some that will be sooner, rather than later, and for others – I hope to see you soon, my friends. For now, I tried to list out the cities I visited starting with the first, Madrid, and ending with the last, London and all of the glorious wonders in between. Each carries a special message and meaning for me that I hope to integrate back into life in the States because some things are just hard to capture in a story or a picture, I think the best way to capture the essence of something is to share it with the ones you love.
On this Thanksgiving,
I send you all my best
Madrid
Wut up Espanya?
See the city
or pics of the Real Jardin Gardens
Lisbon
Sucks ARSE!
See for yourself
Ericeira and Villa Vista
Gorgeous Beach and Villa
But this is what a hurricane in the US does to the beaches on the other side of the world – good to know!
Obidos
Oh my GOSH!
Still my favorite place for Pics so Far
Barcelona
Barcelona in the House!
City Sights
Sagrada Familia Pics
Parc Guell Pics
Montserrat Pics
Marseille
Home of French Hip Hop
City Sights, Churches, and cool Forts
Nice
Nice is Nice!
A Beautiful City with La Plage and Vieux Port
especially La Colline du Chateau
the Churches and their Dead People
and of course Marc Chagall
Firenze (Florence)
Firenze Frenzy!
Just a simple and beautiful city
with enormous churches
like the Cathedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore
or the Basilica di Santa Croce
Palazzo Piitti
Great FOOD cooking and of course
The Statue of David
La Spezia
On the way to Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre
Manarola is part of the Five Villages
Corniglia is Town number three
Doesn’t seem like it should take an hour-and-a-half to get to Village Four – Vernazza!
Monterosso is the last of the Five Villages
Riomaggiore is town number one, but didn’t spend much
time there after a land slide
Lucca
Very old city
with beautiful views of Tuscany
Tuscana
Siena
Poggio Alloro
San Gimignano
Pisa
Rome in a Day
Munich
Athens
Santorini
Milano
Lago Iseo
Venice
Firenze – so good I had to visit twice!
Chianti
Paris
London
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