Yes, it has been exactly one year, one month, and one day since I last wrote, but I'M BACK! So much has happened, where do I even begin? Here is my attempt to fill you in on the rest of my trip and the past year since then in 15 minutes or less:
ROME:
In my last post I was about to take a train from Florence to Rome. Rome was incredible, it was a beautiful, historic, bustling metropolis. We saw the Roman Forum, Colosseum, Vatican City, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and a million other things. Not to mention, I had the most amazing ricotta and spinach filled ravioli of my life. Rome was our last Italian city. I have to say, Italy was pretty cool, but I think I expected it to be a life changing cultural experience, and that I would fall in love with it and never want to leave. Maybe I just had high hopes, but I was a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it was great and I don't regret a single minute of it, but I'll go back someday I'm sure, and I think it will be more amazing the second time around!
GERMANY:
After Rome came Munich, Germany. WOW! So much more that I expected. I actually think I was meant to be born in Germany, everything was so clean! The trains, the streets, the public restrooms (maybe because it cost 1 Frank to pee?) was sparkling clean and sterile! Oktoberfest was the most amazing carnival/beer garden heaven I have ever experienced. Doin' the Puyallup will never be the same. I drank a few steins, ate a few pretzels and brats, rode a few of the biggest roller coasters I have ever set my eyes on, and sang a few German songs (and a few American songs, who knew they loved 'Sweet Caroline' as much as we do) with people from all over the world wearing lederhosen. You can't make this stuff up. On a more serious note, we got to visit Dachau, a German concentration camp. It was a very interesting experience. I remember learning about Holocaust in 7th grade, I was fascinated with learning more and couldn't believe that something that horrific could even happen. Visiting Dachau was an experience that I will never forget, I can't even put it into words.
SWITZERLAND:
We took a train from Munich to Zurich and then from Zurich to Lugano, a smaller city in the Italian speaking part of Switzerland. They actually speak Italian, German and French in Switzerland depending on where you are geographically, who knew! Sarah and I's friend Nicole was an Au Pair in Lugano, so we visited her and stayed with her family (of three young boys, a pregnant Olympic medalist Mom, and a Tour De France cyclist Dad) seriously cool. It was beautiful, everything was green and we were surrounded by mountains and lakes. Nicole was one lucky girl. While we were there we booked our flight from Milan Italy (back to Italy for a few hours!) to Barcelona! And, we convinced Nicole to come with us. So we took a shuttle bus from Lugano to Milan, and then flew into Barcelona, so excited!
BARCELONA:
This city seriously has the best of all worlds. It is a huge city, with so much culture and nightlife, and it is right on the beach. Absolutely beautiful. If someone were to offer me a job and give me a place to live while I was there, I would have canceled my flight home and stayed. In a second! We stayed at Kabul Hostel in Plaza Real, right off of Las Ramblas, we ate tapas, sangria, cava, shopped at La Boqueria, took a bicycle tour, visited all of Gaudi's famous architecture, Parc Guell, the Olympic stadium and hung out at the beach. That being said, I am an excellent nanny, cook, house cleaner, teacher.... You provide me with a little spending money and a place to live in Barcelona, and I am on my way! Any takers?
PARIS:
Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Barcelona and Nicole.Our travels were coming to an end with only two cities left on our itinerary. I did not have very high hopes for Paris, and I am glad, because it was probably my least favorite city. It was dirty, like, afraid of stepping in pee or sitting on a dirty needle dirty. And it smelled like Body Odor. Everywhere. It wasn't that awful, I'm just a clean freak. I spent a day at Disneyland Paris with a few Australians I met at our Hostel, we saw the Louvre, we climbed the Eiffel tower in the morning and ate dinner next to it at night, we tried escargot (yes, snail, and it was yuuuum), ate tasty pastries, saw the arc de triumph, saw the Moulin Rouge and shopped on the Champs Elysees. We definitely experienced Paris.
LONDON:
Our last stop, London England. How refreshing, everyone speaks English again! We stayed in a Hostel off of the London Bridge Tube exit, right by the Tower of London and the beautiful famous bridges! We Saw Platform 9 3/4 (Harry Potter nerds), Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guards, Westminster Abby, Abbey Road, the parliament building, Big Ben, the London Eye, we went to the Camden Market which is a giant flea/farmers/shopping market, and ate Bangers and Mash in Notting Hill.Wow, we were busy, there is A LOT to see and do in London. Phew. Time to head back to Seattle, I had an amazing trip, and would not change a single thing if I could, but I was sooooo ready to come home.
HOME & the past year:
I came home to find out that I was fired from my job at Paroba College (via a letter in the mail containing my last paycheck), how nice. But, it truly was a blessing in disguise and I was actually relieved. Although I had spent pretty much all my money in Europe and was looking forward to coming home to a job with a paycheck, I was ready to move on. I had lived at home for 9 months after graduating from Western, it was time. Mission: Find a better paying job that makes me happy in Seattle, then find an apartment in Seattle. Live happily ever after. So...when I got home in October I started staying at Jon's place, searching for jobs, interviewing and looking for apartments. I found a part time job as a Nanny in Madison Park for a family with Three adorable kids, Emily, Alli, and JT. It worked out great because not only did I love it, it payed my bills, and allowed me to sleep in:) Then, in January, I got an apartment in Wallingford with my friend Nichole. In May I was offered a position at a Preschool for their summer camp program and the upcoming school year, which is great because I could start working full time. I am now teaching at the Preschool in Capitol Hill, still nannying those three kids in the afternoon, and living with Jon in Seattle. Mission Accomplished. Whew. I think that's it, in a nutshell.
ROME:
In my last post I was about to take a train from Florence to Rome. Rome was incredible, it was a beautiful, historic, bustling metropolis. We saw the Roman Forum, Colosseum, Vatican City, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and a million other things. Not to mention, I had the most amazing ricotta and spinach filled ravioli of my life. Rome was our last Italian city. I have to say, Italy was pretty cool, but I think I expected it to be a life changing cultural experience, and that I would fall in love with it and never want to leave. Maybe I just had high hopes, but I was a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it was great and I don't regret a single minute of it, but I'll go back someday I'm sure, and I think it will be more amazing the second time around!
GERMANY:
After Rome came Munich, Germany. WOW! So much more that I expected. I actually think I was meant to be born in Germany, everything was so clean! The trains, the streets, the public restrooms (maybe because it cost 1 Frank to pee?) was sparkling clean and sterile! Oktoberfest was the most amazing carnival/beer garden heaven I have ever experienced. Doin' the Puyallup will never be the same. I drank a few steins, ate a few pretzels and brats, rode a few of the biggest roller coasters I have ever set my eyes on, and sang a few German songs (and a few American songs, who knew they loved 'Sweet Caroline' as much as we do) with people from all over the world wearing lederhosen. You can't make this stuff up. On a more serious note, we got to visit Dachau, a German concentration camp. It was a very interesting experience. I remember learning about Holocaust in 7th grade, I was fascinated with learning more and couldn't believe that something that horrific could even happen. Visiting Dachau was an experience that I will never forget, I can't even put it into words.
SWITZERLAND:
We took a train from Munich to Zurich and then from Zurich to Lugano, a smaller city in the Italian speaking part of Switzerland. They actually speak Italian, German and French in Switzerland depending on where you are geographically, who knew! Sarah and I's friend Nicole was an Au Pair in Lugano, so we visited her and stayed with her family (of three young boys, a pregnant Olympic medalist Mom, and a Tour De France cyclist Dad) seriously cool. It was beautiful, everything was green and we were surrounded by mountains and lakes. Nicole was one lucky girl. While we were there we booked our flight from Milan Italy (back to Italy for a few hours!) to Barcelona! And, we convinced Nicole to come with us. So we took a shuttle bus from Lugano to Milan, and then flew into Barcelona, so excited!
BARCELONA:
This city seriously has the best of all worlds. It is a huge city, with so much culture and nightlife, and it is right on the beach. Absolutely beautiful. If someone were to offer me a job and give me a place to live while I was there, I would have canceled my flight home and stayed. In a second! We stayed at Kabul Hostel in Plaza Real, right off of Las Ramblas, we ate tapas, sangria, cava, shopped at La Boqueria, took a bicycle tour, visited all of Gaudi's famous architecture, Parc Guell, the Olympic stadium and hung out at the beach. That being said, I am an excellent nanny, cook, house cleaner, teacher.... You provide me with a little spending money and a place to live in Barcelona, and I am on my way! Any takers?
PARIS:
Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Barcelona and Nicole.Our travels were coming to an end with only two cities left on our itinerary. I did not have very high hopes for Paris, and I am glad, because it was probably my least favorite city. It was dirty, like, afraid of stepping in pee or sitting on a dirty needle dirty. And it smelled like Body Odor. Everywhere. It wasn't that awful, I'm just a clean freak. I spent a day at Disneyland Paris with a few Australians I met at our Hostel, we saw the Louvre, we climbed the Eiffel tower in the morning and ate dinner next to it at night, we tried escargot (yes, snail, and it was yuuuum), ate tasty pastries, saw the arc de triumph, saw the Moulin Rouge and shopped on the Champs Elysees. We definitely experienced Paris.
LONDON:
Our last stop, London England. How refreshing, everyone speaks English again! We stayed in a Hostel off of the London Bridge Tube exit, right by the Tower of London and the beautiful famous bridges! We Saw Platform 9 3/4 (Harry Potter nerds), Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guards, Westminster Abby, Abbey Road, the parliament building, Big Ben, the London Eye, we went to the Camden Market which is a giant flea/farmers/shopping market, and ate Bangers and Mash in Notting Hill.Wow, we were busy, there is A LOT to see and do in London. Phew. Time to head back to Seattle, I had an amazing trip, and would not change a single thing if I could, but I was sooooo ready to come home.
HOME & the past year:
I came home to find out that I was fired from my job at Paroba College (via a letter in the mail containing my last paycheck), how nice. But, it truly was a blessing in disguise and I was actually relieved. Although I had spent pretty much all my money in Europe and was looking forward to coming home to a job with a paycheck, I was ready to move on. I had lived at home for 9 months after graduating from Western, it was time. Mission: Find a better paying job that makes me happy in Seattle, then find an apartment in Seattle. Live happily ever after. So...when I got home in October I started staying at Jon's place, searching for jobs, interviewing and looking for apartments. I found a part time job as a Nanny in Madison Park for a family with Three adorable kids, Emily, Alli, and JT. It worked out great because not only did I love it, it payed my bills, and allowed me to sleep in:) Then, in January, I got an apartment in Wallingford with my friend Nichole. In May I was offered a position at a Preschool for their summer camp program and the upcoming school year, which is great because I could start working full time. I am now teaching at the Preschool in Capitol Hill, still nannying those three kids in the afternoon, and living with Jon in Seattle. Mission Accomplished. Whew. I think that's it, in a nutshell.
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