Kate Takes on Europe

Safely landed at RDU

2010-11-22T15:49:00.000-05:00

Well, the vacation is over and it's back to work tomorrow. I had an incredible vacation and I can't wait to go back in July when I will have the honor of being in George and Sarah's wedding.

Thanks to Stephanie for picking me up at the airport today! Time to get unpacked and settled at home before I drive to Virginia for the holiday weekend.
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Time to go home

2010-11-22T06:37:00.000-05:00

On the flight to London, back in Raleigh this afternoon.
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London Update

2010-11-22T05:49:00.001-05:00

The queue is beginning for my flight back to Raleigh. Ugh.

Nothing big and exciting to share other than the fact that the crazy woman from my flight to London from Amsterdam got the boot. Security took her boarding pass so they could remove her bag from the plane and the Dutch police escorted her away from the gate.

It's really easy people, don't act crazy and yell at airport security - if you do, you definitely won't be making it home or to your holiday destination today.
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Tot ziens Amsterdam

2010-11-22T00:45:00.001-05:00

Time to depart and it's hard to go, but I suppose it is time for me to return to the real world end the vacation (for now).

This morning's wake up call was at 4 am; Dad and I caught the 4:43 train to Schiphol airport and soon had to part ways once we arrived as we were in different boarding areas. Bummer.

I couldn't find anything that was open where I could grab breakfast so I ended up with a €2.90 bottle of my favorite SPA water. Probably the most I have paid for 20 0z of water, but it's hot in the airport and exactly what I needed.

Interestingly enough, as I sit here and blog past the security for my gate, there's an ignorant American fighting with security about bringing in his jelly and some other spread. As that is going on there is another woman from the Caribbean is yelling that her liquids are being taken away (since she brought a gallon liquid bag) and chewing out security. They are telling her to leave the gate and escorting her to a place I would rather never visit.

Well, who knew my early morning flight would be filled with so much drama? I hope it stays here and doesn't come on the plane!
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Looking for dinner...

2010-11-21T13:22:00.000-05:00

Happened upon the Red Light District...
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Heineken Stables

2010-11-21T10:22:00.000-05:00

Meet Mike (far left) and Karel - some of the Heineken horses that still deliver beer by cart to local shops.
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Mijn pannenkoeken!

2010-11-21T09:31:00.000-05:00

Lekker! Ham & Kaas
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Amsterdam

2010-11-21T05:19:00.001-05:00

On the train to Amsterdam. Sad, sad day. We had an incredible time with the Huffakers and it is truly hard to leave. It really gets more and more difficult for me to leave the Netherlands with each visit. Hopefully I will be able to call it home in the next few years...we'll just have to see what life has in store for me, right?

Today, Dad and I be taking a tour of the Heineken factory (his belated birthday present) and other than that, we'll be wandering the city until dinner. Early to bed tonight - I have to be AT the airport by 5:30 am. Ouch!

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Almost forgot...

2010-11-20T11:14:00.000-05:00

Can't forget the pomme frites!
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Monschau Pit Stop

2010-11-20T11:13:00.000-05:00

We had to make a pit stop to have a German pils in Germany. Priorities people, priorities!

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Monschau

2010-11-20T10:30:00.000-05:00

Such a picture perfect village!
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Driving through Belgium

2010-11-20T05:00:00.000-05:00

Driving to Germany via Belgium for a bazaar on Spangdahlem AFB (where I played softball once or twice in high school).

Shopping for some more goodies - perhaps some polish pottery in my pattern and who knows what else!
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Dinner @ Restaurant Thull

2010-11-19T14:06:00.000-05:00

Let's go!
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My FAVORITE

2010-11-19T09:05:00.000-05:00

The best dessert...can't go home without it.
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Gluhwein Time!

2010-11-19T07:54:00.001-05:00

Mine! All mine!

(Well really just the blue one)
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Let the Christmas Market Eating Begin!

2010-11-19T06:28:00.000-05:00

Here we go...starting with potato pancakes!
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Lindt Chocolate Factory

2010-11-19T06:10:00.000-05:00

Fun with Dad in the Lindt Chocolate factory in Aachen, Germany. I picked up a few goodies and accomplished the task of getting my advent calendar for next month's Christmas countdown.

Now we're off to the center of town to park and grab lunch at the Christmas Markt.
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Trein & Bus

2010-11-18T16:44:00.000-05:00

My tickets from today's travels.

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Meet Zwarte Piet

2010-11-18T03:36:00.000-05:00

Ok. I want to begin this post with an explanation that you may find this offensive, but it's a Dutch tradition...this would never fly in America.

"Black Pete" can be good and he can be bad following around St. Nick - giving kids candy if they are good. OR if they are bad he might beat them with a tree branch or stuff them in a bag and take them to Spain. The choice is up to you kids! All of this takes place on December 5.

Follow the link below to learn more about "Black Pete":
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwarte_Piet?wasRedirected=true

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Training to Heerlen

2010-11-18T02:29:00.001-05:00

Mrs. Huffaker dropped me at the Sittard train station this morning so that I can get to Heerlen by the intercity train. The ticket kiosks no longer take cash so you have to use a pin card or pay by cash at the counter. Without a Dutch/EU bank account or pin I am left to the cash option. So I have my second class ticket for €4.20 and now I am standing by the spoor (track) waiting for a train that is late - which isn't too typical around here.

Not sure what I will do first in Heerlen, but I will walk about and figure out my plan...it is SO nice not to have a schedule!

I am going to catch a bus to Brunssum this afternoon and hopefully meet up with my friend Sheila before heading to my old school to meet Mrs. Huffaker to head to Schinnen for a workout at the gym.

Chilly and blustery today but no rain in the forecast. The cool and clean air feels great in my chest - I am trying to take in all the sights my eyes can spy before it is time to go home.

Dad is off digging with the guys in Luxembourg today - I was invited but politely declined as I am not too interested in being wet and covered in mud (without appropriate clothing) for an entire day digging up WWII relics. I will just enjoy looking at what they bring back tonight! Shopping will be much more entertaining!
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Best Italian in the NL

2010-11-17T06:24:00.000-05:00

Napoli is the best Italian restaurant in Maastricht! Time for lunch!
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American Military Cemetary at Margraten

2010-11-17T05:42:00.000-05:00

Dad woke me up this morning and we got dressed and ready to go out. The door bell rang and it was the "Fast & Furious Snel Delivery" with my suitcase! We were off to a good start!

We picked up Dad's friend Jan and we drove to Margraten to the American Cemetary where we had been to in years previous for Memorial Day ceremonies.

We are now in Maastricht for lunch, shopping and so I can visit Ms. Elliott.

It is freezing cold! Happy to have my gloves today as well as my scarf and coat. Brrrr!
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Nederland

2010-11-16T17:16:00.000-05:00

I love the Netherlands. Need I say more? It's hard to share how much I love it here in words. From the kind people to the shops to the lifestyle. Today we drove by our old house in Schinnen, stopped in at the Alfa brewery (which was closed), shopped in the AH grocery, visited the Army base (I am glad to have some new *clean* clothes), and had a great dinner at the house with our lovely hosts. I fell asleep watching BBC1 and dragged myself from the living room to clean up for bed and write a quick post.

For all intents and purposes I am in the town of Sittard (if you want to look it up on a map, be my guest). Tomorrow we go to Maastricht to visit the American cemetery, shop in the town and I will get to see my friend Angela who is finishing up her chemotherapy treatments. I was happy to call her tonight to see she was up to a visit.

Perhaps I will stop in H&M while I am there as well as the music shop to get my lovely Josh Groban's new CD that was released on Monday...won't want until next week when I get home if I don't have to!

Slaap lekker!
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Traveling without luggage

2010-11-16T02:26:00.001-05:00

Well, despite the fact that I threw out last nights receipt for the necessities I purchased and then found out I could be reimbursed - I am glad I learned about that fact today so I could pick up a few last things.

I also learned the value of the Duty Free shops that have all of the makeup and perfume. Since all of mine is in the bag abyss somewhere, I was lucky enough to find my sample foundation in my purse and use it along with a bit of Chanel blush to add a bit of color to my very tired face. Thanks Duty Free for helping me to look presentable.

I am waiting at Gatwick for my gate for Amsterdam to open in about 10 minutes and then I will be off to see Dad who made it safely to Paris from Saudi and is also now on his way to the Schipol airport.
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See what had happened was...

2010-11-15T18:23:00.001-05:00

My bag was lost by easyJet and I am at the B&B with only the clothes on my back, IDs, and laptop. They won't be able to get it to the UK for a few days from Italy so I hope to have it by week's end before I go home to Raleigh. Needless to say I had to stop at Boots (the UK's CVS) for a hairbrush, toothpaste/brush, conditioner, lotion, and I will get whatever else I need tomorrow when I get to the Netherlands before lunch. Couldn't be more excited to be with Dad tomorrow!
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Ciao Italia

2010-11-15T12:02:00.000-05:00

Time to leave Italy. Hard to say goodbye to Erica, but happy knowing I will get to see her in a few months when she is stateside.

On another note, did I mention I love Italian ice?
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Gnoccheria

2010-11-14T18:28:00.000-05:00

My porcini mushroom gnocchi dish from dinner. Delish!
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Venice

2010-11-14T06:56:00.000-05:00

Venice for the day!
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Prosciutto di Parma

2010-11-13T11:30:00.001-05:00

Tasting the prosciutto was delicious, but walking through the different vaults/rooms where they were aging was quite a stinky sensory experience! Whew! I had no idea there was such an odor. We also sampled salami, prosciutto (crudo and cotto), and pancetta. An array of drinks were also provided including sparkling wine, beer, and still/sparkling water.

On the bus and back to Vicenza!
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Cheese please!

2010-11-13T05:11:00.000-05:00

We toured and tasted Parmigiano Reggiano (aged 28 months to taste). Now off to the city center of Parma!
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On the way to Parma...

2010-11-13T03:15:00.000-05:00

We picked up the bus from the Vicenza military base at 6:45 am and have been on the road for an hour and a half before stopping on the road for snacks and a stretch break.

Back on the bus and away we go! First up, cheese tasting, followed by a tour of the city.
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Italia!

2010-11-12T17:22:00.000-05:00

I am in Vicenza, Italy and staying with Erica, Mrs. Ashby (her mom), and Erica's two children. My flight arrived just before 7 pm and Erica was waiting at the airport. We drove about an hour back to Vicenza from the Marco Polo airport, drop my bags and walked into the center of town for dinner. I tried a traditional Spritz with Erica (neither one of us were enjoyed it) which was also served with potato chips - yes, odd. However, it needs to be noted that we did finish the drink since we didn't want to be rude (rude Americans in particular). We also ordered a mimosa each (made with FRESH) orange juice and some bruschetta to share. That was a bit of an ordeal but quite funny with our waiter. Bruschetta was ordered, he says no and turns us to the panino page but as we are looking he says, "we also have bruschetta!". We were very confused to say the least but when he served us, evidently he didn't even give us whatever it was we thought we had ordered, so he said something about, "I just charge you for a margherita". Oh Italy, you are already so interesting...makes me miss Europe even more.

Tomorrow we rise bright and early (and I mean bright and early) at 4:30 or 5 am to catch the bus to Parma for our tour. I have no doubt there will be plenty to share!

I am SO happy to be here!
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Lunch @ Gatwick Airport

2010-11-12T08:30:00.002-05:00

I caught an earlier bus to Gatwick, dropped my bag, and made it through security in record time. There was another American on the bus named Steve, he was here on business from Nebraska working for a small company that makes t-shirts so he was here to make licensing deals with bands/companies. Pretty cool gig and now he is off to Spain (and was very late for his flight!).
I'm plenty early for my 3:50 pm flight, so I've grabbed a bit of food for lunch from a place called EAT. where Kate and I ate when we were last at Gatwick as well. Sparkling water and an avocado, chicken and basil sandwich. I have some crisps stashed away in my bag from last night's Tesco stop, so I have a nice little meal to keep me busy while I wait for my gate to be posted.

Breakfast Scone

2010-11-12T03:33:00.001-05:00

A cheddar cheese scone from Harrods - it's the best cheese scone I've ever had and I scout it out at least once every time I visit London. If you know of a better one, please share!

The scone was for breakfast this morning as I pack and make my way out of the hotel in a few short hours. Off to finish putting everything away and then to Boots to cram a few last things into my luggage.
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Shopping, V&A, Harry Potter and more = My Day

2010-11-11T19:51:00.001-05:00

Harrods was a grand success this morning. When I had finished my shopping I took the tube a bit further to a cafe called 'Ciao' where I knew I could get my spaghetti ice cream - it was absolutely delicious and I enjoyed every bite.

A short walk in the other direction put me smack in the center of a mob (much of which had been camped out since Tuesday) of Harry Potter fanatics. I got to see the setup for the film's formal world premiere and even had my picture taken on the red carpet (I'll upload it later to share). George and Sarah rang while I was in the crowd and we decided to meet at the V&A Museum. I saw the jewelry wing, theatre/performing arts costumes (Elton John, Dame Edna, Mick Jagger), and a replica of Kylie Minogue's dressing room from her last world tour. My favorite part of what I saw was undoubtedly the sketches and hand-painted drawings by Beatrix Potter. Many drawings of Peter Rabbit and his storybook friends. It was fascinating to see conceptual drawings, first published drawings and final renderings of the images for pass publishing. Potter's stories have always been favorites of mine, so to see her original pencil and pen drawings was an absolute treat.

Dinner followed the museum and George took us to a Japanese place called Misato. I had a sushi bento box and Sarah and George both had chicken. We chased dinner with a trip to a hookah bar. George ordered a tobacco-less mix which I tried, but my lungs didn't approve.

Before we ended the night we made a stop at Tesco to pick up groceries and essentials for me to take back with me to include: Cadbury chocolates, salt and vinegar crisps, Bitter Lemon, and Tesco's version of Lemsip.

In the hotel, up way past my bedtime, so I am going to call it a night. Tomorrow: wake up and make a stop at Boots before I catch the bus to the airport.
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A bit of shopping is in order!

2010-11-11T07:10:00.000-05:00

It is a blustery day, but that won't keep me away. I picked up a skinny latte at Pret and jumped on the tube to Knightsbridge. I'll probably be in Harrods for quite sometime, so if you have any specific requests, let me know!
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Shopping & Pizzeria Dinner

2010-11-10T18:03:00.000-05:00

Sarah, George, and I shopped a bit after getting stuck in some serious traffic heading out of London late this afternoon.

Our stomachs were keeping us from shopping, so we called it a night and drove back into the city to get dinner.

George and Sarah picked a great Italian restaurant, Pizzeria Pappagone, and we were seated across from the wood burning oven - a perfect seat on a cold night. The oven kept us toasty, but not hot throughout our meal. Word on the street is that Sarah makes an incredible spaghetti carbonara and we had been talking about it earlier in the day so that was my dish of choice. We each chased our dinner with dessert (dark chocolate and mint gelato for me) before the evening came to a close.

George and Sarah dropped me off in front of the hotel and we have plans to meet up again tomorrow. I will pick up goodies from Harrods in the morning and in the evening we may crash the Harry Potter premiere that will be taking place in the city - if anything, it would be fun just to see the chaos and snap a picture or two. (Plus, Kate's mom would be TOTALLY jealous, so I could share the pictures with her.)

I have managed to stay up all day, so I am off to reward myself with a solid night's sleep.
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Cockfosters

2010-11-10T10:22:00.001-05:00

After a bit of lunch and making sure everyone had my new mobile number, George and Sarah rang and invited me out for an afternoon of shopping outside of the city.

I'm all bundled up and back on the tube to see them both - it's been over a year since our last visit, so we have plenty of catching up to do. For those unfamiliar with the London transport, Cockfosters is a tube stop where we will meet.

Spending time with friends will be great and staying out with them will also help me adjust to the 5-hour time difference. So far, so good. I hope the energy sticks around well into the evening! (and that I don't fall asleep on the tube on my way there)
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Sunny London Day

2010-11-10T08:02:00.001-05:00

Well, I must admit this was one of my easier overseas flights. The flight from RDU was more than half empty so there was plenty of room to take your own row of seats in order to have a better sleep. I managed to watch the beginning of 'The Blind Side' before falling asleep and waking just as breakfast was being served.

We landed right on time to blue skies and because the plane was so empty, I hopped off with my bag in less than 5 minutes. What was more astonishing was the fact that the customs line literally took 5 minutes and as soon as I had walked to baggage reclaim by bag rolled right past. Perfect timing. The only problem? SOS from the BlackBerry as it couldn't find ANY signal.

I topped up my Oyster card and took the first train on the Piccadilly line to my hotel. More luck? Why, yes! My room was ready so I checked right in and promptly changed to shower. Now I feel incredible; well-rested, clean and walking around in beautiful weather.

Topped up my Vodafone UK phone so I could call Verizon Global - they had my SIM card written down wrong, but now we're good to go.

Lunch today are my favorites from Waitrose - houmous, crusty bread, and tomato/mozzarella salad with sparkling water. Low key for the morning and once lunch is done I am going to look into theatre tickets.
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Black Diamond Traveler Through RDU

2010-11-09T19:01:00.000-05:00

I checked in my bag at only 32 lbs. and flew through the Black Diamond security line. I am relaxed (and will soon be even more relaxed, thanks to Stella) and waiting by the gate for my flight to depart. Let's fly!
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12 Days/6 Flights/5 Countries (or more!)

2010-11-03T16:57:00.001-04:00

This time next week I will be basking under the clouds in London (perhaps it will be sunny, or partly sunny – neither are a requirement). It has been slightly over a year since my last excursion to the UK and Europe. However, this time I am embarking on somewhat of a different journey – my first overseas vacation on my own. Now, let me note this will only be for a week and along the way I will be seeing many wonderful people. In London, I’ll get the chance to see George and Sarah – perhaps even Zoe’s Uncle Paul, his wife and their new baby, Cousin Bump. A few days later, I’ll be off to Italy where I’ll be staying with friends from high school – Mrs. Ashby and her daughter Erica (who now has a husband and two babies of her own!).

When my solo travel has completed, I will be meeting up with my Dad at the Amsterdam airport. We’ll be spending 6 days down south near Brunssum/Schinnen/Maastricht where we used to live. Dad has quite the extensive itinerary planned and mine isn’t much other than hotels and contact numbers for the week before we meet – so this should be very entertaining. I’m looking forward to relaxing and spending time in some of my favorite places.

I can’t wait to arrive at Heathrow Airport to take the Tube to my hotel and let the adventures begin. If only I could figure out a way to get overseas more than once a year! In time, in time…

Leaving London...always a bummer

2009-09-28T05:55:00.002-04:00

Well, we arrived to London from Pisa just before midnight and after an hour waiting to go through Passport Control, pick up our luggage, and get downstairs to the train...we had missed the last train. Mom and I ended up having to take the National Express bus into town and jump off at Victoria Station to take a taxi to our hotel. It was 3 a.m. when we finally checked in - YAWN!

Yesterday we woke up early despite our late (or early, depending on how you look at it) arrival and took the tube to Knightsbridge to pick up goodies at Harrods. I found a special birthday present for Nathan who turns 1 shortly, as well as a great bargain on some of he holiday jam (strawberry and champagne!). The jam was on the wrong shelf that said it was 3 for the price of 2...so their mistake was my bargain, since they honored the "sale" price despite their error. Nice!

After we had finished our shopping George and Sarah met us downstairs in the VAT (tax free) office. We all took George's car to China Town and had a HUGE (I mean HUGE) dim sum lunch. It was so lovely to meet Sarah and see George again...since I think it's been about 10 years that we've known one another now.

We parted ways in Piccadilly Circus and Mom and I went to the cinema and saw a really weird film, "Three Miles from (Someplace)" - needless to say it wasn't funny like the advert stated. Oh well.

This morning we took the tube to Waitrose to pick up all of the yummy foods and treats I like that I can't get in the states. We stopped in at Boots as well to get a few things before heading back to the hotel. We had an early lunch of English Pasties (Mom = stilton cheese and steak, Me = mushrooms and chicken).

We're all packed and currently in the lobby of the hotel so I could login to turn in my rough draft essay for school and to write this final (so I think) blog update before I am back in Raleigh this evening at 10 p.m. if all goes right with the airlines.

Always sad to leave Europe, always sad to leave London...but I am looking forward to being in my own bed and seeing all of my friends again!

Florence..museums, gardens, and LOTS of walking

2009-09-25T13:25:00.002-04:00

I start out today by getting hit by a motorcycle shortly after leaving the hotel. The guy said he was sorry, but boy did the sideswipe hurt. That adds to knocking my leg into the chair before seeing the Pope (I hate that I bruise easily)

We went to the Uffizzi Museum this morning and looked at all of the paintings for about 2 hours - no photos allowed.

I took pictures in the Sistine Chapel even though I wasn't supposed to. Mom took pictures the last time she went there and hers were all blurry, she said it was payback from God for taking the pictures when she wasn't supposed to...I guess my payment is getting knocked around by the motorcycle. Whatever.

We walked across the Ponte Vecchio bridge to the other side of the river. The merchants on the bridge all sold all kinds of jewelry but nothing that I could easily afford! We continued across and walked past the palace to the Boboli Gardens (it was like a death march up and down the hills in the blazing sun - ugh!) and then made our way back toward the Ponte Vecchio bridge for lunch. Mom and I both had mushroom pizzas and a beer for €7!

I found two cool shirts for myself after lunch and I picked up even more espresso to bring back home - yum!

This evening we went to the train station to pick up our bus tickets to take us to the airport tomorrow night. We're checking e-mail before we pick a place to eat dinner (outside) so we can enjoy the cool breeze and watch all of the people walk by.

Tomorrow we have plans to see the statue of David followed by a stop at LUSH (a London bath store, there's one in Crabtree Valley) since it is the only store that makes its own products, so there are special shampoos and such. There is also an almond cream that lots of the celebrities like made by nuns, so we will pick some of that up too from a store not too far away.

We are calling it an earlyish night tonight so that we can make sure we have everything done we want to do by the end of the day tomorrow and so I can write a rough draft of an essay that's due Monday morning at 9 a.m. Raleigh time. Bummer! But it shouldn't take long since it's just a draft.

Rome to Florence by Train

2009-09-24T15:55:00.002-04:00

For our last remaining hours in Rome we took the metro to the Pantheon. More columns, but this time it was a complete structure! We discovered a great little cafe on a side street for lunch where Mom and I both had spaghetti with olive oil and garlic for on €5 - so we threw in a beer to make it a complete meal.

As we had already packed and left our luggage at the hotel, we took the metro back to retrieve our bags and dragged them to the Termini so we could catch our train to Florence.

I made a necessary stop at the SPAR, a grocery store, for espresso to bring back to Raleigh and a giant bottle of water for the ride. I wish I had more room for more good stuff!

We had a delightful train ride from Rome to Florence this afternoon. It was so nice to sit back and relax (in the air-conditioning) while looking out the window seeing the sunflower fields, grapes, and hillside towns.

Our hotel in Florence is not too far from the train station and after we dragged our bags all the way to Hotel Paris, we were informed that the hotel was overbooked and that we would be staying at one of the sister hotels down the street instead. The hotel called a taxi for us and paid for our ride to the new hotel, Hotel Machiavelli. This hotel is much older than the one in Rome. The room itself is a loft style with the two beds on the lower level and a TV/fridge/couch in the loft area above.

After dropping our bags and regrouping, we wandered down the street to a large street market to see what was for sale. Mom got roped into one of the leather booths but never found a leather jacket that she liked. We saw quite a few purses, scarves, and other neat items but decided to have another day in the city (and more time to price compare) before we made any big purchase decisions.

We had a dinner of pasta, caprese salad, and mixed greens before heading back to the area by our hotel for some gelato from Bermuda Triangle Gelato. I had mint and chocolate while mom opted for the single flavor of pistacio. We both loved it!

Now I am typing from an internet cafe (€1 for 30 minutes) since it is cheaper than using the wi-fi from the hotel which is €8 for one hour.

We do not have a plan for tomorrow quite yet, but I am sure by the time you read my next post we will have walked around the city and back again.

For now, I need to go to the hotel and wash my hands, this internet cafe makes me feel very germy.

Last morning in Rome

2009-09-24T03:36:00.002-04:00

This moring we're all packed up and ready to leave our bags with the desk at the hotel. We are going to look around at a few more things (and maybe have another gelato along the way) before we have to go to the train station in the afternoon to catch our 3 p.m. train to Florence.

There is a SPAR grocery store in the train station, just like the one that was down the street from our house in The Netherlands, so I will be running in there for espresso and a number of other things (like train snacks!) before we have to leave.

It's another warm and beautiful sunny day in Rome!

Ciao!

Audience with the Pope and Roma

2009-09-23T15:30:00.000-04:00

This morning we started with breakfast downstairs at the hotel and then went by metro to stand in line and wait in line with all of the other “pilgrims” at St. Peter’s Basilica. We had to go through security screening and were then led into the Aula Paolo VI Auditorium (which holds 7,000 people at a time). As we were 2 hours early, we had plenty of time to sit and wait before the Pope made his entrance.

I was pretty curious how this was going to go down as the time got closer. In the middle of the seats there was an entryway like the football and hockey players come out of, I could imagine it without the smoke and giant TV screens Pope Style, but he chose to come out from a pair of double doors on the stage.

Cardinals from the respective languages (English, Spanish, Italian, Polish, French, and German) introduced the visiting groups of the day to the Pope. In the English speaking group we were fortunate to have the Australian Girls Choir visiting and they sang Halleluiah when their name was announced to the Pope. It was very beautiful and something I am sure they will not ever forget!

There was a large group of Polish students sitting around us and then we seemed to be surrounded by Mexicans who were more than excited to see the Pope. This fact was pretty funny considering the Polish kids were very excited to see the Mexican people and we Americans were thinking, “Dang! They’re in Rome too!” I mean that to be in no way a derogatory comment, it’s just funny since the East coast has a large Mexican/Hispanic population and the Polish kids would probably be less interested with the Spaniards than Mexicans. After all, they had to come much further!

It was also very nice to see the recently married couples walk up individually after the formal audience was over so the Pope could bless their marriages. Most couples came in their wedding attire and some of the dresses were just beautiful!

Following our time with the “Papa” we went into the Sistine Chapel (yes, where I took pictures of the ceiling even though I wasn’t supposed to…whatever, I didn’t use my flash, I see no harm, plus the pictures are great!). We then went into the crypt to see the former Popes before making our way into St. Peter’s Basilica to explore. It was amazing to see that there were 3 former Popes on display, one looked like he was fake – needless to say, he hasn’t deteriorated much, the other two look quite dead.

If you’ve ever seen the movie “Roman Holiday”, our first stop after Vatican City was to see The Mouth of Truth (Bocca della Verita) . If you lie, it’s supposed to clamp shut on your hand – it didn’t on mine! I’m always nervous sticking my hands in dark spaces, but everyone else was doing it, so I was ok in the end.

We walked up the road a little further and had the opportunity to see a number of Roman ruins – so fascinating that they are finding new ruins under the city nearly every time they dig. They certainly seem to be everywhere, that’s for sure.

Mom and I stopped at a little place for wine, salad, and pizza for dinner. We took our time enjoying dinner and the beautiful weather before taking the metro back to the hotel for the evening.

Tomorrow we leave Rome by train to visit Florence/Pisa/Tuscany for the next few days. Lots of pictures will soon follow these posts once internet is free again, but for now I need to keep it to words only.

Off to see the Pope...

2009-09-23T00:50:00.000-04:00

Rome

2009-09-22T15:50:00.001-04:00

Today has been another long day of travels - busy and stress free. Our taxi arrived at promptly 6 a.m. this morning to take us to the Liverpool St. Station where we picked up the Stansted Express to the airport.

We bought our train tickets from one of the staff members and once he handed us our receipt he said pointing, “Well, that’s your train and it leaves in 30 seconds so you better hurry!” We did and even had a few seconds to spare before the doors closed.

At Stansted Mom and I had enough time to grab lattes for breakfast before walking down to our gate. We were able to board after only a few minutes of waiting in the queue and landed seats in the first row of the airplane, so no fighting for luggage space or a place to sit. Once we pulled away from the gate it wasn’t long before the captain came over the loudspeakers saying that we had brake trouble (more like “the emergency brake light is on and we don’t know why” problem) and had to return to the gate. We ended up being about an hour late but that was the good news because if they hadn’t been able to address our brake problem we would have had to change planes and there’s no telling how long that would have taken.

When we arrived at the Rome airport we took the bus into the city and then the metro to our hotel. Our room is very nice; Priceline didn’t lie when they said it was a 4-star so everything is tidy and new. After a short break to unpack and regroup, we hopped back on the metro and headed out to see the Trevi Fountain. It was packed but we managed to take a few pictures before walking down the steps to throw in our coins for good luck and a return to Rome someday.

I received a phone call from my friend Robert and we agreed to meet at the Coliseum at 6:30 p.m. for drinks – that gave us about an hour to see the Spanish Steps and pick up our tickets to see the Pope tomorrow at the Church of Santa Susanna. Mass is set to be indoors and we were told by the priest to arrive at least two hours ahead of the 10:30 a.m. start time. So it will be another early morning for us tomorrow!

We successfully navigated the metro to meet Robert at our set time. He had hoped to take us to an Irish Pub but we couldn’t find it as hoped and opted for a nice little café with a beautiful view of the Coliseum across the street. It was fantastic to see Robert, since I haven’t seen him since we were in high school at AFNORTH. He is doing well working at the UN here in Rome and hopes to continue work with a non-contract position. Very nice, I can’t help but be a little jealous he is still overseas and I’m back in the U.S. – I was born on the wrong continent, what can I say?

Following drinks and tapas we took a walk around the Coliseum before saying goodbye for the evening. If schedules allow, we’ll meet up with Robert again tomorrow to either visit him at the UN or to have pizza and wine (either option sounds great to me!).

Now back at our hotel room, it’s time to get situated and somewhat unpacked since we’ll be here for more than one night.

I hope to have more pictures posted tomorrow after mass with the Pope!

Leaving London...

2009-09-22T00:37:00.001-04:00

I have about 20 minutes until the cab arrives at 6 a.m. (1 a.m. Raleigh time) to take us to the Liverpool St. Station so we can head to the airport by train. I suppose I should pack...

A few short video clips

2009-09-21T18:18:00.003-04:00

I wanted to share these video clips before I head to bed....

From Balleroy to Paris

2009-09-21T17:07:00.004-04:00

Well, if the drive from the Dinard airport in France to Balleroy wasn't clue enough about the drama of road trips without a GPS, today's trip to Paris was an eye-opening experience in WHAT NEVER TO DO AGAIN.

As stated earlier, we had no GPS in our rental car. The good bit was that the giant "Paris" signs on the highways are very obvious and frequent, so the first leg of the trip wasn't bad at all.

With the good, comes the bad, and getting into Paris to drop the rental car at Gare du Nord was nothing but bad. So just when we thought things were going well we took the wrong highway and that sent us on a wild goose chase into the city.

We ended up at a toll road that was entirely underground and once we got into what was starting to sound familiar Dad was swerving around bikes, motorcycles, and buses - he ended up going down a street that was one way and in the wrong direction of course. And to make matters more stressful, there were two French police officers on motorcycles waiting at the next intersection. The two officers yelled in French and Dad did his best "I don't speak French and I don't understand your streets" face - and thankfully the officers just assisted us in making a U-turn rather than handing us a citation.

About 1.5 hours later we made it to Gare du Nord (which should have been a 10-minute drive from the highway exit), but then couldn't figure out where to drop our rental car in the parking garage, add on another 30 minutes and we finally just double parked in the Avis lot where Mom and I abandoned Dad with the luggage to find someone to help. Thankfully that was the right move to make, as we found the Avis desk in the train station and were able to leave the car where we had parked illegally (our things were out after that and the keys turned in, who cares what happened next!).

Even though we were far behind schedule, Mom was still insistent that we try and take the metro to the Eiffel Tower since Dad has never seen it. This too was not a wise choice and after buying 3 round trip tickets to the tower and back, we went to the metro and ended up turning around to return to the train station (the last thing we needed at this point was to miss our train to London).

So, with about 1.5 hours until we needed to board the train to London, we walked up to the street outside the station to find a place to eat (AND drink after a car ride like that). Mom and Dad ordered giant (100 cl) beers and I had the smallest one I could order. I didn't like anything on the menu and as we were in Paris I couldn't leave the city without having my favorite ham and cheese crepe.

I was lucky enough to find a small stand about 5 blocks from where Mom and Dad had stayed to eat lunch. My crepe was perfect and that made just about all of the day's stress leave my system (the beer helped too).

The train to London was uneventful, which we all needed. The EuroStar took about 2 hours to arrive in London and we made our way to Knightsbridge as soon as we got off the train.

This evening, just a short time ago, we went to Covent Garden and had dinner at my favorite pasta restaurant in the world - Pasta Brown. I've been going there since I was 13 and I couldn't imagine not eating there if I'm in town! I had a wonderful penne with sun-dried tomato pesto and arugula.

I just got out of the shower and am very comfortable in my PJs as I get ready for bed this evening. We have a taxi coming to pick us up at 6 a.m. so that Mom and I can get to the airport to catch our flight to Rome.

Now, it's off to bed...

Breakfast and into the car for Paris....

2009-09-21T02:31:00.002-04:00

Time for breakfast! I'm packed except for my computer, so I'll go ahead and say good morning before we drive off to Paris.

The next time I should post will either be in Paris or from the train.

Thanks for reading!

P.S. I'm still losing the game of Gin against my Mom - argh!

Mont St. Michel

2009-09-20T17:48:00.000-04:00

This morning we had breakfast a little later than yesterday and we were joined with another visitor of the B&B, Ken, and his wife. They are from California and really neat people (for my HR peeps reading this blog, Ken created and sold HR metrics companies earlier in his career, he said he’d school me if I wanted to learn), so we enjoyed our conversations before we all left to take on the day.

A place that has been dear in my Mom’s heart for a very long time is Mont St. Michel. It is basically an island with a causeway that is also a huge mountain with a Monastery on top and in winds down to the coast of the land with buildings that have now been transformed into hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars, and souvenir shops. It is really something that is hard to believe exists even when you’re staring right at the mountainous island land mass.

Today also happened to be the second highest and lowest tides of the year; so in addition to that just looking cool there were many religious pilgrims that came to walk out onto the sand an easy ¾ mile distance from the island to pray, chant, and sing. You don’t see that in Raleigh, huh?

So like I said, the Monastery is on the top of this mountain. We took an audio tour since today visitors entered free. I took a load of pictures, all which will hopefully be uploaded by Monday evening UK time, so around lunch for all my readers. On our way down we stopped in a few shops, I picked up some French sea salt for cooking when I get home, but other than that there was a lot of tourist junk. The restaurants looked nice enough but because we decided to eat late, lunch was no longer being served, so we just stopped for sandwiches on our way back to the B&B.

I’d easily go and visit Mont St. Michel again if the opportunity presents itself. It is just an incredible feat of architecture and design that something so complicated could be built and still exists today on such nonconventional piece of land.

We’re having breakfast with the other B&B visitors tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. and then we’re all leaving for Paris. I hope that this final car ride it’s excruciatingly painful as the right here was, but at least I’m in the back seat and can try to fall asleep if it starts to get ugly.

If we leave after breakfast as planned, we should have 5-6 hours in Paris before we take the train (EuroStar) back to London where we will arrive just in time for dinner.

I am hoping that George and Sarah will be available for dinner – so if you’re reading this, please call or text so we can figure out a time to get together.

Now, a little game of Gin with my Mom before we head to bed… We’ve been playing before bed each nice in France and while I lead the first night, she’s seriously whipping me now. Wish me luck!

The Beaches of Normandy

2009-09-19T18:06:00.000-04:00

Today we woke and had breakfast at 8 a.m. and it consisted of juice, yogurt (the most delicious and non-yogurty tasting Raspberry yogurt I have ever tasted, we have it VERY
wrong in America…they need this recipe), an egg, and a chocolate croissant (yes, we had a choice and I chose right with chocolate for breakfast!).

We drove about an hour to the American Cemetery in Normandy. There was a beautiful visitor’s center that had been built since my parent’s last visit, so we looked at the pictures of soldiers who were killed and survived the lengthy battle.

After walking through the center, we made our way to the cemetery and I can only compare it to what it felt like for me to be in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. There were crosses for as far as the eye could see, and mixed in among the crosses were Stars of David for those Jewish soldiers that were killed in the war.

Once we had spent enough time wandering through the graves, we slowly and carefully made the hike down to Omaha Beach. It was incredible to imagine the soldiers climbing their way to the top of the hill through the thick brush and strong tide. Amazing.

For our next stop, we went to Sainte-Mère-Église. This church is famous because during WW II soldiers parachuted into the city, accidentally, and one had his parachute caught on the church’s steeple. The church still has a dummy and parachute hanging from the steeple – the people of the town are very thankful for the Americans and many shops lining the streets around the church sell American flags, 82nd Airborne souvenirs, and other US paraphernalia. We stopped in at a local bar where we all bad beers and I had a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch (with frites of course!). There was even a picture of a Special Forces soldier that used to work for dad on the mantle of the fireplace – small world.

Dad went to the war museum when we finished lunch while Mom and I wandered in and out of shops (I didn’t buy anything).

Pointe de Hoc, where the US Rangers scaled the cliffs with ropes to attack the Germans, is such an odd but fascinating stop. The US ships and aircrafts dropped bombs along the coastline to attack the Germans. So when you are standing on the coast where the battle took place, the land looks more like the surface of the moon with craters than any place on earth I have ever seen.
Our final stop for the day’s excursion was Utah Beach. Unlike at Omaha Beach where the tide was high and we could just barely walk along the shore, at Utah Beach the tide was low and we walked out about ½ mile. We found a group of oyster farmers tending to the oyster beds and while we wandered I picked up a couple of neat shells I hope to bring back with me to Raleigh. As of right now, since they were still alive with I found them, the shells stink (yes, I did take the little creatures out with sticks)…so I will have to wait and see how that one goes.
We made it back to Balleroy in time to have a late dinner at a local restaurant before returning to the B&B for the night.

Whew! Hopefully I will sleep better tonight now that my body is a little more used to the time change.

B&B in Balleroy

2009-09-18T17:20:00.000-04:00

This evening we made it to the B&B in a very small village called Balleroy. There is an old castle here that is owned by the Forbes family. Evidently old man Forbes was a great guy who loved to visit this town in France and would frequent the local pub, greet his neighbors, and dote on his house staff. Everything we’ve discovered about his children, since his passing, is quite bland – they fly in on a private jet at Christmas to give out the Christmas bonus to the house staff and then roll out of town. So much for making good of the family name; it’s such a shame, the castle is so beautiful.

Mom and Dad have a room on the third floor which is really like an attic room to any of us Americans. It has a tiny door, like the one in “Alice In Wonderland” that you have to duck and squat through to enter the bedroom. I’m luckier with a room downstairs with two twin beds and plenty of room to spread out my things. While I don’t have a bathroom attached to my room, there’s one down the hall that I have all to myself.

That’s all for tonight, it’s time for some allergy medicine and a good night’s sleep.

"What did we do before we had GPS?"

2009-09-18T15:16:00.002-04:00

You know, I hear people asking themselves and others the question: "What did we do before we had GPS?"

I used to wonder myself having always remembered having Map Quest, Map Blast, or Google Maps of some form ever since I could drive.

Having not been on a family road trip since that time, I have now experienced such a situation and know the answer to the often posed question.

So what did we do before GPS?

WE FOUGHT!

Let me just note in this post that I have no desire to ever go on another road trip where my Dad is the designated driver in a place that he is not completely familiar with on every level possible.

In order to partake on the next overseas adventure with my parents, my Mom has threatened me with the fact that I MUST learn how to drive a stick shift if I want to take another trip as a family.

Evidently if I drive, none of this bickering would have happened.

Whew, now I really wish I had felt comfortable driving a car with standard transmission...this trip requires earplugs if we're in the car.

Trains, Planes and Automobiles (In that order)

2009-09-18T12:11:00.000-04:00

We left the hotel this morning after I chose to sleep in for breakfast while giving myself just enough time to stop into Harrods for a cheese scone, my favorite and only 39 pence (so less than $1 – beat that Starbucks!).

Mom and I had to find a way to compact our luggage from three items (purse, carry on bag, and checked back) to two (carry on and checked bag), so we did our best to make the temporary changes to not have to pay an extra bag fee with Ryan Air and all three of us were off – dragging our luggage through the tube stations until we reached the Liverpool Street station where we picked up the Stansted Express train that would bring us to the airport.

As usual, with my Dad in tow, we were incredibly early in checking in so we spent time wandering through the Duty Free shops and sat down at the airport bar for beers and a snack before our flight to France. We picked up lunch at Pret A Manger to bring on the plane and by the time we decided to walk down to our gate it was time to board.

The flight to France was just under an hour and we landed 5-minutes before we were due to arrive. The trouble began there when it took over an hour of waiting in line at the Avis counter for our rental car. Mom had requested a GPS, but for some reason they couldn’t find one for us, or a map (Mom: Do you have a map? Avis Jerk: No, I have no map for you). Customer service, ahhh, welcome to France.

We did finally get a car, and after Dad figured out the parking break we were off on a 2-hour drive to Balleroy.

How about a nice ride?

2009-09-17T15:06:00.010-04:00

Staying in Knightsbridge has exposed me to quite a few nice cars in just one afternoon alone. I haven't seen one car with a dent or flaw!

Perhaps a bit of rest is in order

2009-09-17T14:50:00.002-04:00

Dad too made it safely to meet us at the club this afternoon. He wanted to go to Harrods to pick up a snack and then Mom and I were off to Bond Street/Oxford Street to visit M&S to check for good sales. Sadly, we left with nothing but two sandwiches, one for Mom and one for Dad, and sparkling water. We made our way back to Knightsbridge and I finally got the sushi I've been craving at Yo! Sushi.

My parents and I had every intention of stopping into a nearby pub for after dinner drinks, but when we finally made our way there the pub was so full we couldn't even open the door without hitting one of the patrons. It appeared that there was some sort of wedding reception going on, so we walked a bit more before deciding to return to the club for the night.

We leave for Normandy tomorrow afternoon, but should have time to wander a bit before we need to head to the airport.

After only having about 2 hours of sleep in the last two days, I'm going to call it a night! But first I need to show you how nice it was this evening on our walk...

Knightsbridge

2009-09-17T05:43:00.002-04:00

After hauling bags through trains and underground cars, we have finally made it to the S.F. Club in Knightsbridge.

Mom and I are still waiting for Dad to arrive (he should be here about 2 p.m. London time), so we're considering finding something to eat and possibly some coffee to help us stay up seeing as it is 5:45 a.m. in Raleigh right now.

Short and sweet - we made it to London safe and sound! More to come later!

BOS-tunk

2009-09-16T17:04:00.002-04:00

It is a few minutes past 5pm and I am now in Terminal E at BOS. This is the most chaotic and unorganized terminal I have ever been to in my years of traveling. There was one line for security that had at least 200 people winding through the check in areas to get to their gates. I noticed an “Expert” line for Business and First class travelers that couldn’t even be seen in the mass of travelers, so I took it rather than wait with the others. I made it all the way to the front, the TSA woman took my boarding pass and passport, and I had my shoes back on before 3 people in the regular line had been ushered through the metal detectors. Sometimes you just have to be a little ballsy; it paid off for me this time!

Now that I’ve located a power cord to plug in my laptop and cell phone, I just have to wait patiently until it’s time to board and I can find my mom. Her cell is turned off, otherwise I’d let her in on my secret short line.

Also interesting to note, I asked about an upgrade to first class. I was in luck, a $1400 special! Evidently there is more than one definition for the word “special”…

Too many things to do, not enough focus to complete anything...

2009-09-15T20:35:00.003-04:00

Well, the time for my trip has finally arrived. I am so excited, I can't pack! I'm trying to distract myself with homework and laundry, but so far only the washing machine is doing work.

I've taken out my passport, two empty suitcases sit open on my bedroom floor, and that's about it for now.

Sadly, my Dell Mini laptop is still in the repair shop (seeing "operating system not found" is every laptop owner's dream, right? Thank God it was still under warranty!) and it will not be making the international flight. I'll have to do with it's older sibling that has as battery that lasts long enough to microwave a Lean Cuisine before needing to be plugged in again. This should be interesting!

I am all checked in for tomorrow's flights. When I land in Boston, I have the extreme pleasure of meeting up with my friend Maura who used to live in Raleigh. A 5-hour layover has never been something I've looked forward to, but seeing Maura is going to be great.

As for the remainder of this evening, I'm foreseeing midnight and 1 a.m. flash before my eyes and not my eyelids. Here's to hoping productivity on some level finds me soon!

Final Hotel Stay in London - Booked!

2009-08-11T20:21:00.003-04:00

While on the phone with my mom this evening I went ahead and booked our hotel for our last two nights in London before we return to the States.

We snagged a 4-star hotel on Priceline in Knightsbridge (where we will also be staying on the first leg of our trip). Here's where we'll be staying: Copthorne Tara Hotel

Mom said I now have to pick out a West End show I want to see on 27 September. Any suggestions?

When in Rome...

2009-08-06T17:15:00.006-04:00

...visit the Pope!

I have two tickets to see the Pope on 23 September when I'm in Rome with my mom.

Little by little our trip is coming together, next up booking B&Bs and train tickets.

Is it time to fly away yet?

Simply can't wait for...

2009-07-18T21:01:00.005-04:00

There are things about visiting Europe that I simply can't wait for...

I'll start with London, in no particular order: Shopping at Boots for my favorite lip gloss (and stocking up since the last visit's purchase of 15 are toast), seeing my friend George and meeting his fiancee, visiting the Waitrose at the Gloucester St. station to pick up my favorite crisps, bread, tomato and mozzarella salad, and other odds and ends (going to this particular Waitrose has become a habit over the years for no particular reason, but it is now a tradition I refuse to break), wandering around Knightsbridge where we'll be staying, having dinner at Pasta Brown in Covent Garden, seeing a show in the West End, stopping in at Lillywhites sports shop (no shorts with "London" written across my bum...promise!) as I can always refresh my gym wardrobe, maybe a surprise from Harrods along with a cheese scone from the Food Court (I must admit, I am hoping the Champagne Sorbet will still be there that I passed up in 2007), rummaging through HMV for any fun new catchy British pop music (Message to Charlotte Church: Please stop having babies with your boyfriend so that you can release a second pop CD, because the first one is still catchy), and watching as much original BBC programming as I can consume while still getting some sleep (cheesy CBBC Saturday morning and chat shows here I come!).

I will be disappointed if I do not accomplish all of the aforementioned items. Over the years I have been fortunate enough to take in a large majority of the tourist sites, so unless anything is new and fantastic I'll stick to the street with the rest of the Londoners.

There are, of course, many other items of interest floating around in my brain, but they'll just have to remain in my head until my next preview post.

Off to Europe again!

2009-07-02T11:16:00.003-04:00

Well, I am very happy to announce that I will be off on another European adventure in just a few short months.

As Dad is overseas in Saudi Arabia, Mom and I will be meeting up with him in London this September. I'll be leaving Raleigh on September 16 and returning on the 28th.

Rather than leaving from Raleigh together, Mom will leave from VA and we will then meet in Boston before taking our overseas flight landing in London the morning of September 17.

From there we will meet up with Dad, spend two days in the city (Harrods' Food Court here I come!), and fly to Normandy. We will stay in France until September 23, at which time Dad returns to Saudi and Mom and I will fly to Italy for the remainder of our trip.

We don't have the details planned for Italy quite yet but it should involve Rome, Florence, Pisa, and Tuscany.

More details to come!

Welcome to RDU

2007-01-11T18:04:00.000-05:00

Back at the townhouse - safe and sound!

The end of the road.

2007-01-11T05:55:00.000-05:00

While everything appeared to be going in our favor yesterday, things were a bit hectic as we prepared to depart The Netherlands.

Kate and I met Angela at AFNORTH after stopping in Brunssum so Kate could buy beer glasses. Angela informed us upon our arrival that she had meetings and wouldn't be able to take us to the airport in Eindhoven. Naturally, I started to panic.

It's a good thing that I still know people at school, that's all I have to say! After some begging, I managed to get one of Angela's colleagues to attend the meetings for her and we were all set. I'm pretty sure I owe Mr. D something for taking a hit like that for me.

Angela tossed us in the car and we headed to Eindhoven...or so we thought. Evidently, Angela didn't know how to get to the airport from where we were - but that didn't stop her from driving, so we went over an hour out of our way before she stopped and said, "Don't worry!" - that made me speechless for the remainder of the car ride.

Thankfully, we did make it to the airport in time and our flight was quick and easy. We met a nice Canadian fellow who lives in California, so he entertained us for most of the flight.

We collected our luggage from the baggage reclaim, picked up a bus to Gatwick (a 3-hour ride), and then made it to our hotel in Surrey before midnight.

We're at Gatwick now. I spent a load of money at Boots getting last minute goodies...I'm sad it's all over!

Less than two hours before we leave for Raleigh. That's all from the UK. It's been great - thanks for tagging along for the adventure!

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Last day in the NL

2007-01-10T07:13:00.000-05:00

Kate and I somehow managed to haul ourselves out of bed at 7 a.m. and we were standing outside Coffee Lovers ayt promptly 8 a.m. when it opened. We sat and had our coffee (butterscotch for me and a mocha coffee for Kate).

We walked to the Maastricht train station and took the train to Heerlen so that we could pack in just a little bit more shopping. I found a skirt, Kate bought gifts for friends, and I found an item that my mother will be VERY shocked and amazed about that I bought for her.

The train back to Maastricht left at 11:15 a.m. so we were back at Angela's by 11:30 a.m. so that we could take a large trip to the grocery at Albert Heijn. I filled my cart and threw in anything I could think of that looked good and small enough to pack.

The biggest task of the day was to pack. We put our new clothes and goodies in our backpacks and the trip clothes in a box each with some other odds and ends that wouldn't fit.

We are now going to drag everything downstairs to Angela's car and drive to Schinnen to send everything in the post. Angela wants us at AFNORTH by 3 p.m. so that I can talk with a senior about N.C. State, as she is very interested in attending. I told Angela Kate and I would sponsor her, but only if she is cool and fun like we are...

Our flight to London leaves at 7:30 p.m. and Anglea is going to drive us after school so that we can beat traffic and won't be late.

We are staying just outside Gatwick in Surrey this evening at a 3-star hotel that we got from LastMinute.com for $80 - yet again, another deal found.

Dinner in Valkenburg

2007-01-09T17:32:00.000-05:00

Cyriel took the Kates to dinner in Valkenburg tonight. We had a lovely meal, but it was the company that truly made the evening.

Kate and I left Angela's apartment about 15 minutes before 7 p.m. when we were to meet Cyriel at the Maastricht train station. He beat us there and was waiting for us in his cool new Audi to drive us to dinner.

We talked about a little of everything during dinner (to include this woman named Missy who happened to be a part of our discussion on many accounts). It was so delightful to just sit and enjoy the evening. Cyriel drove us back to Maastricht after dinner at we arrived at the apartment a after 10 p.m. - Angela had also returned from dinner.

The three girls talked in the kitchen for a while before Angela went up to bed and now Kate and I have to figure out how in the heck we are going to pack up everything we've bought to mail to ourselves tomorrow.

On our mini shopping trip to H&M in Maastricht this evening I did indeed find the dress I had seen in London, the matching black jacket, and a navy blue coat that looks like Madeline's from the children's books.

We are meeting my friend Britni in the morning. I went to AFNORTH with her and she is still living here with her two children. There's just a bit more to pick up (mainly grocery items to mail) and then we're back to London to spend the night in Surrey before we are back in Raleighwood once again. Does this really have to end?

Boots...what happened? Dun dun dun!

2007-01-09T10:35:00.000-05:00

For those of you waiting on the edge of your seat to find out whether or not Kate accomplished her goal of finding the perfect pair of boots, we thought should let you know: Great success!

She found a pair of Esprit books on sale in Lust for Life at the price of 49 Euros (originally 159 Euros).

Also, overheard in the apartment living room...

Kate: "I want to be Scottish...a Scottish man, so I can sound cool cursing."

Maasmechelen & Aachen

2007-01-09T10:22:00.000-05:00

It's not too shabby to have been in three countries in one day and all before 1 p.m. - don't you agree?

We returned to Maasmechelen to finish up the shopping we didn't have enough time to get to last night. Kate was in search of the perfect pair of boots and I spent the entire time shopping and trying on clothes in Le Petit Bateau. I ended up buying a pair of trousers, a sweater, and a little t-shirt. All 50% off - hooray! No luck finding any boots for Kate, but not to worry, she's a motivated shopper and it didn't get her down any.

From Belgium, we drove through the Netherlands and to Aachen, Germany. It was quite the miracle that I was able to get us into the city and to the parking garage (with street closures and everything!) without getting lost. As it was well into lunch time, we walked to the Nobis bakery to find something to eat. Kate had a cheese and tomato sandwich and I was in pure heaven eating my rasberry dessert and a cheese bread roll. Too good for words.

We next went in search of Lust for Life, Aachen's big department store, to see what might be on sale. I found luck in the kid's department with a shirt that said "AACHEN" - there were some other interesting things, but I passed because of my big shopping trip at Maasmechelen earlier in the day.

My friend Kristie wanted me to go to a jewelry store to find earrings, so I did just that and kept to my spending limit. Kristie - mission complete!

I returned to the bakery before we left for more raspberry and cheese bread goodness to eat tomorrow before we fly back to London. Kate wandered around and into a booksore and we both checked out a writing shop (pens, paper, etc.) before returning to the car.

The two biggest accomplishments of the day came next. Not only did we get out of Aachen without getting lost but we made it to Angela's apartment in Maastricht also without getting turned around.

We are leaving in a few minutes to walk around Maastricht into some shops and then going to the train station at 7 p.m. to wait for Cyriel to pick us up for dinner.

Dat ist alles.

een...twee...drie...

2007-01-09T03:21:00.000-05:00

This morning we've consumed:
1 caramel coffee
1 butterscotch coffee
1 whole grain roll
1 yogurt
2 coke lights

...all before 9:30 a.m. - isn't it glorious? It was back to Coffee Lovers and Albert Heijn for breakfast this morning. We are just about ready to jump in the car and drive back to Maasmechelen for shopping and then driving off to Aachen. Tag!

Schinnen, Wijnandsrade & Maasmechelen

2007-01-08T17:39:00.000-05:00

I cried. The moment I saw the house in Wijnandsrade when we drove up the hill, I cried. I was so happy to see the farm and the second house we lived in, it was just too much for me to handle. Maybe it's the heavy travel or lack of sleep that's heightening my emotions - I don't know.

Needless to say, Kate and I made it out of Maastricht alive. We might have taken a few wrong turns at first, but I would never admit that, would I?

So, once I knew where we were, we stopped at the local ABN AMRO bank in Nuth so that Kate could take out more Euros for her shopping. From Nuth, we drove to my mother's most favorite flower shop to buy flowers for Otmar and the Niessen family. I spent about 40 Euros on flowers (which was about 4 times the amount of flowers I would get in the US for that type of money) before returning to Wijnandsrade.

To my delight John and his wife were at home. They gave hugs and kisses and invited Kate and I into the farmhouse for pie (vlaa) and coffee. One of the grandchildren, Solange, returned home from school for lunch so she sat and ate with us (her two siblings were in Austria skiing on a school trip). John gave us a tour of the stables to see the new foals, one was born at the farm this year - there was a disease that took the lives of the 5 others born - and the slew of other foals that he purchased.

I took a ton of photos of the farm, our old house, and the surrounding area before we said goodbye and thank you for the visit.

The next stop was Schinnen where our first house is located. I took pictures of the village center, the road leading up to the house, the house, and just about everything else. Kate was anxious for us to move down the road - to the Alfa brewery - which we were disappointed to discover is closed until Saturday.

Otmar's restaurant, Restaurant Thull, was just across the street from the brewery, so we poked our heads inside and Otmar turned around and could not believe I was standing in front of him. He's so sweet! He was spending the morning changing out the holiday decorations and when I asked to take a picture with him and his wife he said, "It's a Monday picture!" as he was without his famous chef hat. Otmar and the Niessens send their love to my family - they loved the flowers and were very surprised with my visit!

Kate and I promised Angela we would pick her up from school in the afternoon. Considering we had taken her car for the day, it was the least we could do! We drove around the center of Brunssum before driving to school. AFNORTH hasn't changed that much in the past 5 years since I graduated! I was able to see a few of my former teachers and then it was time to head out of the compound in search of dinner.

Our threesome decided that it would be fun to have dinner in Belgium - Maasmechelen Village, to be exact. The outlets were still open for about 20 minutes and so we were able to wander around and look at the shops before finding a restaurant.

Dinner was at an Italian restaurant called Cellini. Kate had a linguini with veggies and shimp in a very light tomato sauce. Angela had a mixed green salad with cheese with a house dressing. I chose a ciabatta alla caprese with a side mixed green salad - oh, and one can't forget the smooth glass of pinot grigio to go along with my dish.

After dinner, we decided to see the 8 p.m. showing of 'The Holiday' at Maasmechelen's EUROSCOOP (http://www.euroscoop.be). I love that movie theatre! It has an intermission, as do most European theatres, and the movie will cut out in the middle of a sentence for the break. At this point everyone gets up, goes to the loo, smokes, and goes to the concession stand for alcoholic beverages and sweets. I'm not quite sure how America hasn't been able to grasp this concept.

The posse is back in Maastricht and it is just past midnight. Angela returns to work tomorrow, I think we're stealing her car again, and Kate and I will most likely repeat today's morning routine of coffee and a grocery stop for breakfast before deciding on the adventure du jour.

We don't want to leave!

Koffie

2007-01-08T04:38:00.001-05:00

Kate and I managed to walk out of Angela's apartment around 9 a.m. to
walk across the street for coffee at a place called Coffee Lovers. I
had a cute little vanilla latte and Kate had a mocha. When we
finished, we walked back down the street and into Albert Heijn for
some groceries. Gotta love the AH! I got big bottles of my favorite
Spa water and some Coke Light before we walked back to the apartment.

Everything is put away in the kitchen and we are ready to head out for
the day...Tot ziens!

A note to readers....

2007-01-07T16:26:00.000-05:00

It has been such a treat to read all of the comments you guys have been leaving, so I thought it would be fitting to write back...

To:
My parents: I will try to accomplish all of my travel tasks - beer for Dad and I will bring flowers to everyone at the farm and to Otmar. Let me know if I am forgetting anything.
Erica: I love the notes you're leaving! I promise to share all the pictures when I get home. How about over some Starbucks?
Tyler: You are going to be in Europe in a few months yourself - you are going to love Germany.
Bobby's Daddy: So fun messaging with you earlier tonight. I am delighted to report the international Starbucks partners are hooking us up with their discounts. Oh yeah!
G.P - The drunk guy on the tube in London with his bottles of Stella made us laugh so hard...wish you could have seen it!
Jana: You'll be here in a few months on your own Europe adventures...I expect you to blog too! Have you finalized all of your plans?
Carol: if you're reading this...can you get sushi with us Thursday night?
Blake: I said Hello to your Scottish relatives...they were all eating at this popular restaurant called McDonald's - have you heard of it?
David/Kiron/Zoe: I met a group of Aussies at breakfast this morning and they all had tubes of Vegemite...I was so jealous.

If I didn't leave you a message will you please post me a note to let me know you're reading? Google tells me the blog has had over 300 hits since I left!

Welkom bij Maastricht!

2007-01-07T15:16:00.000-05:00

Our day began in Glasgow, halfway through we were in Belgium, and we end this evening in the glorious country that is the Netherlands.

Kate and I took the very first train out of Glasgow at 8:48 a.m. which took us directly to Prestwick International Airport (where, evidently, you don't have to go through customs...very weird). The flight left on time at noon and we arrived into Brussels a few minutes after 2:30 p.m. and just a few minutes later had collected our backpacks and met my friend Angela in the airport lobby. She drove us back to her house in Maastricht, we dumped our bags, and the three of us left to walk to a local restaurant for dinner.

We ate at a place called Napoli, I'd been there a few times before when we lived in the NL, and so it was quite comforting to sit in the restaurant and just take in my surroundings. Kate and Angela had pasta and I had a mini cheese (kaas) pizza. Gotta love that Dutch cheese! After dinner, we walked around the city some, the Christmas fair was still set up so we went for a ride on the huge ferris wheel and got to see Maastricht all lit up with Christmas lights. Perfection.

We're back at Angela's house for the night. I think Kate and I are going to sit and watch a movie and try to get up at a reasonable hour to start exploring and making a few visits. Angela is leaving her car with us so we have the day to drive around. We are going to meet her at school later in the afternoon so I can say hello to my old teachers and friends. Not sure what kind of trouble we'll get into for the rest of the day...but I'm sure we'll come up with something. I suppose the biggest adventure will be trying to remember how to get everywhere by car - wish me luck!

Glasgow

2007-01-06T10:41:00.000-05:00

I believe Kate hit the snooze button more than 3 separate times when the alarm rang this morning. We didn't get to sleep until after midnight and we actually got out of bed around 9 a.m. (our longest sleep yet!). Breakfast was downstairs and I had toast with raspberry jam (Kate chose honey) and coffee. We started of out tour by walking through the city center where all of the streets are walking paths and closed to traffic. There was a Marks & Spencer along the way - I bought more of my new favorite orange and raspberry juice and Kate bought a mocha from the cafe. Our stroll continued to the far east portion of the city where we went to tour Glasgow Cathedral and the church grounds. It had been sprinkling earlier in the morning, but by the time we had finished, the sun was out and the whole city was lit up, it was beautiful. On our way back to the city center we found ourselves a Pret A Manger to grab lunch at...we took our food outside and sat on a bench in the middle of the walking street to people watch while we ate. Not too long after lunch we popped into a huge Boots where I bought enought LemSip to cure a small country of a cold. Kate found a Guinness gift set for 50% off to add to growing collection of all things beer. We are now back at the hostel giving our feet a break for an hour or so before we go out again to wander and find a place for dinner.

Scotland!

2007-01-05T19:20:00.001-05:00

Our flight from Dublin left on time and we made it to Glasgow a few minutes earlier than scheduled. Our hostel is HUGE and just a few minutes walk from the central train station where we rode into town from the airport. Dinner was at an Indian restaurant down the street from our hostel called Spice Garden. We had a ton of food and while it was a bit pricey (what isn't with the exchange rate?) it was very good. We are in for the evening enjoying Scottish/BBC telly and dessert. Not bad, not bad at all.

One night in London...

2007-01-05T18:46:00.000-05:00

Kate and I had a great evening running around town tonight. I have my
tickets to Salisbury for tomorrow with the Deverells (I get to see
Dizzy the dog too!). George took us to Pasta Brown - the place
continues to impress me. We wandered around Oxford Circus some before
George drove us back to the hostel for the night. Kate and I are
absolute zombies tonight. I suppose two nights without sleep will do
that! Time for bed...another long day tomorrow!

The Book of Kells, Trinity College, and St. Patrick's Cathedral.

2007-01-05T08:29:00.000-05:00

It was very difficult to roll out of bed this morning, but we managed to get downstairs and out of the room a little after 8 a.m. to start another day of touring.

It was a bit damp out and thankfully not raining as we walked from the hostel to St. Patrick's Cathedral. The cathedral is beautiful and one portion of the site is being repaired. There is a lovely grassy area with benches and swings adjacent to the cathedral and people were walking through the park as we took photos.

We continued walking until we reached Grafton Street where there were shops absolutely everywhere. We found a card shop with funny cards and a new artist we find amusing (www.edwardmonkton.com), had coffee and scones from Marks & Spencer, and were delighted to find a jewelry store at the end of the street that was closing and thus everything was on sale! I found a pair of white gold star earrings to replace the ones I bought in the Netherlands about 4 years ago, a claddagh ring, and a trinity knot necklace and ring.

Trinity College was just across the street from the jewelry store, so we walked across and into the gated campus. Kate found it amusing to take a picture of me taking pictures because that's all I've been doing - I have about 300 photos so far (from 3 days of travels). I hope to make it to the 1000 mark by the time we head back to the states.

At Trinity College we bought tickets to see The Book of Kells. It was amazing to see such craftsmanship and the attention to detail on each page of the book(s) in the collection.

We are now back in the Temple Bar area. We had crepes and lattes for lunch and have another two hours or so before we need to pick up our luggage from the hostel and take the bus to the airport for our flight to Glasgow.

The weather here is impeccable! It's windy, but nothing we can't handle. More later from Scotland - I hope to add more pictures late tonight.

It starts with a pint of Guinness

2007-01-04T13:03:00.000-05:00

This morning we left London just as early as we started the past two days. We hauled our giant backpacks down the six flights of stairs to the lobby of the hostel, checked out, and off we went. From the Queensway tube station we rode to Victoria station where we took the Gatwick Express back to the airport.

*Note, I snagged another orange and raspberry juice from Marks & Spencer (which Kate lovingly calls Marcus Spencer). I want there to be a drink like that at home, sadly, I don't think one exists.

Checking in for the flight was painless, but the line for passport control to get to the gate was insane. Two huge lines snaked around the airport, but then moved quickly, so that's really all that matters.

Our flight boarded a bit later than the designated time and it was a full load. Getting a seat wasn't difficult and after that it's all a bit blurry for me. I remember taking off and waking up just a few minutes before we landed. Going through customs was a long process and by the time we made it through the line our bags were waiting for us in luggage reclaim.

We hopped a city bus to Dublic city center and were at the hotel a little over 30 minutes later. We dropped our things and walked the 200 meters or so down the street to the Guinness factory. The self-guided tour took an hour or so to include having a pint of fresh Guinness in on the 7th floor in the Gravity Bar.

Kate took her loot back to the room, we grabbed gloves and scarves (it's quite windy here!), and took another bus to the area of Temple Bar. We walked through the streets some before stopping for dinner at The Old Mill to eat. I had a bowl of cauliflower soup and Kate had a fixed-price meal consisting of a small salad, chicken, and chocolate mousse for dessert (I plan on getting some ice cream in just a bit).

So now, here we are, hanging out in an internet spot and just about ready to find a coffee bar we saw earlier in the evening to sit and relax before going back to the room for the night. We're beat! St. Patrick's Cathedral and Trinity College are in the plans for tomorrow - I hope we don't get lost, Dublin isn't the easiest city to navigate.

Yo! Sushi in London

2007-01-03T17:28:00.000-05:00

We went just around the corner from the hostel to have dinner with George at a little place in Whiteley's called Yo! Sushi. The sushi went around on a belt and you were free to choose what you wanted from the belt. The plates were different colors and each color corresponded the the price of the sushi. We need something like this in Raleigh! George treated the girls and we parted ways shortly after eating (and after George and I had a water drinking battle - he drank still and I drank fizzy....oh, how I love fizzy water)

We have pictures! Check them out at http://www.flickr.com/photos/broadwayk

Kate and I are off to wander in the neighborhood before getting to bed!

Salisbury (not just a steak!)

2007-01-03T13:59:00.001-05:00

The morning started early at 6 a.m. today. The shared bathroom experience here in London isn't half as bad as I had expected. The shower had amazing water pressure and that alone helped me to get out of the room on time to start my day. Kate and I left at 7 a.m., I left her at Starbucks to have an adventure in London on her own, and then headed to the tube station so that I could be at Waterloo station plenty early for my 8:20 a.m. train to Salisbury.

As I was a bit early, I popped into Marks & Spencer to find something for breakfast. Nothing really grabbed my attention other than what has turned out to be my new favorite drink - freshly squeezed orange juice with crushed raspberries. It makes my mouth watering just thinking about it...and at another stand I picked up a mini baguette with cheddar cheese and tomatoes.

My train to Salisbury was just over an hour and a half. Sir Jack and Lady Jane met me on the ramp moments after I stepped on the train - they are such a delight. They brought little Dizzy in the car, so the two of us shared the back seat and we drove through Salisbury and parked to walk to Salisbury Cathedral. Before stopped at the cathedral, we went into a little corner cafe for coffee and to do a little people watching. The cathedral has the tallest spire in Europe and the inside is a work of art. The last time I visited with the Deverells we went to Bath Abby and I thought that was nice, but Salisbury easily trumps Bath.

After the cathedral tour, we jumped back into the car and drove to see Stonehenge. I expected it to be at the top of a big hill or on a cliff, but in all actuality it's smack in the middle of two large roads and just a few meters away from all of the traffic. The site is roped off, so we chose to drive by as it was nearly just as close.

The Deverells took me back to their home. Jane chose to stay in the house for a bit and Jack, Dizzy, and I took a walk around the countryside. I put on wellingtons in place of my sneakers so my shoes wouldn't get muddy and wet and we were off. It was so serene walking through the fields, past a little church, and then stopping in at the local pub for lunch (Jane drove and met us there). Jane and I drank cider while Jack chose a local beer. We had smoked salmon, prawns, and crab for lunch with a bit of bread and salad. Nice! We shared desserts and drove home an hour or so later.

Jack was having computer troubles, so I was there to teach him how to send multiple photo attachments. Jane made us tea while we were in the office and took a picture of the two of us (Dizzy too!) to send to my parents. Once the computer lesson was over it was time for me to go back to London on the train. I took the 4:20 p.m. train and sat with the Deverells until it was about time for my train to depart. They are incredibly lovely people - they really made me not want to leave!

I met a family from Nevada in my train car. We talked and played cards the entire way back to Waterloo station. The daughter is in a one year master's program here in London and her family was just in town to visit. We swapped e-mails and travel blogs, so I do hope that we'll keep in touch.

I am back at the hostel for the evening. On my walk back from the tube I stopped in a Boots for chap stick (I don't think one person can have enough) and a few extra bags of my Walkers French Fries.

I believe we're having sushi from Yo! Sushi tonight. However, plans can easily change, so I guess I'll just wait to see what happens!

Whatever Simon says, these girls will do...

2007-01-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

The line for customs was quick and painless. Even more surprising was the speed at which our backpacks came out on the baggage claim belt. We didn't spend more than 15 minutes total waiting around at Gatwick.

The Gatwick Express left the airport at 9:20 a.m. and delivered us to Victoria station in promptly 30 minutes. I managed to find a Vodafone store within minutes of emerging from the train, so I had my mobile phone activated a few minutes later. Kate and I then took the tube to our hostel, dropped our bags, and rang Simon Deverell to meet him at Hyde Park Barracks.

As our plane was nearly two hours late, we were too late to make it for the changing of the the Queen's Life Guard as originally planned. Simon greeted us in all of his breathtaking handsomeness at the gate to the barracks around 11 a.m.. Even Kate was silenced by the striking aura that surrounded Simon - we were smitten.

Simon showed us around the barracks, the stables, and we watched the troops return from the guard changing. It's a highly choreographed dismount the group must do in order to not stab one another (or the horses) with their giant swords. Simon pointed out the good horses and also the stupid ones - we found his calling out the dumb ones to be particularly amusing.

Our tour ended and we parted ways 30 minutes or so later - cheek kisses from Simon for both of these girls. He's all we could talk about for a good long while as we walked back to Knightsbridge to shop around Harrods.

I found little Anna a friend at Harrods for Hattie the dog, who I purchased a little over 3 years ago for Anna before she was born. I'm carrying the new stuffed dog back with me, as Anna said he might get lost or scared if I sent him in the mail.

Kate and I left Knightsbridge and went to Waitrose to buy lunch and bring back to our hostel room. I had my traditional sunblished tomato salad along with hummus and organic bread. Kate was craving sushi, so she picked out a nice selection for herself.

I'm typing this from the computer corner of the main lobby of the hostel. Kate and I are about to head out to Paddington Station to buy my train ticket for tomorrow and then we will take the tube to Covent Garden and shop until we meet our friend George at Pasta Brown for dinner around 7:30 p.m.

Looks like we made it....

2007-01-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

Good news everyone - Kate made it through security at RDU!

While we didn't have any problems, the flight ended up being delayed in Raleigh for a good hour and a half (maybe a bit more, we lost track) because the crew was "cleaning the plane". Half of the flight was filled with small children, but they all behaved quite well, give or take two or three crying spells (we honestly expected it to be much worse!). Kate read magazines for most of the flight and somehow I was the one that did most of the sleeping. Overall a very uneventful trans-Atlantic flight, which really isn't a bad thing to report

Have mylo, will travel.

2006-12-29T05:55:00.000-05:00

Santa brought me a Sony mylo for Christmas this year. It picks up WiFi signals to access the internet, so I am bringing it with me to Europe so that I can easily update this blog with trip happenings. Additionally, I can instant message (Google or Yahoo!), check e-mail, and talk to anyone who has Skype (my Skype name is broadwaykatie). That's pretty impressive for something that is small enough to fit in the palm of my hand! It is my intention to update this blog at least twice a day if not more when possible whilst I'm away - check back often!

Itinerary Update

2006-12-04T10:34:00.000-05:00

Updated Trip Itinerary

January 1, 2007 - Depart Raleigh/Durham 6:54 p.m. EST
January 2, 2007 - Arrive London, Gatwick 7 a.m. UK time (Noon EST). Attend the changing of The Queen's Life Guard ceremony at 11 a.m. with Simon Deverell.
January 3, 2007 - Visit the home of Sir Jack and Lady Jane Deverell for the day. Taking the train from Waterloo Station to Tisbury (approx. 2 hour trip).
January 4, 2007 - London. Depart for Dublin early a.m.
January 5, 2007 - Depart Dublin late p.m. and arrive Glasgow, Scotland.
January 6, 2007 - Glasgow, Scotland
January 7, 2007 - Glasgow, Scotland. Arrive Brussels in the early afternoon.
January 8, 2007 - The Netherlands.
January 9, 2007 - The Netherlands (train to Amsterdam).
January 10, 2007 - The Netherlands. Depart for London from Eindhoven in late p.m.
January 11, 2007 - Depart London, Gatwick 12:40 p.m. UK time. Arrive Raleigh/Durham 4:15 p.m. EST.

Now I've got a jacket....

2006-12-01T14:47:00.000-05:00

I'm ready to go!

The North Face jacket I ordered for my trip arrived Tuesday. I bought the purple one!

The biggest backpack EVER

2006-10-25T14:59:00.000-04:00

I purchased the backpack I'll use for my trip today. I certainly never thought I'd be a backpacking type of girl.....

Countdown to Europe - Itinerary

2006-10-02T06:27:00.000-04:00

The countdown to Europe....

January 1, 2007

Trip Itinerary
January 1, 2007 - Depart Raleigh/Durham 6:54 p.m. EST
January 2, 2007 - Arrive London, Gatwick 7 a.m. UK time (Noon EST)
January 3, 2007 - London
January 4, 2007 - London
January 5, 2007 - Shannon/Limerick, Ireland
January 6, 2007 - Glasgow, Scotland
January 7, 2007 - Glasgow, Scotland. Arrive Brussels, Belgium late p.m.
January 8, 2007 - The Netherlands, Aachen, Germany.
January 9, 2007 - The Netherlands. Depart for Rome, Italy late p.m.
January 10, 2007 - Rome, Italy
January 11, 2007 - Depart London, Gatwick 12:40 p.m. UK time. Arrive Raleigh/Durham 4:15 p.m. EST.