More Pics

Big Ben, London



Ross Castle and scenery in Killarney National Park, Ireland

A few pictures

In front of the Eiffel Tower

Our infamous bike tour in Munich

Gondola ride in Venice
















In front of the Trevi Fountain
Picture-taker: "Did it turn out OK?"
Sandy: "Yeah, we're just looking at how good we look!"

Drinking Guiness in a Killarney pub

In the London Eye












In front of a lake in the Dublin Mountains; apparently this shot is used in a lot of movies


So here's a small selection, as has been requested. There are just too many too post, and they just take way too long to post, so just come see one of us for the real slide show of pictures!

Sadness

It's over. It's really over. There's no more train stations, no more exploring strange lands, no more sleeping in a room with ten strangers. As nice as it is to be back in the states, I miss Europe. We were just in Amsterdam yesterday. We had so much fun, I didn't want to go home. I mean, I still haven't seen ALL of Europe. There's still Switzerland. And Spain and Portugal. And then there's Eastern Europe. I need to see all of those too. But, I guess its time to get back to real life. It had to happen at some point. I hope you all enjoyed our blogs throughout the trip, we had as much fun writing them as you probably did reading them. This was the trip of a lifetime, which I don't think can be topped at any point in my life. It was challenging, but fun and exciting everyday. I don't think I had even one day when I didn't want to be there. Every day was great, and each place we went was amazing. I can't pick a favorite city, its like picking a favorite child. Each place had its own character and personality, and I can't wait to go back in the future. I'm going to miss Europe, but I am glad to be home!

Annnnnd we're back

I woke up in Highland this morning, which was a little bit unusual since I woke up in Amsterdam the two mornings before that, and Brussels the two mornings before that. And as much as I absolutely love being home, walking around barefoot, drinking tap water with ice, and throwing things away in the trash cans that I can find all over, I miss Europe already. At least the weather is nice here and everyone speaks English!

We woke up Wednesday morning at 5:30 AM Amsterdam time, which is 10:30 PM on Tuesday night central time. We had a layover in Dublin, and then landed at O'Hare a little before 5 PM yesterday. By the time Kalee and I got back to Highland a little before midnight last night, we had been up for 25 hours. What a record! You'd think I would have slept until noon today, but ohhhh no. My body have to either hate me or just be incredibly confused. I was awake at 6 AM. My bet is that I fall asleep before it gets dark tonight.

I'm figuring the jet lag will kick in in about 3 days. We'll see.

The average age on our plane home yesterday from Dublin was apporximately 10. There were more children under the age of 6 on that plane than there are at family weddings here in southern Illinois. And then there was some group of 8th graders that didn't seem to understand that they couldn't just loiter in the aisles of the plane. If that one kid had blocked my view of the movie screen one more time, he was going to receive a Birkenstock to the head. I'm just saying. Don't mess with three girls who have been traveling for a loooong time and just want to watch a good movie on their way home. And for the love of God, if the fasten seat belt light is on, please sit down!

Looking back, I can honestly say it was the trip and experience of a lifetime. If it wasn't for the almost 400 pictures I took and the phone call from my bank yesterday to make sure my debit card wasn't stolen, I'd say it was just all an amazing dream. Now I feel like a certified expert on how to backpack Europe - what to see, what to skip, how to save money, where to buy the best PBJ, and what to pack that you'd never think of (aka a corkscrew). I'll save all of my worldly knowledge for those of you who really want to know though. Thanks for reading and posting comments as we traveled; it made us feel connected with everyone at home, and it was always nice to know people were thinking of us! If you want to see some pictures or hear a few stories, you know how to find me!

PS: I somehow got addicted to Nutella over there. That stuff is amazing. Peanut butter consistency, but tastes like chocolate? Perfect thing to put on your toast in the morning.

Almost done

So, now we're in Amsterdam, which is our final stop. I don't really want to go back home, but I guess we have to. We did another bike tour today in Amsterdam, and it was fun....we took some crazy pictures, so you all will get to see them in a few days. I am sad to leave, I don't really have any good stories to tell right now, because we just got to Amsterdam. BYE!

More than a little sad to be almost done

It's true, our trip is almost over. This calls for more than just a single tear.

Munich was absolutely amazing. I'm so bummed that we only had 2 days there, but let me tell ya, we packed those days full. Mike's Bike Tour was probably the most fun event of our entire trip. Well, for me anyway. We haven't taken an official tour, but going by the number of times we refer to the tour, our tour guide, our tour friends, and the girl slamming into the BMW three minutes into the tour in a given day, I'd say we all rank it pretty high on our list of trip highlights. It was so much fun that we're definitely doing a MBT in Amsterdam tomorrow. i'm not sure if it can compare, but if it comes close, it'll be totally worth it.

Today we took a day trip to Brugges, which was very cool. Brussels isn't anything to write home abouth (seriously), so we took an hour train north to Brugges, which was much cooler. The chocolate was TO DIE FOR. Oh wait, I forgot. Brussels DOES have a Chocolate Museum, which we obviously felt we needed to see, for reseach purposes only. I can make chocolate now, if someone just supplies me with the cocoa beans. Cocoa beans grow in a fruit too, by the way. OK, I digress.

Brugges kinda reminded me of Venice since it was a bunch of canals. We climbed to the tob of a belfry, only 366 steps though, so it was short climb for us. Riiiight. The food in Belgium, other than the waffles and chocolate of course, is not that great, so we're ready to move on. Not that we expect much from our last stop in Amsterdam, but ya never know.

We come home on Wednesday, so be ready for lots of pictures and tons of stories when we see you next! And Mom and Dad, bring me a bottled Ski to the airport please!

In our homeland

Okay, so Munich was awesome. I felt like I was home. I mean, we were finally surrounded by our people. It was great. We didn't have much time there, but we packed everything we possibly could into the time we had. We toured the Dachau concentration camp, which was sad, but interesting to see. We also did another bike tour, which might have been the most fun I've had on this trip so far. We had a good guide, and our group was really fun, so it was a good time, and we got to see all the highlights of Munich. We also stopped halfway through at the Hofbrau Haus for a beer, which was fun. That place is crazy! I think the World Cup crowd added to the craziness of Munich, so I would like to see how it is in non world cup times. Now we're in Brussels, and its cool so far, but there's not much to see, so we've just been walking around and eating Belgian waffles. They are amazing. I got one covered in chocolate, and it was fabulous. I think I may remember all the food on this trip more than anything else. That has been the best part!