Ah... Rome!!

10/4/13

Arrived in Rome at 1600 with no real transportation dilemmas. Even though our flight was only an hour long, it still turns into an all day travel venture by the time all the buses and transfers are involved as well as finding  a place to stay. we jot got back from dinner and gelato. It's 2100 and I am spent!! Tomorrow we explore Rome. Even thought I have been here before, I am super excited to go out and see it all again. It's been 10 days since I have seen any sort of TV or heard any type of radio, and I am quite ok with it. While I do not miss it a bit, I do wonder what's going on around the world. Via facebook, I've learned our government has shut down for a few days and some demonstrations are taking place in Greece. Both make me nervous as Athens is our next stop. I really do not want to be involved in any sort of violence while abroad. In fact, I am a bit scared and reluctant to go. Our bed and breakfast in Rome is cute; two beds, two windows that open to the street, a mini commons area, and two toilets and two showers to share with 8 other people. I feel like I am back in my college dorm days.

10/7/13

Ah Roma!! I forgot how much I adore this place!! I've been so busy taking it all in, I haven't written for the last few days. I promised myself I would write the duration of the trip. Anyway, I am writing this while sitting on the Spanish Step. Simply the best people watching place there is. There's a bride and groom taking wedding photos; I still can't help but wonder if that will ever be me?

My feet are SO raw from the past 3 days of walking around the city of Rome. Between the cobblestone streets and the unexpected down pours (If I didn't know any better and were near the beach, I'd swear I was in Hilo!! Better not, I just visited the Sistine Chapel...) , my feet look as though I've ran a marathon. Instead, I've only eaten like a marathoner. I have indulged in so much pizza, pasta, paninis, gelato, peronis, and red wine it's amazing my pants still fit. I feel like Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love. I think the only thing that is saving us is we probably walk around 7-10 miles per day. 

Serving: 1 person. This is also what you get if you order pepperoni. Red pepper pizza

I couldn't resist going back to all the same places I visited the last time I was in Rome. It's just too amazing not to:

Tonight I am going to meet Steph, a travel RN I met while working in Hawaii. I haven't seen her in over 2 years and we happen to both be in Rome at the same time. How crazy is that?? I am super excited to meet up with her. Last time I say her, we were working the night shift on Laulima.

Last night, we went to an Irsish bar and met a couple from Wales, Louise and Daffid. Awesome couple, hoping to stay in contact and connect in the future.

It's about to rain (shocker)-- off to take cover.

10/8/13

It was SO good to see Steph!! Of course, we stayed out way too late and drank way too much. Needless to say, I did not do much with my last day in Rome, but that's ok, I needed some down time.

Such a surreal moment. I was excitedly nervous!

Looks like I've lost my bartending skills

I am not exactly sure what it is about Italian men, but they sure know how to get a lady's attention. Grrrh! Just like my last visit to Rome, I met a guy while we were out last night, that's causing my heart to daydream and my mind to flutter. In fact, it appears as though I am smiling at my pasta as I write this. Yes, the pasta here is worth smiling about, but not worthy of a permagrin! We just had that instant, magnetic connection. The kind full of chemistry and excitement. The kind where you forget that there is anyone else in the room. The kind when you realize it's 3 am and it's feels like you just said 'hello". The kind where when asked if you wanted to hop on the back of his scooter and get your own personal tour of Rome, your heart is screaming "Yes!" but your mind is telling you to 'go home.'  My mind trumped my heart's desire (as it usually does) and I quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek, and ran off down the street to hail a cab. In hind sight, I should've jumped on the scooter. Sometimes I need to think less, and do more.

It's late, tomorrow we leave for Athens. Can't wait!

4 Things I Love About Rome:
1) The Food!! Pizza, pasta, panini, gelato, wine...
2) The People
3) Italian men seem to have a "thing" for blondes...
4) and 1 always steals my heart.

A quick touchdown in Nice, France

The 0500 wake up call was a bit fuzzy this morning as the side effects of my Moroccan meal was still with me. My eyes felt like they were velcroed shut as I struggled to figure out if my travel buddy decided to continue on this European adventure with me or not, while also trying to put the pieces together as to who joined us during the night as our bunk mates. Nothing a little European coffee can't cure. It made the trip to the airport bit more confusing than normal, but we made it without too many detours.

We arrived in Nice at 1100. Our hostel had water issues, so we got upgraded to a sister hotel that is literally 50 km from the beach. Holy crap! For once, my traveling mishaps got me an upgrade instead of another "you just can't make this shit up" kind of story. Yeeee!!! I am already wishing we had more time here and we just got here. We are basically here for 24 hours. So much to see, so little time.

My happy place

Pretty stoked about our hostel upgrade.

We took a train to Monaco, and fell asleep for a mere 15 minutes (or so I thought), and ended up way past our destination. When I woke up, I had to pinch myself as I thought this whole trip to Europe had been a dream! When I asked the ladies sitting across from me, if our next stop was Monaco, I thought their eyes were going to pop out of their heads! They both took a deep breath in, held it, raised their eyebrows, stared at one another, then glanced back at me. I was certain they were both going to pass out before they exhaled so hard I am certain they blew my bangs out of my eyes for me. Oh my gosh, had I slept for 5 hours and not 15 minutes?? (I don't wear a watch, life is already scheduled enough.) Nervous for us, they both exclaimed at the top of their lungs. "Zhe next stop iz Italy!!" Huh? I swear the entire train turned around and stared at us as if we were inmates or something.  Another problem with this is, had the train conductor questioned our tickets, we could've been subject to a huge fine for "attempting" to ride for free on this 'unplanned' portion of our trip. Regardless, the views were picturesque.

At that, we hustled to the door to get off at the next stop aka the 'middle of nowhere' at a deserted train station. Lucky for us, there was one more train going the correct direction to get us back on track. I never get too shook up about getting lost or missing transportation, as this is happens to me daily. I am literally known to people as "THE girl who is always lost." It's just fun to have someone with for the ride this time. I used the time to snap some photos, write in my journal, and to just shake my head and laugh out loud. It brought back several memories of my travel nurse days :)

Last train of the day: 5:00 "French Time"

After we finally made it t our destination, we spent the rest of the day walking around Monaco taking in the sights. Stunningly beautiful--Take a look...

I just can't contain my giddiness!!

Ok, just a few more as it truly is that breath-taking.

Some candid shots for my future card business :)

AH...finished a bottle of wine on the beach right outside our hotel. I wish we could stay for a few more days, as I would LOVE to just sit on the beaches of France and daydream. I truly think I am a Midwestern girl that's been displaced from the beach since birth, as it is the only place in this life I find complete tranquility, peace, and happiness. Perhaps I shall move back.

It's midnight and I'm exhausted! Tonight is the first night we are sharing a room with ALL women... 4 to be exact, with only 1 bathroom. Ciao! Off to Rome tomorrow!!

Barcelona!!

9/30/2013

Day 1 in Barcelona: It never ended!! We arrived yesterday about 12 noon. The first day seems to be the worst day as far as gathering metro and city maps, getting lost, etc... It was on the long train ride that we met Simon, a 34 year old guy from Australia literally on a tour of the world!

He is absolutely hilarious!! He ended up following us to our hostel, bunked in the same room, and took us out on the town last night in typical Aussie fashion. As I sit here writing this on the lower bunk bed, I am the only girl, with 3 hungover sweaty men surrounding me. Words cannot describe the smell or sounds coming from this room. Ugh!! And did I mention it is 85 degrees in here??

Back to yesterday, after having a street hamburger (which I do not recommend) we walked to the Monte Juic Castles. During the entire walk, we were surrounded by an absolutely stunning view of the Mediterranean Sea as well as a picturesque panorama of Barcelona. The following pics are just a few of the sights along the way to get to the top.

The first thing I noticed about Spain is how nice and friendly the people are and it is much more casual and laid back than Paris. I don't feel as though I'm in another country. I feel semi-"at home" here.

We picked up some cervezas at a la tienda, we went back to the hostel to chill, and finally we were able to shower after almost 2 days of not being able to. It sure felt good after a hilly, steep 5 mile walk in the 80 degree weather. I am quickly finding out, I did not pack appropriately for this trip.  It has been 75-80, and I packed for 50-60s. Don't get me wrong, I would rather sweat than freeze, but it makes showering all that more crucial and unfortunately makes sharing a bathroom with 4-8 other people a little bit more unbearable. But... it's all part of the journey :)

The agenda for the night was to grab dinner and go to a 10:30 Flamenco show. Lets just say, we made it as far as dinner. We stopped at a Mexican place and the Viking/Steeler game was on tv.

The owners were sitting next to us, chit chatting, having beers, and the next thing we know, we are in the City Center shooting a sling shot toy up on the air. Simon joined in on the fun and was actually the instigator of it all.

From there, we went to Cheers, an Irish Pub, with live music. My Favorite!! Simon and I were going to stay for one mojito. Well...1 turned into 2, as it always does.

On our walk back to the hostel, we stopped in to say hello to our new friends at the Mexican place. After a little salsa dancing, bar games, and some clubbing we decided to call it a night.

Wait just a minute... where are we? Where's our hostel? We are lost! After hailing a cab, we finally arrived home at 0600!! Ugh. We tried to stay awake for our free hostel breakfast at 0800, but passed out as soon as our heads hit the pillow.

Day 2: After waking up at 1 pm (pathetic!) we decided on a beach day. I'm now sitting at the beach, admiring it's pure beauty. Oh how I miss Hawaii. Of course it's a nude beach, tons of beautiful, topless women everywhere! I've never gone topless myself. Although I should... Nah, I'm saving that one for my honeymoon.

Once again, plans were to go to a flamenco show, grab a late dinner, and go to bed early. That all changed when we stopped for "live music" on the 2nd level overlooking the streets of Barcelona. Many of the bars here give you a free shot when you buy a beer. That is just dangerous!! We met 2 girls from Germany, Ines and Veronica, who have made me super excited about going to Germany. They were SO much fun!!

We bought hats, roses, rings, pizza, chanted, sang, mojitos, more beers... I did pass on going to the club with them, but still managed to not get home until 0300!! I haven't been this crazy since college!! I am definitely setting my alarm for 0900, so I can make the free breakfast. Gotta save money where I can! Pretty funny that free coffee,  and all the bread and nutella one can eat has me setting my alarm, but free is free! I have a feeling I am gonna fall over dead when I get home and see my credit card bill. $200 US dollars converts to 120E. Plus things are much more expensive than I thought they would be. Oh well, we only live once. Might as well live it up while I am here.

I am blessed to be living my dream. Good night!!

10/1/2013

Woke up in time for breakfast. I was quite pleasantly surprised!! Bottomless coffee, toast, and the best strawberry marmalade I've ever eaten. Took a quick siesta and then walked to Sagrada Familia and Park Guell. Sagrada Familia is a huge cathedreal which is still under construction.

The park was beyond beautiful. It had castles that looked like Gingerbread houses and the best panoramic view of the city. After a very steep walk, we finally reached the top of the cliff. I could've sat there all day, drank wine, had a picnic, stared at the beautiful scene, and just chatted life.

I met a lady from California, Julia, who I invited along. She was traveling alone and was a great resource and company. I think that's what is so cool about backpacking Europe. You meet people from all walks of life, spend the day wandering around together, share life stories, and carry on. Such a cool experience, I wish my friends and I would do this back home.

After another full day of being a tourist, I am calling it a night.  I don't think I have had more than 4 hours a sleep since leaving America. Hoping for a blessed evening of relaxation and rest.

4 words to describe Spain:
1) Friendly
2)Fiesta!!
3) Beautiful
4) Laid back

10/2/13 Wednesday

Woke up today to no travel buddy, no way of charging my phone or camera, Simon, and some other bunk mate. My travel buddy left with no word this morning. Oh boy!! Problem is: we have no way to communicate with one another and are supposed to be leaving on the train super early tomorrow morning. And he has our joint Eurorail pass. I was a bit worried that I may be stranded in Barcelona: a mixture of feeling completely scared and completely free.

Instead of sitting around and fretting about it, Simon and I decided to spend the day wandering around the city, through parks, no maps, just conversation and curiosity led the way. It was a perfect day spent taking acrobatic pictures, great conversation, afternoon beers, lots of laughter, and the beach: basically a perfect day in Barcelona.

As I sit here in the hostel commons on my last night in Barcelona, I am feeling grateful for the kind people life throws your way when you need it most, how happy and alive I feel when I am sitting on a cliff overlooking a beautiful city, engaged in a life conversation. While sipping on wine out of a dixie cup, I begin to wonder if maybe I really am a gypsy soul? All I know is this is what life is all about. Exploring this amazing world, meeting all the wonderful people, and sharing their culture in each of their cities.

Regardless of the issues with my travel buddy, I am still living my dream. Tomorrow, we (or maybe just me) catch a flight to Nice, France. As much as I am falling in love with Barcelona, it is time to venture on. Now off to finish my bottle of wine and pack!! Just met 6 people in my hostel who are cooking an authentic Moroccan meal and asked me to join. I think packing can wait!! I LOVE EUROPE!!

Naturally, I contributed pizza :)

Next morning: It turns out that scrumptious Moroccan meal made with the "special herbs and spices" was laced with marijuana!! That would explain the warm, fuzzy feeling I was suddenly overtaken by. Sure made packing more fun.