Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Today is September 4th and I'm on my way home!

Yes, it's time...I'm on my way back to NYC. Wow. Crazy...it's the big day...back home.

I have very mixed emotions. I should be an interesting day. I'm really not sure what is going to go through my mind on my long flight home.

It has been an amazing 3 1/2 months. It was the best decision I have ever made!

I met wonderful people, had amazing experiences and learned a lot about others and myself.

I'm looking forward to my upcoming adventures...Getaway this weekend and surf camp in Costa Rica with my sister and then who knows????? I'll be headed out to Colorado....my new home.

So...I'm sure I'll speak to everyone soon. I hope to see everyone soon back in NYC!

Thank you for all of your support. I could not have done this trip without the support of my friends and family! See you soon.

Off to Heathrow.

See you soon!
Les

Monday, September 3, 2007

Things I couldn't live without during my trip...

1. My blackberry Pearl phone. I'm sure everyone could have guessed that one. It was great to keep in touch! I loved being able to say hi whenever I felt like it.

2. My rain jacket!!!!

3. My backpack. AMAZING!

4. My little sneakers I bought in Florence.

5. My running shoes. It was great to workout while traveling.

6. Sunscreen (when it wasn't raining)

7. My little notebook to take notes for the blog.

8. Change for the toilets.

9. My ipod and docking station. It made my hotel rooms feel like home.

10. My TWO black sweatshirts...Marisa thinks I should throw one out (it is a little old), but I really can't part with it yet.

11. My smartwool socks...I needed them everyday while in Scotland. Steph knows how much I loved them.

12. My Italian/English dictionary.

My favorites, least favorites, best and worst....

AIRPORT:
- favorite...Stockholm....organized and very clean!
- least favorite...Brussels...was there too many times trying to change my ticket....and thanks to Orbitz I couldn't change it.

HOTEL:
- favorite...a few
1. The Scotsman in Edinburgh Scotland...gorgeous
2. Hotel Meninas in Madrid...great decor
3. Sofitel Hotel in Lisbon...awesome staff

- least favorite...the one on Prague only because the staff was horrible

WEATHER:
- best..Portugal and Sitges Spain, sunny and warm every day!
- worst...Scotland rained every day! Right Steph?!?

BREAKFAST:
- best...The Scotsman in Edinburgh. Yummy!!!!
- worst...Brussels, blech

FOOD:
- best and favorite...in ITALY!!!! No doubt! My favorite meal was the one I had at the private winery in Siena. I was with Kristin, Brett and Linda. It was a home made Tuscan meal. Delicious!

- worst food...Brussels and Prague

PEOPLE...FRIENDLY AND WELCOMING:
- favorite...Ireland and Scotland. No comparison! I laughed the entire time. Warm, friendly and funny!

- least favorite...people in Prague and Brussels

STYLE:
- best...London
- worst...Prague

HUMOR:
- best...the Irish!!!!!!
- worst...people in Prague...can you tell I didn't like Prague too much...I had a great time with Marisa and cousin Dave, but I really didn't like Prague

CLEAN CITY:
- most clean...All over Germany
- dirtiest city...Prague and Brussels

MY FAVORITE PEOPLE:
- favorite...Irish!
- least favorite...can you guess???? People in Prague

WALKING CITY:
- best...Amsterdam!
- worst...Prague...Marisa and I got lost and were scared for our lives

BEST DAY DURING MY TRIP:
- best...My birthday...without a doubt!
- worst...the day Mom had to leave. :(

HOTEL GYM:
- best...The Scotsman
- worst...when a hotel didn't have one

MOST AMAZING ADVENTURE:
- best...a few...
1. The volcano hike with Sanda on Stromboli, Aeloian Island, Sicily
2. Bike trip through Tuscany with Liz, Mark, Joelle and Doug

- worst...none

WHERE I THINK I COULD LIVE:
- most...Amsterdam, but honestly....no where except the U.S.
- least...Brussels or Prague

RUN:
- favorite...In Florence up to the Piaza Michelangelo
- least favorite...none...all were great

AMAZING SITE OR VIEW:
- best...a few...
1. From the top of the volcano and witnessing eruptions, Stromboli
2. Cliffs of Moher in Ireland
3. Most western point of Europe in Portugal...Cabo de Roca
4. From the board on the trapeze rig in Club Med in Sicily. It overlooked the beach and the Mediterrean Sea

- worst...none

BEST THING I DECIDED TO DO ON MY TRIP:
- best...a few...
1. Taking Italian Language class, even though I'm still really bad!
2. The bike trip through Tuscany
3. Not plan too much...take it day by day and city by city

- worst...packing more than 20kg

FLIGHT:
- best...from Palermo to Brussels...some of you know why! :)
- worst...so far (knock on wood) none

ATTRACTIVE PEOPLE:
- best...
women...in Italy
men...on my flight from Palermo to Brussels Ha!

- least attractive...
women and men...in Prague and Brussels

BEST LESSON LEARNED:
- Enjoy each day and embrace all the differences!

Some pictures from London weekend...
























London....the last stop on my adventure

Hi. I'm in London now. It's my last day on my adventure....I fly home tomorrow. It's a weird feeling. I'm very excited yet very sad at the same time.

I had an awesome few days in London. Brian was a great host once again. We spent most of the weekend at his baseball games. His team won the championship. It was so much fun!!! I got to hang out with Mary again. Mary is my new friend in London. Her husband Andy plays on the team with Brian.

Mary and I had a lot of fun together. We watched the games and were total "white trash". We ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, drank beers and then wine out of a plastic cup. We were so hot! HA!

It was Mary's birthday on Sunday so we surprised her with a cake at the game and then Andy arranged it so the announcer at the baseball game sang Happy Birthday to her. Actually, the announcer totally embarrassed Mary....he made her stand up and then made everyone sing to her. There were a lot of people watching the games so it was really embarrassing for Mary. It was great!!!!!

After the win, we went to a party for the team. Mary and I were tipsy enough....but that didn't stop us from having more.

Today is Brian's birthday. I have no clue what we're going to do. I think a bunch of us are going to get together. More drinks for me. I will need to detox when I get back to NYC. Mom....don't worry...I really don't have a problem, I promise.

It's all Mary's fault. My new friend in London can drink a lot. Just kidding Mary! Happy birthday Mary and Brian.