My Final Day

Well, it is finally here. The end of my wonderful trip. It has had many incredible moments as well as difficult ones. I am very glad to say that I had this experience. It has truly been amazing. I don't know if I could do it all at once again. I hope to spend more time in a few places next time. The Tour De France was riding through Barcelona today, so traffic was crazy. It was exciting to see. On the day I arrived in London Wimbledon began and now as I leave I get to see the Tour De France. Today I made it to Sagrada Familia. I have been wanting to see this cathedral since I saw it on tv during the 1992 Olympics. It was truly worth the wait. My eyes teared up as soon as I walked around the corner and saw this magnificent piece of architecture. I want to thank all of you for reading my blog and sending your comments. I have missed everyone and will be sad to leave Europe, but also very very very excited to come home.

Day 15 Barcelona

I took the train from Madrid to Barcelona around 12 today. It was a cool trip. The train displayed the speed on a screen. At times were traveling at 190 mph. It would take a 6 hour drive, but took the train 3 hours. Barcelona, like the rest of Europe is humid. I am dealing with it, but much prefer the dry heat. I am staying in Las Ramblas area. It has a main street that is full of artists, shops and cafes. I wandered around for a while, before sitting down and having artichoke tapas. It was very good and only 5 Euros. I am looking forward to hopping on a tour bus tomorrow. I am so excited to see Catedral de Santa Eulalia de Barcelona tomorrow.

Day 12, 13, 14 Madrid

I haven't posted in a couple of days. When I am not out sight seeing, I am asleep. My cold is now a chest cold, but I am surviving. Madrid is a beautiful city and one of my favorites so far. It is hot, but a dry heat.

Day 11 Nice

Today was a great day. I walked to the beach and played around for a while. The water in the Mediterranean is colder than I expected. It was just gorgeous how blue the water is. Nothing like the Pacific Ocean. A few of the surprises were the topless ladies. I have to say that I wasn't too excited about that. Also the old fat men wearing speedos were not very attractive. Other than that it was great. It was nice to just sit back, relax and enjoy the sun. It was interesting to think that on the other side of the water was Africa. It seems like in the U.S. we are so far away from everything.

Day 10 Florence to Nice

I arrived in Nice around 8 pm today. It was a gorgeous train ride. I had to switch trains in Milan, but was only there for about an hour. The northern part of Italy and the south of France are very mountainous and I couldn't count the number of times the train traveled in tunnels. I was able to ride through Monaco which was exciting. So back in France now. I am about a 10 minute walk to the Mediterranean Sea. I can't wait to hit the beach tomorrow. It will be nice to sweat some of my cold off on the beach since I have been sweating like crazy as it is. I only have a few pictures so I will post what I have. Also, I saw a pug on my walk home tonight. I miss my Pancho.

Day 9 Florence

I have to say that I did not do much today. I am coming down with a cold, so I tried to rest as much as possible. Just my luck to get a cold on an incredible trip. I guess it could be worse.

Day 8 Florence

This morning I took a taxi from my hotel to the train station in Rome. I realized on my way there that they do have traffic lanes on the roads, but it must be optional to stay with in them. They drive all over the place, turn when they want to and just flat out drive how they want. I kind of felt like I was riding with Sonya. Anyway, I made it to Florence around 1:00. It was very hot and humid here. My GPS wasn't working properly, but I knew that my hotel was within a 3 minute walk from the station. The only problem was that I didn't know in what direction. After about 20 minutes I found my destination. A 3 minute walk can take me 20 I guess. Florence is beautiful. I mainly wandered around the city just seeing what it is like. Tomorrow I plan on getting on one of the tour buses. I am going to enjoy an early night again tonight.

Day 7 Last Day in Rome

I got up late again today. I am just exhausted and I figure that since it takes a while to get to my hotel here, that this is the best day to sleep in. I headed out to the usual stop at Castel Sant' Angelo to hop on the tour bus. I rode around for a little bit until I reached the stop for the Trevi Fountain. This was an amazing sight. It has been so hot and humid in Rome I would have liked to jump in for a swim. I figured that the police wouldn't like me doing that so I decided against that. I wandered around the area and came across the Pantheon. Another incredibly old and awesome building. Just riding around the city you see these ancient buildings and then archeological digs and just are amazed about how old this place is and how well things have survived. There was a sight that historians believe is where Caesar was killed, but I was unable to take a picture because the bus was moving to fast. I wonder how many sights there are in the Arizona desert that are buried deep down under the dirt. After so many years things would have to be covered by layers of sand and dirt. I could be wrong, but it is truly an amazing thought. Anyway, I did some shopping today. Bought a few things for myself, Fernando and mom another shot glass. I walked down one street that contained all of the expensive boutiques. I felt poor just walking down there. Rome is a wonderful city and I really am going to have to come back to see all that I have missed. Tomorrow off to Florence

More Vatican Pics

Day 6 Rome

I was really tired this morning and decided to sleep in a little bit. However, I was able to visit many sights. I made my way via taxi to Castel Sant'Angelo which is next to Vatican city. Unfortunately the Sistine Chapel was closed today and will be closed tomorrow, but I was able to visit St. Peter's Basilica. I thought of my Aunt Teresa as I arrived and how much she would have enjoyed to be there. I haven't seen so many nuns and priests in my life even when you count Douglas. It reall is an amazing sight no matter which religion you belong to or belief system you have. I then bought a ticket to an open air bus tour. The first stop I got to was Circo Massimo. I hopped off there and wandered around through ancient ruins. It was amazing to think about how many centuries of people had walked the very same ground I was walking upon. I heard someone say that if you dig at any point in the city that you will find ruins. I don't know how true this is, but what an amazing thought. As I was walking around I stumbled upon the Colosseum. To tell you the truth it looks much bigger on T.V. (Fernando, I kind of felt like you when you saw the Disneyland Castle). Despite the size, it was truly awesome. To think of how many people lost their lives in this one area. I hopped on the tour bus again and rode around for a while. At this point I was tired and figured I have all day tomorrow to do the same. So I headed back to the hotel. This city is truly incredible. I don't know enough about the history and as I am traveling I feel the need to take history classes or read thousands of books just to know a bit more.

Day 5 The Train to Rome

Well, I was suppose to have taken me 5 hours to get to Rome. However, there were problems in Padua so all trains were delayed. The train ride took about 9 hours. I sat next to a lovely family from Australia, but originally from London. I had a good conversation with the mother. They were having their kids write daily journals about their holiday. I got to Rome around 8:00 and I was almost swindled by a non taxi driver into paying 40 Euros to get to my hotel. As I walked towards the cab I realized that it wasn't actually a taxi, so I told him I had to go to the bathroom and walked to another entrance to get a cab. I am a little far off from the city center so I will be taking the bus into the city or paying 20 Euros(the actual price) in a cab. I haven't had a chance to take pictures, but will soon. I drove passed the Vatican which was neat. Tonight was the first night I felt awkward eating by myself. I had to eat at a restaurant down the street because there was nothing else around that was opened. As I walked home I began to think about how difficult it can be when you are surrounded by people that don't speak the same language as you. I wasn't feeling sorry for myself, I just had a greater understanding of how the ELL kiddos feel. I can't imagine how scary it is for them and I am truly disappointed with they way are public school system is educating them.

More Pictures

Day 4 and Paris the Train and Venice

I didn't get the chance to write yesterday because I had to check out of my room and fool around Paris before I left on an overnight train to Venice. I went to the train station around noon and checked my bag into a locker. I had a difficult time finding the locker room and the French are not very helpful. They act stupid very convincingly. After that I found my way to the open tour bus and rode around that until my train departed. I made it to the Avenue des Champs-Élysées which is one of the most expensive areas to live in Europe. Fernando would have loved it because of all the high fashion. Many historic events occurred on this main avenue involving revolutions and marches during/after wars. The Arc de Triomphe is extremely beautiful. I did several routes around the city. Another amazing sight was the Pantheon. Below was a crypt which include such people as monsieur and madame Currie and Voltaire. In the very center of the building was Foucault's Pendulum. It was finally time to leave for Venice. I had a sleeper compartment reserved and luckily I was the only one in it. Shortly after departure I had a dinner reservation. There I was sat next to a charming French couple. The man made a few comments about Bush, but I quickly defended myself and clearly stated that I had no association with him or his family. It turned out that his name was Patrick also and I enjoyed a delightful dinner with him and his wife. I went to bed and woke up the next morning to arrive in Venice. WOW again. I didn't quite know how to get to my hotel, all I knew was that I had to get to the other side of the city. I figured out the bus system and hopped on the 51 line. Well, this was not a typical bus, but a water bus which took about 30 minutes to get to my stop. It was amazing and unforgettable. I checked into my hotel which is a Best Western. This is one of the coolest rooms I have ever stayed in. After a well needed shower, I walked around the city. The most amazing part of the city is that there are no cars. You walk down these tiny paths between buildings and find yourself amongst some amazing architecture. I truly love Venice. I did not realize how rude the French were until I made it to Italy. The people are warm and beautiful. This is definitely a city I would recommend to anyone. Oh and Fernando....they have two Dolce and Gabanna boutiques within 500 feet of each other if that.

Day 3 Paris Again

I just got back from the Louvre. I spent about 3 hours there got lost inside the building. It is amazing and huge. I don't think I even covered a tenth of the place. I found it almost overwhelming. I was able to see the Mona Lisa and The Venus de Milo. I didn't think you could take pictures of the Mona Lisa, but apparently you can. I walked back to my hotel because for some reason the battery to my camera didn't charge. I wanted to charge before I went anywhere else. On the way back I passed the Republique station and some sort of demonstration is going on. The police are out in full riot gear. Needless to say, I kept walking back to my hotel and am going to wait til things calm down before I head out.