Thursday, May 16, 2013

Amsterdam, Italy, and Barcelona (Oh my)

Salut mes amis!

I've been pretty busy over the last 4 weeks, since I last wrote a post (sorry!).

Immediately following the stomach virus, I went up to Amsterdam for the weekend with Meagan and Delaney. We took the over night bus up on Friday night and got in around 7 am on Saturday. First we crashed at the hostel and then began our touristing. First on the agenda was the Anne Frank House. We waited in line for about an hour, but it was entirely worth it. It was moving and powerful. That afternoon we rented some bikes and attempted to stay alive as we took to the streets. We unfortunately took to the streets during rush hour, but all of us survived.










The next day we went to Keukenhof, which is a tulip farm about half an hour outside of the city. It was amazing! I think we were a week or two too early for all the blooms, but what we saw was incredible! In the afternoon we went to the Heineken experience and got to drink some beer. It was not as cool as Guinness  but it was worth it.

The next weekend Delaney and I went to Italy. First on our agenda was Rome! We saw everything! First we walked to the Spanish Steps, to the Pantheon, to the Old City and saw everything along the way. The second day we went to the Vatican and saw the Sistine Chapel (after cutting in line...) and to Saint Peter's Basilica (where we also cut in the line. oops). We then went into the colosseum which was amazing, and then to the Palatine hills. After that long day we flew to Venice!










Venice day was amazing! We took the time to sleep in because we were exhausted and then we headed over to Murano, a little island that is famous for it's glass blowing! It was extraordinary. That evening we walked around Venice a little. We found a cute little bar and got a drink by the Gran Canal.
Day two we climbed the bell tower in San Marco square. We had an amazing view of Venice and the surrounding islands. Afterwards we walked all the way down to the residential area of Venice. It was probably my favorite city to visit. Also there was a lot of pasta and gelato to be had! So all in all a win.











Finally the next weekend I went to Barcelona with Kenzie. We actually didn't do too many tourist things during the 4 days we were there. We went to the Picasso Museum and walked around the latin quarter. Most we just sat on the beach and drank sangria though. Still overall a successful trip. We got a little burnt, but it was all worth it for some days of sunshine!!!



 



Now though, I've got less than a month until I'm home. I'm starting to freak out a bit. There's a lot of stuff I have left to do- a lot of souvenirs to buy! Today I went to the catacombs, which equally parts awesome and terrifying. I was just casually walking around in between rows and rows of human skeletons.

This weekend I'll be headed over to Edinburgh for a trip I've been wanting to do since...the 10th grade? When we read Jekyll and Hyde. So, it will be a nerd-filled weekend of tours and museums! After that I have one free weekend, then my brother is here, then another free weekend, then I go home. Wow.

Alright, if I keep talking about it I'm gonna start hyperventilating! So ciao for now!

-Gabs

1 comment:

  1. I am so jealous of your life! Sounds like you are having an unforgettable time :D I have always wanted to go to all of these places, so thank you for posting pictures :)

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