FLORENCE (Firenze)

Hello my lovelies!

 

So Sarah and I spent the day in Florentine museums.   It was a beautiful, wallet-emptying experience.  No student discounts and they won't let you photograph anything, flash or no, so that you have to buy their over-priced postcards.  Nice huh?  I did get to see some amazing artwork though, including the David which was AMAZING.  You just have to stare at it, it holds your eyes like the divine on earth.  I was completely in awe.  It's huge and just masterful.  Can't do it justice, but his expression especially, it just captivates you.  I saw a bunch of Botticelli and a little Da Vinci today as well, very nice, and whole lot of Madonnas.  Give it up for the Virgin Mary. 

Rome was a very cool city, what with the Christian and Pagan history just teeming out of it streets.  Everywhere you walk you stumble on something historical and photo-worthy.  Ruins, churches, take your pick.  The Pantheon was astounding.  I stared at the dome for ages (poor Sarah had a random allergy attack in there though.  We've decided that she must be allergic to sleazy men...).  The Colosseum was incredible as well obviously.  We didn't have enough time to go inside it, but it cuts a mean figure across an Italian sunset.  Beautiful.  Still pinching myself that I got to see it in person.  After an hour and a half in line we got into see the Vatican museum (took an hour and a half each to get into each museum today as well... thanks Italia lol).  It has plenty for the educationally minded, books, globes, Madonnas ;), and of course the Sistine chapel, which I couldn't get enough of.  Simply astounding.  You much see it.   Suck it up, go to Italy, wait in line, pay the ten euro, walk through the museum and the Japanese tourist groups, and LOOK.  You won't regret.  I'm a fuller person for the experience.  It makes you feel closer to God.  It really does.

So we see a bit of Tuscan countryside tomorrow and then it's off to Paris!  We met a sweet British couple in line today who gave us some money-saving tips for London.  God me all psyched up for it... heehee, England!  I love you all dearly and will talk with you soon! Ciao bellas!

Kristi

PS- Less pigeons here lol.

The Birthplace of Western Civilization

Hello all my dearest loves!

I'm writing this update in Green in honor of Greece's dusty heat.  How things grow here I don't know... it's like a grill from like 6am to 9pm, no joke and I have the Mediterranean skin to prove it :).  Athens is a pretty cool city though, I met cool people (mostly traveling Anglos) including a lit nerd from Dublin who was a blast to chat with.  It's nice to have some breaks when you're traveling with the same person and only that person for this long (I'm sure Sarah wants to kill me most days, but she's a dear and only tells me about it occasionally ;) ).  Seeing the ancient sites was incredible, even with the hordes of tourists yelling in Spanish and Japanese lol.  The water is gorgeous as well, the bluest I've ever seen.  I can see why people vacation on the islands here. 

This trip has been marvelous for me because I'm learning how some things never change no matter where you are (such as teenage angsty graffiti, mating pigeons, and PDA).  It makes me feel like I'm actually part of the great human family the gospel refers to.  And even though some cultural things boggle my US mind I can find the differences charming and tasty (though I'd prefer to remember Italian driving fondly instead of trying to live through it, heehee).  The most important thing I'm learning about is myself though.  This journey has given me time for reflection and introspection and that alone is reason enough to have shelled out the time and money and gone so far from home.  I love you all very much.  I'm undeservedly lucky, I have the smartest, most understanding, and beautiful friends in the world.  Thanks for loving me back.

Kristi

PS- We'll be home in 3 weeks.  Our next official stop is Florence, Italy.  After that is Rome, Paris, and LONDON.  :).

VENEZIA

Hello all my favorite people!

 

Sarah and I just arrived in Ancona from Venice and in two hours we'll be off for Greece!  Very exciting.  It's like a day on the ferry over.  So Venice is GORGEOUS.  It would be perfect if I could actually find my way around... loved the water though and the islands were adorable.  And I love Italian people, I just can't say enough good about them.  Language, attitude, everything.  Loved it.  Just a side note, every big city in Europe has an infestation of pigeons.  Yesterday in the main square people were actually paying money to hold food in their hands and let the flying rats walk all over them for the photographic opportunity.  No joke.  No wonder people think Americans are stupid.  Other gross things about pigeons, they're currently in heat.  The males look RIDICULOUS, all puffed up and spinning around trying to get the pigeon ladies to look at them.  It's pretty darn funny.  Yep.  Anyways, we're having a good time though we're quite tired.  6 weeks is a long time, though I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.  I'm learned loads about the world and my place in it and I know this trip is making me a better person.  I love you all dearly and I will talk to you soon!

Kristi

Southern Spain

!Buenos tardes mis amigos!

Sarah and I are currently in Cordoba in the south of Spain.  It´s VERY hot here.  Like 100 today.  I kept splashing myself in the fountains.  Sarah´s a rock though, she´s having like no issues at all with it.  Hopefully I get stronger.... hmmm.  So we´re seeing lots of cool stuff.  The mix of Moorish and Catholic culture is really interesting.  I love the Moorish architecture, it´s muy bonita.  I could stare at it all day.  Yesterday we were in Sevilla.  They have this incredible building there that was a Moorish mosque slash citadel and then it was taken over by the Catholics and made a royal palace-- it was SO beautiful, I wanted to MOVE there forever.  Anyways, we´re having a good time.  Last night we stayed at this incredible hostel.  We even had our own bathroom and there was this flower filled courtyard.  Lovely.  Tonight we take the night train to Barcelona and then we´re off to Nice in France.  We´ll be taking it easy there, just relaxing and taking in some local culture and some beach time.  It will be very nice.  After that we´re in Venice for two days and then we´re taking the ferry over to Greece.  Things are going quite well, though, just so you know, the Madrid train station is a nightmare.  The lines just go on forever.  One thing I miss very much from the states is our service.  I hope everything is going well with you guys and I love you all very much.

Love,

Kristi

Madrid in the springtime

Buenos dias all my dearest loves!

 

Sarah and I got into Madrid early this morning.  We took a night train from Bordeaux.  We´re staying in an incredible hostel called Hostel Luz for then next few days.  It´s lovely, safe, and has free internet and showers (yay!).  The land lady is extremely nice.  The Spanish people are very friendly even though we´re Americans heehee.  I think it helps that I know some Spanish and Sarah´s three times past fluent.  Today we ate at this incredible restaurant for media dia, where they give you a few choices for side dish, main dish, drink, and dessert and you get it all for under 10 euros.  It was DIVINE.  Europe does food much better than we do.  Especially there cheese and chocolate, and we´re not even halfway through yet... I´m very excited.  Anway, just wanted to let you all know that we´re safe and having a good time.  I miss you all and love you very much!

Kristi (the Spanish princess, formerly of Bohemia and France)

Bourdeax

Hello my darlings!

So French keyboards are very different from American ones so it is taking me an excruciatingly long time to type this.  Sarah and I are doing decently.  Just so everyone knows finding a water closet is a pain all over Europe, but especially in France.  We leave for Madrid tonight, I am quite excited about Spain because we actually know the language so things should be a tad less embarrassing.  To find our hostel here in Bordeaux, the tourist office man at the train station (who knew no English btw) DREW us a little map and then the building with doors and the smoking area lol.  We all had a nice international laugh over it heehee.  We have been blessed to meet very nice people on our trip thus far who have helped us a great deal.  God is being kind I think.  I sent postcards to everyone whose address I had when we left Vienna so be expecting a little something.  I love you all dearly;  I am taking some great pics, learning a lot, and keeping up my Europe journal, I cannot wait to tell you all about it when I get back in a few weeks.  We met backpackers from Australia and England yesterday; lots of fun.  All this language stuff is just candy land for me really.  Gotta go; I will write again soon!

 

Love

 

Kristi (Ex Bohemian princess)

Prague, etc

Hello all my dear ones!

 

I hope this update finds you well.  Sarah and I are currently in Prague for the third day.  We've had a wonderful time, the architecture is extraordinarily beautiful.  We were sad today though cuz it's their Liberation day which means everything but public transport and the touristiest stuff are closed :(.  Muy triste!  We've taken some excellent pictures however.  The cathedral here blows St. Steven's in Vienna away by miles.  We had to climb, CLIMB, the tower to see the city from the top though.  It took ages and there were 50 million people in there with us (I don't exaggerate).  I do wish Europeans would shower.... anyways, we're safe and having fun.  Most of the people we've met have been wonderful and friendly.  We met an old lady today that we've named "Lady Czech".  She was SO cute.  She helped us catch a tram to a market that was closed for the holiday.  She told us all about how she used to have a crush on Robert Redford and wrote him love letters.  Just adorable.  Today we checked out a 700 year old synagogue.  OH, and yesterday we walked the St. Charles bridge-- just marvelous, with statues of different leaders and saints and street performers, and shops.  I loved it.  I love Europe in general so far and I'm very excited to keep going.  I love you all and I'll email soon.  Tomorrow we take the train back to Vienna and we catch a flight to Paris the day after. 

 

Love,

 

Kristi

 

PS- Czechs are ALL ABOUT PDA.  Just so you know... lol.

I'M IN EUROPE!!!!!!

Hello my dears!

 

This computer is driving me nuts cuz some of the keys are in different places!  AH!  So the flight went well it was just very long.  It was cool seeing the sun come up over Ireland though.  We're in Vienna right now and tomorrow we take the train to Prague.  The hostel we're staying in is nice and clean and safe.  They even have a free shower!  The other travelers are nice and helpful, mostly students like us.  We're having a lot of fun, though our feet hurt a bit yesterday from a TON of walking all over trying to find things.  We're using the metro a bit today.  Europe has this tiny hard to see street signs, but Sarah's figuring things out beautifully so we're haven't gotten too lost (I'm certainly no help there!)  We checked out some museums yesterday, a few at the Hapsburg complex and a science-music one, very cool.  We saw armor and a collection of really old musical instruments which I of course ate up lol.  We're taking lots of pics, and having a fabulous time.  I love you all!  Today we're seeing St.  Stephen's cathedral and a Mozart commemorative concert, way excited, talk to you all in a day or so!

 

Love,

Kristi