to the llij & back

Duomo di Milano

Colosseum in Roma

My presh group at the Forum ruins

Spanish Steps at Sunset

At the Vatican Museum

Outside St. Peter’s Basilica

 A dog in Firenze

The best pasta I’ve ever had (Firenze)

The Tuscan sunset

Venezia!

And of course, gelato.

We just bought our plane tickets to go to London for that weekend :) :)

Got back a couple hours ago from…well, everywhere.  Would love to post some photos of the beautiful places I’ve seen, but I’m exhausted and I’ll be waking up in about 5 hours to go to Italy for 6 days, so, pictures later I guess.

But the Alps are one of the most magnificent sights I have beheld.

That’s all I can really say.

Would still rather be in London though. Oh well, in a couple weeks hopefully!

• I’ve been yelled at by a disgruntled Dutchman who yanked me off the bus and apparently wanted me to get on at a different door.  I’m sure my feelings would have been hurt, but he didn’t speak English and I don’t speak Dutch, so it became a really good laugh for the whole group.  He was aaaaangry.
• I used the men’s bathroom.  We have co-ed community showers, but the toilets are segregated…
• I’ve acquired a dutch mobile number.  Neat, but really a whole bunch of euros I’ll never see again.
• I’ve had sprinkles for breakfast…sort of.  Chocolate sprinkles on bread as breakfast is a marvelous idea.
• Went to Belgium.  Don’t particularly want to do back.
• Finished The Hunger Games.  
• Ran through a pitch-black cave.  
• Discovered the secrete to living forever: become a cave guide.  Our guide was 72-years-old and probably in better shape then most of the group.
• Currently taking 6 people to Italy next week.  Which is 3 more than I wanted and 1-2 more than I have hostel reservations for.  It’s a little overwhelming.

That’s all I can come up with.  Need to travel for a 5 day trip, dropping in on Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, and perhaps Luxembourg(?).  Honestly, the 5 days is mostly driving, but we get to stay in nice hotels…the first and and last time this summer.

Okay, in a random cave in who knows where Maastricht, there is drawing of the Dutch Royal Family on a wall.

euros remind me of Monopoly money.

And can I just say out weird it is to be in a dorm room again.  Oh how I cherish the bedroom I have all to myself at my apartment.

Our dorm rooms smell kinda funny and they were supposed to provide a duvet for us but there were none in our room. Since I’m resourceful and know how to pack, I have a blanket.  Roommate is on her own til tomorrow.  Which is harsh, because she is already very homesick and I don’t know how to deal with it.  I don’t get homesick, ever, so I can’t relate.  That’s what happens when you go to school 1200 miles from home, your grow a pretty thick skin.

But Maastricht is beautiful, however since our plane was so delayed most things were closed by the time we got here.  I was able to snag a bottle of shampoo though, so…

Time to shower.  Community showers!  Another thing I’ve never missed about the dorms.