We arrived in Budapest around eight o'clock at night and checked into our hostel. The hostel was nice and small but empty. The owner, Ian, a young handsome British boy, told us that everyone else staying there was at a local bar for karaoke night and that he we could join him as he was heading there soon. The beer was cheap and the bar was full. It was mostly international students and travelers, everyone spoke English. I made a new friend and ended up singing "Twist and Shout" and Bon Jovi's "Its My Life."
Our night out meant a long lie in the next day. When we awoke it was already raining, a rarity we were told in Budapest, but just our luck. We believed we could handle it and headed out. Taking things slowly we had breakfast at a local cafe. Not wishing to have the "What do you mean no meat?" conversation with the stern Hungarian woman behind the counter I picked a crepe filled with coleslaw and chicken. I picked out the chicken, and it was still delicious. From there we went to St. Stephen's Basilica which preserves, displays and on his saint day parades around the mummified hand of St. Stephen. The church was massive, as I'm finding all major churches in Europe to be, but the difference with this church was the use of rose and green marble on the inside. Still dark the colorful marble made it feel less imposing and grim as the other grey stone churches.
Budapest is actually two different cities: the hilly palatial Buda and the buzzing metropolis Pest. We were staying in Pest and after the Basilica headed across the river to Buda. Unfortunately it was still raining and while we made it to the top of the hill where Buda Castle overlooked Pest, I had had enough. Soaking and cold we headed back to the hostel. We ate at a Thai-Hungarian Restaurant across the street from our hostel. I was sure they would have vegetarian food and was pleasantly surprised to find they had a section of vegetarian hungarian food. I had mushrooms stuffed with camembare and then fried served with rice and a yogurt sauce, it was delicious. Later we went out again with the people in our hostel this time to a local bar with gipsy musicians, but we made it an earlier night.
The next day was much better. We awoke early to gray but dry skies and headed out to get as much done as we could before we had to leave. We started out at the Christmas market, all over Europe each major city features a Christmas market, selling ornaments, gifts and delicious food. We all did some shopping I picked up an enamel ring and some gipsy fortune telling cards.
We decided to attempt to explore Buda again, by this time the sky above was a creamy blue and I actually pulled out my sunglasses. The views were great from the Buda side. We went back to the palace and to a church atop the hill. Walking back we passed the impressive Parliment building and then went to catch our train.
Looking back now Budapest seems like a distant speck. I hadn't really thought about going there before Anne and Norah had suggested it, but I'm glad I did. Norah kept reminding us the city we saw was not very old, only built in the late 1800s but yet it still showed the history and grandeur of older European cities. The people seemed to keep to themselves, the trams were silent as we moved along the roads. What I can say is that its very cheap. Not on the Euro but on the Forint, it was a little intimidating to be taking thousands out of my bank account, but it got me pretty far. It seems to be a great town for young people, again cheap and everyone knew a little english. I joked that I had found a blackhole in Budapest and its center seemed to be in our hostel as everyone we met there had extended their stay in Budapest, some a few days others a few months. I would like to go back one day and spend more time discovering the city, but after our trip I have to say it wasn't my favorite city we visited.
Next up was Salzburg. The city of Mozart and Sound of Music. We arrived around midnight and went straight to bed, only to wake the next morning to cold damp skies. I was tired but Norah and Anne were energized by the sight of snowy mountains bordering the city. I was amazed with them as well, but I couldn't quite keep up as Norah and Anne rushed to find a better view of them. We slowed things down a bit and walked towards the center of town. Going through the city's Christmas Market. This market seemed more focused on Christmas decorations, most of the stands boasting ornaments and make-your-own-creche supplies rather than gifts. As the rain picked up we headed into one of the large churches. It was different from any other one I've been to. Baroque and filled with carvings, I could imagine Mozart sitting in its pews. We than headed up the hill to the convent that gave us a problem like Maria, or at least the woman she was based off of. Unfortunately the rain had picked up and the mountains were shrouded in heavy gray mist, as was the rest of the town and myself.
Looking back now Budapest seems like a distant speck. I hadn't really thought about going there before Anne and Norah had suggested it, but I'm glad I did. Norah kept reminding us the city we saw was not very old, only built in the late 1800s but yet it still showed the history and grandeur of older European cities. The people seemed to keep to themselves, the trams were silent as we moved along the roads. What I can say is that its very cheap. Not on the Euro but on the Forint, it was a little intimidating to be taking thousands out of my bank account, but it got me pretty far. It seems to be a great town for young people, again cheap and everyone knew a little english. I joked that I had found a blackhole in Budapest and its center seemed to be in our hostel as everyone we met there had extended their stay in Budapest, some a few days others a few months. I would like to go back one day and spend more time discovering the city, but after our trip I have to say it wasn't my favorite city we visited.
Next up was Salzburg. The city of Mozart and Sound of Music. We arrived around midnight and went straight to bed, only to wake the next morning to cold damp skies. I was tired but Norah and Anne were energized by the sight of snowy mountains bordering the city. I was amazed with them as well, but I couldn't quite keep up as Norah and Anne rushed to find a better view of them. We slowed things down a bit and walked towards the center of town. Going through the city's Christmas Market. This market seemed more focused on Christmas decorations, most of the stands boasting ornaments and make-your-own-creche supplies rather than gifts. As the rain picked up we headed into one of the large churches. It was different from any other one I've been to. Baroque and filled with carvings, I could imagine Mozart sitting in its pews. We than headed up the hill to the convent that gave us a problem like Maria, or at least the woman she was based off of. Unfortunately the rain had picked up and the mountains were shrouded in heavy gray mist, as was the rest of the town and myself.
We went back to the hostel to dry off and make a game plan. Norah and I decided to try and see the two house museums about Mozart. We headed towards his childhood home and attempted to purchase admission to his family home as well, but it was closing in five minutes. His childhood home was nothing special, not preserved or recreated, it was mostly whitewashed walls with plaques and portraits. It featured a few items of his, jewels given from dignitaries and his childhood violin but was otherwise sparse and uninformative. The oddest part was a section of the museum that went completely unexplained. We walked out a door and followed a balcony outside to another section once inside there were three rooms that were something out of a Lewis Carroll novel. The first one featured an old piano and wooden cut outs of two 18th century figures and a dog. A mozart song played but otherwise there was no explanation. The next room was even odder, painted entirely a light sky blue its walls bore different drawings of Salzburg in Mozart's time yet all were hung upside down and on the ceiling was a topographical map of Salzburg as well. The last room was the most bizarre, painted black with white script of Mozart's lyric it was lit by two florescent doorways each containing a headless manniquin dressed in operatic costumes. The manniquins backs were to us in the rooms as if they were entering some alien theater and an aria was played loudly overhead. Again no explanation. I was in a fit of giggles as we walked through these rooms unsure of where and what had just happened, but I pulled myself together enough so to purchase some of the Mozart Chocolates that are advertised all over the city.
Salzburg is not a very large city and we had exhausted most of it the first day. We set our sights out a bit to fill our next day. Anne really wanted to hike but it was going to rain or snow and our original hiking plans fell through. My book mentioned a small town outside of Salzburg, Hallstatt, and it wasn't a long journey to get there. So we took a bus and the train there. It did begin to snow on our way there, and it made me miss home and Christmas just a bit and our arrival at Hallstatt only made those feelings deepen. You arrive in Hallstatt at a station actually across the lake from the town, a ferry waits at the bottom of the steps and takes you across in about five minutes. Hallstatt is set right on the lake and right into the Bavarian mountains. Surrounded on all sides by massive snowy peaks and ashore a large smooth lake, the town is magical. All the houses are built into the mountains with steep steps needed to reach them.
Salzburg is not a very large city and we had exhausted most of it the first day. We set our sights out a bit to fill our next day. Anne really wanted to hike but it was going to rain or snow and our original hiking plans fell through. My book mentioned a small town outside of Salzburg, Hallstatt, and it wasn't a long journey to get there. So we took a bus and the train there. It did begin to snow on our way there, and it made me miss home and Christmas just a bit and our arrival at Hallstatt only made those feelings deepen. You arrive in Hallstatt at a station actually across the lake from the town, a ferry waits at the bottom of the steps and takes you across in about five minutes. Hallstatt is set right on the lake and right into the Bavarian mountains. Surrounded on all sides by massive snowy peaks and ashore a large smooth lake, the town is magical. All the houses are built into the mountains with steep steps needed to reach them.
We had begun to wander around these steps when we stumbled on a hiking path. We followed the path all the way to the top of one of the mountains, as we hiked what had been large wet rain drops crystallized into light white flakes of snow. It meant that we couldn't see out at the top but we were so happy to see snow and not rain they we didn't complain. We came back down to find lunch which proved to be more difficult a task than we had believed. A popular and busy spot in the summer, it has little to offer in the cold wet winter months. We did find one restaurant open and I was able to get some good Austrian vegetable strudel and boiled potatoes. It was hard to leave the picturesque city, as Anne said "This must be where they make Christmas cheer." But we left anyway and boarded a train for Florence.
Salzburg was very pretty. A perfect Christmas town, snowy and small it seemed preserved in the baroque era. Hallstatt was also a very nice surprise, absolutely gorgeous, we all agreed there couldn't be a day where you woke up there with a bad view. But again Salzburg wasn't my favorite place we visited, maybe it was the cold, maybe it was because I was tired.
The train ride to Florence was horrendous. We were booked into a compartment with three other people, and the heater was broken. It was stifiling and uncomfortable, the train stopped a lot and we slept uneasily. We arrived in Florence at six in the morning, Norah wasn't sure we could check in at our hostel, but I was hopeful they would have some couches for us to sleep on. I led us through the dark sleepy city as the sun rose. I awoke the woman in charge of the hostel and she led us in to a sitting room with three chairs which we proceeded to slump into and fall asleep for two hours. This provided us with enough energy to explore the city until we could check into our own room. Luckily it was sunny and blue skies outside, we walked lazily around the streets stopping in squares and parks to enjoy the sunlight. At one, we walked back to our hostel and slept the afternoon away. The Christmas market was right down the block from us, and so after dinner we sat under the heaters and chatted and watched the locals. We ended up at the only American bar in Florence, an establishment called the Red Garter around the corner from our hostel. We split a bottle of wine, but didn't do any dancing or karaoking just watched the crowd and then went to bed for some much needed sleep.
Like Budapest, Florence is divided by a river, and the next day we crossed the river to climb to the church atop the hill overlooking the city. It was another gorgeous day, blue skies and the city contrasted nicely with its yellow houses and red clay roofs. The church was gorgeous, well preserved from the 1200s it was white and decorated on the outside, and gave prime viewing for the city. We ate calzones at a restaurant on top of the hill and then headed down for gelato. We took our time wandering the streets just enjoying the sun and atmosphere. We went out that night for a nicer dinner, splitting a bottle of wine and eating pasta. Later we bought another bottle of wine at a market and split it, along with a jar of Nutella and cookies, as we sat on the steps of the church that overlooked the Christmas Market.
The next day was supposed to be our inevitable rainy day but it ended up being gorgeous again. We wandered the markets along the Duomo for souvenirs and ducked inside the massive cathedral to escape the wind. The Duomo was less impressive than I had expected, more like a gathering hall than a church its most interesting aspect was the fresco on its massive dome. Depicting the different areas of the cosmos, heaven, earth and a fiery hell complete with skeletons and devils. We found a great cafe for lunch, the highlight of which was the old man who worked there. He babbled to us in Italian even after he knew we didn't speak it, he repeated our odd english sayings and as we ate he stood at the door calling to those passing by trying to tempt them to come in. He even allowed for us to take a picture of him. After lunch we decided to explore the church behind the Christmas Market, Santa Croce. It ended up containing the tombs of Galileo, Marconi, Machiavelli, and Michaelangelo. As we left we could see the pink sky above the rooftops and rushed to the river to watch the sunset.
Salzburg was very pretty. A perfect Christmas town, snowy and small it seemed preserved in the baroque era. Hallstatt was also a very nice surprise, absolutely gorgeous, we all agreed there couldn't be a day where you woke up there with a bad view. But again Salzburg wasn't my favorite place we visited, maybe it was the cold, maybe it was because I was tired.
The train ride to Florence was horrendous. We were booked into a compartment with three other people, and the heater was broken. It was stifiling and uncomfortable, the train stopped a lot and we slept uneasily. We arrived in Florence at six in the morning, Norah wasn't sure we could check in at our hostel, but I was hopeful they would have some couches for us to sleep on. I led us through the dark sleepy city as the sun rose. I awoke the woman in charge of the hostel and she led us in to a sitting room with three chairs which we proceeded to slump into and fall asleep for two hours. This provided us with enough energy to explore the city until we could check into our own room. Luckily it was sunny and blue skies outside, we walked lazily around the streets stopping in squares and parks to enjoy the sunlight. At one, we walked back to our hostel and slept the afternoon away. The Christmas market was right down the block from us, and so after dinner we sat under the heaters and chatted and watched the locals. We ended up at the only American bar in Florence, an establishment called the Red Garter around the corner from our hostel. We split a bottle of wine, but didn't do any dancing or karaoking just watched the crowd and then went to bed for some much needed sleep.
Like Budapest, Florence is divided by a river, and the next day we crossed the river to climb to the church atop the hill overlooking the city. It was another gorgeous day, blue skies and the city contrasted nicely with its yellow houses and red clay roofs. The church was gorgeous, well preserved from the 1200s it was white and decorated on the outside, and gave prime viewing for the city. We ate calzones at a restaurant on top of the hill and then headed down for gelato. We took our time wandering the streets just enjoying the sun and atmosphere. We went out that night for a nicer dinner, splitting a bottle of wine and eating pasta. Later we bought another bottle of wine at a market and split it, along with a jar of Nutella and cookies, as we sat on the steps of the church that overlooked the Christmas Market.
The next day was supposed to be our inevitable rainy day but it ended up being gorgeous again. We wandered the markets along the Duomo for souvenirs and ducked inside the massive cathedral to escape the wind. The Duomo was less impressive than I had expected, more like a gathering hall than a church its most interesting aspect was the fresco on its massive dome. Depicting the different areas of the cosmos, heaven, earth and a fiery hell complete with skeletons and devils. We found a great cafe for lunch, the highlight of which was the old man who worked there. He babbled to us in Italian even after he knew we didn't speak it, he repeated our odd english sayings and as we ate he stood at the door calling to those passing by trying to tempt them to come in. He even allowed for us to take a picture of him. After lunch we decided to explore the church behind the Christmas Market, Santa Croce. It ended up containing the tombs of Galileo, Marconi, Machiavelli, and Michaelangelo. As we left we could see the pink sky above the rooftops and rushed to the river to watch the sunset.
One of the bridges is known as Ponte Vecchio and boasts buildings along the side of it perched precariously on wooden stilts over the water. The buildings house jewelry stores and lead onto a larger shopping area. On the street off the bridge a shop of costume jewelry caught my eye and Anne led us in. I was sure there would be nothing I could afford there but it was fun to look around. The woman behind the counter was persistant though, she saw me eyeing a beautiful art deco diamond ring and she went in the back and brought out some more modest options. They were all so fun and I loved trying them on, with each compliment I gave of a ring she would go back and bring out another box filled with similar designs. I ended up finding a great ring, a sort of Art Nouveau design, its a backward S with three jade stones. The woman told us that she remembered the family who brought it in and it was made at the latest before the 1940s. As it was our last night in Florence, we went out for another large meal and then each bought our own bottle of cheap wine and sat up chatting for most of the night.
Florence was wonderful, my favorite place I've been to so far. We lucked out and had three gorgeous days there, but regardless I loved the city. It had the vitality of a larger city with the intimacy of a smaller one. It seemed there would be lots to do there but it wouldn't be intimidating or as demanding as a larger city. I would really consider living there for any amount of time. The language is beautiful as well as the scenery and the people are so friendly and lively.
Next we took a ten-forty train to Rome and arrived a little after noon. Our hostel was right around the corner so we dropped off our bags and started exploring. We walked first to the Colosseum. Outside an American boy called to us and let us in on his deal of a tour. It was eight euros more than admission alone to the Colosseum and so we signed up and joined the larger group. The Colosseum was impressive but it felt so weird to be there as it seemed like something only existing in movies and history books. Its also so unassuming, surrounded on all sides by bustling city streets and a metro stop. The tour was pretty interesting, mostly the gory details of the gladiator events but I was surprised to hear that it was once used as condominiums after the games were outlawed. The tour group was also offering a free tour of Palantine hill across the street and so we joined along. Our guide was an enthusiastic Australian woman who enraptured us as she told the story of Romulus and Remus. Palantine hill was beautiful as well, a huge park of ruins that you can just wander freely around. It was odd to look down and know you were standing on the ruins of what was once the greatest city in the world, land that Caesar and Marc Anthony had wandered. We were on the sight at a great time, right at sunset and the hill gives great views of the city. So we wandered around and took photos of the scenery. I wanted to go to the Trevi fountain and eat gelato and the girls were all for it, so we headed there next. The fountain was gorgeous at night and massive, larger than I had believed. It was crowded with tourists and we all threw a coin in, and then went to a gelateria and ate our ice cream despite the chilly weather.
The next morning we woke up with the intention of catching the metro out to Vatican City. We wanted to meet up with a 9:30 tour that was going to the Papal Audience. When we got down to the Metro it was crowded and people were pushing onto the trains. We had to wait three trains before we could get on, at which point we were running very late. I was amazed at how unorganized it all was especially for a city as big and great as Rome, but we found out that the Metro workers were soon to strike and so service was poor and slow. Unfortunatley we missed the tour we had hoped to take, but there were a lot being offered and we were still able to catch up with a group going to the Papal Audience. We were shuffled into a large convention hall which was packed with school groups. I felt suddenly like I was back at a confirmation retreat, it was very odd. The groups literally started doing cheers for the pope, it felt a bit disrespectful and I felt sort of out of place. It really did just feel like we were making a stop on a tour, we were given a fifteen minute time limit and then we had to be out of there. It was odd to me that all those people were going to be sitting there for hours listening to the Pope and that many had come to Rome just for that moment. Unusually the Pope was actually a bit late coming out but he did so to loud cheers. It quickly quieted down and he said a blessing. I took a few pictures and we sat through as they read the gospel of the day in six different languages and then we took off. It was a bit incredible to be in the same room as the Pope, regardless of whether you agree with him or not, he is a very powerful man. Next up we went through the Vatican museum. If we hadn't gone with a tour I would have been completely lost and uninterested but I was fascinated the entire time. It is the most impressive collection of art in the world and we barely saw a third of it. Of course the most impressive is the Sistine Chapel. I can't really describe it to you, I wasn't sure what to expect but it was definitely a lot more. The room is covered in colorful powerful figures and after learning the history of it it was all the more impressive. Lastly we ended up in St. Peter's Basilica which is the most incredible, magnificent church I've ever been in. Enormous in size it boasts large thick pillars of rose marble and a giant sunburst of stained glass. A beautiful bronze high altar stands in the front over where St. Peter is assumed to be buried, and each Pope up to the building of the church is immortalized in gigantic sculpture. I feel like a little kid telling you about this but I don't know how to properly convey the size and dignity of the church, it was beautiful. We walked back from the Vatican to our hostel, stumbling across the Spanish Steps as we did. The steps were filled with photo-snapping tourists and leering teenage Italian boys. It served as our last stop and we made it back to Galway at around 2 this morning.
I had a final this morning and it went well. I really was supposed to be studying for my next final tomorrow but instead I'm writing this. Tomorrow is my last day in Galway. Luckily today was beautiful but I'm sad I don't have more time. Its too bad that my last day will be spent taking an exam and cleaning, but thats the way things are. Leaving here I of course go back to thinking of how I felt coming here. I know I felt bittersweet leaving Madison after a wonderful summer, but leaving here I just feel sad. I always knew I would be coming back to Madison, but I'm not so sure when I'll get back to Galway, it won't be so easy. There isn't a whole lot tying me to Galway, most of the people I've met here I can see back in the states, and school was never a big priority, but I'm going to miss the lifestyle here. I was able to relax and explore, see so many great things, I can only hope that going home will only deepen my affection for Galway and strengthen my drive to keep traveling.
I'm not quite done traveling yet so keep coming back for posts. I'll try to post photos when I have more time.
To play along at home here is my schedule from this point on:
Galway, Tangier, Granada, Barcelona, Zurich, Vienna, Prague, Amsterdam and Brussels
I'll be back in the states on the 5th
Florence was wonderful, my favorite place I've been to so far. We lucked out and had three gorgeous days there, but regardless I loved the city. It had the vitality of a larger city with the intimacy of a smaller one. It seemed there would be lots to do there but it wouldn't be intimidating or as demanding as a larger city. I would really consider living there for any amount of time. The language is beautiful as well as the scenery and the people are so friendly and lively.
Next we took a ten-forty train to Rome and arrived a little after noon. Our hostel was right around the corner so we dropped off our bags and started exploring. We walked first to the Colosseum. Outside an American boy called to us and let us in on his deal of a tour. It was eight euros more than admission alone to the Colosseum and so we signed up and joined the larger group. The Colosseum was impressive but it felt so weird to be there as it seemed like something only existing in movies and history books. Its also so unassuming, surrounded on all sides by bustling city streets and a metro stop. The tour was pretty interesting, mostly the gory details of the gladiator events but I was surprised to hear that it was once used as condominiums after the games were outlawed. The tour group was also offering a free tour of Palantine hill across the street and so we joined along. Our guide was an enthusiastic Australian woman who enraptured us as she told the story of Romulus and Remus. Palantine hill was beautiful as well, a huge park of ruins that you can just wander freely around. It was odd to look down and know you were standing on the ruins of what was once the greatest city in the world, land that Caesar and Marc Anthony had wandered. We were on the sight at a great time, right at sunset and the hill gives great views of the city. So we wandered around and took photos of the scenery. I wanted to go to the Trevi fountain and eat gelato and the girls were all for it, so we headed there next. The fountain was gorgeous at night and massive, larger than I had believed. It was crowded with tourists and we all threw a coin in, and then went to a gelateria and ate our ice cream despite the chilly weather.
The next morning we woke up with the intention of catching the metro out to Vatican City. We wanted to meet up with a 9:30 tour that was going to the Papal Audience. When we got down to the Metro it was crowded and people were pushing onto the trains. We had to wait three trains before we could get on, at which point we were running very late. I was amazed at how unorganized it all was especially for a city as big and great as Rome, but we found out that the Metro workers were soon to strike and so service was poor and slow. Unfortunatley we missed the tour we had hoped to take, but there were a lot being offered and we were still able to catch up with a group going to the Papal Audience. We were shuffled into a large convention hall which was packed with school groups. I felt suddenly like I was back at a confirmation retreat, it was very odd. The groups literally started doing cheers for the pope, it felt a bit disrespectful and I felt sort of out of place. It really did just feel like we were making a stop on a tour, we were given a fifteen minute time limit and then we had to be out of there. It was odd to me that all those people were going to be sitting there for hours listening to the Pope and that many had come to Rome just for that moment. Unusually the Pope was actually a bit late coming out but he did so to loud cheers. It quickly quieted down and he said a blessing. I took a few pictures and we sat through as they read the gospel of the day in six different languages and then we took off. It was a bit incredible to be in the same room as the Pope, regardless of whether you agree with him or not, he is a very powerful man. Next up we went through the Vatican museum. If we hadn't gone with a tour I would have been completely lost and uninterested but I was fascinated the entire time. It is the most impressive collection of art in the world and we barely saw a third of it. Of course the most impressive is the Sistine Chapel. I can't really describe it to you, I wasn't sure what to expect but it was definitely a lot more. The room is covered in colorful powerful figures and after learning the history of it it was all the more impressive. Lastly we ended up in St. Peter's Basilica which is the most incredible, magnificent church I've ever been in. Enormous in size it boasts large thick pillars of rose marble and a giant sunburst of stained glass. A beautiful bronze high altar stands in the front over where St. Peter is assumed to be buried, and each Pope up to the building of the church is immortalized in gigantic sculpture. I feel like a little kid telling you about this but I don't know how to properly convey the size and dignity of the church, it was beautiful. We walked back from the Vatican to our hostel, stumbling across the Spanish Steps as we did. The steps were filled with photo-snapping tourists and leering teenage Italian boys. It served as our last stop and we made it back to Galway at around 2 this morning.
I had a final this morning and it went well. I really was supposed to be studying for my next final tomorrow but instead I'm writing this. Tomorrow is my last day in Galway. Luckily today was beautiful but I'm sad I don't have more time. Its too bad that my last day will be spent taking an exam and cleaning, but thats the way things are. Leaving here I of course go back to thinking of how I felt coming here. I know I felt bittersweet leaving Madison after a wonderful summer, but leaving here I just feel sad. I always knew I would be coming back to Madison, but I'm not so sure when I'll get back to Galway, it won't be so easy. There isn't a whole lot tying me to Galway, most of the people I've met here I can see back in the states, and school was never a big priority, but I'm going to miss the lifestyle here. I was able to relax and explore, see so many great things, I can only hope that going home will only deepen my affection for Galway and strengthen my drive to keep traveling.
I'm not quite done traveling yet so keep coming back for posts. I'll try to post photos when I have more time.
To play along at home here is my schedule from this point on:
Galway, Tangier, Granada, Barcelona, Zurich, Vienna, Prague, Amsterdam and Brussels
I'll be back in the states on the 5th
Your European trip sounds wonderful Maura! Thanks for sharing your experience with the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing you soon. Love, Mom