All good things must come to an end

It is my last night in Florence and I am rather sad to be leaving. Italy has been a dream come true and I do hope to come back someday. On Friday I went on a solo trip to Venice and I was lost the entire time. I don't know if you've ever been someplace and not known exactly where you are for the entire trip, but that was definitely how I felt.

Rick Steves is the man when it comes to trip planning, so I went off of what he said. Claire has his Italy book, so I read up on what he suggested to do in Venice. So, I stepped off the train, had an eventful/slightly stressful time buying a ticket to come back (oh that darn language barrier), and then gawked at the beautiful scenery. It was just like in the pictures, except 3-D and 100 times more detailed! I took the local water transportation, as advised by Rick Steves, to the farthest stop available. The plan was, get from point A to point B via water, and then find my way back within 5.5 hours on foot. Sounds pretty easy, but if you've ever walked those streets you know that there is no sense of direction, lost tourists everywhere, and the temptation to stop and stare at every corner. Since I spent money to make the journey from Florence to Venice, I vowed not to pay anything (other than the water bus fare) while I was there. Sounds like a piece of cake, but not in a tourist town. All the main churches and museums cost anywhere from 6-10 euro, so I wandered outside to find my own entertainment. Each building is ornamented with beautiful coloring, sculptures, or architectural works, so it really was not hard to discover the natural amusement.
I sauntered through Venice and stopped in random churches and little poorly marked museums (that were free of course), crossed all three bridges, asked for help twice, took around 200 pictures, and sat on a red broken bench in front of a church to write in my journal for a short walking break. I did find my way back and had about an hour to spare so I walked across a bridge and strolled around the streets for a little longer. Going on adventures alone is a little scary, but I thoroughly enjoy being slightly lost without anyone to talk to but my maker. We have some great conversations when I'm alone and I really do love being able to process my thoughts and what I observe in other people and the pieces of culture I pick up. God has truly blessed me and I can't wait to find out what else He has in store.

Pictures Pictures Pictures

Well, I made it to Italy. It is beautiful here and quite frankly, I don't want to leave. The food is magnificent. The people are grand. And every little street is detailed and beautiful. Words will fail, so here are pictures.

This was the view walking from Claire's school to her apartment. Florence is lovely. Art is pouring out of every stone and the people are so very lively. Italy is a

dream come true.

A Foggy Day in London Town

Well, I'm here. I made it. And boy do I love it! I met Claire in the Philly airport. Claire's flight was delayed, so when they called all zones boarding I was a little nervous... But she made it in time and after chatting for a while, we slept the night away. Arriving in London was quite the experience. We made it through customs no problem and hopped on the metro to our stop and then the real fun began....we wondered around for 2 hours in search of our hostel (carrying our luggage). We finally made it and realized we were 5 minutes from the station-awesome. Jet lag didn't fully set in until the next day, but we were plenty tired by the evening. Once we got a room, we went out on the town-Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Eye of London, etc. Gorgeous! I love it! We went back to the hostel and met some French guy-Maxing-who was quite the character. We went up to the roof with him and discussed politics-he loves Obama- and then he told us about pot. Yesterday, we went to the Victoria and Albert Museum and then ventured out to see the London Bridge, Tower Bridge, and the Tower of London. Basically, our goal is to go see what we can, for as cheap as we can, and as enjoyably as possible. We sort of go until we figure out we're lost and then stop to ask directions or stare aimlessly at a map. Well, that's enough for now. Today will just take a while to explain. Good day.

I'm stuck!

So, I may not be leaving today. Weather in Phoenix is really bad and they are planning on shutting down all flights for a chunk of the afternoon. I'm sitting by the window and the gray haze is seeping through the window. My flight still says it's on time, but they announced that that very well just might change in a few. The stewardess just came back with Starbucks, so I'm thinking that is a good sign. People watching is at it's peak right now, because so many people are leaving the airport since their flight was canceled. I hope I make it out!

Here I go!!!

Well, here goes nothin! I leave tomorrow morning and I am so excited! I took all the change in my "Italy Collection" that I started in 8th grade to the bank today-I can't believe I actually have the opportunity to use it! I'm nervous naturally, and I am just positive that I have forgotten something...so I guess I'll have to learn to live without!
I'm not going to lie, I'm a bit hesitant to travel across the world. Going across the country for school was tough enough, so this will be quite the adventure. I have a feeling this will be the ultimate test. Believing that I trust God and His knowledge of what will happen is one thing, but actually living out my trust in God will be the key. But as I like to say, GOD PROVIDES. I am resting in His perfect peace and cannot wait to see what He has planned for my adventures abroad!

Signing off from the comfort of my own bed for the last time.

Planning Planning Planning

Well to be quite honest, I'm not one hundred percent sure how this whole thing works...so here goes nothing. I'm preparing to leave this coming Thursday on a grand adventure. I fly from Phoenix, AZ to Philadelphia, PA where I meet up with a friend for our flight to London (LONDON!!!!). We'll hang around there for a while until we fly to Florence, Italy. Going to Italy is a dream come true. I have been hoping to see Italy since I was five, so I still can't believe it's actually going to happen! After exploring Italy, I will be traveling up to Prague where I will be taking business and communications classes for the semester. Stay tuned for updates on life away from the good old USA.