Cote D'Azur - Nice, Monaco, Menton

**Warning: Most ADD post of my life...

To sum up this week: laying in the sun, getting sunburnt (classic), eating copious amounts of crepes, and running on the beach.  I think I could get used to this...

Tidbits from the week:
- Menton, France is one of the best kept secrets -- it has the southern france feel without crazy amounts of tourists and some of the best food we've had!
-Monaco is probably the MOST BORING place I've ever been. It would be fun if you like casino's or have a billion dollars to spend at designer stores.
- There was a tennis tournament in Monaco and we got to see the stadium (from afar)!

Today, we go to our last stop on this eurotrip to Copenhagen and then back to London for a few days before we come home to the good ole U.S. of A :)

I can't believe that in a week I'll be heading home.  I flip between being so excited and not excited at all (mostly because of the snow).

A few things I can't wait to do when I get home:
-Cuddle with SADIIEEEE
-Never smell cigarette smoke
-Run through hallways without hitting a billion fire doors
-Minnesota Nice <3

Went to the Trevi Fountain and didn't meet Paulo :(

Bonjourno from Roma! Hanna and I are on our first stop through our European adventure in Rome, Italy.  We left London on Monday and will move to our next destination on Thursday to Venice! Due to our long trip we both decided it would be best to pack in a real person suitcase (contrary to our Scotland trip which we did in a backpack – I’ll probably brag about that accomplishment for the rest of my life).  Because we had to pack in a suitcase we splurged for flights that allow checked baggage – gettin’ real fancy over here. My flight into Rome was more difficult than expected.  I had a flight on Alitalia which is apparently an Italian based flight company since EVERYTHING was in Italian.  All the notices, signs and announcements were in Italian and occasionally I would see some English.  The flight attendants would also give an English announcement but their English wasn’t too great and so they would mumble the entire time.  This was extremely difficult for me because I’m already deaf as it is when people speak clear English so I usually just followed what others were doing or would pretend I hadn’t heard anything.  The best part of the flight was the friend I made!! I was sandwiched between two old men and the one on my right was really fun to talk to.  He gave me some insider tips on traveling in Rome – with hand drawn pictures and everything! It was really nice to meet someone who was so passionately in love with their home town.  He inspired me to be really excited to visit this amazing old city. 

We booked a hotel for safety reasons and made our way into central Rome after arriving.  I’ve officially decided that the ghetto follows me AKA I’m ghettolicious. The hotel is in a run down area that was a little frightening.  We got here around 10 pm last night and were completely lost. It was pitch dark because the street lights here are far and few in between. We dragged our suitcases underneath a dark bridge past a gang of teenagers and I was close to hyperventilation by the time we reached the holiday inn.  Rome has a history of really bad pickpocketing and mugging so I’ve been on high alert the entire time we’ve been here.

Today, we hit a ton of sightseeing since we only have two days here! We saw:

·      The Coliseum: Built in 100 AD for public fights and games.

·      The Palace (It has a different name but I can’t remember it): A palace built in 1000 for the kings and queens of the time.  It was ruined partially when the “Galls” (French) overtook Rome.

·      Roman Forum: An area of public buildings that was made a monument in Rome during Ceasar’s reign.

·      Pantheon: Biggest dome built with brick and modern architects doubt it could be replicated.

·      Spanish Steps

·      Trevi Fountain: Where Lizzie Maguire meets Paulo #DUH

Tonight, Hanna and I met up with Jack a friend from high school.  He is studying abroad here and we went out to dinner with him.  FOOD COMA FOR LYFE.  The restaurant was accommodating to college students with the baskets of free bread (we got three), large portion sizes, and free dessert.  Not only did we get all that free food, but the waiter enjoyed us so much that he gave us an extra bottle of wine! It was a great night with fun company and delicious food : )

Tomorrow we are going to the Vatican and any other Roman monument we need to see before we head to Venice.  I’m so blessed to have this experience and I still feel like I’m growing so much.  Nevertheless, I CANNOT WAIT TO COME BACK TO MINNE <3 18 days and counting. Words cannot express my excitement. 

SUN!

My mom, dad and I have been in Barcelona for the past three days and I'm in love with this city! Despite my little knowledge of Spanish, I've been able to understand enough to get around.  With not a lot on the schedule, we have been able to nap in the sun, explore around our hotel, and just wander the winding streets here.  We've become European with our eating styles aka we eat lunch at like 3 and dinner at 8 which is DEATH for me who is always hungry #mylife. The best part of being in Spain is the warmer weather and the SUN is here almost everyday :) I love it! We also have Sangria at lunch and dinner which is the best!! It's so delicious.  Here they eat a big lunch and smaller dinners.  Usually they have tapas at dinner which are little appetizers for the table to share.  We've tried a lot of great tapas bars -- at my favorite we had chips and guacamole!

I had fun showing the family around London.  I can't believe that it was my last few full days in London.  I've completely fallen in love with the city and have enjoyed showing it off to all the family I had come to visit.  On Easter we went to dinner with the Manitz's, Nelson's and Claire who were all visiting.  We had drinks and then went to Chinatown - it was SO good!

I'm furiously doing laundry (it's free here :)) and preparing for my long trip with Hanna through the month of April.  I can't wait for our adventures and although I'm sad to leave Europe and have had an AMAZING time I'm ecstatic to come back to Minne <3 because I'm in love with our fabulous state.

Easter dinner :) 

The view from our terrace in Barcelona

Selfies on the roof of the Cathedral de Barcelona

Best candy shop in the world!!