Spring Break Eurotrip Style

So why break my style now with waiting forever to update this blog?  Already a month has passed, but I decided that it was about time that I shared my Spring break adventures :)

Semana Santa in Spain is the holy week (Easter).  My university had no classes for 10 days, so it was a lot like our Spring break back home.  Knowing that we had that many days free from classes and obligations, Caroline, Kirsten, and I decided to travel the entire break.  We decided to travel to England and Italy, two places that all of us had been dying to go to.

The week started off with London.  We went 3 days before the Royal Wedding, so you can only imagine the security.  The passport/visa check in the airport was super strict!  I adored London.  There was so much to do that even after 4 days, we still felt like there was a lot we didn't see!  We saw Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Parliament, The London Eye, The London Tower, Tower Bridge, Harry Potter tour, Shakespeare's Globe Theater, the real London Bridge, and Westminister Abbey just to name the highlights :)

My favorite part of the trip was definitely the double decker bus tour.  I had ALWAYS wanted to do one in London.  It was definitely one thing to check off the bucket list.  Our pass was valid for a full 24 hours, and I took full advantage.  Caroline, Kirsten, and I went one afternoon and did half of the tour and the next day I decided to go back on for the full tour by myself.  It was wierd doing it by myself, but so worth it!

The three of us also went to not only 1, but 2 broadway shows!  We saw Dirty Dancing (my favorite movie!) and Mamma Mia.  Both shows were amazing!  We even found ourselves singing along at times.  And Kirsten and I introduced Caroline to our love for musicals. 

The people of London were all so nice, and super eager to help us if we needed it.  And I hate to admit it, but it was quite nice to be in an English-speaking country for a few days.  Although, I don't know if the English was any easier to understand than Spanish at times.  In fact, while in line for a bathroom an older lady came up behind me and asked "is that the cue?" (Cue in England is line in America.)  Well being the idiot that I am, I thought that she had said "isn't that cute?" Of course, referring to the dress that I was wearing.  I smiled and replied, "Ohhhh thank you so much!"  Needless to say, I made a complete fool of myself.  Everyone looked at me like I was insane.  The woman shook her head and walked away.  Even with little mishaps like this along the way, London was a great beginning to our Eurotrip.

 Westminister Abbey

 Big Ben and Parliament

 The red telephone booths really are everywhere!

Of course, we had to find Platform 9 3/4!


Next on the list was Rome.  I absolutely fell in love with Rome from the minute I stepped off the plane.  Rome had definitely been my favorite place so far.  We went to Easter Mass at the Vatican (another check off the Bucket List), went to the Pope's blessing, saw the Vatican museum and St. Peter's Basilica, walked through St. Angels Castle,  threw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, explored the Roman Forum and the Colleseum, and enjoyed the AMAZING food and gelato!  Here are some pics from our Roman Adventure:

 Making my wish and throwing coins into the Trevi fountain.

 Caroline, Kirsten, and I at our favorite plaza. 

The Pope before his blessing.  We were seriously in the 4th row!

The next 3 days we did both Florence and Venice.  It was jam-packed, but we enjoyed our time in both cities.  In Florence we explored the leather stores, enjoyed gorgeous artwork, ate lunch overlooking Tuscany, and even saw the graves of Michaelangelo and Galileo, and more!   In Venice we marveled over the gorgeous Murano glass in the glass blowing shops, rode a Gondola, and even tested my fear of birds.

 Famous strip of expensive Jewelry stores along the river.

 The famous bridge over the river in Florence.

 The view of Tuscany during our lunch in the mountains.

 Caroline and I during our Gondola ride.

Its a working progess.  Baby steps to overcome my fear of birds :)

With only 10 days to tackle 4 major cities, we obviously got little sleep and were on the go constantly.  I got to do and see a lot of things that I had always dreamed about.  It was definitely the best Spring Break of my college career yet! :)