Well, I haven't written about my life (except my love for IKEA) in almost a year.  So... it's been a pretty big year.  I graduated from Stetson (go Hatters!), did my senior thesis, had great times with my cousins (Maria had her baby, Zachary!) , celebrated 22 years on earth, went to Preston's wedding, and just had some good times.  Next week Greggan and Megan are both getting married, which I can hardly believe!  We're all grown up now.  And I'm looking at Rollins for grad school and looking for a job teaching middle school social studies .  So yeah, overall life is good.  And it was one year ago that I first arrived in Austria.  I miss Innsbruck and everyone so much.  But here are some pictures!


















 

    

But I really, really miss this....










  

    So, maybe, since it's the official last day of summer, I should update on the rest of my European adventures.  They were pretty freaking amazing.  No, better than that.  I just can't find words.  Every day was a new adventure, and every day was amazing.  Even when I had a large blister on the bottom of my foot in Budapest, Hungary and had to walk miles on it.  Owwa! (as the little children say in Italy!)

(so I actually wrote a final Europe entry while I was still in Europe for xanga.. but it mysteriously disappeared).

     On the day after we got back from Budapest and Vienna, Ali and I went to Italy to visit our dear friend, Andrew Moedinger.  It was so weird seeing Andrew in Italy!  But good weird!  A few weeks before I had seen him in Longwood!  And now, here we were, in the Italian Alps!  After confusion in Bolzano, language barriers, and trying to find the right bus, we were found by two helpful women who were music teachers for the Schlern Festival (which was one of the reasons Andrew was in Europe).  Then we went on the freaking scariest bus ride, ever.  It was this bus on a narrow Alpine road, speeding around twists and turns.  How we did not fall to our death, I do not know.  Ali and I were pretty unsettled by it all.  But then we arrived in the beautiful little village of Schlern!  And Andrew was there to meet us!  He gave us a tour of the town and introduced us to his family of goats!  Sally, Bobby, Billy, Jimmy.  The whole clan.  He cares for them greatly.  And I had the most refreshing drink of water I've ever experienced, at one of the town drinking fountains in the middle of the village of Vols Am Schlern.  It was.. I cannot even describe how thirst quenching.  Then we had to rush to the school, where a concert was about to begin.  It was so hot, but really beautiful.  Several people I knew from Stetson were there, Istar and Andrew Grimes (who I know through Stetson and Chris Hall).  And then I met Jose, who would become part of our Roma Adventure later that week.  After the concert, we ate dinner and then caught the bus back, driving around those crazy roads, and finally got back to Innsbruck around midnight.  We were so happy to have seen our Alpine neighbor, Andrew!

     Then, on Wednesday, Ali and I left for.. ROMA!  Ahhh, I was so excited.  I've always wanted to go to Rome.  And it was waiting for us, in our next-door neighbor, Italia!  On the way to Bolzano, we sat in a compartment with this family from New Jersey, who visit Disney World every year.  They are big Disney fans, so we all shared our Disney/Florida knowledge/loves/factoids.  It was awesome.  I love meeting people on the trains.
     It was late at night when we arrived in Rome.  We took a Taxi to see Ali's younger brother, who was in town that night.  After visiting him, we went to our hotel outside the city and slept, because we were so freaking exhausted.
     The next day, we met new American friends and then met up with Andrew Moedinger, Andrew Grimes, and Jose at the Trevi Fountain, by the famous little gelato shop.  By this point, I was a gelataholic.  I got gelato at one shop, and a few minutes later got more at the gelateria next door.  Oh, and we made wishes as we tossed coins.

     We walked all over the city.  To the Forum and the Colossium and the wedding cake memorial, and we went into the Pantheon.  It was all amazing.  We also searched for the Mouth of Truth, but wound up going in circles. 

 
     But the biggest search of all was for sexy Italian man shirts.  These are the shirts that the Italian men wear.  They are white and usually made of linen.  They have many buttons, but the Italian men do not use all of the buttons.  We searched high and low for these shirts.  We went to stores all over Roma during our quest.  We got a little sidetracked..

Then, at last!  We found them.  VICTORY!

     Rome is beautiful, by the way.  Our days in Rome were like reliving Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck.  We went to all the sights.
     Then we went back to the quarters of the the Andrews and Jose so that Andrew could get his stuff and go on a train to Paris.  After saying "owwa" many times, describing our aching feet, we said farewell to Andrew Grimes and Jose, and Ali and I accompanied Andrew to the train station.  We passed the Spanish steps, had the hardest time getting metro passes, and finally said farewell to Andrew.  I haven't since him since that day in Rome, and I probably won't see him again until Thanksgiving.

     Then Ali and I went to the Vatican, walked around, didn't get robbed, and went back to the Spanish steps.  We shopped a bit and then went back to our hotel, which was at the edge of Rome.  Staying at American hotels in Europe (we were at a Courtyard Marriott) is different, because it feels like you're in America sometimes.. and then you step outside or turn on the TV and surprise, you're in Europe!  It was also that night that the stock market closed at over 14,000, and it was big news, even in Italy.  I watched the BBC and CNN in the hotel room while ironing some clothes.

     The next morning, we FINALLY made it to the Mouth of Truth.  It was great, and then we ate some pizza and went on a train to Pisa, meeting more people.  We also saw the Mediterrean Sea, which was gorgeous.  Yet another lifelong dream come true.  Oh, and Tuscany is BEAUTIFUL.  Ahhh, it's so gorgeous.  Vineyards, rolling green hills, the sea, wheat fields, adorable Tuscan houses. 

     In Pisa, we got gelato (as usual) and went shopping.  Italy is the best place for shopping.  Pretty much everything is 50% off.  We found some great deals in Pisa. 
     And then.. after walking aross town.. we found it!  The Leaning Tower of Pisa.  We spent a lot of time shopping and taking pictures.  There was this really young little girl who kept getting in our pictures.. she was so adorable.
    

     The night before I had popped a large blister on my foot (I became my own surgeon in Europe) and the next day.. it was infected and my whole foot was swollen.  So I kind of hobbled around Pisa, Rome, and Florence.  After Pisa, it got so bad that I started crying.  Here I was, riding on a train through Tuscany, crying.  Ali helped take care of me in my state of injury.
     We arrived in Florence and found our hotel, where Jess and Tina were.  The nice Italian man at the hotel helped take care of me, too.  He told me not to cry and he brought a little tray to our room with orange juice and a croissant.  And Tina gave me some Ibuprofan.  The next day I felt much better.
     Our Florence hotel room was so cute.  It was small and it had old, antique furniture that was stained dark.  Outside the window were Tuscan buildings with shutters and plants.. it was beautiful.  Like a movie.

     Tina, Jess, Ali, and I set off to explore Firenze (Florence).  We saw the Duomo and took pictures of ourselves and each other.  We went to the city square and saw the famous churches.  And of course, we went to the Accademia and saw Michelangelo's statue of David.  It was really spectacular.  It's a really great museum.. we saw some amazing art.  All sorts of paintings and things comissioned by the Medici.  A lot of stuff we were learning about, too, in our European Culture class.  Across from the Accademia is a Christian book store.

     We found mango gelato, which is the best!  And we explored and had a nice dinner at an outdoor cafe (spaghetti with pesto).  Afterwards we went to a chamber orchestra concert in a cathedral.  Ahhh, I love Europe.
     And we ran into a lot of people we knew. It happened in Rome, too.  It's so weird.. being in a different country and running into people you know.  It's pretty awesome, though.
     So a little note about Italy.. they are always on strike.  The Italians strike over everything.  While we were in Rome, the garbagemen were on strike.  And then, the day we left Florence.. the train workers were on strike.  We had reservations on a train to Innsbruck.. and that particular train was one of the few that left Italy on that day.  We knew so many people who were stuck in Italy because only a couple trains were leaving the country.  And the train we were on.. it was packed.  People were sitting in the hallway and the bathroom and everywhere they could find.
     The next week was pretty uneventful, except for a lantern hike we went on.  We hiked up a mountain as the sun was setting, ate goulosh, went to a little church and a shrine, and yodelled.  Some people even danced the Austrian wedding dance.  We had a little Austrian band and we did lots of yodeling.  Afterwards we hiked down the mountain with our lanterns lit, huddled together because it was dark and cold.  But the week after.. Ali, Roman, and I went to Amsterdam!  But first, we dropped off our stuff and went to Brussels, Belgium for the day.  We enjoyed Belgian waffles, chocolate, and lace.  Mmm, wonderful.  And Ali and I ate mussels in Brussels!  Then we went back to Amsterdam, because we were exhausted.

     After a wonderful night's sleep, we explored Amsterdam.  After going to the Pain Bakery (which is where we ate every day in Amsterdam for three days.. it is the most delicious place ever), we went to the Rijksmuseum, which is my new favorite place.  I love the Dutch master painters.. it was like a dream come true.  Vermeer, Rembrant, Rubens, de Hooche.  Ahhh, wonderful.  The paintings were breathtaking.  I could have spent an entire day there.  I spent time looking at every single painting.  The museum is gorgeous inside and out. 

     Then we went to the Van Gogh museum, across the street, which is also great.  We met up with our Innsbruck friends Carmen, Mike, and Jenn there for a brief time.  Then we went on a canal boat through the city.  And the rowhouses.. I love the rowhouses.  I just love Amsterdam.  It's such a beautiful city.  And yes, drugs and prostition are legal and it is very, very liberal.  But still, beyond that, the city is so beautiful.  And there is nothing like going on a canal boat, drinking blueberry juice.  And it was Roman's birthday!

     Then Ali and I ventured into the countryside to go to L'Abri Holland.  The Dutch countryside is.. ahh, breathtaking.  Wide fields, rivers, windmills.  Brick buildings and little country roads.  There are some suburbs outside of Amsterdam, and then there's these small towns spread apart and little villages.  We got off in the little town of Tiel, which was beautiful.  They had an ad for Tirol, where we lived, in Tiel.. it made us homesick!  Then we went to the village of Eck en Wiel, where L'Abri is.  Riding a train through the countryside in Holland is just amazing.
     I loved our time at L'Abri.. I'm so glad Ali and I got to go.  One thing that there wasn't a lot of in Europe for us was Christian fellowship.  We had each other and Jess and Tina, and a few of our professors and friends are Christians.. but we were away from our churches (though I did watch Northland services online.. which was so beautiful, being connected when I was half a world away.  And they showed a map that service.. and instead of being in Florida, I was in Austria on that map) and Bible studies and small groups.  And in Tirol.. Protestant Christianity is scarce.  So L'Abri was like a breath of fresh air.  We met the families there and the students and made friends and explored the buildings and the grounds (where we made friends with an adorable little goat!).  We listened to a lecture and then read books in the library.  I read some of Miracles by C.S. Lewis, which is such a good book.  Reading C.S. Lewis in Holland next to a window.. where you can see trees and apple orchids and fields and streams.. gosh, I love life.

     Then Robb, who is an American who lives at L'Abri with his Dutch wife and family, drove us back to the train station in Tiel.  We talked about how different life in Holland is compared to America. 
     Back in Amsterdam, we found Roman, ate at Pain, and went to the Anne Frank House, which was really beautiful.  Rooms that are known around the world, that were once lived in, hidden. 
     Then I ate some fallafels and Roman convinced Ali and I to come to the Red Light District.  We got about half a block into it and we decided to go back. 
     The next day we left beautiful Amsterdam (I got my Delft blue tiles and little figurines!), and spent the rest of the day on the ICE train (the best invention ever) through the Netherlands and Germany.  We went everywhere.. Dusseldorf, Colonge (Koln) Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Munchen.  That train ride through Germany.. there was just something about it.  Outside of Frankfurt are rolling fields of sugar beats.  And on top of some hills are towering wind turbines.  I listened to I Hate Everything But You by Derek Webb a lot.  And Sufjan and Death Cab and Jars of Clay.  I just remember staring out the window, in awe of the beauty.  And you're in the countryside.. and suddenly, in the distance, shrouded in fog, are the skyscrapers of Frankfurt.
     And the ICE trains are so luxerious.
    
     That next week Ali and I had some good dinners.  In different countries. 
     One day we went to Italy for dinner, in Brennero.  We also went to the border of Italy and Austria and hopped across it a bunch of times.  Ahhh, being two places at once.  We talked about World War II.. and how now, it's nothing to stand on the border in a tiny Alpine village.  But then.. borders were so important.. they meant so much.  We had bread, cheese, and soup.  Oh, and rum and coke.  That night we had a mini Christmas in July party.

     We also went to the tiny country of Liechtenstein for dinner at a hotel restaurant.  It was so good.. I had creyfish soup.  But we didn't see the royal family.. they are known to take walks around the town.  We also had to hop on over to Switzerland first.  Ahhh, the joys of living in Europe. 

     We had a Sound of Music party.  Jessica, Tina, and Kasey came.  Dr. Oliphant even stopped by.  We had chocolate fondue!  Watching The Sound of Music in the Austrian Alps is pretty amazing.  Life living in Innsbruck was so much like The Sound of Music.  Schnitzel with noodle, crisp apple streudel, girls in white dresses, whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles, singing, dancing, mountain climbing, music, the Alps, jumping on beds (and breaking them), tree climbing, the Mirabelle Gardens. 

Anddd we went to Salzburg the next day for the afternoon!   I went back to the Mirabelle Gardens, which are beautiful.  And we explored Mozart's house.

     After a study session in our room with Carmen, Mike, and Roman, that involed wine, chocolate fondue, and Dr. Kaye (our professor who came up to our place to help answer some study questions we had), we went to Paris (Kris, Jenn, Chris, Mike, Carmen, and I).  And I had my first sleeping compartment experience.  Carmen and I got the top bunks.. which is, of course, the best.
     We arrived in Paris, had croissants and espresso for breakfast, and explored the city.  We went to the Eiffel Tower, to the very top, which was amazing.  I loved it.  Lifelong dream #2, check!

     We went to the Musee d'Orsay, which had a lot of really great paintings.  It's in an old train station.  A lot of Impressionists.  After that we went on a canal boat to Notre Dame.

     That night we dressed up and went to dinner by Sucre Cour at an outdoor cafe, close to where the streetside painters were doing their work.  I tried escargot and we had some amazing red wine.  Later we danced some salsa.
     The next day was.. Louvre day!  We spent about six hours at the Louvre, and still there was so much more to see.  We saw everything.. the castle ruins below, the Egyptian art, Iranian art, Dutch art, French art, the Venus de Milo, and of course the Mona Lisa.  I kept falling asleep.. but the Louvre is amazing.  And there is nothing like a chocolate croissant and Perrier at an outdoor cafe in Paris. 

     After the Louvre, we went on the ferris wheel at the carnival next to the museum.  From the top, we could see the whole city.  It was gorgeous.  Later, we went to Champs-Elysees, the famous road.  There are so many remainders of the World's Fair, like a glass restaurant in one of the parks.  We ate dinner right next to the Arc de Triomphe.

     That night we got on a train and went back home, to Innsbruck.  The last week in Innsbruck was.. busy.  And sad.  We knew we were leaving.  I walked around town alone, like I always did before.  But this time I took farewell pictures, and bought last minute items.  I explored the city and surrounding villages.  I walked partway up the mountain. 
     Ali and I finally went to the Hof Garten.. we danced to the Umbrella Song (one of the trademark Innsbruck songs.. ella ella ella, eh eh eh eh), Sweet Home Alabama, and Sweet Escape.  Oh, and before that we drank flughafens (named after the airport, which we lived next door to), which are delicious.  Ahh, good times.  It was raining and cold.  Oh, and earlier we also went to the town of Miedres to ride the toboggons down the mountain.  We took a bus over the second largest/tallest bridge in Europe (it's just on the other side of the mountain from Innsbruck) to get there.  We met a British family.  The toboggans were so, so fun.  But the best part of all.. we met this family of Protestant Christians, who are from Tirol.  There are only a few Protestant churches in all of Tirol.. and just how we met them, God's hand was definitely in them.  There is so much spiritual emptiness in Tirol.. it really makes me want to go back and work with a church there.  The Anabaptists, which have had such a huge impact on Protestant Christianity today, first came from Tirol.  And now, Protestantism is almost nonexistant there.  One of the ladies we were talking to was saying how she wishes more young people from other countries would come to Tirol to serve.  It is such a beautiful place with such beautiful people.. and they need something more.  

Oh, and Jess and I had dinner at the Maria-Theresia Cafe, one of the cutest little cafes ever to exist.  I love it.  Tirolean Spinach dumplings <3.

     We had our closing banquet in Schloss Ambras, a castle just outside of Innsbruck.  It was beautiful.. there were peacocks roaming around and gardens and so many rooms and art and staircases.  A chamber orchestra was playing a concert on the balcony (the castle is world famous for their concerts), and there were very few people there except our group.  I hung out with my friend Caroline, who is five (she is the daughter of two Stetson professors).  And we ate chicken with Tirolean mushrooms and wine.  It was great for us all to be together.. and yet so sad that we were leaving after living around one another for half the summer. 

     It was so sad the morning when we left.. my heart was heavy as we drove to Munich.  We flew from Munich to Frankfurt.  Then to America.  It was a long flight, and I think we almost had an emergency landing in Halifax.  Living in Europe was.. amazing. 
    
Innsbruck, I must leave you,
To go along my pathway
to strange and distant lands
My joy from me has faded
I don't know how to find it
I am in sorrow's hands
- Heinrich Isaac, 1450-1517