My Favourite Pic...

Our next stop after Lisbon was in Sevilla, Spain. Spain...the last country on our European tour! Hard to believe.

There is no direct train from Lisbon to Sevilla, unfortunately. So, our route was to take a train from Lisbon to Faro (a main centre in the south of Portugal) and then hop a bus from Faro to Sevilla. Another full day of travel. We had not booked our bus tickets before hand as we were told that the easiest way to go about purchasing tickets was to get them upon our arrival in Faro, at the bus depot.

We arrived in Faro around 11:30am on November 16th and were welcomed with warm, sunny weather! This was what we had been seeking for most of our trip! We were able to purchase bus tickets with no problems, we just had to wait 4 hours until it departed. So, we had a bit of time to explore Faro and do some SHOPPING! First thing's first: grab some things for lunch at the local supermarket.

Now, you have to picture the town of Faro. When I mention that it is the main centre in the south of Portugal, I don't mean that it is a large, urban centre. It is a fairly small community with between 40 000 - 50 000 inhabitants, but it does have its own airport and is a main transportation hub in the south.

The supermarket we found, not too far from the bus station, was a small, local store and I guess J-Sak and I really stood out amongst the locals (really, what's new?) with our backpacks on our backs. We were actually quite a site! Jeni had been having some troubles with her backpack setting off security alarms in stores so she was hesitant about bringing her large bag into the supermarket. Picture it: two travelers who already stick out simply by the clothes they wear and they way they carry themselves, who try to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Then, all of a sudden, a calamity of security alarms start ringing as if to shout out, "Look at those two at the front of the store! Everyone, drop what you are doing and stare directly at them, and keep watching them the entire time they are in the store! Please, make them feel as awkward as possible!" I can see why J-Sak wanted to leave her bag at the entrance of the supermarket. I, however, tromp right in with this cumbersome load on my back, nearly knocking piles of produce over as I try to maneuver through the extremely narrow aisles. I can barely do a 360 in this store without demolishing products on the shelves. Mothers! Watch your children! Anyways, with that said, I did get quite a few stares and felt quite out of place.

We decided to have our lunch outside, beside the marina. We found a nice bench where we parked ourselves and our children (backpacks) for a few hours. Before we headed to the marina though, we stopped in a few stores along the way. I found the koolest, most awesome pair of indoor soccer shoes! SoOoo great! I love them! I'll post a pic of them when I get all the pictures of our trip from Jeni.

As we were waiting for our 3:30pm bus to depart for Sevilla, we sprawled out on this bench, in the sun to relax and eat our lunch, which consisted of bread with meat and cheese, yogurt, oranges and some cookies. After, Jeni read while I pounded out a blog post on her iPhone...I think I was writing about Venice that day. I liked that day. Two souls with their lives on their backs, lazing on a bench in the sun, watching people go by, and taking delight in a seagull attempting to shove an entire crusty bun in its beak. Livin' the dream...

Egg Tarts & Luck.

Lisbon!

I was pretty excited to see Lisbon again. As I said in my previous post, I had been to Portugal's capital two years earlier with my Mum. It was the first European city I had ever been to and so it sort of has this feeling about it...it's hard to explain...but it's weird revisiting a place that is so far away from your original home. There are so many countries, cities, towns, and regions in this world to visit, and so, the likelihood of seeing a place twice, for me at least, is probably slim. But here I was, exactly two years later, touring around Lisboa!

I found Lisbon very refreshing and a great city to visit. It's not enormous like some of the other European mammoths we've seen; I think Lisboa's population is around 550 000. The region is warm, for us at least. It was about 17 degrees when we were there...mid-November...can't complain! And, I found Lisbon to be quite clean and the people extremely friendly....go visit! OHhh, and they are soccer freaks...crazy...it's quite excellent. Another neat thing about Lisbon is that because it is a very hilly city, there are actually street trams (called elevadores) that run up and down major hills around the city. You can ride up them if you like, or walk up the steep hills.

We stayed at Equity Point hostel (http://www.equity-point.com/en/hostels-lisboa/equity-point-lisboa/equity-point-lisboa-hostel.html)...also a very nice hostel! We were on a roll! The staff were very welcoming, it is a relatively new hostel so it's big and clean, and it is right near the city centre area of Baixa/Chiado. 

Rossio Square

Can you see what's in the background, over my right shoulder? That's right, a dead body. I didn't mention this in my blog because I thought I'd show you guys!

We didn't allocate that much time to Lisboa. We spent the majority of our Portugal time relaxing in Lagos, and so we only spent 2 nights/1.5 days in Lisbon. We arrived in the early afternoon of November 14th and decided to walk around and get a feel for the city the first evening. The Baixa district is Lisbon's downtown area and characterized by a grid pattern of streets, large, public squares, and pedestrian friendly areas. As with most other European centres, the streets were littered with pastry shops and cafes. The Portuguese are known for their egg tart pastries...sSooOOoooOO delicious...try an egg tart with uma meia de leite (coffee with milk) and you will not be disappointed! 

The second day (and the only full day) we spent in Lisbon started out with another free walking tour. Our tour guide, Sarah, took the group through the historic Alfama district, which is Lisbon's oldest district with medieval alley ways and stunning view points. It is located on the slope between the Castle of Lisbon and the Tejo River. In the 8th century, after the Roman conquest and the barbarian rule in the early part of the millennium, Lisbon was taken over by Muslims, mainly Berbers and Arabs from North Africa and the Middle East; known as the Moors. Muslim influence is still seen throughout Lisbon today, especially in the Alfama district. As well, many words in Portuguese have roots in Arabic. Interesting, no?

Overlooking Lisbon. A pigeon dropped a load on my hand at this viewpoint here...no joke! I'm a magnet for that kind of crap!

The kool streets of Lisboa

J-Sak and I, yah know, just smiling over Lisbon.

We met an English guy, Michael, on the tour. At the beginning of the tour everyone was to introduce themselves and say what they do for a living. Michael informed the group that he was from London and a student studying economics. Later on, J-Sak and I discovered that, at the ripe-old age of 21, Micheal had actually dropped out of university to became a professional poker player. And now, he was traveling around Europe, with no set course or plan, just seeing where life will take him. I think he is still on the road today, though I am not exactly sure where he is...

That evening, there was a BIG soccer game going on in Lisbon. Portugal was playing Bosnia-Herzegovina in a Euro 2012 qualifier game. It worked out great as Jeni, Michael and I all are soccer fans and decided to hit up a pub and watch the game together. The game ended up being great! Portugal won 6-2 with some amazing goals. 


I ended up having quite an interesting conversation with Michael-the-Poker-Player while watching the soccer game. He was telling me about a book he had recently read called Fooled by Randomness written by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. As the prologue in the book highlights, Taleb writes about how he believes luck is disguised and often perceived as nonluck, or skills. Also, how randomness is often understood by people as the opposite: nonrandom. In general, the book discusses how the idea of luck is constantly manipulated. For example, the expression "lucky fool" often describes an individual who encounters a greater proportion of luck but attributes his/her success to some other specific reason such as intellect, skills, etc. The real life example Michael gave me was, think about a poker player (of course) and if a poker player does well, his success is attributed to the fact that he is a talented poker player who understands strategy, numbers and psychology to a high degree. Taleb would argue that the poker player's success does not come from a superior skill set, but rather, him understanding luck and randomness. Taleb explains that luck is simply luck...and luck is random. Anyways, that's a very general explanation of the book...and also what I got from what Michael was saying. I have not read the book but would like to check it out. It is not often that you meet someone who really dives into the idea of luck. Most people that I have conversations like this with, disregard most aspects of luck and believe that "everything happens for a reason" and everything is in conjunction with something else. It is interesting what different ideas come about with different people you meet. It makes sense that Michael would be interested in understanding the idea of luck - he is a pro poker player, after all. It was pretty fascinating to have this conversation and hear a different view point. Maybe I was just lucky...

A Flight, A Strike & A Bus Ride...To Lagos, Portugal!

The morning came too fast...November 11...

Up by 5:30am and out the door, heading to Rome's Fiumicino airport to catch our 9:00am flight to Lisbon, Portugal. I was nervous that my carry-on (all my worldly possessions shoved into my backpack) would be deemed too large to take on the flight with me and, thus, have to check it for  €30. As it turned out, when we checked in at the Easy Jet counter, the attendant made me prove that I could fit my 47L backpack into a container that replicated the size of the overhead compartments on the airplane. Well, I stuffed with all my might, hoping that I could squeeze my backpack into that bin! It fit (not really though, I had to force it) and the attendant looked at me with a bit of a skeptical smile and said that she would allow it to go through security and hopefully the staff at the boarding gate would allow it as well. It all worked out fine and we were off on our 3 hour flight, flying across the Mediterranean and Spain, landing in Lisbon at around noon.  

Portugal n palm trees!

Once we left the Lisbon airport, we made our way to the Oriente train station where we were to catch a train from Lisbon to a small beach town called Lagos, in the south of Portugal. J-Sak and I had decided that after our Roma adventures, we needed a little R n' R time. The Algarve, which is the southern region of Portugal, is known for its gorgeous, red, sandy beaches, surfing culture, seafood, and pristine ocean views. Yeah! This is what I'm talking about! I had visited the Algarve in November two years prior, almost to the exact date, with my Mum. I met up with her in Albufeira after she backpacked throughout Western Europe. So, it was nice to revisit the area but to check out a different town.

Upon arriving at Oriente, Jeni and I made it our priority to head to the nearest ticket centre and reserve all of our other trains for the rest of our trip...so we wouldn't be stuck somewhere during our final 12 days. To the Portuguese man that helped us book our final 4 train rides: you're the best!! So helpful and patient. Jeni and I were relieved! However, there was one minor glitch in our plans that day...the train system in Portugal was on strike, just for the day of course, and we were unable to take the train from Lisbon to Lagos. Dang. What now? Our guesthouse was already booked in Lagos for the next 3 nights and all of our other trains were now reserved...

By 3:30pm we were on a bus headed for Lagos...for an extra €20, but at least our plans weren't screwed. Tired and in desperate need of a shower (what is it about flying...does anyone else feel super grimy after a flight?) we arrived in Lagos later in the evening and had spent almost 12 hours traveling that day. If you ever go to Lagos, please stay at Angela's Guesthouse (http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/portugal/lagos/12593/). It was a fantastic place to stay! There are 3 private rooms, a bathroom and a kitchen for guests to use. It was nice because Jeni and I were the only ones staying at Angela's. Angela is in her 60s and she and her granddaughter run the guesthouse. Her granddaughter does the administrative/financial/website part of the business abroad, and Angela physically runs the guesthouse. Angela is a very interesting lady who originated from Morocco and married a Portuguese man. Upon our arrival at Angela's, she addressed us in Portuguese, then in French, asking which language we preferred to converse in. NO SPEAK A ENGLISH she told us. So French it was! For the entire 3 days of our stay Angela spoke to us in French...and you know what? I actually understood about 90% of what she was saying. I was blown away, actually. I haven't studied French since grade 12 and I couldn't believe how much I understood. I am now seriously considering taking a French course or two here in Edmonton to brush up on my abilities. Angela also makes her guests a great breakfast every morning of eggs, toast, fruit and a hot bevy. She has the most delicious mango and strawberry jam, and it's homemade. One night we hung out with Angela and watched a little French TV...a show similar to America's Got Talent...and watched French kids do a routine to Billy Jean. Pretty hilarious if you ask me...Billy Jean all in French.

Lagos was all about relaxing and hanging out by the beach. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate while we were there and was extremely grey and windy. So, the beach was off the table. Lame. The first day we were there, we slept the morning away and then did some shopping around town in the afternoon. I bought the best salt & pepper shakers! Come over for dinner sometime and I will show them to you! Our second day in Lagos led us to the beach, but only for a short while as we were almost blown away. We just had to be by the water, even if it was only for an hour or so. The town itself is a great place to visit. I can see how it would be a lively and vibrant place to be in the summer season. Lagos was a good place for J-Sak and I to recuperate after our Italian escapades and the quietness we needed after a tourist-filled Rome.  

Blustery day, eh?

Hoping to chill on the sunny beach with a book today...not in the cards...

The Algarve at its finest

A little grey, but still so beautiful

After a few days of the Algarve, we headed north to the capital: Lisbon. I was excited to see Lisbon once again because I had only been there for one night on my previous visit to Portugal. Jeni and I were starting to feel in the grove to shop. We had already sent a package home, we were nearing the end of our 7 week adventure, and we had a bit more room in our sacks! YAY!

  

ROMA DUE!

Our sleep didn't last very long...we were up and out the door early again. As my Dad always says to me when I am annoyed about not getting enough sleep, "just sleep fast, kiddo!"

Our bags were getting so weighed down after buying some stuff along the way that we made the decision to send some things home in the mail. Also, Jeni and I were flying out of Rome the next day (November 11) to Lisbon, Portugal. We found a great flight deal with Easy Jet, Europe's discount airline, for €65 each, however, the catch was that if you needed to check your bag, it would cost extra. My backpack was small enough to qualify as carry-on luggage, and only one piece of carry-on is allowed. I was overloaded and couldn't get all my stuff into my backpack anymore...I was hauling things around in my day bag, my running shoes were dangling on the side of my backpack and some liquor was stuffed in the outside pockets. Crammed to the NUTS! We marched over to the post office, at the main train station by our hostel, and put together two packages to send home...which took a painful 2 hours. Sigh...I won't even bother going into detail...but I got the vibe that the post office staff thought we were being the biggest pains in the asses. Anyways, I wanted my package going out the cheapest way possible...meaning the slowest and least secure...but, good news, I just received it yesterday (November 28)!! YAY!! Relieved because my leather hand bag was in it...and my boots!

It was Vatican day! I just have to say, because it came to mind just now, we had the best weather in Rome (minus the rainy, first night). 20 degrees and a sunny, cloudless sky both days we were there. I think back to the day at the Vatican, which was only two and a half weeks ago my gawd, and it was so warm and beautiful. It was a good day. A good day to pray and ask God for a spanky, new BMW in the near future! Juuuussssttt kidddddding!

We took the bus to the Vatican City and the sweetest, older gentleman decided he would like to show us the way into the Vatican from the bus stop. We followed like sheep, as he talked to us in Italian. Once we reached the entrance to get into St. Peter's Basilica, he grabbed our hands, kissed them and exclaimed, "ciao bellas!". Why, thank you! So nice.

Again, J-Sak and I were able to just walk right in to the Basilica...no half-day line ups that we were warned about were to be found. Maybe we were just lucky? We decided to check out the Basilica on our own, but pay for a tour of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. St. Peter's Basilica...wow...the largest Christian church in the world...and it was amazing inside! Both my Mom's side and my Dad's side of the family come from Catholic backgrounds and, as a result, I grew up learning about Catholic ideologies. To step foot inside the mecca of Christendom was an altogether different feeling that is hard to describe. Also, I did not know this, but the Basilica is the burial sight of St. Peter...as in Simon Peter, one of Jesus' twelve apostles. It is believed that around 64 AD, Peter traveled to Rome and became a martyr of his faith under the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero. St. Peter is also considered the first Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. All of this, I did not know and found it interesting and, at the same time, eerie. Jeni also ran into a former co-worker of hers from ATCO...haha...at the Vatican, in St. Peter's Basilica. Just another day in Europe.

Later in the afternoon we met up with our tour group for the Sistine Chapel. This part I was most excited about! Before traveling throughout Europe, I knew who Michelangelo was, but not in depth. And, because I had the opportunity to see his marble masterpieces in Florence, I got more of a sense of what kind of artist he was and how much of an impact his art has made on humanity. I think this certainly enhanced my experience of seeing the Sistine Chapel for the first time. Also, I am so glad we did a tour. The information you get before you see the Chapel is really beneficial, I think anyways. We are first lead through the Vatican Museums, which hold tens of thousands of pieces of art collected over centuries by the Catholic Church, and include masterpieces by Michelangelo and Raphael, and many other important pieces from the Renaissance era. Our guide informed the group that if we were to look at each piece of art for 20 seconds, it would take a person 10 years to go through everything! After about an hour and a half going through the main pieces in the Museums, we are lead to the Sistine Chapel. OoOooooOO, great anticipation!

The Sistine Chapel really was remarkable. I know it sounds typical, but it truly is the most outstanding work of art that I have ever seen. And, because I knew the information I did about Michelangelo before heading into the Chapel, I understood why it is such an incredible and genius masterpiece. First of all, not only was Mikey a brilliant sculptor, but he could whip up a freakin' beautiful fresco painting on a giant ceiling. Second, to paint the entire ceiling took him only 4 years. Maybe that's a fair amount of time, I don't know, but I thought that was impressive. If I was painting a chapel ceiling, it just might take me a lifetime. Third, do you guys know what frescoes are? I didn't know much about the technique before I toured Europe so I will briefly explain. Pigment is mixed with water and is then applied to a thin layer of wet plaster (fresco meaning "fresh"). The pigment is then absorbed into the plaster and, once dry, the color will last forever. Also, once the pigment is applied to the plaster, there is no erasing or correcting mistakes...it's permanent. Michelangelo was commissioned by Pope Julius II to paint the ceiling in 1508, when he was 33 years old. Go see it. It was quite emotion-invoking.

And that was Rome. After we left the Vatican City, we did what we do best...walked. Haha! We found a nice place to eat and enjoyed our last Italian meal knowing that we had seen all we wanted to see in Rome. I mean, of course I could've stayed longer and explored more, but we got the big things accomplished! It was too bad it was such whirlwind visit...but that means there will hopefully be a "next time". Oh and, to celebrate our Italian adventures, we sought out a gelateria (of course, expect no less from us!) recommended by our tour guide...millions of flavours and they give you a giant dollop of whipped cream on top of your goody if you so choose! Ummm, yes please!

Ciao bella! Italy, she's been real nice!

Top 10 Inconsequential, Yet Enjoyable, Things About Europe:

So, now that I've been back in Canada nearly a week, I've had some time to digest my trip a bit. There are some things that I miss about Europe and certain, small things that I really took delight in. Here is a list of my top 10 inconsequential things I enjoyed in Europe:


10. Bikes/pedestrians dominate the road.
09. The voice over the metro intercom in Berlin saying "ausgang links" (meaning exit left). That phrase, to this day, is stuck in my head. Sometimes I can't stop repeating it over and over in my head.
08. When Italians say "prego!"
07. Accordion players on the metro in Paris. Classic!
06. McCafe.
05. Soccer. A very loved sport over there.
04. Cheap and delicious cheese in every grocery store. Man, I love cheese.
03. Uma meia de leite...coffee with milk, and in Portugal it is the best. Seriously, the best coffee I have EVER had.
02. Cheap and delicious wine in every grocery and convenience store! Heaven.
01. NUTELLA! Everywhere! A staple, really. (I was teased that I might have a slight addiction. I love that stuff! For this reason, I never buy it at home...too dangerous).

5 kilos of nutty goodness!

ROMA UNO!

We arrived at Roma Termini with great anticipation. Rome! Finally! So many great expectations of Rome, and I'd have to say that most of these expectations were met! How can you tell that you have arrived at a major metropolis? By the way everyone gets off the train. Absolutely no order...no rhyme or reason to disembarking...I'll go as far as to describe it as minor chaos. Pushing, shoving, people tromping over other people's luggage, rolling of the eyes, evil stares...bla, bla, bla. To me, this system does not make sense. J-Sak and I usually sit in our seats until everyone else has exited the train, then we make our move. We also do this because, by now, our bags are getting so heavy that pulling them down from the overhead luggage compartment is a serious undertaking, and we risk totally desecrating us and everyone around us if we pull them down while there are innocent civilians in the vicinity...


Our Rome hostel is called Funny Palace and it had pretty good reviews on Hostel Bookers. Side note: Hostel Bookers http://www.hostelbookers.com is the site that J-Sak and I used to book all of our hostels throughout our journey. Excellent. We never had a problem, ever, with our reservations. You can reserve online and you simply pay 10% of your total charge to hold your booking. That 10% is then deducted when you square up upon arrival at your hostel. I mention this website because, before I went backpacking, I didn't really know about it and it turned out to be great. Also, after your stay, you can go onto Hostel Bookers and rate the hostel in various capacities such as location, atmosphere, cleanliness, etc. Ratings are the best way to know if a hostel is good or not. People don't lie...believe me. They are very vocal on their likes and dislikes....


So, we get to Funny Palace, where the check-in/reception is located in a laundromat and we were openly greeted by a couple of young guys. We were promptly given a map of Rome, directions and transportation routes to the major sites, advice on the nightlife and restaurant areas AND a bottle of red vino! No wonder they get good reviews on Hostel Bookers! Though the hostel itself was a little run down, the atmosphere and the accommodating vibe, I think, is why this hostel was great. We always felt more than welcome.


Our first night in Rome was low key. I had the worst stomach ache coming off the 5 hour train ride...you know how it is, eating all this gelato, cheeses and breads, it's easy to get plugged up when you're not used to eating like that...then sit on a hot, cramped train. Not good. This happened to me several times on our trip, including the last leg of our flight home, from Toronto to Edmonton (this is why I like aisle seats on long plane rides...easy access to all amenities)! Why am I sharing this with you guys? I don't know.


Anyways, first thing on our list was to do was laundry. Really, there are only so many times you can sink-wash socks and undies! Also, that night it poured rain in Rome, so we decided to just go for dinner and rest up for the next day. At dinner the first night, we met a middle-aged couple from New Jersey; they were hilarious! They were touring around Italy for three weeks. Both were impressed by our travels thus far and reminisced about their travels when they were "our age"...back in 1975...when there were no computers or cell phones...you know, really "roughing it" compared to how we were traveling. With her Rick Steves' guide book in tow, Mrs. New Jersey advised us to be early, early, early for our day at the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Roman Forum, or else we would be waiting in a 4 hour line up...according to Rick Steves and her personal experience.


The next morning we did just as we planned, though we could've easily slept in. We were up and on our way early so that we could be at the entrance of the Colosseum when it opened. It is so interesting to see this huge, ancient monument right in the middle of a bustling city. Main thoroughfares, shopping centres and transit stations surround the ancient ruins. I'm just not used to seeing things like this. An interesting factoid: Rome only has a couple of metro lines because every time the city tries to dig new tunnels for new lines, they run into more ancient ruins. The city is littered with undiscovered ruins! So, the 4 hour line up we were warned about was non-existent. We basically walked right into the Colosseum. Great for us! We decided to pay a little extra money to join a 45 minute English tour, which was well worth it. The Colosseum was built in 72 AD, took 8 years to complete and could house 50 000 spectators. It's main purpose was for viewing gladiatorial battles for entertainment...battles between men and wild animals. The Colosseum was active in this manner for about four hundred years! Today, only a skeletal structure remains as most of the Colosseum was pillaged for it's stone and marble to build other structures around Rome such as the Vatican and the Pantheon. Jeni and I spent about 3 hours exploring the Colosseum and the surrounding ruins (Palatine Hill and Roman Forum). The Palatine Hill is the centre most of the Seven Hills of Rome which looks down upon a rectangular plaza consisting of ancient ruins that made up the city centre of Rome almost 2000 years ago; known as the Roman Forum. Though most of these ruins have crumbled and are still being excavated, it is certainly possible to see how could have been the centre of a great city. 


J-Sak and I made our way to the Spanish Steps (walking the whole way), to join a free afternoon walking tour after our exploration of the Colosseum. We needed a break, as we were starving and had been on our feet for nearly 5 hours at this point. We grabbed sandwiches and decided to plunk ourselves down on the Spanish Steps for about an hour. Of course, what do I sit in? Pigeon sh!t. Smeared it all over my pants. ARRRRGGGGG!! J-Sak laughed at my anger. My luck with this sh!t (literally) was pretty poor. A couple of days prior, in Cinque Terre, Jeni and I were the ONLY people walking down this long pedestrian tunnel and there was a nice, steamy, soft pile of dog crap that you could see coming from a mile away...and I just step right in it. In my white shoes. Smush. Laughable now. Not then. After Jeni, such a nice friend, helped me clean up the pigeon poo on my ass, she mentioned that I had now stepped in sh!t...then sat in sh!t...so the most logical next step would be to eat.........

In Cinque Terre...a steamy pile-o...

I will fast forward through the afternoon/evening of our day. Not only did we do an afternoon walking tour, we did an evening one as well. This equates to a hell of a lot of walking! We put a significant dent in Rome in our first day, and we knew we had to if we were gonna see it all in 2.5 days! On our evening tour we saw the Trevi Fountain lit up at night...amazing, really. It is a must-see when in Rome, I think...and go at night. Less people and more beautiful. We also met a fellow Canadian named Laura on our evening tour. Originally from Saskatchewan, she has not lived in Canada for about 10 years. She has been teaching at international schools all over the world; her last job was in Singapore for 5 years and she recently moved to Jordan. Laura had come to Rome for a week vacation as her school had a fall break. She was one of the most interesting and enjoyable people I had met on our trip so far and the three of us went for a great dinner after the tour. I was able to pick her brain about what it is like to work overseas and travel about alone. She had some great advice and insight, and I found her experiences very refreshing! I have often thought about teaching English somewhere in Asia. I would like to keep up my Mandarin skills, and I know I've lost some of it. Also, I would love to travel around for an extended period of time...but I know I need to make money while doing so. So, Laura sort of re-lit that fire for me as we chatted the night away...over some great pizza, pasta, seafood and wine!


First day of Rome was great! We didn't arrive back at our hostel until midnight and we had left at 8:30am...frick. Tomorrow: Vatican. What was Jeni's Facebook status? "The Pope had better clean up his home cuz we're coming over for a visit!"