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Thursday, August 29, 2013

bring me back to europe

Today, I'm reminiscing a lot about the amazing trip we had to Europe earlier this summer.

It occurred to me that I never made a post about it aside from the small bucket list post, so I figured as a way to feel nostalgic for the not-long-ago I would finally write a post (well, mostly pictures) about the amazing trip.




Arriving in Rome!  I looked like ass, due to having 2 hours of sleep the night before and the inability to sleep on a plane even when it is a 13 hour trip and I have taken more melatonin than usual.  Needless to say, I was fucking tired. Riley wasn't paying attention. 

There were fruit stands in a lot of places, and the watermelon looked awesome at all of them. Stacey and I paid €3 for half of a watermelon (which was the smallest selection they had) and we ended up wandering in the area around the Trevi Fountain with these giant chunks of watermelon.  There was a group of American tourists walking by us and they gave us this look of "that watermelon looks fucking delicious and I want it, too" but joke was on them because they were taking one of those headphone-guided tours. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Trevi fountain at night

Making a wish at the Trevi fountain.  We apparently did it wrong and had to go back and do it again- has to be thrown with your right hand over your left shoulder, and if you make 3 wishes, it means you will come back to Rome.

Tour of the Vatican. This was some god of fertility, and this was marked by having dozens of tits.

Vatican Selfie ~*~*

Riley and I looking adorbs (and feeling really FUCKING hot) at the Vatican

I can never remember the name of this Piazza. But it was pretty. And they had amazing gelato.

We took a Rome by Night tour, which consisted of sitting in a car and driving around Rome (which is absolutely terrifying due to lack of lanes) and our driver was AH. MAZE. ING. He took us to many places that tourists don't normally hear of- places that the locals go.  This was the Embassy of Malta in Rome, and there was a tiny peephole in this door that had you look into a secret garden kind of deal.  It looked like Tinker Bell lived there. 
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Not as old as it looks. 
Last breakfast in Rome.  They had these croissants that were filled with a nutella-like substance- YUM. Not yum: I mistook sparkling water with 'normal' water and nearly puked.

Now enter: Cruise ship. Somewhere off the coast of Italy. 
Cute Russian boy a few decks below us.  A few days later he was sunbathing in a rather generous-to-the-eyes bathing suit. Hubba hubba.

Woke up with a view of the Amalfi Coast in Naples, Italy.

Shortly before Sorrento

Sorrento
Garden in Pompeii

Pompeii once more

Good luck penises. No, really. 

An awesome #nofilter moment while leaving Naples.

The next day was 'at sea', which meant "formal night" at dinner. We had fun playing dress-up.
My dress is from asos, available here

I *had* to take a picture in front of the first blue door I saw in Santorini, Greece. I ended up looking like a doofus because wind.

Isn't this just the cutest thing in the world?!


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Enjoying Oia, where Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was filmed.
Next day: Ephesus. First stop: A leather shop, where we got bored, but at least they had free wifi.
Dress: Asos, here

Once we got to Ephesus, Riley and I (being the crazy cat ladies we are) immediately turned on our cat-radar and learned that Ephesus is full of roaming cats.  We felt bad for them at first- but then our tour guide informed us that they were probably the most spoiled cats in Turkey due to the tourists giving them food and petting them.

One of the best meals of the trip, hands down.

I don't remember the name of this statue, but it's in Ephesus, near Kusadasi in Turkey.

We docked in Mykonos, Greece that night where all the staff and a lot of the guests got off of the boat to go par-tay together.  Coralie chaperoned Stacey and myself (well, mostly Stacey.)

Mykonos at night from the ship 
BEST. HUMMUS. EVER. Once all the bread was gone, I literally ate it with a fork.  It was that good.  I'm pretty sure half of my bloodstream is hummus.

And then, the grossest gyro I have ever eaten. It was suuuper dry, and just didn't have much flavor.  I had a gyro in Katakolon, Greece that totally redeemed my Greek Gyro experience.

Swimming in the Aegean (I think?) Sea, in Mykonos Greece.
After re-boarding the ship in Mykonos, we were hungry due to the lack of yummy food, and so replenished ourselves with a *small* amount of room service.  Not pictured: another tray of food.

Our tiny home for 12 days.

Clear water and caves in a boat cruise in Corfu, Greece 
Ionian sea

Cue the Beatles. 
Dubrovnik, Croatia

Seriously. How adorable is this city?! Dubrovnik, once again.
Stacey being a ham in Dubrovnik

We found an adorable little design shop in Dubrovnik called Lega-Lega that had really cute school supplies and posters.  I bought the middle one. 

Bridge in Dubrovnik with ominous clouds in the background

It lightning'ed. 
That night, the cruise ship had offered a show by the Beatle Maniacs, an AWESOME tribute band.  My dad would have loved it.

We would leave little signs on each other's doors. This one wins.

Most awkward pose award goes to Allie Holzman. Arriving in Venice!



I had pretty good luck with not having to use the restroom while we were out and about in cities- but in Venice I had to go, and this was the toilet.  Apparently Italians have really, really strong legs.

Art appreciation.

Venice

We came back to the ship mid-day to rest up a little and Riley poked her head out of her top bunk to scare me.

Riley and I being adorable, again.  Along with our adorable gondolier (is that a word?) who matched my dress perfectly. 

The next morning, we were off the cruise ship and on our way to London! We got to the airport in Venice hellishly early and had to guard our luggage on the floor because apparently Italians don't believe in benches.

Some cuddle time on the plane.

Once we got to London, we were pretty tired, but didn't want to sit in the hotel all night- so Coralie treated us all to go see Wicked!

Creepy art. 

Apollo Theatre in London

Wicked 

We went to breakfast at a restaurant with the name "pain" in it that served the biggest scones ever and one of the best cups of coffee I have had in my life.  

Then we went shopping and found a little bit of Seattle in London- along with the most pathetic attempts at spelling Allie (Allo?), Stacey (Steacy???), and Riley (RELEAE?!?!!) 

I tried on this dress that I loved but didn't know if I would ever wear it.  Spoiler alert: I wear this dress ALL. THE. TIME.

Later that evening, we met up with a wonderful family friend of ours who we hadn't seen since she moved back to Liverpool and went on a pub crawl around London.  

The next day (during a heat wave in London) I wore the dress and we went on a double-decker bus tour.

View of the Tower Bridge while crossing London Bridge 

Crossing!

Next time I'm in London, I am going here. 

Hangin' with my friend Abbey.

I have an irrational fear of Ferris wheels.  Don't know why, but they scare the shit outta me.  I had to go on the London Eye while I was in London- you can't not go on it.  

Here is Stacey, London-ing.

There's the dress! And me, being sunburned.


That night, we went to a pub right down the street from our hotel, where they offered a pitcher of whatever cocktail you wanted for £8.  This was an awesome deal compared to the other pubs that would charge that much for just one cocktail.  Viv reassured me that we wouldn't get ID'ed, because people in the UK are pretty chill about the drinking age, and people getting ID'ed was rare.  Well, I ordered a pitcher of a drink called "Woo-Woo" (HIMYM fans rejoice) and I got ID'ed- and Stacey, who is exactly 9 months younger than me- DIDN'T.  I don't think I look under 18... but apparently the bartender thinks I did.  I downed my WooWoo and then drank Stacey's Brazilian OJ.  (It was special OJ.)

I checked into nearly everywhere I went on Foursquare so I could get some cool badges and look back and be like "hey, I remember that!".  But then Foursquare informed me that I turned into an alcoholic temporarily while on this trip.

South Korean embassy in London!

Thinking they're posing for a picture while waiting for the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham palace.


Being a major Doctor Who dork, I had to find a Tardis.  It was not bigger on the inside.  Nor were Matt Smith or David Tennant there.

That didn't stop me from posing with it.

Going to Hogwarts.

Wearing the dress, with a phone box that does not travel through space and time.

I need more of these fish and chips in my life.

The next day, we were headed home.  We had a short flight from London to Frankfurt, and whilst in Frankfurt I made sure to get some Haribo Happy Cola.  It was a huge bag.  I ate it all on the plane ride home.

We also got German pretzels.  It was really hard and gross.

Then, on the plane from Frankfurt to Seattle, the flight attendants were offering children colouring books.  Stacey and I, being the children we are, asked for them as well.  This entertained us for a good 30 minutes before we got bored. 

Ready to be home.

I hope that was enough pictures for you.
If not, you're creepy and I like you.

2 comments:

  1. You guys had so much fun!!!! I loved being able to see all the photos while you guys were over there. I can't wait for the Oaney-Q, so that I can ask you way too many questions :) <3 Kaeli

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    1. Thanks!! Can't wait to see you there as well! :)

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