My Love Don't Cost A Thing

For spring break, Jared and I masterfully crafted our schedules so that we could spend a whopping 17 days together - yeah, we're bomb. Our original plan included about seven different cities over the course of two weeks and we decided that we would be so tired from all that traveling that spring break wouldn't be as relaxing as we wanted (not to mention that plan was crazy expensive). Our new plan included Porto, Lisbon and Lagos, Portugal and then eight days in Rome, Italy. So here we go...

Friday, April 15th

I didn't sleep the night before which is pretty normal before I leave for a trip with Jared. I just get so excited and the butterflies start going that I can't really calm them down enough to get to sleep. So after showering and getting dressed, I left my apartment around 6:30am heading for the metro. The plan was to take the metro to the train station, the train to Porto (about 3 hours), then a cab to the hotel where I would meet Jared. Seeing as I had to take a cab I knew I would need some cash. So I left my place a little early to stop by an ATM to get cash. The previous night at the movies I had attempted to use my ATM card but the machine was seemingly broken - little did I know, it was my card. So after several failed attempts at receiving cash I did what any 21-year old girl in a foreign country with no cash would do - I called my mommy. 

While my parents and BofA duked it out, I got on the metro and the train and made it to Porto safe and sound. Now comes the time when I actually needed cash and couldn't get any. Fortunately for me, my white knight was there to save me again. Jared had made his was to the train station to meet me so he paid for the cab and got us to the hotel (thank you honey). 

After some stressful and heated conversations with way too many people at BofA, we realized that my ATM card had been demagnetized earlier on Thursday when I last used it for lunch at the Hard Rock (so worth it). So BofA was actually really good about shipping me an emergency card which would arrive in Lisbon on Monday but until then, I was stuck on the cash thing. Luckily for me my dad is a smarty pants and my boyfriend also banks at BofA. So with my dad's brilliance, my parents would transfer money to Jared's account when we got back to Lisbon and I would have some cash in my little fingers by Saturday night - success!

Following that drama, Jared and I went out to explore the city. I had no idea what Porto had to offer but the front desk gave us a map and we decided to make our way to the river. Along the way we walked along a pretty busy street filled with shops and a ton of people. We came across a restaurant named Majestic which looked very cool and stopped to have lunch. We had burgers which were tasty and inexpensive and it was a quick stop.

Continuing on our journey we passed a lot of pretty views and random streets and managed to get ourselves a little lost. However, Jared somehow led me down this crazy steep street and a monstrous set of stairs. If you've been reading my other posts you know that after Paris I was so done with stairs but we took a risk and it actually worked out very well. [Side Note: Those are the greatest stairs on the face of the Earth.] The bottom of the stairs actually led right to the river - surprise! Nice work, baby. We sat by the river for a short while and just soaked up the sun. 

Once back in the room, we planned on relaxing for a little while before going out for dinner but the last thing I remember is sitting in bed and turning on the TV to discover an episode of Family Guy. The next thing I know it's 11am. Sweet & sour chicken! How did we sleep that long? Good grief.

Saturday, April 16th

When we woke up on Saturday, we attempted to get ready pretty quickly so we could enjoy the day before our train left around 5pm. Unfortunately, when I got to the bathroom, the room started spinning and I thought my legs were going to give out under me. [Side Note: Sometimes when I wake up in the morning I am incredibly dizzy and weak and feel like I could pass out any second. This is something I never looked to understand. I just accepted it as an issue I deal with. I know it's not serious but when it happens, it sucks.] After laying on the bathroom floor to regain some strength, I got up and told Jared I needed to eat something because I felt terrible. Jared is aware of my weirdness so he was very helpful in finding me something. We packed up our things to check out and then hurried to a nearby cafe to grab an orange soda which helped a lot. Then we walked around the corner to a restaurant and ordered the chicken and rice - mistake. The chicken was not cooked completely nor was it good so I just ate the rice and drank my soda and I felt a lot better.

After semi-eating we took the metro to another part of the city without any real plan as to where we were going or what were trying to see. When we got off of the metro, there was a large church near the stop and Jared wanted to check it out. That decision was actually the best thing that we could have done because it led us to the "Magic Train." As lame as it sounds it was this tour-esque ride around the city which included a stop at the Royal Oporto Wine Company. It was a great deal and we got to see a lot of the city. The wine company was an interesting learning experience but the more wine I taste, the more I hate it. We tried both a white wine and a red wine and they were both horrible. I can't imagine that people actually sit around drinking this stuff and enjoying it. It's just foul, but to each his own. 

The train dropped us off at the church where we began and Jared and I made our way back to the hotel. We wanted to stop for lunch at a place suggested by our hotel but it was closed - go figure. We only had about and hour until we needed to be at the train station so we went back to Majestic and I'm so glad we did. When we walked in and sat down, I immediately noticed a camera in the corner and I picked up that it was randomly recording people. Though it was odd to me, I didn't think much more about it. Then in the middle of eating our respective club sandwiches, the piano starts playing and one of the waitresses starts singing an operatic song in French! We were being attacked by a flash mob! Jared didn't understand the concept so I had to explain it to him. [Side Note: It is my life's dream to be part of a flash mob. Every year from now until I die, that is what I want for my birthday and Christmas. Someone please find me a flash mob to be a part of. Thanks.] After she finished, a man started singing; and another waitress after him. In the end they all sang together and then a man who was probably explaining the whole thing got up and spoke in Portuguese. The whole thing was just really really cool to see.

At this point the restaurant is packed with people and cameras and it's a mad house in there. We probably only have about 30 minutes to get back to our hotel (a solid 20 minute walk), grab our stuff, and get a cab to the train station. We seriously hauled butt up that hill back to the hotel and Jared ran inside to grab our stuff while I tried to hail a cab. After a couple unsuccessful ventures, a man pointed out to me where the cab stop was. Of course we run up to the line of cabs and attempt to communicate to the driver that we have 10 minutes to be at the train station. He must have understood because we got us there lickety-split and in time to catch the train. From there it was a smooth 3-hour ride into Lisbon. 

And that was only day two! 15 more to go...

"All that matters is that you treat me right

Give me all the things I need that money cant buy...
Even if you were broke my love don't cost a thing." -Jennifer Lopez

If I Die Young

April 14th, 2011 @ 1:00am
It was on this night that I realized I am studying abroad with some amazing guys. After attending a BBQ with a ton of other Erasmus students, we went back to the boys' flat to check out their newly discovered rooftop view. For about two hours, myself and six guys (James, Farbod, Charlie, Sam, Philipp, and Julian) sat on the roof and had the most profound conversation I have had since moving to Lisbon.

The topics ranged across a multitude of subjects: chocolate beer, snipers, roof jumping, John Mayer, life, death, mistakes, regrets, missed loved ones, lives cut too short... It really got me thinking about the time we have here on Earth and what we intend to do with it. And when that time is gone, it's not us who will suffer - our families and friends are the ones who will have to live with the pain of our memory for the rest of their lives. So I am choosing today to take every opportunity granted to me and to live my life to the fullest in the hopes that when I'm being remembered, no one will cry over my missed opportunities and lack of life lived. I hope there will be rejoicing for the lives I've touched and the people I've inspired.

I can't thank those guys enough for sharing what we talked about and opening up the way they did (James and Philipp, here's looking at you kids). I feel that we all grew that much closer on that rooftop and it only enhanced the relationships we've formed. I am truly blessed to be sharing this experience with such terrific human beings and I will cherish this forever. So thank you, boys. Thank you so much :)

"There's a boy here in town, says he'll love me forever.
Who would have thought forever could be severed by
The sharp knife of a short life?
Well I've had just enough time." -The Band Perry

April in Paris

So it's obvious that the more I travel, the less I blog. My B.

Thursday, March 31
For my 21st birthday, my loving parents got me a trip to Paris, France - I know, they rock. So early Thursday morning I made my way to the airport for my first flight going somewhere other than Spain. It's about a 3-hour flight and everything went smoothly in getting to France. [Side Note: It's amazing how much nicer a non-budget airline is in Europe. I flew Air France instead of EasyJet and it was a world of difference. At home, "budget" airlines are still respectable (shout out to Southwest). I actually got food and a beverage at no additional charge, seats that recline, and I checked in my bag for free - loving it.] When I touched down at Charles De Gaulle Airport, it was gloomy and a little cold and though I had forgotten my larger jacket, I remembered my bright green umbrella from Madrid. This was also the first time I had to get from the airport to my hotel all by myself. I was actually very impressed as I had previously figured out the train to catch into the city, the metro route to take, the metro stop nearest my hotel, and navigated walking directions from that stop to my hotel (patting myself on the back).

On my walk to the hotel was my first sighting of the Eiffel Tower and despite the gloomy weather and its icky brown coloring, I thought it was beautiful. The hotel wasn't as glamorous as I'd imagined and the room was a little small but hey... that's France. I was well aware of its expensive, small hotel rooms from the get-go so I should not have been surprised. After I dropped off my things and just relaxed for a second, I decided to do some sightseeing because Jared didn't get in for a few hours. So my bright green umbrella, the map I grabbed at the airport, and I headed out on the town.

But before I could hit the town, I realized I was hungry - boo. So I stopped in to a Chinese restaurant that was very close to the hotel. It was actually the first Chinese food I'd had in Europe and it was really good. However I do find it funny that I went all the way to France (the motherland of fancy cuisine) and the first thing I ate was fried rice and beef broccoli that I picked out from behind the counter. Classic.

My first stop of course was the Eiffel Tower. I could see it from my floor in the hotel so I wanted to see it close up. I followed the map to the park in front of it and reached it with ease. I never thought a building could actually move me but for some reason, this one grabbed onto my heartstrings and wouldn't let go. It was incredible! I had never had a rush of emotion like that over a stinking monument so touché, E.T., touché. I spent an ample amount of time around the Eiffel Tower but I wanted to save going to the top until Jared arrived. I'm still in awe of it when I look at pictures and the moment I laid eyes on it is a moment I won't soon forget.

Next I walked up to the Arc de Triomphe which marks the beginning/end of Champs Elysees - can you say shopping?! That street is literally amazing. I could have spent all day there and not thought twice about it. Not only is it beautiful, but there are so many people and places to eat and things to look at and items to buy! Man, oh, man... I'm 87.4% sure that Jesus is taking Champs Elysees in the Rapture because I need it in Heaven.

 
After wandering down Champs Elysees and stopping to shop in H&M, I decided to head back to the hotel because Jared was supposed to arrive soon. Not more than 30 minutes after I got back to the room, there was a knock on the door :) I opened it and there he was. I could officially enjoy my weekend getaway in Paris because he was finally there (I realize it had only been four days since we last saw each other but I'm in love darn it - don't judge me).

Earlier that day I made plans with Jamie and Megan, two fellow USC students/Troy Camp counselors, to meet up with them and go to a club that night. Jared agreed to the plan but he is a little stricter on times than I am. So when we arrived at the hotel around 9ish, he was thinking he only had like 30 minutes or so until we had to leave seeing as I told them we'd meet up at 10:00. However I was not in a rush to get there and I figured whenever we left was when we left and we'd meet up with them at that time. My punctual bf does not think like that at all so he was a little Energizer bunny when he got there and was bouncing off the walls worrying about having time to shower and get ready and everything. To calm him down, I took him to the view of the Eiffel Tower from our 5th floor window and I could instantly feel his heart rate decrease. Everything was going to be fine.

Before meeting up with Jamie and Megan, Jared was hungry (surprise, surprise) so we stopped by none other than the very same Chinese restaurant at which I'd eaten earlier that day. Eventually, we were on our way to Notre Dame to meet my friends but the series of unfortunate events that followed could not have been predicted by either of us. We were supposed to meet the group at St. Michel metro stop around 10:30pm. This required us to take the same metro line I'd taken from the airport. The Strasbourg intersection provided the most direct route to St. Michel but I remembered that the Strasbourg stop was not open but in this metro the map depicted that it was. Assuming the map would be correct we got off at Strasbourg but we were blithely unaware that the connecting metro we needed from Strasbourg to St. Michel was down - an open stop with a closed tram doesn't do anyone much good. So we had to back-track and create a new plan while staring at the metro map in the station. We finally made it to St. Michel about an hour after we were supposed to meet there so when I called Jamie he said they were already on their way to the club. He told me the name of the stop where to meet them but instead we decided to go see Notre Dame and then call it a night.

When getting back on the metro to head to the hotel, we faced yet another obstacle - non-technology savvy tourists. We waited in this decently long line to use the one ticket machine available at St. Michel and right in front of us was a group of about 6 people who had seemingly NO idea what they were doing or how to purchase a ticket from the machine. Keep in mind that this transaction takes at most 20 seconds per person but they took so long that the man behind us eventually exclaimed, "What the f*** are they doing?" I couldn't help but laugh because I don't think there was a person in line not thinking the exact same thing. But despite all of that, I would have done it again in a heartbeat. I laughed so hard that night and had so much fun getting lost with Jared and watching him get frustrated that it has become one of my favorite pastimes. [Side Note: If you have never witnessed Jared's frustration, do it! Hilarious.]

Friday, April 1
The next morning we planned to get up and go on the free Paris walking tour - I'll give you one guess as to what happened with that. We slept through both the 11am and 1pm tours. Awesome. But it actually worked out really well and our new plan still allowed us to see a lot. We left the room around 2pm to grab some lunch and head to the Louvre museum. We tried to get Domino's pizza but it was on a Spanish-esque siesta when we arrived - no bueno. We then went to a bar called Seven where I got a pretty tasty burger and Jared got a club sandwich.

After chowing down we were off to the Louvre and what an adventure that was. I made the executive decision to see all of the highlighted/recommended pieces on the museum map that we picked up inside and that is quite a feat in such a BIG museum. There are three wings with four floors in each wing and two or three highlighted pieces on each floor in every wing. At this time I must give credit to my boss Ruthie Pyles because my tour guiding skills came back full force and I dominated that museum. We saw famous pieces such as the Mona Lisa, Venus De Milo, and my absolute favorite, Winged Victory of Samothrace. I walked Jared all over that place to see every single piece on that map and I'm very proud of us for doing it. I actually had a lot of fun searching for the artwork and statues and listening to Jared's commentary on all of it. [Side Note: Inside this museum is where Jared and I discovered that we have very different tastes in art. I am a fan of marble sculptures, oil paintings, Monet, and impressionism as a whole. Jared is a fan of anything without "horrendous, 300-pound hags that resemble beached whales." You learn something new every day.]

After walking at least a few miles around the Louvre for three hours, we were plenty tired but wanted to make our way up to the Arc de Triomphe. Just then a bicycle cab pulled up and dropped off two women in front of the Louvre, like Cinderella's pumpkin carriage. We hitched a ride to the end of Champs Elysees and then walked up to the Arc. The bicyclist was really nice too!

On the way, we passed a really cute bar that was fully decked out in pink and decided to stop in for a drink. From the magenta decor to bevy of P!nk songs playing over the loud speaker, I envisioned it would be a great place to grab drinks with the girls after dinner. Unfortunately, the drink prices were not nearly as cute as the atmosphere in the bar. My Strawberry Collins along with Jared's drink each cost 14€ each (about $20)! Holy cannoli... there is not a drink on Earth that tastes good enough for that. But we did it while enjoying a small cup of almonds together which were probably more memorable than my drink.

We continued up Champs Elysees to the Arc which is situated in the center of a roundabout. There were no visible crosswalks around the Arc and by us being foreigners, we contemplated if we were going to have to run across and dodge cars like they were large rubber balls in gym class. Fortunately we asked two very nice police officers for directions and they kindly pointed us to the underground tunnel that led to the Arc. Once we bought our tickets, we began another treacherous stair climb to the top. But I will say that this was probably my favorite view of the city. Looking out over Champs Elysees and the Eiffel Tower and downtown Paris - there's nothing like it.

That night we took a boat cruise down the River Seine suggested by a friend of Jared. It was pretty cold (remember, I forgot my big jacket) so we sat inside which made it hard to see and the automated tour guide in six different languages got old fast, but I'm glad we did it. It was an experience and it gave us something to do that night. The most memorable part of the tour was noticing just how many people hang out along the river to pre-game their nightly festivities. Equally memorable were the four boys standing on the riverbank mooning our boat as it went by. It was both disturbing and entertaining.

Saturday, April 2
On our last full day in Paris we actually got up on time to get to the train station heading for the palace of Versailles. On our way to the station we stopped by a bakery to grab a couple of croissants for breakfast. While I will admit that it was probably the worst croissant I've ever eaten, Jared took it one step further to exclaim that is tasted "like a burnt shoe." How he knows what that tastes like I'm not sure but it was probably an accurate comparison. I made him stop at McDonald's when we got off of the train because I knew he wouldn't last through all of Versailles without eating. After wolfing down some breakfast we grabbed our tickets and headed to the palace.

My first impression of Versailles included both intrigue and shock. I was so impressed by the sheer size and grandeur of the palace but I was stunned that it was just a part of the regular city. I expected there to be lavish green lawns leading up to the palace and armed guards and huge gates and that it would be secluded in the middle of nowhere but it was very close to a main street and cars were driving past it with little acknowledgment of its presence. After a brief security line, we walked through the palace admiring all of the rooms including the world famous Hall of Mirrors, which we didn't actually realize we were in until hours after we'd left the palace. The whole time it was baffling to me that someone once called it simply "home." I couldn't imagine living somewhere that extravagant. I guess after the 8th room the gold fixtures, crystal chandeliers, and hand painted murals were slightly less astonishing but I couldn't get over the fact that you could play hide-and-seek in there for a year without ever finding the person.

After the palace we went out back to the palace gardens which were by far my favorite part of Versailles. The immaculate condition of the lawns and trees and fountains is breathtaking and considering the amount of people it must take to maintain the gardens' well manicured state, my hat is off to the Versailles employees. Truly amazing. The gardens extend for about an hour's walk from the palace with a large pond in the center and Marie Antoinette's estate to the far right. When we got to the pond, there were row boats. Naturally, we rented one. The view was incredible on the pond and during this boat ride I realized I missed my calling - I totally should have rowed crew. Drat! About halfway down the pond we noticed a swan chilling on the water and this swan turned out to be the coolest bird ever. It totally let me row right next to it! I could have reached out and touched it we were so close! So cool :)

After the rowing we parked it on the grass near the water for a bit just to talk and relax. Then we trekked over to Marie Antoinette's estate. I will say that on its own it would have been impressive, but because it's located on the grounds of Versailles, it could not hold a candle to the main palace and gardens. I think any woman would agree that Marie was swindled, hoodwinked, bamboozled, etc. In today's society, if Marie and Louis had gotten divorced in California, there isn't a judge in the world that would call that a 50-50 split.

Following Versailles, we hustled over to the Notre Dame Cathedral. We walked through the inside quickly and then got in line for the top just as they were closing it for the day behind us. Once we made it to the front, again lay before me a conglomerate of stairs that I'm pretty sure rivaled the Tower of Babel because it was seriously innumerable - ugh! Once at the top, the view was sweet but the group of students from Spain who occupied the cathedral with us were anything but. [Side Note: I would like to apologize to all the adults who had to bear witness to the immaturity I'm sure my friends and I displayed upon several school field trips. Looking back now, I'm sure we were just as obnoxious and annoying so I'm sorry for anyone who had to suffer through our shrills and shrieks and Tom-foolery. Lo siento.]

After a quick nap for Jared and an unsuccessful shoe hunt for me, we went out for our last dinner in Paris. I hadn't even noticed all day that it was our anniversary until Jared pointed it out on the way to the restaurant. I can't think of a better way to spend a 3-month anniversary than in Paris however I do think we set ourselves up for disappointment on future anniversaries. I mean what are we going to do for 6-months? For 1 year? How do you top Paris? You can't. [Side Note: My parents have been together for over 20 years and have never been to Paris together, yet Jared and I had been together less than 90 days and were able to share the most romantic city in the world at just 20 and 21-years old. We're pretty blessed.]

Deliciously full, we walked slowly over to the tower. We had waited the whole trip to see the Eiffel Tower together on our last night and when we arrived around 9:30pm the line was ridiculous! I was worried we wouldn't make it to the top but we stuck it out anyway. At 10pm every night the Eiffel Tower actually sparkles - literally. A million little white lights flash all over the monument and it's absolutely gorgeous. I ran out of line at 10pm to snap some pictures of it (thanks for holding our place in line, babe). After a rather pushy guy in line and witnessing a mass exodus of souvenir sellers reminiscent of the running of the bulls in Pamplona, we made it to the front and got our tickets. The view from the Eiffel Tower is quite a majestic one to say the least. The colors across the city illuminate, the river lights up, and the whole thing is a humbling experience and I was just so happy to be in Paris with Jared. [Side Note: While in the tower there was a group of girls for whom I offered to take a picture and vice versa. Before our picture, Jared unexpectedly picked me up and the girls literally exploded with awws and giggles and that's-so-cutes. I thought I may have to beat them away but they did give us some really cute pictures - thanks girls!] We didn't actually make it to the very, very top because that was closed by the time we got there but the view we had was just as spectacular as I had hoped it would be.

Sunday April 3

The entire time we were in Paris I vowed not to leave the country without having French toast. So on our last morning I did some research and found a place called "Breakfast in America" for us to try. Holy-freaking-moly was that the best call of life or was that the best call of life? I had not had a hot breakfast with syrup the entire time I was in Europe (Portugal isn't big on breakfast) and French toast is my favorite breakfast food so I was on cloud 9 when we found this place. The food was so good and I was so happy. Jared was a little under the weather this day which is never ideal but he said his omelet was superb as well. The best part about Breakfast in America was the man Jared noticed in the corner wearing a USC hat. So of course on our way out I stopped by his table to say hi and it turns out he is a graduate of the Marshall School of Business and moved to Paris to pursue a career in writing. So sweet, right? Major Fight On to Luis Hernandez :)

Before my flight at 4:30pm there were 3 sights we wanted to see: the first was the Sacré-Cœur Basilica. The Roman Catholic Church is perched on top of a hill that yet again required me to climb an unsightly amount of stairs. [Side Note: After Paris, I am so over stairs. Like come on people, this is the 21st century. Have we never heard of ramps? Paris may be the least wheelchair friendly city ever and does no one see a problem with this? Cheese and rice.] The view from the top again was beautiful despite the drizzling rain drops. We asked an older couple to take a photo of us in front of the church and after snapping a few shots the man commented, "You two make a nice couple." Well thank you, kind sir.

Next we were off to Moulin Rouge - guiche guiche yaya dada, eh? It wasn't anything to marvel at or fawn over but I'm glad we saw it. It did however take a little longer to locate than I'd planned and we were pushing it on time to be able to make it back to the hotel to grab our things and to the train station for me to get to the airport. But we decided to go for the last one anyway. The third and final sight was the American Center which was designed by USC's own Frank Gehry. This marked the 3rd Frank Gehry building we've seen (including the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain) and I can now say that I see his signature style. They all have a very Gehry-esque quality about them and I thoroughly appreciate his work.

Here is usually where I would talk about us saying goodbye until next time and sum up the wonderful time I had. Though that is all still true, the story doesn't end there this time. From the American Center we hustled back on the metro to the hotel and to the train stop. By the time we were buying my train ticket it was after 3:00pm so I had to hurry to make my 4:30 flight. We said goodbye until spring break and I maneuvered with my bag to the platform. When I reached the one I thought was correct, the airport was not listed as a stop. I asked random people until I found someone that spoke English. The woman was so nice and helpful and she actually walked me over to the correct platform. Though it did look more familiar, the airport still wasn't listed. At this point I only had about an hour until my flight left and the train would take at least 30 minutes to get to the airport. So in the midst of my panicking I found the information desk where I was informed that the train to the airport wasn't working and I would have to take a different train and then a shuttle bus to the terminal - Perfect.

So I took the train and I took the bus and I had about 20 minutes until departure when we arrived at the airport. I'm thinking I will run to the front of the baggage check-in line and then cut through security and hopefully make it just in time - wrong. Of course the shuttle drops us off at Terminal 3 which does not have Air France. So I ask the man directing people where to go but he doesn't know how to tell me because I'm apparently supposed to know that - like what? So I have to run over to the TV screens and find my flight number and figure it out myself. Finally I find the metro-type tram thing that will take me to Terminal 1. At this point I have about 10 minutes to take off but I'm not giving up yet.

When I get to T1, the sign reads that Air France is in D - I'm in A. Sweet. So I'm running through the alphabet with my bag and my bright green umbrella and I finally get to D but of course Air France isn't anywhere to be found. I ask a random airline personnel and he tells me that Air France is in A - is this a joke? Where is Ashton because I'm clearly being Punk'd. By the time I finally arrive at the Air France desk it's well after 4:30pm. I explain the situation to the woman behind the counter and thankfully Air France is aware of the train delays and is not charging customers for missing their flight - Hallelujah! The only problem is that the next flight isn't for about 4 hours - bummer. But I had brought my midterm study materials so I bought some Trolli sour glow worms (highly underrated study snack) and I made myself at home on one of the couches. I actually got a solid amount of work done so props to me.

Lisbon from the airplane

I eventually made it home about 6 hours later than planned but at least I made it. It was an incredible weekend and definitely my favorite trip thus far in Europe. I can't imagine having gone with anyone but Jared. The trip would not have been nearly as amazing without him. I am truly blessed for the opportunities to travel that I have been afforded and even more blessed for the people with whom I get to travel.



"I never knew the charm of spring
I never met it face to face
I never knew my heart could sing
I never missed a warm embrace
Till April in Paris" -Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong