One month = lots of adventures!

Ahoj friends!

It's been so long since we last updated, this is going to require several "chapters" to update!...

Chapter 1- The Wanderings

For our spring break, we had an about a week and a half off school to go on our adventure of choice. You've already heard some about Gracia's- Bradley came to visit and they got engaged! In the meantime, Beth and Darrin came to Europe for some vacationing and I met them in Rome on Friday the 27th. We got to hang out in Rome for Friday evening (exploring the Coliseum, Trevi Fountain, and nearby area) and then all day Saturday (the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, The Spanish Steps). After renting a car on Sunday morning, we drove through the countryside to the hilltop towns Cevita and Orvieto then ended at Assisi where we spent the night in a farmhouse hotel. The next day we toured Assisi in the sunshine then drove on to the beautiful town of Siena for an evening enjoying the fun atmosphere of the active central Piazza. We took our leave from Siena early the next morning and drove to Florence, home of the David statue and the Uffizi gallery. Although we encountered some rain, we still had fun walking through the market in town and the galleries were so amazing! From Florence we went on to Pisa, where we left our rented car (which we had fondly nicknamed Max). Guess what stop we made in Pisa? If you guessed a tower that seems to be leaning, you're correct! We climbed to the top and, of course, took a few pictures of us doing our part to hold up the building! After Pisa we took a train to the seaside towns of Cinque Terre, where we enjoyed a complete change of pace and scenery. One hike, boat ride, and ocean wade later we were on our way to Venice to meet Bradley and Gracia. Venice is exactly like you see in the pictures with the narrow canals and gondola's everywhere! It was so great to relax, walk around, and take our own little gondola ride. Plus, we were in the company of the newly engaged couple, which was so much fun! I have to take a special moment to note the exceptional gelato of Italy, which we taste tested frequently. We may never look at ice cream the same way again! Our next adventure was to take a train through the Alps to Salzburg, Austria. We only had a day in Salzburg, but we thoroughly enjoyed the castle tour, random parade (complete with costumes), Easter decor around the city, and a few scenes from Mozart's life and the Sound of Music! A comfortable night tram whisked us right back to Prague where we camped out for the next few days.

Chapter 2- The Adventures Continue

It was so much fun to have Darrin and Beth in my home-away-from-home city! Our friends Fred and Kelly let them stay at their house while they were out of town, so Darrin and Beth were only a 10 minutes walk away from my apartment. Although I had to go to a few classes while they were here, I also got to show them around the main parts of Prague. It was a LOT of walking, but still fun, especially since the weather has magically changed to spring! Sunshine has replaced snow and we can actually see the sky these days, which is really encouraging. So hanging with me here in Prague, Beth and Darrin went to Paris and we followed shortly, arriving on Saturday afternoon. Paris is such a beautiful city! Climbing the Arc de Triumph, exploring the Louvre, admiring and scaling the Eiffel Tower, enjoying an outdoor cafe, and many other beautiful adventures quickly filled up Saturday and Sunday. Darrin and Beth unfortunately had to part ways with us on Monday morning, I had such a fantastic time traveling with them! We girls slept in a little bit, then enjoyed a last meal on the lawn by the Tower, soaking up the Paris sunshine!

Chapter 3- The Aftermath

With fond memories of Italy, Austria, and France dancing in my head, I started in to another week of school. It's been sinking in that we actually only have a few weeks left here, which has compelled me to think about what I'd like to do with the time we have left. The past two weekends have been so relaxing as we've stayed here in Prague and the weather has been for the most part, amazing! Last weekend we took a fun excursion to the zoo and got to go to the small church plant, Milovice, with Fred and Kelly. This Friday myself and my flatmates (Hannah, Eva, and Gracia) spent the morning at Karlstejn castle about 30 minutes outside of Prague. It was such a beautiful area and fun to hang out with the girls! Saturday I grabbed a cheap set of paints and a canvas that I had bought earlier and spent some time painting a view of Prague from Letna Hill. Today we went to the International Church of Prague and went out to eat with a few friends we had met the first time we attended there. This evening we participated in a round of Risk, Prague version, handmade by one of the guys in our program (a colored map of Prague as the board and coded pistachio shells for pieces!). Although at this point you may not believe we even go to school over here anymore :) we have, in fact, been working on projects, presentations, and homework as well! 

It's a little sobering to think that this may be my last official weekend in Prague- the next few will be filled with a last round of traveling. I can't believe how fast the semester has gone, I'm sure that the rest of our time here is going to fly by! It has certainly been a whirlwind adventure the past few weeks and I apologize for not updating more frequently... hopefully this "novel" wasn't too long! 

We're missing you all SO much and love you lots,

Laura

The End

footnote: there are lots of pictures of all these adventures on facebook, be sure to check them out!