Croatia!!!

Hello again! We just got back from Dubrovnik, Croatia yesterday evening and it was absolutely amazing. I know on my itinerary it says that Istanbul was supposed to be our second port, but due to safety reasons we had to change our destination to Croatia. At first, I was slightly bummed out because we were really excited to go to Istanbul, but Dubrovnik turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Our first day in port, I was able to walk the famous wall around the Old Town of Dubrovnik and was able to see some amazing views. The old town (where we spent most of our time) had plenty to do and we were busy almost every minute we spent there. We went snorkeling by a nearby island where we saw an old shipwreck and all types of fish and octopi. Afterwards, we swam in a small lake that housed a cave. It was pretty fun, although I worried I'd step on a sea urchin the majority of the time. 

The rest of the day was spent relaxing on the beach and we were able to watch a sunset along the water, in addition to visiting some of the islands of Croatia. BUT, we did get stranded on this beach. The boat (which we paid for) that took us to this small beach, was scheduled to pick us up at 6:30pm. Turns out they forgot about us,  leaving us stranded. We ended up just calling a taxi and later demanded a refund for the boat ride we never received. They only gave us half back but it was still pretty funny. 

Our Air B and B had a HUGE number of stairs and we basically walked up and down those stairs several times a day. And they were literally called the “stairway to hell”. Like it actually read that at the top of the stairs. I better have some great legs by the end of this trip. 

Over the next few days we went kayaking, swimming, and out to some really great restaurants in Dubrovnik. Along with that, we spent a day in Montenegro, which is actually a completely separate country from Croatia, but only a two hour bus ride. It was a very scenic, peaceful place and a good change of pace compared to the business of Dubrovnik. 

On our last day, we spent time on the island of Lokrum which I think was my favorite part of  Croatia. It was a peacefully cute island (it also had a nude beach but we don’t have to get into that).

Overall, Croatia was amazing and I’m actually really bummed that we’re leaving. BUT we’re now on our way to Greece, so I’m extremely excited. We only have two days to plan for our time there and I’m trying to write an essay. Wish me luck!

 

Crazy dreams and peanut butter?

Life on the ship has returned to normal since we left Italy. It’s smooth sailing from here to Croatia despite the thunder, lightning, rain, and wind we going through right now. I thought today was going to be a great day to lay by the pool ,and do some homework, but it is actually the coldest day we have had on the ship. I would drink some warm coffee, but their version of coffee tastes like watered down coffee beans.

Sleeping has been exceptionally weird lately. My cabin has no windows. So when you turn off the lights, it’s pitch black. Sometimes I can’t tell if my eyes are opened or closed. Because of this extreme darkness, I tend to wake up very disoriented and I’m never sure which way is up or down. So basically, every morning, I have a small panic attack because I forget where I am. Last night the weirdest thing happened to me. I had this crazy dream that I was locked inside a box, banging on the door trying to find a way out. When I woke up, I was surprised to realize that I was out of my bed banging on my own front door.

WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME?! I don’t think I've ever slept walked in my life, so I guess this is a first for me. I don't think I mentioned in my last post about how I was stuck in an elevator while in Italy. It was an EXTREMELY small elevator with a cage around it and my friends and I were stuck on it for a few minutes because it stopped in the middle of two floors. Luckily, we were able to get out. But maybe this experience had something to do with my dream….probably.

Despite the weird dreams, I always have my peanut butter to look forward to. The food on the ship isn’t necessarily good or bad, but the giant pan of peanut butter and bananas they keep out are my favorite. Peanut butter is my new desert. Maybe the peanut butter is causing the weird dreams?

I’ve also begun taking yoga every morning on the deck, while watching the sunrise. I wish I could describe the experience, but it’s one you have to experience for yourself.
I am very excited to go to Croatia and have already planned to go snorkeling and take a day trip to Montenegro! I’m still trying to figure out the rest of my trip but I am sure it will all work out!

It’s so crazy to think that we’re already onto our next country. See you in two days Croatia!

Italy!!!

Civitavecchia (did I spell that right?) 

We ported in Civitavecchia on Saturday and I woke up bright and early for our first country! I also just had to wake up because I had a field trip in Rome, but it was so much fun. We toured the pantheon, the Basilica and other cathedrals, and it was stunning. I also saw Caravaggio's paintings in person?!?! (And if you know me well enough you know he's my favorite artist) It felt like a dream. After, we had authentic Italian lunch and gelato (nom). Later that night I went to dinner with friends and drank some wine. It was a perfect first day. 

Florence-

We took a train to Florence and stayed in an apartment and I gotta say, Florence may be my favorite (but I'm on my way to Naples now so who knows). Our apartment was so cute and had huge rooms. It was in the middle of a cute plaza with lots of restaurants. Everything was just cute. We strolled through the streets and I got some gifts for a few people back at home;) 

It was a success! 

Rome- 

Then we moved onto Rome where we stayed in an even BIGGER apartment and it was amazing. We hit all the major spots like the coliseum, Trevi fountain, Pantheon, among other sites. Lots and lots of pasta and gelato. We also went out to an Ice bar that was super fun despite my toes being numb. 

Naples- 

We only arrived in Naples about five hours ago and this apartment was even better than the last!! Then we walked around a bit and got dinner. I had spaghetti with muscles (so delicious) and my friend Liv got octopus salad? And I tried it! It was so good! I strongly recommend it! 

Well anyways we are now relaxing in our apartment and trying to update family and friends on our adventures. I feel like my legs are about to fall off because of all the walking up and down streets and steep staircases. Maybe I'll come back with super toned legs? Let's hope so.

This was a VERY condensed version of Italy so far but I think you get the gist. Good food. Beautiful sights. Nice people. I have never felt so lucky in my life. God sure is good my friends. 

PS- not sure if I will be able to update you until our next country (which has now been switched from Turkey to Croatia for safety reasons) so ciao for now! (Here's some pics of what I've been talking about!) 

London- Days Two and Three

Thursday- 

Well Thursday was definitely one of the most tiring days in London. Beginning our day at 6am, we went on a three part tour to Windsor Castle, the city of Bath, and Stonehenge. Now Stonehenge was probably my favorite and I’ll tell you why later. But first, Windsor. Despite the short amount of time we were able to spend there, every moment was breathtaking. Sadly I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside, but the outside was just as spectacular. I wouldn't mind living in a castle of my own. My favorite part of the castle was St. George’s Cathedral. I can’t really describe how amazing it was, you just have to go there. 

Next was the city of Bath where we got to see the Roman Baths and the countryside of England. It was quite informational and I appreciated learning a brief history about it. Oh and I also got to drink the bath water? It was actually just hot water? Apparently there’ s some sort of healing power in it so hopefully it gave me super powers or something. 

And lastly, we traveled to Stonehenge. Now, some of you may be thinking well it’s just a bunch of rocks, right? NO. It is so much more. Being able to enjoy the view of Stonehenge along with the beautiful countryside surrounding you is an indescribable feeling. Maybe this doesn’t happen to everyone who visits, but for me, I really connected. After giving you a small history of Stonehenge (for the most part just hypotheses as to what it means), they instruct you to just relax and take in the view and see what it means to you. I don’t really know what it meant or knew how to feel, but I felt so connected to the Earth and nature and everything felt etherial. Maybe I’m crazy, but I loved it. 

Friday- 

Friday was more of a relaxing day; we toured Buckingham Palace and watched the changing of the guard and were able to have afternoon tea. However, the palace was slightly disappointing because we were only able to tour a small fraction of the amount of rooms in the palace. But otherwise, it was a nice day. 

I am now writing to you as I ride the train to Southampton. It rained earlier this morning and now the sun is out and the views are gorgeous. I also met a couple more SAS girls in London so I feel a little less alone. Still miss my friends and family right now. (drinking a beer- sorry mom) 

London: Day one

After a three hour layover we made it on our flight to London. The plane flight wasn't actually too bad considering I was sleeping for about 8 hours of it (Tylenol pm really works). So we arrived in London around 6:30 pm and were able to walk around and get dinner. 

It is now 7:34 am and I had a cappuccino with a scone. We're about to go on our tour of the Harry Potter movie set!!! Then later tonight we will be seeing Les Mis! Today's looking out to be a good one. Thanking the Lord everyday for letting me go on this adventure. 

Also really thankful for my sister and friends right now. Love you guys. 

(Here is the view from our hotel room) 

Still at LAX!

Our flight got delayed two hours so I've been sitting with my good friend Helina trying to understand how we're going to sail around the world in less than a week?????? 

I can't really explain my emotions right now. Ten hours on a plane. Let's do this. 

Welcome to my blog!

Hello! If you're reading this then I would like to thank you for tuning into my new blog!
I will be using this mostly for pictures and letting you all know about my amazing adventures I will be taking on Semester at Sea!
11 countries... 13 cities.... and me!

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