It's hard to believe it's been it's been over two years since Natalie and I scrounged together enough points and pennies to make our big adventure across the pond where so many adventures, realizations, and memories were made.
Now, 790 days later, as I sit on a tarmac waiting for a plane to take off to where that same adventure started and my new one will begin in just t-minus 5 hours, I can hardly contain my excitement.
As Natalie dropped me off at the airport this morning, though I struggled with only 4 hours of sleep and the weight of my severely overfilled backpack (clearly I had learned nothing from my last trip about the dangers of overpacking and looking like quasi motto), the memories of our trip and excitement of mine washed over me.
I knew upon returning from my last trip that I would never look at the world or travel the same way again. Rather than satiate my desire to see some cool stuff, it had only further fanned the flames of wanderlust within me and made me want to see more. (What can I say? The world is an amazing place!). Upon returning home I started furiously saving points and scrounging airline miles to go back the next year in the summer of 2015. Between a messy (but very positive) breakup and some significant changes on the work front, that trip had to be put on hold, but TODAY it was finally happening.
Wanting to make this trip happen, I had been prepared to make the trip alone. Luckily for me, when I brought up the idea of wanting to see Croatia and the incredible Lake Bled, I was somehow able to coerce two of my closest friends to join me as well (and let me document our hilarious and sometimes embarrassing moments via this blog). I should mention that neither of them have traveled abroad before or traveled solo with me for a long period of time, so chances are they just simply agreed without realizing what shenanigans they were truly getting themselves into.
Nevertheless, our little North American travel squad (comprised of two Canadians and two Americans) is headed to Europe and will include my little nugget and press club partner in crime Tarrah Mesa (meeting me in Dublin and traveling the entire route with me), my best friend Cori who I met freshman year in college and even after moving all the way to Canada hasn't been able to get rid of me (joining us in Amsterdam through Croatia), and Cori's sister-in-law Tara Mitchell (a professional wanderluster and all around good time who will be joining us for the Croatia leg of the trip).
The trip in its entirety will be two and a half weeks from today through August 25th and include the following destinations Sac->Dublin->Galway->Amsterdam->Split->Dubrovnik->Venice->Villach->Lake Bled->Munich->Dublin->Sac.
Get ready - it's going to be a wild ride (particularly for Tarrah as I will be driving us in a rental car across the entire country of Ireland).
The schedule is ambitious, but we can sleep when we are home. ...Well not really because I fly to Seattle the next day for a wedding and Tarrah is headed to cheer on our friend Kaley in a competition in Tahoe, but we will manage :). (Also if Tarrah and I are going to find "legit" European prince husbands, we figure we've got to spread a wide net.)
So with that being said and this plane soon to land in Dublin where I will be putting my skills as a driver to the ultimate test...wish us luck and feel free to stay tuned as we continue to post updates on our various adventures!
In the words of my best friend Kaley Matthews,
"Wishing you a quick and safe flight, un-ruffied drinks, sexy make out sessions, awesome sunshine and weather, meeting awesome strangers and memories to last a lifetime!!"
(She knows me so well).
...Hide the Guinness because Dublin here we come!!!!!
Now, 790 days later, as I sit on a tarmac waiting for a plane to take off to where that same adventure started and my new one will begin in just t-minus 5 hours, I can hardly contain my excitement.
As Natalie dropped me off at the airport this morning, though I struggled with only 4 hours of sleep and the weight of my severely overfilled backpack (clearly I had learned nothing from my last trip about the dangers of overpacking and looking like quasi motto), the memories of our trip and excitement of mine washed over me.
I knew upon returning from my last trip that I would never look at the world or travel the same way again. Rather than satiate my desire to see some cool stuff, it had only further fanned the flames of wanderlust within me and made me want to see more. (What can I say? The world is an amazing place!). Upon returning home I started furiously saving points and scrounging airline miles to go back the next year in the summer of 2015. Between a messy (but very positive) breakup and some significant changes on the work front, that trip had to be put on hold, but TODAY it was finally happening.
Wanting to make this trip happen, I had been prepared to make the trip alone. Luckily for me, when I brought up the idea of wanting to see Croatia and the incredible Lake Bled, I was somehow able to coerce two of my closest friends to join me as well (and let me document our hilarious and sometimes embarrassing moments via this blog). I should mention that neither of them have traveled abroad before or traveled solo with me for a long period of time, so chances are they just simply agreed without realizing what shenanigans they were truly getting themselves into.
Nevertheless, our little North American travel squad (comprised of two Canadians and two Americans) is headed to Europe and will include my little nugget and press club partner in crime Tarrah Mesa (meeting me in Dublin and traveling the entire route with me), my best friend Cori who I met freshman year in college and even after moving all the way to Canada hasn't been able to get rid of me (joining us in Amsterdam through Croatia), and Cori's sister-in-law Tara Mitchell (a professional wanderluster and all around good time who will be joining us for the Croatia leg of the trip).
The trip in its entirety will be two and a half weeks from today through August 25th and include the following destinations Sac->Dublin->Galway->Amsterdam->Split->Dubrovnik->Venice->Villach->Lake Bled->Munich->Dublin->Sac.
Get ready - it's going to be a wild ride (particularly for Tarrah as I will be driving us in a rental car across the entire country of Ireland).
The schedule is ambitious, but we can sleep when we are home. ...Well not really because I fly to Seattle the next day for a wedding and Tarrah is headed to cheer on our friend Kaley in a competition in Tahoe, but we will manage :). (Also if Tarrah and I are going to find "legit" European prince husbands, we figure we've got to spread a wide net.)
So with that being said and this plane soon to land in Dublin where I will be putting my skills as a driver to the ultimate test...wish us luck and feel free to stay tuned as we continue to post updates on our various adventures!
In the words of my best friend Kaley Matthews,
"Wishing you a quick and safe flight, un-ruffied drinks, sexy make out sessions, awesome sunshine and weather, meeting awesome strangers and memories to last a lifetime!!"
(She knows me so well).
...Hide the Guinness because Dublin here we come!!!!!
I cannot wait to hear the rest day one you already have me exhausted best fun and safe travels you two
ReplyDelete