Update: back from Europe

Apparently we did not do any blogging in Europe like we had planned. Now that I'm back, it seems daunting to try to describe the entire trip at once. So I will hit some highlights, maybe post a few pictures, and add more amusing stories or anecdotes as I feel necessary.



The day before leaving Houston, I signed an apartment lease. I am pleased with it- it's a one-bedroom, 640 sq. ft. apt with a balcony facing the pool, and my lease will start June 26. I am looking forward to moving in, setting up my own place, and being able to entertain guests! So, if you know me well enough to be reading my blog, please feel free to come visit me at my apartment once I am in and we can have tea and go swimming!



Our trip to Europe was fun! Unfortunately, we had several very crappy things happen, but hopefully that will leave us with memories of how Mari and I had to stick together to conquer the crappiness. The low-lights of our trip were when Mari's wallet and Aggie Ring got stolen in Morocco, when Mari got sick in a hostel in London, when a bird pooped on Mari's head in Gibraltar, and when we almost missed our connecting flight back from Frankfurt to Houston. Hopefully we will eventually be able to laugh at all those things.




In the meantime, here are some fun things we got to do in Europe:



See Toledo: We took a day-trip from Madrid to the city of Toledo, which was beautiful. I can't remember how old it is, but it was originally a Moorish city and was later taken over by Spanish Catholics. There were remnants of Moorish architecture, including a very old city wall. It was cool to see how the newer city had just been built into the ancient wall, and there were people who lived and worked around this ancient, historical wall everyday. Neat! We also loved the Cathedral in Toledo- supposedly it is one of the biggest in Spain, and it was very impressive. Sadly, we were not allowed to take pictures inside, but here is a picture of the outside, from which you cannot see how awesome it is.

Touch the Mediterranean: We went to Tarifa, which is supposedly the southernmost city of Europe (but what about the Canary Islands? I guess they mean Europe proper). Tarifa is a beachy town, and the Mediterranean beaches were beautiful. Mari and I discussed where exactly the Mediterranean begins and the Atlantic ends, and I concluded that it's probably not clearly defined, since they're touching... there are probably just areas that are clearly one or the other, but some fuzziness in between. Shortly after this Hannah wisdom, we walked out onto a rocky pier and saw a sign on one side that said "Mar Mediterreano" (Mediterranean Sea) and "Oceano Atlantico" (Atlantic Ocean) on the other. Apparently I was wrong.

Explore Windsor Castle: This was awesome!!! Apparently they fly the UK flag (the "Union Jack") from the tower most of the time, but when the Queen is in residence they fly the Royal Standard. Guess which one was up when we went? That's right- the Royal Standard! But we didn't get to actually see her... sad. We would have found tea with the Queen absolutely delightful! Windsor not only looked like a real authentic castle- it IS a real authentic castle. It is the oldest continually inhabited royal residence in Europe, I think. William the Conqueror first built a wooden fortress there in the 1000s, but then they built a stone one there in the next century, and that is the beginning of the actual castle that is still there today! I'm a little embarassed to say that Mari and I particularly enjoyed the gift shot- how touristy. But what we liked about the gift shop was that the stuff seemed nice, and not cheap and tacky like most tourist shops... it felt like it was actually stuff the Queen would use. And I'm sure it was. I'll bet when Queen Elizabeth needs a new tea cup, she runs down to the shop and buys the exact same teal teacup-and-saucer (with a little picture of Windsor Castle on it!) set that Mari and I got for half-price!


We have lots of other fun stories, but, like I said, it's hard to think of all of them in one sitting, and I'm sure no one wants to devote a three-hour chunk of their day to reading my blog. So I'll just post a few more photos.