PARIS!

Best memories, love, Eiffel Tower lit up @ midnight, Versailles- a fantasy, the Louvre- the most art I've seen at one time, Leonardo, Titian, Caravaggio, David, Michelanglo, Raphael, Rembrandt, Giovanni Bellini, the Code of Hammurabi, Egyptian collections, I could send months there.
The Louvre, Versailles & Paris have to be three of my absolute favorite places to be in Europe. I am so lucky.

Bologna, baby.

A dream: Leuker-bad, Switzerland.

The Swiss Alps- is this real? One of the craziest places I've seen in my twenty years of living. I'm just a nature girl at heart. Nothing is more beautiful to me.

We sat in the thermal bathes, from natural springs (one of the only ones in the whole world!), with the mountains behind us. I will never forget it. All those trees, the sunshine, those white capped mountain tips and the waterfalls falling. So much beauty, so much color, so much life. I love it here. This is real.

Venice!

My mom comes to Italy! We rode the water-bus, ate next to the water + gondolas + saw so much beauty. I have the most amazing mother known to earth..

I left a piece of me in Italy.

Tile panel for hospital bathroom.

Brussels, Belgium.

Walked off the train to find strings of lights webbed through buildings. Memories of Belgium waffles, coffee, restaurants and chocolate everything. Rainbow pissing babies, colorful, fun french city...

Halloween in Amsterdam.

Light shows & love.

A ferry across the North Sea to The Netherlands.

the Artis Zoo. so many animals. so much fun, the Red Light District, van gogh. city lights. coffee shops. going dutch. absolute. pre schools next to sex-workers. smart shops. water canals. more bikes than cars. legal professions. marsh mellows. sprinkles on everything. waffles. crazy thick culture. exploring. love for everyone. beautiful buildings. street art. gargoyle on our balcony. this city is out of this world.

Abby Rd. & the biggest ferris wheel in the world!

...London, the prettiest city I've seen, a cold british night, the whole city lite up. We were walking around London, with our backpacks and wondering eyes. It was beautiful. We could see the bright London eye in the distance, that we went on the day before. We stood on the bridge that night looking straight over to the London Tower, soaking it all in... something I'll never forget. As it started to sprinkle out, all the business men and women popped up their umbrellas like clock-work. As I turned around being pushed and shoved, I looked at all these busy bees, each one with a cell phone attached to their ears and brief-case to each hand, looking ahead, not one drop of rain interrupting every single dry conversation. All I could think about was - not one person turned their head at this glorious view. I am cold, wet, and dazzled. In this moment, I am forever thankful...

Roma!

Secret picture in the sistine chapel, the grandiose Palazzo Farnese, the Tiber River, rainbow umbrella,the Gianicolo Hill, Bramante's Tempietto, the Vatican, not enough time, St. Peter's, the Arch of Constantine, Colosseum, the Heliodorus Room, the beautiful Trevi Fountain.. everything I once saw in text books, was right there in front of my eyes!

Perfection in Ireland.

It rained all day as we took the train to the irish coast from Dublin, city of beer + pubs; aka our ghetto hostel. Exploring all day in the rain and cold; we were in Howeth, when it finally stopped raining. The light house in the distance caught ours curious eyes. We walked toward it, as we got closer, we saw a picture perfect rainbow in the sky right behind the lighthouse at the end of a narrow pebbly green patch of land interrupting that blue sea water. I love everything about this. I'm so glad it rained all day. And I'm so glad we are the way we are=)

Magical Liverpool.

Back packing through Europe, 1st stop: Liverpool, home to the Beatles. I am in love with this British town. Everyone playing music on the streets, original Beatles museum, Mathew Street, the REAL Cavern, friendly people...

... Sleeping on the floor of a night ferry going across the irish sea; and then waking up in Ireland.

Tivoli. (pinch me).

This place is a dream. Over 400 fountains all over these gardens. Hydraulic organ, ridiculously gorgeous views... one of the best memories of Italy. We saw Villa Adriana, real ruins of the largest ancient Roman villas. I love it here.. it's so unreal.

Sucking the marrow out of life.

europe plan '08
Thursday 23rd, class & pack
Friday 24th, early morning train to Pisa airport- 7:45am leave for Liver pool, UK
night ferry to Dublin, Ireland
Saturday 25th-26th, Ireland
Monday 27th, morning flight, 6:40am for London, UK
Tuesday 28th, London, UK & night ferry to the Holland
29th, 30th, 31st, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, night train to Brussels, Belguim
Saturday 1st, Brussels, Belguim
Sunday 2nd, back to Firenze

We hiked the Cinque Terre coast=)

I stole the October sun from cinque terre's coast.



..."slowly we fell asleep, traffic lights shining on our faces, sand in our shoes. Sleepy eyes, a dark night turning into a dark morning and I could already see a slight line in the sky indicating an enormous mountain that was hidden behind the dark curtain of the night sky. Slowly, that curtain lifted behind those mountains, keeping me awake and wondering. It was a surprise to my eyes, nothing short of a miracle. Behind that mountainous region were colors you wouldn't imagine a sky could even contain, or a pallet. Blues ranging from the deepest to the brightest, purples, yellows, and bright pinks as the sun rose. We slept on that beach for free! The sound of the ocean in the background was like a dream where I was awake, wrapped in my lover's arms. The mountains that jutted directly into the ocean at just the most beautiful points as if it were planned. They turned green, vibrant greens and forest greens with indications of trees everywhere. The ocean, it took my breath away, so calm, so friendly, so pure, glistening like an infinity stars had fallen. My favorite part is where the dark royal blue fades into an aquamarine and then meshes with greens all the way to the shore, that color, like an aqua green that is only brightest in nature... It was June in October. My cheeks getting slightly red from Cinque Terre's bright October SUN!." And that 5 Euro for that hike, had to be the best 5E I have ever spent..."

Pisa & Lucca in a day.

the famous mistake & trees that grow on rooftops =)

Excuse me while I kiss the sky.