NYE with the Brits (part 1)

We had to start of 2012 with a bang...London, England it is!

Since I had never been to London, Caleb and I decided to make the best of our trip and spend six days in the city. I wanted to see every mile...er...kilometer...the city had to offer. So we packed each day full of tourist attractions, beers in the pub, and thai food (since it is seriously lacking here in our region of Italy!). No amount of London fog (or rain) would slow us down!

We started with a walking tour to see some of the big sites. On our first day, we caught a glimpse of Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Parliament building, and the London Eye. Throughout the next few days, we toured Westminster Abbey, the Globe Theater, the Churchill War Rooms, the Tower of London and the British Museum.We also had tea at Harrods, watched the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, saw the Broadway hit Wicked, found a restaurant dedicated to the greatest state of all time, explored the Royal Observatory, stood in two different hemispheres at one time, and high-fived 2012! Phew! What a trip!!

A very important piece of advice painted on many of the crosswalks

It's wet and chilly!

Big Ben and Parliament

Westminster Abbey:

    I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside (don't mess with mean old British ladies who are lurking for rule breakers!), but it would never have done this church justice. This was by far one of the most interesting and beautiful churches I have seen yet. The history in the church kept us enthralled for hours. The site of most royal coronations, weddings, baptisms and funerals, the walls of Westminster have interesting stories to tell. My favorite area was Poet's Corner, where some of the most important literary figures were laid to rest, including Chaucer, Tennyson, Charles Dickens and Rudyard Kipling. 

Outside of Westminster

The Globe Theater:

     Although this wasn't the original site of Shakespeare's Globe, it is located only several hundred feet away from the location of the original. We had an excellent tour of the recreation, which was built using the same materials and method as the one in Shakespeare's day. Our guide enlightened us to life in the early 1600's and gave us a great picture of how the Globe operated back then. The company still performs in the Globe, strictly Shakespeare, year-round. We were just a few weeks shy of the new season!

Outside of the theater

The stage is behind us

Seating

More of London to come...

Ciao!

Hala Madrid

**Quick sidebar/rabbit trail before I begin this post...although I'm not sure that you can have a sidebar or rabbit trail before having an actual "bar" or "trail." I realize that I am still over five months behind on our travel blog! Sheesh! But as soon as I am caught up, I am going to give this little page a make-over. While we have used this blogspot to update our travels, I have had requests for more posts pertaining to everyday life. I'm still not convinced that our day-to-day schedules are all too exciting, but there is SO much more (insert hearty laugh because that is still an understatement) to living overseas outside the great travels. For now, I will use my summer break from classes to advance past fall of 2011 and then learn some techy-cool ways to improve our online journal. Bear with me friends! Now the important stuff...

We kicked of December of 2011 with a quick trip to Madrid, Spain. This was my first official meeting with Spain, and it was love at first sight. The people, the tapas, the sangria (!!!!), the culture, the architecture, the sangria...I love it all. And the icing on the cake? We were able to spend quality time with four incredible people. We traveled to Madrid with our close friends Lynn and Dave Gertiser. We were also blessed to spend time with Caleb's Aunt Beth and Uncle David. We packed a lot of sites into a quick three days, but, of course, my camera battery died within hours of setting foot in the city. Below are the pictures we snapped with Dave and Lynn's camera and descriptions of a few places we visited. This may have been my first visit to Madrid, but I am certain it will not be my last.

Lynn and me at the top of Bernabeu Stadium (home of Real Madrid Football Club)

We made the team!

He's so cute :)

The stadium was really impressive

Getting ready for game time

After game press conference

Tapas and wine in a super cool market

We love the Gertisers

Retiro Park

The four of us in Retiro Park

Our men

I can close my eyes and taste the croquettes. Hala Madrid!

Adios!

Crusin' (part 3)

Port 4:

    The last port we stopped in was in Chania, Crete. We were not expecting much for this little port city, but were pleasantly surprised! The town was absolutely precious and we enjoyed the day shopping around, swimming in the Mediterranean, and eating another great meal.

Port of Chania with lighthouse from the Venetian rule

Caleb and I in the harbor

   

    Our cruise was such a wonderful experience! It may have been our first European cruise, but we hope it won't be our last!

RULE!

What's a cruise without towel animals?!

With my handsome hubby on the deck

Ciao!

Cruisin' (part 2)

Port 2:

       Our next stop was Athens, Greece. It was a hot day, but we grabbed our Rick Steve's guide and explored the whole city. From the Acropolis to fried Feta cheese, the four of us took in Ancient Greece in a modern way. Thanks, Rick, for your excellent explanations and restaurant recommendations!

The guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier

Matt and Corrie hiking up to the Acropolis

entering the Acropolis

A view of Mars Hill and the city of Athens

The Parthenon

Caleb in front of Mars Hill where Paul preached (in Acts 17)

Port 3:
   Next, we set our sites on Kusadasi, Turkey, where we hired a private tour to take us to Ephesus. The third cite of the city of Ephesus, the ruins we saw dated back to Biblical times and gave an excellent account of the history of Ephesus. We also went to a farm for lunch where rugs were woven and sold and toured the process of Turkish rug making. Our day was complete after purchasing another Turkish rug for our home!

Ancient town of Ephesus

Ancient writing and carvings in marble around the city

Hadrian's Library

rug maker

Beautiful rugs