Testing, testing....

Hello everyone! I am new to blogging, so we will see how this works out...

I want to start this blog so my friends and family can keep up with my travels in Europe. I have always been horrible about writing in journals consistantly, but hopefully I will keep this one going.

I can add as many pictures as I need, which is wonderful, because everyone knows that I take loads of pictures!

My travel companion is my cousin Jessica, (love her!). She has done more traveling than I have, but we still have not been outside of the country (Canada doesn't count). One day I was flipping through my magazine in my dorm room and noticed a travel package they had put together on a budget. I called Jessica, and here we are! I have to say, my parents, sister, and roommate Chrissy have probably gotten their share of all the info I have told them about our trip :)

As a little intro to the trip I will give you our itinerary so you will know where we are!

Aug. 24th: Fly out of Vancouver International

Aug. 25th: Arrive in London, and hop on the train for Liverpool (hopefully making a detour at Kings Cross Station, to take a picture at Platform 9 3/4, shout out to all of you Harry Potter fans!). Since the flights to and from Vancouver and London are limited, we have a few days before and after our trip to spare. Jessica got to choose where we were going before our trip, so we are going to Liverpool- Home of The Beatles!

Aug 26th: A day full of Beatles festivities. We lucked out and are actually visiting during Beatles Week. I believe that we are going on the Magical Mystery Tour and swinging by the Cavern Club to watch a Beatles impersonation band... Liverpool was just voted Europe's Cultural Center for 2008, so there will be tons of events to see and do. Wahoo!

Aug 27th: Early morning train back to London. A full day of sighseeing! I really want to see Buckingham Palace, London Bridge, Hyde Park, and the Tower of London. We lucked out and got a place in this amazing hostel. It has live bands, a full Internet room, kitchens, comfy beds, and the works. Thank God.

Aug 28th: The tour begins! We wake up bright and early and get a little more time in London before we head over the English Channel to Paris.

Aug 28-29: Ahhh Paris. We spend two nights here. Our tour includes a picnic lunch beneath the Eiffel Tower, and a nightlight tour of the city. Can't wait!

Aug 30-31: The hills are alive... We travel to Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland. We have the option of traveling up the Jungfrau Mountian to the "top of Europe", but it costs something ridiculous like $110. Maybe, maybe not.

Sept. 1-2: We had better get cleaned up cause we are visiting the French Riviera! Once we travel through Provance, I believe we go to Nice and Monaco. On one of the evenings we get to visit the casino!

Sept. 3-4: Finally in Italy! On our way to Florence we make a pit stop in Pisa. You know I will have a picture holding up the Leaning Tower :) We spend these two nights in Florence. I am most excited to see Italy. From the photos, this looks like a cute little Italian city.

Sept. 5-7: When in Rome... ah! I am so pumped for Rome! We get to spend three nights here, with plently of free time in between our guided tours. Rome is so rich in history, I can't wait to be in the city where most of our modern conveniences were invented, not to mention the center of one of the greatest empires in history! In addition, we also visit the the Vatican City... wow. The Sistine Chapel, the history. Ahh, I can't wait. I wish I could go down in the library, they have one of the most extensive collections in the world, with thousands of ancient artifacts. But, it's closed to the public, blast.

Sept. 8-9: The final stop on our tour is in Venice. We make a pit stop in Verona, home of Romeo and Juliet and the ancient forum! We are staying in this amazing campground on the mainland, but I can't wait to wander through the small streets and alleyways and of course, ride the gondola, which are ridiculously overpriced but well worth it.

Sept 10-12: We have a few extra days before our return flight, so I decided to go to Athens! I am a big history buff (could you tell?), so Athens was the obvious choice for my destination. We are staying in the famous Plaka district, the oldest, and most cultural, district in Athens. We lucked out on a hostel that is known for its amazing views of the Acropolis. They even pull out cots and let you sleep on the roof with the lights from the Acropolis as your nightlight :) I think out of the whole trip, I am most excited to go here. I love learning about Greek mythology, on this basis alone I think I could spend my whole summer just in Greece visiting the different temples and historical locations.

Sept 13: Fly back to the US from London :(

I hope you all will keep posted on this site for more updates on the trip. It hasn't hit me yet that I am actually going to Europe, it seems so surreal. Hopefully I will be able to get access to the internet everyday to post a new blog to tell you about the people I've met, the language barriers, Europe's unique culture. So, for now, I just sit tight for a couple more days and wait for the flight!

Love,
Kaley