Confessions of a World Traveler...

I got in touch with an old friend the other day and she asked me what I've been up to in the past little while. Lately, it doesn't seem as if life has been that exciting, BUT when I think about all of the places I have been in the past few years my heart skips a beat and I am lost in wonderful memories of my adventures. I decided to make this blog a list of the places I have been and some short thoughts about each of them.

1. NORWAY-I'll never forget making Norwegian meatballs in a cabin with my friends mother or the sweater she made me or the flourescent green grass or peircing blue water.
2. DENMARK-A special place where I met friends in Copenhagen and enjoyed a "real" danish. Liberal, cool, hip...yet old. I love it there!
3. MEXICO-I've been twice. Once on Senior Trip to a small town in Ensenada and again this past year to a private beach. The Guacamole is unreal!
4. CANADA-Having a snowball fight in July on at the top of Glacier National Park was definatly the highlight.
5. THE CAYMAN ISLANDS-This place is Heaven...yet...I visited Hell here. It's a real stop as you are traveling to the giant turtle farm. And Pirates! I love Pirates!
6. ARUBA-Caribbean Water and 80-90 degrees year round. You can't beat that.
7. ENGLAND-I absolutely fell in love with London! Big Ben, the Ferris Wheel, Buckingham Palace-love it. Also, the english country side and stone henge are definatly worth a visit.
8. SPAIN-I didn't spend as much time here as I would have liked to, but Madrid was beautiful. I particularly liked the architecture here.
9. FRANCE-Most of my time was spent in Paris. The crepes are to die for. It isn't difficult to see why it is the city of love. I found it very romantic.
10. BELGIUM-We walked out of the train station and instantly the smell of chocolate and waffles permeated the air. Who wouldn't want that in their life!
11. HOLLAND-What is cuter than wooden shoes and people biking everywhere? I definatly couldn't resist the pancake houses and we went in April so we could see the tulips-rows and rows of them, so beautiful.
12. GERMANY-Three Words: Bread, Bratwurst, Berlin=Bliss.
13. SWITZERLAND-Is this place real? The miniature cabins and green hills dotted with churches make it feel like fairy land. Sparkling lakes and beautiful mountains...Swissland is like no other place I've seen!
14. LICTHENSTEIN-A Small country just outside of Switzerland. We visited a castle and ate apple strudel at a ski resort in the top of the mountains. Another fairy tale really.
15. ITALY-One of my favorites. Visited many cities here including Tuscany. The people, the food, the architecture, the ambiance. I'm going back again and again. Nothing really compares.
16. HUNGARY-There is something so special about the people here. Budapest is one of my favorite cities in Europe. If you are lucky enough to eat in homes (our friend Attilla spoiled us) the food is great. So much history and the language is interesting. We missed out on the bath houses.
17. ZIMBABWE-I didn't spend much time here and for good reason, but my passport has a gigantic VISA. We passed through on our way to Zambia.
18. ZAMBIA-So Majestic. Victoria Falls is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I literally couldn't breath. We also went on Safari and chased Elephants til we found them. Staying in a villiage in a clay house was an awesome experience...you can forget the world in Zambia. Pure Enchantment.
19. SOUTH AFRICA-My second home. The country I wish I was born in. I find the people, the culture, the nature-Everything about it fascinating. I will probably move there some day. I can't get enough. Cape Town is the most lovely city I've seen to date. The ocean against Table Mountain is extraordinary.
20. AUSTRIA-I think that Salzburg is one of the most cities I've seen. I loved the castle by the river and all the Mozart stuff, painted eggs, and pretzels in a variety of flavors.
21. COSTA RICA-lush, green, jungle, ocean. There is a lot to do and see here. You can hike through the rainforest, check out a volcano or just relax by the ocean. The Atlantic or the Pacific. How bout that?

Well, that is it so far...Next on the list are China and Thailand in the Spring (if I don't die from training for the Great Wall Marathon first.) My goal is tour 30 countries by my 30th Birthday. I'll keep you updated.