the continued travels blog post.

well, hello from Prague!...
I have officially been in prague for about 7 days now.. didn't mean to stay so long, but plans got changed and i got more time here..

The city is fantastic. I have been loving every minute of my stay here. The city is actually a lot like Budapest and gives off many of the same vibes. It's like a smaller huge city.. you have more of an ability to feel like you're at home on these streets instead of the huge bustling cities of Western Europe. By now I can actually find my way around without a map. I even proved it last night when I was going to dinner. :) I don't have a ton of news because Annie and I have been relaxing to the extreme while we have been here.. Not any museums or tours.. just parks and picnics and markets and art and paddleboats and bicycles. That's about all.

Annie left yesterday to head to Frankfurt so that she could catch her plane to the states today. She actually left about an hour and a half ago on the plane back. But I am not traveling alone. Instead, my best friend from home, Adel, came and now we will be finishing the trip. She came by train from Frankfurt two nights ago. Getting in touch after she arrived was rather difficult without cell phones since the train stations are pretty confusing and there are multiple ones, etc.. but it worked, everyone was safe, and we are happily back together.

We had all day yesterday around the major city sites so Adel could see everything that everyone talks about. We even met this awesome girl from Canada who we had dinner with at this AMAZING vegetarian restaurant.. definitely thinking that vegetarian is the way to go now.. for sure. :) She was a blast to hang out with and had many of the same interests that Adel and I had so we got along really well and am planning on seeing her as often as we can while we are here.. Today, we will go to the Communist museum and buy our train tickets to our next location. We will leave to head to Venice, more specifically, Padova, where a friend of mine is going to Medical school. It will be fun to see him and get to visit a smaller city as well as take the train in to see Venice, but for a lot cheaper! Until then, here are some pictures of Prague..

Traveling traveling.. oh my oh my..

So, as I am sure most of you know, I began traveling after school ended. So I have been on the road since May 3rd. Annie nelson is my traveling partner and it has been such fun with her.

First, we started off in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, where we completely relaxed. There were a few other Americans from the Study Abroad program there as well and we were able to have a longer goodbye with them, which was very nice. We literally did almost nothing in Vilnius. It was all about walking around to find a place to sit down where we would get up and do the same thing again. Very nice.. :)

Then, Annie and I took a train to Krakow. It was a 10 hour train ride to Warsaw. But then, we got stuck in Warsaw because we missed the last train to Krakow that night. And because it was late at night we didn't want to walk around in order to find a hostel, so we ended up staying at a very pricey hotel instead.. nice nice beds.. :)

The next day we caught our train to Krakow, which took another 3 hours. Then, we got off the train, found our hostel, and began to explore the city. It was rainy, which definitely hurt our plans for exploring. But it was still fun to see plenty of gorgeous buildings, even in the rain. Then, we went back to our hostel and made dinner and stayed inside for the evening.
The next day was all about exploring the Jewish part of town called Kazimierz. We went to an Old Synagogue, explored Yiddish bookshops, and even saw a little of the old ghetto across the river. Then, we ended our evening in the main square people watching...
The next day we went to Auschwitz 1 and Birkenau. It was a very full day of depressing, interesting facts about horrible torture and inhumane treatment of many people groups. Not the happiest day, but I had to see it. Birkenau is huge. So much bigger than I imagined. And all of that gorgeous land was used just to torture people. That's the only purpose of that land. (425 acres) Then, we met some friends that we met at the hostel for dinner. That was a nice ending to our depressing day.
The next day we had to pack up, but we left our luggage at the hostel and were able to still see more of the city. We hung out in the market square where there were many events, such as music, dancing, singing, etc. Then, we walked around the park and caught a few rays of sun. Such a relaxing day.

Our train left for Budapest at 10:15 PM. We arrived at 8:30 AM. After checking into our hostel, we were able to start exploring this new city. We decided to start off by the river and there was a boat there giving tours, so Annie and I decided that that was how we were going to start our adventures. So we went on an hour long boat ride down the Danube to get a general idea of the city, it was such a wonderful start. Then, we walked around the town and took plenty of pictures.. There are so many gorgeous buildings, it's incredible.. Ever since then we have been exploring the city. And last night we even went to an outdoor music festival that was so fun. On a monday night, there were so many young people there to party and listen to some music and dance as well.. The people here are so full of life and creativity and they are very friendly..

Tomorrow, we go to Prague on another 8 hour train ride. That is very exciting.. :)

Also, I would like to end with a little excitement.. I offiicially have gotten my first sunburn of the year! Be jealous! :) I will post pictures a little later..

Oh, May may may....

As you might have guessed, I have been avoiding writing this blog like the plague. I haven't wanted to face the fact that this will be the last blog in Klaipeda before traveling. The idea of leaving the city, school, and people that I have grown to love has definitely been haunting me. But letting those thoughts control your mind does not let you enjoy the time that you are here, so I have been trying to enjoy every moment as it comes. The only reason I am not completely breaking down in tears now is because I am so looking forward to traveling. Maybe when I get home I will cry more.. sorry mom and dad.

Anyhow, April was a fantastic month. Every part of it was beautiful and fun. I mean minus actually doing the school work... but that's just kind of inevitable. :) I have gotten to know more people so much better and found an awesome group of people to invest in. Don't get me wrong. They have blessed me more than I can express that is for sure. I have been able to have glorious weekends with my roommates to hang out and explore the city as well as times to travel with friends to see the country. There have been many times that the weather has been completely glorious where we spend the whole day out in the sun reading and avoiding homework. :) But there have also been other "study days".. (my Taylor roommates know what that means.. lots of music, occasional facebook, food, and lots of laughter with a dash of studying on the side!)

Anyways, I can't express to you how blessed I am to have found the amazing friends that I love love love! I have learned so much through their friendship and will never forget the things we have had together. The times of distress, happiness, stress, exploration, etc.. all of which have shaped me into a more understanding, kind, and loving person. None of which I am great at, but I am improving that is for sure.

I am very excited to be coming home (AZ) and going back to Taylor to show my friends and family what I have learned and what people I have met. I will never forget the stories I have heard, the lives I have shared, the lessons I have learned, and the friendships I have gained. This will not be my last time in Lithuania or Eastern Europe and this will not be the last goodbye for these people. I know that God will help me meet them again. Our friendships will last longer than this semester that is for sure!

Now, here are some pictures for your enjoyment.. a summation of my last weeks. Keep me in your prayers... these goodbyes are not easy even though I seem ok, I am honestly torn up inside. Love you.. and I will see you soon! :)