Semester Roundup

So it's been 6 months... Go figure. Better than never?

Of course, I contemplated the thought of leaving it be, simply accepting this blog as a (failed) attempt at something new--or, rather, a conformist hop on the 2010 pop culture/social media bandwagon--and allowing it to float and disappear into the boundless abyss of the WWW. Instead, I've decided to give it another go.

So, after both a completed semester and summer, I will attempt to recap the remainder of my travels and times en Europe, with the hopes that somebody, somewhere, will reap some benefit from the insights I gathered from my (limited) travel experiences.

Without further ado, I give you, my 5 Best Of Europe 2010.

5. Villages, Vineyards, and Views

Why Mom loves France and Italy.

(From top) 1) Park Güell, Barcelona 2) Marseille, France 3) Dock in Barcelona, Spain 4) View of Budapest, Hungary 5) View from the cathedral of Sevilla, Spain 6) Chain Bridge, Budapest, Hungary 7) Vineyard in Provence, France 8) Medieval Town in Provence, France 9) Canal in Amsterdam, Netherlands

4. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (aka Public Transport)

In Berlin, you can get away with it being free...until you get a 200 Euro fine. In France, the bus drivers are possibly the most unfriendly you'll ever meet. In Budapest, the same applies to those who work the metro, which also boasts a rusty, pre-WWI esque escalator that moves at the speed of light and may make you briefly consider the possibility of meeting your death in the Hungarian underground. Yet, it's a defining characteristic of the European experience, and it must never be neglected.

(From top) 1) Double Decker, London 2) Easyjetting with Catalan kids 3) Berlin metro 4) Experiencing the joys of flight cancellation, Marseille, France 5) Tunisian bus (Ok, not a European bus. But it looks like one. 6) Lions are a way of getting around, too (Barcelona) 7) Lyon, France 8) Belle Epoque/Nabis Era metro station, Paris 9) Gondolas are my means of choice. Drinking is always encouraged. Venice. 10) Italian train car (think "Mi Scusi" in Eurotrip) 11)Berliners get around in floating lounges

3. Churches, Castles, and More Churches

After all, this is a post about Europe.

(From top) 1)Medieval Castle, Provence, France 2) Columbus (I think) in Sevilla, Spain 3) Cave exploration in Tunisia (Again, not Europe, but similar to those you find in France..like the Calanques... 4) Fortress in Budapest, Hungary 5) Sevilla, Spain

2. The Tourist Experience.

And who doesn't love an American tourist?

(From top) 1)Buckingham Palace, London 2) East Gallery, Berlin Wall 3) Carnaval in Nice, France 4) Colosseum, Rome 5) Liza making friends with locals, Sevilla, Spain 6) East Gallery, Berlin Wall 7) London 8) Dunkin Donuts in AlexanderPlatz, Germany 9) Trying to cross Abbey Road à la Beatles, London

1. Shit weather.

Like a loving boyfriend, through the good times, and through the bad times, it never left.

(From top) 1)Descending a mountain in Budapest, Hungary 2) Enjoying a refreshing February breeze atop a mountain in Budapest, Hungary 3) Berlin. 4) A walk through Alcazar Gardens on a Mediterranean afternoon, Sevilla, Spain 5) Berlin. 6) April in London