what a ride!!!!

Sorry it's been forever.... the keyboards get weirder and weirder and the internet gets more and more expensive!!!!

We spent three days in Interlaken, Switzerland.... while Santorini was picture-perfect for a beach, Interlaken was picture-perfect for mountains and lakes! The water was emerald green in both lakes (Interlaken = inter+lakes = it's between two lakes)... the crystal green color is because it is glacier water! It was pretty chilly in Switzerland, and misted/rained most the time we were there. We still had a good time -- we definitely needed some chill-out time to recover from Rome!!!!!

Not much to say about Interlaken.... other than they have a Hooters. Yes, that's right.

Oh and by the way... I don't know if mom told you dad, but we went bungee jumping. Yep. Bungee jumping 450 feet off a gondola over a lake in the Swiss Alps. It's one of the highest in the world. It was one of the most amazing and crazy things I've ever done!!!!!! There is just no rush like that (although I still have to try skydiving!!!!) Interlaken is the #2 Extreme Sports capital, so everything was bungee jumping, skydiving, paragliding, hanggliding, canyoning, white water rafting...... bungee jumping was actually one of the most affordable!!!! It was so foggy and cloudy the day we went, you jumped out of the gondola into a literal complete fog. You couldn't see what you were even jumping into!!!! Talk about crazy!!!!!

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Now here we sit in a Paris hostel, St. Christopher's Inn, which is by and far the nicest hostel we've stayed in (except for the lack of air conditioning!!!!) It is brand new and totally tailored to the young backpacker -- movie room, sauna, bar, internet cafe, cool decor, young and hip employees, the works!!!! Everyone speaks English -- yay!!!!!!

Paris has been rather unexciting - me and Josh have both been very sick (tres malade!) Numerous trips to the pharmacie have been made for sinus medicine and various bottle of cough syrup! I haven't had this bad of a cough in years!!!! Most of paris has been spent in our hotel or chilling out. We've seen the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre (including the Mona Lisa!) and strolled down the Champs-Elysees. We saw a French cabaret (lotsa boobies! haha) and drank French champagne.

Tomorrow, our last full day in Paris together, we want to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower and also see the Notre Dame Cathedral.

It's surprising how little English the French speak... or how little they are willing to speak I guess. We have never really had a language problem until France. We strolled down Rue Cler's market to gather things for a picnic. Our first stop was a boucherie to get meat. Not quite sure how to order meat, I asked two employees, "Parlez vous Anglais?" I was laughed at. Rudely laughed at. At least I asked it in French!!!! Needless to say, I was a little disheartened. We had the best pizza of our trip around the corner anyway...

At this point, we are tuckered out on museums and art galleries.... so we are surpassing Monet's "Waterlillies" and Rodin's "The Thinker" and Van Gogh's "Starry Night." I know. I know. There is just only so much walking and seeing you can do.

Our feet are cracking... numerous blisters, calluses so thick you can even rub them off with a pumice stone (we tried!!!!). I've broken all my toenails except for two, and my ankles generally feel like they are screaming "enough already!!!!!!"

It's been a long hard trip..... very fun and very exciting... and it's actually gone pretty smoothly (save the 9-hour delay on our flight from Athens). But we are both tired. I guess being sick doesn't help.

I have spent almost 6 months planning and preparing for this trip with Josh. I have forgotten many times the fact that I am going to work for two months and will be without Josh.

We have literally spent almost every day of the past 10 months together, including every waking moment here in Europe. I find myself just staring at him across the table, trying to memorize every freckle, every facial expression. It's hard to imagine every day without him for over two months.

The one thing we were warned about before this trip -- people would say, "oh be careful, be patient. Most couples don't make it out of this kind of trip together. Most couples end up separating along the trip, or one just comes home altogether."
Me and Josh have made it through this trip relatively perfect. We haven't really even fought... except over which way the metro is, or needing to go pee every other hour, etc. I got sick a day before him, so there was a day of frustration when he didn't understand why I wanted to sleep all day. But that's it. Even I'm amazed.

Word of advice to other travellers: Travel with your best friend. If he happens to be your significant other, than great. Make sure you're best friends first. And remind each other of it. Nothing makes me happier than when Josh looks at me and says, "you really are my best friend." He could say I Love You a thousand times and it wouldn't mean as much as that.


So now that I got all mushy and ridiculous, I must go. Italy is playing Spain in the Euro Cup quarter-finals, and a pint of cider is calling my name.