I don't even know what to say about Europe. I think it's safe to say it was an experience of a lifetime.
Paris was everything and nothing I imagined.
And I fell in love with so many other places I've never even heard of. In Albania, Croatia...
I took some pretty good pictures, most of them are in my flickr.
The food was amazing. The people were no crazier than us. A lot of them were very nice. And most Europeans speak English. Which I found pretty interesting. We are so less educated.
The Adriatic sea is beautiful. The espresso is better than sex.
The wine tastes just the same, which is hilarious.
I feel so much wiser. And somehow more naive.
I tried veal, duck, lamb..
Europeans seem like they just get it. In some cases.
Italy I didn't really like.
I recorded my thoughts in a notebook, because I knew I wouldn't know what to say when I got back.
So many thoughts.
Craziest memories? Riding a furgon through Tirana, Albania. Mini van that fills as many as 20 people, and veers around traffic like it's riding a bike. Loud house music blaring, driving so fast. And all the riders looked bored!
Doing the laundry in a hotel near Venice, Nicky and I were washing our laundry in the tub and the sink and hanging them to dry all through the room. There are no dryers in Europe, so people hang their wash all out the window, just like in the paintings.
Three long weeks, with six people.
Times got tough just like I expected. All part of the deal.
Just after the furgon ride to Tirane, when we arrived I was standing smoking my cigarette and a little gypsy kid stole it right from my fingers, and I didn't notice until he was walking away smoking it smiling back at me.
The beggers are crazy! In one area the kids all hang on to the cars passing by so they stop, and one kid punched me in the back, and tripped Nicky. Funny, but very sad.
Driving through the mountains is crazy too. Croatia, and Albania.
A lot of places are very old fashioned, the women don't even leave their houses. In Albania cigarettes are $2 a pack.
We climbed a pyramid monument in Tirane. That was cool.
We went to the Louvre in Paris. The place was huge.
When we were in Greece, we found a stray dog that wound up "guiding" us through the city for a good twenty minutes, then barked at a car so it wouldn't hit us. It was funny.
When we went to the bar in Paris, some Parisian guys were rapping on the street for me. It was really cool.
Croatia was absolutely beautiful. Especially Dubrovnik, where we stayed. We had a hotel with a kitchen so we made a feast of our own. Lamb, arugula salad, steak, lentils, ztatsiki sauce, so good! I love how much arugula they have over there. So yummy.
We walked through a lot of farmer's markets. That was nice. Something familiar. :)
We went to this crazy crepe restaurant in Paris. They served all three meals of the day, in crepes. I had something with beef and spinach, if I remember correctly. I don't know, it was amazing.
Bordeaux, France was beautiful. So simple, so lovely. Vineyards as far as the eye can see, like the corn here, old medieval churches..cobblestone roads.
The people are so helpful to Americans.
Almost everywhere we went.
Felt very welcome.
It was crazy hearing about the tragedy in Japan, on the Albanian news.
Felt like the world was ending.
There was a point where I was pretty stressed out, and kind of fuzzy from all the unfamiliarity. I felt like I was losing my mind actually. I didn't know how to process anything. Everything was a big ordeal in my mind. I felt like I was never going home. But I did. And I don't regret a thing. It was a really good experience. I saw so many beautiful sights. And learned so much about other cultures.
As always my photos are viewable to the public in my flickr. Just search laura~lovely under people.
