When in Prague...

Today is our last day in Prague, and Sheas last day of the trip! In the last week, we have been in Berlin and here, in the best city that I have been to!

Berlin was a lot of fun because it was so much different than the other places we have been. It is not as well known as a tourist destination, so we got to experience the real city, with real Germans everywhere. It is a busy place, but it also feels very laidback, and we got to relax a little more there, mostly in beer gardens. Except for the day that we got lost in the rain and walked for two straight hours through the city and a massive park to find a beer garden that was ultimately closed, we all had a blast experiencing a place with so much history and so much going on in the modern day. The city is very upfront with its history of WWII and the Holocaust, which was refreshing because they are clearly dedicated to making sure nothing like that could ever happen again. We wandered through the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe and toured countless museum exhibits about the horrors, and then stood on top of the bunker where Hitler took his life at the end of the war. The only thing there now is a parking lot because the Berliners refuse to commemorate him in any way. We actually stayed in East Berlin, so the city from that side seems pretty drab. But once you get over to the west side, it is just as beautiful as any city that we have been to!

After Berlin, we trained over to Prague, which has been a real highlight of the trip. I have always wanted to go here, so my expectations were pretty high. But on the first night, when we walked across the Charles Bridge at dusk, everything I hoped for was absolutely blown away because Prague is better than I ever imagined! It is undoubtedly the most beautiful city I have ever seen, and we have spent countless hours exploring cobblestone streets, castles, cathedrals, and the Vltava River, including two paddle boat sessions! It is also a great place for nightlife, and we went on a bar crawl with a 2.5 hour open bar...you can imagine how that went. All in all, we really do not want to leave because Prague has something for all of us. We have all found things that we really enjoyed touring, including the Prague Castle, Petrin Hill, a mirror maze for kids, an orthodox church where Czech resistance fighters hid out, and the most beautiful town square that any of us have ever seen. It will be sad to say goodbye, but according to legend, if you rub a certain bronze sculpture on the Charles Bridge, you will return to Prague during your lifetime. Shea, Elyse and I are already comparing schedules for the next ten years to find a time when we can come back together!

Now Shea is moving on to real life in New York, and the rest of us are on to Croatia and Italy. Elyse and I have a 16 hour bus-train-train journey to Zagreb tomorrow, but then we get to see the Plitvice Lakes )google it if you havent already seen how breathtaking it is!) It is getting really hot, and these Southern countries are going to be a whole new experience for our backpacking skills! Wish us luck!

Dutch roots

Another iPod blog post... I will never take my laptop for granted again.  We leave for Berlin tomorrow, which we are all very excited for (das boot!) but I am also sad to leave holland. Amsterdam was different than we all thought, in that there isn't actually that much to tour (with the exception of coffeeshops, which live up to the hype) Things are also very expensive, so we had to sacrifice some museums for our budget. However, the Anne frank house was very moving, and we also did a great walking tour. I think Amsterdam would be an excellent place to live, an I could definitely see myself here more easily than Paris (or Bruges, which hardly counts as a city)  We also went to Hoorn today, which is the small harbor town where my Dutch ancestors emigrated from. I fell in love with it, and am seriously considering moving there. Despite gale force winds and rain, it was so beautiful. And in some way, I really felt a connection with the town. Plus, the name beemsterboer is everywhere! All in all, I think holland proved to feel very much like home in a lot of ways! And even now, as I listen to the canal beneath our window, I know it is definitely where the Andrews sisters got our love of water!!  More updates to come from berlin! Das boot!

A new meaning to budget travel

In Amsterdam getting in touch with my Dutch roots! And writing this on a iPod, which proves my dedication. Bruges was absolutely wonderful! It was exactly what we needed after Paris, a small and quiet town with plenty to do but plenty of time to relax. It is the most idyllic place I have ever been or could ever imagine. Highlights include a pub crawl, waffles, and drinking beer by a windmill. We are all very in love with the city and with Belgium!now that we are in Amsterdam it is a nice mix between tourist and relaxation. We are trying new things and figuring out how to he effective backpacker. The one thing that never changes is bargain hunting. We will walk around for an hour in search of food that is one euro cheaper. It usually means a lot of pasta and refillable water bottles filled at bathroom sinks. Good thing tonight was elyse's birthday so we all drank free at four bars! Thank you Amsterdam!!

Paris, Je T`aime

Today is our last day in Paris, but it has been an amazing time! The 7 of us have conquered what seems like every tourist attraction in this city, and there have been some definite highlights (today`s sewer tour not among them) We went to Versailles, Musee D`orsee, the Eiffel Tower (and climbed all 669 steps!), Pere Lachaise cemetery, Notre Dame, Sacre Coure, the Louvre, and more! Doing all this helped me realize a few things about the kind of traveling we are doing:

1. Europe loves stairs. The Tower sure did not help, but we have climbed more stairs in the last 4 days than the last 4 months of my American life.

2. Huge crowds still weird me out. The Louvre turned out to be some sort of tourist dodging experience that made Shea and I want to leave immediately. Instead, we spent 40 minutes spotting the ugliest baby Jesus pictures there, and then we left.

3. Everyone knows an American when they see one. Despite my best efforts to speak a polite amount of French, everyone knows immediately that I am quite American. Many of them, however, do not know Arizona, until I tell them it is near California.

4. France has the cutest babies and dogs in the world. Enough said.

So with throbbing feet, lessons learned, and lighter wallets, we head for Bruges tomorrow! Beer, waffles, and chocoloate, here we come!!

Europe, Here We Come!

It's finally here...a month in Europe! We leave tomorrow, and I'm not sure it has really hit me yet. I've been wanting to do this for 4 years, but I never got a chance to study abroad because of my jobs/involvement. Thanks a lot, RHA...  :) So now I've packed and re-packed obsessively, and hopefully thought of everything I could possibly need. And now I get an entire month and 8 cities to see the world!

I'm excited for all of it, and especially for Paris. It will be our first city (if you don't count London because we only have 12 hours there), and where we will be meeting up with Shea, the 5th member of our traveling group, and my best friend Lexi! I am so excited to have those four days with Lexi and Jon, and to start our trip in Parisian style!

There are so many people I wish I could take with me on this trip, and I know so many things will remind me of them. I'll have to write them all down so I remember to tell them everything and the ways I kept them close to me in Europe!

In other news, I bought a plane ticket for DC. I officially move on July 21st, meaning once I get back from Europe I have 11 days (and one Tucson weekend) to say goodbye to everyone and get ready for my new life.

I'll blog as much as I can while we're gone, and post on Facebook/Twitter (@jilliandrews) when I can. Until July, au revoir America!

The Journey Begins...

At this point in my life, starting a blog seems like the thing to do. Recently graduated from U of A, I'm about to set out for a month in Europe. Backpacking probably won't leave a ton of time for blog posts, but I'll try to keep everyone updated on my adventures across the pond! Traveling with my 4 friends, we'll be going to:

• Paris
• Bruges
• Amsterdam
• Berlin
• Prague
• Croatia: Zagreb and Rovinj 
• Venice
• Rome

After that, I'll use the blog to document my first year in Washington DC, as a City Year DC Corps Member. There, I'll be working in an inner city school, and I'm sure my first full year outside of Arizona will bring many challenges (and hopefully triumphs) that I want to share with everyone I love!

Right after graduation and my last NACURH conference (going out with a bang and the National School of the Year), I have said goodbye (really it's just "see you later," as I keep reminding them) to some of my favorite people in the last few weeks. It's terrifying to move on from the life I've built and loved intensely over the last four years. And despite our political differences, I'm very sad to leave Arizona because I love this state with all my heart. But after 22 years, it might be time to see what else this world has to offer! And if The Format said it, it's good enough for me. It's time to get out of the desert and into the sun.