Travels, Travels, Travels.

The past couple months have been quite busy with travels. I would have liked to return to the States for a short stay over the winter holidays to see the family and catch up with friends (and sorry for those of you I had promised to see!), but flight prices were outrageous, so I set off around Europe instead. And while spending Christmas alone (or rather with another traveler) was a bit strange, I had a great go of it traveling and am glad I opted to stay in Europe for the break. That said, I can't wait to see you all this summer!

On the with the travels! I did a little warmup for the 3-week expedition mid-December, paying a visit to Barcelona with a couple friends, Anna and Cassidy, who have come to be quite the travel buddies! Then on the 19th I set off for the real adventure. I ended up seeing Brussels and Leuven, Amsterdam and Utrecht, Berlin and Potsdam, Florence, Rome, and Naples in just under 3 weeks. Luckily, I managed to see most cities with friends, save for Berlin over Christmas :(, and a couple of the days in Rome including New Years :(, although even then I met several nice travelers in hostels. I have to say I enjoyed every city, although some things stand about each of them. I loved Rome, Florence, and Berlin for their history. I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas gift than a week of Belgian and German beer. The feel of Holland, both its cities and people, was surprisingly my favorite of the 4 countries, although I didn't really go in with any expectations. And finally, Naples had the greatest views; and it was nice to finish out the trip with one of my good friends, Andrea, and his family who lives there.

I'll save the stories for another time; but here are a few pictures and there will be plenty more to follow!


Ah, Naples!


In Utrecht with Dirk.


The Reichstag.


In Florence with Abdu, Daniela, and Micol.


With Andrea in Naples: home of the world's first (and still greatest) pizza!