Berlin, Germany

I met up with the group in the Paris airport to catch the last connecting flight from Paris to Berlin. We arrived in Berlin on the 13th around 5pm. From there, our bus driver Willem picked us up and drove us to our hostel, "the corner hostel". It was nice, nothing special, but that night we went out and explored the town. We were all starving so we went to dinner and got a typical German dish, a Doner. It was so good. Its very similar to a gyro with the lamb meat in the inside! After that, we didn't really know where anything was or how to get there so we literally just walked for 4 hours until it got dark and we headed back to the hostel. The next morning we woke up early to see the Berlin wall, Checkpoint Charlie, and some other popular spots. We weren't in Berlin long enough to really go on talking about it, but it was a beautiful city! This will mostly just be an explosion of photos but for each city we go to, Im going to write down at least two things I learned (in general). So...first the photos and then what I learned:

In Berlin I learned:

• Avoid bike lanes. I cannot tell you how many times someone had to pull me out of the bike lane on the sidewalk before getting mowed over by a biker. They do not stop. Its actually really smart that they do that in Europe because its a lot safer to have a designated spot for them instead of just wherever they want on the street or the sidewalk. 
• Not everyone is going to speak English in Germany, unlike my experience in Holland and Belgium. It may be difficult to get your point across sometimes, but you have to learn to be patient with people and they will be patient with you.

The Netherlands & Belgium

As you may or may not know, I am currently in Europe on a study abroad with BYU. I arrived about two weeks ago and I am finally getting around to updating and writing about it. I write a little here and there in my journal, but Im trying to make it a point to write a lot on this trip so that I can remember as much as I can.

On my flight to Amsterdam I had a layover in Detroit which was way more chaotic than it should have been. I kinda forgot to tell the bank that I was leaving the country so my card would be used abroad. I had to call them on my 30 minute layover while running through this huge airport to get to my new gate and not miss my flight. The guy I was talking to literally had no idea what he was doing. It was stressing me out. And he didn't know Austria existed. I had to tell him which countries I was going to and he would repeat it back to me and he kept saying Australia. I was so frustrated. I literally feel like Im taking my frustration out on my keyboard right now because I remember those moments so well. Im over it.

My flight from Detroit to Amsterdam was actually really nice. I sat next to a nice Dutch man who talked to me about all the places I was going. The plane and like 100 movies to choose from so I ended up watching Gravity and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Boy has technology improved. You used to have to just be stuck with whatever movie then ended up playing, but now you can watch whatever you want!

The flight went super fast and I landed in Amsterdam in no time! Birdy picked me up and we immediately ventured out into the city. We dropped her car off at her Aunts for free parking and then took the metro to the main square where we walked around, accidently walked through the red light district, went to the Anne Frank house (amazing) and ate a hot panini in the Anne Frank cafe. I say hot because we had to stand in line to get into the Anne Frank house for 2 hours in the cold windy rain (keep in mind its like midnight to me, 9am in real life). All we wanted was some hot food at that point because we hadn't warmed up even after touring the house for an hour or so. After eating, we drove back to her place which took about an hour. I passed out so hard on that drive home. I was exhausted. When we get to her house I slept some more and then we went over to her friends to watch a movie and then went to bed.

If there is anything I can say about Amsterdam, it is that I was obsessed  with the canals! I love how people live on boats in the canals and now the they are surrounded by skinny streets and multicolored buildings! The next day we went to Efteling in Holland near Breda. Efteling is kind of Hollands version of Disneyland but much smaller and targeted towards little kids. We spent most of the day riding rides and walking around. It was raining that day too so it didn't bother us too much to go on all of the water rides since we were already wet. The park closed at 6 so we left around then. We went to the main square in Breda where Birdy's school (or should I say castle) is. She gave me a little tour, and then we went to a little Italian restaurant for dinner. That night we went over to her friends again and watched another movie.

The next day was my favorite of the days that I was there with Birdy. We drove to Brugge, Belgium and walked around all day. Honestly, it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life. I am still obsessed. I thought Amsterdam's canals were cool, but they didn't even compare to what we saw in Brugge. I mean look at it! I probably have 100 photos of the same thing because I couldn't get enough of it. We bought some Belgian chocolate and proceeded to take a boat tour throughout the city. Best idea ever! Not to sound cheesy or anything but it was seriously magical. After the boat tour we walked around and explored different shops. We got Belgian waffles with ice cream, and we climbed to the top of the bell tower to get the best view of the city! At the end of the day we sat down at a restaurant, basked in the first sunny day we had, and people watched in the main square. It was so nice to just relax and enjoy the moment without feeling like we had to do anything.

On the drive home I completely passed out...again. Literally every long drive we had consisted of me sleeping and Birdy driving. Ok I didn't sleep the entire time. I was awake long enough to see the gorgeous  scenery that Belgium has to offer. Im honestly obsessed. Rolling green grass with flowers and the occasional brick house for miles and miles. Just like I imagined! I asked if we could stop by the store on the way home and I surprised Birdy with some flowers to thank her for letting me stay with her! The trip was short, but I loved being able to visit Birdy and catch up. It was so fun to stay up late talking about the different memories we shared in Peru and reminiscing on funny moments with the group or things that happened while we were in Peru. Im so glad I was able to explore her hometown with her and spend 3 days visiting.

Utah - California - Arizona

The last week of the semester and the week leading up to my trip to California were probably some of the most insane days of my life. I literally averaged like 2 hours of sleep a night. Finals are crazy enough, but the week after than I immediately started my International Business class. Instead of doing it throughout the study abroad, we knocked out an entire semesters worth of class in one week. Class was from 9-3 basically every day, and on top of that...I worked 3-11pm Monday - Thursday as well. That already is me being gone from 9am-11pm every day that week. On top of that, I had to pack for California, Arizona, Europe, AND pack up the rest of my stuff to move into a new apartment by friday at 7am. I honestly don't know how I did it. Actually I do, its called going to bed at 4am and waking up at 6am. Once I was on the road to California with Travis and Aria, all was well and I finally felt like I had a break and time to breathe for 2 minutes. Im pretty sure I slept most of the way except when I was driving.

We left Provo on a Friday at around 3 to get to Arias house in Vegas at around 8 or so. I don't actually remember. We stayed at her place overnight and woke up the next morning to be on the road to the San Diego temple at 4am. 

We got to the temple at around 9am and then went across the street into an office building to change and get ready for the day. We got to watch Sam and Randy walk out first and then shortly after was Emily and Nate. I loved being able to see both friends come out of the temple after being married and sealed! Such a fun experience. We had a couple hours to kill so we went over to a beach house that some friends were staying in, went to the beach for literally 30 minutes.

After the beach, we went back to the house and got dressed again to make it to the dinner and receptions of both weddings. Let me tell you, Emily's wedding was THE most extravagent and beautiful wedding I have ever been to. I would expect nothing less from her and her mother. I with I took more photos of the location and decor and what not, but just trust that it was beautiful.

 I gotta say...I've got some good looking friends. I love these people so much, and it was especially fun to be all together celebrating in California. Not only are they good looking, but they are some of the most genuine people I have ever met. Im honestly so lucky to be friends with them and share so many fun memories over the last couple years.

After the weddings, Travis, Aria, and I stayed at a Marriott in Anaheim Hills. We did 2 days at Disneyland because Aria got us in for free one day and a discount the other day! I hadn't been in 4 years, so it was definitely a good time. This is my obligatory "I love churros" photo.

Following Disneyland and California adventure, we got up and headed out. I flew to Arizona and Travis and Aria drove back to Provo.

I wasn't able to spend as much time in Phoenix as I would have liked but it was enough time to do all the essentials: spend time with my family, cuddle with my dogs, go to Last Chance, eat a machaca burrito at Carolina's, go shooting with dad, and visit friends. No AZ trip is complete without those things. Honestly.

 Friday morning I woke up early and headed out to the airport to fly to Amsterdam! One of the hardest parts about leaving home is saying bye to my pooch Ghandi, knowing that it could potentially be the last time I see him. He has been the best dog anyone could ask for. He's getting old and has a hard time getting up, so its especially hard to say bye. The day he dies will probably be one of the hardest yet, but Im hoping that wont be any time soon. My dream would be that he sticks around until my future husband can meet him (which sounds silly but that would honestly make me so happy). I love my pooch! Don't know what my childhood would have been like without him!