here, there, and everywhere.

First thing, thanks so much for the constant prayer and encouragement. The Lord traveled right beside us to every new city and country last week.  Couldn't have imagined the 9 days running smoothly without Him looking over us.

Second, check out the 'Pictures' link on the right side of this little blogger & see most of the pictures from all our adventures.  When you click on the link Photobucket should pop up, and on the left hand column there's a list of all the cities I've explored.  Just click on the city and a new page of photos should pop up. Hope it works, if not let me know! 

So here's the Spring Break journey that has been long overdue, I guess I see no better way to lay all this out than day by day. 

(but if you prefer a more visual tour, check out Milan, Dublin, Killarney, Liverpool, London & Paris albums, in that order, to walk a little in our footsteps)

IRELAND has something magical about it. Really, and I'm tempted to just leave it at that. 

It's a "Hello Love" when you meet and a "Cheers" when you part. 

So glad Dublin was our first stop of spring break, the smiles and laughter refreshed Shelley & I, Italians don't have the same spirit as the Irish.  

Flew into Dublin from Milan Friday afternoon.  Blessed time spent in 1 & 2 Peter on the plane. If you haven't taken time to dig into those couple pages of scripture I definitely recommend you do.  It started the week out just right.  Sunny skies, along with taxi protests, welcomed us after the passports were cleared and stamped.  No worries, entertainment was provided for all amidst the protest: half a dozen Scottish boys in kilts playing their bagpipes. Welcome :)

Found our Four Courts Hostel south of the river, dropped our bags, and began the first day of 9 waking up in a new place with no expectations.  

Irish stew is one of the best meals I've ever had, lamb, carrots, potatoes; and Irish coffee isn't half bad either.

The next day in Ireland was my favorite of the whole trip.  24 hours in Killarney.  Just a couple hour train ride west across the country to our Neptune's Lodge and Killarney National Park.  Wandered through the park the first evening and ended up sharing some of the beautiful sunshine with 2 middle aged guys, one from LA and one an Irish.  Sitting on a bench outside an abandoned house, we shared a good but short conversation about the basics of our lives; it concluded with one telling us to "keep following our dreams". You got it.

Rose early and hit up the bike rental shop.  Cycled the next 5 hours or so all around the national park.  To lakes, waterfalls, castles, fields, and horse drawn carriages.  True beauty around each corner. 

I think I could live in Killarney.  Everyone is so happy to just be. Whether they're working in the cafe or giving the buggy rides or pointing you in the right direction, plenty of smiles the whole time.  Makes my heart so happy.

Ferried out from Dublin to Holyhead Monday morning.  Spent a little time in Whales, which was unexpected and unhappily converted some cash to shillings/the pound. Exchange rates will get the best of you.

LIVERPOOL surprised me a bit. The station we arrived in was in the center of the city, modern and crowded.  Followed good old mapquest through some back streets and found our way through the neighborhoods to the hostel.. here's what I imagined. Everything made of brick, view of the docks, and a good 20mph wind up every street. 

We're pretty good at wandering, so we did that a lot here as well.  

Found Matthew's Street and spent a good deal of time in the Cavern Club & Pub. Reallyyy cool. (check out the pictures link!) Inside was all made of brick too.. etchings and writings all over the walls and tables.  "John is alive" and such. A worker moved some amps and told us to hop up on stage, taking a picture for us without even asking.  The British are good people.  

Tuesday afternoon we couldn't pass up the Magical Mystery Tour.  Yes it was cheesy, but perfect in every way.  The tour guide was too hilarious and we had much fun. Saw some rad places, the typical Beatles places you'd expect.. Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, and their homes.. but stuff like the park where Mr & Mrs McCartney first met too. Which is also the place were little George lost his virginity. ha, yeah they really told us all they knew about those four. 

LONDON rocked.  The tube is the best kind of public transit anywhere.  Shell & I power walked the entire place.. through the wind and rain storms.  Buckingham Palace is everything you imagine it to be.  I'm sure the view from the top of the London Eye would have been more than breathtaking, but we didn't quite have the cash to get ourselves up there.  No sadness, we strolled along the London Bridge instead.. yes, singing the song the whole way across.  

PARIS only graced us with its presence for about an hour sadly.  The train situation became a little misunderstood and the majority of time in France was spent underground, in the Metro. But it's okay! We're really good at conquering cities in short periods of time, so we found our way out to traffic level, saw the tower in the distance, and headed straight for it.  The rain soaked us pretty well, but I truly saw the real live Eiffel Tower.. pretty stoked.  It's been a dream since I was in the 8th grade or so, as cheesy as that may be. 

Hopped on the night train around 7 pm, it was a long night to come. 

From the first stop we shared our little bunk cabin with a proper & very pleasant English man who shared his chips and banana with us, bless his heart.  Some good conversation and laughs, then started to fall asleep a little- much needed.  Didn't last long.  Three middle aged women who were on a holiday of some sort came in and giggled all through the night.  Not the greatest night's sleep, but still not the worst.  

Happy to arrive back in Florence as the sun rose.  

Today Shelley, Natalie (another roommate of ours) and I returned home from ROMA. 

I love Rome.  It's kind of a fictional beauty. 

Too rad to believe that everything I saw in the past 2 days has such significant history behind it.  You could feel it. Really.  

Started and ended the day with the Trevi Fountain.  Stops in between included time with the Pantheon and a lounge on the Spanish Steps. We scaled the Coliseum's steps, posed as a statue a few times, and simply stood among the remnants of some of history's most gory and brutal battles. 

Our ticket into the Coliseum included admission into the Roman Forum and Palatine, which is the place where Rome was actually founded oh so long ago.  Loved the next two places maybe even more than the coliseum.  The hills used to be filled with stores in which townspeople would shop, but later turned into structures of and for law as Rome became more complex. 

So cool.

Sitting in the rock formations of the Trevi after dusk, we had a totally refreshing conversation.. about dreams, hobbies, jobs, aspirations.. mostly what we hope to do in the upcoming year.  It was sweet to hear what my roommates want to accomplish and they were nothing but supportive of my dreams as well.  Beautiful people, gorgeous setting. 

This morning the three of us took on Vatican City.  Artwork beyond belief.  The talent people posses and can share with the world, and for so many years here after, blows my mind.  Sistine Chapel left us, and most of the hundreds inside, speechless. Ridiculous. 

St. Peter's Square was in preparation for Palm Sunday as well as Easter.  Hundreds of chairs set up outside and giant movie screens placed along the columns.  

Weather couldn't have been more perfect this weekend.  No jacket, lots of sunshine. Spring is finally coming! So thankful for that. 

Mostly I'm thankful of all I'm learning each day.  Getting to know myself better and where maybe, just maybe, I belong in this big big world. I never want to forget the passion I have for this planet. I pray it grows even stronger (if that's possible).  The history all around us makes me excited and eager to know more about how it was then, and how it shaped who we are now.  It all relates. I may be overseas, thousands of miles away, but it really doesn't matter. We're one world. One Creator.  

So many opportunities to take, lessons to learn, lives to change.

I've changed in the past 3 months, living in a country among people so different than I. Language barriers are difficult and adjusting to new cultures is a challenge, but it's all so exciting. We're lost every time we step off another new train or plane or ferry.  Probably more than half the time I've been in Europe, I've been lost.

I love being lost.

It's so freeing. Finding your way, in your own way. A map, a friend.. it's not hard to take on the unfamiliar. Sometimes the people of the city help, most times they don't. I feel like I could do anything.  I'm 19 years old, living on my own in Italy.  I could swear my life is fictional.  Far too blessed I am. 

If there's anything I could wish (in the Trevi or otherwise) is that you will never be afraid of things unknown. Countries, cities, people, languages.  Life isn't as hard as I used to imagine it. You really can do the things you dream of.  They don't need to be just dreams. Do them. Just believe in yourself. 

I think that's what I've learned most, how to believe in myself. 

The greatest answer to prayer.

Thank you to everyone who has believed in me & still does.  I believe in you.  Never hesitate to jump without knowing the outcome.  There's guardian angels everywhere, I've learned, and people really do have such beautiful hearts. 

43 days until life in B town returns, and I think six weeks is the exact amount of time I need to fulfill everything I'm meant to here.  I miss loved ones, of that I'm sure. I can't wait to tell the full stories in person.. with tea.. or pasta.. and pictures. and not just this virtual stuff. 

Even though this entry has become a short novel, the descriptions are too brief to do the cities justice. Please email me if you want to know more or just say hi,  I'd more than love to hear from you :)

cristenfrost222@pointloma.edu

all my love