My trip to the vibrant city of Barcelona, Spain.

On my two-week trip to Europe, another fabulous place I visited was Barcelona, Spain. My dad and I arrived here on a train coming from Nice, France.

We visited La Sagrada Familia, which is a historically famous chapel, built by architect Antoni Gaudi. The outside, and inside, of the building is absolutely breathtaking. Gaudi designed it to look like melting candles. And, I personally think he did a phenomenal job of doing just that. My dad and I took an audio tour, where we got to climb to the top of the steeples. The stairs we had to climb were only one-person wide, and they wound ALL the way up to the top of the chapel! At the top, we had a beautiful view of Barcelona.

We also got to walk along Las Ramblas. Las Ramblas is a famous street in Barcelona. It is lined with shops, street performers, street merchants, and authentic Mediterranean restaurants. A dish common in Barcelona is called "paella". It's comparable to stir-fry. Since Barcelona is right on the edge of the Mediterranean sea, a lot of the paella that is served is filled with scallops, shrimp, and crab. It was, by far, some of the most delicious food I have ever had! The sangria, filled with fresh fruit, was delicious as well.

Barcelona itself is a very modern city. As you walk along the streets and squares, you will see all sorts of both modern and historical art sculptures. I loved this contrast, and it's what made Barcelona such a enjoyable place to visit! Below, I've added a slideshow, showcasing just a few photos from Barcelona.

My stay in Rome, Italy.

On my 2-week trip to Europe, another one of my favorite stops was Rome, Italy. This city was filled with so much history, and was beautifully picturesque. My father and I visited all the normal tourist spots. The Colosseum, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican, etc. Below, I have embedded a slide show where you can enjoy viewing just a few photos of my exciting trip to Rome!

Crane Observatory Open House

The Crane Observatory, at our very own Washburn University, is having an open house November 3rd, from 7:30pm to 9pm. This promises to be a "stellar" event, and an opportunity to take a closer look at our solar system. Plus, it's free and open to the public! Similar to my blog, which is all about seeing the world, and broadening your horizons, this takes "seeing the world" to a whole other level :)

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My visit to the breath-taking Notre Dame Cathedral

On my trip to Europe, the most memorable place I visited was the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. Although I don't practice my religion on a regular basis, being inside this cathedral was one of those moments that I will never forget. The ancient stained glass windows, the vaulted ceilings that seemed to go on for miles was, without a doubt, such a humbling experience. Below, I've posted a Google Map of the location of this breath-taking cathedral.

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10 Things You Need to Know About London

Following up with my previous post about my trip to London, England, here is a video titled: "London - 10 Things You Need To Know". This video is really informative, and gives you great tips & tricks on traveling in London! And it also gives you a quick tour of some of the most popular attractions :)

My experience in London, England

In this post, I will be detailing my trip to London, England.
When I turned 16 years old, my dad took me on a 2-week trip to Europe. My dad was already in Amsterdam on a business trip, so I flew to London, by myself, and my dad met me at the airport there. I had never flown by myself before. And, not only was this my first time flying by myself, I was going out of the country... by myself! And I was only 16. I was definitely a little intimidated, but extremely excited at the same time. I really loved the independence. So, I flew from Kansas City International to Chicago's O'Hare Airport, where I had about a 2-hour layover, and from Chicago I flew to Heathrow Airport in London, England.

My first night in London was a little rough. My internal body clock was thrown WAY off, I was in a strange place I had never been before, and my dad and I were staying in one of the smallest hotel rooms I have ever seen. I could literally touch the farthest wall of the bathroom with one hand, and touch the headrest of my bed with my foot at the same time. And I'm not a very tall person! So, that says a lot. That night, I knew Europe was going to be like nothing I had ever experienced before.

However, as the days went by, I found myself adjusting quite well. I loved the cloudy, cool weather of London, and all the history I was constantly surrounded by. Along with the history, London also has a very vibrant urban life, comparable to Times Square in NYC.  My dad and I only had a few days to spend in London, so we hit all the major tourist spots. We visited Westminster Abbey, the Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the Parliament Buildings, and Hyde Park. Unfortunately, a majority of the attractions would not allow pictures because they are so historical. :(

My favorite attraction my dad and I visited was Westminster Abbey. Walking in to the Abbey was like getting smacked in the face by a history textbook. So many famous composers, philosophers, poets, politicians, etc. are buried in the Abbey. I remember seeing the graves of Charles Darwin, Handel, Charles Dickens, Sir Isaac Newton... the list goes on and on. The history is almost unfathomable. Sometimes those names, to me, just sound like names out of a history book. I forget that those people actually existed. But, when I visited the Abbey, it was all very, VERY real. It was such an amazing experience.

The gates of Buckingham Palace.

One of the famous Buckingham Palace guards!

Big Ben, of course.

Commonly mistaken for the London Bridge, this is acutally the Tower Bridge.

Me in front of the Parliament Buildings.

The gorgeous entrance to Westminster Abbey.

The back side of the Abbey. Complete with a famous double decker bus! :)

So, there is a brief overview of my visit in London, England. The next stop on my trip to Europe? Rome, Italy :) stay tuned!

Introduction Post

Hello, everyone! :)

So, I feel as though this blog is pretty self-explanitory, but I'm feeling chatty at the moment, so I guess I will go in to more detail about this blog.

I have been to six different countries (so far). Spain, France, Italy, Great Britain, Australia, and Mexico. I am incredibly blessed to have gone all these places. Traveling is a huge passion of mine. Not only do I love traveling because it is a great way to escape my day-to-day life, but I also enjoy it because I feel traveling makes you a well-rounded human being. I have experienced all sorts of culture shock, and, even though I felt completely uncomfortable at the time, I am so thankful for it now. It gave me a better perspective of the world as a whole.

Anyway, now that that's out of the way, let the blogging begin!