It’s time to say goodbye to 2013, you’ve been very good to me! I can’t wait to see what 2014 has in store. Tonight I will be ringing in 2014 in Paris. If you had told me a year ago that this is where I would be I would have never believed you. Goes to show all you can achieve in a years time. ❤ I wish you all a safe and hopefully memorable night, and I’ll be seeing you soon 2014…
Before making my way to Rome I stopped off in Naples. While waiting for the train we decided to stroll around and see what Naples had to offer. In all honesty, it wasn’t very much. There was a lot of hustle and bustle, and the streets weren’t very well kept. However we did come across this street market where I spotted the cutest lady. She was out by herself and just made my heart melt with her cuteness. As you can see below in the first picture I spotted her from quite a distance. She just seemed so perfect for the scene that we were in; this old traditional part of Italy, filled with Italians that seem to have spent their entire life in this city. With her hair freshly done, a shiny coat of red lipstick and matching jewelry I watched her stroll pass me and as she did I imagined what she was like back in the day. By the reactions she got from the older men working in this market she’s had a few admirers in her day, possibly even broke a few hearts. Which reminded me of a special little lady back home, Miss Carol. You go girls – still turning heads!
I haven’t had a chance to share my pictures from my trip to Budapest last week because I’ve been so sick. I got sick around the second week that I got here and have been putting off seeing the doctor. So you know I must have been sick if I voluntarily went to the doctor. But I am finally starting to feel better so I am glad I went. Its so cool how easy it is to travel from country to country. Like Munich we went by bus which wasn’t bad at all. They are really nice charter bus’ and have movies and wifi. Thankfully this time I was able to take a bus that got into Budapest before 10PM. Last time we traveled we took a bus that drove all night and got us there at 4 in the morning. And then the way back didn’t get us home until 7AM. This first post about Budapest has pictures from the day we took a walking tour. It started at 10AM and went on for a few hours. It was great to see all of the historic places in the city, and it was free! If you are going to Budapest I would highly recommend it.
As I walked though the city I couldn’t help but notice how much it was under construction. The tour guide had explain that most of it was left over from the war, and the fact that during communism things were poorly built so they constantly have to remodel. Visiting these country that had been bombed during the war makes me so appreciate that my home had not gone through this. There is a definite lingering presence of those unfortunate events. However you wouldn’t tell from the people, which were all friendly and inviting.
In front of the famous Chain Bridge. The was the first bridge to connect Buda with Pest.
The Vigado
The Hungarian National Gallery
The Fisherman’s Bastion.
The restaurant inside the Fisherman’s Bastion. It had an amazing view.
The Matthias Church.
We were just in time to witness the changing of the guard. They are very serious, I did my best to make them laugh and nothing! They did not budge, there is no way I’d make it as a guard.
In front of another bridge and Gellert Hill.
We ended the day exploring here at St. Stephan’s Cathedral. This is exactly how the sky looked at the time I took the picture. It was the most electric blue I had even seen it.
This past weekend I made my way to Munich, Germany for the world famous Oktoberfest! It was so much more than what I had expected. We woke around 5:30 AM to make sure we would get to the grounds early enough to get into a tent. It was an animal house; thousands of people made their way to the grounds in the early hours of the morning. We waited for about an hour for the tent to open but once it did it was a free for all. It was literally as if I was in one of those Black Friday commercials where all the crazy shoppers are waiting outside the doors to get in first for a sale. Then once the doors open bust in like a stampede of animals. At one point the crowd had swept me up and I wasn’t even using my two feet, I was being carried in. It didn’t take long for tent to fill up with excited souls to party and mingle. Once we were all at our tables dozens of beer-maidens came down the rows holding liters of beer. They smacked them down on the table and the festivities began! It was at Oktoberfest I had my very first beer. As great of a memory it will always be, I can certainly say that if I ever have another beer again it would be too soon.
Today is very special to me because it is mine and my honey’s anniversary, although we are apart I wanted to do something special to celebrate. Near the Charles Bridge in Prague there is a small gate that people place love locks on. So I thought I would add our own lock of love. This is for you love, thank you for being my best friend and biggest fan! I love you to the moon and back! ❤
Today’s outfit consisted of my new high-waisted skirt that I got here in Prague. I have a pear shape so I love anything high-waisted. Some boots with knee-high socks, and my watch. When I shop I try to get pieces that I can mix and match so having a neutral colored watch is great cause it goes with anything!
Yesterday I introduced my new friend Alanna, she’s in my Czech class. This is how we spent our break from class; dancing and wearing flowers in our hair. However it wasn’t until after our grass playtime that I remembered I’m allergic to it – go figure.
I leave you with this quote: “Even if happiness forgets you a little bit, never completely forget about it.” Have a great day!
ohhashley 