Safe travels home! I hope that your trip home is a safe one. We miss you terribly and I think it's now okay to say that, right Barb?
I have loved following your travels and I'm sure once you get home and think about it all it will be overwhelming. You my dear have just had a trip of a lifetime and now you gotta get ready to turn around and have another in Hawaii! Woohoo!
Love you and can't wait to hear that you are back on American soil!
Hurray! Looking forward SOOOOO much to you coming home. It seems like you have been gone forever! So proud of you and your adventures. I am sure you have many stories to tell and will look forward to hearing all of them. You have accomplished so much in your 3 months and I am sure in some ways you will be sad to leave. But you bring home with you so much experience and memories that will last a lifetime. Have a safe trip and will countdown the minutes until you are back home. Love to you both!
You're killing me here!! Okay. . so biking through Rome. . did you NOT listen to Natalie and Sophie about this??? Second of all, climbing up an active volcano. . .did I NOT teach you to make better choices than that?? Are you trying to give me a heart attack RIGHT before you are coming home??? Are you just yearning for some natural disaster to finish off your trip??? All I can say is this. . .COME HOME AND STOP MAKING BAD CHOICES. . .and yeah you are soooo grounded when you get home!!! LOL!! Can hardly wait to see you!! And yeah, still proud of you and love you lots!!
Octopus and other meats ooh Sara I'm with you. No pig skin (especially with hair still on it) and no octopus either. Octopus would be your sisters thing I think. I emailed you on your birthday. Did you get it? If not, happy birthday late.
I have been to Catania. Went there 2 or 3 times. I'm sitting here waiting for the installation crew to come and install our new flooring. You should see the house. No rug or linoleum downstairs and no toilet in the downstairs bathroom. Mom took some pictures. Looking forward to seeing you soon.
Love, dad
Love it! I love reading your blog! Thanks for taking the time to share your adventure with all of us and let us live vicariously through you! Love you and enjoy your last two weeks. 24 days til Hawaii baby!
FOOD Okay, so starting to see a pattern here. .. you seem to be eating strange foods as you make your way through Italy. Seriously, pig skin with hair on it??? YUCK. . .think I just threw up a little bit in my mouth! LOL! So when you come home, I promise to have all the foods you like. . pasta salad, brie, grilled cheese sandwiches Nutter Butter cookies, chocolate chip cookies, Reese's Pieces cereal. . .is your mouth watering yet??? So glad you enjoyed your 4 star hotel. . and no you are NOT spoiled. . .just well taken care of! Seems like you have been gone FOREVER! Counting down the days and until you return. Enjoy your time and try to stay away from stranger food. . .if possible!! Love to you both! Again, laughing at your blogs. .so glad you found the time to keep up with them. . .you will be able to look back and recall all the great memories you have made on your journey!
Happy Thanksgiving Oh Sara....those folks in Italy will never be better than you. Grandma would be so proud of you making such good use of garbage bags! We will miss you very much on Thanksgiving and will have a glass of wine and think of you! Hope to get to talk to you soon and can not wait to see you at Christmas in Hawaii!
AHHH!!! So not sure where to begin with this. . .are you nuts?? Staying in a city where there is mafia?? Did you at least wear your helmet?? HA! Ha! You mentioned about being homeless?? Well you are not!! You have a home in Puyallup, WA such as it is. . .I love your blogs and read them over and over again. Counting the days until you come home! You will be missed at Thanksgiving very much. .but just think what you are doing?? Biking, training all over the place and making memories that you will remember forever! All of us here can not wait until you come home!! I am glad we raised you to be daring and that you had this opportunity to travel. You will never regret it I guarantee it! And remember. ..NO ONE is better than you!! Love you much!!
Naples Wow! Sounds like the Naples I remember from 1967. Extemely bad traffic and those round go around things. Little cars driving all over the place. Sure glad you made it out OK and sure glad I didn't know you were doing it. When I was there Visuvious (wrong spelling I'm sure) was not in it's eruption stage yet so we climbed it and peaked over the cauldera. What a site. There use to be a big Italian naval base there too so probably lot's of crime like you say. Naples would not be my pick of a place to see but still it is Europe so what the heck.
I miss you too. Thanksgivin won't be the same without you. But looking forward to Christmas with you.
Take care bike safe (and hopefully in safe places). Love, Dad
veal bits You certainly have lot's of experience biking now. You must really be in shape, Kuba too. Enjoyed your comments about the vampire teeth and the veal bits. I am at Ryan's house in Wyoming where the deer and the antelope play. Just got in from Montana where I did get my deer and and antelope so since you are so experienced with variouis meats now you could taste the antelope and venison when you get home (just kidding). Well bike safe and keep in touch. Love your blog.
Love Dad
Funny girl! Seriously, you crack me up every time a read a new post! Did I NOT warn you about Volterra? Did you see Aro? Hope you told him hello from me! Be careful of that vampire. . he may seem harmless but almost killed Bella and Edward's little girl! Oh hope I didn't ruin the book for you! Just can not get over the fact you are biking all over Italy! Surely you must have learned drinking and making bad decisions seems to always go together. Have you not seen the Ebay items I have received as a result? Although the plans for Hawaii was a good decision as a result of drinking wine. Trying to imagine you eating veal bits but think I just threw up a little in my mouth! The risotto sounds really good though. Too bad they didn't have a dog you could have given the meat to! Aunt Bevie said you could come stay at their farm, would not have to work and would supply free wine! But then again, it would not be Italy, although she would probably take you to Olive Garden as a treat. You are going to be so spoiled when you get home and have to eat regular food. Good luck with the olive picking and keep us updated. We are all living vicariously through your life you know! Love to you both!
Nice bloody beef That's my kind of steak.. I'm proud of you. I should have some nice venison for you when you get home. I go to Montana hunting at the end of this week. No fish yet, but if I get one I'll save you a nice filet (kuba too). Keep on biking.
Love, Dad
You just crack me up!! So reading this and LMAO!! Loved the comment about David but very disrespectful!! I am sure he was aware of his inadequate male anatomy especially during gym class!! Ha! Ha! I guess when you decide to go animalistic, you might as well go full blast with a steak and a glass of wine. . .yeah I noticed the wine FIRST and THEN the steak of course. Hope you don't have lower GI problems tomorrow when you start of biking!! That stuff can do bad things to the colon!! Love the blog and glad you are updating it. Seems like you have been gone forever and miss you lots. Glad you are having a great time. I do admire you! Lots of love coming your way!
Biking Wow, sounds like a hard ride but worth it. Not like the STP I guess. Now you could make that in one day probably.
Sounds like you are enjoying yourselves. I think I would have liked Bologna and that bar that serves nothing but alcohol. Thanks for the blog entry they are always very interesting and you write it in a fun way. Say hello to Kuba for me.
Love, Dad
Dubbb Sounds so exciting.
I love the internet for being able to follow your trip.. but it makes me want to have a European adventure of my own.
I especially like the ghetto details... :D
Laundry Come home and I promise I will do your laundry, wait on you and buy all your favorite foods. I will even pick up after you. . I am desperate here! Ha! Ha! Seriously sounds like you are having the time of your life! Thank goodness you are the adventurous type. I could not even imagine doing this even when I was your age! Can hardly wait to hear all your stories and look at your pictures. I loved the sketching Jessica brought back. Love reading your emails and your blog. I know it is a chore to do both but all of us are living vicariously through your travels. Stay safe and keep in touch. Love to you both!!
woah i didn't know kuba was already there! sounds fun. except for 24 hr train ride sounds awful. did you ride a gondola? i'm so freakin impressed you two are biking everywhere. get better please! (my mum used to feed me these stomache ache pills which were black and looked and tasted like burnt rubber but they worked wonders) its 00:25 right now and i'm writing a bio paper. at the emergency room (we're okay. jessica is feeling not ok). (we've been here for 4 hrs) have class at 9 am tomorrow. nat has work at 8:30.
aren't you glad you aren't in school anymore!!!!!???
Hurray! So glad you are feeling better. . .thanks for all those visual comments in your blog. . .I am sure there have been worse cases that rolled into Italy!! Wine for a price of a coke?? Well definitely a no brainer on what to chose! Glad you enjoyed Venice even though you were sick. At least you had a nice place to stay. So off to make more memories for you! What an amazing trip you have planned. Can hardly wait to hear all your stories! Take lots of pictures and keep up the good work on updating your blog. Love to you both!!
Really?? So you really did do it, huh?? I knew Sara took fake vampire teeth but never thought you would actually do that. . what was I thinking. . of course you would do that. . .you wouldn't have traveled half way around the world and miss a photo opportunity like that. Atta girls. . proud of you! Loved talking to you both today. . .can't wait to see you back home again. Love ya!!
Bull's blood wine Sounds like good wine. Pretty cheap wine over there. Kind of alarming about the train personnel. Especially keeping your passes like he did. Glad you confronted him about it. What is the weather like there? Is the food good in Romania? I have no idea what they eat over there.
Like those pictures. Keep them coming.
Love, Dad
WTH?? I have some major concerns with this blog. . .#1 traveling on a train where passports and Eurail passes are taken?? #2 A man in the cabin WITH you?? #3 the word communist and just HOW close are you to Russia???. . .but really, really find comfort and amusement with the wine tasting. . .might have to make a trip there. . .so at least you are safe??? Not sure I am going to survive this. . .not there to say. . "oh Sara. . .I don't think that is a very good idea. . .let me think about that". . .Ha! Ha! Enjoy your day sightseeing Bran castle and be sure to wear turtleneck sweaters, wear a necklace with garlic in it, carry a cross and wooden spike. . .just for good luck!! Miss you guys and sending all my love to you!!
wow wow that is a big weiner......ready ?? That's what she said..ha ha that is always funny even half way around the world! And that beer not so tiny either! Glad you are having fun! Be safe!
PS...Dang I just saw your mom beat me to that comment! As far as the toliet paper...could you ask the person next to you if they could spare a square of toliet paper?
beer That's a big beer Jessica. Don't think I've ever had one that big. It's no wonder you guys got bombed on 3 of those. Keep up the good work.
Love, Dad
Jamie
non-member comment
Safe travels home!
I hope that your trip home is a safe one. We miss you terribly and I think it's now okay to say that, right Barb? I have loved following your travels and I'm sure once you get home and think about it all it will be overwhelming. You my dear have just had a trip of a lifetime and now you gotta get ready to turn around and have another in Hawaii! Woohoo! Love you and can't wait to hear that you are back on American soil!