And She's Back

Actually, I have been back for almost a week now. I just needed a vacation after my vacation. It turns out that bus tours are not for the faint of heart. We drove through ten countries in ten days and that was too much. Don’t get me wrong, I loved seeing new places, it’s just that our pace was breakneck.

Plus, all of my money and documents were stolen in San Marino and that really sucked. The documents were later returned, which was a huge blessing. My bus-buddies gathered up some money for me, too, and I was ever so thankful. In short, God was good, but the trip was exhausting physically and emotionally.

We drove for about twenty hours on our first day covering Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and a little bit of Poland. Then, each day we drove about twelve to fifteen hours, depending on the traffic. Once we got through the Czech republic, Slovakia, and Austria, we arrived near Venice and then were able to spend a lot less time on the bus and a lot more time sightseeing.

We had three days in Naples — the dirtiest city I have ever seen in my life (trust me, I’ve seen quite a few). We climbed Vesuvius and walked around Pompei. We explored the island of Capri. We climbed 551 steps to get to the very top of St. Peter’s church in the Vatican. We walked around Florence and navigated the canals in Venice. Most of what we saw in Rome was breathtaking.

All in all, it was a great trip. I felt like we didn’t really have enough time to take in all the sights though. Plus the heat index was something like 105F and that isn’t really conducive to climbing mountains or hundreds of narrow stairs. I made it though and enjoyed every minute. I will post pictures as soon as I return to my beloved apple machine.

For now, here is some eye candy for your viewing pleasure. You’re welcome.