Venice!

And we finally make it to Italy!

Venice, readers, is a beautiful place. I'm a fan. Didn't know if I was going to be a fan, now totally a fan. Were it not so expensive, I think Venice would be the perfect place to go and get lost for two weeks, because it's like the perfect place. They have pizza, pork products, boats, gelato, cools masks, pork products... Venice has got it all. Serious offer: if anyone wants to go to Venice, I'm all about it. Especially since the weather will be nicer at anytime of the year besides January and February.

We were only in Venice for a day and a half, but it wasn't a big deal-- Venice is Kara's old study abroad stomping grounds, so we were set.

We stayed in a cute little hotel right on the water near the Rialto Bridge, so we settled in after our flight landed from Barcelona and did our usual walking around town business.

Picture from the Rialto Bridge. Not pictured: the Rialto Bridge.

Ay Dios Mio, Barcelona!

While I was very sad to leave the beautiful, surprisingly not-rainy Ireland, I was super pumped for Spain.

Because we had to leave from Cork to get back to Dublin to catch our flight to Barcelona, our first day in Spain was pretty much just a night in Spain. But, our hostel was really great, if you're looking for one the next (or first!) time you go to Barcelona. Hostel One Paralelo had free dinners each night, and on our first night there, we made hostel friends with two brothers from Argentina, Lucas and Federico, and an engineer from Philadephia. The six of us went out to L'Ovella Negra, this massive bar with awesome sangria. We had drank a lot of sangria, traded currency (I am not the proud owner of one Argentinian peso), and had a great time on our first night in Barcelona.

You guys, look how good-looking we are!

Dublin 2.0, Galway, & Cork!

After a delightful day in Northern Ireland, we used the final, following day in Dublin to visit Kilmainham Gaol and Trinity College.

Oh my gosh, readers, you're about to get slammed with so much history.

Dublin & Northern Ireland!

Sorry, you guys. I was getting a little blogged out there for a while. But I'm back now, so all is right with the world.

After our adventures in Scotland, Kara and I met up with our good pal Emily in Dublin. After we checked into our hostel, we were able to scope out a sports bar a couple blocks from Trinity College that had the Giants vs 49ers game playing. Because this is being written weeks after the Super Bowl, I don't really need to tell you how the game ended, SINCE THE GIANTS ARE THE BEST AND STUFF. But, I digress.

WOOOO.

Okay, now I can move on.

Edinburgh!

And onwards through the British Empire we march!

After our journeys in London, Kara and I made our way to Edinburgh, Scotland. Ahh, Scotland. The home of golf, the Loch Ness monster, highland cows, haggis, and Sean Connery. What more do you need to know? Well, surprisingly, a few more things.

Our first stop in Scotland was The Elephant House. There are probably, like, four people who read that sentence and were like, "No way!" The rest of you (so, the other four) were like, "Elephant what?"

                           

London! Or, the Setting for Everything I've Ever Loved as a Child

'Ello, readers! (That's appropriate, since this post is about my travels to London.)

And what marvelous travels they were! I've always wanted to go to England, I've got family there, Harry Potter's from there, they have the best candy and they have fish and chips... the list of reasons is never-ending, really.

So you could imagine how amped I was to see this while riding the Underground:

DREAMS DO COME TRUE.

Brussels & Bruges!

Oh my gosh, you guys!

After a little stop at home and a whirlwind adventure around Europe, I'm finally back in Turkey! Crazy business, crazy adventures, but I'm glad to be back. I missed my students over the past month, and I think by now they've mellowed out over the grades they received on their Phonetics exams, so everything should be copacetic by the time my classes start later today. Inshallah.

Anways, readers, let me start from the beginning. I hopped back to my side of the Atlantic for a few days to catch up with some fam and friends, and it was great to be back. Even though it hadn't felt like I had been away for a long time, you don't always release how much you miss home until you go back. I'm really glad I went home, but I'm also glad to be back in Turkey. 

This guy!