Good ol' USA

There is no question that I am a wee-bit obsessed with Europe (hence my degree emphasis in European Studies). I'm afraid that I must admit this obsession sometimes clouds my appreciation of my own country. I live in San Diego, California and it is therefore kind of my job to just take for granted the fantastic place I live (I apologize to the rest of the country, as I sit writing this in a breezy café, while the temperature drifting through the open windows is a perfect 85º).  

California isn't the only great state in our oversized country either; as I've mentioned before I'm also a huge fan of Oregon. Having been to this state maybe a dozen times previous, when we went this past summer I feared we may have run out of things to be awed by. 

This was not the case: we found big foot and solved the scientific mystery of the ages.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

"My life isn't perfect, but it does have perfect moments."

To be fair, you don't need much cheering up while you're galavanting around Europe, living the life. Still, I have been thinking a lot about how exceptionally lucky I am to have wonderful people in my life that can make me laugh until I cry, even when I maybe only want to cry. On top of that, it is only becoming clearer how true it is that we don't always remember the exact details of our lives, but we do remember the moments that made us smile the most. 

When Brooke, Lindsey, and I were in Geneva we did a lot of things, but what I remember most vividly, was the afternoon we spent doing nothing but frolicking through this one incredible and ginormous park (which Google informed me is called the Parc de l'Ariana). 

Hiking the gorge

Next time I go backpacking in Europe (or anywhere), I promise I'll invest in the innovative invention called a hiking shoe. You know those things great for walking long distances? However, for this time round, I had been living in Italy prior to venturing out onto the rest of the continent and who really has the money for Italian shoes? Not this girl. 

So, that in mind, welcome to the day I hiked down the gorge in Ronda, in my Reef flip flops, which I stand by as the most reliable shoe I own. I am, in fact, wearing the same pair right now. They're just that wonderful.  

Plaza de España

When I left you, I was lounging in the lush grass of Parque de María Luisa, reflecting on the wonders of the universe. When I finally changed my course in the parque, I made my way to the famed Plaza de España to marvel at man made wonder. 

Gaudi's Barcelona

Initially we had high expectations for our third day in Barcelona, however, after quite a night the day before, we didn't exactly rally bright and early as planned. 

Rising late we formed a game plan for the next two days: basically see everything Gaudí. 

We began with the Casa Batlló. Mosaic-ed in opulent pastel tiles, the whole building looks like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. 

The Cliffs of Moher

For someone who was once borderline anti-people, I came to find that making new friends on my adventures was one of my favorite parts of traveling. One exceptionally fortunate encounter occurred in my sweet little town of Doolin. It was here, in my hostel, that I met four beyond-lovely girls, with whom I would spend the next two days. 

I was lucky enough to meet Vanessa, Chelsea, Katie, and Amelia before they had ventured up to the Cliffs of Moher. With our shared destination in mind, I joined them on a bus trip up the mountain to see what really should be considered one of the natural wonders of the world. 

Quintessential Ireland

I've often been asked why I chose the specific cities I chose to visit on my adventure. For some places, there is no reason at all, other than at the moment, it sounded fun. For other places, there's a bit more logic. For Doolin, Ireland it was one well advised recommendation that led me to what was immediately my favorite Irish village.

While on a trip in Germany (an un-blogged adventure, because, as is obvious by my infrequent posts, I'm a dang busy girl) a handy Bus2Alps tour leader told me that if I wanted to go to the Cliffs of Moher, I could not just take any old Paddy-Wagon tour, but rather that I HAD TO go visit the teeny little town of Doolin. He promised me that this nearly non-existant town, would be the quintessential Ireland I was hoping for. 

He did not lie. 

Doolin sits along the coast of County Clare, which in and of itself, is Ireland. Imagine being Hilary Swank in P.S. I love you, walking lost along a desolate Irish road, with sheep roaming around, then all-of-a-sudden, there's a beautiful Gerald Butler in your path. That's County Clare. Well, minus Gerald, but a girl can (day) dream. And with a population just around 500, surely Gerald's beautiful Irish family would live in Doolin, so you'd have to move there to a tiny cottage with cows and sheep and ....well I guess I'm getting a bit off point, but can you blame me?

I arrived (daydreaming) in Doolin, via the once-a-day bus, to find myself left on a street with a cafe, two pubs, and a hand full of hostels/b&b's. I easily enough found my new home, Rainbow Hostel, as the bus dropped me immediately in front of it, and there wasn't much else around to compete for my attention. 

   

A peculiar destination

Mom, Jewel, and I set out on a new adventure after our luxury trip to Santa Margherita Ligure for something a little different. In case you were wondering, yes, we spent a lot of time on trains that last weekend. On the bright side, train travel in Europe is the bomb-diggity. 

Sharing "La Dolce Vita"

The first weekend I was in Florence I found myself living la dolce vita (the sweet life). With Mom & Jewel in my city, I wanted to show them that same perfect day I had; that first day when I found all my favorite things in Florence. 

We started with what is the essential kick off to any great venture: gelato. Not just any gelato, but the sweet creamy delight that is Gelateria Vivaldi. 

Sneak Peak

Florence is just a bit overwhelming. Well, maybe I just have moments of being a bit overwhelmed. How grateful I am for this life I'm leading, but holy potatoes is it exhausting (see here for this explained in GIF form). By the time I feel like I have any free time during the week after traveling, classes, activities, clubs, friends, homework, etc. I just want a moment to chill. Which has lead to moments of sitting at home enjoying not doing anything (which when it was pouring buckets outside was pretty acceptable behavior). 

However, I want to make the most out of every single moment of my time here, in my fantastic home abroad. Luckily, with the sun finally out and shining here in Florence, I'm beginning to search out places to bask in doing nothing, but outside. If you sit in your room and read a book you're a hermit, but if you do it outside in a park you're a romantic; I like to consider myself a romantic hermit. 

In San Diego I've spend countless hours at Balboa Park, one of my favorite places to go and escape from the stress of life. Like San Diego, Florence is a place where you have to go out and search for a place to escape from the city-livin' life. Boboli Gardens are an excellent place for this. 

The Gardens are connected to the rear of Pitti Palace, which I visited a few weeks ago when the weather was still a bit nippy. At around 11 acres, I couldn't even begin to see the whole of the gardens as I explored during a study break last week, but I thought I'd give you a little sneak peak of just a little bit of it. 

Winter Paradise

There are a million things I love about Italy. The lack of nature, is not one of them. Italy has been inhabited and structured for nearly its entire history, it's not surprising that every major city is overlaid completely by concrete and the ever infamous cobblestones. Usually I can hang with this city-living style, but I was more ready than I even knew to go to the great outdoors.

I went to the right place: Interlaken, Switzerland is one of the outdoor recreation capitols of the world. Nestled down in a valley this wild utopia is surrounded on four sides by the Swiss Alps. The Alps rise up above you at incomprehensible heights, making you feel like every bit the ant you are in their presence. These grand mountains are covered by various trees and mounds of snow, creating a breathtaking landscape. 

Just Breathe

Sometimes, the best thing you can do after (or during) a long stressful week, is just take a break. Leave whatever is making you stressed behind and go somewhere to just breathe.

For most of us college students, we've been bombarded with mid-terms and projects for the past couple weeks; I know I have. Especially last week, even when more tests were coming, and the stress of deadlines nearing, I just needed a break. I teeny tiny window of time to say "peace out world." Luckily I have the best friends, who were feeling just like I was. And an added bonus: we live in a city chalk full of great escapes. One of my favorites of which is Balboa Park. 

Balboa is this immense park (1200 acres to be exact), that is home to a number of awesome attractions, including, the San Diego Zoo, the Natural History Museum, the San Diego Museum of Art, The Old Globe, and The Museum of Man, just to name a few. What's great, though, is that you don't even have to go to one of these museums or other places in the park, you can just walk around and enjoy all the beauty around you. Which is exactly how Nicole, Rubi, and I escaped our hectic schedules last week.

Coming back

Bad-blogger Kenna here. I've obviously been lax in telling you lovely people my summer stories, so I'm going to consolidate a few adventures, all about a troublesome trio aka myself and my besties, Brooke and Lindsey. 

When you've been friends with someone your whole life, or at least since high school, you expect your friendships to change as you get older. You graduate, go to college, move to new places, meet new people...things do change. If you're lucky, though, some things always stay the same. 

Tree climbing and other shenanigans

If you are not at least slightly inclined to enjoy the outdoors, I do not suggest you visit the Oregon coast. Trees, beaches, rocky coastlines, wildlife, all things outdoor-recreational; these are the kinds of things you find along the western coast (that is until you hit mid-Cali, then it is an entirely different story). 

Prior to actually moving to a city, I called myself a city-girl. Post-move however, it became apparent that while I love living in a big city, I am still, as my mom would say, a "country bumpkin." I like being among tall trees, out in the mountains, camping, exploring, playing with wild critters, and most of all, tree climbing. 

Now I cannot say my tree climbing and exploring skills are top notch, but my adventuring spirit is there and you can bet if I see a proper tree for climbing I'll be up it. Oregon has a lot of trees. 

We went on a walk along the coast our first night back in Coos Bay, and Jewel & I thoroughly enjoyed the foliage. 

Welcome to Oregon

Some things on earth just have a perfect, unforgettable smell. The kind of scent that immediately makes you dreamy and nostalgic. Amongst these divine scents, you may know, are a hot summer nights, christmas trees, your best friends house (everyone has their own distinct smell), and the Oregon coast. 

Ohhh, the Oregon coast. It's like breathing in fresh oxygen, salty sea, and memories. Thousands upon thousands of majestic pine trees explain the fresh, crisp air. The nearby Pacific gives you that salty harbor feel. But the memories? Well breathing in those babies stems from summers spent with the family exploring the beautiful coastline.

It's been over 7 years since we had ventured to our northern coast, but stepping out of the car into the familiar area, it was like nothing had changed. The view and landscape stretched out before us and my sister and I were immediately off exploring the dense forest with great enthusiasm.