August 2010
6 posts
Wrap Up
Getting back from a long trip is an odd experience. You are usually exhausted, your clothes are dirty, and the trip is a blur. It takes a while to think about it and figure out what you really took from it. While we were traveling, I read on CNN about a study that found people who spent their money on experiences were happier than people who spent it on things. The rationale behind it was that you...
And suddenly, it hits me.
Madrid: our last stop of the Mediterranean tour. Madrid was beautiful and we stayed in an amazing hotel right next to the main square. Our room even had its own laptop and a great view of a pedestrain street. But even though the city was amazing, it finally hit me. I. was. so. tired. Nic was still feeling adventurous, but honestly, I wanted the internet and the bed. (And McDonalds. So naughty!) We...
Barcelona- Party capital of the world!
Background Info: The night before we traveled to Spain, there was a massive world event that went down but probably stayed a small news subtext in America. The World Cup Championship. Every single country we traveled to was obsessed with the World Cup. In Turkey, everyone was avidly rooting against Greece- their arch rival. In Syria, the government set up huge tvs in every park in Damascus....
Celie and Friends
When Nic first traveled to France, he did so as an exchange with the UT UTeach program. For half the program, a group of French teachers stayed with NIc and other UTers and then returned the favor when the Texas group went to France. During this exchange, Nic became friends with a cool chick named Celie.
Celie taught in Paris for one year, but she met a dashing Spaniard and asked to be...
Ahh, Paree!
Ahh, Paree! At my income level, nothing is more important than price when booking a flight. I will endure multiple lay-overs, crowded seats, and bad airlines just to book that lowest price on kayak.com. By an interesting chain of events, booking that low price had an added bonus when leaving Cairo. It gave Nic and I a three day layover in Paris. Oh Paris! Nic, who is a huge Francophile, had been...
Friendly Faces in Cairo
So before heading to Cairo, we had heard some things from previous visitors. Mainly, that it was incredibly dirty, full of hassles, and that we would hate it. 2 out of 3 of those things were correct. We pulled into the train station at about 6:30 am and stepped out into the early morning light on a city street that was filled with trash. On the taxi ride to the hotel, our sight distance was...