Backpacking Across Europe

I'm getting really excited. Want to know why? I have made travel plans for 5 weeks in a row.

My roommate Lauren, from Stout, is coming to visit me from March 14th to the 20th. We already have a plan to go by. She arrives in Edinburgh on Saturday morning. Plans that day for me are to take a bus to Edinburgh and meet her at the airport. From there, we are going to walk around Edinburgh for a little bit and then take a bus to St. Andrews and stay overnight at the hostel there. Sunday morning we are going to take a bus back to Glasgow and hop on a train to Belfast, Ireland. We are going to stick around in Ireland doing who knows what until early Wednesday when we will take the train back to Glasgow. We will be spending St. Patrick's Day in Ireland. Can you say excitement? We are going to spend Wednesday and most of Thursday around Glasgow because I still need to attend my classes, which she should be able to join me. I think either Thursday night we may go to The Primary (pub) so she can meet more of my friends in the International Student Society and go to Edinburgh early in the morning either that or we will go back to Edinburgh Thursday night and stay at hostel there so we don't have to get up as early for her flight back.

So Lauren leaves for home on Friday morning and Bailey will be arriving in Glasgow on Saturday afternoon. :) We haven't really talked too much about our plans, I just know for sure that we will be going to London while she is here. She will be here until Monday, March 30th. 9 whole days with my Bailey Jo.

When Bailey leaves I will be starting my three week Spring Break by departing to Berlin, Germany to meet my friend Lindsay. Our friend, Molly, is going to meet us there later in the week and we will all travel to Budapest, Hungary on April 5th together. April 7th or 8th, Molly and I are going to Bratislava, Slovakia and then we will meet Lindsay in Vienna, Austria and spend a few days there. After that, we are going to travel to Venice and Florence, Italy for the remainder of our vacation. Molly is going to fly to Dublin to visit her family while they are visiting there and Lindsay and I will return to Glasgow on the 16th/17th of April.

So, that's 8 countries in 5 weeks. Scotland, Ireland, England, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, and Italy. Can you see why I'm so excited now? How can life get any better than this. I'm so fortunate for everyone and everything in my life especially right now. If I could go back in time, I would not change a thing. I love where I am in life. Everything is just perfect.

I love and miss you all. And don't worry, I will have my camera and I'll be taking plenty of pictures. :)

Ashley