Adventures on the Horizon

To be honest, nothing incredibly exciting has happened in the past month or so. I've been working really hard to get as much work done as possible before spring break so that I can really enjoy my six weeks off. So! I thought I would dedicate this post to my excitement for all of my spring break plans.

• March 1st through 6th - Natalie is coming to visit! I am so so so excited to see her. How many people get to hang out in England with their roommate? I am so lucky to have such amazing friends!  It has been so long since I've been able to see anyone from home and it'll be so wonderful to have some American time amongst all these Brits. I'm planning to take her to Stratford (Shakespeare's birthplace), Leamington, Warwick (the town)...but mostly we're just have some much-needed, quality girl time!

Some of Natalie's birthday package from Germany

• March 10th through 14th - Mike and I are going to Portugal with his family. I think this trip is going to be so so nice. Here is a link for the place we're staying: (http://sites.google.com/site/steveandgillsapartment/photo-gallery) It is in southern Portugal and looks absolutely beautiful! I hadn't thought of traveling to Portugal when I was planning for this year abroad, but I'm really excited that this opportunity came up. I'm looking forward to getting away from this horrible British weather and to spending some time in the sun, and of course, to traveling to a brand new place!

• March 19th through 24th - Now it'll be my turn to go to Germany! I'm so lucky to be able to see Natalie so soon again! I am flying into Cologne, where Natalie will meet me, then we're going to take the train to Bonn, where she has been studying for the year. Natalie will have to be my translator for the week because I speak absolutely no German other than "guten tag." I'm not sure what we'll be doing for the week, but from the pictures she has posted, Bonn looks really really nice and I can't wait to be there! 

• April 2nd through 5th - Mike and I are going to Scotland for a few days. I went to Edinburgh with Mary and Alec in 2010, but I've never been to the highlands, and they look so beautiful. Since we're driving there, we'll have the freedom to go where we like, which will be really nice. We're staying on Loch Lomond (I'll keep an eye out for the Lochness Monster), and we're planning to just enjoy the scenery for a few days. I'll be sure to post lots of pictures once we're back!

• April 12th through 14th - Mike and I are going to Belgium with his family for a few days. His family is caravanning in Folkestone for the week, but Mike and I will go down to meet them on the 12th, and we'll take the ferry to Bruges. This is another place that I hadn't thought of traveling to beforehand, but now I'm really glad we're going. Mike's been before and he says its really nice, and, from what I can tell from photos, it does look like a pretty city. 

So there you have it! Those are my plans for spring break. In between, we'll be in Wales, working on essays and studying for exams, but I am very very very excited for all of this to kick off. I have been blessed with some wonderful opportunities that have allowed me to be able to travel to all of these places on a budget. Be on the lookout for a very lengthy blog entry mid-April...I'll be sure to post all of my pictures and stories. 

xoxo