Month Three

Any extra time that I had, I spent exploring, discovering nearby countries. 
Europe - it is the place to be.

But before I get into all of my excursions, I cannot forget about the festivities of Feria de Abril in Seville. A week long celebration with Sevillanas, bullfights, flamenco music and dancers, not to mention parades of horses and carriages. I had never seen somewhere so crowded before. Gosh...there were probably a million people there. I even got on the dance floor myself. Man, those Sevillanas really know how to party. And when I say party, I mean all night. I wandered around from caseta to caseta, which are like tents that each had their own unique atmosphere. Overwhelming and intense I must say, but so worth it.

First stop: Paris, France, the romantic city of love. Of course I visited the Eiffel Tower, such a massive structure and especially breathtaking at night. I also had the pleasure of seeing some of the finest masterpieces at one of the world's largest museums, The Louvre. Then onto the Royal Palace of Versailles. This was quite a luxurious castle. And lastly, the Gorge du Verdon, a canyon surrounded by an emerald river of which I rafted through.

Besides sightseeing, I indulged. I went wine tasting, tried real macarons, crepes, croissants, and all that France is known for.

Second Stop: The Grand United Kingdom. London, where I took a tour of the magnificent Buckingham Palace. It's still hard to believe that an actual royal family resides there.

Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Wow...just wow. The detail of the wax figures and celebrities were impressive. Amazing and maybe a bit freaky how it looks JUST like the real people. 

 The Stonehenge. I watched the sunrise at this mysterious place. A sight to see, and so ancient. It looks mystical, and almost sacred. 

The Natural History Museum. Indeed it is fascinating, with its dinosaur exhibition, a 40-million-year-old spider, and a life-sized blue whale on display. 

And of course the Coca-Cola London Eye. A 30 minute ride of the best view in London. Enough said.

Then it was time to take a break from my travels and welcome my mom to Seville, Spain. If only you could have seen her expressions as I took her on a tour around my second home. I was completely settled in now, and it was the perfect occasion for my mom to experience this side of the world. It was like watching her perspective get bigger by the minute. This was her first time out of the country, and what better destination than Europe? She stayed with me and my host family, and we saw and we did and we tried all the things I thought she would enjoy most.