Back in the Norm

It's been a week since we left Europe. It's hard to explain the feelings I have about this. It is very sad to not be exploring and gallivanting around. But, I am very happy to be home. Europe to us was a great experience. An experience we hope to have again.

What I will miss most about Europe is the people. We didn't meet anybody hostile in Europe. We made friends with almost everybody, actually. All of the people who took us in, the travelers who became instant friends, or the locals who gave us inside scoop will be missed. It was definitely an adventure when everyday had different activities filled with new people. When didn't know what to expect from tomorrow. Quite often, as we were leaving a town, we would be sad that we were not able to spend more time with the friends we met. We were worried that we wouldn't meet other people in the next town. However, the next town was filled with friendly people, just like the town before.

The places we visited were amazing. We have been asked many times, "What was your favorite place?" and we can't honestly answer that question. We travelled for a month, in ten countries. Every place is our favorite. Every place has memories.

• Amsterdam, Holland for it's simplicity
• Paris, France for the culture
• Blois, France for the simple countryside villages
• Avignon, France for the walls
• Nice, France for the pebble beach and boardwalk
• Vernazza, Italy for the rolling mountains, the deep blue ocean and the painted buildings
• Rome, Italy for the history
• Florence, Italy for the art
• Venice, Italy for the glass and alleyways
• The Vatican for the architecture
• Slovenia and Croatia for the minimalistic farmland
• Budapest, Hungary for the potential
• Interlaken, Switzerland for the adrenalin and the alps
• Vienna, Austria for the people
• Munich, Germany for the castles

We were successful in a lot of ways. We saw more than what we expected and we spent less than we budgeted. Our weekly expenses were around $500 a person. Even the surprises that came up (buying a camera, buying clothes because our bags were lost, staying in hotels in Washington and Amsterdam because we didn't have our tent and miss our flights) didn't break the bank. Our budget didn't even include the $500 paragliding and rafting adventures and we still kept it. We found out that going to Europe isn't expensive, if you don't make it expensive.

Now that we are home, we've jumped back into the cycle of norm. Reagan and I are both working our normal hours at our normal jobs. We've revamped some goals and are moving for the next milestone. Travel is still very important to us. Lord willing, we can meet our goals and have some amazing adventures, soon.