June 2024
Leaving House is empty, Mind ablaze With possibilities My heart beats with the idea Of a journey all anew As I think My excitement grew ands grew The night before the flight, Sleeping on the floor Thinking of all that happened before. What will happen ahead is unknown and unshown. As we get on the flight we squeeze each others hands, Ready to travel to far off lands
New York
So far, New York has been my favorite part of the trip. All the flashing lights in Times Square and the scent of food drifting away from food stands on every corner made me feel exhilarated. I have really loved the food and the sights.If I needed to pick my favorite part of the trip to NYC, I would choose the American Natural History Museum. I loved all the dioramas that made me feel as if I had been transported to a new world. I also enjoyed looking at insects and deciding which I would invite to a party. I invited a golden scarab beetle from the beetle exhibit.
Madeira
Pt 1
The start of the hike into the campsite was one of the most beautiful places so far. As I walked on the well maintained trail, a wave of feeling rushed through my body. At first I felt excited about the next 13 months, yet sad about not being able to see my friends for so long. On the second day we got a moderately early start to the next 7 mile hike. It was a hard start, the downhill was plain old painful. I remember wishing to go uphill, then immediately regretting it. The uphill was even more painful than the down. After about 4 grueling hours (and some cool caves) we got up to a staircase where there were a lot and I mean A LOT on instagramers. We made it through the crowd and got up onto a ridge. With cliffs on either side and the tall mountains covered in yellow flowers, I see why there were so many people. We got to a glass building, and that is when I had a hamburger, emphasis on the ham. On our way back it was HOT, so hot, I thought I was going to pass out from the heat. The way back felt a lot more bearable than the way there. When we got back to the tent, I almost passed out. I was so tired my head hit the pillow, and I was asleep. The next day we woke up slowly, then there was a cat. As soon as I heard about it, I ran outside. He was a really cute brown cat, therefore we named him snickerdoodle. I noticed that he was really thin, so I decided to give him some of our salami. He ate all of it in around five minutes. Our hike back down was much shorter than the way up. Overall I have had a wonderful experience so far.
Pt 2
Three days later and a lot has happened. We set up camp in the fanal forest on June third. We came in on a relatively flat road into a nightmare of a parking lot. Once we got all of our stuff unloaded, and took a short walk to our hiking spot. When we got there, H and I went our separate ways, I went up to the hill tops, and H went somewhere. I spent ten minutes looking at the first world heritage site of sabbatical year. We came back together at the tent, went on a little walk, and went to THE MOST DISGUSTING BATHROOMS IN ANYWHERE EVER. But other than that the first day was great. On the second day we went to my two favorite places so far. The first place we went to was a beautiful, mostly flat stroll through a majestic forest. We split up with me going ahead for the majority of the hike. I adored all the sights and sounds of the forest, and for the most part I was alone. We were walking along a levada, a man made stream crucial to the irrigation of the rest of the island. As we turned around, we decided to play a game, A BOAT RACE! As the boats raced down the “stream” we cheered them along. We did a couple more boat races, and then we walked back down the path. When we got back to the car, we decided to have lunch. We got to a cute little town with a huge sea stack next to it in the water. At the lunch spot, we had a nice view of the ocean from our table outside. During lunch the topic of an outdoor saltwater swimming pool was brought up. H and I were immediately stoked by the idea of somewhere to swim, but Dadda was not so keen. We decided to take a stroll to see what it looked like. We walked over, and we saw a beautiful high dive. After a small congregation of the court, we decided to go and swim. When we got in H and I made a B-line straight to the high dive. After a few dives, I decided to go out snorkeling with Momma. We saw some cool fish, did some more dives, and went back to the campsite.
Pt 3
16th Century Market and Fire Festival
I absolutely adored the entire festival. From men drinking gasoline and breathing fire, to drums that rattled through my bones. With everything happening, I’m surprised no one got lost. As we wandered around the fair it felt like a perfect farewell to Madeira. We ate some of the best food I have ever tasted. I ate a bread bowl, an amazing soup, and a cob of corn that reminded me of summer. One of my favorite parts was a historically accurate torture museum. As we walked out, Inwas overcome with joy from my first Ren fair.
Morocco
FACTS!
1.CAMELS ARE VERRY UNCOMFORTABLE TO RIDE!
2.Shkran (shookran) is how you say thanks in Arabic
3.The Sahara desert is the third largest desert in the world
4.la, shukran is how you say no thank you in Arabic.
5.Eating scabbard fish is a great way to get tapeworms
6.The Atlas Mountains are 2500 km long and the highest point is 4156 meters.
Goo
Pt 1
The best food so far was in a little restaurant in the middle of Fes. We went through winding side roads filled with cats, a left, a left, and you guessed it, ANOTHER LEFT! When we got into the restaurant we walked up like 10 flights of stairs and finally got onto the roof and at a table. Our water was one of my favorite people I have met so far, his mind open to the never ending possibilities to make someone’s life just a bit better. From feeding homeless animals, to making a YouTube channel for single mothers just trying to make a living, this man is one of the best people on the planet.
Pt 2
The Fes Medina
I LOVED the Medina. The sights and smells were so different than at home and I felt so safe in the enclosed walls. There we so many people trying to sell us stuff, and… we fell for it. I got a beautiful blue bag, H got some lotion, and Momma got an amazing looking candle holder and a bedside lamp.
Pt 3
Roman Ruins
As Pop Pops would say, “crumbly old buildings”. I liked them, but I think that we will see much cooler ones in Italy and Greece. Still a very interesting day. My favorite part of the ruins was how the old and the new mixed together differently. I also saw an amazing mosaic of a man riding a horse backwards. I also loved the spiral shafts of some of the columns, a very underrated feature.
Pt 4
Sahara Desert
Sand on the ground
sand in my eyes,
SAND EVERYWHERE!
Camels majestic,
Projecting on the dunes.
How hot will it get,
in the late days Sun,
How long can we go,
Until we all melt to one.
Early morning,
no Sun in our eyes,
we board our majestic steeds.
A jolt,
a jolt,
And we're up.
High above the sand and the heat,
we settle into our seats
Pt 5.
Closing thoughts
I think that Morocco has been an amazing experience. I have really enjoyed seeing how everyone lives and all the different cultures. The food I am slightly less keen about, but I still have loved every part of it. If I needed to choose a favorite part, I would choose the first day in Fes where we explored the Mediana for hours. I really loved seeing all the different people in their habitats. If I needed to choose a least fairvote part I would choose the sickness. Oh btw we all got sick, like REALLY SICK. But anyways I believe that Morocco has been an amazing experience.
Montenegro
Pt 1.
Opening thoughts
I have loved the beauty of Montenegro. It is really different than the chaos of Morocco. I’m missing the crazyness of the Medina, but I am loving all the beautiful mountains. Montenegro is very different then Morocco in many amazing ways. So far I have loved where we are staying in a valley with beautiful mountains and trees. I have loved the slower travel in contrast to the moving all the time. I have also loved how everyone and their moms have a trampoline. Every restaurant we have been to has a playground and trampoline. I have adored it.Overall I have loved Montenegro so far.
Pt 2.
Today, we walked.
Many steps to taken
Many beetle friends found.
The sights sounds and smells
In my mind,
The ringing of tiny bells.
As we gazed over the peaks
Spellbound
We realized
An adventure we found
Pt 3
Closing thoughts
I adored Montenegro. The beauty of the mountains around us, and the excitement of the restaurants around where we were staying was both exciting and calming. One of my favorite moments was when Dadda taught me how to do a flip from my knees. I also loved the firefly lights all throughout the evenings.
Albania
Pt 1.
Literally Everything I thought so far
We haven’t in Albania for very long, but I have found it very interesting. I mean, there was a king in their history named King Zog so there is that. I really enjoyed our first hike. It all started with a bus ride, a LONG HOT bus ride. Where I… lost my water bottle oops. After that we got on a beautiful boat, saw a dead cow. But other than that it was awesome. Then we on… ANOTHER, HOTTER BUS!?! It was so hot I couldn’t think of anything to cool down. We got out to walk to our hotel, and almost instantly another bus picked us up. We got to an amazing hut, had some amazing food and had an amazing night sleep. In the mourning we woke up, had a small breakfast and walked. But that’s a story for another entry.
Bosnia
Pt only one
Bosnia was cool, cold, and beautiful. Late at night when we arrived we set up our tent then went to have one of the worst food places of all time. But the fries were good! Once we got back (thinking we would never eat again) we saw the wonder of the waterfalls for the first time. It was at night and a light was making the water glimmer like hundreds of stars we encased in its beauty. In the morning we got into our swimsuits and jumped in, and almost instantly did the cartoon thing where it was so cold they almost float over the water.
Montenegro
Pt oops
Welp, back in Montenegro. We are now in Kotor, a small city on the shore of an ocean. The ocean is amazing and much warmer than the waterfalls. The ice cream is delectable, and the city is bursting with life. I have loved diving in to the water to retrieve lost goggles, water bottles and stones. Oh and cats. Overall I have loved Kotor.
Eight Boots Abroad 