Ahhhh! It has been too long since I have posted an update. I have so much to cover of the last few months.
March and April were filled with lots of visits from friends from home, travel, and finishing in person classes! My second term courses ended at the end of March and I had the month of April off for spring break.
My first visitor in March was my wonderful sister-in-law Megan! We did all the London things walking 20,000+ steps a day, she spent a day in Liverpool as she's the biggest Beatles fan I know, and we laughed until I cried which is my absolute favorite thing to do with her.
My second visitor in March was a co-worker turned best friend, Jess! We met working for Shorewood School District during the pandemic and instantly became close friends. She had never been to Europe so it was a blast showing her the tube, the variety of restaurants, and the history in a city as old as London!
Once spring break started in April, Dan and I traveled to Italy. We met up with my sister and her husband. We spent 3 days in Naples and then went to Florence for 3 days.
Naples highlights:
Traditional Napoletana Pizza (Dan's favorite part of the trip!)
The outskirts of the city are hilly, making the view of the Med gorgeous
The outskirts are less touristy and busy, the locals there were so welcoming and fun
We visited Herculaneum. It is a smaller, less crowded, more preserved version of Pompei.
Florence highlights:
Pasta making class
Wine tasting in the Tuscan countryside
Old wine windows where you purchase a glass of wine through a small window - exactly as it sounds! They are randomly hidden around the city.
I loved the views of the river running through the city
I finished off April by traveling to Paris to meet up with my parents! My mom visited me when I lived in Spain in 2015 and both my parents visited when I lived in Greece in 2017. I always say I'm thankful that when my dreams take me thousands of miles away from home, my parents will always visit. We only spent a day in Paris and then we had a rental car that we took to the countryside. We visited so many small towns over the course of the week:
Giverny
Honfleur
Lisieux
Port En Bassin
Roeun
My favorite thing we did was Monet's Gardens in Giverny. I planned very little about this trip and left it up to my mom. I don't know I would have ever chosen to go here but it's a must if you're traveling through France, very serene and you can walk through his home which has tons of his artwork.
The other highlight of the trip was all of the D-Day sites. We visited Utah Beach, Utah Beach Museum, Omaha Beach, Normandy American Cemetery, and Longues-sur-Mer (site of original German canons). I thought I would feel a deep sadness at these sites, instead I was filled with immense gratitude, respect, and stillness.
The ability to travel easily to mainland Europe is a huge perk of living in London. I have a feeling Dan and I will travel back to London in the future and use it as a launching pad to other cities and countries. I loved visiting new cities throughout April with my favorite people, but it was great to get back to London and get back to a routine. I had 5 exams coming my way and I needed coffee, my noise cancelling headphones, and a cute cafe in Covent Garden. More on those exams, my dissertation, and my plan to return to Wisconsin coming soon -- I promise!
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