London And Some

Hi All--

It's our first post from across the pond! (Not because there's not much to say, just that finding wifi is proving more difficult than previously expected.) But here we are, wifi and all, on a train from Rotterdam to Amsterdam. We've only just arrived in the Netherlands--we took an overnight ferry from Harwich international port in England to Hoek van Holland. And while we're very pumped about Amsterdam (and everything after that as well), leaving London wasn't easy. Let me tell you why:

-We had great company. We were very fortunate to stay with friends of a friend while in London, which was not only great for our budget but for meeting new people and exchanging cultural dialogues. We also were able to meet up with an acquaintance that we made while traveling in India. Dave and his classmates were on a train from Shimla to New Delhi three years ago when Allie and I first met him. It was very cool to meet up again and hang out in London.

-The spirit of the Games is still very much present. While no, we did not make it to any Olympic events, which I think we now regret more than ever, the vibes and the joy left over from the Olympics are still alive in the streets of London (especially with the Paralympics coming up at the end of the month). Dave did take us on a walking tour of where he (and thousands of others) watched the marathon FOR FREE close to Buckingham Palace, though, so now we're still dripping with jealousy.

-The city is so steeped in history and culture that there is never a dull moment. Allie and I took an open bus tour on the first day; a boat tour on the second; visited the National Gallery, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Trafalgar Square, Leicster Square, Covent Gardens, and Hyde Park (to name only a few); and even enjoyed high tea like proper English ladies at Bond and Brooks, a highly recommended location for the event via a magazine Allie had bought. There was so much to do, and unfortunately so little time!

But, to wrap this up, we are both doing well and enjoying the traveling life. Everything is beautiful, people are friendly, and things are working out for the best. We'll try to blog again soon, but until then please keep up with us on Facebook and on Twitter (@fernweh815)! It's much easier for us to micro-blog (tweet) than it is to sit down and write out a full post. But until then...

x
Kelsey

T - 12 Days

Hey all,

Allie and I are so very excited (and are becoming increasingly overwhelmed) by our Europe trip.  It seems that in our initial planning stages, we were a bit overeager to see the world and thus planned accordingly--we just want to see everything, y'all!  But this is just not feasible in the time we've set aside for our European adventures.  So in the last couple of weeks Allie and I have really had to cut down on the itinerary in order to fit in time in our more important stops.  It'll all come together nicely, to be sure, but for now it's kind of thrown our brains for a loop; but hey--a part traveling is experiencing the clash between reality and expectations, and learning from all of that. 

We're about to learn a lot. And that is something to be very excited about.

Here's hoping,
Kelsey

P.S.
We have tickets to see Sigur Ros in Paris on August 24th and Coldplay tickets for September 16th in Prague. (Also some things we're totally stoked about)

Ever Closer

When in DC, meet with friends and talk about Europe. Or at least that's my motto.

Allison and I met up last night in downtown Bethesda to discuss travel plans and, well, life in general. It's been a while. But during our chats, we made several discoveries: A) We're both doing the oddest of jobs [Allie is painting faces and I'm cleaning out pool vacuums] in order to save money for our European adventures B) We don't really care to go to Belgium, but Croatia is now on our places-to-visit list C) Sigur Ros will be on an EU tour while we're abroad AND D) Time-share in Capri?!?!

Whoa, y'all. We're still working on details, but we are both very excited about what is to come. Europe is ever on our minds and always in our hearts as our departure nears. August 15th could not be here soon enough.

Sincerely,
Kelsey

Tentative Schedule

Hello! This is Allie speaking (I know, I know...it took me awhile). So, I thought I would go ahead and post mine and Kelsey's tentative schedule for our European Adventure! Early on we decided to each pick two cities that we would absolutely not be willing to miss. That means I may have to miss seeing a place thats number 5 on my list to go see a place thats a number 1 or 2 on hers, and vice versa. In the end it creates a give and take traveling relationship that we feel is really important! So without further ado, I present to you the schedule:


Flying out of Washington, DC (8/15)

England (8/16)

-London

Netherlands (8/19)

-Amsterdam

-Floriade Horticultural Expo

Belgium

-Brussels

France

-Paris

-Versailles

-Giverny

-Loire Valley

-Bordeaux

-Nice

-Eze

Italy

-Florence

-Rome

-Naples

-Pompeii-Mount Vesuvius

-Almalfi Coast

-Venice

-Como

Switzerland

-Interlaken

Austria

-Salzburg

-Vienna

Czech Republic

-Prague

Germany

-Munich (Oktoberfest ;) )

London, England from 9/23-9/25

Returning to Washington, DC (9/25)

My top two places: Paris, France & Venice, Italy

Kelsey's top two places: Pompeii, Italy & Munich, Germany


I'm sure there will be a lot of changes made in the next couple of months as we nail down dates. If there are any cities, places, festivals, etc. that you feel we should not miss while over there please send us suggestions! Thanks!

-Allie

"Fernweh."

The crave for travel.  

The homesickness you feel for places you've never gone.  

And the perfect word to describe what makes us--Allison and I--want to go abroad this summer.

But before I go into our travel plans & how we arrived at them, I'll introduce you to your bloggers.

First up, Miss Allison Schoon:

@schoonaloona

 Allison, a recent Psych grad from the University of Marlyand, Baltimore, is now working as an intern for The Maryland Coalition to fight against human trafficking.  While not advocating human rights, she's either nannying and/or listening to awesome music.  She's also a singer, a traveler, and quite the fashionista.

And then there's me, Kelsey Marx:

@kelsellen

I'm a senior English major at Mississippi State University planning on graduating this May!  Ah!  I'm currently working part-time at MSU Outdoor Adventures as a Climbing Wall supervisor and a trip guide.  When not schooling or working I enjoy romping through the great outdoors, jamming out to good tunes, and doing yoga.  And I'm a Sagittarius, just in case you were wondering.

So maybe now you're wondering how we met, what with Allison being from Baltimore and yours truly from the Dirty South.  Well, I'll tell you.  In the summer of 2009, Allison and I were part of a mission group that traveled to New Delhi, India, for two months to work in orphanages and leper colonies.  Since then we have seen each other a couple of times a year, usually hanging out in D.C.

Some of team India hanging out in the Amsterdam airport.

First dinner outing in New Delhi.  Mango juice?  Yes please.

Civnan, Allison, and me standing under a waterfall in the Himalayas.

So now that you're all caught up, I'd like to tell you what's next.  

On August 15th of this year, Al-Pal and I will be heading to Europe for a near 40 day backpacking trip, hitting some of the most famous cities in the world: London, Paris, Rome, among others.  This blog will be our comprehensive means of communicating our adventures to you, especially while abroad, be it about our plans, experiences, and/or post-trip sentiments.

So please check back often.  

And leave comments, 

advice, 

prayers, 

love, 

or whatever.  

We'll be missing you all, I'm sure.

  

Thanks in advance,

Kelsey