more pictures...

I have slowly been adding pictures to my par*is*tanbul website... It is so fun to go through these pictures!! It takes me back to our trip, and makes me want to still be on vacation.

Before I left, people told me that this was going to be a life changing trip. I didn’t really know what they meant, but I would smile and nod. Now that I have been back for over three weeks, I can honestly say it was. I learned so much about the French culture and the Turkish culture and both of their histories in the couple weeks I was there. But I also learned some things about myself. I don’t really know how to explain it, but I feel that I have a deeper appreciation for the things in my life and a more relaxed approached to life in general. I can truly say that this was the best trip ever. Thank you so much, mom and dad, for giving us this opportunity. I don’t know how I will ever show you just how grateful I am for our trip to Europe. Spending two and a half weeks with my family, getting to see my sister, and to do it all Paris and Istanbul – Life doesn’t get much better than that!

and istanbul

Then, as hard as it was to say good bye to Paris, we were off to Istanbul...

Istanbul was UNBELIEVABLE!! I am not kidding. I had no idea what to expect, and maybe that is why I was so blown away by this city. 15 million people live in the city and it is packed. Everywhere you go there are people, no matter what time of day. I would walk down a crowded street at 5:00 pm and it was busy, then I would walk down the same street at 2:00 am and it was still just as busy. The people were so nice and they loved talking with us, especially when we would try to speak Turkish :) And the history… Istanbul’s history is incredible. To stand next to a building or a wall or a mosaic that was built thousands of years ago and try to imagine what life was like back then, is breath taking.

Again, we did everything… We went to the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Green Mosque, Ortakoy, we took a packed ferry to the Prince’s Islands, road in a horse drawn carriage around the island, spent a day on the Asian side of the city, sat by the water and drank tea, walked along the Bosphorus, tried Turkish coffee, read our fortunes in the coffee grounds, had dinner at the rooftop restaurants and drank and danced at the rooftop bars, saw the underground cistern, went on a day trip to Bursa where we spent time in an amazing little village, ate some of the very best ice cream I have ever had, baklava, turkish delight, lots of yogurt, lamb and olives, walked through the Spice Bazaar, the Grand Bazaar, Music Street, İstiklal, tried lots of new foods, had a massage, did hookah (yes, with my parents!!), played backgammon, bargained for a good deal here and there… It was all so so so much fun!! And we were so lucky to have my sister to help us with the language. Although, I think I picked it up pretty quick -- “ichi tana Efes” means “I’d like two beers” and “teşekkürler” means “thank you.” What more do you need to know?!

I hope that someday I get to go back. There is just something about this city...

I will have more pics on this website soon: http://paristanbul.tumblr.com/!!

paris, oh paris!

Well, we are back… It has taken me awhile to sort through all (1500!!!) pictures I took and I still don’t think I have looked at every single one. I’ve been taking my time and enjoying the memories that come to mind with each picture. Now that I have things somewhat organized, I will begin to share :) The thing is, I don’t even know where to begin…

Paris was amazing!! We stayed two blocks from the Eiffel Tower and every night we got to watch it twinkle. Pictures cannot do this amazing structure justice. Standing right below the Eiffel Tower is an amazing feeling – I felt so small, yet so great. I think that is where I fell in love with PARIS!! We did everything. We saw the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay (my favorite museum), Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, St. Chappelle, Sacre Coeur, walked through Montmartre, the Marais district, Shakespeare & Co., had crepes, drank wine (once out of baby bottles!!), rode the bus, the train, the metro, the open air bus, went to the Rodin museum, the Holocaust memorial, shopped, got caught in the rain, checked out the nightlife, walked Champs de Ellyse, ate some of the best sandwiches and croissants ever, bought flowers from the street vendor, took a boat down the Seine, and spent a day at Versailles… Honestly, I can’t pick one thing that was my favorite because, really, it was all just perfect!! Seeing all of these things with my family was such a wonderful experience and I am so thankful for the time we had in Paris.

I have started a website with pictures from our trip here: http://paristanbul.tumblr.com/. I have uploaded as many pictures as they will let me do in a day today and I will continue to add pictures...

the day after tomorrow

I am off to Paris and then Istanbul THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW!! I can't believe it is already here -- I am so excited!!

rita josephine donegan

My grandma passed away on Wednesday night. It is very hard and I can't really explain the way I feel -- I have never lost someone that was so special to me and that I loved so much before. But I know that she is in a good place right now. I know that she is looking down from heaven and loving us just as much as ever. I miss you, Grandma, and I will always love you... more!!

saying good bye

I went to say good bye to my grandma in North Dakota. My mom, dad and I took the long (26 hours!!) train ride back last week. It was a beautiful ride and due to all the flooding, we practically had the whole train to ourselves. We even had our own private wine and cheese tasting in the sleeper car. It was a pretty special ride and a nice way to prepare for what was ahead.

It was a trip I will hold dear to my heart forever. My grandma is living in a nursing home where they take absolutely amazing care of her. The nurses and their assistants are some of the most wonderful people I have ever met, so caring and patient, and they have such a great sense of humor, which my grandma just loves. They have a ‘happy hour’ at the nursing home and we went to listen to the music and have a glass of wine, we watched the news, talked, and learned new stories about my grandma’s amazing life. There were always visitors coming and going and the phone was always ringing. My grandma is such a social person and has so many great friends. I am so thankful for my grandma and thankful I was able to say good bye. She has lived a great life and holds a special place in so many people’s hearts.

The town that my grandparents live in is facing the worst floods they have in years. The whole time we were there, people were filling sand bags to place around their homes and businesses to protect them from the water. It was a site I have only seen on the news. I talked to some kids who had been let out of school to help fill sand bags, they were pretty scared for their families and working hard to protect everything they have.

easter

We spent Easter at Gram and Papa’s this year were had a very yummy brunch and celebrated Alec’s birthday.