Barcelona, the city of Gaudi and sweeping boulevards, teeming with the passion of Catalunya! They say "Mas que un club" to describe their futbol team, I would say Mas que un ciudad about their city! Having a great tour guide, Mary took me around the major sights of the city and I was amazed at its uniqueness, even being a big city as it is. The architecture is what really jumps out at you, with Gaudi's popular art nouveau style around every corner. Our days were spent touring his masterpieces and also included trips to the port and La Boqaria, the best open air market I have been to, such an invigorating local gastronomic scene! As I write this, I am sitting in a hotel room, just down the road from Barcelona airport! It is bittersweet as I come home tomorrow, but I must admit, this trip has exceeded my every expectation. I would not change much at all about my itenerary, and while I have so many things to see still (and see again!) I am very happy with where I stand so far! I have learned more about myself and the world around me in these seven weeks than I had in years, and this was all while visiting some of the most amazing places in the world! I hope that everyone who is still reading up until now has enjoyed the blog, as I have, and I actually promise some pictures once I get home to real Internet! I may throw in a couple more updates, but as of now, I'm not expecting to do much more with this for at least a little bit, I may tinker with it though! I am so blessed to have had this opportunity, and as I sign off this last time, I wanted to thank my parents and grandparents for there help with this trip! Always in Him, Freddie

Well, surprise surprise, I'm in Oia, on the island of Santorini! This was truly a last minute decision, and even I am amazed to have made it here! After making it through bogus flight reservations and lost baggage, I finally made it to Athens with Mary, spent an afternoon and evening at the Acropolis and surrounding sights, then flew into Santorini! The hectic travel stress quickly abated, and we found ourselves in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Unmistakably Greek, Santorini is an island of fava beans, vineyards, and cliff side towns so white that sunglasses are a must! The mix of white houses with the blue domes' of the churches make for quite a sight, especiallyOptional background of sea and distant islands. We have thoroughly enjoyed the visit here, and I think that of my trip, the Greeks seem the most charming and kind, not in a touristy "nice for your money" way, but genuinely excited to share the culture! Also, the food is tops, with fresh ingredients that are left to speak for themselves, accompanied by olive oil and fresh bread! From here we go back to Athens for one night, then back to Spain, where I will spend my last few days before flying home on the 7th! It's crazy to almost be at the end of an adventure I had been dreaming of and planning for many years, but when Mary asked me things I would change to try to improve, the list was short, and when she asked three places I think are necessary for all to see, I struggled to narrow down my list... That's the sign of a successful trip in my book! Signing off from paradise, hopefully to actually put some pictures up tomorrow!

What a difference a week makes. Well, I am currently in Granada, Spain, and just saw what is widely considered to be the 8th wonder of the world, La Alhambra! It was absolutely amazing, something so completely unique compared to the other things I have seen on this trip. Built by the Moors who controlled Granada until its fall back in 1492, it is distinctly Arabic, housing the palaces of the Sultan. To sum it up, it's gardens are a more beautiful version of Versailles, with tropical influence, it's palaces are more regal than the Roman palaces, and it's view is of Granada on one side and the Sierra Nevadas on the other. Oh, and it is said to have the most beautiful sunset in the world, to which I can attest! Yesterday I spent wandering Granada, seeing the Cathedral and the older neighborhoods which go up on the hillside, and are actually built into the hill, then enjoyed a sunset stroll around La Alhambra, taking in the gorgeous colors it produced. I am actually about to head off to Sevilla in a bit, and will hopefully get to see a bull fight tomorrow night! The past week has been a whirlwind, which is why I did not post for a while. After Nice, I headed to Marseille for a day, and then took a surprise flight to Ibiza, not a surprise for me per se but for one Mary DiGeronimo. Needless to say, your boyfriend showing up on a random spanish island and then hiding in the shadows of your hotel are unexpected, so when I jumped out to surprise her, I'm not sure whether the shaking was more from excitement or fear, ha! We had a lot of fun down there, and the group that was with Mary from her Barcelona LSA was great. After leaving Ibiza I flew to southern Spain, into Malaga, know best for two of its own creations, Pablo Picasso and Antonio Banderas! I took a great tour of the city, which had some nice sights and a beautiful beach, and was able to see the apartment where Picasso was born, which has since been converted into a museum with many of his works, really neat to see. Also having originally been Moorish until its fall in 1487, Malaga was an interesting melding of many cultures, Roman ruins built on top of Phoenecian and Carthiginian roads, next to a church that once was a mosque, it could get confusing! The city was great, and it was also a very nice introduction to my two new Spanish loves, Tapas and hot chocolate con churros! Well, I must be going to the train station soon, promise some more updates, it's crazy to think but I only have about 2 weeks left on my trip, it's already been a little more than 5 weeks! The schedule from here on out is Sevilla for two nights, then Madrid for three nights, with a day in Toledo, then a few days in San Sebastian, and finally, finishing it up in Barcelona, before my flight back to the US. Hope everyone is doing well, hoping to post some pictures tonight maybe!

Whew, it's been a while! well, I'm now in Nice, France, and my last post was from my first day in Florence. Since then I have seen all of Florence, San Giugliano, Pisa, Cinque Terre and most of Nice, all connected by some beautiful train rides in between!

For starters, my mom and I toured through Florence, and for me the highlights were definitely Michelangelo's David, Brunelleshi's Il Duomo, the beautiful streets of Florence, and the food, which was fantastic. Florence was the birthplace of gelato and some pretty important people, but more importantly, gelato. My mom and I tried it all, and were even lucky enough to eat at the world's best gelateria. It and the other Florentine gastro offerings were great, and we navigated the restaurant scene like locals, thanks to Rick Steves!

Day trips to San Giugliano and Pisa were great, giving us a taste of Tuscany and a chance to see the leaning tower of Pisa. The lkeaning tower, well it really leans, I mean, stare at it too long and get dizzy kind of leaning. I expected a slight tilt, no no no, we are talking 12 foot difference at the base.

But, I think our favorite part of my mom's visit had to be the Cinque Terre, more specifically Monterrosso. Thanks to my dad we had a sweet hotel room with a million dollar view, looking out over the town and the Mediterranean. Our first night we ate at a restaurant on the water, and were excited to get some seafood. We had a sampler of all kinds of grilled seafood, and got some fresh pesto pasta, which was first made along those shores. The next day we went on a hike to Vernazza which ran right along the coast, with some elevation gains. it was beautiful, with the surrounding land either left natural or used as vineyards and lemon orchards. We actually made a slight detour to get some fresh squeezed lemonade, fresh as in she was picking them from her tree (at least I hope they were her trees). The hike was beautiful, and pictures hopefully will get posted soon. Vernazza was a typical Italian coastal town, situated on its own small harbor. after catching the train back we explored Monterrosso and had yet another great dinner. The next day though, was the crowning glory in terms of weather, 70 and sunny, my mom and I took a short hike up to an old church and cemetary with great views, and then laid out on benches by the beach. Our final meal was possibly the best thing I have ever tasted, a pesto sauce with tomatoes and broccoli, and a heart helping of frsh mussels! It was amazing, and I hope to try making it once up at school.

My mom and I split up in Genoa, and I headed on to Nice, making it to my hostel right before check in closed. The hostel is great though, giving a tour of the old town this morning for free, after which I wandered around, getting some great views of the Cote du Azul.

Well that has been my life in a nutshell, definitely won't go that long without a post again, sorry this one got so lengthy! I hope everyone is doing well, on to Marseilles tomorrow for a few days!

In Firenze... With my mom! She made it safely over here and we are about to go see Michealangelo's David! Had a nice morning run today, got to see a lot of the city and then went and checked out the Medici family chapel and tombs. Having studied the family back at NA, it was really cooktop see all of there artifacts and art that they commissioned. Might have been power hungry and tyrannical, but they sure did appreciate art, which is great for us! Looking forward to some more time in this cultural and political hub of the Renaissance before heading into Tuscany and the Cinque Terre!

Last night in Roma! Heading out tomorrow morning to Florence, where I will meet up with my Mom the next day, excited to spend some time with her! Got to see the most well know sights of Rome the past two days, covering the Ancient district (Roman Forum, Palantine Hill, and the Colosseum) and today saw the Vatican, including the museum, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica! The Vatican was remarkable, and the Basilica especially so. I was impressed by the grand art, but mostly by the awe inspiring architecture built as a house for worship. While amazed, I did wonder if the work was all for God's glory or more for glory in itself, and could see that it could be easy to get caught up in the beauty of the place and forget about its true purpose. I was also amazed at the Sistine Chapel, and spent over 30 minutes just craning my neck in every direction, trying to take it all in, which is impossible. In terms of the Ancient Rome tour, I was so impressed by the history of Rome, and it was cool to see things that I had studied in Latin books back in Middle School. On top of all of that, I had some great food, and arguable the best gelato I've had yet! Looking to actually post some pictures tonight, both on Twitter and Facebook. A mash up of all over!