The Epic European Excursion!

Ok, so most people know that I am pretty much the definition of Type A personality. I love to plan, be organized, yada yada yada. I cannot tell you how long I have had the dream of backpacking Europe. I am now even MORE excited that I was when I first got the idea because of how my passion for food has evolved and we all know how fabulous the food is in Europe! :) :)

This is the trip of a lifetime. I plan on taking many trips of a lifetime but for now, I am focusing on this trip. I have been consumed with researching, trying to get the best deal for accommodations/transportation, figuring out where to go, when to go, how much money to save, HOW to save that much money-HA! The cool thing about it is, is how much I LOVE the planning involved too. I actually enjoy doing all of these things-why you ask? Well, I guess because I love to learn and this is kind of like a class for me, no I don't get a grade at the end of the semester but it is a challenge to see if I can put together the trip that I want to have.

I get to create our trip!

I get to pump myself up for these foreign places that I dream about, and I begin to imagine the foods I will taste and the wine I will drink and it makes the trip that much more fulfilling. I like to be prepared, I know, I know, spontaneity is the key to a trip but at the same time, I want to be prepared so that when disaster occurs (and I know it will) I can problem solve and not waste our precious vacation time trying to figure it out. I am well aware that everything will not go as I planned, I expect it not too. But being the Type A person that I am, the less things I have to stress about before the trip, the more enjoyable my trip is.

I cannot wait to spend time discovering new places with the two people that I cannot live without-Joe and Claire. Just being together with both of them makes me more content that I could ever describe in words. Sappy I know but so true. This is what I live for-being able to take five weeks and spend them with the people that I love the most. I mean really, isn't that the true meaning of life? My heart beats faster just thinking of the adventure we are about to embark on. This is what traveling does for me, this is why I get the itch every few weeks to go someplace different. It is not because I don't love "home" or Salt Lake City but because I feel alive when I am challenged in a new place.

Humans are such creatures of comfort and while I love being in my comfort zone, I also love seeing the world through different viewpoints, different perspectives shall we say. I mean really, let's be honest.....who DOESN'T love people watching! Seriously, I find it fascinating. Traveling allows me to people watch and experience a culture and a lifestyle so different than mine. It is a damn big world out there and it is BEAUTIFUL. I found this quote the other night and I think it sums up my perspective perfectly, probably because I love reading and traveling and it just seems to fit!


"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." ~St. Augustine


Ok, now that I have rambled on for awhile, let's get to the true meaning of this post-

The Itinerary!

I know you are all shaking with anticipation. This has been a few months in the making and could still change slightly but for the most part is concrete. I can't wait to share our journey with you and this itinerary is just a taste of what's to come in May and June! Enjoy!


Tentative Europe Itinerary

May 12: Depart from SLC to CDG (Paris)
May 13: Arrive in Paris mid-morning; take night train to Barcelona
May 14: Barcelona
May 15: Barcelona
May 16: Arrive in Madrid in AM go to Avila
May 17: Avila, Spain (stay with Cory Richardson)
May 18: Avila, Spain
May 19: Avila, Spain
May 20: AM train back to Madrid (visit with Brady Richards)
May 21: Madrid
May 22: Madrid, Spain (UEFA FINALS-IF we got tickets-PRAY that we do)
May 23: Early afternoon plane from Madrid to Lyon, take train to Aix
May 24: Aix, France (FINALLY be reunited with Claire after 6 LONG months)
May 25: Aix, France
May 26: AM train to Paris, stop back in Lyon (A foodie's paradise)
May 27: Paris, France (day trip to Versailles)
May 28: Paris, France (The Louvre, Eiffel tower)
May 29: Paris, France
May 30: AM train to Brussels, Belgium
May 31: Brussels, Belgium
June 1: Brussels, Belgium (day trip to Bruges?)
June 2: AM train to Amsterdam, Netherlands (2 hours) (meet back up with Claire)
June 3: Amsterdam, Netherlands
June 4: Amsterdam, Netherlands (train to Paris (3hrs) night train from Paris to Venice
(13 hrs)
June 5: Venice, Italy (meet up with Max)(Grace's 24th Birthday!!! I know, be jealous that I will be in Venice :) :) :) )
June 6: Venice, Italy
June 7: Venice, Italy
June 8: Drive with Max and Claire to Rome, Italy (6 hrs from Venice)
June 9: Rome, Italy
June 10: Rome, Italy
June 11: Drive with Max and Claire to Florence, Italy (3 hrs from Rome)
June 12: Florence, Italy (day trip to Tuscany/Siena)
June 13: Florence, Italy (Max and Claire leave us ☹)
June 14: Florence, Italy Day trip to Modena (home of excellent Balsamic) and Parma (home of Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto)
June 15: AM train to Cinque Terre,Italy
June 16: Cinque Terre, Italy
June 17: Cinque Terre, Italy
June 18: Mid-day train to Aix, France
June 19: Mid-day/ late afternoon train to Paris, France from Aix (3 hrs on TGV train)
June 20: Depart Paris in AM


More details to come.....

I guess what I want to leave you with tonight is the motivation that ANYONE can take these types of trips. Think to the movie Ratatouille-"Anyone Can Cook!" This is my motto for traveling. I always hear people say they wish they had taken more time to travel or with they traveled more-MAKE the time.

You CAN do this thing, you just have to commit to it. YES, it is A LOT of money, YES you have to sacrifice things and most importantly YES, it is scary to leave a job and not know what the next step is. But dammit, life is too short to "wish" you had taken a trip. It doesn't have to be five weeks long or even a week long. Make the time, SAVE the money, and BELIEVE in the trip. It is always possible.

-Grace Elizabeth

The Collaboration

Nothing says comfort to me like grilled cheese.....or any type of melty ooey gooey cheesy goodness in sandwich form.

Joe and I did not have much time for dinner as we were meeting Josh and Alexandra later on to see Crazy Heart so I called from work to tell him to make some home fries with the one potato we had in the house. I on the other hand, was in charge of the tuna melt.

I am particularly fond of the Double Cream Gouda, a perfect melting cheese with a lovely creaminess to it that makes my mouth water just thinking about it. I also picked up some cornichons, fabulous little guys that pack a punch and look like mini-pickles, they are a favorite snack of ours. We decided we liked the sourness of the cornichons better than celery in the tuna salad, even though celery gives more of a crunch. We figured that if you grill the melts right, the bread will give you the texture crunch you are looking for.

Anyways, a hot grill pan and dash of salt and pepper later we were enjoying our tuna melts and home fries and we decided that we make a pretty damn good team in more ways than one, but especially on the home fry/sandwich front!

Bon Appetit!

and it all begins....

After months of wanting to start a blog, I have finally created Toes in the Water and with posting my first entry, committed to the fact that I may never have a movie made about me like Julie and Julia, or have anyone other than my loved ones read this but at least I finally have a space to share my adventures. Life thus far has been filled with many unforgettable moments, sometimes fabulous and sometimes so sad that my heart aches just to begin to remember. Even at 23, I have learned so much about myself and with each event that has happened, another piece of me is shaped and created, much like the volcanic lava that spills out into the ocean even at this very moment creating new Earth.

I can't guarantee to be as imaginative or enchanting as J.K. Rowling or the characters in her novels, (I could only dream) but I can guarantee to write it as it is and hopefully leave you with the emotions that I feel as I type each word. Life is raw and I plan on feeling every emotion it brings me, even when it hurts. I say this only because I have learned the hard way that the hurt allows you to remember what you were afraid you would forget as time slips past.

"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do."
Eleanor Roosevelt

A toast to a new adventure and to the ones I'll never forget :)

-Grace Elizabeth

Toes-Zac Brown Band
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21OfqlL_hyE