hello from Germany

hello this is krissy here and Wow i cant believe we have already spent three full days here in germany. it has been such an amazing time. munich was beyond anything i can describe and it felt like every corner we turned there was more history to experience. the first day we hoooked up with our friend zach who has been living there and showed us around all afternoon. we went to the english gardens which were so quaint and beautiful and went to hofbrauhaus for lunch and we all drank beers and ate sausages. i found my drink here in germany, it goes by the name of the radler...half beer...half lemonade...so it tastes like soda. the men make fun of it but it tastes good and that is all that matters right? we went to dauchau the next day and it was really moving and unforgetable to witness the places where such terror was experienced by the masses. it broke us all. and there was a cloud that will always hang with us because of it. it is hard to put in words how much anger and grief is infused in every blade of grass at the death camp. it was a good and healthy experience to have but is definatly not one i would like to experience again. that night we got the opportunity to go to the 100th year anniversary of the audi cup in munich and wathced munich take the win against manchester united! it was incredible we wentin a hot air balloon over berlin today and are off to stefs and cant wait. thats all for now, love kris

When in Rome...feed the cats and book a hotel.

Hi! This is Kevin, Krissy and Kyle and we are sitting in a hot internet cafe in Rome and wanted to post a little update about our travels here. Rome has been RELAXING and HOT. Siesta for us is 24-7 ...the heat has shocked us into exhaughstion. When we first arrived to Rome we treked our way from the train station to our hostel where we found a sign explaining the building was not stable or fit for any occupants...SO...we called the amazing brent baber who of course already had another hostel booked and ready for us with directions and recomendations for clubs and restraunts! When we arrived at our hostel we were greeted by the deafening boom boom boom of loud house music that pulsated througout the lime green hallway...instead of booking a hostel we seemed to have booked a club with beds. they explained there was a cocktail party that night and the liqour would be flowing and endless. However, we were tired and hot and just wanted some good food. After explaining our needs for ANYTHING BUT PIZZA OR PASTA we stumbled across two chinease restraunts that were side by side fighting for our service. i think we made the right choice when were served a three course meal plus drink for 6.50. That night we strolled by the coloseum and went to the beautiful trevi fountain and spanish steps and then headed home. When we got to the hostel kyle, brent, shannon and lindsay were greeted with a hot steamy excuse for a room only to find four people boning in the room in the bed right next to kyle and brents...so they waited in the lobey only to hear the sounds of vomiting in the nearby bathroom. EW. When the group decided that the coast was clear kyle bent down to get in bed only to be met by a nasty sweaty, panting naked man in his sheets that kyle had laid out earlier in the day. When kyle askd the discusting guy to move he only reached under his soping boxers and pulled out kyles sheet and said a little, sorry man, and went back to bed. so....kyle had to sleep on the top bunk with brent all night long and tried to fall asleep as he balanced his body on the edge of the bunk and brents legs. so...we quickly decided a 4 star hotel was necessary to mend our broken hostel spirits. so we split two rooms and have never been hapier until kevin spilt mozzerella cheese everywhere and now it smells like moldy fermented milk. but we still love him...since then we have been doing nothing while still seeing a lot. we went to the vadican, the coloseum, the trevi fountain, the sisteen chapel, the spanish steps, the palatine, and some awesome authentic italian restraunts and HARRY POTTER IN ENGLISH, a very much needed taste of home. This morning we all woke up early to share our last pastery and coffee with the beloved brent before he caught his plane to England. This is not only a sign that this trip is coming to a near end but also that we have grown extremely attatched and feel so blessed with wonderful friends we have grown so close to on this trip. We will never forget this summer. Today we are going to the cat sanctuary where we will feed strey cats 57 cent cat food and to the park near the medici mansion to relax in the shade. Three more days in Italy and then off to Germany and to Maine for meggie and home for the others. We love you and miss you very much. love, krissy, kevin and kyle

I, unlike every other person on this trip, do not have the gift of writing therefore, I will leave the descriptions to them and simply leave it at...This trip has been unexplainably amazing and I feel truly blessed to be apart of it.

Also, I want to give a shout out to my boy Jacob, I heard you wanted the address to our blog so you could keep up with our trip. Today we are heading out to Rome for a week and we are going to see the Vatican, the Colosseum, and tons of other places. I will keep you updated. I love you and miss you man! I hope your having a good summer break. say hi to aunt laura and uncle jeff for me.

Tuscany

WOW...all i can say is wow and sigh with a content and unexplainably perfect love for the experiences i have been blessed with the past few days. first of all, spending time with this group has been amazing and seeing kayleigh leave was heart breaking. she is just as loved by each and everyone of us as she explains loving us. I think we all shed some tears over her leaving and her incredibly kind words. The point is is that i know there is a reason she came on this trip and i feel so greatful for being able to spend so much time with her and watching her make instant friends.
as for siena...we got here two days ago and have all fallen in love with this city and tuscany in general.
the first day: when we arrived we stepped off the bus into a refreshingly breezy and cool place...at least cool compared to florence where we just about melted completely. on our bus ride here we drove into rolling vinyards and fields of flowers and became more and more giddy. we immediatly threw our stuff down at the hostel and went to see about riding vespas. it didnt work out because 1. the guy didnt speak any english. 2. there werent enough for us to all ride and 3. it was just plain complicated. ... after we left sneaky little meggie and kyle went back and rented kevin and i vespas for the next day as a suprise and a way for us to celebrate our anniversary! it was such a rediculious and fantastic suprise. later we all went in search of some wine and a sunset to watch and wandered looking for a hill and we ended up walking to the top of an old stone fort and say a panaramic that honestly left me speechless. i wish i could explain how beautiful. rolling hills of vinyards, old midevil cities, sunflower fields and an orange gelato sun set over the hills. it was truely perfect. we played mafia on top of this fort and then went to birthday dinner for brent at this family owned italian restraunt where the pasta was handmade and the sauce was fresh. we drank wine and talked and laughed and brents friend sarah and i bonded over studying creative writing and i drooled over the book she is writing. it made me want to write. after dinner we wandered into the plaza in the center of siena where a choire from london was singing in the big church at the bottom. we sat and listened and the choire sang brent happy birthday!!!!! we finished up mafia in the plaza and walked our tired legs to bed knowing that the next day was going to be a big one.
the second day: kev and i woke up early and picked up our vespa and decided to head toward san gignano. kevin was such a pro and was so natural at riding. it was so much fun! we just started following the signs that lead us through twisty turny old italian roads that wound through fields of sunflowers and past vinyards that stretched for miles. it was so romantice i am not going to lie. i heald on tight as we putted up hills and sped down turns on the country roads. we traveled to sanrimigiori where a castle sits on the hill and we went inside and ate croisants and drank espresso together and breathed in the beautiful view of vast tuscan hillls below. we continued on to san gignano and went wine tasting and looked in adorable stores and traveled to vinyards where the views were just perfect. today we are headed back to florence and have truely fallen in love with tuscany. love, krissy

p.s- sorry that the end of my blog is funk. I didn't proof read...sorry madre :/

Hey everbody,
Kayleigh here again, here to update you on our travels but this time a tang more sorrrowful than last time. Today's my last day with the group so I'm feeling a bit mushy, but in the words of the infamous Kyle Moore, "don't think I'm soft" :).
This blog entry's purpose isn't to describe a beautiful place or an archeological sight that moved us all; it's purpose is moreso to describe the intense bond that 10 strangers have stumbled upon and I'm sure has moved us more than any painting or building. I think in order to understand how absolutely, incredibly, and amazingly deep this bond is, you have to understand a little fact about yours truly: I am not by any standard an overly emotional person, and the dire need to express my absolute love for a group of 10 people (and I mean every single one of them) has truthfully never happened. But honestly, this just goes to show how mind-blowingly amazing these people are. I am so grateful/lucky to have had the opportunity to travel with such genuinely kind, intelectual, motivated, strong, and most of all loving and accepting individuals. They are hands down 10 of the best people I have ever met and I am positive that I will whole-heartedly miss the Utopia that is this group.
Not once did we ever have a fight or any sort of conflict worth feeling any tension over, and instead of whispering about eachother behind our backs (which happens in so many other groups) we would at some point in one of our intense conversations each day go around and share what we loved and admired about eachother. For me, this contradicted every group setting I have ever been in, where the competition to be the limelight and to intimidate and one-up eachother with our selfishness is a constant presence. This group did the opposite completely. Our main focus was always to enable, encourage, and love eachother, and that to me is one of the most beautiful things mankind can experience. To put our defenses aside, even in a group of strangers where vulnerability is at it's peak, and simply open-heartedly love and appreciate eachother is unheard of. I am so lucky to have experienced this type of human bond. The connection the 10 of us shared was a spiritual one, deeper than any graspable concept that my fingers can type for human understanding. But I do know that it exists in all of us; flowing through our veins and pumping through our hearts. We have come to Europe as blocks of wood, eager to be molded by the experiences and people that we met, and I feel that we have all become art simply by the ungraspably intense bond that we share. I have experienced a miracle that exist is tangible friendships and will continue living in the intense love that I have for these people. I love you all so much and thank you for welcoming me into your friendship. I love you all and thanks for showing me the best two weeks of my life. :)
Lots of love,
Kayleigh

Shannon, how are you? "oh, you know, Im in Italy.." :)

Wow! What an adventure!! So first of all, this is Shannon Davis, writing to you from Cinque Terre Italy...I joined this fine group of people in London England on June 29th and have been living it up ever since i hit the streets! London was soo cool! first of all, that's where New York stemmed from, thats basically our founding fathers brotha..jk but seriously the streets are so cleen and tidy and the tube is in perfect working order, so easy to navigate and easy to follow. everyone is so nice and proper and respectful! the announcer people go"mind the gap" and "oh sorry bout that" in their little accents its so cute! there is surveillance everywhere so you feel safe and secure, and its just cool that they have a queen still. and guards! One day Alex and I took a stroll through the park on the way to Buckingham palace, and we got ice cream cones, it was adorable. Another day we went on a romantic dinner date in Notting Hill and went vintage shopping together:) soo fun!
Next was Paris by the 1st of the month we spent our days exploring farmers markets and walking the streets and seeing the famous sites! In the evening we drank wine and ate brie cheese and bread, it was HEAVEN! we did so much every day..walked so much our legs literally shook at the end of the day! we saw notre dame and the Eiffel tower and drank espresso, drank wine all day on the streets straight from the bottle even, I learned some french by chatting spanglish with a man on a park bench named michelle. So cool! one day, Alex and i slow danced in a fountain in front of the louve museum, then we all got gelato and sandwiches! Oh MY Gosh! shopping in Paris was to die for! i got some of the hottest pieces and the most unique amazing shoes ever! A few espressos later, another trip to the Eiffel tower at night, a bottle of wine and some cheese and that brought our Paris experience to a conclusion!
Off to southern France to Nice and Monaco! WOW what magic that first evening in Nice was! holy mother of all things beautiful....a swim in the Mediterranean Sea in the moonlight with my boyfriend and all our friends was the most magical thing i have ever experienced in my whole life! so the day before at midnight we were standing ON the Eiffel tower, ringing in the same day we traveled across France to the Mediterranean Sea to swim in the moonlight! How many perfect evenings are we allowed to enjoy!!! One day we spent just sifting through the perfect small stone sand searching for fragments of sea glass. natures way to recycle! I can hardly take it! some things are almost too good to be true! two days of beachin it and were off to a new hostel!
Still in Nice but farther away and higher up we travel to a beautiful hostel with free Internet and cheap phone calls. fun lights and free breakfast. sooo cool! a day trip to the white sand beaches of Monaco and were off to Italy!
WOAH Italy! holy begessuzes! ive never seen anything so magnificent as the rolling hills of Italy. the adorable language and the gorgeous buildings, the laundry being hung out to dry, gosh i can hardly take it! were near La Spezia and Cinque Terre which are both to die for. at the train station of La Spezia, with in the first 30 min of being in Italy, Alex and I found the most amazing affordable boutique in all of Italy and went on a shopping spree! soo fun. we found our hostel on the top of a hill surrounded by dense vegetation and over looking all of Italy. we take to bus into the city to shop or another to the coast of cinque terre to hike and explore the coastline. we drink wine and beer and soak up the sun. we are all so happy and feel so blessed. the group is amazing and we all blend so so so well it is incredable! I cant wait to explore more! we are here for 5 nights and then we move on to venice florence and Rome!!!!! wow oh ps today was girls day and so the boys slept in and the girls woke up at 8 to take the bus to Cinque Terre then the train to La spezia, we got espresso and bread then shopped for hours. we got some more espresso and sandwiches with fresh mozzerella and tomatoes, then headed back to the hostel. the boys still aren't back and we just explored the town and ate pesto pasta and now here i am, writing to you with tiled roofed homes in tones of pink and yellow, with tree tops in the background for as far as the eye can see. awwwww bliss. sometimes i wonder if its selfish to be this happy!?

day two and three in paradise

Hello everyone this is Krissy and i am in love!!! In love with my friends, with my boyfriend, and with Italy. I feel like cities are similar to people, with tempraments and talents, beauty and sores, and Italy and I have become friends. It inspires me to write and breathe deeply and eat more than any place i have ever been before. Finally it is socially acceptable to be loud and abnoxious and scream when we feel fitting. As Kayleigh said before, this place is BEAUTIFUL! it is paradise with shudders and faccocia bread. I have fallen head over heals. Yesterday we caught a bus to the first city in Cinque Terre called Riomaggiore. It is so beautiful it cant be put into words. old men pulled there creaky boats in from the ocean as the waves crashed on the cliff sides and the golden yellow buildings sparkled against the morning sunlight. Kevin and I had a morning date and explored the old steps that lead to hill sides and back doors that opened to fenced in paths that took us along the ocean side. It was the most fun i have ever had getting lost. I ate some delicious pizza and kevin indulged in some sort of fishy pasta which he had been craving since this trip began. we climbed so many steps and walked past old churches that lead to a bench that overlooked the ocean and we felt an overwhelming love for God, for the moment we were so blessed to be sharing, for the water and waves, for this tiny and perfect city and for our friends and each other. We ate our food and climbed down paths to get closer to the water and explored the other half of the town until we met up with the rest of our group in the afternoon. we then all walked down the cliff side path to the next town and got some refreshing drinks at a cliff side bar. It was perfect. Bryant sipped his beer while us girls tried lemoncinno for the first time...not so good as it looks in under the tuscan sun...haha. we sat and talked until our skin was red from the sun and our legs had rested. we ventured on to the next town, only a short 20 min. walk from the first and had to leave megs whose foot is officially BRUISED or BROKEN...she went back to rest and relax. the next city was beautiful and is what came up when we had originally googled images of cinque terre months ago. it was so gorgeus. italian old women sun bathed next the rocks and speedoed men walked confidently to grab some ice cream. Italian men are a different breed. wearing purple tight shirts and whispering dirty things under there wine breath is just an everyday thing to them...but to us...it is italy. haha. we then went back and met meggie who was hurting pretty bad but had gotten a chance to rest a little and we went to find food in our tiny italian town. we went to the one restraunt open and ate until we couldnt fit anymore. it was perfect. family dinners have become an essential part of our group and we have so much fun spending time together as one at the end of the day. Reflecting together on the experiences we are so blessed to have and laughing and joking about alexs Euro trash clothes has become one of my favorite things about this trip. last night alex walked out wearing J LO sunglasses, a pink TIGHT shirt with zippers on the sleeves that opened up to black and white stripes which extended down his sides....and dress shoes...god help him. Poor thing didnt get a break for hours for the shirt while shannon sat smiling because she was who made him purchase the euro trash fabric that it was. it was perfect. today we had girls and guys day and us women went shopping for hours...the damage just for me...two dresses, a shirt, shorts, two espresso shots later...it was all that a girls day needs. I am so happy to be here and love this place so much. I think the rest of today will be spent hiking and relaxing and enjoying one another. That is all for now and I will talk to you soon. P.S. Mom and Sarah YOU HAVE TO COME HERE!!!!!!

Cinque Terre!

Hi everyone!
Hi! This is Kayleigh Sharp, the new add on to the trip as of Paris, here to inform you that everyone is indeed alive and well. We arrived in beautiful Cinque Terre yesterday afternoon after an interesting array of confusing train rides and all of us watching in horror/laughing as we rolled away on the train and watched Brent Baber chase us down the platform. But not to worry, as I said we are all alive and well, and this includes Mr. Baber :).
So far, I think we can all agree that Italy has proved to be one of the most beautiful destinations. Small grapefruit-colored houses trimmed with worn out turquoise window shutters paint the mountain side, and the lush green trees seem to swallow the villages as to keep them discreet and well preserved. All the details seem to work together-- whether it be a simple window with old shutters, a small backyard vineyard, or an old cobble stone street-- to make Cinque Terre a masterpiece. There is the constant sound of loud Italian bicker and conversation which sounds just like music to our foreign ears and adds more to the Italian-esque feel that this amazing place holds.
Our first night in Cinque Terre we arrived at our quaint hostel overlooking a small village, put down our incredibly heavy bags, and followed our noses and hungry bellies to an amazing pizzeria just a two minute walk from our hostel. There we put our struggling mix of Italian and Spanish to the test (Spitalian??) and were more than pleased with our efforts when steaming hot plates of pizza, calzone, homemade pesto, anchovies, and pasta all came out on steaming plates just for us. As the wine and conversation flowed about how lucky we were, we all stopped mid-sentence to enjoy the sound of a random Italian man performing an Oprah concert for us unknowingly in his shower.
Afterwards, we decided it was quite necessary that we experience the italian culture to the fullest and get ourselves some gelato and espresso. We felt that by not having an amazing Italian dessert we would be limiting ourselves in our indulgence in the Italian culture, so we paid our wonderfully cheap bill which was a relief on our student budgets, and set out on our quest for some flavorful, yummy goodness :). We stumbled across our Italian-gelato-tour-guides when we ran into a loud bunch of Italy's gelato-consuming youth. Lets just say they were more than helpful and I'm pretty sure the small village had never experienced such a riot... The kids (about 8 I'd say) were going insane, yelling at us where the gelato was and exploding into uncontrollable fits of laughter as we all stood there, Americans and Italianos, completely lost in translation. The good thing was that eventually, with the help of our staggering 'Spitalian' and their exaggerated Italian body language, found the gelato and left feeling extremely cultured and satisfied.
So that's it for now! Ciao!
xxx
-Kayleigh