225 Days Later...

The time has come for us to reflect on our journey, months in the making. 225 days, 13 countries, over 40 cities, and too many beautiful churches, remarkable works of art, delicious meals, and unbelievable sites to count, this is finally our goodbye post. 

Through this experience, we have grown so much more independent and sure of ourselves, even in the most difficult and awkward situations. Now, any challenge--from walking around a city where we don't have a map, to trying to communicate with others in a different language--can become an adventure. While there have been times when these challenges have not been "fun" adventures at the time, we realize that we have learned from each experience. From living in Rome and traveling to other countries, whose cultures are very different to our own, this year has opened our eyes to the world outside of the US, and while we considered ourselves to be "worldly" before this adventure, this year abroad really has added a whole new dimension to how we view the world and how there is still so much more to see and learn. While we will be the first to admit that not everything ran smoothly, the bumps along the way are just part of the experience. We have learned to defy stereotypes, to try to not to succumb to them, and to welcome every day in a different country as a valuable learning experience. 

We hope you have enjoyed reading our stories, marveling at the places we've been, and hearing how we've learned about ourselves and the world around us. We thank you for sticking with us until the end, and we would like to ask for your patience when we see you next as we try to verbalize our experiences and memories, for sometimes there may not be words that accurately reflect these moments. And we hope you will have the opportunity to be able (and willing) to immerse yourself in another culture, be it for a week or a year, for you will come out as a better citizen of the world, just as we have. 

From all of these adventures and memories, one thing is for certain: we have been bitten by the travel bug, and we will always be searching for the next adventure! 

Last, but Certainly Not Least, London Town

Just because we spent a lot of time on the outskirts of London or outside the city, doesn't mean that we didn't see any of one of our favorite European cities. We visited several museums such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Gallery, and the National Portrait Gallery. We also had to stop by Harrods for some afternoon tea and scones with clotted cream! One of our favorite days was spent in the borough of Westminster. We took a morning guided tour of the Houses of Parliament, or the Palace of Westminster, which was very informative. It was interesting to learn about the political system of Great Britain, and the roles of the different parties and houses. After this tour, we returned to Westminster Abbey, a place where you can always walk around in awe of the history that surrounds you. We finished up the day with a wonderful stroll through Portobello Market, which we knew from the Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts movie "Notting Hill." It was the day of the week where vendors not only sold fresh produce, street food, and crafts, but also various antique objects and jewelry. 

Waiting for our tour of the Houses of Parliament inside Westminster Hall. 

Westminster Abbey

Portobello Market

Another fun morning was spent in the land of champions, the Wimbledon Lawn and Tennis Club. It is the holy ground of tennis, and every tennis player dreams to be invited to play in this Grand Slam. Being tennis players and fans, we decided we had to return (we went to the championships in the first week in 2007) to learn about the history of the championship and to take a tour of the grounds while there weren't thousands of people in our way. We first took a very informative tour that showed us various courts, took us to the press room, and gave us behind the scenes access to places where the players go. Our favorite stop was, of course, Centre Court. We could only stay there for a few minutes because, luckily enough, "60 Minutes" was about to do an interview with John McEnroe! Trust us when we say we tried to see him, but to no avail. We also spent some time down in the museum, where we learned about both the tournament and the invention of the sport of lawn tennis. We had such a fun time taking in this indescribable and amazing place, allowing ourselves to get drawn into the history, stories, and majesty of Wimbledon. 

Centre Court!

Last year's Men's Finals with Andy Murray the Champion.

Where "60 Minutes" was going to interview John McEnroe. 

We knew one day we would make it to Centre Court!

Previous Champions for Men's and Women's Singles. 

It's time for our press conference! 

Henman Hill at Wimbledon.

Kensington Palace, one of the royal residences that is located in the city of London, was our next stop. Kensington Palace had wonderful exhibitions on Queen Victoria, the Georges, and Royal Fashion (mostly of Princess Margaret and Princess Diana). We especially enjoyed those on Queen Victoria, as we learned about her royal life as an impressive monarch as well as her personal life that was full of great tragedy. 

We also had a chance to catch up with our cousin Chris for dinner. He took us and our dad to this great gastropub in his neighborhood, where we had traditional British grub prepared with finesse. We even found the courage to try "black pudding!" (Still don't know exactly what's in it, but we don't really want to know anyways). It was fun to chat and share travel experiences with him, and the food was absolutely delicious, contrary to what people say about British food. 

On our final day in London we enjoyed the sites on the river and returned to the Tower of London, one of our favorite places in the city. The Tower has such a diverse and unique story that you always learn something new when you visit. We also love admiring the precious royal jewels, some of which have been around for centuries. It was a beautiful day, allowing us to end an amazing week in the wonderful city of London, three weeks of straight traveling throughout Europe, and close to eight months of experiencing life outside of the US. 

Day Trips Outside of London

Our final adventure consisted of us returning to one of our favorite European cities, the magnificent London. What a better way to end our year abroad than visiting the royal family, drinking large amounts of tea, and enjoying London's everlasting rain. Since we spent most of our time during our winter vacation exploring the city, we expanded our horizons and took quite a few day trips to outer London and nearby cities. One of our first day adventures was down to Portsmouth, a town on the southern coast of England, to visit the Mary Rose. The Mary Rose is the last surviving ship from King Henry VIII's fleet from the 16th century, and it was rediscovered under water in the 1970s. The museum consists of the half of the ship that was found intact, which restorers are in the middle of conserving, and an exhibit that holds all of the unique artifacts that sank with it. And when we say all of the artifacts, we mean hundreds of them! These were essential in allowing us to understand how a fleet ship operated during Henry VIII's reign. The exhibit was extremely well done, and what we saw of the Mary Rose was fascinating. Unfortunately, we couldn't stay long in Portsmouth, for we had to get back to London for a "girls night out" with a few of our friends who had studied with us. We fulfilled our dream of seeing the outstanding musical, "Les Miserables," in London, and we were not disappointed!

Portsmouth Historical Dockyard

Cannons from the Mary Rose.

The Mary Rose!

Going to see Les Mis!

Keeping with the theme of the infamous King Henry VIII, we also visited his popular residence, Hampton Court Palace. Located in the outskirts of the city next to the winding Thames, Hampton Court Palace seemed to be a gathering place for many families because of its luscious gardens and lawns which are separate to the palace. We visited the palace first, learning about Henry the VIII and all of his six wives (and, if you want to know how they turned out, just remember: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived). We walked through his estate rooms as well as the estate rooms of later Kings William and George I and II, who also lived here at one point. Our favorite part of visiting the palace was going to Henry's kitchens, which were actually in use by some cooks to demonstrate how the facility would be used in the 16th century. 

Hampton Court Palace

Cooks making blood sausage.

On a whim we decided to visit Blenheim Palace, Winston Churchill's birth place and his extended family's residence. Just outside of Oxford, we didn't really know what to expect from this palace, only that Rick Steves gave it high praise and said it was a must-see as far as palaces go. Walking onto the estate, we were surprised to see this magnificent palace, a "Versailles of England," with beautiful vast lawns, clear rivers and lake, and an abundance of colorful flowers. It was unlike any palace we had seen, and it was as though we were transported into the time of "Downton Abbey." While the palace had a few interesting exhibits on Winston Churchill as well as some beautiful estate rooms, it was the estate and gardens that made it a magical place to enjoy. It really was the Versailles of England, and we have to admit that in our opinion, the gardens and landscape here were actually much more remarkable than Versailles (granted we did see Versailles in the winter). 

The beautiful grounds of Blenheim Palace.

While in London, we had our birthday, and what better place to spend our birthday than at a castle, Windsor Castle, that is. One of Queen Elizabeth II's residences (and if we're right, her favorite), Windsor Castle is an amazing Norman style fortress estate set on a hill. Windsor was unlike other castles and palaces we have seen, for the monumental architecture exudes this air of strength and durability rather than elegance, which is contrasted with the rooms inside. We loved walking through the state rooms, learning about the tradition and history, and admiring the impressive architecture and views of the castle. After walking around the grounds and trying some Windsor Castle ice cream, we went into the town of Windsor for some lunch. After a fun day out, we returned to London for dinner with our dad and one of our friends, Jennifer, who was still in town. All in all, a great birthday! 

Windsor Castle!

Birthday Dinner!