My Trip in Review

European Observations:
Ireland
•mayo and lots of it on everything
•brown sauce hah
•cheers!
•"way out" instead of exit

UK
•vinegar for your fries
•"Mind the Gap"
•HP sauce (?)

Amsterdam
•millions of bikes everywhere
•excellent waffles
•nearly impossible to find garbage cans

Paris
•French music videos are very different (Simple Plan is #2 on their top hits...)
•the police walk around with semiautomatic weapons
•hot dogs here are orange and strange..

Italy
•anything goes at the beach
•the market in Florence is awesome

Things I've learned on my journey:
-Book your trains ahead of time unless you want to pay out the waz for a crappy train!
-Make sure you have a place to stay every night because sleeping in the train station is not ideal and it's not likely you'll meet awesome people who will take you into the "nicest flat you've ever seen".
-Get tickets ahead of time for major touristy spots.
-Irish people are some of the nicest people I've ever met. If I had the option I'd probably move there.
-If I can find my way around public transit systems, even in foreign languages, anyone can.
-If you are on time, most likely the plane, bus, or train will be delayed. If you are delayed, everything will be running on schedule. It's just the way it works.
-There are so many Australians in Europe and so many Asians in Paris.
-Pictures are my favorite souvenirs.
-Pub crawls are great places to make amazing friends.
-I prefer hostels to hotels hands down.
-Don't pack blow dryers/straightners. They won't work and just take up space.
-It has been really nice not to have a cellphone on me for a month.
-It's amazing how many things you take for granted that we consider normal in the states. There are things we just get for free and that's just not the case here like using the bathroom, ordering water at a restaurant, getting a bag for your groceries, refills, getting a table at a restaurant, breakfast at hotels etc.
-Free wifi Internet is a blessing.
-Wine is cheaper than water at most places.
-Waiters are in no hurry to bring you your check.
-There is no such thing as ranch dressing here. It's been quite rough on me.
-Australians don't drink Fosters even though it's Australian for beer...who knew?
-I enjoy it when people find my accent interesting.
-Smithwicks is delicious!
-It's perfectly okay to run around Ireland screaming barnacles at the top of your lungs at 4 in the morning.
-I will now answer to the name Alison or Josephine. Either will do.
-It may be necessary to take a week off drinking in London.
-My flip cam is probably the best thing I brought on this trip.
-Try new things, you will most likely never see these people again.
-I feel like everything here has a tie to Harry Potter.
-Don't dance in Scotland. It's not worth your time.
-My brita water bottle has saved me hundreds of dollars and probably my life.
-Hampton Court is a must see.
-Once you join a hippie commune it's hard to leave it.
-Drinking wine under the Eiffel tower at night was one of my favorite memories.
-People will lick your face and give you no warning...yea.
-This trip has solidified my belief in that things will always work themselves out.
-Traveling around Europe has made me want to explore the US more than I have.
-On this trip I have rode on a plane, train, subway, bus, taxi, water bus, ferry, Chunnel, car, and mechanical bull.
-Apparently "Amazeballs" is an appropriate ad campaign in Ireland.
-The ducks here rule! Hah
-My favorite part of Rome was the amount of Kooks that they played. Rome loves The Kooks.
-Eat gnocchi in Italy. It is phenomenal.
-You will see the strangest things people watching especially at foreign beaches.
-European Fanta > Our Fanta
-I don't understand why Americans have such a bad rep. I'm proud to be where I'm from.
-In some places, one ice cube should do the trick... If that.
-Italian markets are amazing.
-5 shots for €5 is a great deal but not a good idea.
-Trip was way worth it. I have stories for a lifetime :)