STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

Well, here I am in Stockholm, Sweden and yes it is cooooooooooooooooooooold and snowy but overall it is a beautiful city. I have walked and walked and walked lots around the city to see all of the amazing architecture the city has to offer. Yesterday, I saw a few kids sledding down a hill during my walk into the city. Today I ended up going to the Vasa Museum that my Dad recommended to me and the museum is a building that was built around this ship once the ship was found years after it sank. Stockholm is a great city despite the cold, but on Thursday I am off to warmth for the rest of the trip!!!

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!!!

Well, I am on to my next stop and arrived in Stockholm, Sweden safely this evening only to step out of the airport to find snow on the ground and it's coooooooooooold outside. Brrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!! Hehehehe!!! My friend, Emmlie, in Stockholm had already warned me of this, but I guess that I did not quite believe it until I saw it for myself. I'll do my best to send some snow back to New England for all of those ski bunnies...:) Hehehe!!!!! How's the winter coming along at home? Is it winding down yet? That's if we ever really had a winter... :)

BRIGHTON, ENGLAND

WOW!!!!!! What a trip to Brighton!!! It was so great to see Mel, who I had not seen in 5 years (since we studied in Salamanca, Spain together)!!!!!! I arrived at about 6:15pm in Brighton on Friday night and Mel met me at the train station. We then went to her house and drank a few beers and caught up on life since we last saw each other in 2002. She is now married to a very nice Brazilian guy, Rodrigo, and they live right up the street from the beach. On Friday night we went to this club with some of their Brazilian friends which was fun. On Saturday, we woke up and had breakfast and then we went to walk along the boardwalk on the water along the rocky beach and then for lunch at a Brazilian restaurant with some of their other Brazilian friends...I ended up taking the 8:49pm train back to London...It was a great day and Brighton is a beautiful place!!!

Jetlag

What is wrong with me? Everyday since I have arrived I have woken up at about 1 or 2 in the afternoon except for maybe one day, and it's not even that I have been going to bed late... I guess that my body is still adjusting to the time change... Oh well!!! I am feeling better each day, though, so hopefully I won't sleep tooooooooo late tomorrow especially since I have a 5pm train to Brighton to visit, Mel!!!!!!!!! Things are moving right along!!!! :)

U.S. Air Marshal

The flight across the Atlantic from Boston to London started this trip off on the right foot! It started when a young Englishman who was going to sit next to me on the plane asked me if I was travelling alone and if I could switch seats with his friend. I told him that that was no problem. I moved to the row in front of where I was originally sitting and with my friendly way I started talking to these very cute 6-year old twin girls who were sitting on my left and who were SO well behaved, and then this guy on my right got into the conversation as well. The man was telling me stories about how he restores old motorcycles and cars and was going to London to find some to ship back and was only going to be in London for a few days. After talking for a little while and going back and forth about what he does and where he was recently on "vacation," he told me that he had something for me, and he pulled a pin out of his pocket that said "United States Boston Field Office Federal Air Marshal." He told me that I could have the pin and that he felt that he couldn't lie to someone for 7 hours. He also told me that he normally doesn't talk to people on planes but I seemed nice, so he wanted to talk to me. Then as we were about to land in London, he told me that I could have one of his passes to go through the "Fast Track" lane in customs rather than waiting in the long line. What a flight and what an amazing experience!

LONDON, ENGLAND

My time in London has been going well so far. I have been enjoying walking LOTS around the city and taking lots of pictures. Yesterday I saw my Mom´s cousin, Nicholas, and we took a tour bus ride to see the major sites of London. Today I went with my cousin and two of his friends to walk around a park just outside of London in Hampstead Heath and then we walked around a market in Camden Town. Friday I am going to see a friend in Brighton which is about 2 hours from London, so I will take the train there. I'll keep you posted as I move along in my adventure!

My Itinerary!!!

Thanks for the idea, Bara!!! Below is my itinerary!!!

Date: 18 FEB 07 - SUNDAY
Flight : American Airlines 156
Departure: BOSTON 9:00 AM
Arrival: LONDON HEATHROW 8:30 PM

Date: 25 FEB 07 - SUNDAY
Flight : British Airways 780
Departure: LONDON HEATHROW 2:15 PM
Arrival: STOCKHOLM ARLANDA 5:45 PM

Date: 01 MAR 07 - THURSDAY
Flight : British Airways 779
Departure: STOCKHOLM ARLANDA 3:05 PM
Arrival: LONDON HEATHROW 4:45 PM

Date: 01 MAR 07 - THURSDAY
Flight : British Airways 109
Departure: LONDON HEATHROW 9:40 PM
Arrival: DUBAI 8:35 AM

Date: 04 MAR 07 - SUNDAY
Flight : Cathay Pacific 750
Departure: DUBAI 11:55 PM
Arrival: MUMBAI 4:10 AM
05 MAR 07 - MONDAY

Date: 18 MAR 07 - SUNDAY
Flight : Cathay Pacific 752
Departure: DELHI 7:40 AM
Arrival: HONG KONG 3:10 PM

Date: 23 MAR 07 - FRIDAY
Flight : Cathay Pacific 510
Departure: HONG KONG 3:15 PM
Arrival: FUKUOKA 8:55 PM
1STOP
VIA TAIPEI

Date: 29 MAR 07 - THURSDAY
Flight : Cathay Pacific 511
Departure: FUKUOKA 10:50 AM
Arrival: HONG KONG 3:00 PM
1STOP
VIA TAIPEI

Date: 29 MAR 07 - THURSDAY
Flight : Cathay Pacific 103
Departure: HONG KONG 11:30 PM
Arrival: BRISBANE 10:05 AM
30 MAR 07 - FRIDAY

Date: 31 MAR 07 - SUNDAY
Flight : Qantas Airways 782
Departure: BRISBANE 9:45 AM
Arrival: CAIRNS 12:05 PM

Date: 06 APR 07 - FRIDAY
Flight : Qantas Airways 800
Departure: CAIRNS 6:00 PM
Arrival: DARWIN 8:05 PM

Date: 09 APR 07 - TUESDAY
Flight : Qantas Airways 829
Departure: DARWIN 1:30 AM
Arrival: SYDNEY 6:15 AM

Date: 12 APR 07 - THURSDAY
Flight : Qantas Airways 43
Departure: SYDNEY 11:35 AM
Arrival: AUCKLAND 4:35 PM

Date: 18 APR 07 - WEDNESDAY
Flight : LAN Airlines 800
Departure: AUCKLAND 5:30 PM
Arrival: SANTIAGO SCL 1:00 PM

Date: 20 APR 07 - FRIDAY
Flight : LAN Airlines 441
Departure: SANTIAGO SCL 12:20 PM
Arrival: BUENOS AIRES EZE 3:15 PM

Date: 27 APR 07 - FRIDAY
Flight : British Airways 246
Departure: BUENOS AIRES EZE 12:25 PM
Arrival: SAO PAULO GUARULH 3:00 PM

Date: 29 MAY 07 - TUESDAY
Flight : LAN Airlines 751
Departure: RIO JANEIRO GIG 2:35 PM
Arrival: SANTIAGO SCL 7:35 PM

Date: 08 JUN 07 - FRIDAY
Flight : LAN Airlines 622
Departure: SANTIAGO SCL 2:00 PM
Arrival: MEXICO CITY 9:45 PM

Date: 24 JUN 07 - TUESDAY
Flight : American Airlines 2114
Departure: MEXICO CITY 7:15 AM
Arrival: MIAMI INTERNTNL 11:20 AM

Date: 24 JUN 07 - TUESDAY
Flight : American Airlines 2090
Departure: MIAMI INTERNTNL 2:55 PM
Arrival: BOSTON 6:10 PM

Getting down to the wire

With just 2 more days of work and 11 more days until I leave, there are still a few more things that I need to get finish up before departure. My Indian visa arrived and I applied for my Australian visa online. My Hostelling International Membership information arrived. Now all that I have to do is make hostel reservations in Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, and Peru as well as move out of my apartment and pack for my trip.

The Count Down is on...

The count down is on and with only two weeks left until I depart the United States there is still so much left to do before departure such as packing my apartment to move, packing for my trip, applying for my Australian visa, shopping, etc. But despite all of the stress that is involved in planning such an exciting trip as the one that I am about to go on, I am most excited about seeing my friends and family in various different parts of the world who I have not seen for years as well as immersing myself in new cultures and customs along the way. What an amazing and unforgettable experience this is going to be!