Last Day in Europe

Today is our last day in Europe. I have mixed emotions about this and I'm not sure I'm ready to go home yet. On one hand, it has been 5 weeks (we're a little tired), Jaren is done with school, and we are ready for him to start his career! Going home will be the beginning of a new chapter for both of us! On the other hand... traveling through Europe has been a dream come true! I loved Europe even MORE than I thought I would (and that's saying something because I knew I would love it)! I have REALLY enjoyed planning this trip all year and I'm sad it's over. I feel like we have learned so much in such a short amount of time. Who knew I would find art and European history so fascinating? And we never planned on going paragliding! This trip has been quite an adventure. While in Europe, it has been SO nice to not worry about anything except catching the metro or finding our hotel. Traveling has been such a good thing for me... I definitely want to travel throughout my life! We have loved our time in Europe and I hope it's not too long before we come back.

A small wave of anxiety washed over me tonight as I thought about beginning fertility treatment again once we go home. (I'm not exactly sure when we will start this process again... maybe next year?) Europe has been a good distraction for me this year and has given me something positive to look forward to. These past (almost) 4 years of infertility and seeing a fertility doctor in Montana have taken so much out of us (financially, but most of all... emotionally)! We want a family more than anything and many times infertility has caused us more heartbreak than can be described in words! Despite this, I do feel hopeful! I'm ready to conquer this. Jaren is too. This year has taught me that despite trials and hardships, we can still find joy in life! I love my husband and I am so grateful we had this time in Europe together. Memories are priceless! Our love is so strong for each other, and that is definitely something I will not take for granted.

On to our last day...

After breakfast we walked around the wall of Rothenburg. This medieval city is so interesting (and so quaint)! These walls were used for protection of the city in its past, but now anyone can use them for a scenic walk with great views of the city!

We also did some more shopping. Rothenburg has a variety of stores from selling antiques, to clothing shops, children's toy stores, wood working shops, traditional Germany shops, and of course... Christmas shops! We also went into this medieval shop which was fun to take pictures in!

After shopping we drove to another well-preserved, quaint medieval town called Miltenberg. We walked around the city enjoying the beautiful, sunny Fall day! Jaren and I walked up to the city's castle and took some pictures!

Tonight we packed up. It has been fun staying with Jaren's parents the past couple of days. We will definitely miss them! I'm so glad we were able to see where their mission headquarters are, and see this wonderful, beautiful country they get to live in for 2 years!

The final word on Europe!... (I interviewed Jaren and myself for fun!)

Favorite Food(s)...

Jaren's pick: Pear and cheese ravioli from Italy and Sauerbraten and Spetzle from Germany. He also loved an appetizer we had in Paris- cheese spread inside rolled vegetables. (I agree! The way the veggies were cooked was amazingly tasty!)
Sarah's pick: Chocolate gelato from Florence and Crème Brule from France. (I'm all about the sweets!)

Most Beautiful European Area(s)...

Jaren's pick: Swiss Alps and the Black Forest in Germany.
Sarah's pick: The Swiss Alps!

Favorite Adventurous Experience(s)...

Jaren's pick: Paragliding.
Sarah's pick: Paragliding and hiking through the Cinque Terre!

Least Favorite Adventurous Experience(s)...

Jaren's pick: The crowds of Venice. (Don't get him started!)
Sarah's pick: The bathrooms in Italy! It was always a gamble... Will they have toilet paper? Soap? Will they be clean? (Every country had nice clean restrooms except Italy!)

Favorite site(s) or place(s) in...

Germany:

Jaren's pick: Neuschwanstein Castle and Rothenburg City.
Sarah's pick: Heidelberg (Hohenzollern Castle sits above this beautiful city) and Neuschwanstein Castle (the fairy-tale castle)! I also loved Linderhoff Palace!

Austria

Jaren's pick: Hallstatt.
Sarah's pick: Walking above and around the old city in Salzburg!

Italy:

Jaren's pick: Lake Como
Sarah's pick: Florence

Switzerland:

Jaren's pick: Northface Trail
Sarah's pick: Northface Trail

France (Paris):

Jaren's pick: Walking up and down the Seine River.
Sarah's pick: Everywhere in Versailles!

Favorite hiking experience:

Jaren's pick: Northface Trail in the Swiss Alps
Sarah's pick: Hallstatt

Favorite artistic piece(s):

Statues:

Jaren's pick: Michelangelo's "David" and Donatello's "St. George."
Sarah's pick: Michelangelo's "David" and Bernini's "Apollo and Daphne" in the Borghese Gallery.

Paintings:

Jaren's pick: Botticelli's "Birth of Venus." (In the Ufizi Gallery, I liked this one too!)
Sarah's pick: Too many to name just one! I love work by Millet and Monet. I liked "Entombment of Atala" by Francois (in the Louvre) for its romanticism. "Les Disciples" by Eugene Bernand is one of my favorite paintings, and a fun surprise for me to see it in the Orsay!

If we could choose 1 more day in Europe (of any place we visited, not a new place) we would spend more time in...

Jaren: The Swiss Alps
Sarah: This is a tough one! But I'd have to go with... Paris! I'd love to see the Sacre Coeur (among other sites), shop the flea markets, and go bike riding around the city!