So, I realized the other day that I never really completed my blog for the trip since the last post basically said that I would post again later. I have now been back in the states for a month and three days (but whose counting?). Things have been more than a little hectic- moved into a new apartment, my boss had her final days at Georgia Tech right after my return, and most recently I was named Interim Director of our office. Needless to say, blog posts had fallen way down on the to-do list. But for those of you that have followed the blog this summer, I definitely feel as though I owe you some final thoughts. With that said...
This trip was AMAZING! In so many ways it was everything and simultaneously nothing that I expected. I still am not quite sure that it has fully sunk in that I have seen and done all of the things that I see in my pictures. One of my moments of realization happened at IKEA of all places. They have a large selection of canvas prints that you can purchase and they have a number of "city scenes" from major cities all over the world. I was walking down the aisle and realized that I had been to all but one of the cities featured (gotta get to Tokyo next :).
Upon returning, everyone has asked me what my favorite place was and I probably answer the question differently every single time. I think that in the end it is a toss up between Paris and Venice. Paris was so much more than I expected it to be. Seeing the Eiffel Tower up close and personal was also way more incredible than I anticipated. Venice was amazing just because of how it contrasts to the American cities that I have been to in the past. The age of the city, the fact that the canal is the main form of transportation, and the just overall magic of that city really left an impression on me. But truly, every city provided the trip with something new and exciting and so many memories to carry back with me.
The Oxford Worchester campus is stunning and has incredible gardens sprinkled throughout the grounds. The small area is quite charming and I am so jealous that the students were staying there for the remainder of their summer. Although I have to say that I was beyond frustrated the first morning waking up there because I could not get the water to be hot in the shower. Mind you, I had spent the last 4 weeks traveling throughout Europe and experiencing a vast array of different bathroom fixtures and configurations but I simply could not figure out this shower! I did eventually find a button that activated the hot water... but it obviously caused me quite a bit of distress and as I am still frustrated with the situation well over a month and a half later.
Our trip to Dublin and London after dropping off the students was great. The Irish actually reminded me a little bit of Texans due to their overzealous pride in their country and their frustration with us not seeing the Irish countryside. We spent some time on some city tours and just listened to Irish stories and folklore which are so much better when told with an authentic Irish accent! London was everything that I hoped it would be, we had a great time seeing the sites even though we had an entire day in a torrential downpour and mostly were just able to see people's umbrellas while attempting to see the Changing of the Guard. The English people were very... English. And you can currently get pretty much any item imaginable printed with Kate and William's wedding portrait on it. In London we also went to see a performance of Billy Elliot that had me in tears multiple times. I am typically a strict believer in only seeing a musical live once since there are so many that I want to see, but I will absolutely be going to see Billy Elliot again this spring when it comes to Atlanta. INCREDIBLE!
So... that's it. One incredible summer summed up in a few short blog posts. Knavigating Knight is back to knavigating my own little heaven of midtown Atlanta. I hope that the summer of 2011 has treated you well and hope even more that I can see you in person soon!
