mmm... vacation...

i'm finally getting around to blogging about my vacation... i wrote down all the cool things earlier in the week, but realized that was just way too much to blog... so i'll try to keep it short, but still get everything in... here goes...

Thurs 9/14: i was super excited about my trip that i didn't really get any work done at work... so i hurried home, and to the airport, where i found out that my flight had been delayed so long that i would miss my connecting flight to london... so, the airline put me in a cab to philly (where i was catching my connection)... it was only 2 hours, but it was still crazy... but, i made my flight and was on my way to london!

Fri 9/15: i was super happy to see chris... he met me at the airport and we took the train into london... we mainly napped most of the afternoon, and then went to Picadilly Circus for dinner and just some walking around...

Sat 9/16: we did lots of touristy sight seeing... we went to the London Science Museum (it was quite boring), saw Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abby, and Trafalgar Square... we also went into Harrod's but it was super crazy, so we didn't do any shopping... that night we saw the show "Avenue Q" and it was super awesome! if you're not easily offended, i recommend it!

Sun 9/17: chris and i slept in, and decided not to do any more london stuff... making our way back to cambridge took a bit longer than expected... part of the tube was closed, so we got to take a bus ride through the london suburbs... i liked riding on the top deck... by the time we got to cambridge, though, i was super hungry and cranky... chris took me to this really great kabob place, then we just hung out in a park for the afternoon... that night, we went to see the second Pirates of the Caribbean... i didn't like it as much as the first one...

Mon 9/18: chris had some things to take care of on base, so we went to lakenheath for a bit... and then lunched at my favorite pub in Icklingham... i looooove those chips, i swear they're made from potatoes from heaven... lol... in the afternoon, chris took me punting... i was super nervous, but chris was a great punter (much better than i would have been if i had tried, i'm sure)...

Tues 9/19: we went to Duxford for the day to visit the Imperial War Museum... and then we walked around cambridge some more... and went to bed early in preparation for our trip the next day...

Wed 9/20: we got up super early to get to the airport to go to Barcelona... we waited in a super long check-in line, a very slow security line, and then had to make a mad dash to the gate to catch the flight... we were actually running in an airport (i didn't think anyone really did that)... but we made it... when we got to barcelona, we were both tired and hungry... we found a place for lunch that had a great sangria... and after a nap, we headed to the La Rambla area to walk around... we had dinner in that tourist area, and learned our lesson about that - we were charged 50 euros for our drinks alone!!! crazy... but we didn't get burned by that again...

Thurs 9/21: it was super nice weather for walking around the city... we got to see lots of things: arc de triumph, la sagrada familia, casa mila, casa batllo, the barcelona cathedral, and the beach! we also took a cable car to Monjuic... i was kind of scared, but i lived... and the view was worth it! that night, we walked around the harbor and had dinner at a place there on the water... they also had a great sangria... and afterward we walked along the beach...

Fri 9/22: we took short train ride south to Tarragona... it was a cute town... there were roman ruins, a big cathedral, and an ampitheater... the weather wasn't all that great, but it wasn't super nasty either... but it was bad enough to make the beach not all that enjoyable... so we headed back to barcelona earlier than we had planned... we made it back in time to catch part of the opening festivities for the La Merce festival... there were lots of people walking around, drum "gangs" competing with each other in parks, and even some fireworks (which we watched from the beach)... after the fireworks, we sat on the beach and talked for a while... and that's when i proposed, and he said "yes"!!! hehe (yeah, i'm still a little giddy about that)...

Sat 9/23: we slept in, and then made our way back to the La Rambla area for more of the festival... the weather was rainy, and a little chilly, so there weren't a lot of people out to begin with... we were super tired, so we just relaxed on a bench by the beach till it was time to head to the airport... our flight was delayed by a bit, and we didn't get in to London until after midnight... then there was a long wait for the bus to take us to the parking area, and then chris's car wouldn't start, and once we finally got to cambridge, we had to search for a parking space... i was definately glad to see the bed that night...

Sun 9/24: we got up early to get me to the airport... chris had to run to base for a minute, so i stayed at his flat to finish packing and get ready to go... i mostly just cried... at the airport, i didn't want to leave, and i even teared up a bit there too... the flight back was long, but at least the immigration line was short... and i finally made it home at 10 pm...

i know that was long, but i really did cut it down quite a bit... anyway, i had a great time, and can't wait to go back!