5th Anniversary Trip! (June 2016)

Edit: Posted 1 year and 4 months after starting this post. haha gosh--really trying to finish all these unfinished blog posts because we love coming back and reading and reliving these memories!

We celebrated our 5th Anniversary by going to England, France, and Spain! It was such a fun trip and came at the perfect time. I had just passed the NCLEX and was so ready for a vacation and to spend uninterrupted time with Andrew. It was fun to have my parents join us for another trip too! 

I have to give a shoutout to Andrew. He is a gem and I'm so lucky we found each other. He truly treats me like a queen. It didn't hurt that I went to Queen's for nursing school either because he calls me his Queen from Queens :) haha but I truly feel like a queen with him. He compliments me and lifts me up everyday, never goes a day without telling me he loves me and is thankful for me, and helps so much around the house. He is (sad to admit) a better cook than me, helps with cleaning, laundry, and can build anything! The list could go on and on but basically I'm just thankful for him. He teaches me to be less stubborn too which is hard to do. If we argue, he usually is the first to apologize and help me realize it's not worth it to spend our time together upset. Thanks for the best 5 years of my life Andrew! Life with you is the most fun adventure. 

Our trip started out in London.

We stayed right off the Thames river so the first night we took the ferry over and walked several miles exploring the area and looking for a restaurant for dinner. A nice older man recommended a Turkish restaurant for us to try. 

The next morning we went to some of the famous touristy sites: Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace/the Changing of the Guards, Picadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. 

Andrew and I wanted to go see Aladdin on Broadway, but unfortunately there were only single seats left so we went and ate lunch at St. James Tavern while my parents went to Phantom of the Opera. 

We walked around Picadilly Circus and Leicester Square and watched street performers which was sooo fun. They are all over and crowds just surround, cheer, and watch. Loved the atmosphere! We stumbled upon some casinos and decided to test our luck on the roulette table haha. We won 350 pounds total in the time we were there. Pretty awesome if you ask me--made our time in London basically free 😜

We met back up with my parents and walked to Big Ben, House of Parliament and the London Eye to see it at night time. 

The next day was spent exploring the beautiful town of Windsor and the Windsor Castle. While we trained to get there, we happened to meet a couple who was also from Colorado Springs that knew my parents because their son played baseball with my little brother. Small world! We loved the Windsor Castle, it was spectacular and definitely worth a visit. 

We spent the last bit of the day seeing the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, and Tower  Bridge Exhibition. We went up to the top of the bridge so we could look down below us! 

We squeezed so much in our 3 days in London and walked 67.5 miles total!! The best part about vacation is eating whatever you want because you never feel guilty with all the walking you do exploring the tourist attractions! 

Next stop was Paris! 

We stayed in a hotel really close to the Arc De Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. The first afternoon we braved the rain and went out before dinner since we were only going to be in Paris for a few days. 

Arc De Triomphe

Interviewing my dad about fashion trends hahaha 

Then we went to the Cathedral of Notre Dame which was amazing. Loved the ceilings and stained glass. 

After dinner we went to the Eiffel Tower because I really wanted to see it lit up at night time. It was every bit as magical as I expected it to be! We took the stairs as far up as you could walk and then took the elevator up the rest of the way to look out at the city.

Love this man so much!!!

The next day we went to the Palace of Versailles---soooo incredible! Andrew had been before but enjoyed it so much that afterwards he started reading John Abbot's Louis the XIV whenever he had a free minute. After touring the palace, we rented a golf cart to take around and explore the Gardens. I really loved every minute. It was so beautiful.

We wanted to go to the Louvre, but it just so happened that they are closed on Tuesdays and we were leaving Wednesday so we just had to look at the outside :( 

Our last stop of the trip was Barcelona, Spain! It very quickly jumped to one of our favorite countries that we've visited so far! We got upgraded to the suite at the hotel because it was our anniversary and it was so nice! Taking a bath on the rooftop was oh so good!

I mean seriously? Look at this perfect balcony!! 

^ Colombus monument 

The best part of Barcelona was all the fresh delicious seafood for SO CHEAP! Our meals were like $15 total and some of the best we've ever had. We decided we could totally get on board with the Mediterranean diet if we lived there.

We walked up and down La Rambla street which had so many shops and restaurants but my favorite was the La Boqueria market! It had fresh fruits, fresh fruit juice for only 1 euro!!, veggies, fish, meats, gelato, and other sweets. The colors in there were so vibrant it just made you want to buy everything!!

^Obviously had to get some gelato...missing Europe so bad right now!

The next day we went exploring cathedrals, and probably my all time favorite cathedral ever visited was the Sagrada Familia started by Antoni Gaudi. The architecture was so unique and intricate. It is a must see if you are in Barcelona!!

The construction began in 1882 and is finally going to be finished in 2026! Looks like we'll have to go back to see it completed! 

^ Sagrada Familia

Another thing I really wanted to do was go to the top of Mount Tibidabo. I didn't realize how far away it was for us, but it took like 25 minutes in the taxi...whoops! Oh well, it was worth the views. We paid the extra euros to go to the top of the cathedral and had views of the whole city from up there! It was such a beautiful day too.

^We were able to elevator up to the top right underneath that statue of Christ! 

Also, this picture below cracks me up. My mom and I were busy shopping and the boys were losing interest and chose to read books on their phones instead. 😂

We left Barcelona and headed south along the coast to Calafell for some rest & relaxation to finish off the trip! We stayed right on the beach and basically spent these days laying out, eating good food and playing Rook with my parents. 

^^mmmm salmon pizza and green peppers!!

I can't say it enough how much I love traveling and exploring other countries and their cultures. This trip was definitely another one that won't ever be forgotten! So grateful for these experiences to visit other parts of the world.