In seven days I will be going to Europe ... I can't refrain from doing the happy dance! *happy dance* !!!!

In seven days I will be going to Europe!

This is the dream vacation I never thought I'd be taking for years to come. Destinations I never thought I'd be invited to see!

I was talking to my grandma about four months ago. The discussions with her go everywhere: philosophy, dreams, history, future, present, languages, et al. At that point we were talking about traveling and where I would like to go. I have been studying and been fascinated by Roman history & mythology and Greek mythology for I-don’t-know-how-many years. At that point I had been studying about the Norse culture (and its complexities) because I was interested in my family's heritage (Scandinavian). I had a new destination in mind: the Scandinavian countries; the desire to experience the Mediterranean never left my heart.

The discussion I had with Granny traveled the same course as the above paragraph, but with more in-depth conversation about topics. [Some background information: my grandfather passed away in May 2008. Every family member had been preparing for his inevitable death for many years, especially my grandma and grandpa – they were beyond prepared. Anyway, he passed away in May ’08 and my grandma decided that she wanted to travel again – so she is!]. During our discussion she had said she always loved the Mediterranean and had been looking at cruises for us to go on before I went back to school. She wanted to bring me as her travel partner to Europe. Not only Europe, but to my dream: Rome & Greece. If there was any place I wanted to see the beauty of before the end of my days, it was always Rome.

But the tour doesn’t stop there! We are not going to just Rome & Greece. We are going to Rome, Pompeii, Bay of Naples, Sorrento, Capri, Brindisi, overnight cruise to Patras, then Olympia, Delphi (!!), and Athens! But the vacation doesn’t stop there: we will be flying to the United Kingdom and going to visit family on the Isle of Wight for two days before returning back to Canada.

We will be transferring in Toronto. I have never in my life departed on a plane to go east of Toronto (we always departed west, to go back home from visiting my grandparents). This will be, truly, the most memorable event of my life. It will be more memorable than a wedding, more memorable than having kids. This trip is something rare – something I only dreamed I could experience. I never thought those dreams could become a reality. But in seven days they will be a reality!