Here are some photos from my trip to Europe last February! First stop: London!

The first place I visited was Borough Market! My first meal in London was a kick-ass sweet potato and chickpea veggie burger.

I didn't do much on the first day I got there (other than eat, of course), but the next two days were for soaking up as much of London as I could! This included taking a ride on the London Eye, London Bridge, taking the tube, visiting the Tower of London, watching the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, and seeing Big Ben!

Although my time in London was short, it was most definitely sweet. I'm looking to hopefully study abroad in London sometime within the next three years!

I was bit by the travel bug at the age of 15, and it all began with my first trip to Europe. My ninth grade history teacher was bringing a small group of students on a trip to Spain for 8 days, and I knew I had to go. It was my first trip without my parents, so of course part of me was terrified, but I'm a firm believer in the idea that true growth happens outside of your comfort zone, so I got a job, saved up, and registered myself for the trip. We flew into Madrid then drove south. We stopped in Toledo, Grenada, Ronda, Sevilla, then drove back to Madrid. My favorite cities were definitely Toledo and Sevilla. Toledo is a smaller, older city, but it had some of the best food and history, and Sevilla had the best shopping (guilty). I wanted to extend my stay by another week, but I did go back home with a suitcase full of purchases from El Corte Inglés and a belly full of tortilla. 

My first trip to Italy was in April 2014. I toured Italy with my choral group for nine days and I can easily say it was one of the best weeks of my life. We started in Rome and from there we went to Assisi, Siena, Montecatini, Lucca, Florence, and Venice. We sang during mass at St. Peter's Basilica and performed concerts in Lucca and Venice. We also did typical tourist-y stuff like take gondola rides and make wishes at the Trevi Fountain. I'm also pretty sure I ate pasta and gelato every single day of the trip (keep in mind this was a couple of months before I discovered veganism). 

It's safe to say that Italy has my heart. This was one of the most blissful and surreal trips I've ever been on. I know it's a place that I will keep returning to.