The Adventure Begins!

A few days after school let out for the summer, Justin and I found ourselves on a plane heading to Europe. Not a bad way to begin a summer vacation! We were blessed with the opportunity to visit England, Switzerland, Italy, and France over 3 wonderful weeks. We began planning for this trip even before we were married, daydreaming about what countries we would visit, when we would go, and how great it would be to travel through Europe together. I was able to study abroad during college, but Justin had never been to Europe before and I couldn't wait to share it with him - I just knew that he would love it!

After all of the budgeting and planning had fallen (mostly) into place, we tackled the next challenge: packing. We did not want to lug hundreds of pounds of belongings around Europe with us, and managed to get it all packed into a couple of backpacks.

Not bad for someone who likes to be (overly)prepared for every possible situation, mishap, or opportunity that may arise, right?! We were so thankful to have packed light each and every time we saw someone hauling 12 bulging suitcases up and down the many stairs and hills of Europe at every train station of every country in, of course, either the pouring rain or the scalding sun. It just didn't look fun.

We had an uneventful flight to Europe, even surviving our layover at JFK, and arrived bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in London around 8am on a Thursday morning. Okay, that's a lie. But who would be bright eyed stepping out of an airport after 17+ hours of traveling to find that the day is only beginning?   

We were tired but so happy to be there. Not wasting any time, we hopped on a bus to my beloved Oxford and arrived there by lunchtime, where we were greeted with a traditional English welcome: pouring rain. We found the little B&B where we were staying, dropped off our stuff, and headed out in search of food. We ate lunch at an old favorite, (On the Hoof for you fellow Oxford-lovers!) and then walked around Oxford shivering and wet, determined to enjoy being there. That's right, in addition to the pouring rain, it was COLD! I got to show Justin around some of my old favorite spots, taking in all the little things that had changed and embracing the things that were still perfectly familiar. Over the next day and a half, we enjoyed many Oxford favorites, such as walking around city centre, strolling through Port Meadow, having coffee and dessert at The Trout, walking through University Park, and visiting museums or cozy pubs when we needed a break from the rain and the cold. We even got to visit my old house on Canterbury Road and had tea with Janine, who was a professor and house parent while I was there. It was really nice.  I will leave you with some pictures from our first couple of days in Oxford....

Visiting Port Meadow

Showing Justin my old home

Enjoying a warm drink at The Trout