Finding my Joie de vivre

Hi Blog,
Long time no update! I have not neglected you in vain though blog, I have been out living life to the fullest and while doing that I believe I found my joie de vivre! I promise when I get home to write a whole run down of what happened on my adventures on my blog but today I want to tell you that I feel more healed and happy than I have in a long time.

I was so nervous about going on the tour alone and meeting new people but SO excited to see all the sights I had been daydreaming back at my desk job.
Cruising down the canals of Amsterdam I began to let myself back into socializing and realized how sweet it could be. I made some fantastic friends and had so much fun all over Europe with them!

Then we were off to Germany and Austria, which I loved so much more than I had expected to. The details of the architecture, unique history, the hospitable people, and the Beer Halls really won me over. We also visited a Dachau concentration camp and I had a really emotional moment there realizing the impact of hate in the world and the impact it had in my own life (that is a whole separate blog for another day).

I was pretty excited about Italy and for the most part it didn't disappoint. It was a bit dirty and some of the people were a bit "intense" but the history and the food totally made up for that. Venice was brilliant with it's canal and maze of streets! The Gondola, dinner, and exploring with my new friends was a huge highlight of my trip. After that we were off to Rome, where I was quite sick and almost went back to the hotel after the Vatican tour. I am so glad that I pushed myself to go on because standing in the Coliseum was everything I thought it would be and more. I hoped that standing in a place steeped in such history would make my history seem rather small and my future possibilities endless and that is exactly how I felt. Florence was another city that I didn't have that many expectations about and was pleasantly surprised by. The history, architecture, and Michelangelo's David totally blew me away. We had a delicious dinner, a very charming Opera singer serenaded us, drank a lot of wine and some imperial drops (dangerous!) before went out to "Space Eletronique Discoteque". It was there that I realized how much fun crazy, drunk dancing can be and that Italians love us big girls haha (more on that later).
The next day we had a very hungover drive to Lucerne, Switzerland where we stayed in a hotel called The Jail. The pictures I put up when I get home will do no justice to how creepy yet cool this place was. Lucerne reminded me of Banff back home and the people were very lovely.

After a long drive the next day we landed in Paris. The rudeness of some of the people and the crazy drivers all over the place didn't made the city any less gorgeous! I can't find the right words sitting here right now to describe how I felt when I saw the Eiffel Tower sparkle like diamonds in front of my eyes. I have that tower all over my bedroom, living room, laptop, and neck back home and to see the real deal was a legitimate dream come true. I have never been happier than in that moment. I felt like I had accomplished something and that I had brought myself back from a really dark place, FINALLY! It was a moment filled with joy, sweetness, pride and so much more. A moment that nothing can sour it. A moment I will carry with me all my life.

I promise to have much more to tell you blog when I am back home but for now I am going to enjoy my time with my family and London.
Much Love,
A