The original inspiration for venturing across the Atlantic was to attend my friend Verena's wedding. Verena and I were roommates when I was at Capernwray Hall 8 years ago; she was the lone German placed in a room of Americans and Canadians. Somehow, she survived, and we have been able to maintain our friendship over the last few years. Life has brought many changes in that time, but I have been blessed to have her to walk with, even from a continent away. Our time together was a sweet reunion - and I am so glad I got to celebrate with her and her new husband, Andy.
I travelled with two great friends from my Whitworth years, Bryce and Kathryn. Together, we spent about 2.5 weeks adventuring through Frankfurt, Heidelberg, the Rhine, the Black Forest, Munich, Salzburg, the Alps and Berlin. I was able to visit Tauernhof in Schladming, Austria, where I had spent the second part of my Torchbearers year. It was wonderful to be back in my Alps - and a treat to get to re-live some of those memories.
It truly was a vacation for me - I haven't thought at all about the transitions that lie ahead. It was simply a gift to laugh, cry, read, journal, explore new places, sleep, hike, drink wine, eat cheese and bread, and play lots and lots of cribbage! We had some once-in-a-lifetime experiences, including being able to attend a Women's World Cup game - Eq. Guinea vs. Brazil. And we had some epic failures, including having to spend the night in the Leipzig train station and nearly missing flights home (Mary) and beating our luggage home (Bryce and Kathryn). 
So here we are, 2 layovers in Reykjavik, 1 World Cup Game, 2000 pictures, 30+ train rides, 1.5 jars of nutella, a couple of bottles of wine, and roughly 80 games of cribbage later - with some great stories, wonderful memories, and refreshed spirits.Yes, please.
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