Ending the Summer

And so concludes the summer of Forrest and Katharine…

With four and half hours of sleep, we were off to the airport. We shared a humongous hug and departed…

For the first time in 40 days, I was away from Forrest for more than 5 minutes. It was so weird.

As soon as he left, I checked the board. My flight had already been delayed an hour. So McDonalds breakfast time

Lots of gate changing and flight delays made me get home at 2 something.

The flight from ATL to RDU was the hardest. I wanted to be home so bad. I also missed Forrest a lot. I listened to “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and “Carolina in my Mind” as we landed.

I was reunited with the most wonderful people in my life.

My family and my friends were waiting patiently

What troopers!

oh gosh. i was so tan.

LOVE THEM SO MUCH!

So to wrap up the summer…

40 Things I learned this Summer

1. You have to be laid back and flexible. If not, you will be miserable.
2. Feta is amazing in Greece and I will be disappointed almost everywhere else
3. Skydiving is totally worth it
4. Not having a cell phone is nice
5. Carry a water bottle at all times; you will get dehydrated. You will save soooo much money this way.
6. Before I travel again, I want to buy a nice camera and know how to use it properly.
7. Water is one of my favorite things.
8. I take the beauty of the sunset and sunrise for granted too often
9. Journaling is worth the time-you start forgetting stuff real fast.
10. When choosing a hostel, towels, a kitchen, AC, and a shower with curtain are huge pluses.
11. When travelling, napping just about anywhere is appropriate.
12. Coffee can do wonders.
13. Shower when you can, you never know when you’ll be able to shower again.
14. Don’t forget to relax. You’ll get burnt out really quickly.
15. Burek, while it is a tasty food, will probably kill you within a week.
16. Watch the World Cup in as many places as possible; it’s such an awesome experience.
17. Peanut butter is ridiculously overpriced in Europe.
18. Milka chocolate is superior to almost any other kind of chocolate.
19. Anything with nutella will be delicious, especially donuts filled with nutella that cost a euro.
20. Princesa cookies are the cheapest and the tastiest
21. If planning on sleeping on a train, sit across from a friend, it’s a lot easier to sleep if you can stretch out.
22. Always have a jacket on a train—every single one was freezing cold.
23. Silent Discos are so much better with DJ Vincent 1000.
24. Find a journal with inspirational quotes; they’re super entertaining to read when waiting.
25. Eat gelato at every chance, but never pay too much.
26. Pljeskavica is always better with onions.
27. The unnamed traditional will always be one of my favorite parts of the day.
28. Don’t forget to splurge on dinner every once in a while.
29. White chocolate Kinder Buenos are the best snack on a late night train ride.
30. The amount of pictures at the end of 40 days can be overwhelming, but every photo is worth it.
31. You must sleep in occasionally or you will go crazy.
32. Sometimes you have to be only concerned about yourself and your travel buddy.
33. Pickpocketing is dumb, but it happens all the time, especially when you have a fever and are distracted.
34. A swimsuit with a dress over it will suffice for almost any occasion.
35. It’s a small world after all.
36. Letters from friends are some of the most special things ever and mean the world.
37. It’s really nice to get back home and really frustrating when your plane is delayed a lot.
38. When in Rome…or Santorini or Prague…take advantage of every opportunity.
39. Bold move of the day. do it.
40. Forrest Alexander Moog is the best travel buddy ever. Hands down. ever.