This is my last few hours of freedom before my two-week vacation is finally over. I went on the trip that I have been dreaming of for ever.. since I was a teenager or maybe even younger. It was, for the most part, amazing. I was constantly reminded of how blessed I am to be able to live this life, to be able to so effortlessly travel the world and be mostly carefree in doing it.

I arrived in Barcelona where I met my mom and grandmother at the airport. They had just flown in from Montreal to meet me. We then spent two nights in Barcelona and enjoyed the city, before embarking on a cruise ship that would take us around the western Mediterranean. Our first stop was Mallorca, where we enjoyed island paradise and I bought myself a string of pearls. Then the ship spent a day at sea in shit weather-- perfect for me to enjoy the day spa onboard the ship. We then arrived in Italy, where Naples was the first stop. The three of us took the excursion to Pompeii. How amazing to say that I have finally been to Pompeii!! I can confidently say it is probably one of the Classical Studies majors' Top 10 destinations.

We then sailed to La Spezia, where we were able to get to Pisa and then Florence. The Leaning Tower of Pisa? It was alright. I can now say "Check!" Been there, done that. Florence is a beautiful city with wonderful art and architecture. The Duomo is impressive from the outside, though I'm sad we didn't get to go inside. We did get to go into Santa Croce which is a magnificent basilica where Dante, Michaelangelo, Galileo, and more, were laid to rest. To stand in front of the altar to Michaelangelo and pay homage to this great artist was an honour. The next day we arrived in the port of Savona and took a trip to Genoa. I was most impressed by this city, with beautiful architecture, and artistic vibe, and delicious food. Our last stop was Marseilles, which I wasn't super impressed by, just a tourist joint by the sea. Then we disembarked in Barcelona and made our way to Rome.

Roma. Now that, in itself, was a dream. My entire body vibrated with pure joy as I acknowledged the reality that I was walking up the Palatine Hill amongst the ancient Roman ruins. I breathed the history of ancient Rome in the air, I felt it in the sunlight on my skin. The experience was almost transcendental. I spent hours on the Palatine and then in the ancient Forum. I crossed the street to the Colosseum and heard the echoes of lions and gladiators dancing upon the hot sands of the arena (to be honest, I was a bit disappointed, as I imagined the Colosseum to be bigger). I then made a mission to find Trajan's Column and the Pantheon. I got a bit lost but eventually found what I was looking for, and more. That night we had pizza and tiramisu in a restaurant literally across the street from the Colosseum. When will I ever be able to say that again?

The second day in Rome I went to the Vatican, where I met this guy who tried to sell me a tour but ended up taking me out for coffee and then giving me a ridiculously good discount on said tour. The sheer amount of priceless artefacts in the Vatican Museums is amazing. I saw the "Discus Thrower" tucked away in a corner, no one bothered to mention it. I saw "Laocoon and Sons" also tucked away where no one would notice it unless they knew what it was. I walked down the Gallery of Tapestries and Gallery of Maps, leading ultimately to the Sistine Chapel. I stood beneath the "Hand of God" and admired Michaelangelo's ceiling and the rest of the beautiful painted walls. By the time I was meant to meet up with my family I had only just walked into St. Peter's Basilica, where I saw "La Pietas" and Bernini's baldicchino altar. I walked out of St. Peter's Square at dusk and took ages to find the bus that would lead me back to the meeting point.

The next day we woke up early and flew to Paris. By the time we settled into our apartment, it was 4pm and we were exhausted. But mom and I had to do something, so we ventured into the city center. I found The Great Canadian Pub and was overjoyed to go inside and hear all Canadian accents. I excitedly ordered myself a Crown Royal & Canada Dry gingerale and enjoyed every last drop. We then decided to hop on the Seine riverboat tour, where we saw the buildings and bridges of Paris at sunset. We arrived in front of the Eiffel Tower just in time to see its dazzling light display. I am not usually a fan of doing the touristy stuff, but that boat tour was a fantastic way to see the city with such a limited time frame. The next day we went to Notre Dame, the Louvre, and then the Champs de Mars to see the Eiffel Tower up close and personal.

The entire trip was a complete nerdgasm, artgasm, and foodgasm. I visited some of the most amazing cities in the world in the span of two weeks. I ate food that was, to me, worth my weight in gold. I profited from everything these cities had to offer me in such a short span of time, and am left with an eager yearning to go back again to explore some more.

The time with my family was.. tolerable. It was difficult for me, to be with them 24/7 for a period of two weeks. Once off the ship in Barcelona I was really fed up and said sorry but I'd like to see Rome on my own. I think they understood. Off the ship, I felt like I was babysitting my mom and grandma who just don't travel like I do. It isn't their fault, and I could have been more patient, but knowing me, I'm actually impressed that I survived without being too much of a bitch sometimes. I hope I wasn't. It is weird to see them in a different context, in a world in which I am completely in my comfort zone, but is so foreign to them. I was able to see not only how much they have aged, but also how much I have blossomed in comparison. I noticed differences in simple things such as grace and sophistication that I possess that they do not. That's a strange thing, isn't it, to realize that you are a more worldly person than the ones who raised you.

So now I am home. I am in my bed, finally, all to myself, no one speaking to me or making sounds (my mother, oh how she snores/groans/whimpers in her sleep, it was awfully annoying!). Last night I had some male company which was much needed to calm me down a bit. My anxiety has been at a less than ideal level. I noticed it started to creep up last spring after the whole Punkin thing when I was feeling really depressed. My sadness has shifted more to a low level melancholia, which is fine, but my anxiety seems to have become awakened for the first time in years. Traveling will aggravate that, obviously, and I spent a few nights restless worrying about cabs and planes and trains and other stupid shit. But now that I've unwound a bit and I'm back in my normal life, I'm hoping that it will fade away.

And now, like a loser, I am going to go to bed early, because going on a vacation like that is exhausting!