And....stop

From Munich we took a long flight to New York City... Arriving to the U.S was a huge culture shock, starting from the second we got off the plane. Hearing English spoken at every turn made my head spin as it almost sounded foreign to be surrounded by the language I am so familiar with. Being able to breeze through customs was also new, and nice for us. The controller was actually a big Italian-American New Yorker, and we chatted for a second about our common background. I thought it was a good sign. Our first stop was a pizza place, for a slice of some of the BEST New York pie out there. In fact, I would even say it was the best pizza I have had since Rome... We made our way over to Sean's brother, Norris's, house to spend the next 2 nights. New York was crazy as always, so many people, chaos, lights, noise. We explored on foot Canal St., China town, little Italy, Times Square, Union Square, Central Park, Soho, 5th Avenue, Broadway, Coney Island (which I don't recommend) and spent some good quality time with Sean's cute little 1 year old niece.

So, after much deliberation we made the decision to return to the U.S.A, "land of opportunity". The last year has been more than anything I could have expected. It has truly been the most amazing experience of my life and I will treasure every moment and hold each one dear to me for the rest of my life. The decision to come back was a hard one, we had a nice little set up in Italy and adored the life we created together there. We soaked up every inch of Italian culture and relished it, loved it, became it. In addition to living the Roman lifestyle, I have been lucky to have traveled 11 European countries in a year, something I had always dreamed about in the past, and am now able to call my reality. I guess there are a number of reasons for deciding to return - family, careers, visa issues, and perhaps "settling down"... now that my restless heart has been somewhat tamed. We count our blessings everyday, and are grateful for having had the courage to follow our dreams, and grateful for the incredible journey the last year has been. We will carry the Euro lifestyle we have adopted with us forever and we will return to the U.S better people than we were before in more ways than I can describe... As far as what the future holds, we aren't sure. There are a million paths at our feet right now, and we are just enjoying being "home" for now. What we do know is that we have only just cracked the surface of what this great big world holds, and there is a lot more out there for us to explore.

So, places we visited in the last year...here is the complete list, although we will never forget no matter what:

Italy: Roma (all of Lazio), Vatican, Firenze, Napoli, Pompeii, Amalfi Coast (Sorrento, Amalfi, Positano, Salerno), Sicily (Taormina, Catania, Giardini Naxos), Milan (Venice, Cinque Terre,)

Spain: San Sebastian, Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, Cordoba, Malaga, Cadiz, Torremolinos, Pamplona, Zarautz

France: Paris, Biarritz, Hossegor, Anglet, Capbreton, Bayone, Nice, Cannes,

Monaco: Montecarlo

England: London

Belgium: Brussles

Holland: Amsterdam

Czech Republic: Prague, Cesky Kromlov

Austria: Vienna, Salzburg

Germany: Munich