one "Olympic" summer

     Six weeks abroad... need I say more?  From London to Paris, to Scotland and Rome, this has been one Olympic-sized (and filled) summer that I'll never forget!  As you know (from a few posts ago), I was in London working with the same study-abroad program that I had studied with while in college.  Our group consisted of 100+ students and faculty, each eager to experience everything the city of London had to offer.  For the first three weeks we were there, the city had been prepping for, what else but, the 2012 Olympic summer games. Honestly, as much as I was excited for the games to begin, I was also expecting the worst:  super crowded (not to mention hot and smelly) tube lines, tourist filled streets, angry locals... one big hot mess.  However, to say that London pulled off this great feat as gracefully as such a city could, would be an understatement.  From my perspective and experience, London proved to be an A-list host city, stepping up to the plate and knocking it way out of the park.  Yes: there were loads of people. And true: the line to get into Victoria Park (right next to Olympic Park) to catch the Opening Ceremony was insanely long. But being witness to such an event, better yet, being a part of it... it's still inconceivable to me.  Never, in a million years, did I imagine I'd get to experience something as surreal as the summer Olympics, and in London, England of all places!  Definitely what I consider, the "chance of a lifetime".

     Of the numerous Olympic events set to take place, my love for running helped to determine the one event I could not miss:  the Women's Marathon.  My friend Allison and I (above)-- love her), along with other students and professors as company, made our way to St. Paul's Cathedral, where the runners would pass three times during the 26-mile race. As the rain began to fall, (as it often does in London), we huddled together under one umbrella- (apparently a funny sight to behold from the looks of passersby) while drinking coffee and hot chocolate, and painted our faces red, white and blue, anticipation growing each minute as the start of the race drew nearer.  Finally we got word the runners were off, and as the rain pounded harder, so did our hearts.  Twenty-seven minutes in, and there they were.  Bodies of steel, drenched in rain and sweat, making their way around the greatest city in the world: lap 1.

  And as fast as they came,.. they went... and as they went,.. we waited.  Until lap 2!  And then, lap 3... rain finally subsiding as pure golden sunlight streamed through the clouds welcoming the ladies to the near end of their exhausting challenge.  All in all, it was awesome.  And that's all there is to say about that.

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     From London, I traveled all by my lonesome to a city I have dreamed of visiting long before watching "Eat, Pray, Love":  beautiful and delicious Rome, Italy.  Gelato, spaghetti, Spanish Steps and gladiators... one step off the train and I am,.. what we shall say, "Io sono l'amore!"  I journeyed out into the streets, wound down alleyways, and took in every little nook and cranny I could find.  And before "day 1 in Rome" came to an end, I found myself at the famous Trevi Fountain, penny flying over my shoulder, wishing desperately to return someday.

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It's a period of my life that I could write a book about, but I will come to a close for now.  So to end.....

    ...In a way, I'd like to think I took home the gold... golden memories, of new friends and exciting adventures, I'll cherish until my "games" are over and I take my victory lap home.