Dariane

I really want to plan a road trip with some friends to go from California to Hell.

“So where’d you guys end up going?”
“We went to Hell.”
“Hahahaha. No really, where’d you go?”

Moments like that would be priceless. And, I’d like to go some place outside of California that’s not Oregon, Nevada, or Arizona.

When I was three years old, my family took a trip to the east coast to visit relatives. While we were in New York, I got to see Secret Garden, Miss Saigon, and Cats. Unfortunately, I don’t really remember going. I do remember crying during “Mr. Mistoffelees” (sp?), and having to be taken out of the theatre.

It’s a great place to hang out. Its especially beautiful at night with all the lights and everything…

The long lines are worth it! And the weather? It’s not as bad as living in the San Joaquin Valley.

I’ve been on all the rides (except for X and Deja Vu), and Scream, Riddler’s Revenge, Superman, and Batman are awesome rides!

And if you can, I highly recommend getting on Dive Devil and Thrill Shot. From my experience, SFMM is the BEST theme park for rides in California.

This summer I went to Italy, Austria, and Germany as a pilgrimage to World Youth Day in Cologne. We spent about a week in Italy, and we visited Rome, Assisi, Verona, and Bolzano.

Rome was overwhelming for me. Seeing the archeological sites was great, as most were just walking distance from our hotel. And, I must say, I LOVE the Italian drivers.

Assisi was really nice; we visited the Basilicas of St. Clare and St. Francis. The general atmosphere in Assisi was in my opinion the best I experienced in Italy.

Verona: the setting for Romeo and Juliet. What initially surprised our group about Verona was the shops they had there (Versace, Gucci, Cartier, etc). But besides the pleasant surprise of shopping, it was interesting to go up to Juliet’s balcony, to see people take pictures with the statue (while grabbing her boob), and to see the tremendous wall covered with the names of couples from all over the place.

Bolzano, I would say, is probably one of Italy’s best kept secrets. Its landscapes and just the overall scenery was breathtaking. The Dolomites would just peek through the clouds over the rolling green hills. We picnicked there, and soaked up the beauty of Bolzano.

Italy is a wonderful place to go. I still can’t believe that I can say I went there! But yes, I highly recommend it.

I attended World Youth Day in Cologne this year, and it was the BEST experience of my life. Being in Germany was amazing; prior to the WYD event, we visited Munich, Dachau (concentration camp), and Stuttgart. I wish we could have spent more time there. The cathedral in Cologne is unbelievable—the whole gothic style seemed like it came right out of a fairy tale. And, the people there are so kind and generous! On our hike back from Marienfeld, the local residents gave us sandwiches and drinks, and we definitely felt welcome there. I loved being there, and I hope to go back one day!