Boston- My last day

Today is really and truly my last post. As I walked into my apartment in Boston, I thought about the amazing places I had been and how much I had learned. It had been a wonderful trip. But I was ready to settle back with my life now. Maybe I could get a pet now that I was done traveling. Or maybe I would continue traveling on my own... I don't know.

Note From The Blog Creator and Writer-

I have had a great time blogging on this blog, and I am sad to be done with it. I have learned so many things about many places in the world. I'd like to thank my Dad for giving me this assignment in the first place, to teach me my geography. I learned so much, thank you. Thanks to my readers (if I have any.). With this said, I am going to close my 80 days blog. Please return in the future for information on places all over the world!

Driving Back to Boston

I landed at the Manchester airport, where my car was waiting for me. I grabbed the keys and settled back. My trip around the world was great. I thought about all the amazing things I had seen and learned, and all the interesting places I had been. I just can't believe it went so fast. It seemed like just yesterday that I was leaving Boston for the first time, and going out into the world to search for new things...

But hey, maybe now that I am going back I can get a pet, and settle down with my life... Or maybe I will continue traveling on my own... I don't know. I am sad to say that this is going to be the last post on my blog though.

 My sister is already back from her trip, and I am now back from mine. Goodbye, Eighty Days Blog. You have served me well and taught me a lot about the world. Thank you Dad for giving me this assignment, I have had a lot of fun with it.

Goodbye.

Rushing to the Airport

I woke up, expecting it to be early and to have a whole day to spend in London. But instead, I woke up at 1:00 p.m. with only a half an hour to pack my bags and get over to the airport! I had to eat breakfast first, of course, and my bags were already packed from the night before. But what about transportation? AND WHERE WAS THE CLOSEST AIRPORT?! WHAT AIRPORT WAS MY PLANE LEAVING FROM!? I had thought I would have all of today to figure that out, so I had just randomly bought tickets to a nearby airport.

I hailed a taxi and told the driver to take me to the nearest airport. Once I got to the airport, I hurried to find where my plane was. I found the right platform, just in time to hear that there was a 3 hour delay. Since my hotel was a long drive away, I decided to do some souvenir shopping at a little souvenir store in the airport. I bought a small Union Jack Flag to bring home to Boston with me.

After that, I went to Subway, and then just went back near my platform to wait. I took a 2 hour nap, and awoke just in time to hop on the plane to go back to Boston. I ended up not getting 1st class seats, but at that point, I just wanted a place to sit and relax.

I guess that this time I can't say that I quite enjoyed my visit to London, in fact I'd say I rather disliked it. On my past venture to London, however, I had a great time. It was just due to my waking up late that I did not enjoy myself. That is all for today. Good bye.

Plane to London

My eighty days are almost up and I can't believe it! Today, I left Nairobi by airplane for London, where I will switch planes and from there land in Boston, where my trip will, sadly, end. But I will make a stop in London tomorrow. At the moment, I am in first class, luxury seats on a plane next to NO ONE! It is wonderful. The most annoying thing is that the food cart stops here last. 

I was totally at peace. There were not very many people who could afford to fly luxury, so there was very little noise. I just put my headphones in and fell asleep for about an hour listening to my music. When I woke up, The food cart was just passing by, so I bought a few packs of cookies and a milk carton and settled back with a Harry Potter book. The difference was amazing! Even the bathrooms were cleaner! I actually felt safe SITTING on the toilets this time!

Well, soon it was dark out, and all I could see below me was night lights. Occasionally I could look out my window and look up and see the stars, but below was more entrancing. I had learned to get over my fear of heights. I just needed to tell myself that the pilot was experienced and knew what he was doing. It wasn't like they had a kid behind the plane steering wheel...

Anyway, my plane landed at 1:00 a.m. that night. I was exhausted, and dragged myself into my hotel room. I fell asleep almost automatically. When you stay up till 1 with nothing to do, I am sure that everyone falls asleep easy.

Nairobi, Kenya

Well, I ended up taking an airplane and flying to Nairobi, Kenya. At least I GOT there. I settled into a small hotel with tiny rooms, and since I hate being cramped, I decided to look around for some cool attractions. I went online and searched TripAdvisor, and found the perfect attraction for myself. THE GIRAFFE CENTER!!!! For those of you who don't know, the giraffe is one of my favorite animals.

I decided that my mind was made up, I was definitely going there. I was very excited when I found out that I was allowed to feed the giraffes too! A lot of schools were there on field trips. While I spent an hour feeding one of the giraffes, and enjoyed that, I did not like the fact that there was so much noise and so many people pushing others out of the way. 

The Giraffe Center was also a very small place, so I did not think it was very much worth the high fee to get in. Because of the bad quality, I decided I was not going to spend a single penny on food there. I did get a plush giraffe for a souvenir though. I ended up going to a McDonald's to eat food after the giraffe center.  

To finish up my stay in Nairobi, I went on a safari through Nairobi National Park. I drove my own rented car through the jungle, and ended up seeing tons of Wild African Animals. It started to get dark halfway through my safari, so I left and went back to my hotel. All in all, I had a wonderful stay in Nairobi.

Kampala Uganda

I woke up in a hospital bed, not in my balloon, and at first I was confused. I was sure I had fallen asleep in my balloon basket. Then, a nurse walked in. She said my balloon had been floating in a nearby lake, and that they had rescued me and my items and brought me here for the night. I asked where I was, and let me tell you, when she said UGANDA, I screamed my head off. I had been floating towards Kenya! How the heck had this happened?

The first thing I needed to do was book a good hotel. Since I had crash landed, I decided to blow out some money on a five-star hotel called the Kampala Serena Hotel. It was beautiful there! The swimming pool had clear water, the rooms were gigantic and comfortable, and the beds were magnificent! I think mine was a water bed. I settled in right away.


I decided to stay at the comfortable hotel and read up about where I was online. I searched Kampala on Google and discovered that it was the capital of Uganda. Here is what I found:

 Kampala is the largest city in Uganda, hence making it the capital. The city is divided into five Municipal Divisions headed by mayors that oversee local planning. These include: The Kampala Central Division, The Kawempe Division, The Makindye Division, The Nakawa Division and The Lubaga Division. The city is run jointly by the Executive Director who is appointed by the president and oversees the administrative activities of the city and the Lord Mayor who chairs the Kampala City Council Authority.

I felt like resting. I was a little worried about getting to Kenya the next day. I was slowly running out of money, and since my balloon was gone, I needed to get a job in Kenya!

Day 2, Air Balloon- Drifting towards Kenya

It is day 2 of my balloon expedition! I am still heading towards Kenya, and my balloon has started to descend. It is getting very hot out, I feel like I am going to melt into a puddle at any minute. I ended up sticking my head overboard and dumping a bottle of water over it to cool off. After that, I set up a little pop up tent I had brought with me and stuffed so things in it. I grabbed a book and went into my little tent to relax.

I decided that it was time to take some beautiful photos after an hour of reading. It seemed to get dark fast, and as the sun escaped beneath the clouds, I caught a wonderful picture (not really none of this is real it is my imagination, this photo belongs to someone else.) of the sunset just as it went down. I then switched my camera to night mode, and I got some good night photos.

I knew it was still early, but with it being so dark, I had no idea what to do. I couldn't call anyone or go online as I had no service up in the clouds. I turned on my little electric lamp and read a little of my book. It was a really good book called Tom Sawyer Abroad. In the story, Tom too is up in the air on an adventure. Soon, I got tired and turned off my lamp. I fell asleep easily with only a little moonlight peeking through my tent. As I slept, I slowly descended into Kenya.

Hot Air Balloon

I decided I was tired of traveling on land, and after my first experience in the plane, I didn't really want to travel in a plane either. So I came up with the perfect solution: I would get into a hot air balloon with all of my items and let it take me wherever and that's where I would explore. I hoped it would drift towards Kenya. I needed tons of food and drink, because I had no idea where or when the balloon would go down. I even packed an inflatable raft in case I landed in water.


I guess I was a little over-safe. I ended up buying some parachutes as well. I let my balloon drift off at 6:00 a.m. It was beautiful, drifting off into the sunup. I saw some birds flying around, but I scared them off with a small horn I had with me. The sight from up in the sky was amazing. Everything looked so tiny, yet it was beautiful. I had never realized how many patterns Mother Nature had created from above.

I felt like I was at peace. I felt the wind in my hair, and I just lay back on the floor of the balloon with a good book. I felt carefree and perfect. As it got to noontime, I made myself a sandwich for lunch. The birds started coming back again, because they saw the bread, but I took care of that in a pinch. I blasted the horn at them, and they left me be.

As it got darker, the moon came out, and it got cooler. I got out my blanket and pillow and settled in for the night. It was amazing to look up at the night sky, with the stars and the moon. As I looked down, I saw that I was drifting towards Kenya. I smiled and went to sleep.

Vienna, Austria- History Trip

Today, I visited Vienna, Austria. Since I knew previously that Vienna had tons of history behind it, I decided to stay at my hotel and read up online about Vienna.



Originally a Celtic settlement, Vienna became an important Roman military and commercial center. After the Romans withdrew in the late 4th century, it rapidly changed rulers among the invaders who overran the region. Several decades passed before Henry Jasomirgott, first duke of Austria, moved his residence to the town, made it capital of the duchy, and erected a castle, Am Hof.

 The town was then ruled by Ottocar II of Bohemia, who conquered Austria in 1251. In 1282, Vienna became the official replace of the house of Hapsburg. The city was occupied by Matthias Corvinus of Hungary and was besieged by the Turks for the first time in 1529. In the horrible second siege in 1683 by the Turks under their leader Mustafa and their Hungarian allies under their leader Thokoly, the city, defended by Ernst von Starhemberg, was on the verge of starvation when it was saved by John Sobieski of Poland.

Early in the 18th century a new circle of fortifications was built around the city, and many beautiful buildings were created. Bernhard Fischer von Elrac drew up new plans for the Hofburg (the imperial residence) and built the beautiful Karlskirche; Johann von Hildebrandt designed St. Peter's Church, the Belvedere (summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy), and the Kinsky Palace; together they planned the Schwarzenburg Palace and the winter residence of Prince Eugene. Empress Maria Theresa made the old university, founded in 1365, bigger and completed the royal summer palace of Schonbrunn, started by her father, Charles.

 Joseph II opened the Prater, a large imperial garden, which now contains an amusement park, to the public. Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert lived in Vienna and gave it lasting glory.
In 1805 and 1809, Vienna was occupied by Napoleon. In the early 19th century Vienna was famous for the waltzes of Joseph Lanner and the Strauss family, and for the farces of Nestroy, the comedies of Raimund, and the tragic dramas of Grillparzer. Many theatrical acts came and went and still form in Vienna. (Needless to say there is a cookie called the Vienna Finger. That is totally aside from the fact, I just thought it was cool.)

Monaco-ville, Manaco

I decided to go to the capitol of Monaco today. While there, I heard about a wonderful oceanographic museum. It is world known as one of the best aquariums for it's vast variety of fish. I entered and was almost automatically feeling like I was in the ocean. There were 90 different pools all with different fish in them. The tanks were set up wonderfully. The fish were so colorful I was almost blinded.

I couldn't forget the shark tank either. The sharks that the aquarium had were HUGE! I got there just in time to see the feeding. After watching the sharks eat, I was mighty hungry myself. I stopped at the aquarium's cafeteria and got something to eat. I got a crab salad (fitting for an aquarium) and ate some pudding for dessert.

Before it got too dark, I went to St. Charles' Church. I read a little plaque out in front of it, and was shocked to learn it was built in the 1800's. Whoever took care of the church took care of it well. The stained glass windows sparkle, and the building looks very well kept with no vines. The bell tower raises 30 meters up and still operates well.

After I visited the church, it got dark. Not wanting to be out in a strange place at night, I returned to my hotel to tuck in for the night. I had a great time in Monaco, and hope to visit it again sometime.

London, England

I got off the plane and was in London. I was worn out from my flight, so I slept in that night. I got up and it was already 10:00. I got a late breakfast at the hotel's small buffet, and then went out for a walk. I stopped to ask someone for directions for somewhere with wifi, and I couldn't understand him! It was so hard to understand anyone over there. Finally, I found some people visiting from the United States, and hung around with them for awhile.

I decided to go to the Natural History Museum, mainly because online I had read that they have a 40,000,000 year old spider. UGH! That thing was ugly. It looks like it never got to finish it's lunch... or whatever the heck it was eating...

I looked around further, and decided that the best exhibit in the whole place had to be the giant Brontosaurus skeleton in the main hall when you first walk in. The spider was a bit of a disappointment- all it did was make me lose my appetite for lunch.

Finally, it started to get dark. I was not used to the new time schedule, and I decided to get back to my hotel. I found a little bakery to grab some food at, and then went home and fell sound asleep. I woke up at 12:00 from a nightmare about spiders though... 

Plane Trip to England

Today, I am on a plane going to England. I boarded and much to my dismay discovered that I would be sitting next to a cranky young woman in her 30's. All she wanted was to talk about how she had to fly to England to do the work that she absolutely hated, blah blah blah. I got sick and tired of hearing it after while. I almost blurted out, "WELL IF YOU DIDN'T LIKE THE JOB, WHY THE HECK DID YOU TAKE IT!?" The only times I got peace and quiet was when the food cart came around with milk and cookies and when she FINALLY fell asleep.

Soon, I was high up in the air and all I felt like doing was hurling. I hate heights, and just to make it worse, all I could see below me was water. I ended up going to the bathroom to barf once. I don't think it was seeing the water and all the height that made me barf though. I think they gave me old milk with my cookies. Speaking of food, I discovered that when lunchtime came, I couldn't reach my lunch! I was so annoyed. I ended up buying some more cookie packets to eat to hold me over.

Soon enough, my grumpy seatmate woke up. She seemed to be in a bit of a better mood. She didn't groan about her job as much, but she seemed to disagree with everything I said and didn't want to make friendly conversation. I even tried giving her a leftover cookie I had. She just snatched it out of my hand grumpily and didn't say thank you. Last of all, I asked her name. She just stared at me harshly and said, "None of your business." Talk about mean!

Finally, my flight was over. I was relieved to be off that stupid plane and away from that cranky woman. However, my pain wasn't over yet... because to my absolute horror, she was my next door neighbor at my hotel!!!

Baltimore, Maryland

                                                         
Today I am going to Baltimore, Maryland. I decided to go to the Baltimore Civil War Museum while I was there. It was a very cool place, but small. It had gotten good reviews on trip adviser though, so I decided to try it. I went, and while there was not much to see, there was an interesting documentary on the building that the museum is in. The museum used to be a railroad stop that Union soldiers would get off at in the time of the civil war.

I decided I would eat some lunch and then go to a well rated place called Sherwood Gardens. I went, and it was beautiful there! My only turn off was that there were no trash cans anywhere! I had brought a sandwich and a soda with me to eat lunch there, and there weren't any trash baskets. I was upset. However, the flowers were very pretty. The garden consisted mostly of tulips that were blooming and at the height of their growth.

To end my stay, I decided to go to a drive in movie at a place called Bengie's. I bought a bag of popcorn there, and it was delicious. It was nine bucks to see 3 movies. However, the employees were not nice at all. While the rules were as they are at any movie theater, the employees kept reminding everyone over the loudspeaker to not turn lights on and all the other rules. It was very annoying.

I went back to the hotel after only one movie because I was so annoyed. Its better that I get my rest anyway. Other than the annoying drive-in, I had a great time in Baltimore.

Wilmington, Delaware

I decided that today I was going to do a history trip, since I haven't  done one in awhile. I researched Wilmington online, and it turns out there is more than one. There is also a Wilmington in Massachusetts. The history of Wilmington isn't too exciting.

 Back in colonial times, it was simply known as Willington after the first land adapter, Thomas Willing. The first colony was set up by Finland and Sweden in 1638. The land fell to the Dutch in 1655, and later to the British. Under the British reign was the name changed to Wilmington, after Spencer Compton, earl of Wilmington.

Wilmington has benefited over the years from the laws of Delaware, which favor corporate management. It is the official headquarters of many corporations that otherwise do little or no business in the state. 

Wilmington College has grown rapidly since its founding in 1968 and now has campuses throughout the state. Goldey-Beacom College, a private co-educational college founded in 1886, has its campus in a suburb of Wilmington. Wiedner University, based in Chester, Pennsylvania, has a branch campus in Wilmington.

WOW! I never would have guessed that big corporations don't like to do business in Delaware! And, uh, I never would have guessed that it's name was originally Willington too..... but anyway. Though I didn't get out and see the sights, I learned the underlying story. I guess you could say I had an EDUCATIONAL time in Wilmington.

New York, New York

I traveled to New York today. I want to do some big time sightseeing, and I started by getting up at 7:00 in the morning to go see the Empire State Building. Did you know that the empire state building is 1454 feet tall and has 102 floors in it? I went up to the observation deck and looked out. Using a pair of binoculars, I could see the Statue of Liberty!

Speaking of the Statue of Liberty, I took a ferry trip to Ellis Island so that I could up in the torch of the Statue of Liberty. I took a few sandwiches and a thermos of lemonade with me and had my lunch in the torch. The view from up there was amazing! I could see everything!

I took the ferry back and by that time it was getting dark. I decided I would eat when I got back to the hotel. Lucky for me, the buffet was still open and I was able to get a salad before they closed for the night.

That's it for today. I had a great time in New York City.

Madison, Wisconsin

Today I arrived in Madison Wisconsin. I was happy to go there, because my name is in the title. I want to learn why the town was named Madison. I researched on my laptop and it turns out that it was named for President James Madison, who was president at the time it was made capital.

While in Wisconsin, I went on the Ice Age trail. It was the only thing that I wanted to do in Wisconsin. It took me three hours to hike the entire trail, and it was starting to get dark as I headed back. I had gotten some good wildlife photos on the way though.

By the time I was off of the trail, it was 6:00 and I was absolutely exhausted. I got some dinner from Mcdonalds and ate as I rode back to my hotel in a cab. I wrote in my diary for a little, and then fell asleep reading a book.

I woke up early the next morning and went souvenir shopping. I only wanted a snowglobe, and I found one really cheap at a gas station. Then, I ate lunch and shopped around some more.

Billings, Montana

When I got to Billings Montana, I was exhausted. I didn't want to go to sleep though. I wanted to go to a place called Moss Mansion. Moss Mansion is a museum that has been used many times in movies and TV shows. It had gotten some good reviews on the trip adviser website I use, and many people had said it was well worth the trip. So I went. The staff were very polite, and since it was wintertime, the holiday decorations were up. The decorations alone were well worth my visit. The museum was very cool too. It had a lot of stuff from the 1800's in it, as that was the time period the mansion was built in.

After the museum tour, (which ran about an hour,) I decided it was time to eat. I felt like eating Mexican food for some odd reason. I found a well rated one called El Corral. I went in and enjoyed a delicious meal of enchiladas before moving on with my trip.

To finish off, I went to the three sights indoor shooting range. I took one of the pistol classes, and while to someone with a great interest in guns it may be great, to me it was just boring and confusing.

After this, I went back to my hotel to catch some shut eye. I was super tired since I had not taken a nap earlier. Good Night. I had a great time in Billings.

Vancouver, Canada

I got off the train at 6:00 a.m. in the morning today. I was in Vancouver! I was so happy that I had finally done a train trip. I went to my hotel and unpacked my bags. After getting 2 hours of sleep, I decided to go to a golf course and play some golf. I had a lot of fun doing it, though I was not a good player.

Next, I went on a whale watching tour. I saw a couple of whales and took some photos. I got a little seasick though. I had eaten lunch just before starting off, and when some waves rocked the boat, it ended up rocking my stomach too. YUCK!

I finished off the night by going to the famous Vancouver Opera. It is the second biggest opera company in Canada! It was wonderful.
The singing started getting too high for me though, and I had to leave.
It was about time anyway; I was tired.

I caught a cab to my hotel, and was sound asleep within minutes. I had a great time in Vancouver. Good Night!

Final Day on Train

Today is my final day on the Canadian train. Tomorrow, I am going to get off in Vancouver. I double checked my train car to make sure that I had all of my items packed into my bag. I decided that I would write a farewell poem and leave it on the train.

It went like this:

Farewell train, I've had a ride,
I've let you carry me with pride,
But all good things must come to end,
I hope you'll say you'll be my friend,

And carry me from A to B,

And if by chance again we meet,

You'll let me ride again.

Satisfied with my work, I went to the library car and picked another Sherlock Holmes book to read. I sat back in my chair and started to read Sherlock Holmes and The Giant Rat of Sumatra. I soon got hungry and went to the food cart. I discovered that I was going to be eating lamb today. I took it to a table, but was disappointed  It tasted horrible. I had much preferred the boiled chicken with BBQ sauce I had had previously.

I went to the game cart, but I did not feel like playing chess. I instead got into a game of UNO with a family that was taking a train vacation. I had a lot of fun. Soon, I wanted to sleep. I had to get up early the next day to get off the train.

Train Day 2

I am still on the train, headed to Vancouver. Today, I am going to hang out it the train's library for awhile. I went to the library car and found a Sherlock Holmes mystery. I found a comfortable spot in my seat and sat back to read. Around 12:00, my stomach started grumbling for food. Since I had once again skipped breakfast, I was very hungry.

Upon arriving at the food cart, I discovered to my dismay that we had a very poor buffet choice today. I finally settled for boiled chicken with BBQ sauce. I had a cup of coffee with it. Cobbler of the month was blueberry, and I decided I would have a piece. It was very tasty. After this, I walked back to the library cart and returned to my book.

As it got dark, I decided that I had better head back to my train car. However, I had heard about a game car, and I was tempted to see what it was. It ended up being a room with tons of board games and a chess table. I sat down and was soon caught up in a game of chess against an elderly woman.


By the time the game ended, it was about 10:00. I was very tired, and refused to play another game of chess. So I went back to my car and got ready for bed. I had a great day today, and now that I know about the game car, I have something to do over the next few days.
Good night,
Maddie.

Canadian Train

I am on the train! I have no idea where in Canada I am, I just know it is very pretty. Here are some pictures of the type of train I am on: 

A view from the train.

So as you can imagine, I am very happy. Who wouldn't be??? The mountains are my home and my natural habitat. I am having such a good time watching the tall green trees and clear blue lakes and murky marshes drift past my window. I felt poetic, so I wrote this:

I sit and watch the world go by,

underneath a cloudless sky,

the birds all chirp among the trees,

as free as anything could be,

like fish out in the open sea,

the world never ceases to amaze me.

After I had finished writing, I realized I had missed breakfast. Lunch would be over in a half an hour, so I hurried to get dressed and ran to the food car. Soon, I was happily eating lasagna and salad.

I went back to my cart and decided to draw a little. I drew a beautiful sketch of a train in the wilderness with animals living in it and vines wrapped around it- a deserted old train. The sketch managed to keep me up until 12:00 a.m drawing. I soon fell asleep.

Banff Canada

Hello from Banff! This beautiful Canadian town is best known for honeymoons because of it's beauty. Located in the Rocky Mountains, the town is like winter wonderland. I could automatically see why everyone came here to celebrate marriage. It was so- tranquil.

I had heard about these long, through the wilderness train rides that started in Banff and ended in Vancouver. Even though I had already been to Vancouver, I still wanted to do that train trip. My Dad had always wanted to take me and my sister on one, but we never had enough money to do so.

I got a ticket (very expensive) and got an absolutely tiny train car to myself. There were little fold down beds and all. I started accommodating myself to the train, starting with hurling into a handy paper bag that I always kept with me. I then moved down a train car and then ate lunch at the eating car. I was surprisingly liking the train ride.

Soon, I felt it was time to sleep. I was getting tired at sitting at my window just watching tree after tree after tree go by. I folded down my little bed and settled in. Good Night.

Phoenix Arizona

Hello from wonderful Phoenix Arizona! The first thing I am going to do (after unpacking) is go to the museum! I am very curious about how Phoenix got it's name. I know of the mythical creature, but I am not sure if the mysterious fiery bird has anything to do with the city.


The museum helped me better understand how Phoenix got it's name. Before there was a city, there were Indians that lived on the land. Their main goal was to have many canals channel through their town, making things easy for them. However, when great droughts came around, the Indians were left with no water and died.

 A traveling pioneer saw the land as perfect farmland with a bit of tweaking and some water. Soon, plants were growing successfully. Phoenix got it's name when a traveler quoted that "a new city will spring phoenix-like upon the ruins of a former civilization." (Phoenix are known to die and then be reborn from their ashes.)

While I didn't do anything much fun this trip, I did learn something new, and that really is the goal of my traveling. To learn new things. Other than eating and browsing in some shops, that is all I really did in Phoenix: study. Well, I'd best be off to bed now. Wouldn't want to miss ANY of my trip.

Oklahoma City

Hello from OKC! I love it when states name their capitals with the same name as the state. It makes things so much easier to remember! I started out my day by going to the zoo. I had a great time looking at the animals, especially my favorite one: the giraffe. After this, I had a good lunch at the zoo cafeteria.

Some Chihuly glass art.

Next, I went to the Oklahoma City museum of art. It was beautiful! The museum had been started in the 1920's and has been running ever since, with no building moves except for one in 2002. The museum hold the largest collection of Dale Chihuly glass in the world.

Before I went for dinner, I went online and searched for the best pizza joint in Oklahoma City. I right away knew what one I wanted to go to. Hideaway Pizza! It had tons of good reviews. I went and it was awesome!

By this time, it was dark. I got back to my hotel in a hurry. I hate being out after dark in strange places. I got  to bed and had a long rest. I hate to  be tired on my journeys.

Springfield Illinois

Wax Figures of the Lincoln Family

Illinois, here I come! I booked a room in a small hotel that was not well known but had good ratings. When I got to Springfield, I was exhausted! I dragged my luggage up to my hotel room and then collapsed on my bed. I barely had time to think about what I was doing the next day. I slept for about 12 hours, and woke up a 9 the next morning, ready to tour Springfield.

I went to the Abraham Lincoln Historical Museum and Library. It was so cool! There were interactive exhibits, wax figures, and replicas of the white house and log cabin. FUN FACT: Abraham Lincoln, 16th President, was born in Springfield Illinois in a log cabin, hence the exhibit.



I learned a lot about the Lincoln family while I was there. For example: Good Ol' Abe spoiled his kids! The kids would climb on his shoulders during important meetings and scribble on official White House papers.

I only had time for one trip unfortunately. It was getting very late, and I wanted to get to sleep. I drove back to my hotel and fell asleep, dreaming of the days of Lincoln.

Boston, Massachusetts

Remember how I said I was going to New York? Well, I decided instead of landing there, I would just scoot back to home and freshen up. I went back to my house, and unpacked my stuff. I unpacked my souvenirs and put them away in my cabinet. Then, I took a long hot shower. It felt great.

After my shower, I took a nap. When I got up, I repacked my stuff before bed. I made myself a sandwich for dinner and then flopped into my bed for some more relaxation. The next day, I got up feeling normal.

I decided that before I went anywhere, I needed some more money from the bank. I guess you know where I went next. That's right---- THE BANK! After withdrawing some money, I decided I didn't know where I wanted to go. I decided I would sleep at my own house for one last night. After the bank, I went to the grocery store to get materials for making sandwiches. When I got home, I made my food for the next day.

After this, I looked online and decided I was going to go to Illinois. But now, I had to get some sleep. I didn't want to be tired on my drive tomorrow!

Cruise to New York

Today, I am on a cruise ship headed for New York. I was getting bored of cruising around the islands, so I decided I would go back to the U.S. and take a rest back home. I enjoyed a long day's rest on the cruise ship, and the next day, I got up fully refreshed and ready to have fun.

The first thing I did was enjoy a good swim in the top deck pool. The water was very refreshing. After swimming, I went for a massage on the second floor. The masseuse was very talented, and soon I felt very relaxed. I went for lunch at the on-ship buffet. The food was typical ship food- crummy ( but at least it didn't make me sick.).  I figured that after this I had probably better start getting ready for dinner. I had reserved a V.I.P spot to sit at the captain's table.

I went to get my hair and nails done first. Then, I bought a new purse at the ship's boutique. I went back to my cabin to get dressed, and that was that. I walked around the ship for awhile and then went to dinner. The dinner was surprisingly good. The captain had his own personal chef that actually made GOOD food was the reason. I enjoyed myself.

After dinner, I went back to my cabin, stuffed up with food PAST the gills. All that I wanted to do at this point was collapse. I was literally stuffed. I had tried to leave after the third course, but the captain had forced me to stay for dessert. Besides, who could pass up brownie sundaes? Made THE RIGHT WAY???

Bermuda

Today I traveled to Bermuda, an island probably most known from the name the Bermuda Triangle. It is beautiful on Bermuda. I had read on a tourist site that there were pink sand beaches, and whattaya know, there were! It was wonderful. I sat on the beach and enjoyed the sea breeze, and then went out for a swim.

The Bermuda Triangle is a very well known legend. Many ships and planes have disappeared over the mass of water, supposedly due to paranormal activity.

The Bermuda Triangle is over 1000000 miles long, so it is pretty hard to avoid. Funny, many ships and planes disappeared during storms. Many think that the disappearances could just have been stubborn pilots determined to get to base.

I had a good time in Bermuda. I ALWAYS enjoy a good beach. And it was in my favorite color, which is even better. Even better, I love an area with a good legend about it. I have to hit the sack now. I wouldn't want to miss a bit of tomorrow's trip.

Acklins Island

Today, I visited Acklins Island! It is a poor, do-it-yourself island, so I had a little trouble getting used to it. It has been poor since the American Loyalists found it in the late 1780's. They turned it into a cotton farm and used slaves to run it.

When slavery was against the law, it was turned into a place to dive for sponges and people sold them for awhile. But soon, even sponges couldn't bring in enough money. Now, people on the island fish and hunt for food.

I was NOT about to eat fish again, so I instead unpacked my bag and found a granola bar that I ended up eating as part of my meal. I found a tin of cereal in my bag as well. I didn't feel like going out to the store. I ended up renting a kayak and kayaking around with some other tourists for a little, which was very fun.

That was basically what I did. I learned a little more history then I did anything else. I am not big on being a beach bum ALL OF THE TIME. Only once in a while.

Egg Island

I stayed put at Island Andros, but visited another island. Egg Island is a small, uninhabited island that gained it's name because all of the locals' chickens live on this island, and this is where locals go to collect eggs.

 I had befriended an islander on my fishing trip the day before, and he took me with him to egg island when he went to collect eggs. I sat on a small, crescent shaped beach that was part of the island.

Egg Island is known for one other thing other than the egg-collecting. It gained some fame in the 1980's when people speculated that this was the island that Columbus had landed on when he was searching for the "New World".

I collected some eggs myself. I found out that the hens are very wild, and that you have to take caution when you grab eggs. I made myself an omelette for dinner. It was super good. Then, I went to sleep. I had more islands to explore!