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This has probably been the craziest two trips of my life over the past two weeks. I was first on the west coast attending a wedding for my Cali cousin Michelle at this amazing place in Healdsburg, California. We met with friends and family over this extended weekend and saw much of the Sonoma Country Wineries. It was great to attend such a great event with such good company even though the room Will and I shared had scary porcelain cats that where placed by the fireplace to glare at you. Getting back to the San Fran airport was even pretty cool since we took the Oakland bridge which gave a totally different prospective coming into the city rather than taking big red across the bay. As for my family getting back to North Carolina, it was pretty easy but as for me and Jen it would be a total different experience. Getting delayed at the SFO airport for almost 5 hours then arriving in Atlanta too late for a connection flight, Delta ended up paying for us to stay at a hotel to catch the first flight out the next morning.

Hoping to start off the next trip on a better note, we had arrived at the RDU airport (not a university as someone on the airplane asking me confusingly) not even 48 hours from the flight back in from San Fran. Our flight path would be to first depart Raleigh to Dulles to Frankfurt then into Basel. Frankfurt was a freaking huge airport, we had to get bused both arriving at the airport and debarking the airport. When we left during our long  journey along the airport tarmac, an old man leaned over to me and stated that they might as well just drive down to Basel seeming how long its taking us to just get to the airplane.

Flying Lufthansa was very nice and clean although the small child in front of me was not feeling well. His mom placed a open barf bag next to him in the event he did, Jen at this point left me know too that she would do the same if he barfed…super. When we got to the Basel airport it was nice to know that things looked familiar. We walked outside the airport being careful once again not to walk out into the wrong country. Not a minute went by until we saw this frantic women running to us. It was Gina come to greet us into her hometown! I was again comforted by family in a foreign place but on the bigger picture this was Jen’s first time out of the country. Staying with the Colleluori’s would be the best break-in for her to get familiar with an foreign country.

I’ve been getting an itch for yet another road trip. Not that its been all that long since I’ve been away to Philly but I was looking forward to another chance to get away. My friend Anna was flying back into the country from spending 6 months volunteering in Lima, Peru. She had picked the perfect weekend to come through New York complete not with snow but with torrential downpours and a northeaster making the perfect cherry. All of this made it a mess for her arrival but after dookie delta flew her 500 miles out of the way she made it to good ole Greensboro, NC.

On Wednesday we headed down to Alabama, this was all too familiar to me. Who knows how many times I’ve made this trip but it makes you think how many other people travel this route all the time for business. I definitely would get bored..especially from Greenville to Atlanta, I’ve never seen such nothing for miles except for the duplicate billboards advertising erotic stop shops.The weekend was filled with relaxation at the lake, eating and telling stories. The food was the best part being that I was anticipating the routine visit to my favorite restaurant, Al’s. Entering this 24/7 Mediterranean shop, you immediately smell the grease coming from the fries and the flavorful cooked beef for gyro’s. What I get every time I go there is a potato baker. This concoction is a huge potato cut in half separated by chucks of chicken, bbq sauce, sour creme, butter and cheese. It makes such a lovely combination when purchased with pita and occasionally warm hummus.

After this fun I’ve come to the conclusion why I like Alabama. They have incredible thrift stores that are like Walmart that put North Carolina Goodwill’s to shame. If it weren’t for Dale’s Sauce, which is made in Birmingham, my hamburgers wouldn’t taste as good. Who else would have a statue that stands 56 feet tall and has his butt exposed for everyone to see. Some people don’t realize a place like Milo’s can have some kick ass tea. Lastly, no matter how many times my ears perk up when I hear the song Sweet Home Alabama…Alabamians hate that song.

Sadly enough I had to return home but I can’t wait since my next trip is just around the corner. In less than 3 weeks I’ll be bound for Europe. Wahoo!!