Co-Blogging On the Way

After talking with Madeline and Revie, they've both agreed to do co-blogging here. I'm super excited! Once we work out the whole Blogger deal, they should be posting regularly.

Who We Are

All right. Who are these frivolous girls who are going to contribute to carbon emissions and waste hard-earned money on indulgent travel? We're pretty crazy, I'll tell ya.

The three of us, Madeline, Revie and Gabrielle (me) have been friends since seventh grade. We're juniors now, so that's a long time. We met in church, like all good Christians should (sike!) and none of us fit with the youth group. I was friends with Revie and I was friends with Madeline but the three of us were never a real trio until freshman year.

We took a Christian-Ed class at church and were all in the same small group. We kind of discovered that we all... get along. It's not like we're the same people, we're insanely different. We believe different things, we wear different clothes (although we all love fashion), we like different kinds of movies (but we watch the other peeps' movies too), we all have our issues but we are incredibly close.

And in that famous freshman year, Madeline, a not-in-the-closet Anglophile, told me about her dream of going to Europe after high school. I told her to stick with me; I have connections. Thus began The Plan, a wispy dream of two young teenagers.

As the Years Passed, the Plan became a little less wispy and a little more concrete. Revie joined on board (we suspect only to check out European boys-- and cathedrals-- but that's okay) and we set a date: June after graduation.

This Christmas, we made our first real plan, outlining places we want to go and how long we want to go for. In March (15 months away) we decided it was more practical to just hit England and Paris, for three weeks. Our strategies for saving money, the places we want to go, what we want to bring back, how much Chanel we'll be stealing: all to be revealed later.

The Plan has become a sort-of pact. I guess some teens make suicide pacts, we make travel pacts. If we don't do this, it will be one of the greatest disappointments and I-wish-I-couldas ever. So we're going. In June 2009, we can celebrate five full years of friendship for three fabulous weeks, before departing to separate colleges and the inevitable part of growing up.

Destination: The Tower of London

I've been there before, when I was eight. It's where the Crown Jewels live, and I definitely want to go in 2009. Revie should want to go only to see where Elizabeth stayed in Elizabeth with Cate Blanchett. Madeline should want to go just because of the gaudy jewelry :D.

Back in the Running

So I haven't posted for like five months but I've been working! And the Friends and I are beginning to narrow down and think ahead. Our BIG TRIP is about 15 months away.

After long discussions, I am no longer going to Italy and no longer going to spend a semester in England. Sad, but I'll just have to make up for it in my junior year abroad. Until then, the Revster, Madelegna and I have been working on our plans.

We estimate our trip will cost about $3000 each, with approximately three weeks abroad. It looks as if we might just be hitting the UK and Paris this time, with a sentimental goal of doing Italy after college graduations. I love working on logistics for this, it's so inspiring.

So, little known facts:

Some of the COOLEST stuff in London is free (Westminster Abbey, British Museum-- Rosetta Stone!!!)
You can buy a Carte Orange pass in Paris and get unlimited train rides for a week
Stonehenge is only like 9 miles from Salisbury Cathedral
Oxford University offers a HARRY POTTER tour, as well as a J.R.R. Tolkien/C.S. Lewis tour. We'll have to pick one.

More updates, slow and erratic, but updates, are sure to come.