A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles – Tim Cahill

I was so blown away by all the people we met, visited or who visited us on the first half of our trip that I dedicated a blog post to naming each of them and giving our thanks for taking the time to make our journey that much better.  Now as we end this incredible experience, I continue to be amazed by the people we encountered on our journey.  Some we knew, some we met, some we saw after many years.  But once again, a friendly face, kind words, a glass of wine, dinner, it all meant the world to us.  So, once again, I would like to give a shout out to all the people who made the second half of our trip so special.

Barcelona – Dave’s mom stayed with us for 5 weeks.  We are so thankful for the time we had with her and her fluent Spanish which helped us along the way.

Barcelona – Liz and Lindsay – One of our San Francisco babysitters, Liz, and her roommate, Lindsay, happened to take a trip to Paris and Barcelona that coincided with our time there.  We were so happy to have a night out, without kids might I add, and to share a delicious, gourmet tapas meal at La Pepita.

Lisbon – To my family – Fernando, Maria Helen, Francisco, Dulce, Guillerme, Ines, Alexander, Ana, Henrique and to the extended family who came to see us.  For showing us your slice of Portugal.  We loved your beautiful country, your food and most of all you!!!  A highlight of our trip for sure.  We can’t wait to see you again!

Venice, Italy – Christina and Mia Green and their daughter, Maggie – If you can believe it, Dave got an email from our good friend, Tom Green, once he heard we were in Venice.  His brother, Christian, had just landed in Venice as well.  We met him and his family for a drink.  Small world!!

Sicily –  To my parents for joining us on this journey.  It was an amazing month and a treat to get to spend that time with you.

Terrasini, Sicily – To our friend Tina’s aunt, Lina.  For showing us true Sicilian hospitality and cuisine. It was such a delicious lunch and so nice to get to know you and your family.

Lucca – To our friend, Danny’s dad’s cousin, Domenico and his daughter, Beatrice, for showing us the quaint and charming town of Lucca and for driving us to see the amazing villas outside the walls.

Rome – To Father Kevin for taking the time to celebrate Grace and Lauren’s First Communion.  It was such a personal and memorable day.

London – To the Sweitzer family, Polly, Steve and Sadie, our compadres in world travels.  Cousins of my college friend, Julie.  

Paris – To my best friend, Jennie, for sharing her love for Paris and all things Eiffel Tower for 3 weeks!!!!  You made Paris a city we all love! 

Paris – And to Jill, from meeting briefly in Chianti, to having drinks and dinner in Paris.  Hope we meet again.

Paris – Dave’s high school friend, John Gaynor and his family, for having us all over for a home cooked meal.  We appreciate your hospitality.

Vienna – Phil Nery – grade school friend of Dave’s who happened to be in Vienna for work.  Dave was able to meet him for coffee.

Vienna – Penelope – a great girl we met when we toured Dave’s old school in Vienna.  She ended up babysitting twice for us – so lucky!

Lucerne and Murren – To my brother, Matt.  I can’t even believe that our paths crossed!! That’s the icing on the cake!  Loved spending time in beautiful Murren with you – a magical place.  Love you!

Basel – To our college friend, Shannon and her family, Tim, Blake, Jenna and Kate, for taking us in and showing us the sites in Basel.  What a treat to reconnect after all these years.  Can’t get rid of me now!  And to Ms. Jeanne – we loved our day with you!!

Lake Constance – To Dave’s friend, Mausi, who he met in 1990 when he did a homestay at her house in Murnau, Germany.  For housing us and showing us the beautiful countryside.

Stockholm – To our San Francisco friends, The Mahoney Family – who happened to be visiting their family in Stockholm while we were there.  We enjoyed dinner and drinks and the girls enjoyed hanging out with their kids.

Again, it really amazes me as I write this list.  The internet is an amazing tool that has allowed us to connect, reconnect and find people all over.  It definitely made the world a smaller place for us.   There are so many people around the world who took part in this journey with us.  You will all hold a special place in our hearts and memories for helping to make this trip so special.   

The joys of travel is visiting new towns and meeting new people – Genghis Khan