The End.

Well, Natalie and I are back in the States. It feels as surreal as going to Europe did a couple weeks ago. After everything we've seen and done over the past 17 days (+ 10 for Natalie), sitting in my bedroom in Schaumburg just feels odd. I'm sure I'll fall back into the routine of home soon, but the experiences I had in Europe are certainly staying with me. They were absolutely unforgettable.

The last couple days were spent relaxing and spending time with my family. I didn't get to see all of them; I would've needed another couple weeks for that. But I got to see many of them, and it was lovely. Going 4 years between seeing people really makes you appreciate the time you get with them.

Like Natalie mentioned, I got to see my grandma. It was bittersweet. I love seeing her, but it always makes her very emotional. This was the first time seeing her in the nursing home, which also made it hard. I miss her little familiar house. She's now 95 years old, but she seems to be doing very well, and I'm very much hoping I get to come back to Germany next year with my family to see her again.

Yesterday, Natalie and I went horseback-riding. It was a lot of fun. We rode Daniello, who is a really great horse. Obedient and friendly. Natalie definitely got sore muscles from riding. After that, we went down into the basement of my cousin's house and watched USA play England on a huge projection screen. It was awesome. There's really nothing like being in Germany for the World Cup. That's all they've been talking about for weeks, and it really reached a fever pitch while we were there. Definitely a letdown to return to the US, where few people even realize the World Cup is going on.

We had one final lovely dinner up at Ravensburg Castle, near my relatives' house. It has a breathtaking view of trees and fields and the surrounding villages. Really unlike anything you can see in the US. My little cousins took us down into the tunnels underneath the castle, and I still have no idea why we blindly trusted them. Parts of the tunnel were pitch black. We couldn't see a thing, and I don't even want to think about the sorts of creatures that were down there. At the end of one tunnel was a little church, which was actually quite creepy. Apparently people get married down there. Not the venue I would prefer...

And today, the plane ride home was uneventful. We weren't able to sit together, but we were just a few rows apart, so it was fine. The 9.5 hours passed easily enough. They showed the wedding episode of The Office, which was awesome. And we had a couple meals to break up the time. And then, suddenly, we were home.

When people ask me how the trip was, I will tell them that it was amazing. I saw so much and learned so much about different cultures. I had some very unique experiences and learned the ins and outs of train travel very thoroughly. Natalie and I learned to mesh our travel styles and worked well together to figure each new country out and learn their ways. We're already thinking about our next adventure. Europe has only whetted our desire to travel the world and experience all there is to experience. So, until we do, I think that ends our travel blog. Thank you all for reading and commenting, we've really enjoyed doing this and hearing your responses!