Venice Day 2

We awoke and it hit me. This was our last destination. Our last full day out of the country. It was November 11th. I grabbed a napkin off the end table (presumably from gelato the night before) and began to draw on it. I drew, sketched, and shaded in various colors (even though I only had one cheap hotel pen) and mapped out our journey. Here is what I drew:

I gently got out of bed, not to disturb the snoring-Laura creature, and got dressed. While nodding off last night she had mentioned she wanted to see "one of those cool old ones...". Later, I found out she meant churches. I arranged for us to go sightseeing at St. Mark's Basilica.


Apparently, it is technically called the Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark, or Basilica Cattedrale Patriachale di San Marco in Italian. It's a cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Venice. Basically it's a big, old, fancy Catholic church. 


We toured the church and surrounding grounds. The tour guide, who once again looked eerily similar to the dude from Rio, Cairo, and Antarctica, told us that Byzantine architecture was used throughout the grounds. It lies in Piazza San Marco, or the St. Mark district. 

The Front 

I;m not the most interested in art or architecture, but I really enjoyed the tour. I didn't quite understand it all, but it was fun. 

By the time we were done, it was nearing sunset. Laura had an idea. We grabbed a "picnic" dinner, and rented a gondola. The man driving it looked exactly like the guy we'd seen everywhere else. Although it could be seen as a date, Laura and I saw the gondola ride as fulfilled dream. Ever since we sang "That's Amore" on a karaoke game at our friend's house, it because a mission. Suddenly, we burst into song.

"Wheeeeeeeeeeeeen theee moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, thats amore. 

When the world seems to shine like you've had TOO MUCH WINE, that's amore!" we sang, our voices fluctuating between loud, and louder. 

All of a sudden, our gondola man went overboard. Being the screamer that I am, I screamed. It was close enough to a bridge that we managed to leap to shore.

 Laura said, "Hurry, we don't want to get caught in another international scandal."  

"Another?!..." I replied. We were already halfway to our hotel. 

"Uh. I'll tell you later." 

Little did we know, we spent several hours on the gondola and by the time we got back to our hotel we had to pack our bags and rush to the airport for our early-morning flight.

We were late.

Our family and friends welcomed us home, and we immediately went to sleep. 

Venice Day 1

Arriving in Venice was a nice change. It wasn't below zero! Actually, it has relatively nice weather, somewhat a Mediterranean climate. Italy borders France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia. It appears to be shaped like a boot sticking out into the Mediterranean Sea. Italians are predominantly Catholic. The main language of Italy is  Italian, but English is widely spoken there, too.

We arrive at night, and check into our hotel. We're staying at the Boscolo Bellini . I knew what I wanted to do already, and I knew if I told Laura it would never happen. We went to bed, surprisingly uneventfully. 

That morning, I caught a cab and dragged Laura in with me. We were going shopping. 

With Mr. Perazzo's credit card, of course.

Laura began whimpering, but I assured her this would be quick.

We stopped at Louis Vuitton, Roberto Cavalli, Armani, Fendi, Gucci, Prada, Missoni, and Versace, buying almost nothing. But not so fast, I spent nearly $20,000. Teehee.

By the time I was done, it was only lunchtime. We stopped at a corner cafe. We both had grilled sandwiches called paninis. We wandered the streets of Italy, observing people. Before long, we were hungry again. We stopped at a restaurant and had a traditional five course meal.

Our first course was called Antipasti or Antipasto. Antipasti is like an appetizer. Instead of spinach dip and chips or potato skins like Americans would have, Italians enjoy bruschetta or antipasto misto. We had bruschetta, which is toasted bread with a salsa like mixture of tomatoes and onion, but instead of being spicy it was sweet. They had slices of mozzerella cheese and basil leaves to put on also. Laura seemed to enjoy eating this; she was pretending to do something that I didn't quite understand.

The second course is Primo, which is technically a "first course". Its like a side dish. Primo usually is a pasta, soup, or risotto (rice) dish. Laura, being as obsessed with pasta as she is, ordered pasta. I wanted to try something new and ordered risotto.

The third course to our five course meal is Secondo. It's technically the "second course". The main meal. The Big Bang. The Hanuka Matata. The Whole Enchilada. But it wasn't an enchilada. It's usually meat, poultry, or  fish. Once again, being predictable, Laura ordered trout, mumbling about something to do with penguins. I ordered grilled salmon.

Our fourth course, which is technically just a side dish, is called Contorni. It is usually vegetables (verdura), potato, or a salad (insalata). I ordered a salad, and Laura ordered, surprise, potatoes.

Typically in Italy wine or sparkling mineral water is drinken with dinner. They have no lawful drinking age there, but if you're under 16 you can't buy alcohol. I deliberately didn't tell Laura this, but somehow she found out and was asking anyone who appeared to be over the age of 16 to buy us some wine. I managed to muffle her requests so we didn't become international fugitives.

The last course, the best, was desert, or dolce. Typically fruit or cheese. After that, you are offered cafe or digestivo, coffee or an after dinner drink. Both Laura and I had some fruit and hot chocolate.

After leaving the restaurant, we went for gelato. I had chocolate gelato (now that is what you call decadent) and Laura had, surprise, vanilla. We ate our gelato as we walked back to the hotel.

Antarctica Day 2 (And 3 and 4)

We woke up at what had to be the crack of dawn. The researchers had begun hustling around, most of them carrying coffee. Apparently, it comes with the freeze-dried meals. I don't want to know what freeze-dried coffee tastes like.

"Hey. How's it goin'? Whassup my homie. Yo! Frank!" Laura said, walking through the research center. No one acknowledged her. Oh gosh, we have two more days of this.

By the time I found something edible for breakfast, Laura was already outside. I brought the food and planted myself in the snow. I watched and ate while Laura chased...air.

The contents of the "Breakfast Pack".

"Granola", "Pancakes", more "Granola", and three kinds of "Omlettes"

And remember. I use these terms loosely.

We did this for the next two days. I was beginning to worry that our friend who was supposed to send his plane forgot about us. Suddenly, on the fourth day in Antarctica, a plane landed in the vast clearing.

I was saved! Uhh. I mean, ahem, we were saved. I ran to our luggage.

The magical man took us into his warm, dry plane and flew us away, with much resistance from Laura. At that point, I didn't care if a creepy, hairy man was following around the world.

Day 1 Antarctica

Because there are no flights directly to Antarctica, we took a plane to Ushuaia, Argentina and borrowed our scientist friend's plane to go to the Fossil Bluff research center. We arrived in a barren ice land. We grabbed our bags and left the plane and the badly shaken pilot, who once again reminded me of the dude in Rio and Cairo. Laura seems to have that affect on people.

When we were waiting to get picked up in Ushuaia, I Googled Antarctica. It's the southernmost continent of Earth. It is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. 98% of Antarctica is ice. It has the highest elevation of all the continents. On average, it is the driest, coldest, windiest continent. Lovely.

We made our way to the research center, walking against the whipping wind and snow. Luckily we bought super duper mega snowsuits before we got here.

Laura ran (in what looked like slow motion) to the front door. She opened it, and it creaked. We went inside.

It was warm! And dry! Laura dropped her bags on the floor, dead center, and proceeded in saying, "There's no place like home...Now where are my penguins?" The researchers sitting at their stations looked so incredibly interested in our arrival. One even managed to look up from his work.

They were all scruffy, manly men. They showed no interest in our arrival so we took it upon ourselves to figure everything out. I placed my bags in an empty corner and attempted to find Laura, who somehow escaped the building without a sound. I went outside.

She was looking for penguins.

I sat down on the snow and watched her for a few hours. It was better than cable.

We spent most of the day doing this, Laura running around barren, empty ice land shouting for her long lost whatevers and me observing. Suddenly, we heard a bell. I turned around and a dude was ringing a bell outside of the door of the center. I realized it must mean one thing. Food.

"Laaaauraaaaaa. Its diiiiiiinner time!" I called to her.

"Dinner? DINNER?" she said, darting around like an animal. 

I began to make my way through the snow towards the cabin I wondered what we were going to eat for dinner when we were in the middle of...somewhere.

Turns out, the meal was freeze-dried spaghetti and meat sauce. Well, that's what the package said. It could've been anything. As we ate, we remained in our snow-gear. It was that cold. By the time we finished, it was already dark out. I had no idea what time it was, because the researchers were shunning us. I found a place for Laura and I to sleep; a small, dark corner. We sat down and fell asleep.

Cairo Day 3 (Second Day of Activity)

          "WE ARE GOING TO GO TO THE CAIRO MUSEUM!" Laura abruptly shouted in face. As if there was any doubt in the planning two days earlier, or in any prolonged period of quiet that wasn't filled with chanting. Not once did I say, "No, Laura. I am crushing your dreams. We are not going to the museum because I hate you," which of course isn't true.
          I packed a small bag of snacks, entertainment, and "in case of emergency" items, much like an experienced mother of a baby or toddler would. I was preparing for a day at a museum with Laura.
          This time, I packed my iPod for the ride to the museum, fearing a repeat of the day before. I blasted random show tunes, knowing it would drive Laura away. She sat at the far end of the double seat much like I was yesterday, in the fetal position and whimpering, but she was sucking her thumb. Turn about is fair play.
          We arrived, and I braced myself. Laura leaped out of the seat, crawling over me, and jumped onto the sidewalk. She ran towards the doors, hurdling over the bush in front. I had to admit, it was pretty ninja.

          I calmly walked over to the door, meanwhile Laura was running around where ever she could without buying admission. I paid for our tickets, and we wandered the museum. Somehow, Laura managed to act like a calm, normal human throughout the rest of the museum. Maybe the mummies freaked her out. For all I know, they could've spoken to her. If that shut her up, I may consider buying one and bringing it with us to Antarctica where I know I'll need it.

          Aside from the periodic outbursts, I only had to subdue Laura a few times. The fruit snacks and pretzels really came in handy.

          By the end of the day, Laura needed a nap like a two year old needed...well...a nap. We went to eat at  a traditional Egyptian restaurant. Laura had Hamam mahshi, "oven roasted Cornish game hen with scallion, mint, currants, ginger, and spiced cous cous". 

          "...Alesha...too many big words...what does it mean?!" Laura asked me.

          "Chicken with seasoning, rice-y stuff with seasoning," I replied. I ordered the Fatta, which was rice with short ribs and tomato, garlic, and cumin sauce served over crispy pita bread and beef broth. For desert Laura ordered the sorbet because she was boring. I was adventurous and ordered Baboussa, which was like a cake made of semolina (cornbread-like) and almond, with rose water syrup. Laura's Hamam mahshi

My Fatta

 Laura's sorbet 

  My Baboussa

Cairo Day 1 (Arrival) and Day 2 (First Day of Activities)

          I have developed a pattern. I research our upcoming countries while on the plane, while Laura melts into the seat and becomes a couch-potato. Well, an airplane-seat-potato.
          Needless to say, I continued the pattern. Cairo is the capitol of Egypt, and is the biggest city in Africa, not to mention on of the most densely population cities in the world. Cairo is located in northern Egypt, which is actually referred to as Lower Egypt. Don't ask me why. It is south of the Mediterranean Sea, and is west of the Gulf of Suez and Suez Canal.
          They have warm summers, ranging in the mid nineties, and relatively cool winters, ranging in the fifties and sixties. The majority of Egyptians are Muslim, and most of them are Sunni. The remainder of the citizens, five to twenty percent, are Christian.
          By the time I had scanned the Wikipedia page, Laura was already flipping out about who knows what. She kept repeating, "Giza Giza Giza Giza Giza Giza Giza," over and over again.
          "We can go there if it makes you happy, Laura," I said, secretly wanting to go there myself. I knew Laura would be shocked to know I wanted to go there. Apparently I'm more of a Valley Girl than an Ancient Pyramid Girl.
          We arrived in the late afternoon, grabbed our bags, and stepped outside. It was nice. Not too hot, not too cold, though it was very dry. We caught a cab to our hotel, the Concorde El Salam Hotel, and unloaded our stuff once more. It dawned on me that we were halfway done with our trip.
          Since we arrived in the late afternoon, we decided to spend the evening planning our trip. We decided on our activites. We headed to bed early, or what we assumed to be early, because we still were jet lagged from Newark. That was the disadvantage of traveling across the world every two days: what the heck is the time?
          The next day, November 2nd, we caught a tour bus to the Pyramids of Giza. The whole way there Laura was saying, "Giza Giza Giza. Giza Giza Giza. Giza Giza Giza." I attempted to drown it out. No success. It didn't comfort me that this had to outweigh my beach spazzing.
         On the brink of disgruntled and jet lagged tears, Laura stopped. I looked up from the fetal position I had formed and saw the Pyramids. They were awe inspiring, beautiful, and haunting at the same time.

         I looked over at Laura and we exchanged glances. She suddenly got a huge, goofy grin on her face and began chanting, "Gizaaaaaaaaaaa. Gizaaaaaaaaaaa. Gizaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa," like a bird would, if such an annoying creature existed.

         When we got off the bus, a short, tan man wearing beige colored cargo pants and vest approached us. He was wearing nothing under the vest. Thats what I call a hairy situation. Weirdly, he almost reminded me of the guy from Rio. 

         We toured the Pyramids, the Sphinx, the Step Pyramids of Zoser, and the statues of Ramses II. Laura eventually quieted down (but not before irritating the hairy tour guide and the rest of the tour group), and we learned about ancient Egypt and all its wonders. It was fantastic, I must say. I never would've though that I'd enjoy it as much as I did, but I had no doubt that I wanted to go in the first place. 

          We spent the whole day there. A few times Laura made comments that worried me. She tried to scratch the Great Sphinx nose...Luckily, we were bused back to our hotel before she got the chance. We got to the hotel and immediately fell asleep on the beds. As I was nodding off, I could've sworn I heard Laura chanting.

Rio de Janeiro Day 2 (and 3)

          I woke up at about 2 in the morning. She was jumping on the bed next to mine shouting incoherent, what I assumed to be, English. When she saw my eyes open, she broke the news to me. We were going hang-gliding. I can honestly say at that moment, I feared for my life.

         A suspicious looking van picked us up, and we were soon dropped off in the middle of the jungle near something that looked like a giant treehouse.

          "OY! Are ya here for our hang-glidin' experrrrrrriencay?" A strange man said, jumping in front of us.

          "Did he just jump out of a tree...?" Laura whispered to me.

          "I have no idea..." I whispered back.

          "What is that accent supposed to be? Australian, Pirate, or Brazilian?" she asked, even quieter than before. Personally, just having been in Sydney, I thought it sounded like Australian. But then again, I've been on Pirated of the Caribbean at Disneyland several times too, and it sounded sort of Pirate-y too. We had heard people speak in a Brazilian accent already, too, and it didn't quite sound like that.

          "Honestly, no idea," I replied.

          "We're in Brazil, so hopefully its Brazilian," she said, realizing the same thing I had just concluded.

          The strange man helped us gear up, and when it came time to glide, I asked, "What are we supposed to do?"

          "That's for me to know and you to find out, Chickadee," he said, jumping off the platform. I looked at Laura, she looked at me. We both stated a general conclusion. "Hippie."

          Luckily, another guide came over and assisted us in our adventure. We managed not to die. On our way back to the hotel, Laura was laughing constantly. When we arrived at our hotel, she was still laughing. She laughed until she hit the bed, instantly asleep. I followed suit.

          The next day, Laura insisted on searching Rio for llama merchandise. We had to stay in Rio for more than two days because the flights were being trippy.

          "Did you know that some armies use llamas?" she asked.

          "Uhh...no, I can't say did..." I said, not liking where this was going.

          She spent the rest of the day blabbering on about llamas. Luckily, she shut up by the time we were at the airport. We were almost late, once again.

    

Rio de Janeiro Day 1

          Being as on time as we were, we had a little while to research Rio de Janeiro and Brazil before we boarded the plane. I learned that Rio de Janeiro means River of January. It is commonly referred to as Rio, so that's what I'm going to call it from now on. And it's NOT just because I'm lazy. Rio de Janeiro is the capitol city of the State of Rio de Janeiro.
          The record high and low of Rio is 111 degrees and 46 degrees Fahrenheit. Their average high and low temperature, year round, is 88 and 71 degrees Fahrenheit. The main religion of Brazil is Catholic, followed by Protestant and undetermined, which may be a good reason why Rio is known for the statue Christ the Redeemer. Christ the Redeemer is a giant statue, giant meaning 130 feet tall, that lies on the peak of the Corcovado Mountain. It is said to be the largest Art Deco statue in the world.
          Our flight arrived in the middle of the night, so we didn't even get to the hotel until 3:30. We checked into the Sofitel. Once again, we chose one of the most expensive ones. We decided since we slept some on the plane, we'd go to Christ the Redeemer for sunrise. On the way over, we picked up some breakfast which consisted of an egg and ham on brioche, a special bread; fresh fruit; yogurt; and juice. We brought it with us, sat down near Christ the Redeemer, and ate as we watched the sun rise.
          Of course, being the teenagers that we are, we got impatient. We decided to go to the beach. We went back to the hotel to grab our bathing suits and headed to the beach. Now let me tell you now, there are a lot of people who do not need to wear Speedos.

          In Brazil, it is a common practice to pee on the beach. That was scarring. And I'm the one who has spent 4 flights with Laura, which before today, I thought was scarring.
          I told Laura to put on sunscreen. I even bought SPF 100 before we got here. Me, being a burner then tanner, put some sunscreen on before we got to the beach. I knew if I didn't burn a little, I wouldn't tan. When I get sunburned, once the redness and peeling goes away, I get a bit of a tan. I wanted a tan. You don't go to Rio and not come back without a tan. Unless you're Laura or my mom. They both have "Irish" skin. They just burn. That's why I told Laura to put sunscreen on.
          "I have my swim shirt on. So I'll just put some on my face," she said. Her swim shirt went down to her elbows.
          "But don't you want to make sure the rest of your arms are covered?"
          "Too bad," she said in her blunt, nonchalant way. I didn't object because I knew I was going to get burned. I get burned even with sunscreen.
          We claimed a spot that didn't smell to sourly of pee, and layed down our towels. I immediately charged for the ocean, being the spaz I am. Laura walked slowly behind me, attempting to pretend she doesn't know me. Once I reached the water, I turned around and shouted to her, "ITS SO WAAAARM LAURA!", it not occuring to me that if people peed in the sand here, they probably peed in the water. I could see her trying to ignore me, so I ran to her and grabbed her arm and shouted, "LET'S GO!"
          After spazzing out for a few hours, I was exhausted. I flopped down on the towels and fell asleep. Laura, being the nerd she is, pulled out a book.
          Eventually she woke me up and we walked back to out hotel. We were both red and crispy. I layed back down on the bed in our hotel room and fell asleep again. As I snored, Laura chose what we were doing tomorrow.
      

Sydney Day 2

The next day, Laura chose to go to the Taronga Zoo because "Mongolia was being communist". Don't ask. Personally, the zoo wasn't really that exciting for me but I knew Laura enjoyed it. I really liked watching the baby Meerkats, the Long-Nosed Bandicoots, and Francois' Leaf-monkey, which are all native to Australia.

          After the zoo, we went out to eat at an Australian restaurant. I had a meat pie and Laura had a sausage roll, both traditional Australian food.

          The food tasted amazing. We were absolutely stuffed. Somehow, we managed to never eat Vegemite. What a loss.

          Since we didn't want to be late again, we went to the airport extra early. Actually, we ended up just barely being on time...

          

Ulaanbaatar Day 2

 The next day, we went to several places. The previous day I had gotten a recommendation to visit Naran Tuul, which is a Black Market. You have to pay 50 MNT to get in. 50 MNT is about 4 cents in US dollars, but remember Mongolia is a poorer country than the US. We wandered around but didn't buy anything. After that, we walked to the Zaisan Memorial. It honored soldiers killed in World War 2. You have to climb a hill to get there, but it was definitely worth it. Being the wimps we are, we were tired and sore when we got back. We walked along Peace Avenue and saw the many spas and massage houses, so we went into one. We both got full body massages that were really cheap.

          Energized and refreshed, we got to the airport ON TIME, and began our journey to Australia.

The Ulaanbaatar Airport

Newark Day 2

The next day, Laura chose the activity. She wanted to go to the Newark Museum. We took another bus there. We went through the whole museum, but my favorite part was the garden. We got back to the hotel slightly late. We both slept in really late, and nearly missed our flight.

Sydney Day 1

          Being as relaxed as we were from the massage in Mongolia, we fell asleep on the plane ride to Sydney. All I can remember is suddenly being awakened by Laura shouting, "P. SHERMAN 42 WALLABY WAY!" I didn't realize they were playing Finding Nemo. After that, we frantically searched for things to do.
          When we arrived in Australia, we realized it was very different from Mongolia. Australia was bright and colorful, where as Mongolia was dusty and dull in comparison. Australia as the thirteenth largest economy in the world. Before Europeans settled, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians. The Australian government consists of a parliamentary system of government. Queen Elizabeth II is the Queen of Australia.
          Australia is surrounded by the Indian and Pacific Ocean, and is separated from Asia by the Arafura and Timor seas.The Great Barrier Reef, the biggest coral reef in the world, lies off the coast of Australia. Australia has a greatly diverse environment, similar to the Bay Area, but on a much bigger and more extreme scale.
           I knew before we got there that Laura would have to see if 42 Wallaby Way was a real place. As we were waiting for our luggage, I asked the lady at the Information Counter if there was such a thing. She said there was no Wallaby Way in Sydney. But of course, Laura didn't believe her. We caught a cab and drove ALL around Sydney before we could go to our hotel. When she finally gave up, we checked in at the Shangri-La in the Girlfriend Suite/Package, which costs nearly a thousand dollars a night. Thanks, Mr. Perazzo for footing the bill!
          The next day, we went snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, which was my choice. 

          I wish we could've spent all day in there, but we had to go to the Sydney Opera House for the play Twelfth Night, which was written by William Shakespeare. It was about a girl named Olivia who falls in love with a boy named Cesario, who really is a girl named Viola who is dressed like a boy. Needless to say, it was a funny show.

          

Ulaanbaatar Day 1

          After nearly missing our flight, we piled onto the plane just in time. As with before, we researched our destination on the flight over. Mongolia is a landlocked country, bordered by Russia and China. Currently, the president of Mongolia is a man named Elbegdorj Tsakhia. Mongolian weather can get very very cold, and very very hot. Mongolia is significantly Buddhist, as it is there national religion. They speak Mongolian.Ulaanbaatar, also known as Ulan Batar, is the capitol of Mongolia. It is located in the northwest portion of the country. 
          Our flight to Mongolia was going to be a long one, 23 hours to be exact. Technically, 22 hours and 55 minutes. But who's counting. This time, we decided to be prepared a plan of what we were going to do ahead of time. Since I got to choose what we were doing first last time, so Laura was going to choose first this time.
          "THERE ARE NO ZOOS IN MONGOLIA? THATS COMMUNISM!" she shouted in the quiet airplane. I knew at one point she would mention our little inside joke...
          "Um, Laura...Mongolia actually was a communist nation at one point..." I said.
          "Oh. Really? Cool."
          When we got to Mongolia, we noticed a culture change. Everyone was speaking in rapid, intricate languages. We felt like outsiders. We stayed at the Kempinski Hotel. After we dropped off our bags, we went immediately to Four Holy Peaks National Park. Ironically enough, there are four peaks surrounding Ulaanbaatar,. They're considered holy. It is unbelievably beautiful there. Lush grasslands, dense forests, colorful wildlife, and amazing views. 

The Khuiten Peak

          We spent the rest of the day there, taking in the beauty. "Laura chose well," I thought to myself. That night, we went to a restaurant that served traditional Mongolian cuisine.

         This is what we both had, called buuz and khuushuur. The top left is vegetables, mostly squash, zucchini, and other ground vegetables. The bottom left was a soup containing broth with dumpling-like things, a kind of spinach, and seasoning. The bottom right is dumplings called khuushuur. It has meat, usually mutton, and is wrapped in a dough then is steamed and fryed. The top right is a similar dumpling, but different flavor. We drank airag, which is a fermented milk drink that is slightly alcoholic. You can only imagine how badly that went in comparison to drinking coffee.

   

San Jose to Newark (Day 1)

          At 7:15 we set off to our first destination., Newark, New Jersey. Before boarding the plane, we took a taxi to Starbucks. I got a Mocha Frappucino and Laura got a Vanilla Bean Frappucino. Needless to say, I got slightly hyper. I was hyper the whole way to the airport. We got on the plane, I was still hyper, and we researched New Jersey. Newark is not the capital of New Jersey, Trenton is. On the flight over, we found out New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the USA. Originally, it was inhabited by Native Americans, then Dutch and Swedish pilgrims made some of the first European settlements there. New Jersey was also the sight of several decisive battles in the Revolutionary War.

          When we arrived, it was very cold. The seasonal highs were 64 and the lows were 48. It wasn't too much different from California, but it was still too cold for my liking. Newark is in the northeast part of New Jersey, and New Jersey is in the northeast part of the United States.
          New Jersey is significantly Catholic, but there are also many Agnostics/Athiests, and many Christians. The population of New Jersey has been relatively evenly divided over political parties, but Democrats have been slightly more abundant over the last few years.

         When we got there, we checked into the Wilshire Grand Hotel. It is one of the most expensive hotels in New Jersey. It was still pretty early in the morning, so we fell asleep. I got up earlier then Laura, so I chose the first thing we were going to do. I decided we were going to go Bowcraft Theme Park, so I found the bus schedule, got some money, and woke up Laura. We headed off to the park, and ate breakfast on the way. We rode all the rides and had loads of fun. We stayed until they closed. We caught the bus back to the hotel and crashed as soon as we got into the room.