I feel that May has just quickly slipped by and is receding quickly into the ever withdrawing past.  It could be due to 19 days of inadequate sleep that preceded finals, or perhaps Connor’s short trip home which always goes by too quickly.  Regardless, it has been too long since my last post!

As I am adjusting to my summer lifestyle filled with work and my small adventures around Colorado (read: actually having time to enjoy life).  It has been so wonderful that I have been able to enjoy hiking with my favorite pup, Tioga.  I have even had time to climb outside even though the intense rain, hail and tornado warnings did put up quite the fight!

View from the top, enjoying a day of summer in Boulder, CO

Tioga overlooking Boulder

Things are quickly falling into place with my travels to Lithuania.  I have all flights reserved throughout Europe and have allotted a few weeks without plans to create some spontaneous adventure.  Due to the high cost of travel (and extensive time) to fly straight into Kaunas from Denver- I picked the cheapest European destination for flights (based on the Kayak Explore website I mentioned in a prior post).  Not only will I get to Europe on a less expensive flight, I also get to experience a new country.  I will jet-setting to Copenhagen, Denmark at the end of June and after a few days will meet up with my parents in London.  From London, we will be on the standard European tour of visiting Paris and Amsterdam.  Although I have been to all three of those places in the past, one cannot possibly have seen all that those cities offer in just short trips.  It is from Amsterdam that I embark on my venture to Kaunas, Lithuania!

I must say, I am not above staying in hostels.  I actually find them to be quite lovely, you just need to do your research prior to arriving.  (Connor and I made that mistake once in Puerto Natales out of pure desperation).  Hostels are the perfect way to meet other travelers and exchange stories, ideas and advice (ideal for the solo traveler, like me).

There are a few sites that I have used in the past for booking hostel reservations.  Hostel World and Hostel Bookers both are excellent.  They give reviews, pictures and locations of the hostels and only require a small downpayment for reservations.  Many people envision hostels with rooms filled to the brim with bunk beds (and in some cases that is extremely accurate), however many hostels allow you to select private rooms with private baths (and have even proved to be nicer than some hotels I have stayed in).

Backpack prep in our hostel, Yagenhouse

Besides booking hostels, my to-do list is quite extensive and mostly filled with items to bring along.  I am hoping for a miracle however, as I just sent my backpack in for repairs on Monday and they quoted their return time to be 3-6 weeks.  Here’s to hoping I have it back before I leave!

If anyone has any suggestions of where to go and what to see, I would love to hear it!