Luke

Dear Diary, I was taking my morning stroll through the community park as always, when something caught the corner of my eye. I turned around to see what it was and noticed a yellow strip of paper stuck in a tree branch. I pondered if I wanted to grab it but I said no, and turned around and kept walking away. But the urge to grab it finally won over me, so I went back towards it. The branch was low enough so I just reached up and grabbed it out. It read: "CONGRATS! YOU HAVE JUST WON A FREE TRIP TO EUROPE PAYED BY MRS. GREVE!" At the bottom of the page in fine print it read: 'please mail this in with your name and phone number to win your free trip.' This startled me a little, but inside I was filled with joy. So I went home and started to plan what I would do in Europe right after I sent in the letter.

**SPAIN** **Day 1:** //Leaving for Europe//

Diary, today I leave for Europe. I do know that they do lots of festivals such as the running of the bulls during their lifestyles, so I'm hoping I'll be there during some sort of festival. Just not the running of the bulls. There's Independence day as well, but I am not near the date for that. I'm flying over to Spain with my friend Zac Shepard. Anxiety rushes through the veins in my body. I've never been this excited in my whole life. I have had only a week to plan what to do, and all the things I want to do would be to long. Well, better get going so I won't lose the trip completely. To the airport! In the car I can't stop thinking about all the sights I will get to see. There's so many things I want to visit. I'll choose once I land in Spain, my first country on my trip. (Sound of airplane taking off) If I don't sleep now, I'll never sleep. (Sound of airplane landing) Finally here in Madrid Spain. Today, I only plan to see the sights and check into my hotel. About four hours is all I have left for today. I've always wanted to see the capital building so that's my first stop. Inside the square surrounding the capital, there are so many people walking around as if they are in a hurry. I guess since this place is so busy and crowded, you have to move fast to get to where you're going. The capital is much more beautiful in person then in books or magazines. It's so large compared to my house. (takes snapshot of capital) I wonder if there are tours to get in. Well, I don't want a tour, I still got a few more sights for today, like the restaurants. As I walk around Madrid, I'm fascinated by everything, even the roads! I started to get hungry after a while. This looks like a good place to eat at, I don't know what it says in Spanish, but my guess is that it means the name is probably 'THE TACO PLACE.' Since tacos are a type of Mexican food, this is part of their culture and lifestyle food. Years ago, the Spanish conquered over Mexico so it might tie into it. I love tacos! Inside, it smells like tacos and that only means one thing, a full stomach on the way out. Oops, that restaurant spent all my time for today. I better find my hotel, I still don't know where it is. So as I walk around outside, I try to ask where my hotel is using a Spanish English dictionary I brought with me. All they do is shrug, so I out of luck. I walk to the square in the middle of the city and stumble across my hotel. I run to the hotel enthusiastically because I'm so glad I found it. Inside the hotel room, there is a in front of my bed with a bathroom off to the side part of the room. Not bad using the euro I got trading in my American money for it. Off to bed then.

//**Day 2:**// Exploring Madrid and heading North

Dear diary, after I woke up this morning, I could feel today would be great. I took my shower, got dressed, ate breakfast which consisted over Fruit Loops and then I headed out the hotel door to begin the day. My first stop would be the Park of the Retiro. As I walk through the park, it seems peaceful as ever. Birds and flying. There's even a statue at the north end of the park commemorating all the people who helped in Spain. This statue is of the history of Spain. Spain was settled by the Celts at first. Then in World War I, Spain maintained neutrality. But later on, a mad dictator came into office and was destroying parts of Spain. That's why this statue is here. They were a dictatorship, but now after the dictator came out of office, Spain is now mostly republican. Now, the economy has been having boosts of about 1.2% every part of different years. Spain is slowly increasing to a good country. But the noise of the city still breaks it the park, so it's not as peaceful as I thought. I got up around 10 A.M. So after my stroll through the park, I feel like it's about time I eat lunch. So I wander back into the city looking for a good place to eat. I see the sign that says in English thank gosh, Heaven. So I decide, eh, got to be somewhat good and I walk in. Inside, I can smell rice, chicken, burgers, and best yet, Fried Chicken! I started to think to myself; If I only get the Fried Chicken, I don't get the rice or burgers. So I ordered both fried chicken, rice, and a burger. When the meal came, it smelled like heaven just like the name of the place said. After I ate, I was stuffed full and then it occurred to me. I always wanted to go rock climbing, so I decided to head north near Andorra la Vella for some climbing. In the taxi car driving due north to the mountains, I make sure i didn't leave something like my baggage. After driving for who knows how long, I arrive near the border to see mountains towering over me like a skyscraper. Well, I better take lessons so I don't die here. Inside the training building I see a person lying on the ground and it looks like they're dying. But they're not, they are just taking a nap in a weird spot. So I take my lessons and pass so I ready for climbing the next day since right now is about 8 P.M. Luckily, I didn't plan for a hotel here, but the place has a hotel built into it so I'm very thankful. Inside the room, it's the same as in Madrid so goodnight.

**Day 3:** //Rock Climbing and Flying Away//

What a beautiful day it is today outside. As I was walking toward the spot where I would climb, I took in the beauty of nature surrounding me. Forests with pine, maple and birch trees. It seems so peaceful as if no man has ever touched it since time began. I walk through the forests to reach the mountains and when we arrive at the mountains, I know today will always be remembered. Rivers wind around the mountain below us. Once I start climbing the mountains, I can already notice that there is a storm on the way, so I climb fast. I climb so fast, I reach the summit in less than an hour and so I start my repelling downward to the ground. On the ground, the helpers are awed and we all go inside for some donuts and hot chocolate. After the storm passes in about four hours, I start driving to my airport to be taken to Italy, my next county in Europe. So off to the airport. At the airport, I get my ticket and board the plane and start my journey across to Italy.

**Italy** **Day 1:** //Sights//

In the plane, I look out the window and see the vast ocean beneath the plane and try to find a whale. I don't think I'll find one but it will at least entertain me for some amount of time. And then over the intercom, I hear the voice of the pilot saying we'll be landing in a few minutes, and before you know it, the wheels of the plane touch down in Rome Italy. Once I leave the plane, get my baggage, walk out the door, I'm ready for Rome. So first this time, I'll check into my hotel room before I get distracted. So at my hotel, the host gives me my room key and I walk to my room. Inside, the very first thing I see is my bed. King size bed then a hot tub in the corner and a fridge at the wall with a bathroom next to it. So I put my baggage down and head outside for the sights. The first place I want to go is the streets. Rome was home of the Romans years and years ago. They had a vast empire stretching all over Europe from Italy, down into parts of Africa like today's countries of Egypt and Sudan. But now, it's just a normal modern city. And I'm already there so I carefully observe every inch of road like a prospector would looking for gold. After hours of inspecting the roads, I go looking for lunch. I hope they have Italian things here like pizza or other Italian foods. Inside this restaurant, I get my seat and order the food. When it arrives, it's steaming and I want to dig in. After the restaurant, I go towards the Coliseum. So I head downtown and I pass a lot of people who speak stuff I don't wish to learn. Even so, Italians are friendly people who love to celebrate. They talk with family and have a great time together as their lifestyle. And now have a similar government to us. Only, their government isn't in as much debt with leaders who know squat about what they're doing. Such in this meaning, Italy's economy is stronger than ours but is at a stable rate throughout most of the year. The most they've lost in one year was around 4.2% but came back shortly afterwards. At the Coliseum, I take a tour inside it and learn interesting facts such as it was a gladiator fighting arena where they fought wild beasts or other gladiators. Since it is a place with the same features, I don't spend much time here, so I head downtown even more once again. I try looking for the capital building, but there are so many other buildings in the way I have no way of seeing the capital building. But I stumble across a park and there's a parade? Why is there a parade out here? //Hmm, maybe a celebration for a holiday.// So after investigating, I learn that it was a celebration for a holiday that I had no idea about. So I ask them if I can join and they accept, so now I get to party all day. There's a archery contest and I guess I was not born for this, but I still have a great time. Whoa! I got to get outta here, so I find a random taxi and head south to Pompeii.

**Day 2:** //Pompeii//

Way before Christ was born, a massive volcanic explosion with fumes completely demolished Pompeii and other neighboring cities. Everything was destroyed and nothing even had a chance for survival. Years later, archeologists dug up the remains of that city and found all these dead people and got valuable information from the site. So now I will spend all my time exploring this dormant volcano and learn even more about it. So I take my taxi over to Pompeii and I'm somewhat nervous just in case it does erupt even though scientists say it'll never erupt again because it is dormant. I arrive at my site for the tour and I look up and see the volcano towering above me. There's flowers and trees growing everywhere so it must be a sign that it is 100% dormant. Miles away, I can see forests taming with tall trees taller the skyscrapers. Far beyond the horizon, I know the ocean is crashing roughly against the banks of the shore. Inside the tour rental building, I get my guide, and we get a rope? What's the rope gonna help for? Turns out that the rope keeps everyone connected in case someone falls down or trips over rocks. The guide talks to me about the history of Pompeii and describes in high detail exactly what happened. So we start our journey up and we notice all the obsidian rock from the cooled lava many years go. Then we feel a rumble. It's alive! But it seems that this rumble was just a bomb going off to dig a mine miles away. So we continued our journey up to the mouth of the volcano and stare into the core of it. I've always wanted to climb inside a volcano, but I felt he would say no, still I asked anyways and he said sure we can go in. Inside the volcano, I get really pumped up and we go to the very bottom and there is still some heat amazingly. Then I check the time and notice it's late. I guess some things media type="youtube" key="VMtZ8pgSoa0" height="187" width="252" align="right" go by quick. So we hike down and I get a taxi back to my hotel.

**Day 3:** //Relaxing//

Today will be the best day ever. All I'm doing today is being a lazy bum, sitting and sleeping all day until I got to leave for my next country. So I sleep in until noon and today, I'm renting a plane so I can sky-dive into country number three. I get to my rental place and get the plane and take lessons of how to do this. While I'm there, I run into Zac. What a weird meeting. We go through the procedures to survive. Now I'm off to my next country in a very unusual way media type="youtube" key="l5UuWp-lASI" height="187" width="252" align="right"
 * Squat
 * Pray
 * Leap
 * Ahh
 * Touchdown
 * (in other words; SPLAT)

**Greece** **Day 1:** //Sky diving for Doughnuts//

In the plane, Zac and I are just jumping to get out the door. Then we get the green light. I go out first and since it's my first time, I do barrel rolls and can't control myself, but I soon get it fixed. Then Zac jumps out and dives straight down to catch up with me. I didn't realize it but I forgot to pull my parachute until Zac told me. He saved my life! I hope we won't land on one of the many mountain ranges in Greece stretching throughout this country They run along the out-skirts of the country, so basically they're a wall between the sea and the main part of inland Greece.. Turns out as we got close to the ground, we go for a landing on a Doughnut shop. Then we realize there's doughnut shops everywhere. I guess mountains was not the problem, it was landing safely on a doughnut shop. Zac landed first on the roof and I crashed through the roof into the middle of the bakery. Luckily no one was running the shop today. So we left our stuff behind and got out of there as quick as we could. Soon we split and I started towards the ocean to go scuba-diving. After we split, I go check into my hotel room. A bed in the corner, bathroom in front of it, kitchen on other wall and TV side to bed. It's perfect! Goodnight till tomorrow.

**Day 2**: //Scuba-Diving// After I woke up today, I was feeling better then ever. My site for fish seeing was just about half an hour away. So I take my rental car down to the beach resort set aside for scuba-diving only. The instructor says do not feed the sharks. I wonder why. Anyways, all us 'students' practiced and passed our tests and took a boat to our launch site. At the site, the water was teal green, warm as a mid summer day, and about 20ft. deep. I bet one of Greece's major economic industries is this. So we jump in and we  have four hours until we must resurface. Underwater, I notice a spectacular and beautiful fish with bright colors that looks like something from ancient times.I wonder how old this fish really is. Long ago, the people of Greece gave sacrifices to the gods, and they used fish, goats, and other animals. Also, I notice a manta ray gliding like a kite underwater. Now there's a shark. I remember him saying to not feed the shark, but no one listens to him. So I kill a random fish swimming around and wave it in front of the shark's face. Then, like a horror movie, it attacks the fish, so I give it to a fellow diver and the shark eats him. Guess I better resurface. So I resurface and go back to my hotel.

**Day 3:** //Athens//

After I woke up this morning, I had places to be, so I got breakfast and got in a taxi. I asked the driver to take me around Athens and so he did so. Throughout the city, he tells me about their lifestyle. They still are loyal and love festivals just like every other person would. They play games with family and friends, talk around fires like we do, and also celebrate their national holidays. And hopefully, their republic government will not take that away. The capital is more beautiful then ever. Also, the parthenon towers above the whole city with its majestic beauty. Then I promised Zac I would meet him at the airport to go to Romania. So when I arrive at the airport, I guess I'm a little late because he's asleep. So I ask a guard to wake him up and he uses a taser and Zac's up right quicker than you can say CPU. And we start our journey to Romania. Our last and final destination country.

**Romania** **Day 1:** //Castle Visiting//

Once the plane lands in Romania, I don't want to go back home because I'm having so much fun here. Zac and I immediately get in a car and head to the castle of vampires, also know as Dracula's Castle. For some reason, I just run around jumping and all happy. Must be the vampire's curse. Inside, it smells like vampire, dark, and creepy. This originated from the legend of Dracula and other vampires and some people still believe in them, and soon after a book was published to entertain people all over the world. This book attracted people from over the entire world and now it's a tourist hot spot boosting the economy. I take the tour and keep getting in trouble because I keep interrupting the guide in what to say. So after a while, I get myself kicked out. To bad Zac didn't come today, or we could've been kicked out together. Well, since I can't go back there, I'll go back south and just sit in my hotel room until tomorrow. So I head south to my hotel which is the same as always and go to bed. But before that, I get my breakfast supplies ready for the morning. This is so I can make it quick and get on the road early. So I get my fruit loops and put the milk in the fridge but then something strange happens. I hear this squealing sound outside my hotel window. So I stick my head out a window like and dog (still can't see why dogs like this) and notice a police chase. This is bad news for the driver, but gives me something to do before I hit the sack. About an hour later, I turn on the TV and on the news, it was about the chase winding through the Transylvanian Alps. Turns out the car slide and the snow patches high up and tumbled off a cliff. There are many other mountains and ranges such as the Carpathian Mountains to the north-west and Mt. Parangu to the western side of Romania. On the lower parts of these ranges and mountains, forests teem with wildlife and hikers, which is where I'm going tomorrow. The republican government is trying to protect these forests from loggers cutting them down for wood to sell in the markets. Luckily now, there's a law banning this, and anyone who tries to cut will be hunted down and maybe put into court. I hope the loggers learn that nature needs as much protection to survive as they do. But when they sold the wood, the economy went of dramatically, but since they banned logging, the economy is once again decreasing at a steady. non-wanted rate. Good night.

**Day 2:** //The Impossible Hike//

Today I start my impossible hike. Well, not very impossible, just an overachieving title for the hike. I pack some traditional food such as cabbage rolls and sausages for protein boosts. I think out of all the other hikes that I've done I can do this one alone. I start my journey up and it's a steep climb for about the first third of a mile. The higher you go, the less air there is, so I don't want to go super high like all the way to the peak. I got out around 8:30 this morning and so I ready to go exploring Romania. Then I hear a growling sound a large dog behind a bush. So I pull the bush back and see this bear charging at me. Help! Help! I thought hiking was a tourist spot and then they die doing it, help! He chases me through the path winding up the mountain and I don't even notice the incline of the land. Also, I don't notice I'm getting tired. It seems as he's given up but when I look back, he's still charging at me faster than before. I jump over roots and leap off of boulders. Also, I swing on vines like, well, you know who. Then I hit a cliff, what can I do? Great, here he comes. //If he jumps at me and I leap out of the way, he'll tumble down the cliff.// So that's what I planned to do. And what do you know, he jumps at me and I jump, and he starts rolling, or I could say, falling down the cliff. Good-bye Mr. bear. Then I see another bear coming after and what's that? It's Zac again. Great. Now I gonna die from this bear. But as he nears, Zac throws a chocolate bar off a cliff and the bear dives after it and he saves my life again. Thanks Zac! So, it seems I've gained many more miles than what I had planned for this time, so rest time, only hopefully there are no more bears. The fire starts and I roast my sausage. Then after that, I pack up and head up. There's this gorgeous waterfall falling with what it seems, no end. I set up my tent and cook my dinner some time later, then I fall asleep until tomorrow, my last day.

**Day 3:** //Good-bye//

When I wake up, I recall something that the yellow strip of paper said, 'two countries at least in east and west Europe.' Spain, Italy and Greece are considered west, and only Romania is east, so I still have to pick another country. I think it'll be Ukraine for some reason. So I'm not done, yay! Since I got to get somewhere else now, I decide to abandon my hike up of the rest of the five miles and start my journey down. Once I'm at the bottom of my hike, I jog to a town about two miles away, and buy an airplane ticket and head straight to Ukraine which is right next door to Romania.

**Ukraine**

**Day1:** //What now?// I arrive off the plane and don't know what to do. First, check into the hotel. So I somehow, manage to find my way around this place and find a hotel. What now? Where I check in? Then a helper comes and shows me to my room. And still it's the same as all my other hotel rooms. Since I took my hike today, I had to take a late plane ride here so it's like 5:30 at night. Downstairs in the lobby, I get some dinner and go back to my room. I wish the Republican government in Ukraine will never take this delicious custom food away like some other countries do. Most of the time, the people eat this food only during festivals such as Jazz in Kiev, Docudays, and Kazantip. All these festivals include some sort of music or dancing and Ukrainians love this. I wonder if I'll get to be in one of these, but I don't count on it. Good night.

**Day 2:** //Freezing H2O// Today, I plan to go to the city of Cherkasy and rent a kayak and paddle up and down the lake and rivers near this area. So I drive to the rental place and I guess I have to take lessons which are really long. They're so long, I won't write them down. But I will right the outlines: So that is exactly what I do. Once it's in the water, I touch it and it's freezing. Without paying attention to the freezing water, I paddle my way along. Rolling hills surround me, waterfalls fall into the river, pine is scattered on the shore. The Carpathian mountains don't wind through here, but farms line the shore a little farther down stream. It's like a beauty shot. But before I'm even ten minutes in, this otter looking this comes up and I lean to get a better look and then you know what happens. Splash! The otter came over to investigate me and tipped my kayak over. And now since I got no extra pair of clothes with my, I'm forced to turn around and go back to my hotel. On the way back to my hotel, one of the festivals I listed above is taking place, so I just take a stop to take a peek; It's the jazz festival. Everyone's moving with the grove and soon I start to as well. They're all friendly since they have a happy lifestyle of friendship to everyone. Then after a bit, I head back to my hotel, get dinner, get into my night clothes, and go to bed.
 * Carry
 * Open Hatch
 * Place in water
 * Safely Paddle
 * (Or: COPS)

**Day 3:** //Final Destination//
I wake up and I know that today is the day I have to go back to my house.So I do everything really slow to hopefully pass on the time. But that doesn't course and I just pack up all my stuff. Make sure I got all of my stuff. Then I take a taxi to Ukraine's capital of Kiev and just do this to sight see one last time on my trip. looks different than most capitals. Then, I'm taken to the airport and I board plane and head back to America.
 * Toothbrush and bathroom supplies; check
 * Clothes; check
 * Other ; check

**America** //Home Sweet Home// I arrive home and boy am I glad. I take a super long nap from all the activities I did over in Europe. But then, I notice another sheet of paper that says I won a different trip to Canada, and I would get free Canadian bacon. But this time, I'll give it to Jakob.







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