Sorry guys, it’s been a while. I just came back from Florence and it was absolutely mesmerizing. My friend and I were supposed to go two weekends ago but because of the odd snowfall in Rome, we were not able to get proper transportation to get to the Termini stop and catch our train outta town. How sweet the wait was though! Picture this: Light blue skies above the Duomo with gliding white clouds, children laughing as they ride the Merry-Go-Round in the warmish weather, a chocolate festival in full scale with the different vendors displaying their best chocolate art and cuisine. Can you say, “Chocolate Kabob?” There was no meat in this dessert, and it was really cool. You know how restaurants have the kabob meat on a pole and shave it off for your lovely meal? That was how my chocolate was served. A huge block of chocolate on a pole shaved off to be placed in a square pancake. Oh, and there was a lot of whip cream and chocolate syrup to top off the sugar fest. MMMMMM.

I went to the Uffizi Museum were I saw brilliant Rennaisance works such as Primavera and Madonna with Two Children. Then we went to the Academia were I saw the David statue, sculpted by Michelangelo. Such a fabulous piece of work. If you haven’t gone or are planning to go, I cannot wait for you to see it! If you are into designer things, you could check out the Gucci Museum. It was very, well, Gucci. If you are looking to see a play, definitely check out the Teatro Verdi. Who knows, Cyrano De Bergerac may still be running by the time you make it there.

If you are looking to get in some good shopping, Florence is the place to go. Would you like to buy a pair of shoes not over 20 Euro? Well, go no further. Take advantage of the SALDI and get yourself a whole new outfit for less than 50 Euro. And I’m not even talking about the street vendors!

If you’re not into shopping, I highly suggest you check out a restaurant called Dante. They have magnificent food, wine, and hospitality. If you say you are a college student, they will treat you especially well. Also, check out the architecture. Since Florence is the birthplace of the Renaissance, just picture great artists like da Vinci and Michelangelo walking down the streets.

Remember that you can cover Florence in a day and half so if you’re looking for a fun weekend trip…you know where to go. Word to the wise, validate your train ticket before you get on the train! Also, if you are on a budget, you can find paninis for 2-3 euro from cute little shops named after famous artists and snag a great hot chocolate from a bakery. Or as the Italians call it, cioccolata caldo. Happy Reading!

Carnival: the root of our Mardi Gras. This is the celebration of the winter season and Sitges, a quaint fishing village 30 minutes outside of Barcelona by train, is purportedly The Host for Carnival. While Halloween is not much of a to-do in Europe, Carnival is the festival to don a costume (the more ridiculous the better, apparently) and enjoy yourself. So naturally my friends and I had to partake in the madness.

We arrived in Sitges in the early afternoon just in time to catch the children’s parade. This “tame” parade featured music at club-level decibels, elaborate costumes, themed floats, and puts any hometown Memorial Day parade to shame. Since there seems to be a dearth of rules for Carnival, my friends and I backed up against a building along with the rest of the crowd and let the floats pass a meter away from us, cheering, dancing kids and all. After the spectacle ended we made our way to the beach and walked along the seaside to enjoy the fresh air and the local scenery. Following a brief dinner we made our way to the park along the beachfront to watch the famous Carnival parade. The parade lasted over three hours in total and featured anything you could imagine: pirates, Romans, turtles, dancers, and who-knows=what. The atmosphere was charged with an intoxicating energy and you quickly succumbed to participate in the revelry. Each float had a sound system clubs would be envious of and the music from each float melted into one pounding rhythm that ensconced the whole town.

Following the last float, the attendees did not disperse to their homes, rather packed the pars, restaurants, parks, and clubs to hold on to the ephemeral happiness of Carnival as long as possible. On Fat Tuesday, Sitges evidently turns the level up one last time before the Lenten season begins. I’m unsure this is possible, however, I just may take the time to investigate further.

By leaving Chicago for the semester, I thought that I would be escaping the snowy weather, but I was wrong.  In the last two weekends, Rome has received its first major snowfall in 26 years!  It was interesting to watch the reaction of the locals.  They were all very excited, and I was even asked to take a picture of a group of girls in the snow.  It was a very big deal here.  During these times we were also advised not to leave campus because the buses were shutting down and we would have had no way to return to campus.  There were also some cases of heavy tree branches falling due to the weight of the snow.  Some of my classes were cancelled as well because the professors were unable to make it to campus.

On the other hand, this weekend’s weather has been near 60 degrees and beautiful.  Downtown there were various festivities going on for Carnivale.  Little kids were getting their faces painted, theater productions were performing in the streets, and an old-fashioned band was playing music while being driven around in a horse carriage.  It was all very cool to see!

Even though I have been here over a month, another cool thing I was able to see this weekend that I had not had the chance to yet was the Trevi Fountain.  It was so huge and so so beautiful!  The water was also very blue.  Of course, I could not resist throwing a coin over my shoulder into the fountain and wishing for love- as tradition calls for. 

This upcoming weekend a few other girls and I are going to Barcelona!  Then, the following weekend is already spring break.  It is so crazy how fast time is going while studying abroad here.

My recommendation for everyone: take a completely spontaneous trip at least once in your life. That’s what I did last weekend. If you’ve never heard of Thessaloniki, Greece, don’t worry. I hadn’t either until Ryan Air offered me an unbelievable price on a flight there. So, after looking around on the internet for a little bit, I discovered that it was actually a worthwhile place to visit. All within an hour, I had booked both my flight and hostel.

That was about a month ago. Last weekend, I was finally able to print out my tickets and hope on a plane. Due to the impromptu nature of the trip and the fact that I really like to chill out by myself, I went all on my own. And it was seriously one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

I have never felt such a sense of complete freedom. There was literally nothing holding me back from doing whatever I wanted and I could do anything at any time. Some people asked me if I was scared or nervous, but I was more excited than anything. I like to get out on my own and there is nothing like going to a foreign country by yourself. In Rome, I have my friends at the JFRC, but I was on my own in Greece.

When I first got off the plane, I only thought: “Oh. I’m in Greece.” It wasn’t until I rode the bus into the city and made it up to the hill by my hostel did I think: “Oh! I’m in Greece!” The view was completely gorgeous and I can honestly say that I have never seen anything like it. The skies were slightly overcast, but I wasn’t bothered at all. I was in Greece. It definitely took awhile for that to sink in. Later in the afternoon, when I was walking around, I was honestly grinning from ear to ear about the fact that I was in fact, in Greece. I probably looked like a fool, but it’s good to look like a fool every once in awhile.

The weekend was full of taking in sights and culture. Luckily, there are signs in English or else I would have been completely lost. I realized as I was on the plane that I literally knew no Greek at all. Problem? Perhaps. Did I care? Not at all. I have perfected the “I’m sorry, but I really have NO idea what you’re saying” look. When it came to ordering food, I generally just pointed at what other people had and managed to get something of a similar nature. It was amusing and sometimes challenging, but I learned so much.

This is my “I’m in Greece!” face.

Thessaloniki is a city of amazing culture and history. It’s not Athens, but that’s completely all right. There are absolutely beautiful Byzantine churches that litter the city. It’s impossible to go for more than a few blocks without seeing one. I went inside every church I saw and was rewarded by beautiful paintings and architecture each time. Just like Rome, ruins are all over the city, only adding to its timelessness. Thessaloniki has its own unique history, which I also discovered when I visited several museums in the area. (Best part: I had free entrance to them! For once, it pays to be a student.)

Thessaloniki’s Famous White Tower

Speaking of which, prices of everything were just amazing! I was under-budget for the weekend, which was unexpected but oh so very nice. Sadly, the terrible Greek economy was obvious, but it was a tad bit convenient for a college student on a budget.

The Rotunda in Thessaloniki

Honestly, I could go on forever about Greece. It was an unexpected weekend, but one of the very best. I will always remember my time there and what a wonderful experience it was. I have a little advice to leave you with: Don’t be afraid of going somewhere alone. You never know what you might find and what you will learn about yourself.

With winter weather warnings in Rome, it ended up being the perfect weekend to head to the Alps. Six of us from JFRC, took a “Bus2Alps” trip from Rome to Interlaken for an adventurous weekend. We left Thursday night from Roma Termini and were on a bus for a total of 12 hours all the way up to Switzerland. With movies playing and a little sleep medication taken, we were in business and the ride actually went by rather fast. Next, after waking up from our long nap we dropped our things at the hostel and were ready to hit the slopes. We bundled up in many layers, and were able to rent all the gear that we needed for 2 days of non-stop skiing.

This was possibly my favorite weekend so far. Switzerland might just be my place. This country is magical. The massive mountains encircle quaint little towns, with so much to offer. Each little chalet is like an image from a storybook. The atmosphere here is chill. We spent both days on the mountain and then had some much needed food, beer, and sleep. Our hostel was awesome, very comfortable and clean.

About the skiing,… incredible! We took a bus and a few trains to get all the way up the mountain. Skiing in the Alps is not at all like the Rockies or anywhere else I have gone in the States. Let’s just say, you should know what you are doing before taking on these slopes. Getting up to the ski area we took the steepest gondola I have ever seen over the front of the mountain. It is amazing how the Swiss have engineered getting about these mountain towns. Getting off the gondola we were set right in the middle of the mountain with the most amazing views I have ever seen all around us. With that inspiration we stayed on the slopes until the hill closed both days. There were a few cute places at the top of the mountain to stop for lunch. We enjoyed breaking for beer, hot chocolate, and the best hot dog I have ever had.

It is very easy to visit this city on a budget, I had only spent 40chf (swiss franc) the entire weekend. Our hostel provided us with free breakfast, coffee machine access, and wifi. For dinner we found a cheap burger joint, and an Irish pub the were both very reasonably priced, with great food.

On Sunday we took a walk to one of the two lakes that surround the town and we were able to get a better look at the charm of Interlaken. This small city only gives you a little taste of what Switzerland is like, and I definitely have to come back and see more.

Skiing the Alps is a bucket list like activity that I am very lucky to have accomplished at such a young age. The program “Bus2Alps” is awesome and it was really nice to have their guidance for getting our equipment, hooking us up with such an ideal hostel, and also, we were able to have a nice community of other study abroad students from all over Europe in the group.

This weekend is going to be hard to beat, although you have to take each new place for what it is and live out your time there to your absolute fullest. You only live once!

Auf Wiedersehen!

February 14, 2012

And I Will Always Love You

Buon San Valentino! (Happy Valentine’s Day)  I have been away from the blogging sphere for 2 weeks now.  Somewhere between the picturesque streets of Amsterdam and the snowy weekend in Rome I lost the will to do much typing, but I’m back and ready to share my stories!  True to form I title my entries with elements from different songs I love.  Whitney Houston was the obvious choice for this week.  I was on a long walk downtown last night and I could hear this song blaring from just about every Fiat on the road.  The Italians are mourning too.

Beyond the tribute to the fabulous, I want to tell you about the past two weeks of my abroad experience.  Go to Amsterdam!  It is not just a city of vices though it does offer certain indiscretions.  It is absolutely beautiful.  We pulled into the city on an extremely snowy day and I couldn’t help but compare the architecture to gingerbread houses.  The coffee was splendid, the famous pancakes divine, and the waterways filled with colorful boats and icy water took my breath away.  I marveled at the works of the Van Gogh museum, I learned about brewery and drank some incredible beer at the Heineken experience, and I somberly experienced the Anne Frank House and Museum.  A group of 11 of us whole-heartedly took on the city and pretty much ate and drank our way through Amsterdam.  It was amazing.

When we returned to Rome we were excited to shed our scarves, hats and gloves for the better southern weather.  We were wrong.  We flew into the snowiest Rome I could imagine.  The Romans are perplexed, excited, and totally lost in the snow.  It is not like Chicago where we salt and clear all city roads in 20 minutes flat.  Here everyone takes a

vacation.  The natives keep telling us to take in the city because to see it in the snow is a once in a lifetime opportunity.  Since very few forms of transportation are available in the weather, a friend of mine and I took it upon ourselves to walk the hour downhill to see Rome in it’s white glory.  It was gorgeous, breathtaking and unique.  I have realized now that ignoring my mom’s advice to bring a winter coat was probably not the right form of rebellious activity.  It’s cold.  Lucky for me, I found a winter coat here and I am ready to embark into the winter.  Next stop: Venice for Carnivale.

Sending you all my love from Rome today!

xo

C

Or should I say, in the air again?  T-minus 2 days  until I am flying nearly ten thousand miles to the land down under. This trip snuck up on me this time. Unlike Prague, I had the entire summer to anxiously await the moment when I would step upon foreign soil, this time I feel almost ill-equipped for the journey and am rushing around purchasing last minute items like sunscreen and hats for my fun in the sun. I have spent the last 5 weeks looking over my European adventure pictures, catching up with friends and family, and trying to wrap my head around the experiences I had while living in Prague for four months. Unbelievably enough, I get to start all over again in Melbourne, Australia.

The Australian university calendar is very different from the typical American one. Classes run from March to late June for trimester one.  While the rest of Loyola has been slaving away under their piles of books in the IC, I have been twiddling my thumbs at home with my dogs. I even made a quick stop back at Loyola to meet with advisors and I felt almost alien to my own campus since I have been away from dear Lake Shore since May 2011. When I arrive in Australia I will have two orientations, one on campus for the logistical things like receiving a campus id and class registration, but the fun starts when the university takes us on a trip to the Great Ocean Road. This field trip entails hiking in the rainforest, surfing lessons, yoga on the beach and breathtaking views of the Twelve Apostles ( you know regular school activities).

I’ve learned a lot about myself and I am taking that new knowledge with me to that land of OZ. I know how to navigate airports, city centers, all sorts of public transportation systems, and how to find the best hostels, flight deals,and cheap eats.  I have made some adjustments since my last study abroad adventure. I am taking one suitcase not two. I am hoping to find a part time job there since with their visa you are allowed to work as well as study. I am finding my own housing when I get there because I want to find a really affordable place and I preferably want to live with some Aussies. However, I am going in with the same sincerely open mind and heart that is so imperative when you relocate to another country. I am ecstatic to experience something so entirely new and strikingly different from Prague.  Plus, the seventy degree weather is an added benefit and I cannot complain when I am doing my homework on a beach.

The flight is nearly 23 hours so I hope to hunker down and get some z’s because when I land it will be 2 days ahead. I leave on the 15th and arrive on the 17th, insane right? I guess that’s what happens when you cross the international date line and journey on down to the southern hemisphere. In typical fashion, I have not packed my bag yet, but I am sure now with all packing wisdom that I have attained from packing and re-packing a bag about 30 times last semester that I can conquer this task.

I’m going to go make my travel playlist now and dream of kangaroos and koala bears, preferably together and in my arms.

Talk to you soon. Happy Reading!!

As if Sagrada Familia was not enough, Barcelona is also home to la Catedral, also known as the Church of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia. Construction began in the late 13th century and it took more than 100 years to complete the grandiose structure. Barcelona Cathedral is the seat of the archdiocese of the Catholic Church for Barcelona and the Catalan region and is dedicated to the co-patron saint of Barcelona, Sant Eulalia. Eulalia was martyred at the age of 13 by Romans and the Cathedral houses 13 geese in her honor. Legend has it that she was exposed naked in the public square and a miraculous snowfall in mid-spring covered her nudity. The enraged Romans put her into a barrel with knives stuck into it and rolled it down a street (according to tradition, the one now called Baixada de Santa Eulàlia). The body of Sant Eulalia is entombed in the cathedral’s crypt.

The church pierces the skyline of el Gotic, aptly so since la Catedral is a masterpiece of neo-Gothic architecture. Not only can you see the church from the skyline, you can also see the skyline from the church. Visitors are allowed to take a tiny, rickety elevator up 3 floors to the rooftop and walk around. While the view of the city is breathtaking, I was much more intrigued to tilt my gaze down and examine the structure itself. The opportunity to examine the roof and windows was incredible and my favorite aspect was one of the windows that allow sunlight to flood the interior but are invisible from external view.

I spent a good hour and a half walking around the church to appreciate the individual chapels and magnificent guild work and craftsmanship. Also, in the center of the interior there is the choir stall where the back of the seats are adorned with various coat-of-arms. With a little research, I discovered that the different coat-of-arms identified the members of the Order of the Golden Fleece, which is kind of a big deal in Europe and greater Christendom. After I paid my respects to Sant Eulalia, I made my way to the nearest cafe to re-energize and enjoy the rest of the sunny afternoon.