So much has happened in the past few weeks!

I celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in Rome and it was much more anticlimactic than you would imagine. The Irish pubs in the center of the city were all jam-packed, so a few friends and I just meandered around the city and returned home before midnight (no, dad, I didn’t fly off to Ireland for the day!).

That Friday, I had to attend a makeup class in the evening. It was a gorgeous, sunny day, so I spent it exploring Rome on my own. I first went to Piazza Navona, where dozens of artists had their paintings set up. My next stop was Campo de Fiori, a small piazza with flower shops and other vendors. I perused through some spices and some clothing items before stopping to eat a panino and people-watch from my perch on a fountain. Not quite ready to head back to the confines of campus, I traipsed back through Navona toward the Pantheon. On the way, I shopped in a small bookstore. Then I picked up some decent cheesecake gelato from a gelateria that advertises hundreds of flavors, and ate it on the steps in front of the Pantheon, in Piazza della Rotunda.

 

Later that night, I saw Insurgent with Marie, Roshni, and Katherine at a movie theater that was showing it in English. Before the movie, we had dinner at Da Bufetta and got gelato at Frigidarium right next door. Both were incredible! At Da Bufetta, I got a glimpse of how much dough the cooks had in the kitchen. It was enough to make at least two fully grown humans. Frigidarium was life-changing – gelato will never taste the same. The Frigidarium flavor tastes like my favorite cake batter flavor of froyo back at home. I combined it with a chocolate crème flavor, had it dipped in chocolate, and voila! The perfect gelato.

 

That Saturday, I took a pilgrimage to Assisi with the school. We started with a morning prayer on the bus before all falling fast asleep. We saw the Basilica of San Francesco d’Assisi, a beautiful building with two levels and a crypt where the tomb of Francis is kept. Our guide explained to us what all the murals in the upper church represented. Many of them depicted the life of Saint Francis, with allusions to the life of Jesus Christ. Our guide made the comment once that with all the progress of modern life, when it seems like man can do everything himself, many people don’t feel a need for Heaven. I was overcome by a feeling of need for Heaven when he said that. The mere thought that man can do everything himself seems absolutely dismal to me — we clearly haven’t figured out to make the world a peaceful place for ourselves. Standing in the upper church beneath dozens of incredible murals, I realized just how much humanity is in need of Heaven.

We strolled around the streets of Assisi for a while, grabbed panini and gelato for lunch, and then went to the Basilica di Santa Chiara to see the cross relic that Francis was praying to when God told him to rebuild His church. We prayed once more in a side chapel. On the bus, I got to know some of the Deacons from JFRC, and they told me about their time spent studying in Assisi. We stopped at the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli at the bottom of the hill, which interestingly had a church inside a church, and said a final prayer. Our dinner that night, which lasted several hours, consisted of all kinds of locally grown and produced foods. Father Al and Father Bore hilariously teased each other from across the table. The table erupted in laughter every time Father Al would make an old-person joke about Father Bohr, to which Father Bohr would respond, “You will burn!” On our ride home, Father Al showed us a few of his dance moves as “Uptown Funk” blasted from the speakers.

 

The next day, I woke up bright and early to volunteer for the Rome Marathon. It was inspiring to see people from all over the world converge in the eternal city to accomplish one of the greatest physical feats. Two of our own J-Forcers, Joey and SLA Chandi, also completed the marathon!

On Wednesday, calcio was cancelled due to a torrential downpour. Instead, I went to an aperitivo bar called Foodoo with Bri, Ali, Reagan, and Reagan’s sister who was visiting. We ordered delicious fruity drinks and had a refreshing girl’s night out.

The next weekend, I flew off to Barcelona with Bri and Roshni. Naturally, I played the song “Barcelona” by the Plasticines when we were landing.

We took a taxi to our hostel, Hola Hostel, to drop off our luggage. Roshni parted ways with Bri and me because she was going to visit a friend from home who is also studying abroad. Bri and I almost immediately decided to head for the beach. On our way, we passed the Arc de Triumph, which I think I may love more than Rome’s triumphal arches for its unique brickwork and patterns – the fact that it’s surrounded by palm trees only adds to its beauty. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Of course, neither of us had brought sunscreen. We bit the bullet and laid out our clothes as makeshift towels, and soon fell asleep in the sand (we’d had an early flight). As you can imagine, I was soon looking a little lobster-like.

 

Bri and I had lunch at a beach-side restaurant. We split a salad topped with berries and nuts, some bread, and delicious cod fritters…and, of course, sangria. After over two hours of talking, enjoying the food, and wrapping our minds around where we were, Bri and I decided to head back to the hostel. We walked slowly along the beach. We kept walking slower. And slower, and slower. Until finally we found ourselves lying down fully clothed in the sand to take another nap. Bri woke up to a father telling his child, “You can do whatever you want here! Look at those girls!” We decided it was time to leave.

We went out with the hostel that night and met another student from Chicago who studies at John Cabbot in Rome. It’s such a small world! We also met a girl from Canada who had just graduated and moved to Barcelona for an internship, even though she’d never been there before. She’s definitely another one of the many courageous people this semester. As for the clubs – the nightlife in Barcelona is everything everyone says it is.

The next day, Roshni reunited with us. We trekked about a dozen blocks in the heat to find a churreria. My chocolate-filled churro was more than worth it.

 

 

We had a nourishing lunch – steak and eggs, for me – and then went to the Cathedral for a free historical walking tour through the Gothic Quarter. We saw Picasso’s first donation to Barcelona, ancient Roman buildings, and Placa de Sant Felip Neri, where dozens of children were tragically killed by a bomb explosion in the Spanish Civil War. The plaza, however, also has happier history: it was the setting of a scene in a Woody Allen film! While we were there, an extremely talented a Capella group burst into song and dance. We visited the corner of Carrer d’Avinyo, where Picasso stood waiting for his father after school every day. There used to be a lot of brothels on the street, and Picasso got to know the ladies well since he was there so often. According to our tour guide, they inspired his painting Les Demoiselles d’Avignon.

 

 

The tour ended at the port. Exhausted, we took another nap in the grass. A series of advertisements reading, “Coffee lovers this way,” each with an arrow, led us to Costa coffee. The coffee and cheesecake gave us the energy to trek onward to the magnificent Magic Fountains of Montjuic. The fountain lights turned off early due a technological problem, but I ran into Katie, a girl from my last semester’s marketing class! It was the most unexpected place to run into someone from home – she’s currently studying in England, but happened to be in Barcelona for her spring break.

Bri, Roshni and I entertained ourselves by finding hilarious English translations in a nearby clothing store. Then, we had empanadas, nachos, and fajitas from a vegetarian restaurant. Once again exhausted, we called it a night and headed back to the hostel (with an unplanned hour-long detour).

 

Sunday morning, we woke up early enough to have breakfast at the hostel and set out to discover Gaudi’s famous modernist architecture. It wasn’t hard to spot – his buildings, Casa Botllo and Casa Mila, are marked by soft curves and whimsical balconies. The most astonishing of Gaudi’s feats, however, is the Sagrada Familia (or as I like to call it, the Sangria Familia).

 

We bought tickets for 6:15 p.m., so we had time to kill before seeing it. We bought scarves, rocked the “Yacht mom” look, and trekked up to Park Guell, and saw all of Barcelona sprawled out below us. We could clearly make out what we called the “Larry the Cucumber” building.

The Sagrada Familia was partially under construction, but it’s the one building in the world that can’t be ruined by it. The outside is decorated with creatures of all sorts, and culminates in points that look like melting candles. In typical Gaudi style, no part of the building is untouched by an unusual flair. The inside of the church is even more breathtaking, which I didn’t think was possible. My jaw dropped when I walked in, and I couldn’t stop gawking at the ceiling. The pillars look like trees rising into a heavenly canopy, illuminated by light shining through the colorful stained glass windows. Thanks to my art in Rome class, I recognized the Four Living Creatures in the transept of the church. I got dizzy from spinning around looking up at the ceiling and the unbelievable architecture.

 

For dinner, we had paella at a restaurant across from the hostel. Bri and I went out dancing for a few hours, and then all three of us caught a plane in the wee hours of the morning. Thanks to Holy Week traffic, it took less time to get from Barcelona to Rome than it did to get from the Rome airport to campus. Despite that minor annoyance, the weekend was a wonderful one!

Arrivederci, tutti!

At long last, here’s an account of my biggest adventure this semester – my spring break excursion to Greece and Turkey. I’ll try to keep it brief!

Led by the dean of academics (“Sander”) and SLA Mitch, I and 43 other students hopped on a plane to northern Greece. We spent the first two nights in a 5-star resort hotel called Cavo Olympo, nestled between the foot of mount Olympus and the Aegean Sea. Unfortunately, the fog was so thick that I never once actually saw Mount Olympus. Friday evening, we checked into the hotel, freshened up, and ordered milkshakes from the bar before going out for a delicious group dinner at a restaurant called Gastrodomio.

We were supposed to hike up Mount Olympus on Saturday, but unfortunately, incessant rain changed those plans. Instead, we visited Greek ruins and a museum that housed intricate mosaics, the oldest organ ever found, and fascinating sculptures of Greek gods and goddesses. Constantinos, our amiable tour guide who strongly resembled John Lovitz, kept us captivated with stories from Greek mythology. Afterward, we hiked up to a castle on top of a cliff. In the ruins of one of the castle’s chapels, I spotted human remains!

Then we had lunch – lamb and fries – in a Greek tavern on top of a mountain. The fog was so thick that we couldn’t see anything out of the window. We were actually enveloped in a cloud. In the afternoon, during our down time, we returned to the hotel and many of us enjoyed the steam room, the sauna and the pool. That night, we were set loose in the small town of Litohoro. Gabrielle, Melanie, Katherine and I headed straight to the first gyro place we could find. They were delicious as expected (and cheap!).

We sat in the gyro-ria playing a Disney guessing game, waiting until an acceptable time to explore the nightlife. It turns out there really wasn’t much nightlife to explore. We ended up in a bar full of hip youths, and felt very old and out of place. It didn’t help that we made fools of ourselves in the language department. When the bartender asked in a thick accent if we were ready to order, I thought he had asked where were we from. I responded happily, “Chicago!” He just stared at me for a long, awkward moment before repeating himself. Melanie had a similarly embarrassing interaction while we were ordering, so we left shortly afterward and found a lounge where we fit in better and had large mugs of decadent hot chocolate.

On Sunday, we took a road trip to Thessaloniki, stopping at museums and the tomb of Phillip II along the way. The first night in Thessaloniki, we went to a cocktail bar to celebrate Maureen’s birthday and played a game called “What are the Odds?” which is basically a glorified version of Truth or Dare that only involves ridiculous dares. While we were romping around the city, the stray dogs would follow us around because they thought we were a pack. One of the highlights of Thessaloniki was climbing to the top of the White Tower, a famous landmark from ancient Greece that was once a mark of suffering and devastation but has become a symbol of hope. Later, we went to Blue Cup Coffee, which had a cozy atmosphere and yummy drink options. I got some sort of strawberry and vanilla coffee concoction.

The next day we set out for the town of Xanthi. In the morning, we saw the Jewish Historical Museum of Thessaloniki where we learned the tragic suffering that Greek Jews endured during the Holocaust, and also learned about the role of Greece in World War II. The sun finally came out later in the day, just in time for us to wander through the ruins where St. Paul was once imprisoned. We stopped along the coast in Kavala for a pre-dinner, where I ordered Taziki (as usual) and a small fish appetizer. We had our last group dinner in Greece that night. It was the most divine culinary experience. First, bread was brought to the table. My friends and I were eating some when Ioanna, who was our guide for the trip, came over to us and said, “Don’t eat the bread. There’s a lot of food coming.” I mentally scoffed and thought she had no idea how hungry I was. But as usual, Ioanna was right. For a solid hour and a half, food just didn’t stop coming. We were always rushing to finish one thing before the waiters brought out another. It was almost overwhelming but my taste buds have never been so happy. For the rest of my life I’ll be dreaming about that meal: the lamb, taziki, fries, salad and countless cheese-filled appetizers. Ioanna also gave us Greek names during dinner – you can call me Agaliki.

After we ate, most of us went out together for a final adventure in Greece. We witnessed Ioanna using her Goddess magic when she led us to a bar and later demanded that an employee escort us to the cool club down the street. At the club, Gabrielle and I had fun getting to know our bus driver, Costas. He didn’t speak great English, but we talked about his career. Most of the time, we stood at a table in awkward silence due to the language barrier and ridiculously loud music. When we were ready to leave, we had to find our way back to the hotel on our own. Melanie asked two young people sitting outside the club for directions, and they kindly offered to walk us. We learned that their names were Nick and Katerina. Katerina had the most beautiful curly Greek hair. Nick taught us a foul word in Greek. We made it back to the hotel safely.

The first thing on our agenda the next day was a wine tasting in the Greek countryside. Ioanna taught us how to properly taste and evaluate wine like true connoisseurs. We spent the rest of the day on the bus, headed for Turkey. When we arrived in Istanbul, we went straight the Orient Express for dinner. The food wasn’t anything special, but the atmosphere was really interesting – I felt like I could be in an Agatha Christie novel. The waiters wore conductor outfits and brought the drinks out on carts designed to look like trains. The next day, we visited the Blue Mosque and the Ayasofia. The Blue Mosque was beautifully decorated with geometric patterns and rich drapery, and we took off our shoes and wore hijabs while inside. While in the Ayasofia, we could faintly hear the call to prayer, which was an ethereal and moving experience. I learned from our Turkish tour guide, Koko, that the call to prayer is sung by in harmony by one person from each mosque in the city.

Gabrielle, Melanie, Katherine and I had lunch in a restaurant with a beautiful view. I had Heinz ketchup for the first time in months – I nearly cried because I’ve missed it so much. Then we explored a palace that overlooked the Golden Horn, where I saw an ornate clock exhibit as well as ancient weaponry. That night, Mel and Gab and I walked down the main strip near Taksim square, and found a small café-like restaurant where we could hear live Turkish music. We tried Turkish delight, a sweet, gummy-like treat, and smoked melon-flavored hookah afterwards to fully soak up the culture.

The next day, we went to a church with beautiful mosaics and then took a cruise down the Golden Horn. While drinking Turkish tea, I listened to Ioanna talk about the peace walk she took from Athens to Istanbul. It was so inspiring – she told us she believed that if she kept a clean mind and spirit, no harm would come to her. She asked us about our dreams while we looked out across the water at Asia. When we came ashore, we went to the Spice Market and then had yet another delicious lunch at a place Ioanna recommended.

 

In our down time, we drank more tea and played chess at a café near Taksim. I almost got run over by a tram (watch out for those if you ever visit Istanbul). We went out with Turkish students that night, a meeting arranged by Ioanna. We talked with them about the Turkish education system and what they think of Americans. They took us to a kebab place and then to a bar where we danced to 80s/90s Turkish hits. Then we went to another pub where they played a lot of classics – most memorably, they played “I will survive.” When we were walking home at nearly 2 a.m., Starbucks was still open. It was glorious. I was home.

The next day was filled with shopping at the Grand Bazaar. Bartering was stressful at times, but I bought gifts for people back home and adopted a terrible British accent while doing so. The sheer size of the Bazaar was incredible. It would have been easy to get lost among the thousands of stands selling scarves, spices, dishes, trinkets, and nearly everything else under the sun. We had our last dinner as a group that night at a restaurant called Feraye. I had the honor of sitting next to SLA Mitch and learning about his favorite places to travel. Everyone got up to dance (including Sander, Ioanna, Mitch, and Costas) before our dinner had even arrived. I enjoyed the appetizers the most, but for the main course, I ate a fish that still had a face. After dinner, a few of us went to a club called IQ. We went crazy when the DJ played “Fireball” (the JFRC calcio theme song) and danced the night away.

The next morning, I went to the Turkish baths with a group of girls from school. We stripped almost completely naked to be scrubbed down and washed by large, motherly Turkish women. It was indeed awkward at first, but I appreciated the way the body wasn’t treated as a taboo, sexual object to be ashamed of. It was a relaxing, eye-opening way to finish off spring break.

On the bus back to JFRC, Sander gave a long speech full of inspirational musings about the trip and the rest of our lives, such as, “I hope it gets inside you, you get a feeling, and it gets in your heart.” Another gem was, “You go left, you go right, you go straight ahead.” He had everyone on the bus either laughing or crying as he talked about how we had all become a family.

Stay tuned for my post about Barcelona! Ciao belle!

The Vietnamese lunar new year, or Tết, is unlike any holiday I have experienced before. This celebration is much anticipated and very unique because Vietnam is one of three countries that celebrates the lunar new year worldwide. The Vietnamese new year involves eating, drinking, praying, loving, and even more eating!

Flower display in Saigon on Ham Nghi Street, District 1

Before the first day of Tết, there are many preparations to be done including cooking, cleaning, and buying flowers. Also, families should buy enough food to feed family, friends, and neighbors because most stores close for three days – recognizing the holiday for all employees. This is unlike Christmas Day in America when convenient stores and grocery stores are open under limited hours. No, everything shuts down.

After the weeks preparing for Tết holiday, it is time to celebrate the actual holiday.

I began my Tết holiday in Saigon with my vietnamese partner and her family. First, we visited the most popular Buddhist temple in Saigon at 8:00am to pray for peace, love, and prosperity… And they were not frugal with the incense!

My adorable Vietnamese partner!

Celebrating with my Vietnamese partner’s family

Pagoda in Saigon, Vietnam

Pagoda in Saigon, Vietnam – Note the incense haze

After the temple, we followed tradition and visited her uncle’s mother as a tradition during Tết:

The first day is for visiting the father’s family. 

The second is for visiting the mother’s family.

The third is for visiting teachers. 

Afterwards, we visited the flower street in Saigon. This is a main street in downtown that temporarily closes and is decorated with 4 blocks of indigenous flower displays.

Flower Street in Saigon, Vietnam

Flowers are an important aspect of Tết for the Vietnamese. Much like a Christmas tree, the Tết tree includes the regional flower and twinkle lights. “Hoa Mai” or apricot blossoms grow in the South and “Hoa Dao” or cherry blossoms from the North.

“Hao Dao” or cherry blossoms are Northern Vietnam’s traditional Tet flower

Following this, we visited her aunt’s house to receive lucky money, eat lunch, and spend time with family. It was a big deal for her family to invite me on the first day. Following strict tradition, I should not have been there because I am not immediate family. Nonetheless, I am extremely grateful for this experience, and I had a blast! It was a wonderful day full of eating, drinking, and even gambling.

Super excited to play bingo – especially while practicing numbers in Vietnamese

For the second day of Tết, I started at 4:30am off to the airport en route to North Central Vietnam to the city of Vinh to spend the lunar new year with my friend Công and his family. This was an experience I will never forget because I was able to experience the holiday fully immersed in a family’s celebration.

Wonderful family home stay in Vinh, Vietnam over Tet

I was also able to relate the similarities and differences between central and southern celebrations. Some main components that are nationally celebrated in Vietnam include:

Food:

Food is a key component of Tết holiday. Not only do the Vietnamese celebrate Tết , they “eat” Tết or in Vietnamese Ặn Tết.

Traditional Tết cakes:

Bánh Tét: traditional sticky rice cake served during Tết celebration. A cylinder shaped cake made from sticky rice, bean, and pork then wrapped in banana leaves, tied, and steamed for 14-16 hours. This cylinder cake represents the atmosphere of the earth.

Bánh Chưng: The bánh Tét counterpart – includes the same ingredients but is square in shape to represent the earth.

Bánh Chưng (upper right) served with pickled vegetables and pork terrine

I had the opportunity to make these cakes at my friend, Thien’s aunt’s house in the countryside of Đồng Nai. I was invited to join in the entire family’s preparation for Tết – all 18 family members plus 4 guests in a 2 bedroom house. While these conditions may not seem ideal, I could not have felt more welcomed. I must say, sleeping outside on a hammock is magical. I enjoyed getting to visit a countryside home and experiencing this way of life and realizing how a family so large can develop such a close connection, especially during the exciting time of Tết. I was extremely grateful for this opportunity.

Preparing Bánh Tét cakes

These cakes are served with traditional staples such as pork, boiled chicken, pickled anything (onions, shallots, leeks, carrots, etc.), and sticky rice.

The meals were absolutely delicious and wonderful experiences because I was able to feel the love and community of each family as they shared a meal together.

Ancestor worship:

Part of a traditional Tết meal includes offerings to the ancestors. Not only do living family members eat, the deceased must eat as well. Food, drink, and wealth are offered to ancestors as a way for living family members to take care of the deceased in their afterlife.

Hospitality and relationships: 

Visitors show up all the time and unexpected, even as early as 7:00am. No matter the hour, food and beverages must be offered to guests because it is a sign of respect and hospitality. Ideally, alcoholic beverages will be shared (again, no matter the hour) in order to cheers each other and family for the new year.

The Vietnamese Tết holiday is unlike any holiday worldwide due to the strong traditions, nationalism, and connection to others both living and deceased. I highly recommend experiencing this holiday at some point in life – you will not regret it. I have evaluated my perceptions of relationships both family and friends, hospitality, and spirituality after witnessing this incredible celebration in Vietnam.

If you have any questions about my experience during Tết holiday or Vietnam in general, feel free to email me at mlindsay@luc.edu.

As always, thanks for reading and… Chúc mừng Năm mới! Happy New Year!

Everyone needs a break sometimes. Some breaks last for hours with a book at hand, others are for days when you simply go for a weekend getaway, while the best lasts a little more than 10 days taking you around the world, so you can see why it is you never needed a break in the first place.

Few hours in our lives are ones we will fully remember forever, fewer days can be told beginning to end, and even fewer weeks are what some would be able to call perfect for every second. March 5^th began the start of what would be a trip no other could ever compare to. No matter what city I was exploring or if the sun was rising or setting, there was never a moment I wouldn’t always take with me and forever treasure.

My vacation was not meant to be spent lounging at a top resort located on a beach with a margarita at hand like the typical college student. Instead it was finally the time to cure the disease of being bit by the travel bug. Although all my weekends in the past and future would be filled with trips here and there an urge to travel and see new lands continued to remain within me, leading me to plan what would be my greatest adventure yet.

I’ve always had this mentality to travel as much as I can, as far as I can, and as long as I can because my life was never meant to be lived in one place. I’d already made the move to Rome, and realized after much reflection that the world was mine and I had every chance to see it. Nothing about it scared me, it just encouraged me to pack my bag and go because nothing was stopping me and my opportunities were endless. My dreams of experiencing, seeing, and adapting to new cultures always intrigued me, which was embodied in one trip many would call “Spring Break”. With my best friends, Allison and Zach, and new friends from my program, Ali and Roshni I was ready.

My long overdue realization that of being filled with wanderlust, lead me to find myself undergoing a trip that would take my feet to 5 famous cities within 5 countries during the duration of a week and a half! Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris weren’t ready for me and in return I wasn’t ready for the lessons they’d teach me. I witnessed the beauty and authenticity found within the walls of Northern Europe and was surprised to see just how much I’d crave to return again.

Every place in the world is unique and I feel as if it’s my task to find out why. Some are more difficult to discover, while others you know simply by first site. Prague was one of these places where automatically you’d found yourself walking through a fairytale. It took one stroll along the Charles Bridge and participating in walking tours of New Town, Old Town, and the Jewish Quarters, to realize this was where Disney got it, this is where dreams became a reality. Prague was the place.

I experienced first hand the impact and aftermath of what had once been a division of 5 towns and how each came together, but still remained to be completely their own seen through the preservation of their culture and landmarks. Within only a short period of time, one would go from seeing the Jewish cemetery of what holds more than 30,000 bodies placed within the Jewish Quarters in the center of their neighborhood to Old Town Square filled with vendors selling “turtle neck” dessert and tourist waiting every hour on the hour to watch the 12 Apostles Clock performance. Sites of the National Museum, State Opera, Old Town Hall, Petrin Lookout Tower replicating the Eiffel Tower, and the Prague Castel were followed by an 80s Dance Club, the Kafka Museum, John Lennon Wall and Charles Bridge, although so different it only took one a short walk across the river to go from feeling like you were the next Cinderella to being apart of what many would consider the greatest boy band of all time, The Beatles.

It was the perfect mix of liveliness and being trapped in a daydream. There was nothing like it, but the feeling it gave me only made me want more. It’s a place you simply can’t just Czech off your list, you’ll always want to go back not only to see it, but be reminded that life can be its own make believe place filled with joyous people, endless hardy food, and castles that tower over you. You don’t just see the city of Prague while walking the streets, you get lost in the daydream of fun filled energy.

After fully accepting my life as a dreamer, I was taken back to the times of Hitler in the city that shows one country’s ability to overcome a difficult past. I was transformed into a historian walking the paths of world leaders before me, being taken back by one place’s ability to make such an impact on the world. With a sausage in one hand and Haagen-Dazs in the other, I strolled the Flea Market found within Museum Square meeting the strong willed, yet kindhearted German people.

I later found myself directed to what I’d consider, the most fun and unique embassy I had ever seen and was proud to discover it was the United States’ placed directly across rows of grave tomb stone like statues making up the Holocaust memorial. Moments after stepping in, one realizes they are alone and gray like all that surrounds them allowing the piece to transform you and remind you of those who made the world what it is today, taking appreciation of all people. I later spent hours reading the stories of Jewish families described through artifacts left behind and admired current Germany’s ability to learn and grow from it’s past.

Berlin was seen and experienced through a tour of Brandenberg Gate, the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, The Reichstag, Mitte Town, and Museums Island, followed by a shopping break at Potsdamer Platz and an afternoon strolling bits and pieces of what makes up the 100 mile wall created with the intention to divide East and West Berlin. Art liberated the people and brought visitors to awe over their mural talents communicating a message of freedom, equality and peace to all those who witnessed. As if the sites weren’t moving enough, the German people had this way of appearing intimidating, but once opening their mouths only filling your ears with love. The city and wonderful community was a reminder of anything’s ability to pick itself up and make it better, and how there’s always more than meets the eye.

The city of walls, sausage, and history was later traded in for bike paths, tulips, and canals leaving behind Berlin, for the city I thought I’d like the least, Amsterdam. Once hearing of places all over the world one has a way of creating an impression on it, some being positive while others disgusting you in more ways than you can count. Amsterdam was one of these locations that held three of my least favorite things: bikes, the Red Light District, and “coffee houses”.

Once arriving, I realized how thankful I am for one of my greatest traits, my ability to constantly be open-minded. This changed my whole view of Amsterdam, seeing more than what it was known for world wide and getting myself lost in the tulip market, I am Amsterdam sign, works of Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum, and the most moving museum found behind a simple bookshelf, the Anne Franke House. I explored the city, unlike what guidebooks had suggested and found my own unique reasons to fall in love with it. When walking along the never ending canals, I couldn’t help but think that if I picked any two places in the world Nether land would be as perfect as where I was standing in that moment. I lost myself in it’s simple natural beauty and architecture not realizing that where I was standing was a place I had disliked for much of my life.

Amsterdam changed me. The one trip I thought would be a waste of money, was one I never could fully pay enough for. I walked into my hotel after immediately arriving saying I was done with the city, but left coming up with plans to be a resident in one of the narrow black brick painted buildings along the never ending canals. I lost my negative perception and got a friendly reminder that life always has a way of being filled with surprises. Who would of guessed I’d learn that in Holland!

As if I hadn’t eaten enough already in between the heavy meat and potatoes found within the previous three cities, I embarked on a journey to what I’d consider my personal “land of food” supplying me with the goodness of French fries, waffles, and chocolate. I had entered Brussels, Belgium with the full understanding that no matter how much I prepared my stomach it would never be ready. I strolled around the Grand Plac, a large square found within the center of government and retail buildings and was placed with the difficulty of having no hands due to the food breaks I continued to participate in.

Although my stomach was happy, the feeling and contentment of the environment was what was rewarding. I felt the calmness that was passed along the streets of the city and saw its beauty in its simplicity. Within minutes, I understood why it was the capital of the European Union because it simply made everyone happy. A few hours is all one needs to enjoy the small town found within two large countries, but if you could take its mentality and plates with you, you’d forever be lucky. It’s one that seems to be forgotten by many, but cherished by all those who find themselves at its’ coordinates. Brussels was the perfect break to prepare me for what was next, Paris!

It’s said that you’re always meant to leave things with a bang, with France as my final destination it was fulfilling it’s purpose by doing just that. Couture, High-Class sophistication, and romance surrounded me as I walked along the streets of Champs Elysee holding bags filled with my purchases inside, followed by eating nutella crepes and the best macaroons in the world, LaDuree in the parks alongside the Love Lock Bridge. To see the city from more than floor level I made my way to the top of the Arc du Triomphe, searched for the hunchback in Notre Dame, gained a new appreciation for art in the Louvre and Musee D’Orsay while catching up with Mona Lisa and the works of Monet, and couldn’t get away from the view of the Eiffel Tower regardless of where I was in the city. I enjoyed authentic French cuisine, the best meal I’ve ever had, when meeting up with other friends from our program and enjoyed nights that turned into morning in the city with my closest friends. As if enjoying Paris to its full capacity wasn’t enough, I made my way to Versailles to admire what is considered the most notable palace in the world admiring the gardens that go as far as your eyes can take you and entering rooms you can’t imagine only one royal family lived in. It was everything I thought it would be and more. They were right, Paris is always a good idea.

Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France were more than places I checked off the list, they were filled with moments I will forever remember, placing the Northern Loop and the greatest Spring Break in my heart forever. I found my future in the canals of Holland, love for food in Belgium, brought out my high end classy side in Paris, met the man of my dreams from Germany, and walked through the streets of Prague waiting to bump into Disney princesses. 10 days did more than make me fall in love with Europe, it confirmed that I’d be living here someday. It was more than a Spring Break, it changed my life path I’d always thought I’d be taking. My dreams of having the “American Dream” transformed into life traveling throughout Europe, taking the culture and energy forever with me. It was meant to be a break from life, but instead taught me why you always have to keep living. I vowed to myself to never take a break from seeing the world. I’ve been bit by the travel bug and there’s nothing that will ever stop me.

Ciao for now,

Gabriella Lunich

Ciao everyone! How are you doing? It has been a few weeks since I last wrote to you and to be frank, not much has happened! After a great spring break trip that you can read about here, I actually got a really random and bad case of Tonsillitis, so there have been a lot of bed rest filled days. This weekend however, after feeling much better, I went on a WWII study trip organized by Loyola.

Our trip was led by two wonderful JFRC alums who were at JFRC in 64′. They shared their expansive knowledge on the war, various historical sites, but also their experiences living in Italy at the time. My personal knowledge of WWII has always been from a textbook. But this weekend I was able to see first hand some of the remnants of the war. I apologize if I am unable to eloquently share my experience this weekend as I am still unable to grapple the history that I saw this weekend. Bear with me!

My favorite part of this weekend was visiting the WWII museum in Piana Delle Orme. This huge plot of land is filled with WWII artifacts. The first thing you see when you arrive are large planes, helicopters and trains that make for an incredible experience. 

To be able to see and touch equipment used in the war made the experience more real and authentic. The various displays were not only detailed but incredibly insightful. Machinery worked and moved like it did when people were actually using it, tanks were parked right in front of you. It was truly amazing and the only words I could utter were “this is so cool!”. We were able to see a monumental period of history right in our backyard of Rome, this opportunity further supported my belief that Rome is the city of eternal history. There is so much to see here, regardless of what country you are from.

Later in the afternoon we went to the Sicily-Rome American cemetery for WWII and this was an impactful part of the weekend. The image alone of tombstones being the same, perfectly aligned and filling large plots of land is both saddening but incredibly beautiful. Here we were able to visit the graves of some Loyola alum who fought in the war, and various other courageous men and women that served our country.

One of the JFRC alums, Jim, explained how it was said that the WWII generation was the best generation. After visiting the Sicily-Rome American cemetery and hearing war stories of incredibly brave individuals, I truly believe that statement. The bravery, tenacity, courage and loyalty of the men and women who served America in WWII is truly breathtaking and awe-inspiring. There are no “thank you’s” that will signify the impact that these men and women made on our country. I listened to war stories filled with plight, death and tragedy, but regardless there was a determination to get back out their and fight in the war.  We were given the opportunity to retire the colors and looking out at the graves, at sunset filled me with such genuine appreciation.

To the men and women who have served and are serving their country, thank you for guiding your country with bravery, courage, determination and true heroism.

Till next time, friends.

-Lindsay

So, it’s that time again for me to update you on all of my adventures over here.

Since coming back from Denmark, I’ve been keeping busy working on scenes and classes and that dreaded task of looking for an apartment and internship when I get back to Chicago.  But, I have had some fun, as well!

I did finally live out my childhood dream of visiting Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studios.  It was actually magical.  We drank butterbeer, rode brooms, visited Dumbledore’s office, the Gryffindor common room, and, of course, the Great Hall. To give some perspective of how much fun we had, we stayed for 5 hours.  I’m happy to say I will be returning with my parents when they visit.

A few of us also took a day trip to Oxford where we explored some of the more famous colleges and landmarks there.  We found Harry Potter magic there, as well, ironically.  Much of the architecture for Hogwarts was inspired by colleges at Oxford or even filmed there.  You might recognize this staircase from the second movie 🙂  If we weren’t big enough nerds already, we worked on a Lord of the Rings puzzle as we ate lunch at the Eagle and Child pub, where J. R. Tolkien used to frequent with C. S. Lewis.

Oh! I almost forgot to mention that we went to Brighton!  Wow, we’ve done a lot in the last few weeks.  Despite it being a bit chilly, I was so happy visiting the ocean.  The best part was definitely the Pier and boardwalk.  We rode all of the carnival rides multiple times, ate sugary and fried junk food, played arcade games, and enjoyed just being kids for a night.  It was definitely a much needed escape from the stress we have been under recently.

In the last 7 days, I have seen a record 5 shows!  Started off Monday seeing Harvey. Tuesday was musical night with Miss Emily and Miss Saigon.  After a short break, I went to see 3 new monologues by Peter Barnes at Trafalgar Studios on Friday.  Saturday, all of us adventured out to Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon and saw the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of The Jew of Malta.  And today will be the fifth of the last 7 days as my roommates and I see Kevin Spacey in Clarence Darrow at The Old Vic. I think I’ve fulfilled my quota of theatre.

Stratford was delightful.  It’s a rather quaint town with lots of small shops and tea rooms. It was relaxing to do some light shopping as we visited the historical houses and churches, including visiting the cursed Shakespeare grave at Holy Trinity Church.  Although out of all of it, I most enjoyed afternoon tea at the Anne Hathaway tea room, complete with dainty cakes, scones, clotted cream, and all of the finger sandwiches I could eat.

It’s starting to reach the end of the program and all of us are starting to realize we only have a few more weeks here. This next weekend we have a four-day break for the Easter holiday and I’ll be taking my last solo excursion to Edinburgh and St. Andrews to visit my friend Meghan. I recently learned that St. Andrews is not only the place where Prince William met Princess Kate Middleton, but is apparently where golf was invented!  There will be many pictures of golf courses.

Lastly, I got a new jumper from Primark.  It’s perfect for the drizzling spring days that are becoming more frequent as it gets warmer and warmer here.

Cheers

Note: A jumper is a sweater.  A sweater to the Brits is a sweatshirt.  It’s confusing to me, too.

I know it has been awhile since I have last been able to blog but I have been slammed with both schoolwork and other crazy events. When I last checked in I was about to head off to Scotland. Scotland was 10 times more fun then I ever expected. To be honest, I had zero expectations for the weekend and I was completely blown away from my visit. The trip started with a scare, the scare being that I sat next to two Scottish businessmen on the plane and I could barely understand a single word they said. Both tried to make a joke with me and I laughed (hopefully appropriately?) and then they had to ask me about 3 times before I could understand that they were just wondering where I was going and how many of us there were. Getting off the plane, I turned to my friends and told them that this weekend would be a bit rougher than expected. However, as the next few days went by I realized that while I still had trouble understanding some words, those two men must have the thickest Scottish accent on this earth.

The reasoning behind the trip to Scotland was because our friend Kristen actually has two friends who live in Glasgow. As a result of this great luck, one of her friends was nice enough to pick us up from the airport and drive us to our hostel. My expectations for hostels has also officially sunk over time. When we arrived at our hostel we were a bit worried seeing as a Buzzfeed article had been published about the hostel and it’s not so great living conditions. Upon arrival, our hostel check in was actually across the street from where we would be sleeping. The room had 4 bunk beds, and since there were 7 of us we would only be living with one stranger–an upside compared to Dublin. However, I cannot begin to explain how wrong we could possibly be. Our roommate, who we named Pitbull because he was fat, bald, and annoying, was quite possibly the worst person you could ever share a room with. He snored louder than I have ever heard a person snore in my entire life. I don’t think he was breathing for part of the time. He would not only snore continuously and loudly, he would also shout in his sleep and make other disgusting noises. I maybe slept 3 hours the first night.

However, a bad nights sleep did not prevent us from having a fantastic first full day in Scotland. We woke up bright and early on Friday and took the train from Glasgow to Edinburgh. It was a quick 40 minute train ride and we arrived with the whole day ahead of us. We first went to the Edinburgh Castle, which I once again knew nothing about, and was a little irritated when I found out I had to pay 16 pounds to get in. However, I was completely wrong as the castle was INCREDIBLE. It had about 6 mini-museums throughout the castle so I was able to learn about the history of Scotland’s military, the history of the castle, go into rooms where POWs were held, walk through a few war memorials, tour beautiful rooms, and see the crowned jewels (which later sparked the debate about whether you would rather have a scepter or a wand). We spent a few hours wondering around the castle and taking a number of photos. The castle also provided a gorgeous view of Edinburgh which has a perfect mix of both new and historical buildings. But just when you thought the day couldn’t get any better, something glorious happened– Harry Potter.

After lunch, where everyone in our group tried and actually enjoyed fried haggis, we ventured around Edinburgh to find a cafe called Elephant House. I am glad some people in the group were prepared because little did I know, but Elephant House is actually the cafe where JK Rowling first wrote the beginning of Harry Potter, on napkins. After wandering around a bit we found the cafe where we all sat down with a cuppa and pretended that we were as brilliant t as JK (we’re not). The coolest part of the cafe is actually the bathroom. Inside all of the walls, people have written notes to JK or quotes from Harry Potter. It was the first, and probably last, time that I took about 8 pictures of bathroom walls. Marypaz and I even wrote a note ourselves on the bottom of a wall. Some of our friends may have been embarrassed by how much Marypaz and I were fan-girling, but they were nice enough to not make it obvious.

Our day in Edinburgh ended with us shopping around and not buying anything because the pound is way too expensive. We went back to Glasgow and had a nice dinner and quiet night out at a local bar that had a live band. We went back to the hostel and tried to fall asleep (before Pitbull returned) so we could be energized for the following day. The next day we spent walking around Glasgow. We looked in a few museums, toured some outdoor sites, shopped, ate, and drank. It was a nice relaxing day and we were able to see all that the city had to offer, a special thanks to Kristen’s friend who was able to show us around. We left Glasgow the next morning, bright and early, to head back to Dublin then Cork, and reality.

The past week and half has been crammed with school work and days of fun. Saint Patrick’s Day was obviously exciting and Cork had a huge parade in the center of town with food stands all across the city center. Classes were cancelled for the day, as St. Paddy’s Day is considered a bank holiday, so we had the whole day open for drinking, I mean adventuring. While St. Paddy’s Day is very exciting in Ireland, it is important to understand that it really isn’t that big of a deal compared to St. Patrick’s Day even in Chicago. While there was a huge parade and downtown was packed, no one wore an obnoxious amount of green or Irish gear. It is instead a day of celebration but much more calmer than stereotypes may have you think. We woke up and ate a huge Irish breakfast, courtesy of chef Casey, and mimosas before we headed down to the parade. We were able to sit at a nice rooftop bar for a few hours during the day, since it was exceptionally pretty out, and just relax in the good atmosphere. We went out later that night and had a blast, but we did have class the next morning and real life waiting for us.

After spending the next few days writing a number of papers, I was able to take another day off and go up to Dublin to visit a friend. Allison, a friend who is studying at the Rome center, was in Dublin for 2 days so I was able to spend the day with her and show her around. Although I am no expert, only having gone to Dublin once before, we did do a lot. We walked through Dublin Castle, Saint Steven’s Green, ate some pub food, and, of course, went the the Guinness factory. I could only stay for a day so I headed back that night. It was, however, a nice break from school work.

Finally, two of Marypaz’s friends from Dublin, who we met last time we were up there, came down to Cork to visit. They arrived on Sunday night so we went out to dinner and then to a bar and tried to prove to them how fun Cork is (Dublin people aren’t the biggest fans of Cork). They seemed to have a fun time and we are in the works of making future plans to visit them again in Dublin in April. Since they’ve left, it has been a few days of heavy school work. This is the final stretch as I am trying to complete all of my papers before my parents arrive on March 31st. Super excited to see them and super excited to be done with all this work. As my mom said, it is rude that school is interrupting my 5 month vacation.

It’s been a very long time since my last blog post, and for that I am truly sorry. Too busy having the time of my life? I suppose. But now that my excitement has died down and I have major essays looming, I thought I could squeeze in some updates…

 

So, how great is London, you ask? It’s simply the greatest. I wouldn’t trade being here for anything in the world, and the thought of returning to Oak Lawn for an entire summer away from Europe physically pains me. And it’s not just London I’ve grown to love, either.

 

Over Queen Mary’s spring break last month I had the opportunity to take my first trip outside the UK! Two friends and I flew to Prague and then stopped over in Amsterdam before returning home to London (“home to London”—isn’t that just the best thing you could possibly say??).

 

I’ve seen some pretty beautiful places in England this semester, but I can now say with confidence that Prague is the most gorgeous place I’ve ever visited in person. I loved everything about the city, from the breathtaking castle views all the way down to our hilltop hostel. Experiencing Prague was honestly one of the best weekends of my entire life. We saw all the major sights like the Astronomical Clock, Old Town Square, the Charles Bridge, the Jewish Quarter, and the John Lennon Wall.

 

Since we were in Prague from Thursday to Monday, it felt like we had all the time in the world, which made it more of a marathon than a sprint. We had time to hit all the sights during the day and hit the town at night! On Saturday night we took part in the world-famous Prague Pub Crawl, which touted over 200 twenty-somethings to five of the city’s best nightclubs. (And if you think that’s a lot, the guide told me he was once in charge of 500+ people on a Thursday night tour… Try imagining that happening in Chicago!)

 

We made friends with other young people from Canada, South America, and the UK, just to name a few. That night was certainly a marathon, and also one I’ll never forget! Fun managed to lurk around every corner in Prague. After a long hard day of trekking up hills and across uneven cobblestone, we treated ourselves to traditional Thai foot massages, because we were on vacation and we could. And that might have been the most relaxing 30 minutes of my life.

 

 

Another highlight was walking far and wide to find a restaurant we heard referred to as “Monks and Beer” near the castle district. A few hills later we found ourselves at the foot of what looked like a private residence, but a few signs led us downstairs to a hidden but fully functioning dining experience in the wine cellars of an old monastery! We drank famous blueberry beer and sampled traditional Czech food like goulash and dumplings, all by light of a few candles. Everything about Prague was surreal, and I grew very attached to it in only four days! I didn’t want to abandon it for Amsterdam, but alas, our plane tickets beckoned…

 

 

Amsterdam was a SPRINT. We landed in “the Venice of the north” late on a Monday night, exhausted from travel and our weekend in Prague. But we only had until Thursday afternoon before returning to London, so we had to conjure up a second wind and get our butts in gear. And once we got going, Amsterdam became just as beautiful! It is definitely a city of museums, and we managed to see five in just two and a half days (six, if you count the massive seven-floor Openbare Bibliotheek Library). We could have spent two weeks wandering exhibits and galleries, but there was just too much too see.

 

 

On our first day we spent hours admiring every inch of the Van Gogh Museum, which houses the biggest collection of his works in the world. We followed up with a long afternoon wandering around the Albert Cuyp Market, widely recognized as being the largest daytime market in all of Europe. We sampled everything from traditional Dutch stroopwafels (a warm flat waffle filled with caramel and smothered in chocolate, also DELICIOUS) to spicy Tex-Mex street tacos. I even bought a wooden tulip!

 

 

But luckily, our day wasn’t over. We managed to book late tickets to the highly-popular and world-famous Anne Frank House. And as happy as I am with all the fun we had on this trip, visiting that house was the most important thing we did all week. You simply cannot go to Amsterdam without it on your itinerary. It’s one thing to learn about Anne and the Holocaust from the safety of a classroom and entirely another thing to physically walk through the annex and stand in those rooms. Absolutely nothing else can compare to it.

 

 

We filled our Wednesday with still more museums and walking tours around the city. We even tried mixing with locals in the trendy Jordaan neighborhood, but I’m pretty sure they sniffed us out. Before we had to leave we managed to take a nighttime stroll through the infamous Red Light District and a morning boat cruise around the canals. It was so heartbreaking to leave, but I also couldn’t stop dreaming about my bed back home in London!

 

 

Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better spring break. I may never get the chance to see Prague and Amsterdam ever again, but I would go back in a heartbeat.

More astronomically long posts to come…

 

 

Hello there!

It’s been awhile, but I’ve been very busy traveling all over Western Europe! It has been quite the adventure and each place I’ve been has been so unique.

Two weekends ago, I spent a long weekend in Edinburgh, Scotland. Edinburgh was full of history, local flair, so much nature. It was definitely my favorite city I’ve visited in my time here. Oh, and it was SO HILLY. After two days we had walked twenty three miles up and down the city. My legs didn’t recover for at least three days..

We also climbed up the very windy Arthur’s Seat (definitely a highlight of this semester), ate more than I thought was possible thanks to a Buzzfeed list of incredible food (http://www.buzzfeed.com/katiei49192fcf4/21-things-to-eat-in-edinburgh-right-now-104zr), and experienced our first pub crawl! Following the kilt got harder after pub 6, but it was a great way to see the city 🙂

   

 

Four days after I got home from Scotland, we flew off to Ireland to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day! We spent the weekend in the sleepy town of Cork and then took the train in on Saturday to Dublin to see the festivities.

In Cork, we did some shopping and some authentic eating (as usual). We went to Blarney Castle, which is one of the oldest castles in Ireland, and climbed to the top to kissed the Blarney Stone in hopes of obtaining some eloquence (fingers crossed).

We also spent a day in Dublin, Ireland. The morning was entertained by the Guinness Storehouse, aka the greatest beer house ever. If any of you ever find yourself in Ireland, don’t miss this fun!! We cheers’d to St. Patrick’s Day at 10am and then continued to roam the city, checking out quite a few pubs with the rest of Ireland and America. We even managed to fit in St. Patrick’s cathedral. It was a great and green day!!

 

I’m heading off to Barcelona on Wednesday to spend my spring break in the sun (I hope!), wish me luck 🙂

Megan