Author Archives: bls5259

Food!

I figured I should dedicate an entire blog on food around Europe.  Let’s be real, it’s one of our favorite things about traveling.  I didn’t get pictures of everything I ate, though I wish I did so I could show you all of them.  But, to be honest half the time I was so hungry or so excited to ear that taking the time to get a picture did not even cross my mind.  But anyways, here are some of my favorite foods.

 

Florence/ Italy: 

Of course, most people think of Italy as the “food capital of the world.”  I’d have to agree considering the first thing you associate with Italy is bread, olive oil, cheese, pizza, pasta, etc.  I figured I’d give some advice for people who are planning to study or at least visit.  The overall favorite panini place of us study abroad students is I Due Fratellini. It’s the best whole-in-the-wall panini place and it only costs 2.50-3 euro.  It is also on the same street as the “Jersey Shore Pizza Place” which is also good.  You may also be wondering where on earth  to get gelato considering there are hundreds in Florence.  My favorite is “Gelateria di Neri” on Via dei Neri.  If you want a not-so-typical gelato flavor, get Pistachio.  For some reason they are big on pistachio flavored things here.  It is GOOD. 

 

 

London:

London isn’t really known for its cuisine, but they are big on fish and chips.  I am generally not a seafood person whatsoever, but fish n chips is my exception.  We went to the “Sherlock Holmes Restaurant” near Trafalgar Square. Also, if you are visiting London and crave a little sense of home, there are in fact 2 Chipoltles in London.  Of course, we took advantage of that.

 

 

Spain:

Spain is known for its “Paella.”  If you don’t know what it is, Paella is essentially a dish of rice and either seafood, vegetables, or chicken. Also, their concept of tapas is pretty interesting.  It is basically a bunch of smaller dishes that you share between your table.

 

 

Portugal: 

Believe it or not, the two best pasta dishes I have had were in Portugal.  Just want to give them credit, because you would probably generally not think that Portugal would master pasta dishes.

 

 

France:

Let’s just say, being abroad made me go out of my comfort zone.  This was no different when it came to the food.  In France I tried duck, one of its specialties.  I’m glad I did because it was actually really good.  It was just like steak just a little more tender.  For dessert, you must try Macaroons.  They are hard to describe, but they are more like a pastry with a sugary filling in between the two layers.  They kind of look like colored hamburgers.  My favorite is of course, Pistachio. 

 

 

Germany (Munich):

Of course, Germans are really into the thick meats like Bratwurst and things like that.  I am not a read thick meat type of person, so I got Spaetzel noodles.  They are basically macaroni and cheese with fried onion bits in it.  It was soooo good. I’m not sure if it’s a common German dish or just a Hofbrauhaus thing.  Regardless, you have to make it to the famous Hofbrauhaus brewery in Munich.


Location: Florence, Italy

Carnival of Venice

Venice!

Back in February, my roommates and I decided to spend a day in Venice for its annual Carnival.  It usually starts 40 days before Easter and ends on Fat Tuesday (the Day before Fat Wednesday).  Masks have always been the central feature of the Venetian Carnival.  We went to the San Marco square where the majority of the celebration was going on.  People dressed up in the craziest masks and full on costumes.  I even saw a person dressed as Jack Sparrow, which made me laugh.  Of course, no matter what time of the year you are in Venice you must shop for Venetian glass!  I got a pretty pair of purple glass earrings, but they have all kinds of things.  You can buy glass old-fashioned perfume bottles, shot glasses, jewelry, and picture frames, among others.  Also, Venice is the first place you usually think of when you hear of Gondolas.  I fulfilled one of the many items on my bucket list by going on a Gondola ride.  It was VERYY cold when we went, especially because this winter was the coldest winter Italy has faced in 25 years.  But, it was still perfect.  It was 25 euro for about 30 minutes.  It was so worth it, especially because it was nighttime and we could see the light shining off of the water.  If you get a chance, definitely do it.  We went with a tour group so we could only spend the day there.  However, If I had more time I definitely would have gone back during the semester.  It is a really cute town and a good place to walk around and appreciate its quaintness.   

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Location: Venice, Italy

Rome e Pisa!

I was so excited to travel around to other countries that I did not spend much time traveling around Italy.  However, I did see Pisa, Rome, and Venice. 

Pisa:

Pisa is very tourist-y, but definitely somewhere you should go if you are spending a decent amount of time in Italy.  You obviously have to get the classic tourist picture “holding up” the Leaning Tower.  However, what they say about Pisa is true.  You could see the important part of Pisa and be ready to leave in about 3 hours.  I also recommend getting Pizza there, as I had one of the best Pizzas in Pisa.

 

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Rome:

I describe Rome as the New York and Florence as the Boston.  Rome is obviously a lot bigger, so it understandably dirtier and harder to get around.  We weren’t used to taking metros around the city, but in Rome it is a must.  We saw the Basilica, Coliseum, the Trevi Fountain, and the Pantheon.  The Coliseum is worth taking the time out to see.  The line is usually very long, but if you have a Roma Pass you can skip the line!  The Roma Pass is 25 euro and you can get free public transportation for 3 days, free admission to a few certain attractions (including the Coliseum), and you can skip lines.  So it may definitely be worth it to you, depending on what your plans are.  The Pantheon is cool too, especially if you are into architecture. The Basilica was one of my favorite things in Rome.  After seeing traveling to so many different European cities, it is fair to say that I have seen MANY churches.  The Basilica is one of the biggest and most impressive.  We climbed all the way up to get the view of Rome.  It was unreal.  I don’t have any good pictures of the inside of the church, because it was so big and dim that my little camera couldn’t handle it very well. 


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Overall, I liked Rome as far as visiting goes.  But, I am glad I chose Florence because I like the small city vibe it has. 

 

 

 

 

 


Location: Rome, Italy

Easter in Croatia

I got to spend my long Easter weekend in one of the most unique places–Croatia.  I say unique because not many people known anything about Croatia, let alone visit it.  It lies in on the other side of the Adriatic Sea from Italy.  We went to the town of Split which is located on what is called the Dalmatian Coast. We went with one of the tour groups, so we had to take a bus so it was a long bus ride, about 12 hours.  The view as we drove in would have been beautiful, but it was very rainy.  However, it soon cleared up.  We went to the main market in Split. It had some typical things- clothes, sunglasses, jewelry, and food.  It also had some unique things- baby chicks and duckies!! They were selling them for Easter.  They were so cute!  Then, we walked around to see the beach.  It was a little too chilly to lay out, but we at least got to see it.  We found a random little restaurant and I had a phenomenal chicken with some kind of cream sauce. 

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Saturday we attempted to walk around and see Split, but it was raining.  We were tired anyways, so we decided to go back to our hostel and take a nap.  Eventually, it stopped raining so we went back to the market.  I have a weakness for jewelry, so I bought a pair of white coral earrings.  That night, we went to Trogir, a little medieval town.  We went to a nice restaurant for dinner.  Croatia is big on seafood since it is on the coast, but I am generally not a seafood eater.  We went home and went to bed early since we were going white water rafting the next day!

Sunday we celebrated Easter by white water rafting.  On our busride there, the leader let us play a traditional Croatian Easter game.  Everyone picks out a hard-boiled egg.  Then, you go around and smack your egg on someone elses.  Whoever has the strongest egg wins.  We drove around some of the prettiest clifts and ocean areas I have ever seen.  WE finally made it to the rafting site.  They picked out wet suits for us- it was definitely a struggle getting them on.  It was kinda hard to get the hang of the rowing movement at first, but it gets easier the longer you do it.  Our leaders name was Marco, he was Croatian and has been a white water rafting instructor for four years.  Rafting is a lot of fun, but a lot of hard work!!  My arms were sore the next day, that’s for sure. 

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Monday, we departed for Florence but stopped at Krka National Park on the way home.  It is a very famous national park and is often mention on things like “The Top 10 Things to See Before You Die.”  And now, I know why.  There are tons of wateralls there and they are beautiful!!

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Overall, It was a relaxing trip.  Croatia is definitely a cool place. I would love to go back especially when the weather is better.


Location: Split, Croatia

Missing Home!

I am sad that my last 3 weeks are here, it seems like yesterday I was arriving in Florence!  It’s crazy to look back and realize how many friends I have made, the amazing places I have seen, and memories I have made.  With that being said, I am in some ways ready to go home and am missing America.  My roommates and I made a list of all the simple things we miss and some of the FIRST things we will do upon arrival in the US.

Obviously, everyone misses family, friends, and pets.  I miss my little Chihuahua so much, and I see so many around Europe is makes me sad sometimes.  I also can’t wait to be able to communicate with people without any problems.  That is something you take for granted until you live in a country where you have to put SO much effort into something as simple as asking for a napkin.

A lot of the things we constantly talked about were related to food.  What can we say, we are college kids so we love our food.  I miss fountain pop and free refills of it! All throughout Italy and Europe in general, most restaurants hand you a can of diet coke and a cup.  I am a firm believer in the difference between bottled, canned, and fountain pop.  This means that if you want another diet coke, you’re going to have to drop another 3-4 euro.  You may say, aren’t there McDonalds’ in all countries.  Yes, there is.  But even in McDonald’s you can’t get free refills.  It’s a bummer for pop lovers. I am also going to love having Heinz ketchup at every restaurant- and for free.  I am a Pittsburgh girl.  With this being said, I find any other brand of ketchup unappealing.  Most countries’ versions of ketchup are not even close.  Even when you can find Heinz, most of the time you have to pay for each packet! This is not good for a ketchup lover.  Also, Italian’s do not believe in “to go” cups in coffee shops.  I was told by a coffee shop owner that if you ask for a to go cup, they instantly know you are American. I get that they have a relaxed mentality, but it always baffled us study abroad students that they apparently are never obligated to be anywhere on time. Speaking of coffee, my roommates always talk about how they miss real-sized coffees.  I drank absolutely no coffee products before moving to Italy.  Now, I am a cappuccino fanatic. We always talk about how we miss real service.  I guess this could theoretically apply to other things besides food, but we always think of this when we are at restaurants.  We have waited a half an hour to get a check before.  And if you ask for separate checks, they will often roll their eyes at you.  In America, they will often bring you your check and ask you whether you want it together or separate, without even asking.  I also can’t wait to go to restaurants and not be worried about being charged for water and rolls.  Finally, I miss…..peanut butter.   They are really big into Nutella over here.  Don’t get me wrong, Nutella is delicious but if you want to purchase peanut butter here there is usually only one kind at each store and a small tub is pretty expensive.

The last thing I cannot wait to do is go to Walmart.  It is frustrating only having small family owned stores or smaller chain stores to shop for food.  My favorite sauce is in one store, but I have to get my favorite cheese in another store.  At least you know, you can go to Walmart and get everything you need in one visit and it is going to be the same price as most other places.

I love many things about Italy, but thinking of these simple things makes us eager to get home.  Not necessarily because they are serious and important, but because it teaches us that even the simplest things can make a home, your home (: 


Location: Florence, Italy

Rolling Big in the French Riv.

My roommates and I went with a student tour group and visited Nice, Eze, Monaco, and Antibes!!

 

Nice:

I’ve heard Nice mentioned in movies, but I never really knew much about it.  It always sounded like a fancy place to me, but had quaintness to it that I liked.  It was the beginning of April, so It was nice but still a little chilly.  The main square of Nice is really cool.  There are these light up Buddha statues on tall poles throughout the square.  They looked really cool at night when they were all lit up and they changed colors too.  The square also has a cool fountain, The Fountain of Apollo.  Its cool because Apollo is surrounded by statues which represent each horoscope.  This was my favorite fountain I’ve seen in Europe, and there are a lot!  We also walked around the main park or Nice, which is where the lookouts are.  The view was incredible!  I really liked the vibe in Nice and the locals there were very nice, which was surprising because I thought French people didn’t like Americans.

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Eze:

Eze is a small village about 40 minutes from Nice.  It is home to a few perfumeries, one being Fragonard.  We actually got a tour of the Fragonard headquarters and I got some Argan Oil and Lotion.  If you are ever in the French Riv and you are a perfume/cosmetics junkie, you should go! Especially because Fragonard does not export its products.  If you walk up to the look out of Eze, there is a really cool garden.  It had cacti, flowers, and a cool view of the coast!  We had some spare time, so we got Crepes!  It was my first and only authentic French crepe.  Of course, I had one with nutella.  It was delish.

 

Monaco:

Monaco definitely had the most distinct vibe of the French Riviera.  It is FULL of yachts, expensive looking French houses, and cars that cost more than some peoples houses.  We first went up to the Palace of Monaco.  It was definitely way more different than the other palaces I’ve seen in Europe.  It’s really pretty but kind of awkward looking because the architecture is old, but the materials and appearance of it are new.  Then, we walked through town and found a restaurant.  Finally, we made our way to the Monte Carlo Casino!!  It was crazy, there were Rolls Royces, Aston Martins, and Bentleys lined up in front.  We went inside, or course.  If you visit and want to go in, it costs 10 euro and there is a closed-toe shoe and no jeans policy.  It’s definitely worth going inside, even if you don’t want to gamble It’s crazy to see the amount of money these guys in fancy tuxes were betting!  My roommates and I tried the slots out.  I had no idea what I was doing, so I put my 5 euro in and basically just hit buttons and guessed on what to do.  Naturally, I didn’t come out a winner.  My one roommate won 50 euro on the slots, making a 45 euro profit.  Two of my friends tried craps, but lost.  Craps is a game where I feel like you have to bet a lot of money to win money. 

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Antibes:

Antibes was beautiful!! It was another yacht town.  I even saw a helicopter with a helicopter pad!  There are some high rollers in Antibes too.  We walked around old Antibes for a little, and stopped by the Market.  It was actually one of my favorite markets thus far.  I bought some jewelry, as I always do.  I also tried a pistachio flavored macaroon.  It was phenomenal!  For the rest of the day, we chilled on the beach,  It was a perfect day.

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Location: Nice, France

London!

Hey guys-

Sorry it’s been a while, I was really busy with midterms and papers.  Sometimes while studying abroad it gets awkward when you realize it actually means some studying will be involved.  Anyways, I am going a little out of order because I skipped some trips.  I will go back to those soon.  But this past weekend I was in London!!!

It was just a taste of the culture shock I know I will go through when returning to the U.S. I found myself accidentally replying with “si” and “grazie” at first.  Then, I would remind myself with excitement, “they can actually understand my English, I don’t need to speak Italian!”  It’s a great feeling to be able to communicate with people.  It’s something I always took for granted.

I really liked the British population.  Obviously, their accents are cool and they were generally very nice.  The downside to the UK is the pound.  I think 1.60$ ish is 1 BGP so everything is extraaaa expensive.  That made it kind of depressing when making purchases.

 Food:

I would say London’s main popular food is Fish n’ Chips!! Trust me, even if you aren’t a seafood fan fish in chips is VERY good.  It’s the only seafood dish I will eat.  If you don’t know it’s basically fried fish with French fries.  It was also another good taste of home (besides speaking English) to have such accurate French fries.  If you get a chance go to the Sherlock Holmes Restaurant.  It had very good fish and chips and was Sherlock Holmes themed of course!  The other awesome food item I had was Popcorn flavored ice-cream.  Yes, you read that right. Popcorn flavored.  I know it sounds like a weird combo but it is SOOO good.  It’s honestly better than any gelato I’ve had in Italy.  IT has little chunks of popcorn and caramel sauce in it.  It is at this well known ice-cream shop called “The Icecreamists” in “Covent Garden.”  If you’re in London, please go. You won’t regret it.

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Cool things I did:

 London Eye: aka the giant ferris wheel.  It has awesome views of London.  It runs you about 19 BGP, so it’s pricey.  It’s one of those things you have to do though.

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Buckingham Palace:  You can’t go to London without seeing Buckingham Palace.  Everyday at 11:30 am they have the famous “changing of the guards ceremony.”  If you want good views you need to get there at least by 10:30 because it gets VERY crowded.  If you ask me, it is cool enough just to see it, get a picture by the gates, and at least see what the guards look like.  



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Westminster Abbey: Westminster Abbey is the really cool looking church right by Parliament/ Big Ben.  I believe Kate Middleton and Prince William were married there too.  I didn’t get to go inside which I am bummed about.  But I heard it’s a really cool place to go inside of.  Its about 16 BGP for an adult ticket, but if you have a Student ID you can get in for 13 BGP.  Apparently a lot of cool, historical people are buried there, including Isaac Newton, Charles Dickens, and Charles Darwin.  You are unable to go inside on Sundays, so keep that in mind.

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Tower of London:  We did not go inside of the Tower of London either, because we got there only an hour before it closed and you apparently need 2-3 hours to see it all (it closes at 5:30 generally).  Just so you know, this is the priciest at 20 BGP.  It’s famous for containing the Crown Jewels.

 

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You also have to see the Tower Bridge (hard to miss if you go see the Tower of London), see Big Ben of course,  and do the classic red telephone booth photo session (those things are EVERYWHERE).

 

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Overall, I absolutely LOVE London.  I definitely hope to go back someday (but it will be hard considering I say that about EVERY place I visit!)

 

 

XOXO

Bri

 

 


Location: London, England

Swiss Alps! Interlaken & Zurich

This past weekend I was in the BEAUTIFUL country of Switzerland.  In fact, beautiful is a understatement; these pictures don’t even do this place justice!  Switzerland is my favorite place I have visited thus far and I am confident that it will end up being my favorite place even at the end of my time in Europe.

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The main place we visited was Interlaken.  It is a town surrounded by the Alps and between two breathtaking lakes- Lake Brienz and Lake Thun.  I was trying to find a way to describe this town when my friend from home described it perfectly.  She said it reminded her of “Whoville” from the Grinch!  We were told that the Ski slopes near Interlaken were the setting for one of the 007 movies, which is pretty cool.
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There are so many reasons to love Switzerland.  For one, Swiss people are SO kind. They are the nicest people I’ve encountered since I’ve been in Europe and all of my roommates said the same thing.  Obviously, as you can tell from the pictures, it is the most beautiful place I have ever seen.  It’s almost like a utopia you imagine when reading a book or something.  The only downside to Switzerland is that everything is EXPENSIVE.  We went to Zurich on Saturday and I got a medium hot chocolate at Starbucks for 7.90 Fr or 8.65 US dollars! CRAZY! Also, they do have Burger King, but a cheeseburger meal would run you about 12 Fr or 14 US dollars.  But, the pros of this country by far outweigh the cons.
Here are some pictures of Zurich:
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I saved the best for last! I went paragliding in Interlaken.  It was the coolest thing Ive ever done!  We had to jog off of a steep hill after driving up a mountain for about 20 minutes.  Take off was difficult but the views were amazing.  Here are some pics.
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Location: Interlaken, Switzerland

Beginning to feel the culture shock…

So, I’ve been here for about a month and it’s interesting to think about the random things that make Italy so different from the US.

Eating/ Food

The eating situation here is obviously quite different.  In restaurants and caf�s, you are generally charged for sitting down to eat your food.  The same thing even goes for a cappuccino or hot chocolate.  At home you usually don’t see little bar areas where you stand up to drink your coffee, but here you have to stand if you want to avoid paying extra.  Also, back when I was ignorant about the food here, I kept saying how excited I was to be in the “home of chicken parm and fettucine alfredo.” Boy, I was wrong!  If I asked for that at a restaurant here the Italians would laugh me out the door.  I never realized how bad we “Americanize” our Italian food.  Let’s face it, the Olive Garden is good, but its not as authentic as we think.
Shopping/ Stores
It’s weird to look around and not see a giant Walmart every five feet.  Here stores are all small, family owned, and very specific.  There are no places like Walmart that have food, toys, and clothes in the same store.  Even though it makes it less convenient, I kind of like it because it leaves a lot of variety and options.  However, it can be annoying because when the stores are crowded its hard to move around in because all of the stores are small.  I find that I’m not using my credit card as much as I would like because a lot of stores are so small and old fashioned that they only accept cash.  At first grocery shopping was difficult because I couldn’t read labels and sometimes had no idea what I was specifically buying.  I think it makes things more interesting though.  Another thing, is they charge you for grocery bags, so it’s advantageous to buy a reusable one.
Love/ Affection
It is true that Italians (and probably the same thing goes for most Europeans) are more open about affection.  I walk around the street corner and I see a couple making out without a care in the world.  As an American I find it awkward, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it.  I’m sure its going to get even more severe with Valentine’s day approaching!
Kids/ Dogs
I love how the little ones and dogs are dressed here.  I feel like in America we dress our kids up in dorky cute outfits, but here there are more fashion-y clothing stores specifically for kids, such as Ferrari.  It’s embarrassing when you walk by a two year old who isn’t even walking and he is wearing more expensive clothes than you are!  I saw a baby in a Fendi stroller and a baby boy wearing a Dolce and Gabbana winter hat.  They are not messing around when it comes to kids fashion here, or fashion in general for that matter.   But, I was expecting serious adult fashion, but the stylish little ones caught me off guard.  Even the dogs where clothes! At home, I always try to dress up my chihuahua in steelers jerseys, sundresses, polos, and even puffy jackets but she HATES it.  Here, dogs strut there stuff in sweaters and jackets.  I even saw one in Burberry! I love how locals take their dogs everywhere.  I was in Billa, a grocery store the other day, and realized they have little hooks in the front of the store which are meant to attach your dogs leash to! I saw a cute, well behaved terrier sitting there as people were shopping for food.
I think I’m adjusting to the differences well, but I find them very interesting!
XOXO,
Bri

Location: Via Tosinghi, Florence, Italy

I made it! First impressions of Florence.

firenze2.jpgI still have a hard time comprehending that I’m actually here! It has been an amazing two days so far.  My apartment is really nice and right downtown as it takes about 30 seconds to walk to the Duomo.  In fact, I took this picture from one of our bedrooms. Amazing, right?!  duomo.jpg

Florence is a busy place with tons of shopping, crazy cab drivers, and locals riding vespas.  Everything here has character, even the most basic of things.  Houses have beautiful stone with different colored shutters and buildings have intricate crests and statues with amazing detail.
I know I’ve only been here a few days, but I have to say, the language barrier hasn’t frustrated me much.  Of course some have heavy accents and it can be difficult to understand, but I like hearing a different language around me.  The ironic thing is is that the little random differences are the hard things to get used to.  For instance, in America we are very liberal with our use of utilities and energy.  Here they only turn on the heat occasionally, so it gets cold in our apartment!  Also, towels here are very small! I didn’t pack any, so I went to the store to get some and they are all tiny!  It’s funny that the small peculiar things are the hardest things to get used to! I love it here so far, so I’ll post some more pics and keep you posted!!
XOXO,
Bri
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Location: Florence, Italy