Tag Archives: rome

A lesson learned

Study abroad can be exhilarating and sublime, especially when all of Europe is suddenly at your fingertips.

It’s 5:00 a.m., and I can’t fall asleep. I’ve been living in Florence, Italy for exactly one month to date. After visiting Siena, Pisa, Venice, the Chianti region, and Rome, knowing I’ll be catching a flight to Geneva, Switzerland in less than 6 hours running on zero sleep, seeing Verona appear on the horizon (exactly one week away for St. Valentine’s weekend), and not to mention, taking my first Italian test today… I don’t like to admit it, but I’m pretty exhausted.

A glimpse of Roma

Last weekend in Rome, a bunch of great new friends let me crash at their place last minute when plans to Naples fell through. FullSizeRenderThanks to their incredible planning, we visited every single sight I had ever heard of in Rome plus some—the Vatican and Saint Peter’s Basilica, the Trevi Fountain, the Sistine Chapel, the Pantheon, the Roman Forum, Domus Aurea, and the Colosseum. It was one heck of a weekend, and I still can’t believe it happened. I owe it all to God. After all of this, by the time I finally returned home to Florence and walked past the Duomo toward my little Tuscan apartment, I was able to take in a deep breath and relax. I definitely got an “ahh, it’s good to be back,” kind of feeling.

A lesson well learned

So far, from the culmination of these experiences, I’ve learned a pretty big lesson. Even when everyone you know is constantly talking about going out of town because they “don’t want to waste a single weekend,” it’s okay to stay home. In fact, staying in Florence for a weekend or two (or three!) may be exactly what I need—to recharge my batteries and enjoy where I am! I’m absolutely in awe of this experience and it’s ephemeral feel, but I need to start listening to my body. (You may not hear this often, but study abroad can actually be stressful!)

I love the words of Saint Thomas Aquinas when he says, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” It’s easy to forget, though, that this doesn’t mean I need to zip through the whole book in one sitting. It’s okay to relax, it’s okay to take things slow. And, it’s definitely more than okay to spend time marveling in the wonder of my host city. Heck, Florence is one of the most beautiful cities in the world! And, of course, “taking it slow” is the Italian way to go about things anyway. A new Florentine friend of mine, who helps me out with my Italian, joked tonight that her mom loves to take “5, 6, 7—10 years!” just enjoying a cappuccino!

As tired as I am, though, I’m definitely more than excited and “all in” as always to enjoy a weekend in Geneva with my Aunt and Uncle! I’ll finally get to see their city! I’m not sure how I’ll make it through the rest of the week with school and all, but I just know I’ll still have plenty of reasons to smile!

Looking forward to a blank itinerary “a Firenze!”

A presto!

Angela

A Very Long Update

I’m not sure how many more of these I’ll write–I’m scheduled to fly out of Seville two weeks from tomorrow.  I feel as though I haven’t posted enough during this semester, and yet when I look back, my posts are long and filled with detail.  I’m surprised at how little time I have had to write, especially since I have wanted to produce quality posts.  There was always something exciting going on, and I would always say to myself, “I’ll write after it’s over.”  But I kept falling behind, and the more I did, the more I had to write.  The task grew bigger every week and so my time to fill in all of the additional details shrunk. That said, here are some updates on the things that have happened since my last post!

Trip to the UK

What a cool week.  It was only 5 days in actuality, but including my travel days I was gone for almost the entire week.  I flew into London to meet my friend Kim from Penn State.  I explored London for a day and a half–just walking around the city, seeing some of the main sites (Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey), eating ice cream on the Thames.  It was cloudy and cool there, which I expected.  But I’m glad I got to see it.

Trafalgar Square

A bustling Trafalgar Square.

At the end of the weekend, I took a train from London up to Stirling, in Scotland, to meet a friend from my Seville program.  We took a 12-hour tour of the Scottish highlands, which was amazing and beautiful and most of which was spent driving and looking out the window at the pretty landscapes.  Our tour was guided by a wonderful driver, who had a microphone attached to his head and who would talk while driving for all of the 12 hours about the names of all of the sites.  It was, however, the coldest weather I had seen since leaving the U.S. (there was snow!!!! I may or may not have mentioned at the beginning of this blog that my goal this semester was to escape the snow.  But, the views were worth it in the end).

me, at Loch Ness during the highlands tour

The highlands tour included a stop at Loch Ness!

Finally, I ended up in Edinburgh for a night to see one of my best friends from high school who is studying there (hi, Jes!!).  While I was only there for a total of about 18 hours, in that amount of time I got a view of the cityline, tried an ice-cream float, and saw a little bit of what Scottish nightlife is about (hint: cold if you go in March.  But a lot of fun).

Semana Santa

In Spanish, Semana Santa translates to “Holy Week,” and is celebrated in a big way in the days leading up to Easter.  Due to the fact that I was in the UK, I missed the beginning of it, but I purposely planned my trip like that because my host parents told me that the end of the week was best anyway.  I arrived back in Seville on Wednesday night, and some of the more important pasos–the “floats” with representations of Christ and Mary (on separate floats, and usually one of each per church) began to “salir”– to leave their home churches and proceed to the city’s old, enormous catedral.  This is what Semana Santa in Seville is all about: men from each church position themselves beneath these heavy pasos and carry them on their shoulders from their home church to the catedral and back.  They literally shuffle the entire distance, and depending on how far the church is from the catedral, it can take half a day–12 hours.  The men switch off so they can take breaks, but it is an incredibly challenging (and rewarding) job.  Additionally: these men pay to carry the pasos, because it is considered a privilege to do so.  

 

an image of a Seville street during Semana Santa

Though I didn’t take this picture (credit: apartclick.com), it gives you a better idea of the enormity of the celebration and the amount of people who pack the streets to see the pasos.

The Thursday after I got home from the UK, my host mom sat me down for dinner and said we were going to watch the church of La Macarena–another very important and old place in Seville–begin its procession.  Well, they started late, and as it was getting on 12:30, 1 AM, I was wondering if we were still looking for this to start or if it had already happened.  I debated asking my host mom if I could go to bed, since she and I would be getting up at 4:45 the next morning to get a good spot to watch the pasos.  Finally, I said (as politely as I could), “Just wondering, are we still waiting to watch this paso leave the church?  I’m a little tired and was hoping to get a few hours of sleep before we leave tomorrow.”  For some reason the lights in the room were off but I could tell she was slightly annoyed because she didn’t respond right away.  Oh my gosh, I have offended her, I thought to myself.  And we have to spend the entire morning together tomorrow.  She told me we were still waiting for this paso to leave the church, but since it was late, I could go to bed if I wanted.  I apologized and waited a few awkward minutes before leaving the room.  The next morning, however, we were both so tired that we had forgotten about whatever awkwardness there was the night before and rushed into the center of town to see the processions.  We ended up spending a really nice 8 hours together that morning, with a churro/coffee break somewhere in-between.  I have no idea what time that happened, but I do know that we left home at 5AM and came back around 1:30 in the afternoon.  You bet I slept well the next night.

Travel break

The weeks in-between Semana Santa and the next holiday week, Feria, were spent in Sevilla.  I was so relieved to not be traveling for a while, because after that week of returning from the UK and watching all the Semana Santa activity, I was wiped out.

…then back at it in Rome

The weekend before Feria, I went to Rome for a few days.  It was fantastic!  I had been there once before, when my family went to Italy, but had actually not spent too much time there since we were mostly traveling around Tuscany and did not stay in the city for more than a few nights.  Notably, the first night I was there I ate an entire pizza by myself.  I’m pretty proud that I did that.  This time, again, I only spent a few days in Rome, but I didn’t make an agenda.  I just walked around and took streets not knowing where I was going.  My friend from my Seville program joined me on Saturday (I got there on Friday) and we saw more things we wanted to see and ate things that we wanted to eat (pasta and gelato).  Two awesome things that happened on this trip: a) we climbed to the top of St. Peter’s basilica and I had a really breathtaking moment when I looked down at the church with music playing and b) also at St. Peter’s basilica, it started to rain while we were outside in the square but the rain was glittering in the sunset and a rainbow formed.  It was a cool moment.  

a rainbow down the street from St. Peter's basilica in Rome

I feel so lucky to have seen this happen.

Feria

The second of the holiday weeks, called Feria, originally began in the mid-1800s as a gathering for farmers to trade animals and other agricultural things (technical term).  After a few years, the casetas–the little temporary houses set up for Feria where traders could do business–became really popular not for the animals and other agricultural things but for the drinking and eating and merriment.  Now, over 150 years later, the only animals present at Feria are the horses that drag along the carriages.  I spent a lot of time at Feria, as I wasn’t traveling any more that week; I probably spent between 20 and 25 hours there, over the course of the week.  There really isn’t too much to say about it other than that it is a delightful mix of dancing, drinking (rebujito–a mixture of 7-Up and a wine called manzanilla), eating, and more dancing.

a view of the street during Feria

A view of the street during Feria

the "portada," or entrance gate, to Feria

The “portada,” or entrance gate, to Feria. This is a temporary structure and a new one is designed each year.

Paris, France

The weekend after Feria, I took a spontaneous jaunt to Paris with my friend from Scotland.  It was so great, but there was truly an endless amount of things to see.  We spent two and a half fairly busy days making our way around Paris in the rain, seeing of course the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre but also walking along the river, visiting a section of town called Montmarte (making a stop at the Sacre Quor, which gives you a great view of Paris) and sampling crepes.  While it was rainy and we were exhausted, I’m so glad I was able to visit.  

the Eiffel Tower in front of a cloudy sky

This photo was skillfully “auto-awesomed” by Google. 

This post is a little shorter than the others, but is also chock-full of my activities, which included so many other moments of laughter and coffee-driven craziness.  I wish I could recount them all.  Two quick funny and sad stories to part.  First, the funny one.  About a week ago I was watching a Spanish celebrity-pranking show (like Punk’d, but better).  There was a really funny moment when one of the celebrities ended up having to unexpectedly host a funeral, and the family kept making her do increasingly weird things, like watch a strangely upbeat polka band perform and taking a picture with the casket (“I don’t know if I should clap,” she said after the band stopped playing.  Then in regards to the picture: “I don’t know if I should smile.  I have never taken a picture with a casket before”).  My host mom and I were laughing so hard that we could not breathe.  We both had tears coming out of our eyes  Oh man.  I still laugh thinking about it.

Now, the other story.  The night before I left for Paris, I got back late and was very tired, especially since I needed to wake up the next morning at 3:45 to catch a bus to the airport.  When I got in, my host parents were still up.  I had just been to see a flamenco show, and they wanted to hear about it.  “Come on!  Come in!  Tell us about it!”  No, I said, I’m very tired and I need to get up early tomorrow.  But they made me come in anyway.  I told them a little about the show and then all of a sudden my host dad started saying, “Why do you have to leave so soon?  Can’t you stay here a little longer?”  Again, I said no, my date was already set, it costs a lot of money to change it.  I could feel the tears welling up.  He kept pushing me and asking why I couldn’t stay, and as I tried to explain that I wanted to, the tears started flowing.  “Oh no,” I said out loud, and laughed through my tears as they handed me a tissue.  “Look, she’s crying!” they said, also laughing.  “All of the students cry when they leave.  We cry with them.”

Well, now, why did they have to go and tell me that?  Goodbyes will be so hard this time around.


Location: Paris, France

Barcelona > Praha > Budapest > Roma

Bonjour tout le monde!

 

Sorry for such a huge gap in between posts (there was no room for my laptop on this trip)! It is safe to say that our Winter Break was a huge success! Barcelona, Prague, Budapest, and Rome! I might have aged about 10 years during the span of three weeks but it was well worth it. I got to see SO many things in such a short span of time. I am so lucky and blessed (and happy to make it back in one piece). Three weeks worth of fun is a lot for one blog post so I will give you the condensed version (without leaving out the good parts) and put in LOTS of pictures.

 

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Chapter One:  Barcelona, Spain

I would compare the city of Barcelona to that of a black hole.  It sucks you in and once you’re there it is impossible to get out. We started the first leg of our journey traveling by car to Barcelona. We found a carpooling website where people post what days they will be driving to and from certain cities. My roommate Greta and I signed up to ride with a young couple from Montpellier directly to Barcelona. It was only a three-hour ride and only cost us 20 euros! We were a little worried about this concept, but we got there safe and sound and would definitely recommend this type of transportation if you are looking to safe a little bit of money. The weather in Barcelona was so beautiful when we arrived and I could not wait to get out and see the city. Our friends took us to Bo De B’s, a super famous sandwich shop in the Gothic area of town. The restaurant was super tiny, only seating about 15 people but there was still a line wrapped around the block. I was instructed to get the chicken sandwich with everything on it (except for the spicy sauce). It was delicious but the greatest part about it (and the reason this place is so famous) is that it only costs 3 euros! During the weekend we were in Barcelona, and the main reason for our trip there, was for Abroadfest. Abroadfest is three nights of concerts at different clubs in Barcelona. It is a chance for all American students who are studying abroad to get together in one place and have one hell of a time. During the course of our stay in Barcelona I got to see all my friends from school who I haven’t seen in months. Some highlights of the weekend were watching the sun rise on the beach, getting the best pancakes from Milk, seeing Cedric Gervais play his remix of Adore You by Miley Cyrus(my fave), and getting kicked out of our hostel (not fun). Since no one in Barcelona goes to bed before 6 am or wakes up before 3 pm, it was hard to do the touristy sight seeing things. My roommate and I did get to see the famous Sagrada Familia Basilica though. It was absolutely beautiful! Sunday morning we got a cab home from the club, packed our things and were headed straight to the airport for our 8 am flight to Prague. Don’t worry, Greta and I got to nap in the terminal during our 5-hour layover in Brussels. After an exhausting day of traveling and barely any sleep, we arrived at our hostel in Prague at 8 pm and went directly to bed. But not before buying Chinese food for $3! I knew Prague was going to be a wonderful place.

IMG_2942 IMG_2977 Cedric Gervais @ Theatre Sagrada Familia

Barcelona Beach Sagrada Familia

 

Chapter 2:  Prague, Czech Republic

Prague

Greta and I were relieved to have chosen a nice hostel compared to our experience in Barcelona…

Praha

This one provided us with a HUGE free breakfast every morning (music to our ears). When we left the hostel on Monday morning, and saw Prague for the first time during the day light I was a little shocked. It was definitely different from any other European city I had been to. Being a post-communist city, everything from the buildings, to the clothing and the people were just slightly off. The currency was the hardest thing for me to get used to. 1 Czech Koruna = $0.05 USD. So the first time I ordered a beer and saw the price was 300 Koruna, I was a little baffled. I was even more surprised when I calculated that to be only $1.50 USD! Just like in Barcelona, so many of our friends from school were in Prague visiting because it was Penn State’s spring break. It was nice to travel in a big group and actually do some sight seeing (opposed to Barcelona). We went on some very informative historic tours of the city, got to visit the beautiful old castle, and of course enjoy the authentic Czech cuisine.

 

Fun Fact:  The Rolling Stone’s paid for the lights to be installed around the castle because they wanted it to be seen from the city at night. Sick.

 

There was surprisingly a huge nightlife in Prague, which I was not expecting. By Wednesday night, we had pretty much seen and experienced everything we wanted to and were ready for our next stop:  Budapest.

Prague Clocktower

Lennon Wall

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IMG_3384 1IMG_3394 1 IMG_3395 1 Schnitzle    

  

 

 

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Chapter Three:  Budapest, Hungary

Hungarian Forint

 

 

We decided the best way to travel from Prague to Budapest was to take an 8-hour overnight train. This ride ended up being 10 hours long (because of unforeseen train problems) and we arrived in Budapest at 10 am on Thursday morning. Being woken up at every boarder to have your ticket checked on the train isn’t really considered a “good night’s rest” but we were so excited to be in Budapest so we weren’t phased by the little sleep we got on the train. We checked into our hostel and immediately went out to explore. We traveled from the Pest side (where our hostel was) to the Buda side to check out the castle and the amazing view from the top. After stopping for some authentic Hungarian cuisine (sausages and saut�ed vegetables) we went on a tour of the Jewish Quarter. We learned about the Jewish history of Budapest and saw every synagogue in the city. The tour ended at one of the most famous “ruins” bars in the world. Despite looking like a hole in the wall from the outside, this bar was ENORMOUS on the inside. It was kind of like a yard sale meets a tailgate and it was very cool. Budapest was filled with very cool modern bars, which was very surprising to me considering they were just a communist country only 25 years ago. Because Budapest is known for its traditional Turkish baths, this was on the top of my list for things to do during our stay. We went to the Szechenyi Baths, one of the biggest baths in Budapest. There were 21 different pools that are open all year long. It was a little nippy the day we went but even the outside pools were nice and warm. Although the majority of the crowds at the bathhouse were old men in speedos, it was an experience of a lifetime and definitely something you should try if you ever make it to Hungary! Budapest was definitely my favorite city on the trip. That was until I tried the spaghetti in Rome…

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Parliament in Budapest

Thrift Shop in Budapest


 

Turkish Baths

 

Chapter Four: Rome, Italy

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By the time we arrived in Rome, we were completely exhausted (mentally, physical, emotionally) from traveling around Europe for the past week and a half. It was becoming routine to being dropped in a new country I had never been in and figuring it out. Figuring out public transit, which restaurants to go to, landmarks to see (all while trying to be conscious of spending) is something I was getting quite accustomed to. So by the time we got to Rome we were pros at figuring out the lay of land, which was perfect because Rome has SO MUCH to see and do. I immediately fell in love with the language. It seemed like everyone in Rome was so happy, outgoing and excited. Everyone was very helpful and willing to speak English, which is always a plus. We got to see all of the main attractions:  The Vatican, The Spanish Steps, The Trevi Fountain, The Colloseum, and of course indulge in the AMAZING cuisine.

Note: Gelato every day is a must!

Sadly, I don’t think I will ever be able to eat spaghetti again unless it is in Italy (I don’t know if this is good or bad…). The only down side of Rome was the annoying men at every tourist attraction trying to sell you crap. They run right up into your face and try to put things in your hand. After four days of being harassed by them I was ready to leave. Except for that one little downside, Rome is the most beautiful and interesting city I had ever been to. I would recommend anyone to go there and would really like to make it back some time in my life. Although I saw so many things in my short stay, there is still so much of that huge city to discover.

 

Pantheon

 

 

 

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Gelato

The BEST Chicken Parm in the world! IMG_4172 1

Colloseum

 

Montpellier felt like a completely different place when we returned. The weather was warmer and there were many more people on the streets. I was so excited to take a nice hot shower and be back in my own bed. I slept for about 14 hours the night I got home (much needed) and woke up feeling so refreshed. The last three weeks were some of the most amazing weeks of my life. I got to see and do more things than many people do in a lifetime! It really reminded me how lucky I am to be here and experience so much culture.

 

� bient�t!

 


Location: Montpellier, France

Barcelona > Praha > Budapest > Roma

Bonjour tout le monde!

 

Sorry for such a huge gap in between posts (there was no room for my laptop on this trip)! It is safe to say that our Winter Break was a huge success! Barcelona, Prague, Budapest, and Rome! I might have aged about 10 years during the span of three weeks but it was well worth it. I got to see SO many things in such a short span of time. I am so lucky and blessed (and happy to make it back in one piece). Three weeks worth of fun is a lot for one blog post so I will give you the condensed version (without leaving out the good parts). For some reason I am having trouble uploading pictures, so once I fix that I will be able to show you everything I did!

 

Chapter One:  Barcelona, Spain

 

I would compare the city of Barcelona to that of a black hole.  It sucks you in and once you’re there it is impossible to get out. We started the first leg of our journey traveling by car to Barcelona. We found a carpooling website where people post what days they will be driving to and from certain cities. My roommate Greta and I signed up to ride with a young couple from Montpellier directly to Barcelona. It was only a three-hour ride and only cost us 20 euros! We were a little worried about this concept, but we got there safe and sound and would definitely recommend this type of transportation if you are looking to safe a little bit of money. The weather in Barcelona was so beautiful when we arrived and I could not wait to get out and see the city. Our friends took us to Bo De B’s, a super famous sandwich shop in the Gothic area of town. The restaurant was super tiny, only seating about 15 people but there was still a line wrapped around the block. I was instructed to get the chicken sandwich with everything on it (except for the spicy sauce). It was delicious but the greatest part about it (and the reason this place is so famous) is that it only costs 3 euros! During the weekend we were in Barcelona, and the main reason for our trip there, was for Abroadfest. Abroadfest is three nights of concerts at different clubs in Barcelona. It is a chance for all American students who are studying abroad to get together in one place and have one hell of a time. During the course of our stay in Barcelona I got to see all my friends from school who I haven’t seen in months. Some highlights of the weekend were watching the sun rise on the beach, getting the best pancakes from Milk, seeing Cedric Gervais play his remix of Adore You by Miley Cyrus(my fave), and getting kicked out of our hostel (not fun). Since no one in Barcelona goes to bed before 6 am or wakes up before 3 pm, it was hard to do the touristy sight seeing things. My roommate and I did get to see the famous Sagrada Familia Basilica though. It was absolutely beautiful! Sunday morning we got a cab home from the club, packed our things and were headed straight to the airport for our 8 am flight to Prague. Don’t worry, Greta and I got to nap in the terminal during our 5-hour layover in Brussels. After an exhausting day of traveling and barely any sleep, we arrived at our hostel in Prague at 8 pm and went directly to bed. But not before buying Chinese food for $3! I knew Prague was going to be a wonderful place.

 

Chapter 2:  Prague, Czech Republic

 

Greta and I were relieved to have chosen a nice hostel compared to our experience in Barcelona…

 

This one provided us with a HUGE free breakfast every morning (music to our ears). When we left the hostel on Monday morning, and saw Prague for the first time during the day light I was a little shocked. It was definitely different from any other European city I had been to. Being a post-communist city, everything from the buildings, to the clothing and the people were just slightly off. The currency was the hardest thing for me to get used to. 1 Czech Koruna = $0.05 USD. So the first time I ordered a beer and saw the price was 300 Koruna, I was a little baffled. I was even more surprised when I calculated that to be only $1.50 USD! Just like in Barcelona, so many of our friends from school were in Prague visiting because it was Penn State’s spring break. It was nice to travel in a big group and actually do some sight seeing (opposed to Barcelona). We went on some very informative historic tours of the city, got to visit the beautiful old castle, and of course enjoy the authentic Czech cuisine.

 

Fun Fact:  The Rolling Stone’s paid for the lights to be installed around the castle because they wanted it to be seen from the city at night. Sick.

 

There was surprisingly a huge nightlife in Prague, which I was not expecting. By Wednesday night, we had pretty much seen and experienced everything we wanted to and were ready for our next stop:  Budapest.

 

 

Chapter Three:  Budapest, Hungary

 

We decided the best way to travel from Prague to Budapest was to take an 8-hour overnight train. This ride ended up being 10 hours long (because of unforeseen train problems) and we arrived in Budapest at 10 am on Thursday morning. Being woken up at every boarder to have your ticket checked on the train isn’t really considered a “good night’s rest” but we were so excited to be in Budapest so we weren’t phased by the little sleep we got on the train. We checked into our hostel and immediately went out to explore. We traveled from the Pest side (where our hostel was) to the Buda side to check out the castle and the amazing view from the top. After stopping for some authentic Hungarian cuisine (sausages and saut�ed vegetables) we went on a tour of the Jewish Quarter. We learned about the Jewish history of Budapest and saw every synagogue in the city. The tour ended at one of the most famous “ruins” bars in the world. Despite looking like a hole in the wall from the outside, this bar was ENORMOUS on the inside. It was kind of like a yard sale meets a tailgate and it was very cool. Budapest was filled with very cool modern bars, which was very surprising to me considering they were just a communist country only 25 years ago. Because Budapest is known for its traditional Turkish baths, this was on the top of my list for things to do during our stay. We went to the Szechenyi Baths, one of the biggest baths in Budapest. There were 21 different pools that are open all year long. It was a little nippy the day we went but even the outside pools were nice and warm. Although the majority of the crowds at the bathhouse were old men in speedos, it was an experience of a lifetime and definitely something you should try if you ever make it to Hungary! Budapest was definitely my favorite city on the trip. That was until I tried the spaghetti in Rome…

 

Chapter Four: Rome, Italy

 

By the time we arrived in Rome, we were completely exhausted (mentally, physical, emotionally) from traveling around Europe for the past week and a half. It was becoming routine to being dropped in a new country I had never been in and figuring it out. Figuring out public transit, which restaurants to go to, landmarks to see (all while trying to be conscious of spending) is something I was getting quite accustomed to. So by the time we got to Rome we were pros at figuring out the lay of land, which was perfect because Rome has SO MUCH to see and do. I immediately fell in love with the language. It seemed like everyone in Rome was so happy, outgoing and excited. Everyone was very helpful and willing to speak English, which is always a plus. We got to see all of the main attractions:  The Vatican, The Spanish Steps, The Trevi Fountain, The Colloseum, and of course indulge in the AMAZING cuisine.

Note: Gelato every day is a must!

Sadly, I don’t think I will ever be able to eat spaghetti again unless it is in Italy (I don’t know if this is good or bad…). The only down side of Rome was the annoying men at every tourist attraction trying to sell you crap. They run right up into your face and try to put things in your hand. After four days of being harassed by them I was ready to leave. Except for that one little downside, Rome is the most beautiful and interesting city I had ever been to. I would recommend anyone to go there and would really like to make it back some time in my life. Although I saw so many things in my short stay, there is still so much of that huge city to discover.

 

Montpellier felt like a completely different place when we returned. The weather was warmer and there were many more people on the streets. I was so excited to take a nice hot shower and be back in my own bed. I slept for about 14 hours the night I got home (much needed) and woke up feeling so refreshed. The last three weeks were some of the most amazing weeks of my life. I got to see and do more things than many people do in a lifetime! It really reminded me how lucky I am to be here and experience so much culture.

 

� bient�t!


Location: Montpellier, France

Anticipazione…

Ciao!  

My name is Sally Ostendorf and I am a fourth year in the 5-year Bachelors of Architecture program at Penn State!  I’m from Providence, RI and I have an internship in Boston this summer.
As part of our program, we are required to study in Roma for a semester our fourth year (pain in the butt, right?! haha).  I chose to go this coming fall with 18 (or so) of my classmates. We will be living in a former monastery in Trastevere, the neighborhood directly below the old Jewish area.  I cannot wait to head over to Europe and soak in all the architectural history and rich culture Italy has to offer!  I’ll be heading over a couple weeks early and traveling via Eurail pass through Italy, Switzerland, France, and Spain.
A presto!

Location: Providence, Rhode Island

Waiting for 4 years…

Hi! My name is Chris Gutierrez, an architecture student going into my fourth year of study (5 year program), and this August I will be headed to Rome, Italy!!

As part of the architecture program in Penn State, it is mandatory that we go to Rome in our fourth year. This is a fact that I’ve known that fact as soon as I was accepted into the program, and I have been looking forward to it ever since.
I have heard much about the program from many others who have already experienced it and keep hearing it that it is the time of one’s life. I am extremely excited about going to Rome and exploring all the different kinds of architecture there.
I wish to one day have a career in city planning and the experiences of all different types of cities will be invaluable to me.
I can’t wait until I get there to explore and share all of the unseen wonders of Europe!

Location: New York, NY

Travel Tips, Mishaps, and Solutions.

I have decided that I will use this blog to help all of humanity; and by that I mean I am documenting my mishaps and using this for travel tips. You can all learn from my mistakes.

Travel:

            Never in my life have I made it through the airport without being stopped. Weather it was accidently leaving scissors in my bag, or a “random” security check, I always get stopped.

This time, it was my suitcase.

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TRAVEL TIP: Know the weight limit for your airline. There is a certain weight the bag cannot be above before you have to pay an additional fee. There is also a limit to how heavy your bag can be period, even with the fee; then you actually have to remove things from the bag.

My suitcase was over that limit. My bag closed just fine, (no getting siblings to lie on it so that you can zip it, that doesn’t count) it shut all by itself, still it was a large bag and I had to unpack and remove items before checking it. This resulted in 5 extra pounds of weight in my backpack and purse, an overstuffed carryon, and lots of funny pictures being sent to family members…

Clare got stopped AGAIN! Look!(…see above picture.)

Also, this over stuffed carryon lead to suspicious looks from security, and lots of back pain after 30 min.After all was said and done, my belt set the metal detector off. One more for good measure right?

Joking Travel Tips for Packing:

-Avoid packing heavy essentials such as shampoo and soaps.

-Avoid packing heavy shoes.

-Find the biggest bag you can and pack that, its less to carry! (Fact: the cost for extra weight is the same as the cost for an extra bag. Tip: just bring 2 bags.)

-If the bag will not shut, get a friend or sibling to sit and or lye on it while you zip.

If this goes not work, find a heavier friend.

-If you are a boy, pack your pockets in addition to your carry-on, be sure to wear a belt!

If your carry-on looks like mine, that is BAD, it most likely wont fit. If your carry-on looks like Lawrence’s (geo-blogger in Florence, and roommate at PSU) they you are GOOD!

Carry-ons


Location: Rome, Italy

Exploring Italy by Train and Foot

This weekend was interesting to say the least.  I was able to explore Italy by train and by foot!  I had my first experience with the Italian train system on my way to Rome.  I woke up bright and early on Friday morning and ventured to the train station.  We printed our tickets and almost forgot to get them stamped.  It’s very important to get them stamped before you get on and to do this you simply find the little yellow boxes near the platforms.  Since it was so early I tried to nap on the train but I found that my attention was drawn to the scenery outside and I began to closely pay attention to the way the landscape changed as we left Tuscany.  Once we arrived in Rome,  we went to the hostel and tried to check in.  We were greeted by a creepy stairwell and a less than friendly receptionist named Mike.  He even joked (I hope) about bringing a gun out if we get too loud.  Who does that?!  Anyway, we couldn’t check in until 2 pm so we quickly left and began our tour of the city.  We started with the ever so famous and beautiful Colosseum.  The line to enter was extremely long and although I’m upset I didn’t get to go inside, I’m almost glad that we didn’t or else I never would’ve been able to see everything that I did.Roma 024.JPG

After seeing a few things, we went to grab lunch.  We wanted pizza because we were told pizza in Rome is much better than in Florence so we asked a local where the best pizza place was.  The rumors are true and the pizza was awesome.  After lunch, we saw a few more things and then headed back to the hostel.  Surprisingly, our room was very nice and we even had our own bathroom to use.  That evening, we went to an Ice Bar that was -5 degrees!  We had a lot of fun but when we got too cold, we left and went to the oldest Irish Pub in Rome and it happened to be karaoke night!  It was fun to see the locals sing because many of them sang American songs.  The following day we woke up early and had a full day of sight seeing before we almost missed our train!  We were able to see the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Vatican and St. Peters basilica, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, King Caesars palace, and the Roman Forum.  I would have to say that my favorite part of the trip was going inside St. Peters basilica.  It was absolutely breathtaking.  Just make sure that if you plan on going inside that you have your shoulders covered and a dress or pants that hit below your knees.

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On Sunday morning, back in Florence, we woke up bright and early again.  Today, we were venturing to Cinque Terre (literally five earths or five towns).  These five beautiful towns are built on mountainsides along the coast and date back centuries.  They are fisherman towns and are widely known for their fresh pesto and fresh anchovies.  They are also very different from most towns because they are set directly on the mountainside and are very colorful.  Above the fortresses built for protection  against pirates sit a cluster of muli-colored pastels.  The fisherman’s would paint their house these colors so when they left on their trips they could identify their houses and wave to their families.  Cinque Terre 091.JPG

We got off of the train in Riomaggiore and were blown away by the view, little did we know the views only got remarkably more amazing.  From Riomaggiore, we walked along ‘Via dell’Amore’ (lovers lane), where lovers come and put locks along the path to lock in their love.  When we arrived in Manarola we had to take a train to Corniglia because the paths were under construction.  Once we got to Corniglia we climbed about 400 steps! This picture is from just over half way up!

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At the top of the steps we got lunch and naturally I had to try the famous pesto and I quickly came to the conclusion that it was the best I’ve ever had. After lunch we hiked to Vernazza and when I say hike I mean it was a full on nature hike up and over the mountain!  It was exhausting but a ton of fun! This picture is from about half way through the hike.  The town you see is Corniglia, where we started this hike.

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Once we arrived in adorable little Vernazza, we got gelato, sat on the beach for a while and then took a fairy to Monterosso where the beaches were rolling.  All five towns were absolutely gorgeous and I recommend a trip to Cinque Terre if you are ever in Italy!

This weekend I was able to travel pretty far on the trains and the sight I saw along the way were just as amazing as the ones I saw by foot.  The rolling landscape with towns sitting in the plains between them and the white washed villas sitting atop the mountainside with vast vineyards are all just as beautiful as the Collosseum or the black sand beaches.  I have begun to really take notice to the small difference from town to town and the large differences in landscape here compared to the landscape at home.


Location: Florence, Italy

In the Heart of the Empire

Roughly halfway through the semester, I got a little slice of home this weekend when my parents and older brother came to visit! Meeting them in Rome and spending the weekend in this historic and beautiful city in the center of Italy, I had an awesome time both exploring the metaphorical heart of Italy and introducing my family to Italian culture.

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Friday

Arriving early Friday morning (7:00 A.M. departure time!) in Rome, I met my family at the airport and then proceeded to take a shuttle to our hotel. I have to say I enjoyed staying in an actual hotel with my own bed rather than sleeping on a cot in a hostel or sharing a bed in an apartment. On our first day in Rome, we headed to the Vatican. First, we went to St. Peter’s Square to view this iconic piazza where the Pope delivers his addresses and gives his blessings, as well as where thousands of Catholics wait during Conclave for the election of a new Pope. Since we booked a tour online we headed over to the museum and we were able to skip the enormous line that stretched around the block and took over 2 hours. Our tour lasted 3.5 hours and included the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica. Fortunately, our tour guide spoke incredibly clean English despite being a native Italian. The sheer beauty and magnificence of the entire Vatican Museum was striking as it contained priceless pieces of artwork from renowned artists such as Michelangelo, Raphael, and Bernini, as well as innumerable architectural wonders. The Sistine Chapel was even more impressive as it is impossible to walk into this room and not be amazed at both the intricacy of the works and the vibrant colors used by Michelangelo. Lastly, even though I have seen some impressive churches during my stay in Europe, St. Peter’s Basilica more than lived up to its billing due to its size and beauty.

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After leaving the Vatican, we walked to the Castel Sant’Angelo, the castle made famous by Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons as the location of the secret passageway into the Vatican. We then went back to our hotel, ate dinner at a local restaurant, and went to the Trevi Fountain. Out of all of the sights that I saw in Rome, this historic monument was one of my favorites. Unfortunately, however, I forgot my camera at the hotel, so I have no pictures.

Saturday

Our Saturday was dedicated to the ancient part of the city. We started by visiting the famed Coliseum and this sight was absolutely amazing. When first entering this historic arena, it is almost inconceivable to think that this structure was constructed entirely by hand about 2,000 years ago. Even with the most advanced modern technology and most skilled labor, this structure would take tens of years and billions of dollars to construct today. Standing in this site, the feelings of its historical importance in the culture of Ancient Rome are unbelievable as you truly can imagine the famous battles and fights occurring right before your eyes. Next, we walked to the Roman Forum, which is conveniently located only about 200 yards away. This was another impressive sight and the fact that these structures are left standing today is amazing by itself. Then, we walked over to Palentine Hill and the Circus Maximus to continue our exploration of the Roman ruins. We decided to end our day by venturing to the “Spanish Steps,” a unique area located in the northern portion of Rome that is made of an interesting mixture of local and designer shops. However, while eating a late lunch there, we discovered that my Mom had her wallet stolen! So, we proceeded to hurriedly attempt to call each credit card provider and immediately cancel both her credit and debit cards. But, her phone had no service and my cheap Italian phone wouldn’t allow me to connect with the 1-800 numbers. So, after trying use the phones at a few local hotels, we ended up back in our hotel room with the credit card companies for a good portion of the night. In the end, it was simply a minor inconvenience as no charges were made to any of her cards and she still had her passport and cell phone. 

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During my last day in Rome, we decided to head to the Pantheon and then back to the “Spanish Steps” to do some shopping. Arriving at the Pantheon at 10:00 A.M., we were surprised to find out that mass was being held and that we would need to wait until noon to come inside. So, we walked around for a bit and watched some of the Rome Marathon that was occurring that day, before going back into this iconic church (which ironically was originally a pagan temple). The Pantheon is an awesome architectural wonder and more than lived up to my expectations as it was truly amazing. The gigantic dome ceiling with its signature oculus was breathtaking. After leaving the Pantheon, we went back to the “Spanish Steps” and then I took a train to the airport.

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My parents are staying in Rome through Monday, spending Tuesday and Wednesday in Venice, then coming to see me in Milan on Thursday and Friday before we go to Switzerland next weekend. It was great seeing them this weekend and I’m really excited that they got to experience Italy and Europe for the first time. I can’t wait for Switzerland in 3 days!


Location: Rome, Italy

Rome as a Tourist

Ciao Tutti,

I am currently on a plane to Barcelona, Spain & can’t wait to get there! I’ve heard great things about it and many people have told me that it cannot be described in words. We will see if I can do that in my next blog post, but I wanted to update you on what I’ve been up to over the past week.

I spent all of last weekend doing “Rome as a Tourist” and got a lot accomplished. I downloaded a few audio tours from Rick Steves on iTunes for free. I put them on my iPod and listened to them as I navigated some of Rome’s most famous attractions.

On Saturday, I went to Vatican City – namely St. Peters Square and St. Peters Basilica. I was there when I was 12, but was completely taken aback by the grandeur of the Basilica. I walked inside and felt like I was an ant compared to everything else. The church itself was huge – 400 meters long, but what struck me even more was the size of the sculptures inside of it. The statues that were “babies” were taller than 6 feet! Everything about the church was amazing, my jaw hung open the whole time I was inside! Rick Steves even joked about the size of St. Peters Basilica by saying that birds don’t even realize they’re inside when they fly around. I may not understand anything about art, but I could definitely appreciate the beauty of everything inside of St. Peters. It was certainly a great experience!

After St. Peters I went to the Trevi Fountain and did the typical tourist stuff. After taking what seemed like 100 pictures, I ventured down the steps to throw a coin in the fountain. They say that if you put your back to the fountain and throw a coin over your shoulder you are guaranteed to return to Rome one day. I did it when I was 12 and now I’m studying there. Coincidence? I think not. After I finished with the Trevi Fountain, everything was closed so I headed back to my apartment to rest up for Sunday.

On Sunday, my first stop was the Pantheon – another building that made my jaw drop. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but once you get inside your eyes immediately gravitate to the huge hole in the ceiling. It is amazing that the Romans built it almost 2000 years ago without any machinery. I had another audio tour by Rick Steves for this which was nice as I was able to gain insight into the history of the building. It was once a place to worship Pagan gods, but was converted to a Catholic church after Catholicism became the official religion of the Roman Empire. Another fun fact I learned is that Victor Emmanuale (the person who united Italy & the first king of Italy) and his son have their tombs inside the Pantheon. It is also Rapheal’s final resting place.

After the Pantheon, I went to a place called the Capuchin Crypt. It was an eerie place. Located beneath a church, it is the bones of 300 Friars arranged in a way that makes it a work of art. It was very, very weird. At the end of the crypt, there was a sign that said “What you are now, we once were. What we are now, you will be.”

My final stop was the Spanish Steps. I honestly have no idea why they are famous, but felt like I had to at least climb them once as a student in Rome – what a workout! I was exhausted when I got to the top and dreaded going down. Now, I can check that of of my bucket list.

I decided to get organized on Sunday night and make a list of everything I want to do before I leave Rome in May. Now I have a list of things to do over a page long – I will post it when I get back to Rome.

I had a relatively normal week of classes. We went on a field study for my architecture class to see a piazza designed by Michelangelo. My time in Rome has definitely taught me to look at art in a different way. I’m beginning to appreciate the small details of everything.

In Italian, we had to give two oral presentations. The first was during a field study around Roma Storico (Historical Rome) where we had to present two different places of interest. Afterwards, our teacher rewarded us by buying the class Ciocolato Caldo (thick hot chocolate) – it was amazing! Our second presentation was on anything we wanted. My group talked about a film we saw the first week of class, La Finestra di Fronte. It went pretty well – we think.

Before I conclude my blog, I would like to reflect on something I have noticed from a lot of Italian people – specifically older ones. They are highly critical of their country and their people in general. My Italian teacher said the quality of life in Spain is much higher than in Italy because Italians are never organized and nothing ever gets done. Coming from America where I bleed red, white, and blue, I am not used to this type of criticism from people about their home country. I personally love Italy and would love to work over here at some point in the future – I have only been here for 6 weeks though.

I will update soon about my experiences in Barcelona as well as a few pictures from my “Rome as a Tourist” weekend.

Ciao, Mike


Location: Rome, Italy