OPA!

The crew! Andy, John, Connor, Shaun, and Erika

Sunshine, donkeys, cruising, tanning, sleeping, relaxing, reading, cooking, and stargazing are all but a few words to describe my spring break in Santorini, Greece. I have been dreaming of going to Greece since the 8^th grade when I saw the movie “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and Lena rode a donkey up the Greece cliff. I have been looking forward to this trip for years and Santorini exceeded my expecations beyond anything I could imagine. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my entire life and is really just a slice of paradise. I spent the week with 5 other friends in the most gorgeous villa with a terrace overlooking the entire caldera.

Sunsets from our Terrace

We arrived on Friday to the warm Santorini breeze and a beautiful sunset to welcome us. The island is still in the off season as it is not very warm yet so it was deserted. Shops and restaurants were closed and greek people were just starting to repaint their homes in preparation for summer. The lack of crowds played in our favor and it felt like the entire island was our own. We made French toast our first morning, which for someone who has been eating an Italian breakfast of espresso and toast, it was a big deal. We spent the first few days relaxing, just laying on the sunbeds of our terrace reading and relaxing and soaking up the fact that there was nothing we had to do. No museums we needed to see or sites we had to make it to. 

ATV cruisin' with Erika

This has been my first trip where no agenda was necessary, I could just relax and be at peace. A vacation from studying abroad…pathetic I know. But so incredibly wonderful and beautiful. We rented ATVS and cruised around the island, going to the beaches and different towns. The houses were all white and churches topped with blue domes. The Greek people were so friendly and sweet, probably the nicest people I have met in Europe. Each night we made dinner, college student style most of the time with grilled cheese and tomato soup. Being able to cook was so much fun since I haven’t been able to use a kitchen for 7 months. My favorite day was when we took a hike on this trail along the cliffs to Oia to watch the sunset. Along the way we passed several donkeys and walked along a view that never felt real.

Campfire on the beach!

One day we rented a car and drove to the red beach, a little secluded beach that was tucked away around a cliff. We packed the car with snacks and blankets and spent the day on the beach and at night had a bonfire and stargazed. Returning to the car was a bit difficult because none of us had thought to bring a flash light. Luckly we had a someone’s ipad to guide us up and over the mountain safely to the car.

Donkey riding with Erika

Another day was spent on a boat ride to the volcano. We hiked the volcano and then swam in the hot springs nearby. They were more like warm springs covered in mud, but it was fun none the less. 

After the boat ride we took donkeys up the hill, proving to be my favorite part of the entire trip. Erika and I shared a donkey and screamed the whole way up almost falling off 10 times. Each night we watched the sunset and one night we slept outside under the stars. The weather was gorgeous and just warm enough for shorts and a tshirt. I loved everything about santorini and the Greek people. Greece has now entered my top 3 favorite countries and I never wanted to leave.

I’m back in Florence now with about 3 weeks to go! I can’t believe it’s almost over and I will be home so soon. The mixed feelings are beginning to set in and the fact that my time abroad is slowly becoming a reality. I can’t wait to be home with my family and my puppy and to then go up to Spokane and see my friends, but I also cant imagine leaving my pensione and the beautiful city of Florence, the place I have called home for what will be 8 months. The next few weeks are filled with all the last minute necessities from climbing the dome to seeing Pisa to eating as much pizza as I can. Two trips left, one to visit my cousins in Jesi and one to Croatia for Easter weekend! I’m just trying to soak it all in and enjoy the last bits I have. La dolce vita! 

Day Trips in Italy

Siena! 

This semester I haven’t done as much traveling outside of Italy so my blogs are few. The last month I took day trips every weekend around Italy, which has been one of my favorite parts of travel. I went to Siena at the start of the semester and spent the day relaxing, climbing the tower, and having a picnic in the large piazza there. The next weekend Erika and I went to San Gimignano, a small medieval town with over 10 towers. It was beautiful and relaxing and we spoke Italian to each other all day. Then I went to Venice for Carnevale with Hallie and Erika. Carnevale is a celebration that last 2 weeks before lent starts. Everyone wears masks and costumes and it is one big party. 

Confetti in Venice! 

The day we went had to the coldest day of the entire year, but we made the most of it and had a great time. We wore masks, threw confetti and drank wine juice boxes to keep us warm. As for my time in Florence, I have gotten more involved this semester. Once a week I volunteer at Casa di Anziani, a retirement home. I go with two other girls and we play games and just hang out with the old folks. They speak no English so I get to practice my Italian and they are all so kind and happy to see us. I absolutely love going and wish I had done it last semester as well. I also am doing a program called English for Pasta where I go to an Italian family’s house with my friend Mark once a week. We play with their two kids who are 7 and 9 and help them with their English for an hour and a half. Then we all eat dinner together and they help us with our Italian. The family is so sweet and we eat the most wonderful food. Other than that things in Florence continue to be the same. Time is dwindling, only a month and a half until I am home! It is the perfect amount of time and I know I will be ready to be home by then.

San Gimignano!

Currently my grandparents are visiting and this past weekend they took me to my great grandparents hometown of Grumento Nova. We stayed with relatives and spent the entire weekend eating. I have never eaten so much in my entire life, and Italian’s don’t understand (or care) when you say you are full and do not want anymore food. We just ate and ate and ate and ate. I learned to make homemade ravioli and I was the house my great grandpa grew up in. It was a lot of Italian, as my relatives and no one in the town speaks English, but it was a lot of fun and I’m so happy I got to experience that.

Eating gelato with Hallie and Erika in Firenze

What’s up next: In two weeks I’m off the Santorini, Greece for 9 days for my spring break. I’ve been looking forward to this trip since before I came abroad and I can’t wait to lay on the beach and just relax. After that I’m visiting my cousins in Jesi one more time, then Croatia for Easter weekend, then finals, then HOME! I can’t believe how fast this semester is flying by. I’m soaking up this last little bit of time and enjoying everything as much as a I can. The weather is finally getting nice again and we Hallie and Erika and I relaxed on the bridge with some gelato the other day. 

Turkish Delight

Jumpin around with Erika and Victoria

Last weekend I went to Istanbul, Turkey! Easily the most memorable trip I have been on in my entire time abroad. Istanbul has always intrigued me, as it is so different than every other country in Europe. Erika, Victoria and I left Thursday with smooth travels the entire way. We arrived late Thursday night and took a shuttle to our hostel. We knew our travels had been too smooth all day because when we drove to our hostel our Turkish driver who spoke no English got lost for over 45 minutes driving in circles asking every single person on the street where to go. In that time we managed to hit a car, drive on the wrong side of the road, encounter over 30 cats, and almost be dropped off at the wrong hostel. We laughed our way threw the disaster finally arriving at our hostel at 1:30 in the morning. Our hostel was not exactly what we expected, but it offered us a very “cultural” experience with friendly and helpful staff.

Grand Bazaar!

Our first day we spent wandering around, trying to get our bearings. The whole weekend we sang and danced around the city, mostly “Istanbul (Not Constantinople) and “A Whole New World” from Aladdin because of all the magic carpets. We were all experiencing a bit of culture shock with the extreme differences in food, language, atmosphere, and Muslim traditions of prayer over a megaphone 5 times a day. Victoria’s friend Natalie arrived that afternoon and we all went to the Grand Bazaar. The Grand Bazaar is basically a huge flea market with everything from fake designer attire to cultural carpets and bags. With over 5,000 shops and shouting Turkish men we were a little overwhelmed, but mostly excited. That night we went to dinner at a rooftop restaurant, which turned out to have absolutely horrible food. I took us 3 days to learn that you need to spend more than 10 lira (5 dollars) to get decent food. Despite the bad food the first few days we loved the apple tea and drank it in bean bags at least 2 times a day.

Palaces with Erika

Day two we crossed the river to the modern part of town. We walked down the main drag and tried Baklava and Turkish Delight, two of the most famous desserts of Turkey. We shopped that day and among all of us bought bags, pillowcases, shoes, shirts, jewelry, tablecloths and much more. We went a little crazy because the currency was so cheap and we couldn’t get enough. We walked back over to the historical side where we were staying. On the bridge there were hundreds of men fishing and so many people walking by, honking horns, everything loud and overwhelming. We stopped in the Egyptian Spice Market briefly where Victoria bought some tea. It was one of the most crowded areas I have ever been in and we all held tight to each other as Turkish people shouted across the way. That night we went to a Belly Dancing performance, which we absolutely loved. It had traditional dancing and was a lot of fun to see. We belly danced our way home that night eating Baklava on the way. In honor of Aladdin we took a magic carpet ride with the carpet in our room before we went to bed.

Mosques with Victoria, Natalie, and Erika 

Our last day was spent seeing the Mosques and the Palaces. The Mosques were beautiful and so unique. I liked seeing them at night because they looked like lit up palaces. The Muslim culture was a little overwhelming at times with the women covering their heads and facing and the loud speaker going off every few hours with Turkish chanting. Definitely very different from the world I know, but all very interesting. The palaces were beautiful and made me wish we were in Agra Bah in Aladdin. That afternoon we signed up for a Turkish Bath which is suppose to be like a spa from the Roman Empire. 

Inside the Hagia Sophia 

We heard incredible things about them and were told we must go. Well it turns out we signed up for the wrong one and we canceled our appointment and went out to a nice dinner instead. Finally on our last night we had amazing Turkish food and delicious desserts. We left early the next morning and headed back to Italy, where we missed so much. The word to describe the weekend: memorable. Everything seemed to be overwhelming and off and things constantly went wrong but we laughed our way through and had an incredible time! 

Hanging out in Switzerland

At Balmer's Hostel

Eating Swiss milk chocolate and hanging out in the Alps was where I spent my past weekend. I am currently interning for a program called Bus2Alps that leads student trips to various places in Europe. With my internship I receive free trips, so this weekend I went to Interlaken for free! We drove overnight on Thursday and got into Interlaken at about 4 in the morning. We stayed in one of the oldest, most famous hostels in Europe: Balmers. It was filled with students from everywhere and was cute and fun and very loud and lively. The first day I went snowshoeing with Erika and 3 new spring students.

Ice Skating 

Just the five of us went to the top of the mountain with a guide and hiked to the very top over the course of a few hours. Our guide Ronnie was this hilarious Swiss man that told the worst jokes and helped us avoid avalanche areas. It was my first time snowshoeing and it was so hard! It probably didn’t help that there was a blizzard going on and that we were going straight up hill. But I had a great time, and the mountains are absolutely stunning. Most of my friends were in Interlaken this past weekend, either on the school trip or with Bus2Alps so it felt like Gonzaga filled the town. We spent the afternoon in the hot tub relaxing. And I had the best Thai food of my life; 4 months of Italian food can be a bit exhausting. That night I went ice skating with a group of friends. There were only about 5 other people there so we played hockey for a while.

Snowshoeing with our guide Ronnie and Erika

Struggling with my snowshoes 

Night sledding with Erika

Finally found the lake!

On Saturday Erika and Matt and I explored the city and tried to walk to one of the 2 lakes. We didn’t realize how far the one we were trying to find was and gave up after about an hour and a half. That night Erika and I went night sledding with the outdoor adventures team. I was a bit nervous to be sledding down a mountain in the dark, and I didn’t really see how it would be any more fun than regular sledding. We had heard such great things that we decided to try it out. It was by far the best part of the weekend. We were taken up to the top of the mountain and go down a freshly plowed ski run on toboggan sleds that you steer with your feet. Everyone was given green glow sticks to wear on their back so you don’t run into anyone. It took about an hour to get down and it was so much fun! We then had fondue dinner at the bottom of the mountain. On Sunday Erika and I walked to the closer lake, which had to be the most beautifully clear water I have ever seen. I love Switzerland and how clean and neat and beautiful it is. It was an amazing weekend!

Winter Break in Italy and Ireland

Well this winter break marks the halfway point in my study abroad experience. The semester students have gone home 175 out of 200…only 25 year students left and 130 new spring students coming. I’m nervous for this transition and sad that some of my closest friends are gone. But I also feel so lucky that I have 4 more months in this incredible place and all the incredible relationships I built last semester will be there when I come back in April.

As everyone left and I said my goodbyes the morning of December 17^th and I moved into my new room with Erika right across the hall. The goodbyes were painful, but luckily I had something to distract me. Joey arrived that same afternoon and I went and picked him up at the airport and brought him back to Florence, where we spent the next 4 days before heading off on vacation. Four months is way too long to be apart and I feel so lucky to have gotten to spend 2 weeks traveling with Joey. The first week was spent in Italy and the second in Ireland, we went to over 12 places in that time so bear with me because the stories are endless and I want to share them all.

Florence

View from the top of the Bell Tower

Joey arrived on Saturday and we spent his first evening eating delicious pasta and gelato. Our first day in Florence was spent relaxing in my pensione due to Joey’s jet lag and exhaustion. So we crammed all of Florence into one day and we saw everything from the Ponte Vecchio to my school to my favorite coffee place. That afternoon we climbed the Duomo and watched the sunset from the top.

Assisi

The next day we took a day trip to Assisi. We spent about just as much time on the train as we did in Assisi, but it was so worth it. We just wandered in the small, peaceful town and saw St. Francis’ Basilica and St. Clare’s Basilica. I absolutely love Assisi. It is so different than everywhere I have been and remains my favorite place in Italy. Getting to share this small town with Joey was wonderful and getting to take him around to all my favorite places in Florence made me really happy.

Verona/Venice

After a few days in Florence and our day trip to Assisi we left for Verona, the home of Romeo and Juliet. Before catching the train we made a quick stop into the Accademia to visit the David. Once we got to Verona it finally started to feel like a vacation and getting out of the city into a slightly less busy city was nice. In Verona we wandered and looked at all the Roman ruins and did lots of window-shopping. Joey bought a pocket watch from the market, which he became of obsessed with throughout the rest of the trip. It was absolutely freezing there so we took a hike up to the top of the city that had a beautiful view of all of Verona. Verona was filled with more Christmas lights than any city I’ve been to and Christmas trees around every corner. Walking around the Christmas markets was a lot of fun and Joey tried brule for the first time (hot wine), surprisingly very good on a cold evening. That night we had the most incredible duck sauce pasta for dinner and just enjoyed being in the Christmas season there.

Venice

The next morning we left early for our day trip to Venice. We decided no map was necessary and we spent the day completely lost in all the little side streets and small bridges in Venice. It was perfect and we both fell in love with Venice. It was a beautiful day with no crowds and spending the day lost was the perfect way to experience the city. We saw San Marco Church, which is covered in the most beautiful mosaics, and we watched the sunset on the sea. We were in search of fried calamari because Joey had never had it before. Turns out a dish of Mixed Seafood is not the same thing as fried calamari and we ended up eating the most disgusting raw fish, which included an entire squid. To make up for our rough dinner we stole breadsticks from the restaurant and had a nutella crepe from a stand. It was delicious and we had a wonderful day in Venice.

Ortisei

View from our balcony 

Christmas decorations!

We left Verona and headed north to the Dolomites where we spent Christmas. We stayed in a small little snowy German town in the valley of the mountains called Ortisei. Because we were so far north in Italy and in the mountains most people were German and only spoke German. The town felt like we were in one of those Christmas figurine sets with the snowy houses and the kids that ice skate in a circle. At the place we stayed the lady who ran in only spoke Italian and German, so my Italian was put to the test. Luckily it went well and our stay was relaxing and the most perfect place to spend Christmas in Italy. On Christmas Eve we wandered the small town and went to a Christmas market nearby. We decorated our room with Christmas decorations to make sure it felt a little like home. We listened to Christmas carols (in German) in the town square and had the most amazing Christmas dinner of gnocchi and pasta. That night we went to my first midnight mass! However following along with the flip-flopping between Italian and German was a little difficult and Joey and I had a hard time staying awake.

At the top of the mountain on Christmas

Playing in the snow

Christmas day was spent opening presents and relaxing. We went to the top of the mountain in the gondola and played in the snow for hours. We both fell in love with Ortisei and it was hard to say goodbye to our little winter wonderland. Getting to spend my favorite holiday together was so special and I feel so blessed that he was here.

Ireland

Joey and I in Howth

Our travels to Ireland were long and smooth. We experienced our first hiccup when we arrived in Dublin at 1:00am and our hotel had lost of reservation and was completely full. It was nice to be in a country that spoke English because yelling at an Italian in English is not quite the same when they don’t understand you. The manager heard our angry loud and clear and the price was cut in half. We spent 2 days in Dublin, the first day just exploring the city and taking a tour of the Guinness Storehouse. It was a great tour with a free pint of Guinness at the end in the gravity bar. That night we went to the famous temple bar and listened to live music. One day in Dublin turned out to be plenty so our second day we took a day trip to Howth, a small fishing town just north of Dublin. It was windy beyond belief, but we had a great day eating fried calamari (finally!) and delicious seafood chowder. We then headed to Galway for 4 days where we spent the remainder of our trip. We both absolutely loved Galway, the small college town right on the water. It was very stormy weather, but we went out to the beach anyway and found seashells and got completely drenched by the rain. My favorite thing about Ireland was all the tea and scones! We went to tea each day we were there and treated ourselves to high tea one afternoon.

Tea and Scones!

SHEEP

Cliffs of Moher

We took tours the next 2 days, one day to the Connemara region, where there were beautiful landscapes and lots and lots of sheep! And the other to the Cliffs of Moher, probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in my life. Ireland was amazing, all the sheep, the great accents, and of course the few leprechauns we came across and stunning rainbows. Joey left from Dublin the next day and we said our goodbyes for 4 more months. It was the most amazing vacation and I would do anything to go back to it. When Joey left I met up with 2 of my girlfriends. I spent a few more days with them at one of their grandma’s house in the countryside in Cavan. 

When in Roma

Pretending to be Gladiators with Aubrey and Summer

Before I left for winter break I spent the last weekend before finals in Rome with my 4 girlfriends: Summer, Erika, Megan, and Aubrey, as one last adventure together. Everyone but Erika and I headed home after finals so we decided one last trip together was a must. We left early Friday morning and spent 2 days exploring Rome together.

Throwing a penny in the Trevi fountain 

When we got there on Friday we went to the Coliseum. Rick Steve’s guided us through the city with his nifty handy travel book. We saw roman ruins, wandered and enjoyed the day taking videos and pretending we were gladiators. Later we went to the Trevi fountain where we wished with pennies. The Trevi fountain was one of my favorite spots and I felt like I was in the Lizzie McGuire movie, it was pretty great. After we went to the Spanish Steps and climbed to the top, where we then spent 20 minutes watching masses of birds swarm in the distance creating shapes. Most of the Christmas lights were lit throughout the city and we walked around and enjoyed the Christmas atmosphere. That night we went back to our hostel and watched When in Rome, a Mary-Kate and Ashley movie and snuggled together.

On Saturday we spent our day in Vatican City. We saw the Sistine Chapel and read about each painting in our Rick Steve’s book while we marveled at the ceiling. We also saw St. Peter’s Basilica, which has to be the biggest church I have ever seen in my life. It was incredible and my favorite part was seeing Michelangelo’s Pieta. It is my favorite piece of art in all of Italy.

We headed back to Florence that evening with rice cakes and chocolate for dinner on the train. It was a quick trip but one of my favorites of the semester. Saying goodbye to the girls was extremely hard and I change imagine this past semester without them. They mean the world to me and adjusting to life in Florence without them will be very challenging. Rome was wonderful and I’m glad I have one final goodbye with my girls.

Sheep and Harry Potter!!

Highlands with Vince

Last week I went on the school trip to Scotland for Thanksgiving break! Scotland was amazing. Everyone speaks English!!! I haven’t been in an English speaking country in 3 months; it was pretty exciting especially with their cool accents. We stayed in apartments on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. The first day we went on a guided tour of the city and then Erika and I spent the afternoon in the Christmas market. After about 5 minutes of being in Edinburgh I realized that I was in Harry Potter land. Everything looked exactly like everything in Harry Potter is. A multiple moments throughout the trip I kept thinking Harry would just come walking around the corner. 

Making Stuffing with Summer

Sadly he did not, but I did have a dream when I was there that I was Harry Potter. I later learned that the heavy Harry Potter influence was because Edinburgh is where JK Rowling lived when she wrote the first few books, and she got a lot of her inspiration from the city and from the castles in the area. Erika and I went to the Elephant House for tea, the same café where JK wrote the first 3 books. It was pretty exciting and I had Darjeeling tea, my favorite :) That night my apartment (14 girls) made Thanksgiving dinner. It was hard not being home for the holiday, but making dinner with the girls was a lot of fun and dinner was delicious.

SHEEP!

The next two days were spent on buses, traveling around the countryside of Scotland. We went on a boat in the highlands. It was so windy and freezing, but absolutely beautiful. We stopped in various small towns, went to Stirling Castle and saw lots and lots of fields of bright green. It was extremely windy and rainy the whole time we were there, but was still great. My favorite part was probably all the sheep in the fields. They are EVERYWHERE and I love them. We stopped in a small town on the coast that is known to have the best fish and chips. Personally I wasn’t too impressed with the fish and chips, but everyone else loved them. 

Erika and I had a mini photo shoot on the water before leaving. It was so windy we could barley keep our eyes open and it was hard to walk. We were literally being blown away, but it was fun. I also loved going to St. Andrews. We spent a couple hours in the city and saw the Golf Course and the University (where William and Kate met!). I also got Starbucks for the first time in 3 months! Red Holiday cups and an extremely tall cup of coffee is one of the best things in the world. 

Our travels home were long and exhausting, but so worth it. Hanging out with Harry Potter and the sheep on Thanksgiving break was pretty awesome.