Paris for the Weekend!

This past weekend I went to Paris with my friends from Richmond. I left Thursday evening and arrived in Paris later on that night. We stayed at a youth hostel in the Latin Quarter, just minutes away from Notre Dame.

We woke up early on Friday morning and went on a free tour of the heart of the city. We saw the opera house, the Arc de Triumph, the Eiffel Tower and many of the wealthiest streets in Rome. Our tour guide was able to point out many significant places in Paris, such as where the guillotine stood during the French Revolution and the last place Princess Diana was before her death. I really enjoyed the tour and I'm glad we knew about it! After that, we walked over to the Eiffel Tower to take pictures and to just see it up close. It is really incredible to just look at. The line was really long to go to the top, so we skipped that. Then we walked to a little bakery for lunch. I got quiche. Delicious! Then we headed over to Notre Dame, walked through the church, and climbed to the top. The view was amazing and we were there just at sunset. Absolutely gorgeous!

One of my friend's Dad offered to pay for our dinner on his credit card and he recommended a really nice restaurant with a prix fixe. I ordered artichoke ravioli, steak tartar and frites, and profiteroles. One of my friends got escargot and I tried it! I'm not sure what I think about eating snails, but they weren't terrible. We walked around after dinner and then went to bed extremely exhausted.

We woke up the next day around the same time with a mission to go to the Louvre. That museum is the biggest thing I have ever seen. We spent nearly three and a half hours in there and I don't think we saw nearly half of what they had inside. Museums are tiring! I did get to see the Mona Lisa though. After that, we headed over to Montmartre to see Sacre Coeur. Before the church, we ate lunch. I got a croque madame, which was delicious! We walked up to the church and through the little shops. Very cute. I got a crepe there, too! Sooo good! Then we came back to around where our hostel was and saw the Pantheon. We rested for a bit after and went to get French onion soup and macarons. Those little cookies are so good!

I was only in Paris for two full days, but I really enjoyed it and can't wait to go back one day!

Greece

Last Tuesday, I left home to meet my mom at the airport to go to Greece! I met my mom at the gate and we flew to Athens and then caught a flight to Santorini. Greece has been a place I have dreamed of going to all my life, so this was truly amazing.

We arrived on Santorini around 6:30 and got to catch the end of a sunset. After we checked into our hotel room in Fira (which was on a cliff looking out onto the sea), we walked asked around the local shops trying to find a good, authentic Greek meal. We ended up going to a Nikolas Tavern. We got mousaka, eggplant dip, a greek salad, and chicken souvlaki. It was such a nice change from Italian food! After I stuffed my face, we walked back to our quaint hotel room and went to bed.

The next morning we woke up, ate breakfast at the hotel, and left to go on a 3 hour boat tour of the volcanic island and the hot springs. We got to walk to the top of the volcano where the view of the island was amazing. Then we had the option of jumping in the water and swimming to the hot springs. It probably would have been a good experience, but the water was freezing so I opted out of it. After the boat tour, I was forced into riding a donkey up 600 steps. I was not at all pleased with this experience. The donkey was not guided and it kept stopping and then to get lunch. We got a chicken gyro, stuffed grape leaves, and a greek salad. Delicious! Then we walked around Santorini. The shops there were so cute. There were a ton of fine jewelry shops, little bakeries, gelato, and souvenir shops. We went back to our room and rested for a little, and then we took a bus to Ia, a neighboring town, to watch the sunset. We walked around there for a little and then took a bus back to Fira for dinner. Dinner was delicious. I got this four cheese pasta, which was not very Greek, but it was absolutely amazing. Then we went back to our hotel and went to bed.

On Thursday morning, I slept in. Then got up and went on a quest for Greek yogurt. We found some in a supermarket just down the road. Then I had registration for classes at Richmond, so I sat on the hotel computer for a while getting all my classes ready for next semester. Then my mom and I went on a walk to the next town over. I took lots of pictures and saw a ton of cats along the way. We walked back to our room to pick up our luggage and then headed to the airport for our flight to Athens.

We arrived in Athens at around 9 and went to our room, watched some BBC news and went to bed. In the morning, we woke up, at the hotel breakfast, and headed out to a marathon day of sightseeing. We saw the Acropolis, the Roman Agora, various temples, and walked around the Plaka. After walking around, we went back to the hotel to get jackets (it got chilly!) and then we went to the new Acropolis museum! It was a holiday so all the museums were free that day. The Acropolis museum was really cool. Then we got gelato for dinner and went back to our hotel.

Our final day in Athens, we took a bus tour of the sights that we hadn't seen the previous day, walked around new neighborhoods, and finished up in the Plaka before heading to the airport for our flight to Rome. I got to show my mom around my neighborhood and all the major tourist attractions in Rome. We also got to see a ballet (La Bayadere) at the Teatro dell'Opera.

It was such a fun fall break! So glad my mom was able to come and visit!

Portugal

Last week, I was reminded of what real studying actually feels like. Midterms at my abroad program really snuck up on me and hit me hard. I was so stressed, getting four hours of sleep a night, and on a strict diet of chocolate and earl grey tea. I was so glad all of the madness was over on Thursday afternoon.

Right after my Italian class, I took a packed bus to the train station and then a bus to Ciampino Airport. I had a while before my flight actually left, so I took advantage of the free perfume samples at the duty free store.  My journey is a little confusing because I took a plane to Madrid and then from Madrid I took a bus to get to Portugal. It seems a little round about, but I was going with my friend Alyssa on a bus trip to Portugal that she had signed us up for.  I was really nervous about making the bus because they said they would only wait until 12:30 and my flight got in at 11:20. Well it was supposed to get in at 11:20 and actually got in at 11:45. So I had to run to a cab and ended up getting to the bus at 12:10. It was a very hectic situation, but at least I made the bus!

The bus ride to Lagos, Portugal was around 10 hours. The bus was extremely uncomfortable and I really didn’t sleep much. We had a few hours in the hotel to rest before we went on a boat cruise of the coast of Lagos. My friends and I walked around and found a café with fresh croissants and a grocery store so we could stock up on snacks for the bus ride for the next day.  After that, we headed down to the harbor. 

The boat took us around to see the caves that are built into the cliffs on the shore. They were so cool to look at. They kind of reminded me of the caves I saw on Iona. The boat stopped and everyone jumped into the water. It was around 75 degrees out and the water wasn’t too cold. I got right out though because I tend to panic in open water. Something that was really noticeable was how salty the water was. I had crystals forming all over my body! The cruise lasted around 4 hours. After the cruise, I was famished. We went to the first place we saw and ordered cheeseburgers and fries. Not the most authentic Portuguese food, but it did the trick. It’s the first burger I’ve had since I’ve been here, and it was definitely not the same. 

We had split up from the group for dinner, so we had a bit of trouble finding our way back to the hotel. It probably took us 1 hour of walking around the small city and asking for directions, when it should have taken us about 20. After that, Alyssa and I really wanted to see the beach so we asked the concierge for directions. It was so beautiful and we hit it just at sunset. The cliffs were blocking out view of the sun, but it was still really stunning. 

We went back to our room and rested. We planned to walk around the city at night later, but I fell asleep at 8 and didn’t wake up until the next morning. Oops! I got a great night of sleep though. There was a great breakfast at the hotel the next morning and then we got on the bus to go to Lisbon. The bus ride took about 4 hours.

We got dropped off at one of the main squares in Lisbon and then headed towards the Castle of St. George, which is a medieval fortress on the top of a hill in Lisbon. It was really amazing and the view out onto the sea was breathtaking. We headed back down towards another main street in Lisbon and had free time to go get lunch. This time, I ordered grilled cod, authentic Portuguese food. It was really good! I just had to watch out for the fish bones. We then got back on the bus to go see the other side of Lisbon, which is very far to walk to. 

This was definitely my favorite part of the whole trip. We saw the Tower of Belem and another statue dedicated to the explorations of Portugal during the 15th century. They were right on the water and just so beautiful. Our bus took us to our hotel, which was not as nice as the first one, but still manageable. I showered and then Alyssa and I went to an Italian restaurant across the street. It was really good! It was a Portuguese spin on Italian food, which was really interesting to experience. We walked around the area after and bought ice cream bars and then went to bed. The next morning we had another nice breakfast at the hotel and then got back on the bus to go back to Madrid. We arrived about 8 hours later. I stayed with Alyssa and then woke up for my flight this morning.

It was a really fun weekend and I can’t believe I’ll be going back to Spain and Portugal this spring with my choir from school!

Madrid

This past weekend, I went to go visit two of my friends that are studying abroad in Madrid. My friend studying in London met me at the Madrid airport on Thursday night and we rode the metro over to the apartment. Immediately after we arrived, my friends wanted to show us the city at night. It was really cool to see the city and I was struck by the differences from Rome (more cosmopolitan and seemed to be a bit more Americanized).

The next morning, we woke up after squeezing 4 people onto 2 single beds and went out for a little brunch/sightseeing. We walked through the main piazza of Madrid (Piazza del Sol-where the protest was the next day) and found a bocadilla/sandwich shop. I ordered a bocadilla de calamares, which is basically a piece of french bread with fried calamari on it. I don't even like calamari, but I felt like it's a food that represents Madrid, so I tried it. I ended up giving most of it away, but at least I made the effort! Next, we walked through this huge market and I had to get some paella, of course. It was delicious!

Piazza del Sol

Then we walked over to the palace (Palacio Real de Madrid) and paid the student price to walk around the rooms. It was so impressive and decadent, and once again, there were no pictures allowed inside. I really enjoyed reading about the history behind each of the rooms and I lagged a little behind the rest of the group because of it. Oops.

We then walked to a little park and just sat and talked for a while. After my time here, I really have realized that this is one of my favorite things to do. It’s nice to just sit and absorb the culture around you. We then walked home for some gelato (obviously not as good as Rome, but still did the trick) and rested for a little before going out to dinner. 

The next morning, we headed over to the Parco del Retiro, which was originally the palace garden. I was able to see my first glimpse of fall! We sat and talked once again and then headed over to the Museo del Prado. I haven’t been to an art museum in a while, so it was nice seeing some of the masterpieces by El Greco, Goya, Rubens, and Valasquez. It was really amazing to be there. There was even a little Picasso exhibit, which was cool to see! We walked back and saw the protest in the Piazza del Sol on the way. Good thing it didn’t get as violent as it did in Rome! We rested in the apartment and then went out for a dinner of tapas.

Parco del Retiro

It was really fun to be in Madrid and I had a great time reconnecting with my friends!

Monaco

After my day trip to the Etruscan tombs, I went out for pizza at Dar Poeta, one of the local favorites. It definitely did not disappoint and I had a great Italian meal before my early morning departure for Monaco!

The next morning, I woke up at 5:15 and double checked I had everything I needed for my first international flight since I've been here. I took a bus to the train station and then a train to the airport. I got there around 2 hours before boarding so I had time to eat some breakfast. The flight was quick and easy and before I knew it I had landed in Nice. The Nice airport was absolutely beautiful. It has windows looking out onto the Mediterranean. I couldn't believe it!

I took a bus to Monaco from the airport that dropped me off at the Monaco office of tourism. I picked up my passes to the museums and went to meet up with my mom’s friend, Sandra. She walked me up to my hotel, in which I found a king-sized bed.  What a dream! I had to be back for lunch around 1, so I walked down to the Casino and then to a walkway that overlooked the port. So beautiful. Monaco reminded me of a modernized version of Cinque Terre in some ways.

Casino

I ate a fantastic lunch at Sandra's family's apartment and then I was off to do all my tours on "the rock," before they closed at 6. I rode a bus and it dropped me off right by the chocolate shop that I had been wanting to go to

Chocolaterie de Monaco

I got a chocolate with caramel and ate it on my way to see the palace. It was so delicious.  I then walked back towards the Cathedral, where I saw the tombs of all the past princes, as well as the tomb of Princess Grace. Then I headed towards the Oceanographic Museum, started by Prince Albert I, where they had an exhibition on the recent royal wedding. They had the champagne that was served, an explanation of the menu, various invitations, and of course the wedding dress and suit that were worn. My mom would have loved it. (I took lots of pictures for her!)

 

After viewing that exhibit, I went down to the aquarium, which was in the same building. I couldn’t help but take a ton of pictures of the clown fish. They’re my favorite!  I went back upstairs onto the deck of the museum, which had an amazing view. 

 

After the museum, I got yet another confection: a nutella crepe. It was divine! Then I headed over to the palace for a tour of the state apartments. I was blown away by all of the historically significant items that were in those rooms! I really was not expecting that at all and it was a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to take pictures in those rooms. After that, I realized just how tired I was and went back to my room to shower and rest before a meal of Moroccan cous cous at Sandra’s.  The dinner was delicious and I went to bed soon after.

View from the palace

 

The next day, I woke up at around 8 and checked out of my hotel. I picked up a croissant and headed to the Exotic Gardens. The gardens were pretty much made up of cacti, which I have to say is not my favorite type of fauna, but the views were amazing. I ended up just sitting on one of the benches inside and looking out onto the water and reading my book. It was so relaxing. Then I headed back over to the rock for lunch and to tour the museum that housed the Grimaldi’s private collection of Napoleon’s possessions. I’m learning a little about Napoleon in some of my classes at school (or at least about the period in which he was the Emperor of Rome), so it was really cool to see that. I even caught the changing of the guard unintentionally while I was there! I had a lot of time on my hands and went into a little park on the rock and just sat and soaked up the sun. After that, it was time for me to head back to the airport to get back to Rome. It was such a treat to see such a beautiful place!

"The Rock" from the Exotic Garden

Etruscan Tombs

This past Friday, I went with my Ancient Rome class to see the Etruscan tombs in Tarquinia and Cerveteri, which are both about an hour outside of Rome. I packed my lunch for the long day ahead of me and headed to our program's building. We have been learning about the Etruscan society based on the items found in our tombs. The previous day, we had visited to Villa Giulia, where all of the things found in the tombs are showcased. These things include urns, amphoras, drinking vessels, previous metals, and mirrors. All these things were supposed to go with them into the afterlife.


On Friday, we visited the actual tombs that these items came from. They were carved into the ground and many of them were massive.

Outside of a tomb in Cerveteri

I was really impressed by the fact that the tombs in Cerveteri were all carved into bedrock. Building the tombs must have been extremely time consuming and exhausting.

Inside a tomb in Tarquinia

It was really cool being able to go in the tombs, even though there were times I was worried they would collapse on me!

CINQUE TERRE

This past weekend I went on an amazing trip to Cinque Terre with some girls from Richmond in Rome with me and other girls from Richmond studying in Perugia. Cinque Terre is in the Liguria region of Italy, to the west of the city of La Spezia. "The Five Lands" is composed of five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We took a train there early Friday morning and arrived around 2. We checked into our hostel, which was surprisingly very nice. It was a bit of a walk to get to our room. There were about a billion steep steps, but I guess it helped burn off some of the pasta I've been eating?  

View from my window

The view from my room was unbelievable. We all took showers and rested for a bit before going out to dinner. The region we were in is known for its pesto, so I got gnocchi al pesto for dinner. It was delicious. 

Richmond Girls!

The next day we woke up at 7 to embark on an 8 hour hike along the five villages. The hike was challenging, but it was so amazing to see each little town we left and then see another town in the distance. There were a lot of stairs and I was sweating bullets. In the third town, we stopped for lunch and gelato. I got lasagna al pesto, which was really amazing, potentially the best meal I had all weekend. Then we hiked to the next town, Vernazzo and decided that we wanted to get to the beach as soon as possible, so we hopped on the train to Monterosso and went straight there. I threw on my bathing suit and jumped into the Mediterranean. So refreshing and so beautiful.

We went back to our rooms to rest up before dinner. I was so exhausted! But I showered and got ready. We went to this really amazing restaurant and we made friends with the owner! He was so nice and kept bringing us extra bread that he wasn’t charging us for. I ordered the seafood risotto, which was so good. I’m learning to love mussels and clams. Yay! The shrimp still had heads so I strayed away from those. But it was delicious. I, of course, got gelato after dinner. I tried biscotto paired with caramel and was extremely surprised by how good it was. Definitely one of the best flavors out there. YUM.

Beautiful sunset from my window

We had to check out the next morning. I got to explore the little town of Riomaggiore, where we were staying. And then it was off to the train to go back to Rome. I LOVED Cinque Terre. My only regret was not hiking from Vernazzo to Monterosso. Now I have an excuse to go back again. It’s my new favorite place in the world!