Saturday, June 18, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Visit to London
The first full weekend of May I went to London to visit Sam (an old friend from camp). I left bright and early Friday morning and got to her apartment mid afternoon! This visit was especially exciting because I was getting to meet Sam and Greg's newest addition- baby Tristan! He is adorable! And I'm pretty sure I took more photos of him than anything else!
Tristan getting ready to go out!
The entire visit was pretty low-key, especially since I have now been to London the last 3 years. So Friday when I arrived we went to the mall to run some errands and catch up. Then spent the rest of the evening chillaxing and playing with Tristan. Saturday we ventured out to walk around Parliament and the London eye since I wanted to take some photos of them with my new camera! It was a fun family outing!
Walking along the river. Memorial and the Eye.
Waiting for lunch.
Me and Ben/Parliament.
Parliament.
When we got back to their apartment, Sam very kindly made a Banoffee Pie upon my request and while it chilled she and I went down the street to get a drink and have some one on one time - she very kindly parted for Tristan for a couple hours! When we got back we enjoyed the very delicious pie and watched a movie! Sunday morning we just hung out since I had to head back to the airport early in the afternoon to catch my flight back home to Krakow. It was a great trip and I can't wait for next years visit since this has become and annual thing!
Family photo.
'He is going to be a momma's boy.'
Me and Tristan hanging out.
Father and son.
Baby Tristan.
Tristan getting ready to go out!The entire visit was pretty low-key, especially since I have now been to London the last 3 years. So Friday when I arrived we went to the mall to run some errands and catch up. Then spent the rest of the evening chillaxing and playing with Tristan. Saturday we ventured out to walk around Parliament and the London eye since I wanted to take some photos of them with my new camera! It was a fun family outing!
Walking along the river. Memorial and the Eye.
Waiting for lunch.
Me and Ben/Parliament.
Parliament.When we got back to their apartment, Sam very kindly made a Banoffee Pie upon my request and while it chilled she and I went down the street to get a drink and have some one on one time - she very kindly parted for Tristan for a couple hours! When we got back we enjoyed the very delicious pie and watched a movie! Sunday morning we just hung out since I had to head back to the airport early in the afternoon to catch my flight back home to Krakow. It was a great trip and I can't wait for next years visit since this has become and annual thing!
Family photo.
'He is going to be a momma's boy.'
Me and Tristan hanging out.
Father and son.
Baby Tristan.
Monday, May 9, 2011
long time no blog....
Hello everyone! My apologizes for the huge gap between posts. I had posted a big long blurb 2 weeks ago only to be informed that it never actually posted and is somewhere in the abyss of the world wide web. Things have also gotten crazy busy here with traveling and studio. So, in order to catch up on everything that's been going on I'm going to do a series of shorter blogs of all the key things that have happened with lots of pictures.
Going way back to the last week of April. It was spring break and my mom and grandma came to visit!!! The arrived a little jet lagged but excited to be here! We had rented an apartment for the 9 days we were going to be in Krakow that was a block and a half from the main square, perfect for showing them the city! They arrived around lunchtime so once we dropped our stuff off I took them to get their first Kebabs! They seemed to enjoy them... perhaps not as much as me, but hey!
The week was spent touring all around Krakow. I played tour guide and showed them Wawel Castle, the dorms, studio, the Jewish district of Kazimierz, did shopping in Cloth Hall. Also went to the underground museum to see the original foundations and structures of Krakow. There was also an Easter market set up in the square with crafts and foods of all sorts so we spent some time wandering through picking out a few neat items and foods! One day we hopped on a bus and ventured 2 hours outside Krakow to the town of Zakopane! It is a small mountain town that is best compared to Gatlinburg, only way prettier and less touristy. While there we took the rail car up to the top of one of the smaller mountains and enjoyed a fabulous view from the top. Mom and I went on this awesome 'Gravity Toboggan Run' ride that was basically a slide down a section of the mountain! It was awesome!!! The last day of their stay we went to Warsaw, as that's where their flight left from.
Overall, I think they really enjoyed their visit to Krakow. I know I enjoyed seeing them and getting to share a little bit of my trip and experience here with them. If only the rest of the family could have come as well.
Grandma and I celebrating her birthday!
haha
Part of Wawel Castle - the royal chapel.
Heading back to the Easter market!
Checking out table cloths.
Picking out some sweet treats.
Delicious dinner with some fresh bread and cheese from the market.
Crossing the Millennium Bridge connecting Kazimierz and the old ghetto.
Mom taking in the scenery at Zakopane.
Mom ahead of me on the 'gravity toboggan run'!
Local artwork for sale in the streets.
Waving from the window of our apartment.
Grandma enjoying our last lunch in the main square!
Going way back to the last week of April. It was spring break and my mom and grandma came to visit!!! The arrived a little jet lagged but excited to be here! We had rented an apartment for the 9 days we were going to be in Krakow that was a block and a half from the main square, perfect for showing them the city! They arrived around lunchtime so once we dropped our stuff off I took them to get their first Kebabs! They seemed to enjoy them... perhaps not as much as me, but hey!
The week was spent touring all around Krakow. I played tour guide and showed them Wawel Castle, the dorms, studio, the Jewish district of Kazimierz, did shopping in Cloth Hall. Also went to the underground museum to see the original foundations and structures of Krakow. There was also an Easter market set up in the square with crafts and foods of all sorts so we spent some time wandering through picking out a few neat items and foods! One day we hopped on a bus and ventured 2 hours outside Krakow to the town of Zakopane! It is a small mountain town that is best compared to Gatlinburg, only way prettier and less touristy. While there we took the rail car up to the top of one of the smaller mountains and enjoyed a fabulous view from the top. Mom and I went on this awesome 'Gravity Toboggan Run' ride that was basically a slide down a section of the mountain! It was awesome!!! The last day of their stay we went to Warsaw, as that's where their flight left from.
Overall, I think they really enjoyed their visit to Krakow. I know I enjoyed seeing them and getting to share a little bit of my trip and experience here with them. If only the rest of the family could have come as well.
Grandma and I celebrating her birthday!
haha
Part of Wawel Castle - the royal chapel.
Heading back to the Easter market!
Checking out table cloths.
Picking out some sweet treats.
Delicious dinner with some fresh bread and cheese from the market.
Crossing the Millennium Bridge connecting Kazimierz and the old ghetto.
Mom taking in the scenery at Zakopane.
Mom ahead of me on the 'gravity toboggan run'!
Local artwork for sale in the streets.
Waving from the window of our apartment.
Grandma enjoying our last lunch in the main square!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Greek Adventures
GREECE!!!!Where to begin! Greece/Athens was amazing!! Our adventure started Thursday night (Apr. 7) when Caitlin, Taylor, and I headed to the airport. We decided to take the train to the airport while the other half of our group elected to take a taxi. Now, since you are reading this I would assume you know me pretty well and know that I like to be on time or even a little early to things- especially when traveling. The three of us decided to leave at 8.30 to catch the bus to the train station to catch the 9.20 train to the airport, so you can imagine my... lets say impatience... when I was ready at 8.30 and had to wait another 15 minutes before we actually left. The 15 minute set back almost caused us to miss the train. When we arrived at the stop for the train station the three of us when running across the plaza and down to the platform entrance. I'm sure we were quite the site! Luckily, we made the train with a few minutes to spare and made it to the airport without any problems!
We arrived in Athens a little after 3am and took a taxi to our hotel. The hotel was in an area called Varkiza- a 30 minute bus ride to Athens and a 10 minute walk to the beach. The hotel was really nice. The lobby reminded me of Frank Llyod Wright with its rather brutal yet inviting with the use of various stone materials. The rooms were nice too- they were set up more like an apartment so we had a kitchen and living room along with a balcony overlooking the pool! After settling in and settling down from the excitement of being in Greece we went to bed.
Walking up to the beach!Friday was spent at the beach! We leisurely got up in the morning and all together headed down to the beach stopping to get lunch along the way. After a delicious lunch we crossed the street to the beach! After a walk along the beach, it was maybe a half mile total, we found a place to plop and soaked up some sun! I definitely soaked up more sun than I realized! Four of us headed back to the hotel a few hours later to change before going out to dinner and man oh man was I red! It didn't look that bad when we were outside but once we got inside the redness just appeared! Caitlin was probably redder than I! But no worries we lathered with lotion and sent the remainder of our time exploring Athens as covered as possible! Anyway, dinner that night was delicious! Krista, Katie, Caitlin, and I went to a place recommended by the lady at the front desk of the hotel called Bavaria. It was a short walk from the hotel and when we arrived we were the only ones there. Needless to say we were a little apprehensive since no one was there, but it turned out to be delicious! We were seated and this little old Greek lady came out and took our order then turned around, went in the kitchen and started cooking our meal! I ordered a pork steak and a salad, both were very good! We also sampled some local desserts which were also good! After a very satisfying dinner we headed back to the hotel. Caitlin and I ventured down to the pool for a bit to sit and talk while enjoying the pool atmosphere (mostly the pool lights changing colors).
Saturday we were up early and ventured out to catch bus 171 to the metro station about 30 minutes away. Once at the metro station we hopped on the subway and took into a few stops into Athens, getting off at the Acropolis stop. When we came up from the subway station we had the new Acropolis Museum to our left the the first sightings of the Acropolis in front of us! We decided to hit up the Acropolis first, before it got too hot and before it got mobbed with people. The hike up to the Acropolis was a decent hike but had some spectacular views! Eventually we made it to the top! It was spectacular! You enter through the Propylaea, which is how you would have approach in ancient times, it was quite amazing! As you pass through the Propylaea, the Acropolis opens up in front of you with the Parthenon ahead to the right and the Erechtheum on the left. The whole thing was so cool! The Parthenon had been damaged more than I had originally realized- mostly by pillagers. Much of the decoration that was taken and not destroyed now resides in the Parthenon room in the Acropolis Museum. The views from the top were almost as spectacular as the structures themselves!
The Parthenon.
Panoramic of the Acropolis.
It's the Parthenon!
View back out through the Propylaea.After the Acropolis we found some lunch then headed to the Acropolis Museum which exhibited various artifacts from the Acropolis and the Greek Empire. The museum itself was really interesting too.... I think some of us, myself included, spent more time looking at the museum- its materials and construction- than the displays it housed. At one point a couple of us even got into a discussion about the placement of columns within the museum and decided that it had to be referencing the spacing of the Parthenon's columns! We are dorks, I know, but hey! From the museum we split up and Caitlin, Taylor and I went off to see the Temple of Olympus. Sadly, it was already closed for the day when we arrived so instead we headed across the street to the National Gardens. The garden was pretty and reminded me of my various garden tours! Next we headed over to The Panathenaic Stadium where the first olympics were held. The stadium was an impressive marble structure (the largest marble stadium in the world). We got audio-guides upon entering and slowly made our way around the horseshoe shaped stadium. The tour even takes you down the tunnel where athletes would enter and leave the stadium. It was pretty neat! Caitlin and I came out of the tunnel and walked onto the track and proceeded to run down the track- Caitlin did a full lap where I only ran down the straight and back... it was a little too hot for me to want to run the whole thing! But I can officially say that I ran on the same track as some of the best athletes! After a long day of sightseeing the group met back up for dinner and a little shopping before calling it a night and heading home.
The Panathenaic StadiumSunday was our last full day in Greece, so in the morning we headed back into Athens! Our first stop was the Athens Flea Market. It is supposedly one of the largest flea markets in Greece. And I could see why- it never seemed to end! We kept wandering and wandering! And there was so much stuff! Everything from cloths to furniture to bikes, to toys and books, there was even a stand selling bras and underwear! It was pretty interesting... Jacqueline you would have been in heaven! After the flea market we decided to visit some more historic sites. When we purchased our ticket to go to the Acropolis it came with 6 other tickets to go see 6 other historic locations; and thus after the flea market we decided to get our 6 euros worth and check out a few of the places. First place we went was the Ancient Agora. It is an area right next to the Acropolis where several ancient buildings still stand. My favorite was the Stoa of Attalos even though most of it had been reconstructed. I think that's why I liked it so much though. I got to experience the building exactly as it would have appeared in ancient times. The shear size and detail of the building was magnificent. It is a long slender building with 2 rows of columns creating a loggia like space that was absolutely incredible to walk along. I loved it!
The Stoa of Attalos
This guy has the life! He gets to stare out at the Stoa of Attalos all day, everyday!The other structure we checked out was the Temple of Hephaestus. It too was really neat. Especially since it was the best preserved temple I saw. It was also located on a slight hill and had a great view of the Ancient Agora and the Acropolis. It was actually neat to see the temple b/c we were able to get so close to it. There was also a sense of power the temple evoked and not just because of the awe factor; instead I mean more of a power related to the Greek gods- so here are these mammoth stone structures and there are plants just growing out of them. Like literally the plants magically planted themselves in the stone 50 feet up and were just growing there now. It was really cool!
Anyway, after the Ancient Agora we decided to head to the Temple of Olympus! Along the way we came upon the Roman Agora and since our ticket covered it we decided to have a quick look. It was much much smaller than the ancient Greek Agora. There was also a clear difference to me between the Greek style and the Roman. The remaining Roman structures (mostly lines of columns) used a marble that was very white and almost seemed refined compared to the more sandstone coloring of the Greek structures.
After a satisfying visit to the Roman Agora we continued our walk to the Temple of Olympus. Our chosen path turned out to be quite the hike. The temple was on the opposite side of the Acropolis from the agora so we chose what looked like it would be the quickest route around the Acropolis. It was the shortest route, but it also took us up the side of the hill of the Acropolis- basically to the base of the Acropolis- so it was quite a hike up. It did, however, offer some spectacular views out over Athens! Eventually we made it around and down and to see Olympus, which was yet another incredible structure even though probably 95% of the temple has been destroyed and all the remains is a tiny bit of one corner and a few columns. I think it was so spectacular because I was sitting on a bench looking out at the Temple of Olympus, king of kings, and off in the not so far distance was the acropolis and a view of the Parthenon. There I was sitting on a bench in Greece with the sun shining down on me starting at what I consider to be some of the most incredible pieces of architecture known (especially since they have clearly stood the test of time). There aren't words to describe the awe I was experiencing! I finally tore myself from the bench to walk around the rest of the temple, or what remains of it, and just soaked it all in! Being in Greece was such an amazing experience! Just as amazing as the first time I experienced Italy. There is something about seeing these monuments in person that I simply cannot explain. I mean, here are these structures that are thousands of years old still standing. And when I am standing next to them looking up, I can't help but wonder how they were able to construct such incredible works of art- the amount of time and labor and shear dedication that went into planning and constructing these things is mind boggling - especially in today's world where we want things done quickly. And what is even more mind boggling is that construction for the Parthenon, for instance, started in 447 BC and was finished in 432 BC - thats 15 years later! Which, yeah, sounds like a long time, but have you seen the Parthenon!?! It's a huge structure made entirely of stone in a time that didn't have the modern technology and machinery that we have! It's crazy!! However, I will compare this to the Temple of Olympus which took over 600 years to fully construct, but still! It too is a magnificent structure that I am in awe of.
The Temple of Olympus with the Acropolis in the distance.
The Temple of Olympus (and me being artsy)!
Shops along the streets of Athens.Ok, back to the rest of the day. Once I finally regained my senses we headed out. The group split as Krista and Michele wanted to see the Panathenaic Stadium, leaving Caitlin, Taylor and I. We decided to take the subway and check out the port area. It turned out to be less exciting than we had hoped as it turned out to be a port for large ships, not the smaller boats and sailboats with piers and boardwalks we were seeking. We didn't stay long before heading back into town for a little bit of shopping before saying bye to Athens and heading back to Varkiza to have one last Greek dinner with the gang! Then, with our bellies full of delicious Greek food, we walked over to the beach for a night stroll and photo op! It turned out to be quite the adventure for when we decided to leave we walked back to the gate we came in through only to find that it was locked. We all kind of looked at each other and laughed before having a moment of oh my gosh we are locked in at the beach! Which really isn't a terrible thing, but I was looking forward to sleeping in my nice comfy, warm bed. It took about 10 minutes of searching but we finally found someone who directed us to another gate that was still open and alas, we were free!
The beach at night.Monday morning Caitlin and I ventured out for one last visit to the beach before checking out of the hotel and all 7 of us heading off to catch the bus to the airport. With only one small bump in our journey home (the first bus we caught to transfer to the stop to catch the airport bus broke down) we made it to the airport and on our first flight without a problem. We then had a 4 hour layover in Munich where I finished my novel, The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks - highly recommend- and then finally we flew home where Krakow greeted us with 45 degree temperatures and rain.... a stark contrast to the mid 60s and sun we had just come from.
Overall, the trip was amazing. I absolutely loved Athens! As I'm sure you have gathered I was in awe much of the time and highly enjoyed the day at the beach! It was the perfect vacation (withing a vacation)! I can't wait for the opportunity to return to Greece and discover more of it (like the area with the white washed buildings and blue roofs that match the sea beyond them)!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Catch up.
Its been a while since my last post. Mostly because not a lot has been going on and because school has actually gotten pretty busy. After our Italian tour we picked up an extra class- sculpture! Three days a week I get to play with clay! The first project was an abstract one where we used 3 or 4 basic shapes to create a dynamic form. It was cool how different everyone's was despite us all using the same few shapes. We just finished the project and now have to transform our sculpture into a human form of some sort. Mine has currently been transformed into a very abstract child rolling on the ground... we will see how it turns out! Studio has also picked up the pace too and we are now in full designing mode.
While school has picked up some we have still found plenty of time to go out and enjoy Krakow. Saturday, Caitlin and I braved the snow, yes snow, and went downtown walking around picture taking for at little bit. This past weekend we especially enjoyed Krakow's nightlife. Friday night a group of us went out to a place called Club Blue. It was tons of fun! We met a group American students who are studying in Prague but were in Krakow visiting. I also met a guy from England who ironically works as an engineer. Scott (english guy) and I talked for a while as I was playing wing-woman for the night as Caitlin let loose and had some fun. Saturday a small group of us went to a place called Bar Italiano to meet up with the Eurasmus (European students) people, who party there on Saturday's. My roommate and suite-mates invited us with them, so we met them there for another fun night! Met tons of Spanish students and a couple French and Turkish guys. I had so many names spinning around in my head by the end of the night! Once again I played wing-woman to Caitlin who finally got to meet this guy from our history class that she thought was cute. So she spent the entire night 'getting to know him' ... I eventually had to drag her away so we could catch the last late night bus. The whole bus ride back she kept telling me that she shouldn't have left, it was comical! Sunday was a recovery day, mostly from a lack of sleep! We also went out last night for Phillip's birthday (he is another UT student here). Just about everyone went out to club Coco where we were all getting our dance on and having a good time! Thankfully, we don't have class till 1pm on Thursdays so we were all able to sleep in some!
Other than that not a lot to report. Oh! a week from today myself and 6 others will be heading to the airport for a 4 day trip to Greece!! I cannot wait!! Also, in about 3 weeks is spring break, and my mom and grandma are coming for a 10 day visit! I will be showing them all the sights of Krakow!! And rest assured they will be eating a kebab or two while here!!
Anyway, time to do some studio work. I will leave you with a few Photo-shopped photos from my wandering around Krakow over the weekend.
(Jacqueline, any thoughts?)
While school has picked up some we have still found plenty of time to go out and enjoy Krakow. Saturday, Caitlin and I braved the snow, yes snow, and went downtown walking around picture taking for at little bit. This past weekend we especially enjoyed Krakow's nightlife. Friday night a group of us went out to a place called Club Blue. It was tons of fun! We met a group American students who are studying in Prague but were in Krakow visiting. I also met a guy from England who ironically works as an engineer. Scott (english guy) and I talked for a while as I was playing wing-woman for the night as Caitlin let loose and had some fun. Saturday a small group of us went to a place called Bar Italiano to meet up with the Eurasmus (European students) people, who party there on Saturday's. My roommate and suite-mates invited us with them, so we met them there for another fun night! Met tons of Spanish students and a couple French and Turkish guys. I had so many names spinning around in my head by the end of the night! Once again I played wing-woman to Caitlin who finally got to meet this guy from our history class that she thought was cute. So she spent the entire night 'getting to know him' ... I eventually had to drag her away so we could catch the last late night bus. The whole bus ride back she kept telling me that she shouldn't have left, it was comical! Sunday was a recovery day, mostly from a lack of sleep! We also went out last night for Phillip's birthday (he is another UT student here). Just about everyone went out to club Coco where we were all getting our dance on and having a good time! Thankfully, we don't have class till 1pm on Thursdays so we were all able to sleep in some!
Other than that not a lot to report. Oh! a week from today myself and 6 others will be heading to the airport for a 4 day trip to Greece!! I cannot wait!! Also, in about 3 weeks is spring break, and my mom and grandma are coming for a 10 day visit! I will be showing them all the sights of Krakow!! And rest assured they will be eating a kebab or two while here!!
Anyway, time to do some studio work. I will leave you with a few Photo-shopped photos from my wandering around Krakow over the weekend.
(Jacqueline, any thoughts?)
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Whirlwind of activity!
Dear blog followers,
Sorry it has been a while since my last post. I have been busy roaming through Italy, and a little bit of Austria, on a 10 day school led field trip! Life is tough, I know! Now, I thought about giving a run down of every city we visited but that could take me days to write about. So, I am going to give a brief run down of everything, highlighting my favorite places. So...
The trip started two Fridays ago. All 20 of us loaded up on a coach Friday night and had an overnight ride to the city of Graz, Austria. It was a beautiful European city! Lots of charm, very historic, and a definite sense of culture- something I have found in nearly all the countries and cities I have visited in my various travels. If only the U.S. had such a rich and deep root in its history and culture!
From Graz we loaded back onto the bus and headed for Vicenza, Italy! The ride there was beautiful as we drove through the alps, which were still capped with snow! When we reach the Italian boarder we were stopped and had our passports checked. We were all cleared to enter the country! We arrived in Vicenza around 9 and after sorting out rooms we headed out to find some dinner. Vicenza is known for being the home of Palladio, and thus many of the best examples of his work. As a result, our visit there focused primarily on his works which were pretty interesting to see in person, especially since we studied them in our architecture history classes. While in Vicenza we took a day trip to Verona. Home of Juliet Capulet- to which we of course went to her house and saw her balcony and made a wish! Verona itself was a beautiful city and one of my favorites. It was bustling with activity, the main street was packed- it took some maneuvering for everyone to stay together. The main city square was much smaller than Krakow's but was also teeming with activity as tons of vendors were set up in the center selling all sorts of things - masks, scarves, jewelry, you name it!
From Vicenza we headed towards Venice stopping in Padova along the way. Padova is most known for its university. The first female to ever receive her undergraduate degree went to the university. It was also well known for its science/doctoral program.
After an afternoon in Padova we ventured on to our hotel outside of Venice. We arrived around 8 or so and once again went out in search of food around 9. We found a very delicious restaurant with amazing pizza. I had half of a Viennese and half of a Hawaiian. Both were delicious. We all also indulged in some vino de la casa - house wine- which was also amazing! And since Amelia already started blabbering about it, this place also won the award for best looking Italian server! The guy even told us to come back the next night, which I gladly would have done had we not been celebrating Carnival in Venice the next night! Oh well... After dinner we all headed to the beach, which was only 2 streets down from our hotel, for a night walk.
In case you hadn't guessed it the next day was spent in Venice. This was the first city we stopped in that I had previously been to and I was looking forward to being back and experiencing the city again- this time through my own eyes and not through a camera screen! The city was more amazing than I remembered, although that may have had something to do with it being the last day of Carnival- its a giant celebration that lasts several days with lots of festivals and wearing masks and throwing confetti all in celebration of the upcoming Lent. It was pretty cool to experience as we all bought and wore our masks around, fitting in perfectly! It was a lot of fun! The other thing I did, which I didn't do last time, was a gondola ride. Myself and 3 others split the cost for a 45 minute cruise around the various canals. It was a really neat way to experience the city, especially since boat was meant to be the primary means of travel.
Man, this is getting long... From Venice we went to Pisa, which was another repeat place for me. We toured around and of course did the cheesy Pisa pics. We actually met a few fellow Americans while taking pictures. One was an OSU alum- blehh. And another was a Florida fan! Small world! After Pisa we continued on to Florence! It was fun to be back in Florence and see all the sites again, even went to the top of the Duomo for the second time! I will admit that of all the Italian cities Florence is not one of my top cities. Its much busier than all the others and has a slightly different feel to it. Not to say it isn't an amazing city, just not one of my favorites.
After Florence we headed for Siena. The city actually surprised me with its charm and character. At first it seemed like many of the smaller cities we had seen, but there was a certain boldness to it that seperated it from the others. It may have been partly due to the fact that it contained the only church/cathedral that really caught my attention. The cathedral was a complete contrast to all the buildings around it and really had a presence. The city square area was also unique- it was a semi-circle rather than the typical rectangle/square shape in every other city.
From there we headed to our final Italian city- Rome. It was just as impressive as I remembered! It was fun being back in Rome too, because despite having seen nearly every place we went to on our tour of the city, I got to experience them at a different time of day. For instance, the last time I went to the Pantheon was in the middle of the day and this time we went later in the evening so the whole experience was different! I also went into the Colosseum and explored the ancient ruins of the roman forum, which I didn't do last time. And as I said earlier, this time I got to experience the city more with my eyes than through the lens of a camera!
The final stop on our way home was Vienna, Austria. It was a very charming city and an interesting contrast to the Italian cities we had been seeing! It probably would have been one of my favorite cities had I not been so tired from the previous 9 days! But despite being exhausted I did my best to enjoy the city. It was lively like many of the others- which actually impresses me since we were there on a Sunday and other than the fact that all the stores were closed I never would have thought a place would be that active on a Sunday. There were people/families everywhere!
Sorry it has been a while since my last post. I have been busy roaming through Italy, and a little bit of Austria, on a 10 day school led field trip! Life is tough, I know! Now, I thought about giving a run down of every city we visited but that could take me days to write about. So, I am going to give a brief run down of everything, highlighting my favorite places. So...
The trip started two Fridays ago. All 20 of us loaded up on a coach Friday night and had an overnight ride to the city of Graz, Austria. It was a beautiful European city! Lots of charm, very historic, and a definite sense of culture- something I have found in nearly all the countries and cities I have visited in my various travels. If only the U.S. had such a rich and deep root in its history and culture!
From Graz we loaded back onto the bus and headed for Vicenza, Italy! The ride there was beautiful as we drove through the alps, which were still capped with snow! When we reach the Italian boarder we were stopped and had our passports checked. We were all cleared to enter the country! We arrived in Vicenza around 9 and after sorting out rooms we headed out to find some dinner. Vicenza is known for being the home of Palladio, and thus many of the best examples of his work. As a result, our visit there focused primarily on his works which were pretty interesting to see in person, especially since we studied them in our architecture history classes. While in Vicenza we took a day trip to Verona. Home of Juliet Capulet- to which we of course went to her house and saw her balcony and made a wish! Verona itself was a beautiful city and one of my favorites. It was bustling with activity, the main street was packed- it took some maneuvering for everyone to stay together. The main city square was much smaller than Krakow's but was also teeming with activity as tons of vendors were set up in the center selling all sorts of things - masks, scarves, jewelry, you name it!
From Vicenza we headed towards Venice stopping in Padova along the way. Padova is most known for its university. The first female to ever receive her undergraduate degree went to the university. It was also well known for its science/doctoral program.
After an afternoon in Padova we ventured on to our hotel outside of Venice. We arrived around 8 or so and once again went out in search of food around 9. We found a very delicious restaurant with amazing pizza. I had half of a Viennese and half of a Hawaiian. Both were delicious. We all also indulged in some vino de la casa - house wine- which was also amazing! And since Amelia already started blabbering about it, this place also won the award for best looking Italian server! The guy even told us to come back the next night, which I gladly would have done had we not been celebrating Carnival in Venice the next night! Oh well... After dinner we all headed to the beach, which was only 2 streets down from our hotel, for a night walk.
In case you hadn't guessed it the next day was spent in Venice. This was the first city we stopped in that I had previously been to and I was looking forward to being back and experiencing the city again- this time through my own eyes and not through a camera screen! The city was more amazing than I remembered, although that may have had something to do with it being the last day of Carnival- its a giant celebration that lasts several days with lots of festivals and wearing masks and throwing confetti all in celebration of the upcoming Lent. It was pretty cool to experience as we all bought and wore our masks around, fitting in perfectly! It was a lot of fun! The other thing I did, which I didn't do last time, was a gondola ride. Myself and 3 others split the cost for a 45 minute cruise around the various canals. It was a really neat way to experience the city, especially since boat was meant to be the primary means of travel.
Man, this is getting long... From Venice we went to Pisa, which was another repeat place for me. We toured around and of course did the cheesy Pisa pics. We actually met a few fellow Americans while taking pictures. One was an OSU alum- blehh. And another was a Florida fan! Small world! After Pisa we continued on to Florence! It was fun to be back in Florence and see all the sites again, even went to the top of the Duomo for the second time! I will admit that of all the Italian cities Florence is not one of my top cities. Its much busier than all the others and has a slightly different feel to it. Not to say it isn't an amazing city, just not one of my favorites.
After Florence we headed for Siena. The city actually surprised me with its charm and character. At first it seemed like many of the smaller cities we had seen, but there was a certain boldness to it that seperated it from the others. It may have been partly due to the fact that it contained the only church/cathedral that really caught my attention. The cathedral was a complete contrast to all the buildings around it and really had a presence. The city square area was also unique- it was a semi-circle rather than the typical rectangle/square shape in every other city.
From there we headed to our final Italian city- Rome. It was just as impressive as I remembered! It was fun being back in Rome too, because despite having seen nearly every place we went to on our tour of the city, I got to experience them at a different time of day. For instance, the last time I went to the Pantheon was in the middle of the day and this time we went later in the evening so the whole experience was different! I also went into the Colosseum and explored the ancient ruins of the roman forum, which I didn't do last time. And as I said earlier, this time I got to experience the city more with my eyes than through the lens of a camera!
The final stop on our way home was Vienna, Austria. It was a very charming city and an interesting contrast to the Italian cities we had been seeing! It probably would have been one of my favorite cities had I not been so tired from the previous 9 days! But despite being exhausted I did my best to enjoy the city. It was lively like many of the others- which actually impresses me since we were there on a Sunday and other than the fact that all the stores were closed I never would have thought a place would be that active on a Sunday. There were people/families everywhere!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Fat Thursday
Panoramic of Market Square - with blue skies!Today was a Polish holiday known as Fat Thursday. Basically a day to pig out on donuts and other delicious treats before Lent; which explains why people were loading up their carts with packs of donuts yesterday at the store. We decided to part take in the festivities and so after class we hung out in market square in search of a cafe or bakery shop selling delicious treats! We ended up going into a cafe we had been in once before and grabbed a seat. After a thorough inspection of the menu, everyone chose to get a donut except me. I figured its Fat Thursday, a day to indulge... and well a donut wasn't quite what I was feeling. So I ordered an ice cream- fruit dish that looked delicious based on the picture in the menu. The waitress had a hard time understanding us, so while everyone thought they were ordering a chocolate donut, they all ended up getting a chocolate milk and a plain donut with a raspberry filling. It was pretty funny. Luckily, my order was simply pointing to the item on the menu so I got exactly what I ordered. And it was beautiful when they brought it out... and delicious. I forget the menu name, but it was amazing. It was 3 scopes of ice cream- one of lemon, one of mocha, and one of raspberry- topped with whipped cream with a layer of fresh fruit - clementines, kiwi, grapes, pineapple, cantaloupe, and pomegranate - all on top. It was delicious!!
Before
AfterOnce we finished our snacks a group of us headed out to wander around market square and take some pictures as today was the first day I was down there while there were blue skies! The weather is slowly improving; hopefully by the time we return from out 9 days in Italy it will have warmed up a few more degrees! And yes, we are getting ready to go on a 9 day excursion to Italy, with stops in Austria! The bus leaves tomorrow at 10pm (4pm eastern standard time) and we will head to Austria and then a bunch of cities in Italy. I have to admit I was kind of hoping that our European tour would be some place other than Italy, but we got to the itinerary today and are going to 5 or so Italian cities I haven't been to along with places in Austria. Needless to say I'm pretty excited! Vicenza, Verona (home of Juliette), Firenze, and Siena are a few of the places we are going that I haven't been. I have a feeling its going to be a long 9 days as we will be visiting 11 cities in Italy and Austria, but well worth the exhaustion that I know will follow!
Anywho, just thought I would give a quick updaete! I'm tired and have class in the morning so its bedtime for me. I'll try to post a time or two while in Italy, but no guarantees as I am not taking my laptop and don't know when I'll be able to find an internet cafe.
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