Geneva and Athens!

Ciao tutti!


Statue group outside the International Red Cross Museum



The past two weeks have super busy, with classes starting to wrap up and two trips that I had planned a long time ago with friends from Richmond. The first was Geneva, where I met up with Hannah and Briana, friends that I was also able to see during my Fall Break. The first day there, it was raining, but luckily on Saturday, the day we did most of our sightseeing, it was absolutely beautiful out. On Friday, while Briana and I waited for Hannah's flight to get in, we went to the Palace of Nations, home to some key functions of the United Nations. We were able to get a tour of the building, after going through some pretty crazy security (wherein I realized I forgot my passport and Briana had to "pledge" that I would be under her watchful eye during our entire visit!), and saw the main meeting areas. The building is so interesting because it is made up of "gifts" from member states of the United Nations...throughout the tour, the guide would point to the floor, the columns, the paintings, in a specific room and say "so and so country gave this to the UN, this artist painted this for the UN...". Very interesting, like a hodge-podge of objects "pledging" allegiance to the membership established through the United Nations.



View from our walk around Geneva



The next day, we visisted the International Red Cross museum, and learned about how it was created, and the different activities it is involved with. We ended up spending most of the day in the Vielle-Ville, or Old Town of Geneva, which was built on a pretty high hill above the newer town of Geneva. This area was so beautiful! Of course, it was bit of a hike getting up there, but it was well worth it. We ate at a crepery, were able to look around the St. Paul Cathedral in the center of the Old Town, and ended up at the cutest tea shop for a little afternoon snack. The amazing thing about Geneva is that it is so walkable, and the only time we used public transportation (which was free for us, staying at the Geneva Youth Hostel) was to get to the Palace of Nations, and International Red Cross, but it really wasn't necessary. We took a water taxi that night, which was about a 5 minute ride across the lake the Geneva is on, and it was such a cool experience! The locals actually use these "taxis" on a daily basis, but had so much fun just sitting on it for the quick ride and back. That night we tracked down a restaurant that would serve us chocolate fondue (amazingly hard to find!) and ate every morsel, and walked around the city. We came across this amazing "band" of men, that attracted such a huge crowd of people, little kids running up and dropping tips in their guitar cases. There was so much energy to them, we stopped for a bit to enjoy the atmosphere. The video below is of this fun band.

The weekend was over as quickly as it came, and we left the next day, after spending an enormous time of the week just spending time relaxing in the company of great weather and great friends.

This past weekend I flew to Athens, meeting Briana there for our last trip travelling together (so crazy!). My flight was at 9:10, and I had to take a 30 minute train to get the airport from my area in Rome, so I was planning on waking up at 5:30 to get ready and finish packing, and then head out with plenty of time to spare. Did that happen?? No. I woke up at 7:45, and after looking at my phone, flew into a sheer panic. I through the rest of my things in my backpack and literally RAN out of my apartment and to the tram stop, and then to the train station. The automatic ticket machine was broken, which made me miss the 8:06 train to the airport, and the next one wasn't until 8:21. My flight was to begin boarding at 8:40, so you can just imagine my panic. The second my train pulled into the airport station, my feet hit the ground running, and I was "that girl" SPRNTING through the airport, arriving at security panting, and begging people in Italian to let me pass them, hands shaking. Luckily my gate was the very first after security, and somehow managed to get to it before it closed. The women at the desk just looked at me, and said "Emma?" and I nodded, not sure if it would be good or bad news. And then they said the magic words: "You're the last to board". YES! I was so excited, and exhausted before my trip even began.



Me in front of the Parthenon!



Briana and I spent the first day, as always, just wondering in the area around our hostel, which was conveniently almost next to the Acropolis. It was such an amazing sight to see that night! Almost unreal. I would post of photo of it, but none of them came out. We ate a traditional Greek meal of Greek salad and Moussaka that night, and still could not believe that we were in Athens.



Caryatids, part of the Erechtheium, Acropolis



The next day we got up early and beat the crowds to the Acropolis, and it was absolutely an unbelievable sight. The day was just getting started, the sun shining, and it was obvious it was going to be beautiful. But the sight of the Parthenon on the edge of the Acropolis, the Erechtheium with its famous Caryatids, and the Temple of Nike, was even more beautiful. I just learned about Greek Archeology in a class last semester, so it was exciting (and still is, as I write about it) to see all that I had learned about, laying in front of me. We walked around the top for a while, and then walked on the slopes of the Acropolis for a large part of time, and it almost felt like we were mountain climbing at some points, the terrain and "paths" being in rough shape. We also saw the Temple of Zeus, the Ancient and Roman Agoras, and the Parliament Building. Despite staying close, more or less, to our hostel, I had an amazing weekend in Athens. My "giddiness" at the archaeology remains there was comparable to how I felt when I first arrived in Rome, and it reminded me just how lucky I am to be here, spending my semester doing the things I have. I hope I never forget that feeling.

That is all for now, my friends, I will blog soon to update you guys on my life in Rome the past few weeks, including some fun stuff I did at my internship!

Hope your Thanksgiving's were amazing!

Fall Break, aka the Best week of My Life



"John Lennon" Wall, Prague




Hello all! Again, I have to apologize for not posting sooner, after coming back from my trip, I was so exhausted and then that exhaustion was consumed with dealing with classes/internship all week. But here I am! As I start to think about how to describe my trip to you, I am quickly realizing just HOW much I did last week. That being said, I am going to try to describe key points to you guys, and hopefully this wont be (too) long.                                                                          

First stop, after meeting up with my friend Briana in Milan, was Prague. We flew there on Friday, and after a bus, a tram, and a bit of walking, we found our hostel. It was a bit stressful trying to figure out how much money we need for the 2 days we were going to be there (in Prague they use the Czech "crown", which exchanges to about 100 czk to a little less than 10 euros), and then buying tickets to take a bus into the city center. That beginning stress did not translate into the rest of our trip, though, thank goodness. I absolutely fell in love with Prague. If you've talked to me since I've been back, I'm sure you know this, but I just cannot get over the calm beauty of the city, which, combined with the history, makes me jealous of anyone who has been able to spend more time there than I have. The first day, we decided to walk around and learn how to get around the town a bit-by the end of our time in Prague, we could walk home without having to pay attention to street signs, which just adds to how much I love this city! That night, Briana and I ended up going to an organ concert in Old Prague (which is where we spend most of our time), which featured the biggest classical organ in Prague, a soprano singer, and a violin. Together, they played 15 amazingly beautiful songs, and despite the cold (the cathedral the concert was in was not heated), the concert remains to be a highlight of my entire trip. The next day we spent at Prague Castle, and the surrounding buildings, and in the Old Town Square. Prague Castle sits on, as far as I could tell, the highest point of the city, and offers a 360 degree view of the whole area.



Cathedral, Prague Castle, Prague



Prague was so comfortable, walkable, and I've missed it since I left. The foliage on the hills next to the Vlatava River were so picturesque, and actually reminded me a lot of Vermont. And the little quirks, like the hot wine and czech sausage ("must-haves" apparently) just made the experience better.

Next stop was Vienna, Austria, where we met Briana's friend from highschool Lucy, who is studying there for a year. It was really nice to have a sort of guide who spoke almost fluent German to show us around. It rained for most of the time while I was there, but the rain couldn't take away from the majesty of the buildings in Vienna, or the equally amazing history that can be found in royal palaces. The first night we were there (Sunday) we spur-of-the-moment decided to try to get standing room tickets at the opera house. We didn't realize it, but it was the premier of a new ballet that night, but we were actually able to get tickets! Standing room, is...well, standing, so it by the end we were ready to sit in a restaurant, but the overall experience was unbelievable. When I thought of what I was doing, attending a ballet at the opera house in Vienna, I almost couldn't believe it, like I was completely dreaming. I still can't believe that I was actually there.

The next day we toured all around Vienna, and then a bit out of the city to see Schonbrunn Palace, and saw most of the rooms there. If it had been a nicer day, we would have toured around the gardens that stretch far behind the Palace itself, but unfortunately it rained that day too.


Schunbrunn Palace, Vienna



From Vienna we flew to London (Tuesday), where it was STILL raining! But we found our hostel pretty quickly and ate at a good ol' British pub, so we were both pretty happy. After going to be bed extremely early Tuesday night, Wednesday we spent ALL day out in the city. We went to Buckingham Palace and unfortunately missed the changing of the guard by 5 minutes! So upsetting. We walked to Westminster Abbey, saw Big Ben, the London Eye, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, and the London Tower and Bridge. By the end of the day, we became pretty proficient at using the Tube, with our Oyster Cards and all! The highlight of the day was going to the London Eye at night, realizing it was wayy too expensive, but then seeing the most beautiful view across the Thames: Westminster Abbey and Big Ben lit up, the nighttime glow of the city behind them.

Leaving London behind, we took a night bus to Edinburgh, Scotland, to visit another good friend from Richmond, Hannah. She is studying there for the semester, and it was so nice to finally meet up with her (part 2 of our travels will take place this weekend, when all three of us travel to Geneva!). Edinburgh was so breathtaking! The architecture, the hills, and the overall atmosphere of the city were utterly incredible. Here, again, we had a guide in Hannah, and it was great to finally see the places she talks about, and the people she has met. We drank a lot of tea (now I'm addicted...) and visited different castles, and took in the views from the high hills of the city. Again, stunning. And the weather was actually pretty nice there! It drizzled here and there, but overall it was really nice out.

After a few days in Edinburgh, Briana and I reluctantly flew back to Milan, where I spent another night there, and then I came back to Rome by train last Sunday. I have to say, as sad as I was to leave it all behind, it was kind of nice to arrive in the train station in Rome, knowing that I was finally back to a slightly slower pace. The week of traveling was amazing, but it was also stressful, and time-consuming in planning, but I am so glad I did it.

Back in Rome, I've started up classes again, and my internship is well under way, and I spent a relaxing weekend here, still resting up from my travels. I've been trying to get out and see more of the city now that I can actually feel the end of the my time abroad ending. Just 5 more weekends before I am home! I remember when I first arrived, and time seemed to pass so slowly. Now, I can't make it slow down! All I can do is make the most of the time I have left here, and hope it goes a bit slower from here on out.



Trafalgar Square, London



Westminster Abbey & Big Ben, London





With Briana & Hannah, Edinburgh





Buonanotte!

(Ps...sorry that the pictures at the end are kind of dumped there, they werent working with me very easily!)