When in Firenze....Week 2

When I first started this blog I definitely intended to try and post a lot more frequently. But as I've found, my time to write has been very limited. I'm about a week and a half behind on blog posts so I'll try and put in as much as I can to get up to speed!

Two weekends ago we went on a weekend trip to Verona and Lake Garda. And while visiting the home of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was interesting, Lake Garda definitely beat out Verona. Texas doesn't exactly have the prettiest lakes...like at all, so when I saw the beautiful water I was happily surprised! After such a crazy week, it was really nice to just layout by the water and relax for a couple of hours.

Center of Verona

When in Firenze..Week 1

It's weird to think that my study abroad program is more than half way done. The first week in Florence sped by in a blissful blur. After settling in at our apartment, which thank goodness actually has A/C, we didn't waste anytime before exploring the city. We even got to see a parade in front of the Duomo!

Eternal City

After saying goodbye to my parents, I met up with my study abroad program to begin the next three weeks of my time in Europe. The first few days we spent in Rome before making the journey to our final destination, Florence.

The first full day of our time in Rome, our study abroad program provided us with tours of the city, one by bus and one walking tour. Rome is quite a large city, and I'm not a fan of walking...but the sights we saw made up for the exhaustion that ensued. We saw the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Trevi Fountain, and the Pantheon all in three hours. So by the time we were done, I was more than ready for a long nap.

Intersection of East and West

Sorry for the lag time with the blog posts! I’ve been crazy busy ever since starting my study abroad program. Posts on that will come later!

Leaving Mykonos was such a difficult thing for me; I could honestly stay there for weeks at a time further exploring it and the surrounding islands. But my sadness didn’t last long, since after a quick flight, we arrived in Istanbul.

For those who follow the news, our timing to visit Istanbul wasn’t the best. There have been protests against the government for more than 20 days now, but luckily, Istanbul didn’t prove a problem, and I enjoyed it immensely.

Paradise

I apologize in advance for the long post, but I’ve found heaven on earth and its name is Mykonos. I had heard such great things about the island but I wasn’t prepared for it to go over and above my expectations. I honestly think that it might top the list of places that I have visited.

To begin, I think the people that live in Mykonos are some of the most happy and friendly people that I’ve met. Every person that I made eye contact with gave me a big smile and a warm hello. But hey, I think I would be happy all the time if I lived in a place as beautiful as Mykonos.

Pictures, and much less my description of Mykonos, don’t do the island justice. Everything seems so much brighter there, the colors more vivid, the sea breeze more refreshing, and the food and wine more satisfying. (Can you tell that I’m in love?)

From one ancient city to the next

After a quick 24-hour stop in Rome, I headed to Athens for two days. Visiting cities with such rich history was mesmerizing, and finally seeing historical sites that I had only seen in my art history classes was such a thrill (Carly wish you were here!)

In Rome, our hotel was a short walk away from the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. My parents and I all threw in a coin to ensure that we would return, and since I’ll be going back next week to further explore the city, it looks like the coin toss worked! We went to a small little restaurant on a relatively quiet side street, and the food was fantastic! I always want to take pictures of the food that I order, but when it actually gets to the table I get distracted by, well, eating it all. But I want to definitely try and make an effort in the coming days. It’ll be a great exercise in self-restraint!

Ciao America!

Today I finally say goodbye to the good ol' USA and say hello to Europe for the next six weeks! 

All ready to go!

A TRIP ACROSS THE ATLANTIC