Part III: Rome

Ahh Rome. My favorite part of the trip. There was so much in Rome I wanted to see and I am happy to say I got to see it all. The first night we got there we went to sleep after another full day of travel so we'd be able to get up and go the next morning. I also finished my 3rd book of the trip. We got up and had breakfast at the hostel and then set out to find the Rome(ing) Tour that had been recommended to us. We got their early and ended up sitting at a cafe for an hour waiting, we decided it was very Italian of us. The tour was great. It was given by Tad, a friendly man from Iowa. He was incredibly knowledgeable and I asked him quite a few questions. We ended up having the tour all to ourselves as well as we were the only ones who showed up. It was a 4 hour walking tour that took us all over ancient Rome. Seeing the Colosseum, Pantheon, Jewish ghetto, Mouth of Truth, Circus Maximus, Piazza Venezia, and the Roman Forum.
It wiped us out and after trying the restaurant Tad recommended to us, and disliking it, we turned in.
The next day we packed just as much in. Starting with the Vatican. We did a little shopping on the way to St. Peter's Basilica. Once there we decided we should get inline to go in...not really realizing what we were getting ourselves into. By mistake we got into line for the capela, where a friendly Canadian told us we were going to the top of the dome. It cost 5 euros to take all 541 stairs or you could pay 7 and take the elevator half way and only walk 300.. Alyssa and I decided to save two euros and burn some extra calories. It was definitely a climb, but we made it, and it actually ended up being one of my favorite things we did. We could see all of Rome from the top and had a great deal of arms that wrap around St. Peter's.

Afterward we got galeto on our way to the Vatican Museum, where the Sistine Chapel is located; something I couldn't leave Rome without seeing.
After our Vatican adventure we headed towards the Trevi fountain. It started raining... (the only bad weather we had on our whole trip) but it really didn't phase us, the fountain was spectacular.


The next morning we got up early to make our way to Piazza Navona to look for paintings. I bought two small water colors that I think will look great in Jen and I's bathroom :) We also got pizza and gatelo for the last time in Italy before we ran back to the hostel to catch our taxi to the airport.

Our trip really went without any hitches and it is truly something I will never forget.

Part II: Santorini

So as you can tell I've waited a long time to make this post. I got back from spring break ten days ago, and just haven't been in the mood to relay our trip in writing because I've told so many people about it verbally. But, for my memory, I'm going to jot some stuff down so I can blog about life now, which I really want to do :)

Santorini. It turns out Santorini is a 7 1/2 hour ferry ride away from Athens... who knew? Not us. But we had our hearts set on going and a hotel booked, so we boarded the ferry at 7:30am on Sat, after a crazy public transport trip that would not have been possible if not for the crazy nice bus driver who picked us up at vacant bus stop, the second bus driver who didn't leave the stop we were supposed to get off at until we were off, and the random Greek women who heard us talk about where we were going and told us we need to get on the metro on the other side of the track. The ferry ride went fast and I finished my second book of the trip. We arrived in Santorini after having witnessed the beauty of the island from the ship; an array of white houses on top of a huge mountain in the middle of the bluest water I have ever seen.

The hotel we were staying at offered free pick up from the port, and it was wonderful to not have to worry about some random taxi taking us for an unwanted ride around town. We drove up and up and up and finally reached the cutest little villa, Villa Manos, where we stayed. They welcomed us with Santorini wine and we were taken to our room. We freshened up and then set out to find food. We went to a place called Nikh's, which was recommended to us by the owner of the villa and I had the best cheesy potato dish I've ever eaten. It was like my mom's party potatoes times 10! We were stuffed and tired so we went back to the room and slept. On the second day we went and explored the town of Fira, which is located on upper part of the island of Santorini.(I didn't know there were separate towns on the island until we got there either) We walked and walked and walked. But we found the spot where all the picture are taken from, and rightly so. I could have sat on top of these roofs all day just to look at the water, the mountains, and tops of the white houses all around me.

We got pizza for lunch and divided in two groups. Andrea, Alyssa and I decided to go check out the black sand beach and the other girls went back to the room. We laid out on the beach although, like the rest of the town, we were the only ones there. It's not their tourist season so it felt kind of like a ghost town. We found a really cute restaurant on the beach though and enjoyed a drink while taking in the view. They also gave us tap water, which Alyssa didn't remind me we couldn't drink until it was already in my mouth! We ended up going back to the cute restaurant on the beach for dinner, and like every other place we went in Santorini, were given a free dessert with our meal :) The next day we woke up went back to the black sand beach, ate lunch, found a bakery where I picked up Greek Pound Cake, and waited for the time to be taken back to the ferry. They gave us wine again before we left and we prepared for the 7 1/2 hours of traveling ahead of us.

The ferry ride back to Athens, if I had to pick, was the worst part of the trip. I did not want to be on the boat for that long again so soon, and for some reason I got the most homesick I've been on this trip while riding that ferry. I read though and stared out at the wonders of the scenery.

We got into Athens late and got into a really nice taxi to take us to our hostel for the night. The next morning we were up and traveling again. We got brunch at a cafe in the square and headed to the airport.

and away we go...(part I: Athens)

Ever since AP Art History my senior year of high school I've had insanely high hopes for getting to see everything I studied during the entire year... Again, at the time these were hopes, dreams, ambitions. But I can now say it is slowly turning into a reality. On Wed Feb 24th I left for Athens with five darling girls from my program. I turns out almost all European Airlines serve meals and I was thrilled to get salmon on the way there! We landed at about 12:15am and waited in customs for a bit before hoping into a taxi which was supposed to bring us directly to our hostel. Well after a scary ride, on which I turned to Ashley and commented that I felt like we were on a roller coaster, we received a taxi fee that was much steeper than expected and didn't even drop us off at the door to our hostel, only the alleyway leading to it.. but we were out of the taxi alive and happy to be so. When we finally got to our room we discovered it was perfect! We had our own studio style apartment with a separate kitchen, bathroom and living room apart from our bedroom with three sets of bunk beds. We headed straight to bed and decided to sleep in the next morning so we would have energy to explore.
On our first full day we woke up a little late and thus went in search of lunch as we left the apartment. We discovered old town and ate Gyros! After which we got galeto, and then set our sites on the Acropolis! We climbed the hill leading to it as the sun was shinning and my face was smiling. We stayed on top of the Acropolis not just looking at the ruins but the view it offered us! We saw the Parthenon, Porch of the Maidens, Temple of Athena Nike, and the Theater of Dionysos, to name a few.

After leaving the Acropolis we went to explore the rest of the city. We ended up making our way to Syntagma Square, which is right in front of their main govn't building (like their white house) We got freshly made donuts in the square and then decided to go back and get re-ready before dinner. We tried to find a Greek menu so we could taste a truly Greek meal. We found one relatively close to our studio and i decided I was going to be adventurous and order something I didn't know if I would like. I ordered Moussaka, which consists of eggplant and minced meat and it was my favorite meal of the trip. Absolutely one of the best things i've ever tried. The Greeks loved six American girls everywhere we went and we were constantly given free things at meals. The first night started this fad with free Ouzo, the Greek alcohol of choice. It reminded me of black licorice and I did not like it.

The second morning we woke up a little earlier and got breakfast at this cute little restaurant with a large outdoor seating area. We all ordered their Greek yogurt/fresh fruit waffle and I found it superb.

The rest of the day was devoted to shopping! We walked the streets of Plaka, which contained hundreds of cute little shops and bought a lot of souvenirs for family and friends :) On our way back to the apartment for the night we stopped and made reservations at a resturant in old town where the owner promised us live music and let us pick the table to we wanted for that night. When we came back our table was ready and I order a four course meal to celebrate our last night in Athens.

PUPPY CHOW!

Today is a big day. I leave for spring break in about six hours. But bigger than that, my parents sent me a package. And it contained Puppy Chow! I received this package about 45 minutes ago; it is now half gone. Andrea helped a tad bit, but it's safe to say I will not need a real lunch or dinner. I'm sooo happy right now. I took a midterm this morning, feel pretty good about it, got my package and now leave in 6 hours to see more places I've only dreamed about. Athens, Rome, and Santorini.

Quick update on everything before I leave and come back to write about more amazing things -
Sat - We went to Greenwich, stood on the Prime Meridian, and toured the town for a bit. That night we went to a really cool place called the Rooftop Gardens; it's a really posh place that Ari, a boy our trip, had booked a few tables at for his birthday. We went at like 9 and got in, and then discovered it was not a cheap place. This should have been assumed because this place is frequented by celebs. I had a wonderful night though, thoroughly enjoyed the venue.

Sunday - We went to a football game! It was Fulham vs. Birmingham and Fulham won! It was a really cool stadium and we want to go back. I ate a footlong hotdog and it was in a baguette, so yummy.

Monday - we went to see Billy Elliot! It was amazing! I now completely understand how the 12 year old boy(s) won the Tony when it first opened. The dancing sequences were mind blowing, the music was good, but the dancing made the show.

Tuesday - was full of packing and preparing. And I caught up on one tree hill and brothers and sisters, and watched Bridget Jones' Diary.

AND now I leave! dun dun dunnnnnnn.
Can't wait to show you pictures and tell you stories!

sure was bright in brighton.

It turns out 6 hours of sleep is enough to get one through a beautiful day in Brighton. Brighton, mentioned as a traveling spot to Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice, is a beach town on the southern shores of England. It was a cute town that many people actually commute from to work in London every day. We started out by walking with Brit, who first navigated our huge group through 'the lanes,' which are tiny walking streets that take you through a wonderfully cute brick lane/window shopping district. Andrea, Ellie, Alex and I splurged on a cupcake at yet another adorable cup cake shop. Mine was made of Devils food cake and had peanut butter frosting and a Reese's on top. Possibly greatest frosting i've ever tasted. We then explored the Royal Pavilion, which was built by Charles IV when he was the Prince Regent. It was built in an eastern Asia style and looked like the Taj Ma Hall. In side was jaw dropping. The chandelier in the dining room was unbelievable, and although we weren't allowed to take pictures I have a mental picture in my head which still blows me away every time I think about it. Queen Victoria also had rooms redecorated in the palace even though she only visited four times because she decided she hated vacationing there. Why I can't even imagine.


After the tour of the Royal Pavilion we went in search of fish and chips. Because Brighton is on the sea we figured it would so fresh. We ate at the Pier, and stuffed ourselves with the largest box of fish and chips I've ever seen. The picture is half way through the meal because I was too hungry i had to eat before a picture could be taken :)

We walked on the pebble beach for awhile and toured some cute beachside shops before heading back to the bus for the ride home.

I don't want to bore with a detailed description of the rest of my week so i'll outline it quick and throw a few pictures in :)

Monday - went to see a play called Ghost, and it was okay, just seeing all the theater shows I can while in London seems to be a good way to spend my time.

Tuesday - It was Ellie's birthday! We started out the night at a pub called The Greyhound and later moved to a club called The Roxy which Peter talked us in to. It turned out to be a great move because the club was a lot of fun and relatively cheap because Tuesday's are student nights. We danced the night away and got home around 2.

Wednesday - Can't think of anything notable that occurred...

Thursday - Andrea and I started out on an adventure to find a new Longchamp bag for me! We started at Harrod's, because if I was going to buy one anywhere I wanted it to be there. But they only ended up having two colors in the size I wanted and I didn't want either. So we went to a store called London Luggage and I found a slate gray one and I love it :) It was my big buy for the trip, but they're still very inexpensive compared to buying one in the states. After I got my bag we tubed over towards Westminster Abbey, where we had decided we would go to see a service. We got there early and decided to tour the Supreme Court first. London just opened their Supreme Court less than a year ago (i believe) and it's quite modern. It consists of three courts within and I believe they all deal with separate issues. After that we crossed the street to enter Westminster Abbey, where every monarch has been crowned since William the Conqueror in 1066! It's a gorgeous cathedral and the service was very nice. It was called eveningsong and occurs every night at 5:30, the men's Abbey choir sings and their are verses read





After we got home we ate some food and got ready to go out for the night. This time Eric directed us to a bar down towards Lescester Square. It had waxy in the name...but was a very cool place with a tree in the middle of it! It also played great American songs (including Time of my Life from Dirty Dancing!) After we went to a club called O'Neil's which is three floors of American students dancing the night away. We ventured to the top floor which had a live band.



And this led us up to the morning in Brighton. Good week :)

Did I Mention my Family's Scotlish?

So in case you missed the last post - go read it. This one is about to pick up where the other ended, and you'll just be confused :)

After our amazing trek up Arthur's Seat we were all famished and found the cute restaurant on campus. I actually ordered a pot of tea because I was chilled and have decided I rather like a good cup of tea now and then - who knew? Anyways, after our cute lunch we headed into town to find this 'ghost tour' that had Alyssa and Andrea intrigued. I'm not a fan of ghosts, and not to upset any of them reading this, but I don't really believe in them either... I guess I've never been around people that do share this belief or have encountered one. I also don't do well with scary. I hate scary movies and jump fairly easily. But we were in Scotland and there were underground vaults to explore... We had a wonderful tour guide who spooked the shit out of me(pardon my language, but he did!) The history of the underground vaults was fascinating in itself, but every room had it's own ghost that had it's own story. A little boy is one of the most frequently seen ghosts because he enjoys holding a woman's hand or playing with children on the tour. Our tour guide told us to take our mittens off and leave our hands by our sides to have a better chance of meeting him. This did not happen. While I left my gloves off, one hand was wrapped around Andrea's arm, the other was in a fist in my coat. Did i mention that it's pitch black and you're underground? The only torch that traveled down with us was the one the tour guide held and he turned it off whenever he pleased. But we made it out alive and he promised us the ghosts wouldn't follow us out of the vaults. We were given a shot of scotch and shortbread cookies at the end; which I thankfully took to ease my nerves, which were a tad bit on edge.
After that crazy experience we walked to The Elephant Room, where JK Rowling dreamed up and wrote the Harry Potter series which I so adore. As we looked for dinner places on Saturday night we discovered something we had all forgotten about...Everyone was celebrating Valentine's Day..and we couldn't get in anywhere. Not even Pizza Express! We eventually split up and Ashley, Lindsey and I found an open table at "wannaburger," which turned out to be cheap and very good. I ended my meal with the best milkshake i've had since we arrived. It was finally thick! For some reason everyone over here likes making really really thin milkshakes, but this place did a superb job.

We had a few drinks at the hostel, but were completely worn out from the whole climbing a mountain thing so went to bed a little after midnight. Before going to bed I tried to talk to one of the guys sharing the room with us; I had talked to one of the girls he was with before and she had spoken English and told me they were French and would be there for three days. Well I decided to ask him how his day was. He said good; it was an easy enough questions.
I tried to continue; "Will you guys be going to the Castle tomorrow?"
He replies, "oh, oh, Newcastle."
"No, I'm sorry, the Edinburgh Castle, are you going?"
"Newcastle, Newcastle."
I laugh, not because he was not understanding me, but because this is the first language barrier I had ever encountered and i didn't know what to do with myself.
"I'm sorry," he says, "I not speak English."
I smile and apologize myself, "No, No, I'm sorry, I don't speak a word of French."
We smile at each other, and we both hop into bed. I still look back and smile at how American it was of me to assume everyone spoke English...

We got up early, packed up, and ate our last free breakfast before heading to the train for our ride home. We all discussed going home, only to moments later comment on the fact that we had just called London home. But I'm sitting in my bed, in my flat, which I call home. And i'm completely content. Sure I still have my ups and downs, I still miss certain people so much it hurts sometimes, and wish I was able to fly back for friends birthdays, but i've only got 71 days left of living in London to continue to experience everything I possibly can. Sometimes I dread the number because it seems too long to be away from Bennett and sometimes I dread that number because I feel I still have so much to see. These mixed emotions are finally hitting and sometimes I struggle to put them in their place, but overall I'm loving life, learning new things about myself, and what I can accomplish on my own.

back to the home of my ancestors

On Thursday afternoon I embarked on a lovely weekend away from London by getting on a train to Edinburgh, Scotland. I'm guessing that 99% of the people who read by blog have heard me mention that there is a Dundas Castle in Edinburgh and i'm going to get married there. This trip only confirmed that statement. Ha, but seriously, Scotland is my new favorite place in the world, I'm worried I may say that about every country I visit from now on, but something inside me tells me that Scotland may truly have won my heart for good. The Scottish countryside was beautiful and we got to see the most magnificent sunset from the train.

We got in around 7:30 and walked the 5 minutes to our hostel before meeting the other half of our group and heading to the nearest pub for food. I had my first burger of the semester! And it hit the spot, we drank wine, shared stories and enjoyed our little night out before heading back to the hostel and getting to bed before midnight(!) so we would be able to get up early the next day in order to explore.
Our hostel offered free breakfast that consisted of cereal and toast with like ten choices of spreads; I thought it was great and loaded up on at least one large bowl of cereal and two pieces of toast a morning. After filling myself up, our group proceeded to walk up to the Edinburgh Castle. One of the things I loved about Edinburgh was that you could walk everywhere! So we ventured around the town up to the Castle and started to explore. Within the walls there are three museums and countless other room that were once inhabited by Mary, Queen of Scots, and all other Scottish and non-Scottish royalty. We spend almost three hours exploring the contents of the castle and thoroughly enjoyed all the history that came with it.

After the Castle we went to the "Scotch Whiskey Experience" which offered us a small 'ride' that explained how whiskey was made. After which we went into a room to learn about the four different regions in Scotland that make scotch whiskey and how the different regions each have their own flavor/taste. I was in love with the one that smelled like cookies but decided that the fruit smelling/tasting whiskey would probably be better. It turns out I dislike good Scottish whiskey as much as cheap American Whiskey.. I am glad we did it because it was very interesting and worth the experience. We also got special whiskey tasting glasses that allowed us to swirl and nose the whiskey properly.

That night we drank at the hostel bar and ordered different mixed drinks to try something new. I decided to try the 'milk bottle' because it had whipped cream on top, and you can never go wrong with whipped cream, and that turned out to be right because the drink was delicious. I'm not going to reveal the ingredients because it was very unhealthy and doesn't sound all that great, but it tasted like vanilla milkshake. We then ventured to a pub we had been told was very nice and all tried Früli, a Belgian fruit beer, that was very good. We made it to bed rather early again to be able to get up and explore more!

On the second day we set out looking for arthur's seat, which is a dormant volcano on the outskirts of town. Walking towards it we questioned our hiking attire but ultimately set up the path in search of amazing views. The walking path didn't seem to be the fastest way up the mountain so we did some off-roading and took the path less traveled. It was a tad bit muddy in some parts and super steep in others but I hadn't felt that alive in weeks, maybe months. With every step I took the views got more amazing and every time I turned around to see how far we'd come I was blown away by the shear vastness of the land we were able to behold. I felt completely and utterly free and relished every second of it.
At the very top I felt so utterly happy and accomplished I didn't really want to go down. We took many pictures at the top, but no pictured can combine the way I felt with the actual beauty of the landscape and it is something I can only attempt to hang on to for as long as possible.

On the way down Ellie and I discovered that running down the hill side was more fun than just walking down it :) We let our feet guide us and only slowed down when it was absolutely necessary. On the really steep part I decided I still wanted to run but ran in a zig-zag formation which is supposed to be better on your knees and safer because it slows you down a little bit. I probably looked crazy though! ha, especially because i yelled zig or zag every time I turned a corner to face the other direction. I laughed the whole way down and felt like was 7(probably because i was acting like I was 7..but these things do happen) Anyways, after we got down we walked back around the base of the mountain and ate at a little restaurant which I believe was on the campus of the University of Edinburgh.

I think I'm going to go for a bit of a run and try to spread this post out over two so you don't have to be completely bored and reading this for like an hour. more to come.