FLORENCE

The week before midterms week was CRAZY for me! So much to do! But as a result during midterms week itself I only had one research paper due on Monday and then a Psychology exam on Thursday, which left Tuesday and Wednesday pretty open. So when I found out that a dear friend of mine from high school was in Italy, I couldn't resist! I super last minute bought a train ticket for an all day trip to Florence to join his family vacation for a day! 

[Ponte Vecchio Bridge]

Low quality picture of a high quality statue. Honesty moment: I didn't get what all the hype was about one statue, people were lined down the block to get in and see it, but then I saw it in person and now I'm a true believer! It is so lifelike and nearly unfathomable that someone could carve that from a hunk of rock. 

Serious question: If you mess up while chiseling away at a sculpture, what do you do? start over?! 

we're so hip we take photos with garbage trucks in Italy..

I've traveled a bit around Italy but never anywhere in Tuscany and never Florence, so this actually was great family trip for me to tag along on! I have varying opinions of Italian cities that I've been to, but I really liked this day in Florence. Part of it might have been the great company, but I also enjoyed that Florence seemed to be a thriving city, as opposed to the cripple tourist traps that some cities have devolved into. Italy is definitely a unique place, but Florence has a rich history and it was fun to explore it with good friends!

these kids!! 

awkward family photo starring Jessica and the Berger family 

In the Santa Croce Basilica you can find the tombs of many famous figures including Galileo (pictured below) and Dante, pretty impressive how many history shaping figures came from Florence.

quote from Ben's mom: " 3 smart kids. Jessica, Ben, and Galileo" 

I love moms! haha

Santa Croce Basilica 

 there are some alright churches in Florence.. I guess.. ;)
jk. they are incredible. The duomo is astoundingly big and dominates the florence skyline! Truly awe inspiring and so incredible.

love these boys! didn't want to say goodbye at the train station! 

Here's to more adventures and friends across the world! 

xx 

VENICE

I am the world's worrrsssstttt blogger! I know, I know. I am over a month behind on posting, but you know what? #sorrynotsorry

I am not going to apologize for being too busy living life. But, that being said, this blog is my photo journal and I love documenting my crazy life in it. So let's take a quick step back into September. And a spontaneous daytrip to Venice!!

 I never imagined a point in my life when I would be able to casually say, "oh yeah, I'm just going to take a quick daytrip to Venice." I really am so thankful for the opportunities I have. As far as Venice goes, I just got lucky! I found super cheap last minute train tickets and I had a great friend who was willing to go too! So off we went early one Saturday morning!

The Grand Canal + my beautiful travel buddy Julie! She entertained me the whole train ride there with stories of her 7 months in Madagascar and Rwanda! 

One thing I loved about Venice is that even though there are a handful of great museums, the main thing to see in Venice is Venice itself! The city is just so unlike any other! There are no roadways, only canals for boats. The entire public transportation system is based on boats! Garbage pickup? Boats. Grocery shopping? Boats! It is hard to conceptualize, but so cool to see!

This series of photos (below) is what happens when I am trying to get a good picture.. I definitely missed out on the photogenic gene! The struggle is real everyone! 

 ^^ had to sneak a photo of the famous gondeliers, apparently it is a very strictly regulated profession and they only 425 in Venice and a guild controls their licensing.

Unlike most trips I take, we didn't have any kind of plan for the day. We just bought a daypass for the boats and spent the day wandering all the tiny streets and marveling at this city. It was the perfect strolling weather and a low key day.

As we took the boat back from Murano (one of the islands outside of venice we ate dinner at) there was the most spectacular sunset! I seriously did not edit these pictures at all, it was insanely gorgeous and probably due to all the industrial pollution from factories just inland of Venice, but there's gotta be some kind of silver lining to pollution! 

Good night venice!

xx

Cinque Terre, Italia

Five beautiful fishing villages + the mediterranean ocean + delicious italian food + family. What more could I want in life? For our last adventure while my family was in town last month, we took a five hour train ride from Lugano to the Cinque Terre and spent the weekend swimming in the sea, hiking along the ocean cliffs and exploring the towns. It was absolutely perfect. Even the train ride was pleasant, as we traveled through the italian countryside and then for the last hour went straight down the coast with the ocean right outside the train window. Too beautiful! Most tourists only stay a day or two in Cinque Terre, but even with three full days I feel as if I still could have explored more! So if you go, stay for at least the weekend and explore all five, each town has its own personality and I loved adventuring through all of them.

MONTEROSSO AL MARE 

highlights: swimming in the mediterranean + eating the most delicious focaccia ever 

VERNAZZA

bottom left photo: a house we passed by which was destroyed in the catastrophic mud slides of Oct '11 which caused billions in property damage to the five towns. The Cinque Terre are mostly recovered but three of the main hiking paths were still closed for reconstruction.

CORNIGLIA

Corniglia is the only village perched on a cliff (as oppose to on the ocean) we hiked from Vernazza to Corniglia through olive groves (top L photo) and vineyards (bottom middle) 

MANAROLA

historic church // rocky beach // exploring 

RIOMAGGIORE

bottom left photo: pesto + potato pasta, a local speciality! It was actually delicious. Fun fact: this region of Italy is where pesto was invented! 

If you are considering going to Cinque Terre I would suggest staying in Riomaggiore, Monterosso or Manarola. Corniglia and Vernazza are beautiful but not as convenient as the other three. We stayed at a bed and breakfast in Riomaggiore (the southern most town) and were more than pleased with the location. There is a regional train that links together all five of the villages and passes by every hour so it isn't too hard to travel between them. Although if you can, I highly recommend hiking from village to village, it's a breath taking view and worth the time. If I ever get the opportunity to go again I would take a boat ride between the villages, hike from Riomaggiore -- Manarola -- Vernazza ( these trails were completely washed out in the floods) and I would eat more homemade focaccia + nutella gelato!

Until next time Italy! xoxo

PS special thanks to my parents + sister Brianna for being superb travel buddies. It was the best ten days and one of my greatest adventures yet! #lovemytribe

Rome, Italy

I am in love with 'la citta eterna'. I traveled to Rome + Southern Italy last March as part of Academic Travel and even though I am only just now getting to blog about it, Roma just might have my heart forever ♡ 

In the last ten months I have traveled to 9 different countries, 25+ European cities, and in my view, Rome tops them all. They say that everyone has a "soul city" and I think that I have found mine in Rome. I love how every street is steeped in history and every block has some kind of monument. But it is not just the history that attracts me, the city truly lives. Many cities I have visited are so utterly dependent on tourism for their economy that the culture has somewhat stagnated. But Rome (like DC or NYC, two cities I also love!) hosts millions of tourists every year, yet many more still live and work there. It truly is the eternal city. 

A view of the Palazzo dei Senatore on Capitoline hill. This building (and the square) was designed by Michelangelo in the 12th century. It once housed the archives of ancient rome. 

A gorgeous view from the top of Capitoline Hill overlooking Rome. 

Centuries ago this area was the center of Roman commerce and government. Now it is known collectively as The Roman Forum. Located between Capitoline Hill and the Colosseum this area is now a treasure trove of ancient monuments, shrines, statues and other pieces of archeological importance to Rome. 

Just your typical "alley" in Rome 

Il Colosseo a spectacular feat of Roman architecture which has stood in the center of Rome since 80AD (nearly 2,000 years!) Not only is it breathtaking but the stadium was designed to house everything from gladiator battles to theater productions to mock sea battles. It was also home to elaborate animal hunts with imported beasts from Africa and the Middle East (such as rhinos, hipos, elephants, giraffes, lions, panthers, tigers, etc!) The arena was elaborately staged for these hunts with movable trees and buildings. To celebrate his victory in Dacia in 107 Trajan  staged a hunt involving 10,000+ animals and 10,000+ gladiators over the course of 120 days. Basically the ancient Hunger Games.  

One of my favorite photos of the whole trip. My roommate caught this candid photo when I was utterly absorbed in the city. This window was nothing more than a stairwell to the main floor after exiting an art exhibit at the Piazza del Quirinale, but I could have stood there for hours over looking all of Rome. This photo doesn't quite capture the spectacular view but it certainly captures the feeling of awe I had. 

A beautiful church in Rome! I am embarrassed to admit that I don't remember its name, we went to so many! But I guess that's perk #274 of visiting Rome. Pop into any of the dozens of churches you see on the streets and the architecture is sure to impress you. 

Piazza Navona and the iconic Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (aka Fountain of the Four Rivers), more proof that every square in Rome is more beautiful than the last. The fountain was designed by the famous Bernini and when we visited the square on a Tuesday afternoon it was also hosting an art market.

I think you know by now why I am smiling! (ps this is the vittorio emanuele monument)

Highlights of Rome 

▷ Speaking Italian with the locals 

▷ Five course Italian dinners.. EVERY night.  

▷ The best Pizza + Panini in little cafes for lunch 

▷ Gelato! {can you see a common theme in my highlights?}

▷ The Pope's inauguration 

▷ Fontana di Trevi (see here) 

▷ The Vatican Museums 

▷ And so much more! 

Ciao for now Roma! Grazie per ogni singolo momento nostro! 

The Bucketlist: Rome Edition

I am currently working on an overview post about my five days in Rome but I had so many cool experiences and fun little stories from my Rome trip that I decided to make a blog post dedicated to a few of the "bucketlist" worthy roman adventures I had.

✓ #1: Make a wish at the Trevi Fountain 

Legend has it that those who throw a coin in are guaranteed to return to Rome one day... I can't wait! I have wanted to toss a coin in this fountain ever since I saw The Lizzy McGuire movie at the tender age of nine. It only took me about ten years to make that dream happen! 

✓    #2: Spontaneously ride a merry-go-round

One night, whilst wandering the streets of Rome with some friends, we spotted this merry-go-round and we just couldn't resist taking a quick ride. I swear that European merry-go-rounds are just the best! I have taken pictures of them everywhere form France to Germany to Spain. And while this picture really doesn't do it justice, I promise you the hand-painted ceilings, bright lights and old fashioned horses, were well was worth the €.50 for the ride. 

✓   #3: Meet the Swiss Guard

Swiss born mercenaries have been guarding Popes since 1503. All members of the Pontifical Guard must be: trained by the Swiss military, catholic, unwed, Swiss and between 19-30 years old. I know some of you don't believe me, but I actually go to school, and while I was on "Academic Travel" with Franklin College I was assigned to give a presentation on the history of Vatican City and the Swiss Guard. So after all that research I was excited to see them! The only bummer is that it was raining so they had their rain jackets on. But usually they are wearing a voluminous yellow and pink striped outfit that dates back the early 1800s. Rad. (note: I don't think he was too thrilled with me) 

✓    #4: Eat at the restaurant which invented spaghetti carbonara 

La Carbonara (in Campo d'Fiori) indeed claims to be the home of the pasta carbonara. For those of you have never tried it, do yourself a favor and go get some right now! It is a delicious dish made of pasta+egg+cheese+bacon. Basically everything good in life. 

✓     #5: Meet the Pope!! 

Maybe one day I will come back and do a full post on this topic but suffice it say that I was standing less than 5ft away from Papa Francesco, the new Pope. He was chosen by the Cardinal conclave while we were in Pompeii and I was lucky enough to be able to attend his inauguration while in Rome. It was a long day full of crowds, pushing and sore feet, but it also was filled with song, tradition, and a really cool cultural experience. Definitely the most "miserably awesome" thing I have done to date. 

✓    #6: Eat a whole box of Laudree macaroons 

I tried my first macaroon at Laudree in Paris (see this post) and ever since then I have been addicted. I was beyond stoked to see they had a Laudree in Rome. And yes I did eat that whole box. Flavors form L to R: Lavender, Vanilla, Creme Brulee, Marie Antoinette, Chocolate, Caramel, and Raspberry (x2). 

✓    #7: Make international television  (see #5!) 

The popes innaguration was not only extensively covered by Italian media but CNN, BBC, ABC, NBC, Al Jazeera, etc. all had film crews there. I even made it on Brazilian Television because a friend of mine at Franklin is from there and was carrying a Brazillian flag so the news reporter asked her to give an interview and at the end of it she asked me to get in the shot and help wave the flag while shouting "viva la papa".