Fall Break Part 1: Italy- Pisa, Florence, Rome

Ciao!

So now that I am back from my amazing fall break, I thought I would share some of my favorite parts and some pictures! On the 19th, my friends Sarah, Emily, Melissa and I jetted off to Pisa via EasyJet (which really isn't that bad). I felt the culture shock immediately as we got on the bus to the Leaning Tower when I had two different women raise their voice at me, in Italian, to hold my bags tightly and put my backpack in front. One great thing about Bath is that I never have to worry about being pick-pocketed...unlike in Italy. I'm happy to say though that I have since returned back to England with all of my belongings!
The only thing we saw in Pisa was the Leaning Tower, and it was really cool to see! I had seen many pictures of it, and was dying to get a picture of myself doing the "Pisa pose". It's amazing how this building is literally leaning over, yet it is still safe enough to allow people to walk inside of it. Here are some pics in Pisa:



Famous Leaning Tower of Pisa Pose

After Pisa, we headed for Florence! I really, really loved Florence! I was so happy to get to stay with one of my best friends at St. Mike's, Jessica. She is studying there for the semester, and it was so nice to see her and get the inside scoop about the city. I liked that Florence was on the smaller side, and it was fairly easy to navigate by walking around. I had some of the best pasta dinners and wine while I was there. Such a nice change of pace from the somewhat bland, boring English food! The Duomo is probably the most well known tourist attraction in Florence, and I am proud to say that we climbed all 463 steps to the top (the most athletic thing I have done all semester)! The view was worth it in the end!




Florence from the top of the Duomo

Duomo



We also lucked out with the weather! It was warm and sunny everyday we were in Italy, and Jess said that hadn't been the case all week, so we definitely brought the sun! We also got to tour the leather market which was buzzing with lots of locals. This is the main place where I was bombarded with stares and names including, but not limited to, "Barbie", "California Girl", "Lady Gaga" and "Shakira". Can't say I wasn't warned about going out and about in a dress with my blonde hair down, but I have definitely never experienced that kind of attention before!
We walked around across the Ponte Vecchio, the Uffizi, and this other part of the city that showed off another amazing view of the city. In all, I loved Florence, and it kind of reminded me of Bath in that it was beautiful and there were things to see and do, but it did not have the overwhelming feel of a big city. It was the best city to kickstart our fall break!



Jess and I with the Ponte Vecchio in the background



Jess and me in our new leather jackets from the leather market :)

                                    
On to Rome!
Of course, I ended up loving Rome just as much. We got there pretty late Sunday night, so we just had dinner, and visited the beautiful Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish steps. Then we checked into our hostel. Note to future travelers: spend the little bit of extra money and get a private room! It felt much more like a hotel when our room and bathroom was only accessible to the four of us.
During our first day in Rome, we got up early and visited the Vatican! This is where I made my first rookie mistake...we fell for one of the guys on the street trying to sell us tours. We wanted to take a tour anyway, so we decided to go ahead and pay the 30 euro for the tour and entrance fee to the Vatican city and Sistine Chapel. Turns out, the "tour" was really an hour lecture about the history, and prepaid tickets to get in. Learned my lesson, that's for sure! Anyways, once we were in, I really did enjoy touring the Sistine Chapel. I wasn't allowed to take pictures, but it was truly beautiful inside. Visiting the Vatican is definitely an all-day affair, and I'm glad we got up early to go see it. It was a little overwhelming and crowded for me, but something that you must do while in Rome!

Trevi Fountain. I made a wish!

Outside the Vatican

That day we also got to visit and go inside the Pantheon, and take pictures on the steps of the Altare della Patria, or better known as "The Cake". Both were beautiful!

In front of "The Cake"

Pantheon

The next day, we tackled the Forum and Colosseum. A good tip for future Rome travelers: buy your tickets at the Forum and explore the ruins first! We only waited in about a twenty minute line before exploring the ruins. Then, since we already had our tickets, we cut a two hour line for the Colosseum. I like to think we made up for getting ripped off at the Vatican...;)It was awesome to walk around the Ruins and see inside the very famous Colosseum. A fun fact I learned about Rome is, the reason the metro is so bad is because each time they try to put in a new subway line, they hit underground ruins. They then immediately end the job in order to preserve them. It's amazing to think they are still making discoveries about this ancient city! I wish we had booked another day in Rome, even though we were able to see everything. The food was amazing, the people were nice, and I loved the style of architecture and feel of the city. Again, I'm still glad to have chosen England as my study abroad location. I don't know if I could ever fully get used to the "names" I was called and the constant pleading to buy merchandise off the street. Those are things I never experience here in Bath, and I'm glad. Overall though, a great experience!

Exploring the ruins at the Roman Forum

Outside The Colosseum



In the Colosseum



In front of Castello Sant'Angelo

Piazza di Spagna



another amazing italian dinner!

Well, if you haven't been able to tell, I loved everything about Italy! Check back in a few days for "Fall Break Part 2: Barcelona and the Patriots Game in London!" I just have so much to say that I thought I would break up my posts :)

Thanks for reading!!

Love,

Sara

J'adore Paris

Bonjour!

I had THE best weekend in Paris! I had no idea I would love the city as much as I do now. It was definitely a highlight of my semester thus far (even though I have loved everything : ) To get to Paris, my friends and I took the Eurostar train out of London Paddington. It is about a 2.5 hour train ride from London and it goes under water through the chunnel (english channel)! Very cool, quick, and easy.
My roommate Sarah has a friend studying in Paris, so we were fortunate to have our own personal, french-speaking tour guide for the weekend! We immediately went to see the Eiffel Tower, and it was beautiful! I have always wanted to have my picture taken in front of it... here it is!

In front of the Eiffel Tower


We also visited the Arc de Triomphe and walked down the Champ D'elysees. I was amazed at just how many shops there are on that road and how wide and long it stretches. I didn't purchase anything but it was still fun to window shop and get a look at the super long line to get into Louis Vuitton!

Top of Champ d'elysees

Arc de Triomphe

Later that day we went to Montmartre, which is a hill in the north of Paris that had the most amazing view of the city! We also went into the Basilica of the Sacre Coeur, which was stunningly beautiful and one of the most ornate and detailed churches I have seen here in Europe. It was such a beautiful day that everyone was out and enjoying the wine festival that just so happened to be occurring there. We walked around grabbing free samples of wines, cheese, and chocolate. What could be better?! There were also a lot of very talented street artists and I was blown away by their beautiful portraits. I actually considered having one done they were so nice, but then I realized I would not know what to do with a picture of myself ha ha Also, if you stare at them for too long, they bombard you to have one done. I actually had a guy call after me, "Barbie, come back" ...as if that was going to make me come back! It was a beautiful day and I'm so glad I went there!

Sacre Coeur. Everyone enjoying the view!

Sarah and me at Montmartre!



The wine festival


I also love the food in France! So much better than British food ha ha I splurged for dinner the first night when we went to this great place called L'Entrecote that just serves steak, french fries, dessert, and wine. My kind of place! I also felt that I had to have french onion soup while in France and it was to die for!
Another thing I liked about Paris was the metro. Such a simple thing, but it made my time there so much easier. I like how the train stations in Europe tell you exactly when the next train is coming, and when the next one after that is coming. They come so frequently and go so fast that it is so easy to jam a lot of sight seeing into just one day. Again, Boston really needs to take some notes.

The language barrier wasn't that bad afterall! I don't know any french, and I found myself getting really nervous before even saying "Bonjour!" because I know it just did not sound right. Thank goodness almost everyone speaks english. They were also really nice about it, even though I had heard otherwise. The only time I ran into an issue was at a bar one night when a guy tried to have a conversation with me. Even after saying to him, "I'm so sorry I don't understand you", he still continued to try to ask me out...
Which leads me to say that PDA is definitely more prominent, and everyone, and I mean everyone, smokes cigarettes. The only negative thing I have to say!

We also got to see the Notre Dame, The Pompidou, Hotel de Ville, and Saint Michel. We didn't bother to go into the Louvre. All the locals I ran into told me it wasn't worth my precious time, and to be honest, I wasn't sure if it would even interest me. Definitely next time though!

Enjoying our French dinner after a long day

Beautiful Paris

Braving the rain outside The Louvre!

Hotel de Ville

I think it is safe to say that I will definitely be going back to Paris sometime in my life. I loved everything about this magical, beautiful city and I am so happy I made the trip while abroad! I can't believe that I leave for my mid-semester break on Friday! How is my semester already halfway done?! I will be traveling from Pisa to Florence to Rome to Barcelona and then rounding out my trip in London at the Patriots game! I'm sure I will have a lot to say after that : )

Thanks for reading!

au revoir!

Sara

Dublin!

Hi!

Let me just start off by saying...I am writing this post right now as a means to procrastinate because I actually have real WORK due this week and I am not a fan. Yes, finally during my fifth week of classes, I have papers due and have been forced to sit in my room and actually STUDY while abroad. Crazy, right?? It's so scary how fast this week snuck up on me, but that is just a testament to how much fun I am having, and how much I am enjoying my time here.
It's so nice to wake up every day and actually not dread having to go to class or go to work. I hate how we have the tendency to constantly wish for the weekend, and pray that the day goes by quickly. Here, I never wish a day away. I have really been trying to take my Dad's advice and never have a "nothing" day here, and so far I have loved every single second :)

I really wish I could just student teach everyday instead of having to take classes. The kids get cuter every time I go in, and I always leave with a funny story. Today, a boy came up to me and said, "You're from America, right?" "Yup." "Did you know that there are over 10,000 McDonalds in America?" Great, I thought, another comment about how we are notoriously known for being overweight and eating fast food. Ha!

Anyways, what I really want to tell you about is my weekend in Dublin! I have to say, for my first solo international trip, I think I did pretty well. I flew out of Bristol (about 20 minutes from my apartment) and literally hopped on a plane to Ireland. I flew RyanAir for about 40 pounds roundtrip. Such a great deal!! I actually really love the simplicity of this well-known "sketchy" airline. There is no gate that connects to the plane, but instead you walk outside, and take the ladder to the entryway. Then, you just sit anywhere you like. I looked everywhere on my ticket for my seat number, and in a moment of panic I turned to the guy behind me, and he just said, "just pick any seat, love!". So cool! The flight to Dublin was about 40 minutes and so easy. After a quick stamp on my passport, I set out to go find my friend Erin who is studying at Dublin Business School. It was so nice to visit with Erin and Amanda (who flew in from Milan), two of my best friends from home. It was great to see some very familiar faces in a foreign country!

Me, Erin, Amanda. Friends since Elementary School!

What I most enjoyed about Dublin is the nightlife! There are hundreds of pubs across Dublin, and I don't know how they ever decide where to go! It was much more crowded and city-like than I expected. (Yes, I know that is a naive statement). I have always associated Ireland with sheep and green fields, so I was shocked at how incredibly lively and populated Dublin is! It's also so strange to only fly for 40 minutes and then instantly be in a different country, with a different accent, and different currency (I really wish England used Euros!) That, is why I knew I had to study in Europe. I had a lot of fun just exploring the city. I saw Dublin Castle, Temple Bar, Trinity College, had a Jameson Coffee on Grafton St, had my first Guinness on Dane St, and much more.



Penny Bridge



Trinity College

Dublin Streets

The other highlight of my trip was going to Howth! Howth is an adorable little peninsula town about a 20 min train ride from the city center. It was so beautiful, and Erin and I were able to walk along the shore cliffs and take some really beautiful pictures of the scenery and of the seals that come up so close to the waters edge! They were so cute!

Howth

Well, I think that is all for now. Sorry for such a long post! This Friday my program is going hiking in Wales, so I'm sure I will post again next week with more pictures.

Thank you for reading!

Cheers!

xx Sara