Firenze!

We woke up the next morning pretty early; the plan was to be ready to go by 9 am. And we were! Except for Linnea, of course. By the time we were all ready, she hadn't even gotten in the shower yet. But we finally got out and headed to the Galleria dell'Accademia to see Michelangelo's David. The statue is, as expected, beautiful. A surprise highlight, though, was the Museum of Music, a small gallery attached to the Gallery, where a variety of instruments and the world's oldest upright piano! Pretty awesome. We took our time in the Gallery, as some of the girls weren't feeling well and there was a lot to see, but we headed out and towards the Cathedral de Santa Maria and the Florence Duomo. The Cathedral is massive and incredibly ornate  (not to mention a few stops from the hostel!):


                           

While walking around the square, we looked around and noticed Linnea was missing. Surprise, surprise. Our phones didn't work in Italy and the square was packed so we didn't see the point in searching for her; we could look for hours and never find her. As a result, we decided that, since she is a 23 year old woman, she would be fine and either eventually find us or meet us later. And, so, we headed up! 463 stairs up narrow hallways and curving stairwells and we finally reached the top! The views were beautiful and completely worth the claustrophobia of the climb:

When we exited the Cathedral, we saw Linnea sitting at the bottom waiting. After some unnecessary yelling and tears which we mostly ignored (does the girl ever stop crying?), we moved on.

After the Duomo, we headed over to the Piazza del Michelangelo, a large plateau that overlooks the city. The walk was equally strenuous and it was outdoors so the sun made it even more difficult. However, eventually we made it! I actually liked this view better; you can see the river (ignore the unpleasant color) and the Cathedral. 

After a long day of walking, we spent the rest of the afternoon shopping. The most exciting moment? Laurel got wedding shoes! (by the way, Laurel is my friend on the trip who is engaged!) They're "dusty rose" with a slight heel. Very cute, very Laurel. We also explored the open-air markets and practiced our bargaining skills. We finished the night with another delicious Italian meal, though this time I got the most incredible gnocci for dinner. We headed back early for bed because we had to be up at 4:30 am to catch our train to Roma!

First Night in Florence

After landing at Ciampino, we hopped on a bus to Termini, Rome's largest train station, so we could catch our train to Florence! Termini is huge and we had a bit of difficulty finding the right platform, but we got on with time to spare (though the others were panicking a bit!). The train was great- only a few hours and beautiful countryside the whole way. Italy is very, very green. 


We arrived in Florence that evening and checked into our hostel, B&B Maison. It was definitely nice; I was in a room of six and the other three girls were also in a room of six with three others. One of the first things we did was cancel our hostel in Rome. Our flight was an 8 am flight and it made more sense to simply either stay out all night or head to the airport super early and wait it out there. After the cancellation, we dropped off our stuff and headed out to eat. Our first night of Italian food was delicious. Mmmmm, pizza. The waiter was very friendly and they even cooked my pizza in the shape of a heart: 

After dinner, we headed out! We met up with Elana, Anne Marie's friend studying abroad in Florence, and a few of her friends. After a bit of wandering, we found a bar and hung out for a while. Interesting fact about Florence? It's one of the top study abroad spots in the world. As a result, it's full of Americans and the bar we went to reflected that; there wasn't a single non-American to be seen. Jen got a little crazy and the night got a little late so Ricki, Laurel, and I headed out early and got our first cup of Italian gelato! Chocolate and strawberry was such a good call.

First Ryanair Flight

  

Ryanair is one of the cheapest carriers in Europe which makes it perfect for students looking to travel! Our entire round trip flight cost a mere €28. Flying Ryanair is actually a pretty cool experience, although there were ads everywhere and they charged for everything - even a bottle of water - on the flight. To begin with, there is no assigned seating so, when the gate opens, everyone just sort of bolts to the plane. The best part was that I got a window seat on both flights. The views from the plane were spectacular, although I unfortunately slept through most of it. I did, however, wake up in time to see the Italian Alps. So beautiful:

32 Feet of Freefall

Ever since getting to Rhodes, I have wanted to jump of the 10 m diving board into the Mediterranean. The other day, it finally happened. It was terrifying, exhilarating, and a bit painful (lesson learned: blow out of your nose so water doesn't shoot up it!). I jumped another two times and am looking forward to months of repeated jumps! 

Hiking Up to Mussolini's Summer Home

Each semester, Eleni takes her Greek Environment class on a field trip. Since the classes are so small, she invited the Global EcoPolitics to tag along. The trip was an hour/hour and a half hike up the Profitis Ilias, a large mountain on the island. The hike was brutal, especially since I'm not exactly known for either my athleticism or my water drinking abilities, but the view was spectacular:

Plus, we got to see goats! Near the top, we came to a clearing with a tiny monastery. The only way to reach it is to climb up (or down), so the monastery isn't particularly active, but it's definitely a great picnic spot.

The monastery was a mere 10 minute walk from the top of the mountain, where we came to the house built for the staff of what was going to be Mussolini's summer home after he won World War II. It was my second time being here and the building was equally beautiful. No free yogurt and walnuts this time, though! The downside of not traveling with Elias...

The main difference between this trip up the Prof. Ilias and the last (aside from mode of transportation: hike v. car) was that this time, we actually made it to Mussolini's actual summer house. It was a short walk from the staff house and pretty incredible...or at least it would have been if it had been maintained better. Instead, the house has been allowed to fall into ruin. All the windows are shattered, the walls are covered in graffiti, and the ceilings look like they are about to cave in. Walking around the abandoned building is definitely a safety hazard (never be allowed in the States!), and a spooky one at that. Still very cool, though.

A Greek St. Patrick's Day

This is what the Greeks know about St. Patrick's Day: absolutely nothing. What we thought (assumed?) was an international holiday is, in fact, pretty much just an America phenomena. I've never been big on St. Patty's; last year, I had a Arabic project due the next day so that was how I celebrated. However, the rest of the group was gung-ho: we had to party. We managed to find the single Irish bar on the island. It was called Kelly's and it was a 20 minute drive, so we piled into Kostas' car. I learned a few things that night...

1. 9 girls and a driver can, in fact, fit in a car meant to seat 5 (the trick is two in the front seat and two in the trunk)
2. Karaoke never gets old (even if you're not the one singing. Especially if you're not the one singing)
3. If you're an American on a Greek island, you will run into other Americans at an Irish pub on St. Patty's even if it's the middle of nowhere (we ran into other study abroad students who were on vacation!)

An unusual, but pretty great night. Plus, I got to have Strongbow for the first time since being in Brighton. 

Mmmmmm <3:

I Almost Forgot!

While walking around the hills, Spiros also took us to this incredible church carved right out of the rock. Inside, it was a single room covered in gold-work and other pieces of art. There was a gnarled tree outside that resembled a dragon (with some imagination!). It was a beautiful, peaceful place.