Beauty within the Ruins

Hello again, dear readers! I must apologize for my absence, but I was without internet access for the past 10 days as my friends and I traversed the Grecian countryside! We were fortunate enough to spend time in Corfu, Athens, and Santorini enjoying the sounds, smells, and sights of the cradle of Western Civilization. I hope you enjoy some of the photos from our journey!

Our trip began with a ferry ride from Ancona to Iguomenitsa. As we crossed the Adriatic, we watched one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen. 

And, of course, what is a boat ride without somebody reenacting the Titanic scene? 

Our first stop was in Corfu, where we enjoyed the local cuisine, relaxed on the beach, partook in a rowdy Booze Cruise, and adventured across the terrain on ATVs. 

As we enjoyed the beaches of Greece, the beauty of the surroundings became truly overwhelming. It seems as though our lives are entirely surreal. 

After Corfu, we traveled to Athens. Some of my friends had a little too much fun in the souvenir shops!

As we walked the Acropolis, I was overcome with joy. It had always been a dream of mine to visit Athens, and I felt like I was living in an architectural fairytale. 

After hiking up the countless stairs, we found ourselves staring at one of the most influential buildings of all time. It would have been impossible not to enjoy ourselves at the Parthenon!

The streets of Athens were filled with vendors and shops. We spent the day browsing the shops before enjoying a delicious 4-course meal at a restaurant next to our hostel. Greek food may give Italian food a run for its money!

Our last destination was Santorini. A beautiful island adorned with blue roofs, black sand beaches, and countless flowers, Santorini presents the idyllic vacation destination.

My roommate and I walked up to the top of town with our friends to watch the sunset on our first evening. After, we ate dinner at a local restaurant, where we feasted on dakos, saganaki, and eggplant.

After our first night out, we got breakfast at a local place that specialized in crepes and waffles. It just so happens that my friend was REALLY excited about her waffle.

Our second day was spent traveling down to the black sand beaches, where we relaxed and socialized with locals, as the primary tourist season had ended weeks ago.

The black sand beaches took quite a toll on my feet......

Our last day was spent in Athens before the long journey home. We ventured to the Temple of Zeus and the 1896 Olympic Stadium before beginning the 30+ hour commute back to Florence.

So, there you have it! I hope I've captured enough of our trip that you will aspire to go one day! From the 9 of us that went, I don't think anyone would take back a moment (except for maybe the Booze Cruise....but what happens at the Pink Palace hostel, STAYS at the Pink Palace hostel. Forever.).


Tomorrow evening, I'm off to London to visit relatives! Two days later, I'll be venturing to Glasgow to visit friends from high school and college. Until next week, my friends, arrivederci!

Enjoying a Piece of "Screw You" Cake

Since our arrival in Florence, my roommates and I have declined to enjoy American food. Because Florence is tourist-ridden, there are a plethora of places to enjoy a nice burger with fries, but we felt that, because we were in Italy, we should only enjoy Italian food....until this morning.


Perhaps one of the most renowned American places in Florence is called The Diner, an Italian-operated restaurant that serves traditional American breakfast and lunch foods, not to mention old-fashioned milkshakes. Seems like the perfect Sunday hangover brunch, right?


Wrong. Not only did we spend 15 minutes waiting, but we then waited an additional 45 minutes to receive our meals, which were not difficult to cook. As if our patience wasn't already wearing thin, upon receiving almost all of our food, we asked our waitress if the last meal was coming and we were immediately yelled at both by her and one of the older male gentleman working in the kitchen, who astutely explained that "this isn't McDonalds and food takes time to cook." Well done, Sherlock, any other observations? Fantastic start to our morning.


As we sat and quietly ate, we all thought about what, if anything, we had done to deserve such a vitriolic speech. After our plates were cleared, the angry older gentleman returned to our table with a piece of cheesecake, claiming it was a "present" for us. Our first thought was that the cake had been poisoned or spat upon, but remembering how delicious our meals were (perhaps the one saving grace of the venture), we decided to indulge. Though we knew that there were hostile feelings behind the gift, we couldn't help but laugh and enjoy ourselves as we sat and munched on a large piece of "Screw You Americans" cake. But, you know what? We're not sick and that cake was damn good.

A Rainy Morning with the Medicis

This morning brought with it an abundance of rain.....and a required fieldtrip.


My Villa & Garden class ventured to the Medici Villas at Castello and La Petraia this morning to learn about the garden designs featured at each. Because of my adamant love of rain, I was overjoyed to be visiting the beautiful, 16th century gardens as water cascaded over them. Unfortunately, my hungover classmates were not quite as enthused. Go figure.

Regardless of weather, how could you not find this absolutely breathtaking?

I'm afraid that the rest of my week was rather uneventful. The highlight was Wednesday evening, as it was my roommate's 21st birthday. After sitting down for dinner, we ventured to the top floor of the Excelsior Hotel to have a drink at the roof bar and watch the city at night. Without doubt, seeing the lights of the entire city sparkle amidst the black of the night was one of the most beautiful things I have seen in Florence.

Gotta love sunset over the hills around Florence!

Next week may bring midterms but it also brings fall break! My friends and I are off to Corfu, Athens, and Santorini and I am as excited as a little kid on Christmas. Going to the acropolis has been on my bucket list since I knew what a bucket list was and I can't wait to see it! Naturally, I'm also excited about seeing the beauty and splendor of Santorini and Corfu.....and the toga parties and booze cruises. Sorry I'm not sorry, Mom and Dad - I'm in college and, in the words of Dom Mazzetti, you only live once. It's a YOLO kind of trip.

Sunday Funday

In all honesty, that title is a lie. I am spending my Sunday filling out and submitting graduate school applications. It could only get more depressing if I remind myself that it is costing $600 to do so. I digress.


Luckily for all of you, the rest of my week was slightly more interesting. In my Drawing the Figure class, we spent Tuesday staring at a naked woman and Thursday in the Galleria Academia, the museum that houses Michelangelo's David. I think my drawing skills are getting better.....here's to hoping.

It wasn't my fault that she decided to face her behind towards our side of the room....

My Villa & Garden class also provided some entertainment this week, as we visited the Boboli Gardens and the Pitti Palace, one of the many vast Medici estates in Florence and the surrounding countryside. The gardens are absolutely beautiful and display the unimaginable wealth and power of the Medici during the Renaissance. It was as if I was visiting Florence's version of Versailles.

The gardens connect to one of the Medieval gates to the city. Powerful family, huh?

Architecture in Italy took us yet on another historic adventure. We visited the Church of San Lorenzo, specifically focusing on the Laurentian Library designed by Michelangelo. We also saw the Book of Hours, one of the most famous manuscripts of all time. Sometimes I think these experiences aren't really happening...

The Laurentian Library was completed almost exactly to Michelangelo's standards. It houses three manuscripts commissioned by Lorenzo Medici for his three daughters upon their marriages.

Well, this is the last week of classes before midterms. Here's to spending next weekend studying! And the rest of today doing graduate applications.......#hopeIgetaccepted