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

"Paradise isn't a destination; it's a feeling."

Paris may be the most beautiful city on Earth. I understand that may be a lofty statement, but after my weekend in France, I sincerely doubt that the beauty of Paris can be overestimated.

We spent out first morning at the Louvre! And in case you're wondering, 3.5 hours is not enough time to do the museum.

We saw so many masterpieces and numerous times found ourselves tearing-up. Sorry I'm not sorry that I cry in museums!

I finally saw the Mona Lisa! Despite the hoard of crazy tourists around it, it's still such an interesting piece to look at. 

We tried Angelina's famous hot chocolate after our time at the Louvre. I sure do love chocolate, but that may have been too rich. So. much. chocolate.

As we walked along the Seine, we all found ourselves humming "Our Last Summer" and acknowledging how blessed we were to be having such an experience. At the end of our walk, we purchased small watercolor paintings from a local artist.

We passed the eternal flame dedicated to Princess Diana. Even though I was only 11 when the tragedy occurred, I can still remember the international sorrow.

Our first afternoon was spent climbing the Eiffel Tower.  To say it was amazing would be a severe understatement.

Our first evening was spent on a Fat Tire Bike Tour. We saw so much of the city! Our tour guide was entertaining to say the least....it was so much fun! Part of the tour also included an hour-long boat ride down the Seine. Watching the Eiffel Tower light-up at night while drinking a glass of wine from a boat on the Seine was tremendous, spectacular, marvelous. All of the above.

The Louvre at night may be one of the most magical places on Earth.

Our second morning, we began at the Museum Orsay. On the way, we paused to pack jackets in our bags and Courtney dropped her retainer off the side of the bridge. Alas, we trooped-down to the river and went on a retainer-hunt. COLLEGE!

Our afternoon was spent at Notre Dame! The Cathedral is so beautiful and it's tribute to the Virgin Mary is spectacular. I lit a candle for my family and spent an hour in the cathedral praying. 

The remainder of our night was spent wandering the city. We saw street performers everywhere, including this amazing violin player. Because it wasn't the height of tourist season, I felt like we got to experience Paris as it's meant to be. The sidewalks were covered with families and couples strolling and it felt so lovely. No offense Florence, but Paris sure has you beat!

To end our week, we found pumpkin spice lattes and macaroons! What more could a group of college girls want?

Overall, it was such a great weekend. We laughed, we cried, and we had one of the most amazing, awesome adventures of our lives.

What Would Audrey Do?

This will be the question I ask myself all weekend: What would Audrey Hepburn do? As my friends and I venture to the city of Monet and the Bastille, I can't help but keep good ol' Audrey in mind. Here's to a classy weekend with the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Angelina's, the Louvre, and so much more!


I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the happenings of the past week. Aside from the daily drag of classes (which seem to be increasingly painful with each passing day - and to think I'm normally the person loving class), there have been quite a few entertaining moments. On the side of hunger, this week was highlighted by one of my roommates cooking her mother's secret-recipe ravioli and my attempt at chocolate filled croissants (chocolate-bread-butter - what's not to love?). I was also fortunate enough to meet Guy Fieri, known best for hosting Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives. He was kind enough to speak with us for a few moments and it certainly added some happiness to my morning (which was already fantastic as my class was visiting one of my favorite churches, San Spirito).


On a funnier note, I was the butt of many jokes today as my outfit turned out to be entirely inappropriate for the weather. Why bother looking at weather.com if it is rarely accurate? It just so happens that today, the weather forecast made no mention of extreme winds. As such, I chose to wear a flowy knee-length skirt. Low and behold, the wind was roaring and one-too-many italians may or may not have gotten a glimpse of Victoria's Secret. I would say I'm embarrassed but I'm sad to say that I've endured embarrassment far worse. I digress.


But perhaps the coup-de-gras of the week goes to last night.
Warning: this story may result in heart palpitations for those grown individuals who are invested in my safety. Sorry, Mom & Dad.
Two of my roommates decided to venture out for drinks last night. They met-up with the guys who live upstairs and they all went to bars together. One of the boys who lives upstairs has friends from home visiting.....and therein lies the problem. You know how "some people just can't handle Vegas?" Well, Visiting-Idiots #1-5 can't handle Florence. By the time my roommates and company reached the discoteca, the gentlemen were a sight for sore eyes. As Short-Visiting-Idiot began to get violently ill, three of his cohorts rushed him back to the hotel. What, may you ask, happened to Idiot #5? Well, as he was dancing with one of my roommates, his friends left him. And this is where the problems begin.


My compassionate roommate noticed that idiot #5 was far too drunk, and lost, to find his way to a hotel. As such, she, with much effort, brought him back to our apartment. He quickly fell asleep and all was good in the world....right? WRONG. An hour and a half later, my roommate and I awake to find Idiot #5 walk into the door, back-up a few steps, and then proceed to drop his trousers and urinate all over the floor. Despite our yelling objections, Idiot #5 finished his business before walking back to our side of the room, lying down on the floor (banging his head on the dresser along the way), and falling back asleep.


Now you may remember, dear readers, that I did not accompany my roommates out to the club. Alas, I was awoken to a strange man urinating on my bedroom floor. To say I was furious would be perhaps the most severe understatement ever muttered from my lips. Despite my considerable strength, I was unable to physically throw this drunken idiot out the door (plus, my far-too-nice roommate insisted that we didn't because he was a friend of a friend). Alas, we let him sleep until morning, at which point we kicked his never-to-be-forgiven ass out the door.


If that's not a bedtime horror story to read kids going off to college, I don't know what is. On that note, buona notte amici!

A Weekend With Me, Myself, and I

This weekend, I did homework. I ate. I slept. When I woke up? I did some homework and then took a nap. And you know what? It felt great.

The view from Pienza was surreal. It was like looking into a painting.

I really have no shame about my lazy weekend. I feel as though the first three weeks in Florence were so go-go-go and I just needed a break. I felt so exhausted and behind on school work/grad applications and a weekend of TLC has fixed it all.


On Friday, I went to Pienza with the architecture students and we had a great day in a beautiful medieval town. No insane stories to share - just a good, relaxing day had by all.

Apparently, not everyone loved the field-trip......

I'll be sure to share exciting stories as soon as they happen. Arrivederci!