Yay sun!!!!! This weekend I went to the Amalfi coast of Italy. We stayed in Sorrento and then traveled to Capri, Positano and then Pompeii on the last day. It was a great fun, exhausting, relazing trip all in one. We arrived in Sorrento and checked into out cabins. Each group had a small cabin to themselves in the middle of orange and lemon trees. It felt like we were in the amazon. I stayed in a cabin with 4 other people which was a blast and then there were 6 other Gonzaga girls in another cabin so it was a perfect group.
The first full day we went to Capril to go on a hike. We had been told it was difficult but we all figured we were in good shape. Little did we know we would be rock climbing for parts of it and trecking uphill on steap loose rocks for at least an hour. I have to admit tit was soooo rewarding and a blast even though we complained and laughed through the whole thing. The views above the island of Capri were spectacular and the sun was blazing so some people even got burnt. The hike was so high that at one point we were even above the cloud line. It was a crazy experience that I already want to do again...even though my calves are still killing me. On the way down we took the famous Spanish stairs. These stairs go down the side of the cliff zig-zagging and there are over a thousand. It would have been ok if we hadnt just hiked for an hour or if the steps had been evenly spaced but of course this was not the case. Our legs were shaking like none other by the end.
After the hike we were soooo hungry so we got the infamous Caprese sandwiches we had heard so much about. And yes they are as good as expecited. Fresh bread, marinated tomatoes and mozzerella. It was the first of many.
Of course afterwards we had to take a boat trip around the island. So we found a local guy about our age who hooked us up with a friend of his who agreed to illegally take 11+ him on a boat that only allows 8 total. The entire time he made us duck out of the harbor and was searching for police as not to get caught it was histerical. This captain was so enthusiastic about his rock figures in the shapes of animals and he also took us into some caves similar to the blue lagoon which were beautiful (we couldnt go into the actual blue lagoon becuase it closes before 2 becuase of high tide). It was a blast, and I have some great pictures to show it. Eventually we hearded back to Sorrento on a ferry and we were so exhausted we all showered and basically went to bed (not even getting dinner).
The next day was our beach day in Positano, a small romanitic Italian city on a hill on the coast. All of us girls put on our swimsuits and dresses for the day. Of course right when we got there and layed out our towels, the clouds rolled in and the rain came along with them...of course. So our beach day didnt happen as planned but it was still fun to see the beautiful city. That afternoon some poeple decided to go into Naples to get the infamous pizza, yet my cabin decided to stay in Sorrento since we hadnt even seen the city we were staying in yet. While 3 people slept I ventured out with my friend Russ to explore the streets. Little did we know sorrento is way bigger than expected and has tons of little allyway streets filled with fun shops. We scoped out resturants or dinner and found some fun souveniers. For dinner we reassembled the cabin and went to a resturant famous for its Buffalo Mozzerella. It was delicious. We enjoyed a great relaxing meal together and then explored the busy nighttime streets of Sorrento. Of course being absolutely exhausted hit us again and we retired to bed waayyy earlier than we expected again (we are getting old).
The last day we went to Pompeii with the entire tour group. We went on this trip through the same program as greece which is called Euroadventures. This tour was led by Father Bruno who is a character. Is is an old priest who basiclaly couch surfs, draws, runs and says "dawg" all of the time. He is actually friends with my friends from Portland, the Bergmans and slept on their couch for a while so it was fun to bond with him over mutual friends. He defiently made our trip. WHen we got to Pompeii Bruno got us a guide and also bought us lunch. The city was way bigger than I expected and the molds of the victims take your breath away. It is earie. Finally it was time to venture home but it was a spectacular trip. only 3 more weekends to go now until school is over...scary.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Spring Break in Greece- My Gyroadventures:)
So Greece was my destination for Spring Break and wow I cant believe how fast it went by. The trip truly felt like a short weekend (of course it was filled with alot of travel). A group of my friends and I signed up with a tour group called Euroadventures that was founded by a GU grad to do the trip. This way we did not have to plan anything...it was all done for us which was awesome and made things so relaxing which is how spring break should be.
We took a bus to the port of Anconda where we caught an overnight ferry to Greece. Picture a 3 star cruise ship complete with a disco, bars, pool, rooms etc. Being able to just hang out on a ship made the travel much easier. Then we arrived in Greece only to have to take another ferry to the island of Corfu. Turns out March is still before tourist season as well so when we got to Corfu and especially the little town we were staying in it was deserted. Literally nothing was open except for our hotel. Thankfully the hotel had great cheap lunches and provided us with 3 course Greek dinners which were delicious. Also, because we were basically the only group staying in the hotel that can fit 700 we all have ocean view rooms...so alot of our time was relaxing on our decks.
The first full day there some of my friends and I decided to go on the quad safari for the day that the hotel offered. It was 6 hours exploring the island views and beaches and offroading on a quad. It was SOOOO much fun and beautiful. We drove through the tiny hill towns that you think only exsist in movies with the little old lady sitting on a chair in the doorway, the men socializing at a bar, sheeps and goats in wooded pastures. It was amazing.
The second day I decided to just hang out on the beach as it was 70+ degrees out. I even got a tiny bit burnt which of course is gone now. We has the most amazing day reading, talking, doing yoga on the beach, swimming (it was still a bit cold) and just playing around like little kids.
Eventually it was time for us to leave on an overnight bus to Athens. Talk about a wierd expeience but I was surprised to sleep decently well for the conditions. We all had a twilight moment when the bus driver drove onto a ferry and we all wake up to the bus spinning and all we can see is water and a massive bridge above us...crazy things in Greece.
Now on to Athens we arrived at 8:30am and then immediately had a tour to see all the main sights and orient outselvves with the city. Coffee was a priority to survive the day even part way so we found the nearest Starbucks and CostaCoffee. We saw Parlament buildings, changing of the guard (they wear really funny shoes), the first modern olympic games stadium, and then ruins and up to the Acropolis. The Acropolis has amazing views of all of Athens becuase nothing in the city can be built higher. Also, the ruins themselves are so amazing to see. The city is actually in the process of reconstructting all the the ruins to how they would have looked which I found very interesting that they are not just keeping them in the current state. The rest of the day I spent with my friend Ashley as we faught the desire to sleep to keep exploring the city.
That night all of the Gonzaga travelers signed up for an authentic greek meal at a nearby resturant and we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. food and wine kept coming and coming and coming. masaka, tziki ( I am sure I am butchering all of the spelling), lamb, chicken, stuff that I have no idea what it was but probably about 20 plates total and then traditional greece dessert of greek yogurt and honey with these almond bar things. We couldnt move after to say the least.
The next day I ventured out with a group to see all of the other ruins that were closed the day before and we definetly saw them all. Of course eventually we were ruined out and just explored around. And then we ran into a riot/demonstration. There were just tonds of riot police guarding all of the government buildings and then we walked further and found the actual protestors with signs and calls. we ran into someone who spoke english who just said it was unsafe and stay away...ok great so thats exactly what we did. eventually it all dispersed with no violence so all was fine. But it was interesting to see what we hear about in the news. Eventually it became time to leave Athens after ruins, markets and greek food galore and it was back onto the overnight ferry and then the bus back.
Now I am home in Florence...it is just as sunny here now and I do not want to go to class at all. But, I cant really be that lucky:) I hope all is well at home! Only 1 month to go.
We took a bus to the port of Anconda where we caught an overnight ferry to Greece. Picture a 3 star cruise ship complete with a disco, bars, pool, rooms etc. Being able to just hang out on a ship made the travel much easier. Then we arrived in Greece only to have to take another ferry to the island of Corfu. Turns out March is still before tourist season as well so when we got to Corfu and especially the little town we were staying in it was deserted. Literally nothing was open except for our hotel. Thankfully the hotel had great cheap lunches and provided us with 3 course Greek dinners which were delicious. Also, because we were basically the only group staying in the hotel that can fit 700 we all have ocean view rooms...so alot of our time was relaxing on our decks.
The first full day there some of my friends and I decided to go on the quad safari for the day that the hotel offered. It was 6 hours exploring the island views and beaches and offroading on a quad. It was SOOOO much fun and beautiful. We drove through the tiny hill towns that you think only exsist in movies with the little old lady sitting on a chair in the doorway, the men socializing at a bar, sheeps and goats in wooded pastures. It was amazing.
The second day I decided to just hang out on the beach as it was 70+ degrees out. I even got a tiny bit burnt which of course is gone now. We has the most amazing day reading, talking, doing yoga on the beach, swimming (it was still a bit cold) and just playing around like little kids.
Eventually it was time for us to leave on an overnight bus to Athens. Talk about a wierd expeience but I was surprised to sleep decently well for the conditions. We all had a twilight moment when the bus driver drove onto a ferry and we all wake up to the bus spinning and all we can see is water and a massive bridge above us...crazy things in Greece.
Now on to Athens we arrived at 8:30am and then immediately had a tour to see all the main sights and orient outselvves with the city. Coffee was a priority to survive the day even part way so we found the nearest Starbucks and CostaCoffee. We saw Parlament buildings, changing of the guard (they wear really funny shoes), the first modern olympic games stadium, and then ruins and up to the Acropolis. The Acropolis has amazing views of all of Athens becuase nothing in the city can be built higher. Also, the ruins themselves are so amazing to see. The city is actually in the process of reconstructting all the the ruins to how they would have looked which I found very interesting that they are not just keeping them in the current state. The rest of the day I spent with my friend Ashley as we faught the desire to sleep to keep exploring the city.
That night all of the Gonzaga travelers signed up for an authentic greek meal at a nearby resturant and we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. food and wine kept coming and coming and coming. masaka, tziki ( I am sure I am butchering all of the spelling), lamb, chicken, stuff that I have no idea what it was but probably about 20 plates total and then traditional greece dessert of greek yogurt and honey with these almond bar things. We couldnt move after to say the least.
The next day I ventured out with a group to see all of the other ruins that were closed the day before and we definetly saw them all. Of course eventually we were ruined out and just explored around. And then we ran into a riot/demonstration. There were just tonds of riot police guarding all of the government buildings and then we walked further and found the actual protestors with signs and calls. we ran into someone who spoke english who just said it was unsafe and stay away...ok great so thats exactly what we did. eventually it all dispersed with no violence so all was fine. But it was interesting to see what we hear about in the news. Eventually it became time to leave Athens after ruins, markets and greek food galore and it was back onto the overnight ferry and then the bus back.
Now I am home in Florence...it is just as sunny here now and I do not want to go to class at all. But, I cant really be that lucky:) I hope all is well at home! Only 1 month to go.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Crazy for Carnival
Last weekend I decided to brave Venice Carnival for the weekend with 7 other friends. Of course we thought it was a great idea to take the 4:30 am train to save money so we were all exhausted and grouchy. Then we arrived in Venice and decided to cheack into the hostel. Lets just say it was a little sketchy, not the cleanest, and wasnt even marked. It all worked out in the end as we ended up being right in the center of Florence on the main road and they also gave us free dinner which was a plus. I think everyone that was living there was a study abroad student from Florence so we met a ton of people which was alot of fun.
We spent alot of time wandering around on Friday which was an amazing idea because most of the crazy crowds showed up for the weekend. The costumes were amazing. It was basically Halloween for adults. We decided to join in the fun and bought masks and took tons of pictures af all the people. I was talking to a guy from Germany the next night who was with a bunch of locals dressed up like cacti and he said that all of the locals know about the costumes and do very elaborate ones and then come just so people can take pictures of them. It is a blast. we discovered the fun of having pictures taken of you on saturday when we sat out on the window ledge of our second story room that looks right out onto a canal and then a bridge for the main road. We all had our masks on and just let people take pictures and talked to people. It was probably one of the main highlights of our trip.
On saturday we ventured to Murano to see the glass which was a great idea to avoid the crowds. The glass is beautiful but it is definetly touristy. We were just happy to soak in the sun sitting on the waters edge and eating gelato. The other highlight of our trip was Saturday night. We ventured to St. Marks square where we ran into gonzaga friends by chance and then we somehow snuck into the main square dance party. They were playing 80s italian music and I have never danced in that many tango lines in my life. Everyone was dressed up and having a blast. After a long night and walking along the water and on the streets with the hundreds of other people still up at 2 am we went to bed to head out the next morning. I am so glad I got to experience this Venice traditions and would defintly go back soon. Be sure to check out my pictures on facebook the costumes are amazing!!!!!
For your info: this weekend I leave for spring break in Greece...hopefully it remains safe:) I will update when I get home!
We spent alot of time wandering around on Friday which was an amazing idea because most of the crazy crowds showed up for the weekend. The costumes were amazing. It was basically Halloween for adults. We decided to join in the fun and bought masks and took tons of pictures af all the people. I was talking to a guy from Germany the next night who was with a bunch of locals dressed up like cacti and he said that all of the locals know about the costumes and do very elaborate ones and then come just so people can take pictures of them. It is a blast. we discovered the fun of having pictures taken of you on saturday when we sat out on the window ledge of our second story room that looks right out onto a canal and then a bridge for the main road. We all had our masks on and just let people take pictures and talked to people. It was probably one of the main highlights of our trip.
On saturday we ventured to Murano to see the glass which was a great idea to avoid the crowds. The glass is beautiful but it is definetly touristy. We were just happy to soak in the sun sitting on the waters edge and eating gelato. The other highlight of our trip was Saturday night. We ventured to St. Marks square where we ran into gonzaga friends by chance and then we somehow snuck into the main square dance party. They were playing 80s italian music and I have never danced in that many tango lines in my life. Everyone was dressed up and having a blast. After a long night and walking along the water and on the streets with the hundreds of other people still up at 2 am we went to bed to head out the next morning. I am so glad I got to experience this Venice traditions and would defintly go back soon. Be sure to check out my pictures on facebook the costumes are amazing!!!!!
For your info: this weekend I leave for spring break in Greece...hopefully it remains safe:) I will update when I get home!
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