As we began to wind down our 12 day Fall break vacation, we arrived late Friday afternoon (10/26) in Prague, Czech Republic for three days. I grabbed dinner at a fine establishment by the name of KFC and then hung out at the hostel for the night.
Saturday morning we hit the ground running for a walking tour of the city, which turned out to be more of a walking tour of half the city. We opened the hostel doors and walked outside where it was a chilly 30 degrees and snowing, but hey, we're New Englanders, we're not going to let a little snow stop us. The tour started at the Old Town Square where we saw the Tyn Church, St. Nicholas Cathedral, and the "famous" Astronomical Clock installed in 1410. Our tour guide said that the Clock is the second most overrated attraction in Europe, and he was correct. The clock didn't even tell the current time.  Astronomical Clock After about an hour on the tour, we realized that not having feeling in our feet wasn't worth spending another hour and a half walking around Prague. We went into Bohemian Bagel where I got a bacon, egg, and cheese and a hot chocolate. Never again will I underestimate the healing power of hot chocolate. We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting a few stores and then went out to dinner.
We were told that Prague has a big time nightlife, so I met up with a few of my other friends from Marist who were also in Prague and went to "80's and 90's Night" at a club. I couldn't have prepared myself for what I was about to experience if I had tried. Let's just say we brought the average age of the club down about 20 years, but we still enjoyed watching the older people dance awkwardly with each other, and even got to relive parts of our 90's childhood with songs like the Macarena, Mambo No. 5, and 'N Sync.
Sunday morning we spent exploring the city on our own. We started off crossing the Vltava River at the Charles Bridge, commissioned by King Charles IV in the 14th century. From there we visited the John Lennon Wall, a wall commemorating Lennon with pictures, graffiti, and lyrics from his songs. People continually add to the wall, so we all signed our names.
 Out braving the storm | Sunday afternoon we went on a tour of the Prague Castle, the largest medieval castle in Europe. Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors, and Presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have all had their offices at the castle since the 12th century. Inside the castle, we visited the massive Roman Catholic St. Vitus Cathedral. The current cathedral is the third of a series at the site that date back to 925.
After the tour and dinner, the girls decided to go see a ballet, but I had better plans: NFL Sunday. I watched the Patriots play the Rams in London with the Pats coming out victorious. Certainly beat sitting at a ballet in my opinion!
 Main Gates at the Prague Castle | | With four of Europe's most famous cities under our belts, we decided it was about time to head back to Florence. Traveling for 12 days certainly took its toll as we were all sleep deprived, but it was a great trip to say the least. Monday morning we got on our flight from Prague to Milan, spent a few hours walking around Milan before the train, and then finally returned to Florence around 9:00 PM, giving me just enough time to do my homework for the next day and pass out for the night.  Sunset view from the Prague Castle
As we arrived in Berlin, our third stop of the trip, the first thing we saw in the train station was a Dunkin Donuts, and I could not have been happier. I felt like a kid in a candy store walking in and got myself a hot chocolate and Boston cream doughnut. Safe to say I was in heaven. We checked into the hostel late Wednesday night and got some much needed sleep.
Thursday we started off at the Berlin Zoo. It was a perfect fall morning, sunny but still a bit chilly. It was nice to walk around outside and not have worry about following a map or dodging cars and bicycles. From the zoo, we met our tour guide for a free walking tour of Berlin. We started at the Berlin Cathedral, the largest Protestant church in Germany, and then walked to Humbolt University where the likes of Otto von Bismarck, Albert Einstein, and the Brothers Grimm have studied and worked. Next on the stop was Checkpoint Charlie, the American crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold War. We finished up seeing the Berlin Wall, the Jewish Holocaust Memorial, and the former site of Hitler's bunker where he committed suicide (now turned into a parking lot). The tour finished up at Pariser Platz at the base of the Brandenburg Gate where Napoleon marched his army through after his victory over the Prussians in 1806.  Berlin Cathedral  Jewish Holocaust Memorial |  In front of the Berlin Wall  Brandenburg Gate | After the tour ended, we went out to dinner then found a movie theater playing movies in English and saw Paranormal Activity 4. Not exactly immersing ourselves in the German culture, but we couldn't pass up a taste of home.
Friday morning we had a few hours to kill before our train to Prague, so we went to the famous East Side Gallery of the Berlin Wall. The East Side Gallery is about a mile long section of the wall near the center of Berlin. Over 100 paintings by artists from around the world cover the wall, making it the largest open air gallery in the world. Some of the art was really abstract, but all of the works sent the same message of peace and unity. After a few hours at the wall, we picked up our bags, got some more Dunkin Donuts at the train station, and took off for Prague.  East Side Gallery
 "I AMsterdam" sign After arriving first class on the train, we checked in to our hostel late Monday (10/22) afternoon and grabbed some food. Our first stop: the famous Amsterdam Red Light District. After a walk around the Red Light District, we found a carnival with rides, games, and fried dough in Dam Square and spent the night there.
Tuesday morning we boarded a bus tour of the city. On the tour we saw the Royal Palace, Dam Square, the Western Church, the Skinny Bridge, and Amsterdam's tallest windmill. We also stopped off at the famous Gassan Diamond factory where we learned about the different cuts and types of diamonds. Not quite my cup of tea, but the girls loved it.
After the bus tour, we headed over for a canal tour of the city. Amsterdam has a nickname of the "Venice of the North" because of its 60 plus miles of canals intertwined in the city. There are 90 islands and over 1,500 bridges connecting the streets. Due to a shortage of housing, many people live in house boats right on the canals. I wish I could say what we saw on the tour, but I was asleep for about 75% of it. Traveling is exhausting...
 Seven bridges over the canals After my nice boat nap, the group split up and I went to the Amsterdam Dungeon with a few other. The Dungeon is more or less a very impressive haunted house. They have actors that tell stories of Amsterdam's past while at the same time scarring the living day lights out of you for an hour and a half. That certainly woke me up.
After dinner at the hostel, we went back to the carnival. Some of us went on a ride called the "Ejection Seat" where you're strapped into a metal ball on the end of a sling shot and then shot way up into the air to fling and spin around. As if that wasn't enough, my friend Jeana and I went on another thrill ride that spins you around upside down and backwards (in front of the Ferris Wheel). We both regretting going on that one after the ride finished...  Ejection Seat |  Never go on this ride... | Before our train to Berlin Wednesday at noon, we stopped by the "I amsterdam" statue around the corner from our hostel for the typical tourist photo. The letters are about 6 feet tall and we climbed all over them for the picture. We caught our train, only second class this time, and took off for Berlin!
After three weeks straight of a combination of mid-terms and traveling, I finally have a day off to catch up on the blog. Who knew studying abroad would be this exhausting?!? Probably won't be getting a lot of sympathy though...tough crowd.
After a week of mid-terms, Lorenzo de'Medici gave us a week off for vacation. My group of friends decided to do what's called the Northern Loop consisting of Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Prague (each city will have a separate post). Instead of going through the student travel company Bus2Alps, we decided to plan the trip on our own, a big undertaking to say the least. With planes, trains, and hostels booked, we set off Thursday night (10/18) the for our first destination: Paris.
We woke up Friday and set off for the Château de Versailles, or Palace of Versailles, just outside of Paris. The 17th century building was the center of political power in France when Louis XIV moved here from Paris. The palace has 2,300 rooms with original and replica pieces from the time period, and is estimated to have cost $2 billion to construct. Outside the palace is almost 2,000 acres of gardens, including the house of Marie Antoinette. No luck trying to find a "For Sale" sign anywhere on the property...  Outside the front gate |  "Backyard" at Versailles | Late Friday afternoon we went to the Musée du Louvre, the museum that houses Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and Venus di Milo statue. The Mona Lisa is a lot smaller than I had imagined, although it was still pretty neat to see the original. After walking around the museum for a few hours, we went to get an authentic French dinner where I experienced my first escargot. Très bon! Thank you Nikki for treating me to birthday dinner!
Despite the rain on Saturday morning, a few of us went on a four hour bike tour of the city of Paris. We couldn't have looked like tourists anymore than we did riding around with ponchos on. The tour brought us to see the Eiffel Tower, a complex of buildings called Les Invalides that houses Napoleon's tomb, the Musées du Louvre and D'Orsay, and a few other sites.
| | After a brief stop at Louis Vuitton for the girls (although they did have a Louis golf bag), we went to climb, well, take an elevator, to the top of the Eiffel Tower. The Tower was a lot taller than I expected it to be, and the view from the top was amazing until the clouds set in and it started to rain again.
Saturday night we went out to a restaurant and formally celebrated my 21st birthday as my real birthday was in the middle of mid-terms and I spent it studying. We found a little Italian restaurant by our hostel that was surprisingly some of the best Italian food I've had in Europe. After some lasagna, spaghetti with muscles, and a few glasses (or bottles) of wine, some of us went back to the Eiffel Tower to see it light up at night.
Standing under the tower with its golden glow was amazing. The overcast conditions actually paid off for us, as the lights illuminated the fog around the top of the tower. The five of us passed around a bottle of champagne and watched the tower in amazement. I even broke out a few Frank Sinatra songs on my phone to set the mood. It was an incredible sight and an amazing night. |  Not a shabby way to celebrate my 21st birthday | As if Paris wasn't great enough, Sunday I got to go to Disneyland Paris to take a break from the traditional European culture. The park was decorated for Halloween so we all enjoyed the fall atmosphere that we're missing out on back in New England. It wasn't quite the same as Disney World back in the U.S. but we still had a great time going on all the rides (Tower of Terror, Space Mountain, Rocking Roller Coaster, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc.). We had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe to celebrate my friend Alyssa's birthday and then headed back to the hostel.
We had half a day left in Paris Monday morning, so a few of us went over the the Notre Dame Cathedral for a few hours. Construction began in 1163 and is one of the most well known cathedrals in the world, and I could certainly see why due to the sheer size of the church. The stained glass windows were massive as well. We grabbed a baguette sandwich and some macaroons, grabbed our bags from the hostel, and caught our train for Amsterdam. Second class seats were all sold out, so we were forced into the first class cabin where we got free sandwiches, snacks, and wine, but we were most excited over the free WiFi that actually worked! | |
Have you ever had those moments where you just stop and look around in complete amazement? That's what this entire weekend was like down in the Amalfi Coast.We arrived at our hotel Friday morning around 2:30 AM and got a few short hours of sleep. We left around 8:00 AM for a private boat to the island of Capri. We sailed around the island and stopped off at the Blue Grotto (Grotta Azzurra), one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Europe. The Blue Grotto is a small cave that the sunlight passes into through an underwater cavity and creates a blue reflection that illuminates the cave, very Avatar like. My friends and I got into very small wooden boats and we entered the cave through a tiny entrance. Some people even went swimming in the Grotto.  Entrance to the Blue Grotto |  Inside the Blue Grotto | After the boat tour, we got docked at Marina Grande on the island of Capri. We walked up to the top of the island to Augustus' Garden for a great view of Capri. We then took a bus to the town of Anacapri to spend the day. Here, we grabbed lunch and walked around. A huge mountain, Mt. Solaro, has a chairlift that takes you up to the top for 360 degree views of the island, and the view from the top was incredible. We sailed back to the mainland and that night we went to dinner in Sorrento and then to an outdoor beer garden. Saturday morning we left for the beach town of Positano. The bus ride there was an adventure in itself with the narrow, winding roads hugging the cliffs. We walked down stair after stair to finally reach the black sand beaches. It felt weird spending the first weekend in October at a beach, but the temperature was in the upper 70s and the water was even warmer than Cape Cod during the summer. The water was unusually salty so we were all able to easily float and look back at the incredible coast line. Not bad for October! Although I wouldn't mind a little Fall golf right about now... That afternoon we had the option of taking a boat out to go cliff jumping and cave swimming, which turned out to be my favorite experience of the trip. The boat pulled up to a beach, we all jumped out, and the fun began. There's a narrow path up the side of the cliff with a few places to jump from. Each time I went I kept trying to find a higher and higher place to jump from and maxed out around 25-30 feet. Lots of fun! The rest of the day was dedicated to a well earned nap on the beach.
(Video below is the view from the boat)  Me cliff jumping on the right |
Sunday we packed up from the hotel and went to Pompeii for the day. We took a tour of the ancient Roman ruins that were covered by nearly 20 feet of volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvis volcano erupted in 79 AD. The archaeologists discovered bodies of the victims of the volcano and to preserve them, pumped the moldings with plaster. These people had no where to go when the volcano erupted, so most sat down and waited for the ash to cover him/her. It was very interesting to learn about ancient Roman life.
This weekend I spent catching up on the homework and readings that I had procrastinated on for midterms (starting October 16). But after a few days of hard work we get rewarded with a 10 day Fall break that I'll be spending visiting Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Prague. Some life, huh?
Arrivederci! | |  On top of the world
 This past weekend was one of the trips was looking the most forward to from way back over the summer when we started planning out travel. After a month of (attempting to) speaking Italian, we were all looking forward to getting to speak English again. We departed Italy from Pisa International Airport late Thursday night and checked into our hostel in London around 2:00 AM. To our surprise, we were staying in a room with 17 other people, but for $20 a night, we'll take it.
My friend Nikki and I started off Friday bright and early to go to the Warner Brother's Studio Tour London featuring The Making of Harry Potter. Growing up, Harry Potter was my favorite series of books and I'm still a huge fan today and now have the biggest urge to watch all of the movies again. The studio tour featured the real sets, costumes, props, and animatronics used while filming the movies. We walked through the Great Hall, Gryffindor common room, Hagrid's Hut, and stopped in front of Number 4 Private Drive. I really enjoyed the behind the scenes look of the movies.
| We said goodbye to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and took off to the Natural History Museum in London where we learned a lot about, you guessed it, natural history. Friday night we went on a ghost tour of the so-called most haunted city in the world. The tour guide was very entertaining although most of his stories turned out to be "fake" ghosts. Exhausted, we went back to the hostel to plan out our next day and very happily went to bed early.
Saturday started off with buying tickets to see a play called "Our Boys" for later that night, then off for the Tower of London, or more formally called Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress. The tower has nearly 1,000 years of history; in 1080 William the Conqueror began to build the massive tower in the middle of his fortress. During the 12th and 13th centuries Kings and Queens expanded the site to its current footprint. The Tower of London is home to Her Majesty's Crown Jewels, an armory, and lots of medieval weapons. We took a tour with a Yeoman Warder who have been the Royal Bodyguard since 1509. Very funny guy who loved to scream with his Sean Connery Scottish accent. We took a few pictures with the Tower Bridge made famous over the summer with its hanging Olympic rings, a quick stop at the giant department store Harrod's (for the girls, of course), and then we were off to the show.
|  Simon the Yeoman warder/tour guide |  Yours truly with the Tower Bridge | After a dinner of fish and chips, we got to the show. It was one of the more inexpensive shows that was still playing and fit our schedule, so we took a chance on it. The characters were slowly introduced one by one and when one actor came out and said a few lines, we all recognized his voice. Turned out he was Matthew Lewis, the actor who played Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films. We were all amazed to see him and waited outside the theater after the show to get pictures with him. Good thing we chose Our Boys and not Legally Blonde! Unfortunately, I couldn't tell you how the play ended, as I might have fallen asleep... Sunday started off with a few pictures at the famous Beatles' Crossing at Abbey Road. Luckily we weren't the only tourists there that morning holding up traffic. From there we went to see Big Ben, the Parliament building, and Westminster Abbey (closed Sunday's for services). After looking real touristy, we were off to see the changing of the guards ceremony at Buckingham Palace. The guards come in with marching bands through the crowds of people. I didn't have a great place to watch from, but it was still pretty interesting to see the ceremony and the palace. No, the Queen wasn't in that day for tea... |  Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom) |  Beatles Crossing at Abbey Road  Big Ben |  Westminster Abbey |  Changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace |
After the ceremony, the girls went off for afternoon English tea and I went to the British Museum. I saw the Rosetta Stone, lots of Egyptian mummies, and artifacts from throughout ancient history. We met up and took the London Duck Tour and quacked our way around the city and into the River Thames. At least our tour guide credited Boston with the original Duck Tour. We dried off then went up in the London Eye, a 443 foot tall Ferris wheel that provided great views of London. The London Eye was also featured on the Olympics many times over the summer.
|  Myself, Jeana, Becky, and Nikki at the top of the London Eye We grabbed dinner, stopped off at Platform 9 3/4 (also from Harry Potter) at King's Cross Station, and went back to the hostel for an early flight back to Italy. This weekend were off to the Almafi Coast in southern Italy. Looking forward to a little rest and relaxation. All this traveling (and school work) is exhausting! Cheers!
|
RSS Feed