 Welcoming committee at JFK Airport Well, that's all folks. It feels like yesterday I was just writing about arriving in Florence and now I'm back in the U.S. trying to adjust to the time zones and not wake up at 4:00 AM.
As in my usual way, I made a montage video of all the trips I went on this semester. Reflecting back over my experiences, I'm still blown away by everything that I saw and the places I went. This semester truly has been an eye opening experience and has changed my life for the better. I am very grateful for everyone who made it possible and even more grateful for the amazing people I got to spend the semester with.
So for the final time, enjoy the video and arrivederci!
-Eric
My time here in Italy is officially over. Tomorrow I'll be on my flight back to the US. It feels like we just got here not too long ago. I look back at this experience and realize just how incredible it was, but I'm ready to head back home.In my procrastination of studying for finals, I put together a spoof of a video that the New York Knicks created before Carmello Anthony's first home game on the team as he returned to his hometown. Here's the link for that video.Keep an eye out over the next few weeks for my final blog post with a video I'll be putting together of all my trips!See you tomorrow, America!
 With one final weekend before we leave for the US, we didn't want to sit around all weekend and study for finals. The Leaning Tower of Pisa, or Torre di Pisa, is only a hour train ride away, so a few of us decided to go check it out and take the typical tourist photo.
The Tower was built to be the bell tower of the Pisa Cathedral and actually began to tilt during construction beginning in 1173. It took an incredible 344 years to complete building it and it leans a little over 5 degrees.
We got took plenty of pictures of us trying to hold the tower up. Turns out its a lot harder than you may think. Lots of trial and error and yelling at people to move their fingers a few inches, but we finally took some good ones.
We grabbed pizzas at a local pizzeria and then were back on the train to Florence. Only a week left in Florence, but five finals separate me from officially being done with the semester.
| With a seven hour layover in Dublin on our way home from Scotland, Emily and I were able to take advantage and explore the city for a few hours. Our flight arrived mid-morning and we were in Dublin a half hour later.
Our first stop was the historic Temple Bar district that dates back to the 17th century. We walked around and went into the Temple Bar Pub which was decorated for Christmas. The medieval area is a popular destination for nightlife, unfortunately we weren't going to be there at night. With a few hours left, we decided to walk over to Dublin's most popular tourist destination, the Guinness Storehouse located at St. James' Gate Brewery. The Storehouse is a "beer museum" of sorts, as it teaches you about the brewing process and of course allows you to drink a pint of Guinness. |  Temple Bar Pub | We started off with a beer tasting and then sat in on a beer and food pairing demonstration. Turns out Guinness goes great with seafood and chocolate mouse (I know you're reading this Mom, here's what I want for dinner when I get home, I even picked up recipe cards for you!). We also learned how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness, a step by step process that takes 119.5 seconds. We got behind the bar and if we succeeded, got a certificate with our name on it that says we passed the Guinness test. If the Information Systems thing doesn't work out, I now have a back up plan as a bartender. After finishing off our pints, we had to head back to the airport for our connecting flight back to Italy. Although we only had a few hours in Dublin, I was glad that I got a taste of the Irish culture and was able to explore the city. Check off another country that I've visited.
| The trip that I've been waiting to go on for at least the last ten years was finally here. Golf at St Andrews Golf Links in Scotland. Studying abroad gave me the opportunity to fly up to Northern UK, and when I found out that my friend Emily golfs and also wanted to go to St Andrews, our trip was booked within a few days.
To set the stage for non-golfers, St Andrews is known as the "home of golf," as golf was first played on the grounds of the Old Course over 600 years ago. Every five years, the British Open is held on the Old Course, with previous winners of Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, John Daly, and Tiger Woods. Its the dream course for almost every golfer and the top of my golf bucket list.
Getting to Scotland was a project in itself. We left Thursday afternoon (Thanksgiving) on a train to Rome. Luckily I was able to find WiFi so I could Skype my family who were gathered for Thanksgiving. Emily and I then flew to Dusseldorf, Germany for our over night layover. Being a small airport, there was only one place for us to sleep: the benches in the kiddie play section next to a Micky Mouse themed children's ride.
|  Thanksgiving dinner at the airport | We woke up at 4:30 AM to check in for our flight, although we didn't sleep more than an hour throughout the night. Half asleep, we went through security and then had to pass a visa checkpoint. If there's one thing I learned from this semester its that German security and police are terrifying. Both Emily and I were questioned and they even thought I was part of the U.S. Army, but we were eventually let through.
We arrived in Edinburgh around 7:30 AM and after two buses, a train, and lots of walking, we finally arrived at the Old Course at 10:00 AM, a whole half hour before our tee time. We threw our luggage into clubhouse lockers, picked up our rental clubs, and were driven to the first tee by buggie (Scottish name for golf cart). After a few warm up putts, we met our playing partners, a couple from Washington DC who are members at Congressional Country Club that has hosted numerous PGA tournaments including the US Open and the PGA Championship.
 Emily and I in front of the R&A Clubhouse on the first tee | We joined up with our caddies and the starter called our tee time. I was thinking of how Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods have all taken the same walk onto the first tee box that I was taking now. Talk about pressure. Not having hit a golf ball since August, I was expecting to completely miss the ball. I pulled driver, teed up my ball, and smacked it 300 yards straight down the middle of the fairway.
Did I fool you? In true Eric Croci fashion, I barely hit the ball, topping it about a hundred yards out, but at least it was in the fairway!
The rest of the round I was in complete awe that I was actually golfing on the Old Course in St Andrews. |  112 bunkers on the course, this is the only one I hit into  Road Hole #17, one of the most famous holes in golf |  Incredible views the whole round  Me and Emily on the famous Swilcan Bridge on 18 | Talking with my caddie during the round, I found out that he has caddied in three British Opens, including once for Gary Player and finished tied for 6th in the 1995 Open. He was incredibly helpful explaining how to play each hole and very good at reading the green, although it took a while adjusting to not having to carry my own bag. The course itself was beautiful. Rolling hills with tall grass for miles in the distance. And the best news was that I only lost one golf ball!
The rest of the round was absolutely incredible. Lots of good shots to go along with a few poor ones as well. After the first few holes I was able to get my swing back. The only bunker I hit into left me with a 35 yard shot to the green and I put it to three feet and made the putt. On the Road Hole #17, one of the most famous holes in golf, I hit a great tee shot over the Old Course Hotel and wound up in the middle of the fairway. In style, I finished out the round with a par on 18, ending with 11 pars and shooting an 84.
| After the round, we went out to dinner and then back to the hostel. Being up for basically 40 hours, we called it an early night. The next morning, we got breakfast at a bakery that was suggested to us called Fisher and Donaldson. They're famous for their fudge covered donuts and I could see why. Delicious. Walking around the streets of St Andrews, there were golf stores everywhere and I realized that it was "socially acceptable" to carry your clubs around on the city streets. I kept saying that this place is heaven and was wondering why I didn't study abroad here!
The course is regarded as "the oldest new course" as it was set out in 1895. The course was much narrower than the Old Course but very similar in the basic lay out. It was a lot warmer and less windy than the day before, but I didn't quite play quite as well shot an 85.
 Par 4 along the water at the Eden Course |  Out on the New Course
Sunday we woke up to a chilly and rainy day, and I couldn't convince Emily to come play round three with me at the Eden Course. I braved the weather and went out with five layers of clothing on and two pairs of pants, and it was well worth it. Despite the rain and the strong winds, I managed to find my swing and put together a great round of 75 with a few birdies mixed in.
Sunday night we had to travel back to Edinburgh to stay the night closer to the airport to make our flight in the morning. We had a seven hour layover in Dublin and decided to go sightseeing in the city.
| The final long weekend trip of the semester was in the books. This past weekend I was in four different countries over four days, including three different countries on Monday alone. I took trains, planes, and buses over a total of forty five hours spent traveling to and from St Andrews, but wouldn't have traded it for anything. St Andrews was like no where else I've ever been and I can't wait to go back again.
 Hanging out with Jack Nicklaus
 My friend Jen and I at the dinner I never imagined how tiring traveling every weekend was going to be. The past two weeks I've had "off" and got to spend some time in Florence catching up on work but more importantly, sleep.
The past week we've had a few events around Florence to keep us occupied. Marist held an "aperitivo" dinner in the ballroom of Hotel Astoria hosted by the Marist President and his wife. President and Mrs. Murray, along with other members of the Marist Admissions staff, were in attendance for the dinner. Back on campus, I work as a student assistant in the Admissions Office and my boss is the director for international admissions, dealing directly with the Marist-LdM campus. Before I left, he told me a lot about the campus and really got me excited for Florence, so it was cool to see him and the other Admissions staff in Florence.
| This past Sunday we had the opportunity to attend a Florence soccer game for five euro, one of the events on my Florence bucket list. On our way to the stadium, I picked up a jersey and was ready for action. ACF Fiorentina plays in the Serie A league, the top division of the Italian football league system. At the game I went to, they took on Atalanta BC from Bergamo in Northern Italy.
Being at the game was a lot of fun. Just as you see on TV, the fans REALLY get into the action. Almost the entire time there was a chant going on, people holding up their scarves, or someone yelling at the few Atalanta fans in the visitors section. Fiorentina played a great game and won 4-1.
Certainly going to miss this food
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Stadio Comunale Artemio Franchi
My friend Nikki met her parents in Switzerland over the weekend and brought them back with her to Florence. Last night we all went out for dinner. Literally the next door over from my apartment is a restaurant named La Giostra that I've heard incredible reviews about. Every night I pass it and see a line of people out the door waiting to get in, so I recommended that we go there.
Little did we know just how well ranked this restaurant was. On the wall next to our table, one magazine ranked it the best restaurant in the region of Tuscany and another ranked it the 27th best restaurant in all of Europe. Looking around we saw pictures of famous celebrities who had eaten there including Bruce Springsteen, George Lucas, Brad Pitt, Chevy Chase, Michael Cain, John Travolta, Neil Patrick Harris, John Malkovich, and more.
The food was to die for. I had spaghetti with lobster that was incredible and tried some pear ravioli as well. I decided that I'll be living at this restaurant for the next three weeks. And on top of that I even can connect to the Wifi from my apartment because its so close! |
Thank you Esposito's for an incredible dinner!
I have one more trip left this semester, and it looks like it's going to be my favorite (or should I say 'favourite') by far. Tomorrow afternoon I leave for Scotland to play at the birthplace of golf, St. Andrews. This afternoon I found out that we got a tee time to play at the Old Course on Friday and I've watch every YouTube video I could find about the course this afternoon. I never thought I'd be playing on the same course where Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods all won the British Open! Let's just hope I remember how to swing a club...
Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends and family back home! I'll be thinking of everyone during my overnight layover in Dusseldorf Airport in Germany. And finally,
 Duomo, Basilica, Giotto's Bell Tower Turns out we do actually get assigned work in classes here. Between five papers, two presentations, and starting to prepare for finals, the blog fell to the bottom of the list.
Two weekends ago, my friend Kaylyn and I decided to take a day and be a tourist of Florence. With the time I have left in Florence winding down, I realized that I wasn't taking advantage of the city. So far I've spent over half my time traveling and wanted to really see Florence.
We started out our day at the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiori (Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower) which is the main cathedral of Florence, made famous by the Duomo. Construction began in 1296 and finished in 1436 when Brunelleschi completed the dome. After walking around inside, we climbed to the top of the Duomo. Half way up, you walk around directly underneath the dome for a close up view of the paintings underneath. The nearly 39,000 square foot surface depicts The Last Judgement and took 11 years to complete. Once we reached the top of the 414 steps, we enjoyed an incredible view of the city.
 Underneath the Duomo |  View from the top | | After the Duomo, Kaylyn and I went to the Accademia Gallery to see the most famous work of art in Florence, Michelangelo's David. Created during the height of the Renaissance from 1501 to 1504, David stands at 17 feet tall and is a single piece of marble. It was incredible to see in person even though I'm not much of an art person. No pictures allowed though.
From the Accademia we went to a small restaurant named Trattoria Mario that's only opened for lunch. There is always a line of people waiting to get in, and the food is certainly worth the wait. They change the menu everyday, but I had spaghetti with clams and then roast chicken that was to die for.
After lunch, we walked around the outdoor San Lorenzo leather market where countless vendors sell everything imaginable. I picked up a few presents for family and then we walked to the famous Ponte Vecchio, meaning "Old Bridge," a very fitting name, being built in 1345. Today, expensive jewelry stores and art dealers line the sides of the bridge as you walk over.
Walking straight over the bridge and down the road brought us to our final stop, the Palazzo Pitti, or Pitti Palace. Luca Pitti, a Florentine banker, commissioned the building in 1458 and it was then bought by the Medici family in 1549. Today it stands as a museum and inside contains the Boboli Gardens, although they were closed when we went. We walked around for a little then called it a day, both of us being exhausted.
|  Ponte Vecchio  Palazzo Pitti |  Top of the Duomo
| With just enough time to unpack from Rome and then repack for the weekend trip, 6:00 AM Saturday morning rolled around and I was off to France again. This trip was the second of two school trips sponsored by Lorenzo de' Medici and included in tuition. Thanks again Mom and Dad!
Our first stop was the Principality of Monaco, the second smallest sovereign nation behind Vatican City. It's pretty cool that I can now say I've been to the two smallest countries in the world. In addition to being so small, Monaco is actually the most densely populated nation, being home to approximately 35,000 people. In Monaco, we visited the administrative division of Monaco-Ville. Here we visited Saint Nicholas Cathedral, burial site of Grace Kelly and her husband Prince Rainier III.
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Monaco
| From Monaco we went to Nice, a popular vacation spot in Europe, where we would be staying the night in a hotel. We had an option of going on a walking tour of Nice or staying at the hotel and taking a nap, and after 2 straight weeks of traveling, a nap was too tempting to pass up. That night we were brought to a local restaurant for a three course dinner and then hit up the slot machines at Casino Ruhl Barriere. Turns out beginner's luck doesn't apply to France...
Winner winner, chicken dinner
Sunday morning we were up early for breakfast at the hotel. After two months in Europe, I finally found real bacon. From Nice we left for the small medieval village of Saint-Paul-de-Vence. Saint-Paul is characterized by its rocky, narrow streets, small villas, and large amount of artwork displaced through out the city. The beauty of the village has inspired numerous famous artists, painters, and writers over the years. We walked around the city and found some incredible views of the towns below.
Le Petite Chapel
View from Saint-Paul
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Ivy covered stone house
Old fashioned villa
| After Saint-Paul, we got back on the bus and drove to Cannes, home of the Cannes International Film Festival, and is considered to be one of the most elitist and expensive areas in Europe. We found a restaurant to have lunch in, and luckily for me, they had the World Golf Classic HSBC Champions tournament on three televisions for me to watch. After lunch, my friend Amanda and I went back to a casino to try to win my ten euro back from the night before with no such luck. Learning my lesson, we got back on the bus and stopped at Eze for a tour of a perfume factory and then were back on our way to Florence. It was nice to see how the other half lived for the weekend, but my bed in Florence was calling my name.
Not wasting any time, two days after I returned from the Fall break trip I was off again. After classes on Tuesday and Wednesday (10/30 and 10/31), we had Thursday off from class for All Saint's Day, a national holiday in Italy, making it a five day weekend for me. Tough life, I know. My friend Nikki and I decided to sneak Rome in for two days before heading on another trip over the weekend.
Still a little tired from Halloween celebrations the previous night, I slept though my alarm. Good thing Nikki called me and woke me up. After running through the streets of Florence at 7:00 AM, I made it to the train station with time to spare. A four hour train ride and we were in Rome.
After checking into our hostel, we boarded our "hop on, hop off" double-decker bus tour. With maps in hand, cameras out, and headphones plugged into the audio guide, no one could tell we were tourists. Our first stop was the world famous Colosseum, constructed by the Roman Empire in 80 AD. Back in the day, it was capable of seating 50,000 spectators, the same capacity as present day Yankee Stadium. The Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas. After pretending to be gladiators for an hour, we got back on the bus and drove around the streets of Rome until we reached the Trevi Fountain. The fountain stands at 85 feet tall and 62 feet wide, making it the largest Baroque fountain in Rome and one of the most famous in the world (it is actually replicated at the Italian pavilion at Epcot in Walt Disney World). Legend has it that if you throw a coin into the fountain, you are ensured a return to Rome, so Nikki and I both tossed one in. Turns out that around 3,000 euros (roughly $3,800) are thrown into the fountain every day! Too bad it was a bit too chilly for a swim. | After the Trevi Fountain, we went back to the hostel and cooked dinner in their kitchen. Both of us completely exhausted, we called it an early night.
Friday morning we woke up and took the bus over to St. Peter's Square in the heart of Vatican City thinking we'd be able to see the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel, but we were sadly mistaken. There must have been at least a thousand people in line waiting to get in, and we were told it was about a four hour wait. With our train leaving early that afternoon, we had to pass on the tour. Hopefully the legend of the Trevi Fountain holds true and I get to return to Rome to see Leonardo's masterpiece.
Back to Florence we go! | |
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
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