paris: i reunited with three fellow nyu-ers--one studying in madrid, one in florence, and one in prague. it (both the city and the reunion) was magnificent. the parisian weather was incredible, our location was amazing--we were in the latin quarter--and we took full advantage of the city. we were about an hour walk from the eiffel tower, but paris is a big city and the walk was a beautiful one along the river, so we did not mind one bit. my friend studying in prague, sarah, and i wound up walking the city for about 6 hours one day. we visited the eiffel tower around dinner time, then purchased a bottle of wine and drank it while we watched the sunset in the park overlooking the eiffel.
florence: possibly my favorite city. the food, the people, and the friends i visited were all incredible. the weather was stellar and the culture was authentic and charming. i visited from a monday to friday. i was a little nervous that i'd run out of things to do there since i'd be there for five days, but it wound up being some of the best times of my vacation. i find i like to get to know a city not by merely doing the touristy things but by also doing exactly what i would do in my city at home: people watch, go to cafes, sit in parks, and take aimless walks. florence was perfect for this. my four friends whom i was visiting were in class for a good portion of the week since it was a school week for them, so i wound up spending a lot of time walking/exploring/meandering on my own. florence is small and very navigable, so i didn't mind one bit.
rome: i have to admit, i was a bit nervous going to rome on easter weekend--would we get to see the vatican? would it be crazy crowded? would basic prices be hiked up because of the tourist appeal that weekend? i am incredibly glad i went during easter. my two friends and i were lucky enough to travel to the coliseum on good friday and see and hear the pope speak. the sermon he delivered was predominantly in latin. it was such an incredible experience. we also did all of the essential things like the vatican, st peter's basillica, sistine chapel, the ruins, etc. rome was something that i've always wanted to do and that i'm glad i did, but i have to admit, the city itself did not have as much charm as other parts of italy. walking by foot, i enjoyed florence more.
athens: athens was exactly what i needed after rome. juxtaposing rome and athens was the best unintentional travel decision i've ever made. if rome offered all of the ancient attractions indoors but a surprisingly commercial interpretation of italy out of doors, then athens was the perfect blend of ancient history and contemporary beauty. it retained the most authentic ancient quality, but its being rooted in such an epic ancient history in no way made it inaccessible. i know many people have told me that athens would not be one of my favorite cities and that it's something i should do but that i wouldn't love, but i truly loved it. i think i felt more that way about rome than about athens. there were so many moments in athens that i literally had to stop in my tracks--usually up a mountain, a hill, or the acropolis--and just smile and think how lucky we were to be there. lastly, alex, morgan and i met a canadian couple, about our age, in athens. emilie and arlan, originally from vancouver island, were touring europe for almost two months and were staying at our hotel in athens. we immediately hit it off, spent the remainder of our stay in athens together, and then travelled to santorini together where we spent the remainder of our time there. emilie and arlan actually visited us in london this past weekend on their way back home to canada after two months. they stayed with us for the weekend, so we were able to show them what our semester has been about. we all bonded a lot, and i'm gonna miss them, but alex, morgan and i are working on them coming down to manhattan this summer.
santorini: utter bliss. sun, beach every day, riding ATVs, endless cocktails, and incredibly friendly greek people. santorini did not have the historical charm that most of the other cities i visited had, but then again, after 15 days of traveling across europe, i was ready to abandon history and embrace the beach. once again, unintentional travel decision, to make santorini our last stop, that worked out perfectly.
just about the day i returned to london after a 17 day vacation, my parents were greeting me in london. what was supposed to be a 6 day vacation for them turned into about a two week vacation because of the volcanic ash. it was bitter-sweet:in no way, shape, or form did i mind having them here; in fact i sort of loved making it a habit to reconvene with them after my school day, just like old times before college. at the same time, though, i knew that they didn't plan for it and weren't very prepared to stay in london for two weeks. we had a great time while they were here. a full two weeks here, and not a DROP of rain. it was gorgeous and sunny just about every day they visited, which i'm happy about since they visited my sister last year and it poured every day. overall, an incredible time with them. lots of walking and exploring different areas. i felt lucky to have a reason to play the tourist in london after i had been away on spring break for so long.
its 3am, and i fear i may fall asleep on my computer. i want to get these pictures in before i pass out.
view from the park during magic hour in paris
ponte vecchio bridge in florence
the pope speaking at the coliseum on good friday
top of the acropolis in athens
me and emilie, sunset in oia'night all. xx
2 comments:
love it! my favorite pic is of the pope speaking at the coliseum in Rome. Jess and I have a "sunset in oia" pics too! Did you go to the latin jazz bar i was telling you about?
i'm jealous!
Amazing! To think that Europeans can pick up and do this on a weekend. Post was worth waiting (a long time) for.
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