maggie marks the map – A TRAVEL BLOG

London, England

September 28, 2017 No Comments

Sights & Activities

TOWER BRIDGE: Most commonly (and mistakenly) called “The London Bridge”, the Tower Bridge is one of the most famous and easily recognizable structures in the world. It was completed in 1894 as a way to help ease traffic on the road and now is an exhibit in addition to a working bridge that let’s you step inside and read all about the history of this infamous bridge. We went as a group of seven and it was very easy to buy tickets when we got there, but if you do want to purchase them ahead here, you can save a few pounds)! Not going to lie, it was a grueling 206 steps up the North Tower (I was also very tired that morning and out of shape) but the new glass floors and panoramic view on the walkway were so worth it! Once you get to the glass East and West walkways, you can also enjoy the “Great Bridges of the World” exhibit that showcases 40 different bridges around the world, both famous and unknown. After you take in the sights and panoramic view, you can take the elevator (or stairs if you’re daring) back down to the ground level to follow the new ‘Walk of Fame’ from the South Tower to the Engine Rooms where you can see how the bridge works to rise and fall each day as well as older techniques they used when it first started and how far they’ve come.

It was so cool to see straight through from one walk way to the other

My friend Mary looking out over the Thames River

There were a few big glass panels that you could walk across and see everything happening underneath you – I stayed close to the edge by the wood just incase

You can see the information panels of Tower Bridge history on the left, and the different bridges in their “Great Bridges of the World” exhibit on the right” as well as benches for those of us who get tired embarrassingly easy

A part of the Engine Room where you can see what used to make and what makes the bridge rise and fall

A look at the diagram they include in the program so you can see the layout better. Photo from towerbridge.org.uk

PLATFORM 9 3/4: Let me start out by saying I’ve never read any of the Harry Potter books. I’ve also only seen the second and very last movies because the snake scared me – I’m the worst I know, as my friends always tell me when I mention I have no clue what they’re talking about. Maybe I’ll at least read the books soon. Anyways, my friends are all huge Harry Potter fans so of course we had to go to Kings Crossing at Platform 9 and 3/4 to take a photo. The line, or “queue” if you want to be technical wasn’t that bad, even though it was long they got through everyone pretty quickly and were very organized! Once you step up to the spot, you tell the scarf guy what school you’d be in/what scarf you want and stand for the photo. They have a professional photographer there to take your photo but they don’t mind if your friends take photos of you with their phone too which is nice (if you’re cheap and trying to save money even though I think it’s only 5 pounds to have it printed/framed). The scarf guy will then throw your scarf up in the air on the count of three – and yes that’s his only job. They have you do a few different poses and then you can go inside and get them printed or check out the gift store. For someone who was a total poser and knew nothing about Harry Potter, the whole experience was still really fun!

They told me to lift one leg up and as the poser I am, I didn’t realize it was supposed to look like I was flying into the wall, whoops

They saw that we were all in a group so they let us all take a photo together (I apologize for the quality but my friend bought the printed version and then I just took a photo of it with my camera because I was running low on pounds at this point)

Food & Drink

CAMDEN MARKET: Camden Market was easily one of the coolest places we went while in London. As stated on the website you can check out here if you want more info, it’s home to over 1,000 different shops, stalls, bars and cafes. The food itself is just incredible here. I got the mac & cheese from the the Mac Factory here, and my friends got fried oreo donuts from The Original Crispy Candy Co. They also had an array of (healthier) options likes salads, homemade pasta, burger slides and pastries – pretty much any thing you can think of you can find some variation of here. In addition to food though, it’s a great place to shop for souvenirs or clothing. My friend and I got great winter hats and scarves from here for a reasonable price, and you can try bargaining with them as well!

NANDO’S: You may have heard of them before. My friends who studied abroad here for a semester went all the time and they have great burgers and chicken platters. They also do a “wing roulette” challenge where you get 10 wings with 5 varying levels of spiciness and have to take a chance with the one you pick. The atmosphere is an added bonus and we got to sit in this cool little cave all to ourselves.

Not the best quality but wanted to show our cool little cave we had all to ourselves there

KOKO: A huge former theater turned concert venue/club located in Camden Town. This place was unlike anywhere I had ever been before. You step inside and there’s a concert going on at the main stage and then every where you look there are balconies where you can choose to dance on the dance floor or up in the balcony with your friends. There were a few bars located throughout the building and it felt like a grown-up version of a club to me. However, I did end up getting my phone stolen there, despite the numerous signs posted the second you walk in saying beware of pick pocketers (oops). There wasn’t wifi inside anyways so unless you have data, it might be a good idea to just leave your phone in your coat pocket with the coat check and pick it up on the way out. With that being said, even though I got my phone stolen I would definitely go back if I knew who the concert was, and didn’t have my phone on me.

Since my phone got stolen I couldn’t take photos but I wanted to show you just how cool it looks on the inside. Photo by Mac DeMarco for DIY Mag

Good to Know

I feel like this goes without saying but in London they drive on the left side of the road, and they also walk or stand on the left, so keep this in mind unless you’re passing other people, especially on escalators. Also, and this may seem silly but look both ways before crossing the street because I wasn’t prepared for the cars coming the opposite direction and it’s just something to be mindful of.

Oyster card:

If you’re going to be there longer than a few days, your best bet would probably be to get an Oyster Card. Similar to a Charlie Card or Metro Card, you can load it up with money and then just swipe it to get on the bus or tube (subway).

The exchange rate:

Currently 1 US Dollar =0.75 British pounds (aka 4 dollars will get you 3 pounds and so on). You can check what the current rate is here if you’re planning a trip soon. You can also get money out of an ATM in pounds but will most likely have to pay a high foreign transaction fee so you may be better off switching currencies before you go.

Had to take a photo from inside a phone booth with Big Ben in the background (also breaking in the hat and scarf I bought at Camden Market!)

My group of friends from school I was lucky enough to travel with and visit that weekend who made it all worth it

CROATIA, OTHER DESTINATIONS

Split, Croatia

August 4, 2017 No Comments

Let me start off my saying, going to Croatia wasn’t even on my list of intended destinations when I went abroad, but now I think it should be high up on everyone’s list. It wasn’t a much-talked-about location like London, Rome or Paris but I certainly didn’t give it the credit it deserved. I signed up for the trip the day before, and after a small mix-up over two different travel companies, what I thought was a trip of 6 of us ended up being a trip for two. We didn’t let that stop us from exploring the beautiful city of Split though (I thought we were headed to Dubrovnik but then we passed it on our bus so I was mistaken). We took a 12 hour bus ride from Florence to Croatia overnight on Thursday, arriving early afternoon Friday. I had always read about how the water there being so blue and clear but the second we stepped off the bus, I couldn’t believe it. It was so unlike any other place I had been and I couldn’t wait to explore. We checked into our hostel right down the street (that reminded me of being inside a spaceship, as you’ll see in the photos below). Weighing our options of what to do, we spent most of Friday exploring, went on a boat (booze) cruise Saturday and Sunday took a trip to the Krka National Park before heading back that was really just a small piece of heaven surrounded by waterfalls everywhere you looked – even if the water temperature was equivalent to an ice bath. Croatia was a place I never would have really thought to go, but now that I have, I can’t wait to return.

Must See Sights

Island of Brac – Boat Cruise: While we were in Croatia, we signed up for a six hour boat cruise. We didn’t realize it was a booze cruise, or that it was BYOB for that matter until we showed up and people had plastic bags of Croatian beer. We didn’t mind enjoying the sites and making new friends though seeing that it was just Damien and I, and once we got off at our first stop on the island of Brac, we found a little convenience store that sold alcohol and picked up a few things for the remaining trip. One of the funniest things was that the second we got off the boat, three little kids ran up to all of us and started shooting us with their water guns. We all laughed as did they, and then we started talking to them and they spoke perfect English. They said they do this to a lot of tour boats who come by, and I can’t really blame them! It was fun to see that even though we were so far away from home, we’re really not that different – especially when it comes to curious little kids! We spent the rest of the time having rock-skipping contests, making new friends, and swimming in the clear blue water. The weather couldn’t have been better and that day in the sun was perfect.

The boat we took around the islands, it was a nice size for the amount of people!

You can see one of the little boys right behind Damien with his water gun, still following us after getting off the boat

Here you can really see how clear the water is!

Walking Tour: One thing I can’t stress enough is to try and get a walking tour of whatever city/town you’re in when you get there. Yes that’s easier said than done when you’ve just been on a bus for 12 hours, but getting to know your way around the place a little can be really helpful later on. You can make points of places to go back to and your tour guide will probably have some great recommendations for food places to check out! Our tour guide was great, and even though I’m not a Game of Thrones fan (I know, I’m one of the few), he pointed out a few places where they had filmed Game of Thrones scenes and you could immediately tell who the fans were in our group.

If you were to walk off that boat and straight down the street for maybe a minute and turn right, you’d find our hostel

Diocletian’s Palace: I definitely recommend taking some time to walk around Diocletian’s Palace. It was built by Roman Emperor Diocletian at the turn of the fourth century AD, and takes up about half the town in Split. Everywhere you looked there were more stones and stories to be shared. Much of the palace is still preserved and it was so cool to see where all of the ancient architecture. It also didn’t take too long to walk around so you don’t have to set aside your whole day for this!

Krka National Park: On our way back to Florence on Sunday, we stopped at Krka National Park for the morning. It’s home to 16 magnificent waterfalls, including the infamous Skradinski buk waterfall, one of the most beautiful and recognizable spots along the Krka River because of its huge natural pool for swimming. To get to the main attractions, you walk on a path surrounded by other small falls and over 200 plant species. While the path to get there never seemed to end, everywhere you looked, you were just surrounded by beauty. Once we got to the main waterfall, we saw everyone climbing down the small cliff to go in the water. Everyone started jumping into the water just for the photo and then getting out because it was so cold. I wanted a photo with my feet in it for Instagram, so Damien jumped and put his feet in the water too so he could take the photo, and then we went back and forth wondering if we should jump in with everyone or not. He had a go-pro so he wanted to get some videos closer up to the waterfall and I wasn’t about to let him go in alone because we were the only two people we knew on the trip (although with him being a lifeguard, he was definitely a stronger swimmer than I was) We both canon-balled into the water and he started swimming towards the falls but I just stood there frozen, not being able to move. I chickened out after that and got out but kept an eye on him so he didn’t disappear in the falls. We both made it out alive and grabbed food after right by the falls, while I changed into a long shirt and pants, looking crazy because it was probably 80 degrees out but I couldn’t warm up. Usually the base of the falls are full of people with floats and swimming, but seeing as we went in the first weekend of April, it’s understandable that the water was still really cold. If I were to go back, I would definitely go but later in the summer at a more popular time. I would rather have to deal with a small crowd than the freezing water, but I’m so glad we ended up going in because how many people can say they swam in a waterfall in Croatia? (Or stood there, but nobody needs to know that). You can buy your tickets here, and they’re 11 – 13 euros depending on the season you go in.

The view from the path as you walk through the park, just beautiful everywhere you look

So few people were getting in the water and those that did were clearly trying to avoid putting even their feet in until they had to

*Also, as of early in the Summer of 2017, the park is now limiting entrance to a maximum of 10,000 visitors at a time into the Skradinski buk section of the park due to safety and overcrowding so just keep that in mind if you go!

Food & Drink

Lvxor Kavana & Restoran: We were lucky enough to get breakfast in our hostel every morning, but Damien and I found this place right by Diocletian’s Palace while we were exploring and grabbed some food. I don’t know if we came at an unusual time for food but we ended up being hte only two in the whole restaurant, but the service was still great! We got the bruschetta to start and then I got a grilled cheese sandwich. I know – not very exciting food choices but sometimes you’re just in the mood for comfort food when you’re far away from home! I swear I branched out more during dinner Saturday night

Here you can see the Lvxor & Kavana restaurant to the left, and they have seating outside on the steps as well as music some nights

The mural on the ceiling of the restaraunt was incredible

The restaurant interior with a second floor of seating (I was hoping they would put us up there since we were the only people in the place but they didn’t)

If you love to eat fish, Croatia the place for you. They’re known for their fish dishes and I so wish I liked fish but I just don’t. One of my friends Saturday night ended up getting this pasta dish with squid ink and even though it didn’t look super appetizing, it wasn’t that bad! My advice would be to branch out and if you have one meal filled with food you know you’ll like, make the next meal something you wouldn’t normally get. I found that the waiters were always happy to share their recommendations too!

Best Kept Secrets

One thing that you probably didn’t know is that Croatia is one of the largest producers of lavender, due to the ideal climate and good soil. Our tour guide told us this and then as we started walking around, it was easy to find souvenirs of lavender everywhere. If you’re looking for some gifts for your family, a bar of lavender soap could be just the thing!

Good to Know

In Croatia, they use a currency called Kuna instead of euros. The exchange rate currently is about:

1 kuna = 13 euros = 16 US cents

I found all of our food and souvenirs to be very cheaply priced, or average. I spent maybe 100 euros the entire weekend, but that’s not to say the food or souvenirs are cheaply made – everything I found tasted great and was nice quality!

TRAVEL IN ITALY, VENICE

Venice, Italy

July 26, 2017 No Comments

Sights & Activities

SAINT MARK’S SQUARE: Known as Piazza San Marco or just “la Piazza” to the locals, as all other spaces in the city are called “campi” or little squares, it’s one of the most infamous squares in Venice. It’s home to the St. Mark’s Basilica, the Doge’s Palace and the Clock Tower to name a few famous landmarks.

St. Mark’s Basilica is the most famous church in the city and although it was completed in 1092, it wasn’t until 1807 when it became the cathedral of the city. For more historical information on the basilica and to find out when it’s open to enter click here.
Connected to Saint Mark’s Basilica is The Doge’s Palace is where the “Duke” of Venice would live and that went on for 1,100 years (from 697 to 1797). Since then it has been turned into one of eleven museums in the city (you can click here if you want to buy tickets!)
St. Mark’s Clock Tower was built in the early Renaissance period and comprises of a tower that contains a clock and two lower buildings on each side. The clock shows the hours of the day, the phases of the moon and the movement of the sun through the Zodiac signs. It is beautiful regardless of the time of day but if you catch it on the hour it really sparkles. You can also book a tour to go inside here but it’s recommended you do this a few days in advance as only a few people are allowed up at a time and you get to stand near the bronze sculptures at the very top that hit the bell – one of the best kept secrets!

A big group of my friends from school all met up when our visits overlapped so we had a very nice policeman take our photo in front of the basilica

Some of the close-up detail on the basilica

Here you can see Saint Mark’s Basilica in the background and the Clock Tower to the right. Doge’s Palace is off to the far right of the photo

GONDOLA RIDE: One of the things Venice is most known for is their gondola rides. When people think of Venice they usually think of a man singing to you as he rows down the canals under bridges and next to buildings, and it’s not far off from what you see there. Gondoliers (yes, that’s their actual name) have been around for hundreds of years when they were known as a respectable form of transportation for the nobel class. A normal 40 minute boat ride will cost around 80 euros (which, if you split it between a few of you is much more reasonable) so although this will definitely set you back a few euros, it’s well worth the experience! While you’re in the boat, take a few photos to document it but don’t forget to put the camera down and just enjoy the ride.

*Also, while not required or expected, if your gondolier does the full 40 minutes or hour ride and entertains you, a 5–10 percent tip is appreciated but if they rush through it don’t feel like you have to!

GLASS BLOWING DEMONSTRATION: While we were there, we stopped into a glass blowing demonstration. Most are done on Murano, the island nearby but we found one across a bridge called Vecchia Murano. It was very close to San Marco if you take the street on the left hand side of the Basilica (if you are facing the Basilica, the street runs down the left hand side going away from the Piazza) you come to a canal and the sign for the glass blowing is on the opposite side of the canal. We went inside and got a tour of the factory and showrooms, as well as an incredible demonstration where a man took a hunk of nothing was turned into a horse in about two minutes.

Then two minutes later he had made a horse on three legs. Unreal.

Just a glimpse at some of the incredible things transform glass to look like

CARNEVALE: The reason we ended up only doing a day trip to Venice was because we wanted to see Carnevale. Carnevale is a festival that has been celebrated in Italy for centuries, and it’s the last celebration before lent begins on Ash Wednesday. We went the first weekend of February, and it goes from the last week in January until about two weeks into February. The costumes are so ornate they were like out a movie, and there are shops everywhere to buy masks and take part in the fun! I definitely recommend going during Carnevale if you can, it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen before!

My friend Danny and I getting into the spirit of Carnevale (even though his mask is not pictured)

Food & Drink / Best Kept Secrets

WINE: While it’s no secret that Venice has some of the best wine in the world, especially if you’re on a budget, there are plenty of tiny shops around the city that will sell a 1 liter bottle of wine for around 3 euros, such a steal! These are usually “young wines” or vino sfuso, made locally and they’ll give them to you in a big 1.5 L plastic bottle. The storefronts are unassuming and usually a little off the beaten path but I went to one and it was some of the best wine I ever had. If you’re looking for a place close to where you’re staying or visiting, here is a list that may be able to help you out! Click here if you want to find incredible wine for under 5 euros!

Here you can see the huge bottles they’ll fill up with any wine they have for just 3 or 4 euro!

In terms of food we ate, it was pretty standard Italian food, and the cost was definitely a little more expensive right by the rivers because you also are paying for the view. Since we were there for a short amount of time, I don’t really have many restaurants to recommend but here is a list I found online of the 10 Best Venice Restaurants of 2017 according to TripAdvisor – check it out!

Shopping

MURANO BEADS: Venice, while known for their glass structures is also hand-in-hand known for their intricate glass beads. Glassmakers in Murano have been around since the 13th century and perfected their craft where they can add threads of gold or colors and make these patterns in the beads that can’t be found anywhere else in the world. There are shops lining the streets in Venice where you can buy pretty much any bead in any color imaginable, and they’re reasonably priced. I bought one for my mom and grandma and they’re great gifts to stock up on!

An example of some of the beads you can get, in pretty much any color combination or pattern. Photo from glassofvenice.com (when I track my mom and sister down, I’ll take a photo of their beads and upload them here!)

Good to Know

It’s very easy to take a water bus to the glass-blowing island of Murano or the colorful houses on the island of Burano. If you do choose this route, I’d recommend buying a day pass with the water bus so you can explore all the islands easily.

Just for reference, if you’re traveling from Florence to Venice, you can easily do this trip in a day. We went for one day and it was a 4 hour bus drive but we left early in the morning and it really wasn’t bad!

SIENA, TRAVEL IN ITALY

Siena, Italy

July 26, 2017 No Comments

Here you can see the Basilica of San Domenico in the background

I was lucky enough to be able to go to Siena twice, once with my school as a field trip and once with my aunt and cousin on a day trip. Located a short 90 minute train ride from Florence, it’s so easy to travel to (and fall in love with) this little town. What makes Siena so different is that it’s split up into 17 districts (or contradas), all named after an animal or symbol, and each has a long history. To become a member of a certain contrada, you normally have to be born within it’s territory or inherit membership from your parents and these communities are so tightly bonded that even today, every important event in someones life is celebrated in their own contrada. The town is beautiful, filled with little shops and restaurants, but one might argue that the Cathedral and city square take a majority of the attention.

Sights & Activities

SIENA CATHEDRAL: The Siena Cathedral (or Duomo di Siena) was created in the early 1200’s. The facade is incredibly ornate and detailed, and as you step inside you see black and white stripes along the columns, representing the two symbolic colors of Siena. I would love to be able to describe it more but there’s just so much to look at and the photos below don’t do it any justice when you step inside. I didn’t the first time when I went with my class, but I did the second time I and it was such a great decision.

*It does cost money to go inside, but you can buy a “Siena Pass” for 8-12 euro depending on the time of year you go that’s valid for 3 days and will get you entry into the baptistry, crypt and and Opera Museum so if you have a little time there it is well worth it!

The ceiling of the Piccolomini Library which is adjoining the cathedral. It’s filled with brightly colored, stunning frescoes is that tell the story of the life of Siena’s favorite son, cardinal Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who eventually became Pope Pius II.

The alter at the back of the cathedral, and there’s just so much going on it’s hard to figure out where to look first

The interior of the dome, just everywhere you look is so beautiful it’s almost overwhelming

Even the backside of the cathedral is gorgeous!

PIAZZA DEL CAMPO: The center of the city has so much to offer and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site as of 1995. The palace in Palazzo Pubblico (where the tower is below) was built between 1297 and 1310 and is still home to the city’s municipal offices just like Palazzo Vecchio is in Florence. The tower, Torre del Mangia has 500 steps up and will give you a great view of Siena if you have the time! There are also plenty of little shops and restaurants to eat along the outskirts of the square.

PALIO: Piazza del Campo is home of Palio, the famous horse race around the square twice in the summer on July 2nd and August 16th. Although it only lasts about 90 seconds, crowds as large as 40,000 are packed into the small square and on every balcony possible (as seen in the James Bond film, Quantum of Solace). Ten horses representing ten of the 17 districts compete, so every year the 7 that didn’t take part the month of the year prior are included, and then three “repeats” from the remaining ten are drawn to see who will compete and the winning district gets no money, just a large silk banner because for them, the race is about glory and not about material prizes.

A statue of Sallustio Bandini stands in Piazza Salimbeni. Bandini was an Italian archdeacon, economist, and politician who donated the 3,000 volumes in his private library to the University of Siena. Behind him is the Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, founded in 1472, making it the **oldest surviving bank in the** **world.**

A little boy stops to talk to a street artist using chalk on the sidewalk

I went to take a photo of the arches connecting the building and this man just walked by and got in the shot

Food & Drink

RISTORANTE GUIDORICCIO: I only really have one place to recommend but when I came here for the first time with school, we found this little restaurant just behind the tower in the square. I got the gnocchi con pesto al dragoncello and it was incredible, as was the brushetta e crostini we got as an appetizer. The restaurant was small but had a great, real Italian atmosphere and was very reasonably priced – especially for being right by the square!

The inside of the cute little restaurant!

Best Kept Secrets

PORTA DEL CIELO: Also known as the Gate to Heaven in the Siena Chapel, you can see the inside of the Cathedral from above and visit areas that aren’t usually open to the public. The tour takes you through the Cathedral and you spend 45 minutes above the floor and 45 minutes on the floor. I unfortunately didn’t do this but had a few friends who did and said it was incredible so I figured I would throw it in here. If you want a detailed tour and a little more time to really take in all of the beautiful detail, this sounds like the tour for you!

PISA, TRAVEL IN ITALY

Pisa, Italy

July 25, 2017 No Comments

The view from the top looking at the Cathedral, with the Baptistry behind it

Just a note: it is very easy to do Pisa in one day, maybe even half a day if you’re trying to split up your time between other Italian cities. It’s only a 50 minute train ride from Florence, usually less than 10 euro but it’s easily doable in a day. The reality is, there is very little to see in Pisa aside from the tower. That’s not to say seeing the tower or climbing up it if you’re brave enough aren’t worth it, I just wouldn’t put it very high up on the list of Italian cities to see if you’re there for a short amount of time.

Sights & Activities

LEANING TOWER: This infamous tour is the postcard of Pisa and a major landmark for Italy in general. It’s definitely a tourist-filled spot but getting that photo is a must if you’re there! It’s so entertaining to watch everyone just holding up their hands in the air, pretending it’s on their back, or kicking it over. For 18 euros, you can climb up to the top if you’re feeling extra adventurous. Don’t worry, it’s only 300 steps (not nearly as many stairs as the Duomo) but the view is incredible. Something I wasn’t expecting though was to feel myself being pulled forward and backward was as you climb up because the tower is really leaning that much (4.47 meters off of where it should be currently!). When you stand close to the tower, it’s really incredible to see just how much it leans but don’t let that stop you!

Really nailing it, holding up the cathedral instead of the tower

The narrow stairs up – I also thought it was funny that you can tell people only stand on one side of the stairs when going up and down because of the pull of gravity

My cousin once we made it to the top (although there is one more set of stairs above this if you want!) You can see how protected you are as well if that’s a concern of yours

To buy tickets: you can buy them online here choosing the date of the visit. You can also buy them once you get there like we did, you’re just not guaranteed a spot (only 40 people are allowed in the tower at a time) and have to wait in line for a bit.

*Let me just say, standing still enough balancing on those spheres right in front of the fence is a lot harder than it looks! Some advice for getting that photo holding up the tower just right: instead of the photographer saying “move your hand an inch to the left, or flatten out your hand a little, have the person taking the photo move the camera instead. The odds of getting a photo with your hand lined up perfectly are much higher when the photographer moves than when you do because they can see what the camera sees! It’s one of those tricks that makes a ton of sense but nobody ever really thinks of.

**Also, one of the two times I went I got yelled at because they frown upon people jumping over the fence onto the grass (unsure why because I’ve definitely seen photos of people standing on the lawn holding up their hands but maybe it’s certain times of the day). My friend and I jumped over really quickly, for not more than 30 seconds and a guard started whistling at us to get off – just like the scene in Princess Diaries where they start screaming at Mia to get off the grass in 10 different languages…so try to avoid that if you can.

The photo we got yelled at for immediately after taking…oops

Best Kept Secrets

PISA CATHEDRAL: After you get the perfect shot with the tower, I’d highly recommend going inside the Pisa Cathedral (or the Baptistry next to it) if you have time. Construction on this incredible church began in 1063 and was completed in 1092. The outside is so ornate and the inside is just breathtaking – definitely a hidden gem. Everyone focuses on the tower but if we hadn’t followed the people in front of us, we would have never gone inside this beautiful church.

Good to Know

Pisa is a great central place in terms of transportation. Whether you’re traveling to or from Rome, Florence, or any other major city, be sure to check with trains and planes flying out of Pisa. Often times the rates are cheaper so if you can plan accordingly (accounting for the time it takes to get to Pisa from your city), it may end up saving you some money if you’re looking for more options!

AMALFI COAST, POMPEII, TRAVEL IN ITALY

Pompeii, Italy

July 7, 2017 No Comments

First of all, I apologize now for not having nearly as many photos of pieces of information on Pompeii as I would’ve liked. While we were there it rained almost the whole time so I didn’t want to risk getting my camera wet, and I did my best to listen to our tour guide. When we got there we jumped on a tour that lasted probably about an hour or an hour and a half. I would highly recommend getting a tour guide because although it costs money, the site of Pompeii itself is huge, the writings on some of the signs on the ruins are hard to read and you’re so much better off seeing Pompeii with an expert who can point out the little details you would have no clue you just walked right over.

The town itself was really fascinating to see, from the Roman Forum (Pompeii’s version of an amphitheater) and the Roman baths to the ancient shops and panoramic views. You can scroll through some of the photos I was able to take and it’s incredible to stand there and know that the town was constructed around the 9-8th century B.C., although evidence now doesn’t go back beyond the 6th century. While Pompeii flourished for quite some time, the life and splendor was destined to come to an end. The first sign of tragedy was in about 62 A.D., when an earthquake destroyed the city and countryside. They worked hard to recover and many of the less well-off living here just had their houses demolished. A lot of the public and private buildings were still being restored in August of 79 A.D. when Mount Vesuvius became active, and in the span of a few hours, a stream of ash and lava from the volcano buried everything in Pompeii and Herculaneum (a smaller, more-intact site neighboring Pompeii) underneath a blanket of volcanic material meters deep. Many people still living there either fled to the coast, were suffocated by the gas fumes or died in their homes. Reports say more than 2,000 people died and the place was abandoned until it was rediscovered in 1748. Pompeii is so unique because it’s one of the most significant proofs of Roman civilization. Since the city was covered in ash and lava that solidified, it means that the city has remained perserved until today as far as its buildings and items inside the houses and shops are concerned which provide a real look at the daily life in the town 2,000 years ago. If you have the chance to visit I would highly suggest taking a tour because it really lets you take a step back in history and look at things from a new perspective.

Here you can see the restoration work going on to keep these ruins in good shape and as clean as possible

Some parts of the town just felt like a maze that could turn into a dead end at any second. My friend walking with me took photo at a dead end before we tried to find our way back (wearing my Capri sweatshirt I bought the day before nonetheless incase I couldn’t look more like a tourist)

The inside of one of the cities “public baths”

The ash was monumental in preserving these ancient relics, particularly pottery. There are three huge storerooms like the one pictured here filled with pottery and bodies nonchalantly sitting between the art. Photo by Allie Patrina

The Odeon Theater, Pompeii’s smaller amphitheater mainly used for concerts and poetry recitals. Photo by Allie Patrina

PERUGIA, TRAVEL IN ITALY

Perugia, Italy

July 1, 2017 No Comments

Perugia was the first place we went to in Italy that wasn’t Florence, and I don’t know why I expected all of Italy to look just like Florence but boy I was wrong. They all do have that authentic Italian feel obviously but every town is so unique, especially if you pay attention to the details they can be world’s apart. We took a bus early Saturday morning with our school and headed to Perugia. Thankfully the school we were attending here, the Florence University of the Arts was probably more than half full of students from my college so I was surrounded by familiar faces which certainly made traveling around new places halfway across the world from home much easier. Most of us were still jet-lagged and confused from our flight because we had only been here a few days, but the weather was cold and I remember not wanting to take my winter coat to Italy at all at the last minute (darn luggage weight limits) but I’m so glad I did because I put it to good use in January…and February…and March. Anyways, back to the trip. We showed up and they immediately took us on a tour – the town only has a population of 160,000 people so it was a short tour but then we were free to walk around and explore. My roommate Bri and I walked around Piazza IV Novembre (the main town square) for a few hours and then they bused us to the Perugina Chocolate Factory where we could tour and taste-test their chocolate (the highlight of the weekend). After that, we were bused to a hotel about 10 minutes away where we stayed the night and woke up the next morning to go to Assisi. We were only in the town for a day so this description isn’t nearly as detailed as others but Perugina was a beautiful town in the Umbria region along with Assisi and I would recommend a trip there to anyone, even if it’s just to see the chocolate factory!

Sights & Activities

My roommate Bri and I sitting on the edge where you can see the tower from the *Museo Archelogico* behind us to the left

PERUGINA CHOCOLATE FACTORY: If you’ve ever wanted to go to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory (minus the children, oompa loompas and the fact that it’s made up), this place is it. The smell of chocolate envelops you the second you walk in and the free chocolate in the reception area just waiting to be eaten was very inviting. Also just a side note so you don’t get confused, but the chocolate factory is Perugina with an N, and the town is Perugia without an N…this isn’t a typo and I don’t know why it’s like this but it confused me the entire time we were there so just make a note of that. Anyways, this factory is responsible for making Baci Perugina chocolate, and they are now owned by Nestle, so thankfully this chocolate is available worldwide for all of us to enjoy. Their original Perugina Baci chocolate is a piece of gianduja (chocolate, nougat and ground hazelnuts), with a whole hazelnut in the middle and then the whole thing is covered in dark chocolate. “Baci” in Italy translates to “kisses” (thanks google translate) and the chocolates are enclosed in a silver wrapper with blue stars. Once you unwrap it, you’ll find that inside the wrapper are little pieces of paper with a romantic love note on it – classic Italy. Part of this factory also belongs to the the Perugina School of Chocolate where they hold 3-4 hour classes and go over all of the parts of chocolate making from start to finish and end the class taste-testing their work. Our hour and a half tour included a demonstration inside the school classroom, a video and guided tour that goes inside the actual production factory and a taste testing at the end. We couldn’t take any photos inside of the factory but I do have a photo of the exhibit that includes a replica of the whopping 13,1583 pound chocolate they call the “Bacione,” or “big kiss” that holds the Guinness world record for largest chocolate candy ever made. After the massive structure was displayed to the public during Perugia’s annual Eurochocolate Festival in 2003, it was carved and whittled into tons of small pieces and given out to thousands of festival-goers. For all of the other chocoholics, some of the chocolate they let you taste test is unwrapped and some of it is wrapped, if you’re like me, put as many wrapped pieces as you can in your pockets – that’s what it’s there for!

Our chocolate making demonstration where they explained the whole process from how they get the cacao beans to the finished chocolate

The chocolate we got to taste test at the end…I basically filled my pockets with all of those individually wrapped chocolates and only regretted it after I ate them all on our 10 minute bus ride to the hotel

A replica of the world’s largest chocolate candy ever made!

*Also, they have a Perguina Chocolate Factory at Eataly in New York City if that’s a little closer for you!

SAN LORENZO CHURCH: There are few examples of cathedrals in Italy that are unfinished but this is a notable one. It was constructed in 1587 and is unique in the fact that the front facade doesn’t face the main square that it’s constructed in. The front facade remains unfinished but inside the church is completely finished and beautiful. Our tour guide also told us that one of the chapels contains the tomb of Pope Martin IV as well as a small museum that has a selection of interesting religious artifacts and relics.

Bri and I infront of the San Lorenzo Church

The outside of the church, you can see where we took the previous photo on the steps at the far right where the patterned wall is

A close up view of the *Fontana Maggiore* in Piazza IV Novembre, with the church to the right out of the photo and Palazzo dei Priori behind it (where you can see the two statues above the door). The Palazzo has been there since the 1300’s and has played an important role in Perugia’s politics

Food & Drink

CHOCOLATE: I feel like this is self-explanatory but I added it in here again just to emphasize how good their chocolate is. The chocolate at their factory was 1 euro for a full size candy bar (naturally I bought five) but they sell it all over the world so you have a good chance of getting it anywhere!

CINQUE TERRE, TRAVEL IN ITALY

Cinque Terre, Italy

June 19, 2017 No Comments

First of all, sorry but not really sorry that this post is mainly photos. They don’t do it justice when you’re standing there looking at the colorful facades of restaurants and homes linking the tiny winding streets, but hopefully you can get a sense of just how magnificent these towns on the coast really are. If you’re into hiking, or even if you’re not, I would highly recommend doing a day trip to Cinque Terre. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it amazed me that so long ago, people created such incredible places like these before Italy’s unification that very few people knew about and weren’t even accessible by train. After sleeping through my alarm and missing the bus with Smarttrip for this exact trip the day before (oops), my friend from home Maggie who was also studying abroad in Florence was actually going to Cinque the next day with her parents who were visiting and they were all nice enough to let me tag along – I lucked out big time. We went by train which isn’t that hard to do but may seem complicated at first glance (for more info on this check out the Good to Know section below). We had an early wake-up call which I thankfully didn’t sleep through again. You can also easily do a day trip like this with a travel group like Smarttrip (and if you’re a student there are usually good discounts), but this was one of the few trips we just did ourselves…also glad we did it this way because I wouldn’t want to keep a travel group waiting for me since I knew this hike would not be quick and I’m more often than not at the end of the pack thanks to my little legs.

Many of the other trails are actually still closed from a terrible landslide in Vernazza in 2011 (if you’re interested, here is an incredibly chilling eyewitness account of the devastation) which many people don’t know about – I certainly didn’t until one of my friends mentioned it to me. We took one of the more popular open trails from Monterosso to Vernazza which took about an hour and a half, and was 1.5 miles but felt like so much longer because it was so steep (and the high steps definitely weren’t friendly to someone under 5 feet tall but I made it!). Once we got there and caught our breath we walked around Vernazza, saw some cute tourist shops, bought a few souvenirs and grabbed some food. We then took the train that runs through the 5 towns to Corniglia…you definitely don’t have to go to all five towns to get a feel for this beautiful area. They are all so different, but they’ll equally take your breath away (both by the scenery and the hike up). I will say, once we got off the train at Corgniglia and saw the daunting stairs to get up to the top just to reach the town, I was tempted to turn back but so glad I didn’t. The views at the top in Corniglia made you feel like you were really standing on top of the world. We ended up walking over 10 miles that day, saw some of the most beautiful sights in the world, and I would do it all again in a second but maybe with more water and better hiking shoes

The views on the hike up definitely made it bearable

Part of the trail, those steps look a lot more inviting then they were. Photo by Allie Patrina

We ran into a very kind man who was selling freshly squeezed orange juice and lemonade on the side of the trail – much needed at the halfway mark!

A glimpse of the **33 flights** of stairs or 382 steps to get up to the town of Corniglia. Photo from bestofcinqueterre.com

Food & Drink

Cinque Terre is known for their focaccia bread (lightly toasted bread with oil and herbs) as well as their pesto, so if you like either of those, take advantage here!

TAVERNA DEL CAPITANO: this was where we ate lunch and it was an incredible meal. Located right on the water too. After a long hike we were all starving so I had a filling meal of pasta with the best pesto I’ve ever had, but their pasta with seafood was also amazing.

If you look closely in the center of the photo you’ll see colorful umbrellas, that’s where we ate – what a view! Photo by Allie Patrina

Good to Know – Transportation

La Spezia is the station near the Cinque Terre that is connected to cities across Italy, like Florence, Milan, and Venice.

The Cinque Terre trains connect six stops: La Spezia (just to the southeast of the Cinque Terre, and the main transport station for the area), the “official” Cinque Terre towns of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso, and the town of Levanto, in that order. The distance on the train from La Spezia to Riomaggiore is about 10 minutes, and then maybe 5 minutes between the other towns since they’re close by

When booking your tickets, you don’t have to book your tickets to La Spezia, and then on to your chosen Cinque Terre town, separately. You can just plug in your starting point (ex. Florence) and destination (ex. Vernazza) on Trenitalia. The result page can tell you what route to take and where to switch trains. Also good to note, an early morning trip from the Santa Maria Novella station in Florence will usually require you to change trains in Pisa which will then take you to la Spezia. I would recommend buying your tickets in Florence all the way to your chosen Cinque station, or you will have to buy another ticket in la Spezia although that’s definitely not difficult, especially if you don’t know for sure where you want to start off.

ASSISI, TRAVEL IN ITALY

Assisi, Italy

June 19, 2017 No Comments

Assisi (and Perugia) were actually the first two trips we went on, the first weekend we got there at the end of January. Our school had planned trips the first two weekends to keep us busy so we wouldn’t be homesick and it worked out pretty well. The first weekend we went to Perugia and Assisi, and the second weekend we went to Siena and San Gimignano on a day trip. Although these trips were short and the towns were tiny, they packed so much exploring (and eating) into them so we really got the most out of it. I would highly recommend doing a tour on any of these small towns, or large ones for that matter because these tour guides really are experts of the town, know cool little facts, and are a great way to learn a lot in a short amount of time.

Sights & Activities

BASILICA OF SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI: The Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi is a UNESCO World Heritage site as of 2000 and a prominent landmark in Assisi where Saint Francis was born and died. It was consecrated in 1253 and comprises of two churches, the Upper Church and the Lower Church and a crypt below where he was buried. He was an Italian Roman Catholic friar, deacon and preacher, making himself one of the most venerated religious figures in history. He also founded the men’s Order of Friars Minor, the women’s Order of Saint Clare, the Third Order of Saint Francis, and along with Saint Catherine of Siena was designated Patron saint of Italy. This Basilica is truly a work of art and the attention to detail is almost overwhelming from the second you step inside until you leave. Few places I went abroad actually made my jaw drop but when we stepped inside the Basilica I couldn’t help it. We weren’t allowed to take photos of the inside but if you ever find yourself in Assisi, going into the Basilica is something I promise you won’t forget. *It also helps to have a tour guide when you go in because they’ll be able to explain the significance of the frescos and details – as incredible as it is to just walk inside and look around, when they tell you the stories behind everything, it really puts it into a historical perspective that emphasizes just how remarkable it is that they could create something of this nature almost 800 years ago.

Here you can see the Upper Church to the right of the photo and the entrance to the Lower Church, right to the right of the crowd at the end of the path

BASILICA OF SAINT CLARE OF ASSISI: Known in Italian as the Basilica di Santa Chiara, this is a 13th century church that houses the relics of Saint Clare, a follower and friend of Francis. She was most commonly known for being the founder of the Order of Poor Ladies and wrote their rule of life, the first set of monastic guidelines known to have been written by a woman. It faces the Basilica of Saint Francis and the facade is made of horizontal stripes of Assisian pink and white stone.

The main door of the Basilica of Saint Clare. As you can tell from the people standing there for size reference, it was hard to get a photo of the entire Basilica in one frame

My roommate Bri and I standing by the columns in front for size (and I know I’m not the best size reference but standing by this temple will make anyone feel small)

Some of the little shops and balconies before you hit the main square of the town and you can see the Roman Temple in the background

It amazed me watching people zoom up and down this narrow streets in their cars and vespas

The little details like the flowers above the door outside this house made me were so cute

The view while standing in front of the Basilica of Saint Francis looking back and to the right

Food & Drink

We were only here for a few hours so we didn’t really eat much but if you like merengues, you’ll love them here. They were in almost every store window and probably five times bigger than the ones we’re used to in the U.S. – definitely worth picking one up (If you’re struggling with jet lag, the sugar in one of these will be enough to keep you up for awhile!)

AMALFI COAST, TRAVEL IN ITALY

Amalfi Coast – Positano, Capri, Pompeii

June 9, 2017 No Comments

My Trip

The view from our hotel in Sorrento, you can see the buildings in the background on the cliff

We decided to save the best trip for last, and went to the Amalfi Coast our last weekend of Italy. A weekend in the sun away from our books seemed like the best way to deal with the impending finals the next week (sorry mom and dad). We left Thursday night, explored Capri all day on Friday, Positano all day Saturday and then Pompeii Sunday – it was a packed weekend to say the least! We stayed in Sorrento but mainly to just eat and sleep so I don’t have many photos of it. However, here is a photo from Friday morning, the view right before we got on our boat to Capri (you can see our boat as the big boat in the middle of the first pier below the end of the second pier). Once we got there we went on a private island tour boat with the 60 or so other study abroad kids on the same trip, stopped by the Blue Grotto, walked around the town then took a bus up to Anacapri, the highest point on the island. From there we had the afternoon to explore, we went on the chairlift to Monte Solaro, grabbed a bite to eat and left later that afternoon. Saturday morning we left for Positano (on a bus ride so close to the end on such a curvy road I really didn’t think we would make it), did another boat cruise (this time with just our friends and a bottle of champagne), then relaxed on the beach and walked around the town. We returned to Sorrento that night, grabbed dinner and went to bed. Sunday morning we woke up bright and early heading to Pompeii but it just poured the whole day. Luckily we got in for free since it was the first Sunday of the month and our tour guide was great. We grabbed some pizza after our tour and left for Florence shortly after. We really lucked out weather wise for the 2 days we were in the sun so one rainy day wasn’t too bad and it was the beginning of May so we couldn’t complain. Click the posts below for highlights and photos from the weekend!