TOUCHDOWN IN PRAHA!

Just landed in Prague after a short plane ride from Bologna, Italy! I am crashing the night at a Courtyard Marriott right next to the airport, and tomorrow morning I will head back to the terminal to meet the program staff and other students to begin the program.

I took Czech Airlines into Prague, and they charged me 130 euros for my extra baggage! Luckily with the help of my cousin and his Italian girlfriend, I only paid that amount instead of the more than 250 euros they were supposed to charge me. Anyways, I am going to get settled and grab a bite to eat. I went straight to a Czech ATM to take out $100, which is the equivalent of about 2,000 Czech crowns (and the machine gave me a 2000 crown note!). Luckily, the hotel staff is English-speaking to make the experience here for the first day alone better. Tomorrow, we will be moving into a hotel for one night while our housing assignments are distributed, and I will finally be meeting the other 100+ students on the program. Vítejte v Praze!

The Farther South One Goes...

Ciao, all! It has been a few days since I've updated my blog, so I've got a lot to catch you up on. First of all, my study abroad advisors in Prague finally gave us a tentative class schedule. We have an add/drop period where I can change some of my selections if I want. So far I have:

-Czech and Central European History Section II
-Art and Architecture of Prague: A Model of European City Development Section II
-Reading Prague: Literature-Architecture-Cultural History
-Czech Politics
-The Politics and Economics of the European Union Section II
-Beginning Czech Language, I Section 6


Back to Italy! I spent the last two days traveling in the South, basing my time out of the large city of Naples. Napoli is an interesting mix of people, culture, language, and natural elements. You can definitely tell that things run differently in the south of Italy, versus the north where I have spent the rest of my time. People are more carefree and things are a little more sketchy (mafia?).


I saw a few sights in Naples, including the National Museum of Archeology and the Duomo of San Gennaro. I also went on this really amazing tour of the Neapolitan underground. The underground is a former Greek and Roman aqueduct that was used to provide water to the residents of much of the surrounding area.


35 meters below and a cool 60 degrees, the underground tour gave us a glimpse of how the water system worked. Also, during World War II, Naples was the most heavily bombed city in Italy. Thus, thousands of residents fled underground and lived in this complex of former waterways. During some parts of the tour, we had to scale narrow passages by candlelight to get the best views of the subterranean world.


Later in the day, I took a 45-minute super ferry ride to the island of Capri in the Bay of Naples. Capri is basically the Monte Carlo of Italy, with lots of beaches, expensive shopping, and beautiful vistas.


I made my way to the very top of the mountainous island to the Villa Jove. These ruins were once a vacation house for the Roman Emperor Tiberius. It is easy to see why he chose this location, as the views of the island and the Bay of Naples are some of the most spectacular.


Capri is hard to describe in its natural beauty and manmade posh lifestyle. The people touring on the island clearly come from a LOT of money, and there are hundreds of luxurious homes to stay in. For dinner, I had a delicious pizza with salami, as Neapolitans are the inventors of pizza.


Most of Naples is very quite in August, as a large chunk of the population goes on vacation. Many restaurants and bars are closed for the whole summer since people flock to the islands in the Bay of Naples for vacation. After a night at a friendly Australian hostel, I made my way on the train line to Mount Vesuvius to the ancient Roman city of Pompei.


The result of the most famous volcanic explosion in history, Pompei was destroyed and preserved by a volcanic ash cloud from nearby Mount Vesuvius in 79AD. Almost every resident was killed instantly, and their bodies and buildings were kept intact by the very fine ash layer. Most people don't know that an earthquake destroyed much of the city in 62AD, so the residents were in the process of reconstructing their city at the time of the volcanic eruption. Therefore, the remains that we can see today are from a city already in ruins.


There are lots of amazing and well-preserved things to see in the city of Pompei. The sun is scorching there because there is little tree or shade cover, so lots of water and breaks are necessary. Luckily, there's a pretty good pizzeria tucked away in the former Temple of Jupiter. Some of the sights to see in the acres of expansive city are the houses of former residents, the temples to the gods, two ancient amphitheaters, and a glimpse into everyday life. Paintings and graffiti reveal much about the nature of the city, including how public election campaigns worked in a colony of Ancient Rome.


I am spending my last two days in Italy in Florence with my cousin before we head to Bologna on Sunday to see the city and catch my flight from there to Prague. I will update you next when I arrive in Prague to begin the next phase of my European adventures. Wish me luck, and CIAO!!

Cinque Terre

Although it is technically in neighboring Liguria not Tuscany, Cinque Terre is one of the most amazing places on earth. 5 small towns situated on 5 cliffs overlooking the Ligurian Sea, they are only accessible by train or hiking path. I suggest looking at the wikipedia page on this UNESCO World Heritage sight to get a better idea of where I traveled today. Basically, these five towns are found on rocks cliffs, partially natural cliffs and partially created by peasant farmers over several thousand years.


After waking up late and missing my first 6am train, I finally caught the 6:37am train and arrived in La Spezia by 10am. This town is relatively large and holds the train hub to reach the other 5 smaller lands of Cinque Terre itself. I took the train to the 5th and farther city of Monterossa to begin. By starting at the end, I worked my way through each town after: Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. It took me about 4 hours (1 hour less than estimated by the national park maps) to make the trip, stopping only for lunch in the third town (a delicious pizza and italian beer at a hole-in-the-wall authentic place).


I'm going to let the pictures do most of the talking, but the sights are absolutely phenomenal. The hike between the first and second and second and third cities was excruciating. I wasn't expecting such a workout, but it was awesome to make my way on small paths and mountainside cliffs through the beautiful terrain and various vineyards everywhere. Cinque Terre is famous for its wine. The last two legs were much more manageable, as they have been paved for tourists.


Cinque Terre reminded me a lot of the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, except this was a much more interactive experience. Take a look at the pictures and ENJOY!

Biergartens and Lederhosen in Bavaria

BEER BEER BEER. What else is there to say about Munich? Let's see what I can do. I just walked in the door a few hours ago after returning to Florence on an overnight train from Munich, Germany. My cousin returns today, so it will be nice to have people in the apartment with me for my remaining week in Italy. Overnight trains are an interesting experience. You get a "couchette," which is a glorified cot in a small cart with 5 other people. However, it was a fast way to travel and to save money on a hostel (which is usually as comfortable as a train couchette anyways).


After arriving on a late train from Zurich, I checked into my hostel in Munich. I walked around the center of the city on Saturday night just to get a taste of Munich nightlife before my big day of seeing the city on Sunday. I started my day at the Marienplatz, the square in the center of the city. The Neues Rathaus is the city hall building pictured above, and it is famous for its Glockenspiel. This clock puts on a show twice-a-day at 11am and noon (and 5pm in the summer), and the little figures move and dance in the world's best cuckoo clock.


Next, I walked by the Residenz, which is the former palace of the rulers of the Bavarian kingdom, including the Wittelsbach family. I made my way to the Englischer Garten, the large city park that dwarfs London's Hyde Park or New York's Central Park in size. There are lots of people around, many playing soccer or sunbathing (many naked, yikes). At the heart of the garden is the Chinese Tower with one of the largest and most famous biergartens in Munich. I sat down for ein maß (one liter of beer) and took in the Sunday morning crowd in the garden. Bavarians take their beer very seriously and consume mass quantities each day. I even had to pay a 1 euro deposit to be collected when I returned my beer stein to the counter.


After my first liter of beer of the day, I went to Olympic Park in the outskirts of the city. The BMW plant and museum is located here, and the building is as extravagant and elegant as the cars it houses. Munich, infamously, hosted the 1972 summer Olympics. The stadium is interesting and looks like a tent with its strange roof. I took the elevator to the top of the 200-meter high Olympic tower for the best views of the Olympic Park, city, and surrounding Bavaria.


For lunch, I stopped at the Augustiner Garten just off the beaten path. Thousands of chairs and tables covered this garden. A traditional Bavarian band played music and was dressed up in their lederhosen best. I had another liter of beer and a traditional currywurst (with fries). German food is delicious and rich, perfect with one of their 6 famous Bavarian braü (brews) of bier (beer).


After lunch I made my way to the outskirts of the city to see the Schloss (Palace) Nymphenburg, the countryside royal residence of Bavaria. The grounds are sprawling, with lakes, gardens, and fountains. It reminded me very much of Versailles in France, but on a obviously smaller and less ridiculous scale. I finished my day at Hofbräuhaus, the most famous brewery and biergarten in Bavaria and make of the most popular beer, the Hofbräu (HB).


Germany was incredible and different in its own ways from Switzerland and Italy. Less than one week in Florence left before I begin my semester in Prague. I will be staying around Florence/Tuscany until then, with a two-day trip to the infamous south of Italy to Naples and Pompei on Thursday and Friday. Auf Wiedersehen!

The Most Expensive City on Earth

Ok, so the title may be an exaggeration, but Zurich, Switzerland, consistently ranks among the top 10 most expensive cities in the world. I was excited to be going to Switzerland, where the Swiss Franc is trading for less than the US Dollar. After months of dealing with the expensive euro, I would finally be on the right side of the exchange rates. FALSE. See later for details.


The train ride from Milan to Zurich went through the Swiss Alps, including the beautiful resort town of Lake Lugano. The views were spectacular, and Switzerland's countryside is all that you would imagine it would be. Upon my arrival in Zurich late Friday night, my friend Drew from Georgetown greeted me at the train station. Drew's family lives in Zurich, so he graciously offered to take me around the city while I was there. It was great to have a tour guide and someone to travel with (for the first time since I returned to Europe)! After checking into my hostel (the most expensive and nicest one by far that I've stayed at in Europe), we headed out to explore Zurich nightlife. The Niederdorf is a alleyway where most of Zurich's bars and clubs are, and that is where we spent the night out. Drinking in Europe is expensive, but it is unimaginable in Switzerland. For 3-4 drinks for each of us during the night, we spent at least 100 francs, if not more!


After resting up, we started our tour of the city on Saturday morning. Drew has become his family's unofficial tour guide for when friends and family visit them in Zurich, so I got tons of great information and saw lots of sights. Zurich is not a very large city, but it certainly is beautiful. The city is situated on Lake Zurich and the Limmat River runs through the center of town. On almost every street, the Swiss flag (which is square not rectangular) and the Zurich Canton flag hang between the buildings, proving how proud the Swiss are of their country and their region within it. Zurich is in the north of Switzerland, thus they speak German for the most part. English and French are widely spoken, and almost any person can speak any of the three languages on command.


We visited a series of famous old churches in the city. The Grossmünster is the largest and most famous, and legend has it that Charlemagne himself built it. A quick climb up the several hundred stairs to the top, and there are spectacular views of the city, lake, and the Alps in the distance. Fraumünster is nearby and famous for its stained glass windows designed by Marc Chagall.


The weather was PERFECT in Zurich on Saturday, hot and sunny, which is not always the normal for northern Switzerland in the summer. Citizens and tourists alike were out in droves on the lake to sunbathe and boat. It seems like everyone has a sailboat...or yacht. We had lunch at a cool little Mexican restaurant...which was 80 francs for two people!! Next we walked the Bahnhofstrasse, the main shopping street in the city just near the train station. A coffee break at Starbucks, ever popular in Europe, with the bill totaling 16 francs for two drinks!


Later we walked around the park behind the National Museum before Drew went to the countryside to visit with his family. I grabbed a quick bite to eat at the Burger King in the train station before my train...and a fast food meal cost....a whopping 16 francs! The equivalent of $15-16 is what it takes just to get a crappy burger, fries, and drink in Switzerland. Unreal. I loved the city of Zurich, and I would love to return to see more parts of this beautiful and posh country. Germany in the next post!

Milano Cosmopolita

On Friday, I spent the day in Milan, the second largest city in Italy and one of the most cosmopolitan in all of Europe. Milan is unique in its culture because it is more than just Italian, influenced by neighboring France, Switzerland, and Germany. Although the weather was gray and dim while I was there, it was nice to have some needed relief from the Italian sun. The color of the sky also gave the city a certain stateliness, much like the clouds did in Ireland.


My day started off with a bang when I woke up at 7am...for my 7am train. I had a feeling I would be late after the exhausting travels to Rome and Venice, but it was still hectic trying to get ready and packed for my 3-day trip. I ran to the Florence train station, only to find out the next Milan train was not until 9am. So i grabbed a 10 euro ticket (with my railpass) and got a frappé and donut from the nearby McDonald's Café. Not only was my little breakfast inexpensive (2.15 euros!), but also it was pretty fancy for a fast food place. Oh, Italy.


When I finally arrived in Milan, I bought a day-pass for the metro and made my way to the center of the city. The subways in Milan were limited and inconvenient, with only three lines! This comes after living in Paris for the summer, which has more than 14 separate underground subways alone. Right away, I went to the Santa Maria delle Grazie, the church where Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper is housed. I had tried to make reservations online while I was in the USA a few weeks ago, but it was already booked then. Unfortunately, it was sold out, as I had expected, when I arrived Friday. Bummer. So I looked around the church, which was cool on its own, before heading to the Castello (the first picture above). The Sforzesco Castle is a museum and was the center of Milan politics for centuries.


Finally, I made my way into the center piazza, which is home to the Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele (both pictured above). The Duomo, the center of any good Italian city, was as awesome as expected, and pictures cannot capture the detail and ornate features on the inside. The Galleria is basically a shopping mall in a fancy outdoor pavilion. I stopped for lunch at a restaurant and treated myself to a pasta dish and carafe of white wine. Yum.


The Teatro Alla Scala, known as La Scala, is a world famous opera house originating from the 1770s. It is one of the most famous opera houses in all of Europe and was at the center of Italian operas for decades. I took a tour of the facilities and snuck a quick (illegal) photo of the main theatre and box-seating area. It was huge and really fancy. I also saw two famous churches, Sant'Ambrogio and Sant'Eustorgio, which houses the sarcophagus that held the remains and relics of the Magi for over 4 centuries.


Before heading back to the train station, I took a quick stroll through Milan's famous fashion district. One of the four largest fashion centers in the world and the many headquarters of Italian designers, the Fashion District is covered with designer stores on every corner, including Armani, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Roberto Cavalli, just to name a few. Next post is Switzerland!

The Canals of Venice

Today, I spent the day in the beautiful Renaissance city of Venice. I took a 7am train there and a 6:30pm train back, so it was certainly a long day. However, it was nice to come back to my cousin's apartment in Florence to get myself together before my trip to Milan-Zurich-Munich begins tomorrow at 7am with yet another train ride!


As soon as I arrived in Venezia, I bought a 12-hour unlimited canal boat pass. Instead of an intricate subway or bus system like other European cities, Venice runs entirely on boats, as you would expect. I hopped on the express #2 vaporetto on the Grand Canal to Piazza San Marco. This is easily the most recognizable spot in Venice, with the large tower Campinale, the Basicilica of San Marco, and the Palace of the Doge (Mayor).


I climbed the large tower to get panoramic views of the city, which is made up of 100+ islands in the large lagoon. The city is not very large, but the streets are small, winding, confusing, and full of dead ends. It total, only 3 bridges across the whole city cross the Grand Canal, so boat transportation is a must. After walking through the Renaissance masterpiece San Marco Basilica, I bought my ticket to the Palazzo Doge.


The Doge was the Mayor of Venice, who basically function as the king of the city for centuries. The palace was at once his home, the seat of the government, and a massive prison. The palace is decorated with ornate paintings and fancy furniture, and one of the chambers is said to be one of the largest rooms in Europe and holds the world's oldest oil painting.


After a quick, delicious, and inexpensive pizza calzone for lunch on a canal bridge, I made my way to three different churches throughout the city. Although they were smaller, they were full of beautiful Renaissance designs and finding them gave me a chance to see many different allies and streets of the city.


Before setting out back for Florence, I used my boat pass to take a trip to the Island of Murano. This island is world-famous for its glass works. It was moved to a separate island in the 13th century to prevent the glass makers from burning down the city of Venice! The boat ride was about 30 minutes each way, and it was really cool to see the city and outer lagoon via water metro.


A little taste of home, Venice is famous for its Mardi Gras Carnivale and the dress/masks that come with it. I will update you on my Italy-Switzerland-Germany adventures in a few days. Until then, arrivederci!

lo Stato della Città del Vaticano

Vatican City State lies in the northwest corner of Rome. Although it is entirely within the city limits of Rome, the Vatican is legally it's own country! While it uses the euro and cooperates with Rome in many ways, it has its own police force, post office, and thousands of employees.


Just at the foot of the Vatican is the Castel Sant'Angelo, originally constructed as a monument and tomb for Emperor Hadrian, it was eventually made into a Catholic building by the Vatican. Nearby is the Piazza di San Pietro, or St. Peter's. It is easily recognizable at the heart of the Vatican's image...if not from the movie Angels and Demons. The main courtyard is dominated by the columns topped with hundreds of saints, as you saw in my first Rome post.


St. Peter's Basilica is immense and stand at the center of the Plaza. I waited for about 30 minutes to get in, and there were security guards waiting to kick out men and women who were too scantily clad to enter (EVEN IN THE INTENSE ROMAN HEAT). Upon entering, you can see the massiveness of the church. Michelangelo's Pieta stands at the door, now behind glass after a crazy man attacked it with an axe in the 1970s. The church is FULL of sculptures on every wall dedicated to the many popes who have lived in the Vatican and/or celebrated in St. Peter's.


After walking through the church itself, i made my way up the 300+ steps to the top of the dome for the views of the Vatican and Rome (and that's AFTER paying extra for the elevator up the additional first 200+ steps). The views are the best in Rome, as it is by far the tallest structure in this ancient city.


The following day, I returned to the Vatican bright and early to see the Vatican Museums. After waiting an hour outside in line, I finally made my way in to the 20+ museums. Some house the largest collection of ancient Greek sculptures in the world, others have maps of the world as it was known covering the walls, and still others have Egyptian artifacts and mummies. Besides these treasures, there is TONS of artwork, including the famous School of Athens by Raphael. It is painted on the wall of one of the chambers. The museum and grounds themselves are even a work of art.


Finally, after walking through thousands of works of art, you reach the Cappella Sistina, the Sistine Chapel. It is not as big or bright as you would think, but it is certainly spectacular. It is hard to see all the detail because the ceiling is so high, not to mention the Vatican guards screaming to keep everyone quiet (the irony).

After exiting the maze of Vatican City and Museums, I spent the rest of the day revisiting the sights of Rome. Unfortunately, food is not as good as you would expect in these large tourist centers of Italy. If you're not willing to pay upwards of 20 euros for a meal, you'll have to settle for bad-to-mediocre street pizza and food. The food does not detract from the amazingness of this country though. Next post is Venice!

la Città Eterna

Rome, the capital of Italy, is a paradox. Known as the Eternal City, Rome is the home of ancient ruins, Renaissance designs, and the modern elements of one of the largest metropolitan areas of Europe. There is something to see on every single corner, and it is easy to become lost in the innumerable sights and sounds of Rome.


After a little under two hours on the express train from Florence, I arrived at Roma Termini station by 9am. My hostel was friendly and full of lively people, located just 4 blocks from the train station. Although it was a good 15 minute walk to the edge of the city, it was nice to be located near the trains for the beginning and end of my journey. I started my day off early by heading straight to the Colosseum in Ancient City. For the price of one ticket, you are given entrance to the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Roman Forum. I paid an extra four euros in order to skip the line and get a guided tour of il Colloseo...not too shabby. The Colosseum is just as big, old, and cool as you would imagine. Our Italian tour guide (her English was eh so-so) told us lots of cool facts when I could understand her. Luckily, most people in Rome (and in Italy, for that matter) speak basic English. This is helpful considering the number of American, Australian, Asian, French, and German tourists (all of whom have good-or-better command of English like the Italians). Anyway, cool facts about the Colosseum include that over 30 gladiators fought in pairs of 2 on the stage at one time. Also, after the fall of the Roman Empire, citizens took bricks and pieces from the stadium for over 1000 years for building materials, which is why it is incomplete today.


Located across the street from the Colosseum is the Palatine Hill, one of Rome's seve hills and home to many famous emperors. In the ruins, you can see the houses of Flavian and Augustus, as well as the Circus Maximus. Next to the Palatine is the Roman Forum. These scattered ruins and buildings make up the public center of Ancient Rome. Temples, trading posts, and commercial centers once lined this expanse of land in the center of the city.


After spending the morning in Ancient Rome, I went through the Storico Centro, or Historical Center of Rome. This is where the more modern landmarks begin. First, I saw the awesome Fontana di Trevi, as seen in the post below. Thousands of tourists flock there every day, with the hope of a quick return to Rome (throwing one coin in) or finding love (throwing two coins in). On the way to the Fountain, the Via del Courso begins at the Piazza Venezia, with the GIGANTIC Vittorio Emmanuele II Monument. This large white structure is a museum, but it mostly serves as a "temple" to a hero of the modern Italian state.


The exception to the Renaissance and later monuments in the rest of the city is the Pantheon. This temple-turned-Christian-Church is still a wonder of architecture over 2000 years later. We STILL cannot figure out how they made this dome stand without supports or columns! The light in the center moves with the time of day, which makes an interesting showcasing-tool for the art and murals on the walls. Next up were the Spanish Steps and the Piazza del Popoplo. These large squares with intricate monuments are sights to behold, though there isn't much to actually do there.


In my next post I will post information about Vatican City...there's enough information and sights to see on its own!

ROMA ITALIANO

So I just got back from my two-day adventure in Rome and the Vatican City. However, I have a 7am train to VENICE tomorrow morning, and I need to get some rest before I have to get up super early for my day trip to the northeast of Italy. I will be certain to update you, my loyal readership (a.k.a. my mother) on all three places tomorrow evening when I return from Venezia.

It's been weird traveling on my own. It's nice to be on my own pace and schedule, but it's weird not having anyone to talk to. Luckily, my camera and all the wonderful sights keep me from going too crazy.

Here's just a sampling of my photos from Roma. Ciao!