Italia 2: Roma and Ciao

I am writing my final reborn blog post from the airplane connecting New York City to Baltimore. I have been traveling from Florence since 5am, but I had no problems on the journey through Amsterdam back to the USA.  It's hard to believe that my whirlwind 13-day, 9-country tour (the Netherlands, Norway, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and Vatican City) has come to a close, but I enjoyed every minute of it. I especially enjoyed blogging again, bringing out my inner travel nerd. Maybe when I finish teaching I will backpack the world writing travel guides?  Dream on.

Yesterday, with my cousins out working like normal people with jobs during the summer, I decided to do a super quick trip to Rome, the Eternal City. I boarded the high-speed train from Florence to Rome, which got me to my destination around 10am and gave me about 6 hours to re-explore Rome. Upon pulling into the main train terminal (Termini), I bustled over to the subway armed with a 6€ day pass. While Rome is full of people and amazing sights like Paris, London, or Madrid, it definitely is grittier than any of the other major European cities. The subway is no exception with its dark passages and sweltering crowds. 

After surviving the subway, I went straight to my farthest point for the day, Vatican City, which as you may remember from previous postings is actually an independent micro-state led by the Pope. The Vatican really is timeless and hasn't changed much since my last visit. Opting to skip the long lines and crowds at the Vatican museums, I waited in the lines at St. Peter's Square to enter the basilica. The Vatican guards are still turning away scantily-clad tourists and shushing loud church visitors. The Vatican is nevertheless impressive and really shows the power of the Catholic Church in Italy and the world. 

From the Vatican, I crossed back over the Tiber River to blast through a monuments highlight tour including the Spanish Steps, the Fontana di Trevi, the Pantheon, St. Ignacio's church, and the Piazza Navona. In a city full of ancient Roman, medieval, Italian Renaissance, and modern landscapes, nothing has change in Roma since I last visited, which is part of its awesomeness. I stopped for lunch at a pizza restaurant, of course, to enjoy typical Italian pie, beer, and a cappuccino. I must look Italian enough because all day long people spoke to me in Italian. The old man sitting next to me on the train complained about the late delay to me in Italian without a reply from me, just a nod. The waitress at lunch let me order as much in Italian as I could. It's fun to try using my Romance language skills in different countries, and I think it always leads to better treatment when you try to speak the local language in Europe. 

The last stop was none other than the Colosseum, Rome's most recognizable monument. It is still so impressive to see what remains of the stadium and the surrounding Roman Forum, but the sweltering heat and sun was starting to take its toll on me.  After grabbing another high-speed train to Florence, I arrived back at the apartment before joining Joe and Dany for drinks. We went up to the Piazza Michelangelo, which overlooks all of Florence, for drinks and appetizers. It was so wonderful to close my last night in Europe over drinks and gelato with my cousins, who have always been such gracious hosts. We went home, snacked on some of Dany's leftover homemade lasagne (yum!) before calling it a night for my early morning flight. I am looking forward to seeing them again soon, maybe when Dany comes to NYC in September!

Overall, I can say that this 2013 trip to Europe was as amazing as I hope and worth every penny I spent of my hard-earned salary.  I am glad I did the trip on my own volition and money, but it was also great to have such wonderful hosts in Europe to come along the adventure with me. Thanks to Christina, Joe, and Dany for being part of what made this journey awesome! I am already feeling the travel bug again as I crossed past customs to return to the USA, and I'm glad that I have a few trips left this summer (Maine, San Francisco, and New Orleans) before returning to school/work in August. One of the benefits of being a teacher is the amount of breaks, so who knows where I'll go for spring break. Greece? Peru? See where I go next! Thanks again for being loyal readers, and ciao!!

Back in Business

Hello loyal readers! After almost three years, I am returning to Europe for a whirlwind 2-week, 5-country adventure. After a year of teaching in Baltimore with Teach for America, I decided to treat myself to a trip back to the continent where I studied for 6 months and learned a great deal about the world around me. This time, I'll be headed to a new country, Norway, as well as revisiting France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy. Along the way, I will be visiting and traveling with my friend from Georgetown, Christina, who lives in Switzerland. I am also going to see my cousin and his family again in Florence. I only have my iPad and iPhone with me for this quick trip across the pond, but I will do my best to keep the blog updated with posts and photos. Happy 4th to those in the USA, and adventures onward! -Eric

Photo of my first day in Europe, June 2010

Home Sweet New Orleans

Hello all! I am happy to report that I am currently on my flight from Atlanta home to New Orleans (yes, there is free wifi at 32,000 feet!). All three of my flights were delayed today, but I somehow managed to get home in the end. Others are still stuck in Europe, but I'm glad to have made it back to the US of A. I know I will miss my European life, but the thought of Louisiana doesn't sound too bad right this moment. I will be sure to update some more later. AMERICA!!!!

Day Late But Not A Dollar Short

So, as expected, my flight to London was canceled today. Heathrow airport is A ZOO, and all flights are canceled again today. I have been watching the British news in my hotel in Prague, and I really am glad that I'm not in London stuck. I showed up to the airport (conveniently across the street) to rebook my flight at 5:45. The ticket counter opened at 6:30 this morning, and fortunately I was the third person in line. While I was certain I would not get a flight out today, I was even more certain I would be leaving Tuesday. Fortunately, the British Airways representative helped me book a 7am flight to Brussels tomorrow morning, with a connection to Atlanta then New Orleans. I also received a voucher from the airline to renew my hotel at the airport for the night, including free lunch and dinner. So far, I have not had this snow delay as bad as other people, but the uncertainty of still being in Prague - which has just one flight to America a day - is daunting. If i make it to Brussels tomorrow, I think I will be golden, since there are more flights to the USA from there. Will keep you posted, and WISH ME LUCK to be home by 6pm tomorrow!


PS - here is a picture of the most of Brussels that I have ever seen...from the train to Amsterdam from Paris this summer!

Snow Sad Face

I am at the airport in Prague, staying at my hotel. London Heathrow was completely closed today, and my program friends were canceled today and rescheduled to Monday. I have a ticket on the first flight from Prague to Heathrow in the AM at 8:45. Wish me luck, since it will be much easier to reschedule flights to the USA from London! If things don't work out, see you Tuesday (or later?) USA.

Gearing Up for Act II

Final countdown to European Adventure, Part II: 3 days! I spent a good deal of time yesterday carefully planning my 2 week adventure through Italy, Switzerland, and Germany before my semester in Prague begins. After buying an unlimited Eurail Global Pass, I will be taking more than 15 train rides during my little vacation for under $40 each. Not a bad deal, and I will be stationed at my cousin's apartment in downtown Florence for the most of my stay. Here is the itinerary so far: Florence, Rome/Vatican City (overnight), Venice, Milan, Zurich (overnight), Munich (overnight), Pisa, Siena, Cinque Terre, Naples/Pompei (overnight), and Bologna. WHEW!

I will be traveling on my own for the first time, but it will be a different adventure with the amount of day trips and long train rides. It's going to be a whirlwind 15 days, and I will be on a pretty strict budget to save for my semester in Prague. The study abroad organization at Charles University, where I will be studying in the fall, finally sent us our final details for the program. We spend our first night, August 30, in a hotel in Prague before moving into our assigned housing the next day. There are over 100 American college students on the roster, with 18 from Georgetown (and I don't know any of them). Next time I update will be from my cousin's apartment in Florence after heavy airline travel via New Orleans-Philadelphia-Munich-Florence. Buon viaggio to me!

The Good Ole USA

Well, it's back to normal life here in the United States for two weeks. Last Thursday and Friday, I spent some time back in Washington at Georgetown. It was wonderful to see my friends, who I will not see until at least Christmas (or maybe longer if they are going abroad in the spring). Over 60% of Georgetown students go abroad during their junior year for a semester or year, one of the highest rates and best programs in the country. I also finally picked up my visa for the fall in the Czech Republic from their embassy after over 4 months of paperwork. If you've ever had a visa, they're really cool and look like a mini-passport on a random page inside your passport.

After spending the weekend catching up with my Louisiana friends in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, I have resumed my normal summer post at my father's law office. Naturally, there are many things I would rather do than sit in an office all day, but I will be earning a little extra money to spend on my travels in Italy starting August 15. Although I did a good job saving money in Europe by not shopping, I have already broken the bank in the US. I bought two pairs of Levi's jeans (which cost over 200 euros a pair in Europe) and two pairs of Converse and Vans shoes (which cost over 75 euros a pair on the other side of the pond). So at least I was smart to wait until I returned to America.

I am very excited to explore Italy over the second half of August, and I will be preparing parts of my trip while I am not too busy here in Louisiana. I will be staying in center city Florence for the duration of my stay in Italy before I head to begin my fall semester in Prague on August 29. Thankfully, my cousin lives in Florence and has been gracious enough to host me for my stay in Italy. My brothers have just returned from a trip to Italy and Switzerland with my grandfather, so I hope to find out some things to do from them. I am not certain of my exact itinerary, but I figure I can do whatever I feel like for those two weeks. Trains are the easiest way to get around in Italy and Switzerland, so I will be researching online while I am home because there are several discount train passes available only to non-Europeans staying outside of Europe (like me for the next two weeks). Oh, and maybe I should start learning some basic Italian. Ciao for now!

AMURRICA

TOUCHDOWN IN PHILADELPHIA! Stephen and I have finally arrived back in the good ole United States of America after a pretty smooth 7 hour flight from Dublin. My flight to DC is half an hour late, but I should be back at Georgetown soon! It still hasn't quite hit me that my time in Europe has come to a close for the next 2 weeks. Looking forward to seeing my friends at school tonight and arriving home tomorrow in Louisiana! Cheers!

A New Beginning...

MY FIRST TRIP TO EUROPE!! Things are settling down from a busy birthday weekend, and I am almost packed for my trip. I leave early tomorrow morning from New Orleans, and I will be visiting with family in Chicago during my layover. Then it's off to Paris, seated next to one of my close friends from Georgetown that will be attending the program with me. Tuesday morning brings a train/metro ride from Charles de Gaulle Airport to the city of Paris, followed by moving in with my host mother, who is a retired artist in the 13e arrondissement. I look forward to updating the blog after my arrival in Paris. Wish me luck (and pray for no volcanic ash from Iceland tomorrow)!