it's been a week since my last post. partially because of our sketchy internet connection (crossing my fingers that i can actually post this.) and partially because i have been training/bussing/walking all over italy.
THURSDAY night after class, we packed up our backpacks and headed to the bus station for a weekend at the amalfi coast with a group called florence for fun.
we later got on a bus with approximately 97 other study abroad students and headed to sorrento. upon our 2 am arrival, we checked into a lovely establishment known as hotel cavour. here, margaret and i were given our room key. we descended into the depths of the dungeon (the hotel was on a cliff, sort of...) and unlocked door #4 to find a tiny hallway with 2 beds and many many ants for roommates. after a good cry (not really. mostly just looks of concern), we promptly marched back upstairs and got switched into another room (still in the dungeon, not to worry). no bugs here! except we did find a tiny lizard on the wall our second night there. they made me kill it with my chaco. also, i really hate creepy crawly things. it was self-defense. those are my only alibis...sorry mother nature!
anyway, hotel cavour provided an interesting and very college/backpacking element to the trip. it was a bit damp, lacked a shower curtain, and served us strangely burnt-tasting coffee for breakfast, but it was a place to lay our weary heads. all in all, i'd call it a success. sort of.
the rest of the trip was great! friday morning we woke up bright and early to walk down hundreds of steps (sensing a pattern? there are a lot of hills in italy. and no escalators. i personally think they would be a great investment here. i am thinking of going into politics.) and catch a ferry to the isle of capri!
the crew looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed!
so nautical
grace being artsy...i may or may not have asked for this photo
caro's turn!
on the ferry. it looks like an airplane, right? that's what i said. we were all fast asleep within 5 minutes of this photo being taken. me with my mouth wide open, of course.
the ferry. they put cars and big trucks on this thing too--crazy.
we made it to capri with no seasickness--(victory!) and promptly got on another boat to take a tour of the island.
boat buddy
the lovers' arch
lighthouse. so cool.
friends off to the blue grotto. i went with strangers. it was interesting...but beautiful! unfortunately i didn't take my camera because most of the people came back looking like they had gone for a swim...
with christie, amy, and margaret. it was pretty bright out...
walking down to the beach. the water was SO blue.
friends at a delicious lunch spot. we are outside looking out over the beautiful blue water.
favorite meal of this blog post (a more reasonable claim): salmon and champagne risotto.
hanging out at the beach. casual views.
sorrento by night: the hotel was up the hill from downtown. about a 20 minute walk. the weather was lovely--i even wore my fleece! both friday and saturday nights we walked into town for drinks/dessert. once again, the picture does not do the view justice.
with grace in the main forum of pompeii. that's vesuvius in the background.
ancient market of pompeii. it is just incredible to walk through an entire ANCIENT city that was once covered by tons of volcanic ash.
the biggest lemons i have ever seen.
climbing mt. vesuvius! it rocked. (geology puns...thanks, dynamic earth)
at the top. with the crater!
grace (our geology expert.) is modeling one of the volcanic rocks we took as souvenirs.
after our brief hike, we reloaded the buses (sitting all together, thanks to caroline's race to the bus) and headed back to florence. coming back after being away always makes me feel like this is my little home. i love feeling established here. unfortunately, this time we were only at our little apartment home for 8 brief hours before our next adventure: VENICE.
MONDAY we met at the train station to head to venice for our "imagery and public" spaces class. it is a magical place, not quite like anywhere i have every been. don't worry, i took some pictures...
canal
just walking the streets
solo shot in front of the grand canal
casual gondola ride across the grand canal. no one fell in but we had some close calls...
sass and grace
after several tours of beautiful churches and soaking up more imagery and public spaces than humanly possible, we got a 20 minute lunch break. what a luxury...but i don't mean to complain--we were in venice after all! AND we stumbled upon some long-awaited visitors (who also happen to be some of my most dedicated readers).
sass with her mom. a precious moment i captured just after we greeted the whole fam. off to find a speedy lunch with a wonderful, loving family!
piazza san marco. you can't tell in this picture, but the place is crawling with pigeons. it's actually quite terrifying. and disgusting. they even land on people and small children! i will officially never allow pigeons to land on my small children. or myself, of course. i know you were all wondering...also, it was incredibly beautiful despite the bird infestation!
after dodging pigeons, we headed into st. mark's basilica. it was absolutely incredible. the three domes and almost every other surface of the ceiling were covered with mosaics. this huge cross in the middle of the church was my favorite part. those are statues of the twelve disciples on either side.
after we went through the church, we got to go upstairs and see the mosaics up a close AND go out on the balcony to get an incredible view of the piazza! also, the horses i'm standing in front of are just replicas, but never fear! we saw the real ones inside. they are from ancient greece and are beautiful!
view of the doge's palace, the water, and the ceremonial gates of venice from the balcony!
with grace and sass, modeling our lovely tour guide headset/walkie-talkie accessories. always a stylish choice. look out milan, florence is getting fashionable.
fyi i love walkie-talkies. when we wear these headsets i always have the urge to say, "roger, roger. what's your vector, victor?" shout-out to dad! airplane, anyone?
outside st. mark's
the grand canal
view of the city from the public boat/taxi we took back to the train station. attention readers: if you get seasick, venice might not be the place for you.
train picture after a long but wonderful day!
if you have read this far, kudos to you! this blog post was really long. if i were a really professional blogger this is where i would post some competition to win something really cool of mine. unfortunately i am a college student currently taking italy by storm on a budget (or trying. promise, mom!) so all i have to offer is kudos...and a kind word: thank you all for your encouragement and support in this endeavor and in my life in general! i have loved sharing my adventures and hope you smile when you read them.
as i have said before, i have found that doing cool and exciting things is made exponentially more joyful and meaningful when you share them with people you love--like all of you!
peace and blessings,
mri
