2019 Travels

KOLOCEP AND DUBROVNIK, Croatia

August 11th – 18th~

Before my study abroad program starts, my family and I are taking a European vacation with one week in Croatia and one week in Italy. Ten years ago, Dubrovnik, Croatia was one of the stops on a Mediterranean cruise we took as a family and we have all been hoping to come back to this amazing country ever since. This time, we are staying on the beautiful island of Koločep, just off the coast of the mainland. In addition to exploring the island, we done day trips to Dubrovnik and Montenegro, a neighboring country. After a brutally hot first two day, the weather has cooled down allowing us to really enjoy our time here. There is no shortage of beautiful scenery, fun activities, or delicious food which are all made more enjoyable by the relaxed island lifestyle.

The amazing views on the island

Fun times on the island hiking and swimming with the siblings

On our Tuesday day trip to Dubrovnik, Jack and I opted to take a kayaking tour rather than a Game of Thrones tour with the rest of the family. It was much harder than we expected, but definitely worth it to be on the water on such a hot day.

On our final day, we all headed back to Dubrovnik to walk the wall of Old Town and explore inside the city.

PERAST AND KOTOR, MONTENEGRO

August 15th Montenegro is a country neighboring Croatia and only became a country in 2013. We took a day trip here with our wonderful tour guide Igor who told us all about the local history and culture. Montenegro has its own set of commandments, everyone’s favorite being: “If you have an urge to work, sit down, wait and you’ll see it will pass.” Montenegro offered some of the most beautiful views I have ever seen in the two towns that we visited, Perast and Kotor. This visit brought Mom and Madie to 15 European countries each and Dad to 18(ish).

ROME, ITALY

August 18th-19th ~ After flying from Dubrovnik to Rome, we immediately felt the switch from quiet island life to the hustle and bustle of the city. Rome had delicious food, beautiful sites, and fun adventures to offer.

The first day in Rome, we hit the ground running with a visit to the Spanish steps at sunset, the best gnocchi any of us have ever tasted, and a nighttime tour of some ancient ruins.

During Rome day two we saw even more major landmarks including Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and Piazza Navona. We also went to the Vatican and toured the (gigantic) Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Square. No pictures allowed inside of the Sistine Chapel, but I know a guy that might be able to hook you up with some illegal ones.

Both images are a statue of Zeus at the Vatican Museum, but the first one was taken in high school when I went to Italy with the travel club and the bottom image is from this trip four years later.

LE GRAZIE, ITALY

August 20th – 24th ~ In Le Grazie, we were able to live the true Italian dream of chilling in a beautiful villa on the sea. Having two separate apartments gave us kids some freedom to stay up late and the parents the freedom to wake up early without disrupting each other. It was was located far enough from normal touristy locations to allow for some peace and quiet, but close enough that we were able to go on day trips to Florence and Cinque Terre.

Being up on a hillside, we has views of the water, the mountains, and the town.

FLORENCE, ITALY

August 21st ~ I’ll be in Florence for the next four months, but the rest of the family didn’t want to miss out on seeing this amazing city. During the Renaissance period, some of the most beautiful art and architecture were produced, and in Florence it is all around you. Despite its beauty, it is not as crowded or hectic as Rome, especially once you get away from the more famous sites. I think everyone that travels to Florence falls in love with some aspect of it and I definitely think I chose the right city for my home away from home.

We had cornetti (Italian croissants) at a local bakery, went to the Leonardo Da Vinci and Academia Museums, visited the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, Piazza di Santa Croce, and Piazzale Michelangelo. A very full day, but every site was worth it.

David

“Muscles are firm, not a straight body in these statues. They’re all curved, sometimes impossibly curved, and so nonchalant, hence their ageless ambiguity—as if they’re daring you to desire them.”
James Ivory

CINQUE TERRE, ITALY

August 23rd~ Cinque Terre was high on Madie’s wishlist of places to go and the rest of the family was happy to go along to see the spectacular views of the towns from the water on a boat tour. We were also able to explore Riomaggiore and Vernazza, two of the five towns, on foot.

The five towns are Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Moterosso. We had cloudy skies for the whole boat ride, but luckily it never ended up raining.

CREMA, ITALY

August 24th ~ After dropping Madie, Jack, and my mom off at the Milan airport, my dad and I had a five hour drive back to Florence, so we decided to pick a town or two to stop in. Luckily for me, the town of Crema is between Milan and Italy. Some of the scenes from the movie Call Me By Your Name (one of my favorite movies based on one of my favorite books) were filmed here.

We didn’t find many locations that were used in the film, but the clock tower with arches on either side is shown in the film in the picture on the bottom right.

“We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to feel nothing so as not to feel anything – what a waste!”
Andre Aciman

Overall Crema is a very cute town, with picturesque colorful buildings and a beautiful historical center.

PISA AND CERTALDO, ITALY

August 30th~For the first Friday of my program, some of my roommates and I decided to take a day trip to visit some of the nearby towns in Tuscany. We went to Pisa and a little town called Certaldo.

Although I have been to Pisa before, it has been almost ten years since the last time I saw the leaning tower. It was my first time visiting the town of Certaldo and I’m glad I did. It is a small medieval town only about an hour train ride from Pisa. After a hike up a very steep hill ( or a short funicular ride if you’re observant enough to realize it’s there) we were rewarded with beautiful views of the Tuscan countryside and a cute little area with restaurants and gelato shops.

“An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language.”
Martin Buber

We were lucky enough to meet some wonderful animals in Certaldo. The owner of the restaurant we went to told us that she feeds seventeen gatti (cats) every night! There was also a very adventurous tartaruga (turtle) that was speeding all over the place behind the restaurant. While wandering around we met two cani (dogs) named Pepe and Pipo that reminded me a lot of Bo and Ripley. Whenever Pepe, the bigger dog, was getting too much attention Pipo would pull on his tail to make sure he was getting his share of pets too.

LUCCA, ITALY

September 7th-8th~ For the first weekend trip included in the API program, we went to Lucca, Porto Venere, and Monterosso (the last of the five towns of Cinque Terre).

Lucca is the perfect example of a town in the Tuscan countryside. It has a cute historical center with churches, shops, and restaurants. Some of these restaurants sell a local dish called “farinata” that is basically a thin flatbread made with chickpeas. It is delicious and you can get a decent amount for only a few euro (10/10 recommend). Lucca used to be famous for silk, but now they are known for toilet paper (made of recycled material) and that’s not the only thing Lucca has repurposed. Their town square is actually the old Roman amphitheater. The walls/seating area of the amphitheater have been converted into apartments and shops while the floor has been paved with cobblestone. In addition, the old city walls have been made into a giant park where many people run, bike, and walk their dogs. Despite being fairly busy, it is extremely peaceful up on the walls and there are some amazing views of the nearby hills and mountains. If I end up moving to Italy, Lucca is number one on my list.

PORTO VENERE AND CINQUE TERRE, ITALY

The second day of our trip was spent in Porto Venere and Monterosso. Porto Venere used to be a vacation destination of Marry Shelly (author of Frankenstein) and her husband Lord Byron. The picture on the right is their home, Lord Byron castle, and it gives off some very gothic vibes despite being in a clear blue sea rather than a dark and stormy one. The grey stone is also an interesting contrast compared to the typical colorful houses of this area. Even though I went to Cinque Terre with the family only a couple of weeks ago, it was a lot of fun to go back with the new friends I have made. We only had about four hours, but we made sure to get pesto pasta, gelato, and wander around.

BOLOGNA AND MODENA, ITALY

September 14th~ The second trip included in my program was a day trip to nearby Bologna and Modena.

The first stop on our trip was the city of Bologna filled with charming colorful buildings and covered walkways. The highlights of our guided tour were the canal, the courtyard of the University of Bologna (one of the first in Europe), and the huge Piazza Maggiore. We also went into the Basilica di San Pietro which has twenty-two chapels! Unfortunately you had to pay to be able to take pictures inside. After the tour my friends and I made it a priority to get a pastry from Saragozza which came highly recommend. I got a fruit tart with figs that was delicious!

Next we headed to Modena, a town in the Italian countryside where the only traditional balsamic vinegar is made. We were able to visit a balsamic vinegar farm owned by a family that has been making balsamic vinegar for generations. The mother of the family walked us through the process of making the balsamic. To be considered truly traditional, the grapes (the only ingredient!) has to be aged and fermented in a very specific manner for at least 25 years to be considered truly traditional. We were able to taste 7, 10, 17, and 25year old balsamic vinegar, but they had bottles as old as 100 and 150 years! They also prepared us a snack of sandwiches, pizza, bruschetta, and dessert which were all delicious. I think I’m ready to start my life as a balsamic vinegar farmer!

ZÜRICH, SWITZERLAND

September 19th – 22nd ~ For my first weekend trip out of Italy, Grace and I met up in Zürich!

These pictures were just too pretty to condense into a collage! On Friday, Grace and I took a day trip to Rigi Mountain in Arth-Goldau. Starting from the Arth-Goldau train station, we were blown away by the views of the mountains. Somehow, they only got better. We took a mountain train up to the highest point where we had a picnic (which had to be slightly relocated because we originally sat down where a helicopter was going to land! Apparently that’s how they get supplies up the mountain). After taking in the views there, we went on a three-ish hour hike down to a different station. Along the way, we saw many cows and mountain views. The hills were alive with the sound of cowbell. This hike was definitely one of the best I have ever done and was totally worth almost getting stranded in the mountains. The day trip was somewhat spontaneous, so we were maybe missing some of the important information we needed. For example, when the last cable car and train were to get back to Arth-Goldau Station were. Luckily we made it about ten minutes before it was too late and didn’t die in the Swiss wilderness!

On Saturday and Sunday, we explored the town of Zurich. We went on a free walking tour, did some sweater shopping (new sweaters to be seen in the next collage), and took advantage of the free museums at the University. The town itself is very quiet and peaceful. The buildings are mostly simple, with the most decorated being the two main churches, Fraumünster and Grossmünster. Apparently this is due to the strong presence of the Protestant religion until about 1980.

Finally, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Proof that Grace and I were actually there. On the left, we’re enjoying Rigi Mountain and making friends with the cows. On the right we’re having fondue, a must have in Switzerland, at Raclette Stube (featuring the new sweaters). We got half and half fondue with bread and potatoes. By far the most delicious meal of the trip!

VENICE AND VERONA, ITALY

October 5th and 6th ~ For the third, and for me final, weekend trip with API we went to Venice and Verona.

After an early start and a very long bus ride, we arrived in Venice. On the short ferry ride, the views of the city from the water were amazing and the water was super blue. We took our usual guided tour and learned all about the history of Venice and saw lots of canals and squares. The two most notable squares were St.Mark’s and the square where part of Spiderman: Far from Home was filmed.

After the tour, Dakota, Ryley, Nicole and I used our free time to have lunch, take a gondola ride, and explore the city. On the left, Ryley and I are climbing stairs made out of books at a semi-famous bookshop in Venice. We wandered upon this place by mistake and definitely would not have found it if we were looking for it.

The next day we went to Verona, made famous by the story of Romeo and Juliet. It is a super cute city, definitely one of the ones that it would be nice to go for a week and just hang out. However, there are some very touristy spots, Juliet’s balcony and the main square where the old Roman amphitheater is, that could be a bit overwhelming for an otherwise relaxed place. We also happened to be there on a day where they were celebrating the start of Verona’s rebellion against Napoleon, so we got to see part of a parade. Overall, I liked Verona a lot, but if I go back I want to stick to the less crowded spaces.

After Verona, we headed out to the countryside to a vineyard where we did a wine tasting. We tried three different wines paired with cheeses. Surprisingly, they were all pretty good. Dakota and I even got a bottle of the first one to share at some point. We also got a tour of the vineyard and the cellars where they store the barrels.

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

October 11th – 13th ~ This past weekend, my dad and I met up in Prague. He was working in Bulgaria the week before and Prague id one of the places in Europe he hadn’t been to before. He also convinced me it was a good idea to travel the weekend before midterms (it’s good to know he values my education)!

We had a lot of fun exploring Prague on a six hour guided tour Saturday. The tour included a walking tour, a boat tour, and a traditional Czech lunch. We learned so much new history from our tour guide Saša, that I’m not sure I remember any of it now, but it was all very interesting at the time! On the right is my dad and I in Old Town Square and on the right is some art I got of the Charles Bridge.

Prague is full of pretty buildings and bridges. Sometimes they’er so symmetrical it almost looks fake. In the panorama shot of the skyline on the bottom left, it looks more like someone made a cardboard model of Prague than actual buildings! The top left is a statue in Old Town Square, top right is a pretty side street, and bottom right is the Charles Bridge taken from the water on our tour.

When in Prague, you have to try the trdelník, so we did … twice! Trdelník is a hollow dough cone that is cooked over hot coals. Traditionally they are served empty, but everything is better with ice cream. On the left is the more classic version with sugar and walnuts on the doughnut part and vanilla ice cream. On the right is a decked out version with a pistachio coated cone, chocolate ice cream, brownie bites, and cherries. Besides desert, we also had some traditional Czech food, but unfortunately it involves a lot of meat, so for dinner on Saturday we had amazing Indian food.

Fall Break

BARCELONA, SPAIN

October 18th – 20th ~ For our first stop on Fall Break, we headed to Barcelona. We landed in the airport, so we started out the trip by “sleeping” on the floor until 5am when the buses started going into the city center. We also made the genius decision of not getting a hostel for that night, so after dropping off our luggage, we wandered around Barcelona until a Starbucks opened. Unfortunately for us, we did not realize that there would be huge protests going on that would affect the whole city. As a result, the hop on/hop off bus tour we booked was not running that day, but it forced us to try out the subway which ended up being really helpful. After much wandering around and napping in random places, we made it to Parc Güell.

Parc Güell was very cool. I loved the mix of funky buildings and nature. My favorite was the lizard statue (see photos page).

This is me at Parc Güell probably looking very tired.

We were supposed to go to La Sagrada Familia after Parc Güell, but it was closed due to the protest. We went back the next morning, but we couldn’t get in with our tickets. All of the tickets for Saturday were sold out, but the man at the information desk let us know that we could come back to international mass that night for free. We ended up going and it was an amazing experience. They did one mass, but switched between Spanish, Catalan, English, Latin, Italian, German, and French (possibly more). They had people in the audience go up and read different verses in their native language, which I’m sure was awesome for them. The choir was also insanely good. Even though it was a stressful experience getting to La Sagrada Familia, it was definitely worth it. We weren’t supposed to take pictures, but I got a few including the one on the right.

This is one of the times we saw the protestors, although they derailed our original plans, we still had a great time in Barcelona. Besides Parc Güell and La Sagrada Familia, we also saw the Gothic Quarter, a local market, got amazing churros, and paella.

PARIS, FRANCE

October 20th – 22nd~ After Barcelona, we were off to Paris. I honestly didn’t think I would like Paris that much, but I had a really good time.

First stop, the Louvre. We had another problem with TripAdvisor tickets, but apparently you can get in for free if you’re under 25 (pro-tip). We ended up staying until close and tried to see all the different rooms. Of course, we made sure that we saw the Mona Lisa. I didn’t wait in line for a close up picture because it seemed very claustrophobic, but I thought the shot with all the people in front of it captured the true energy of the room. My favorite are always the classical style statues. The bottom left is me and Ryley.

Next stop was the Eiffel Tower at night (and then again in the daytime the next day).

Day 2 we went to see Notre Dame, which was covered in scaffolding and surrounded by a wall due to the recent fire. We went back to the Eiffel Tower, saw the Arch du Triumph, and had crepes for breakfast and lunch, which was all I really wanted from Paris.

While walking down Champs-Élysées towards the Arc, we got macrons at Laduree (pictured right) and enjoyed them in Parc Monceau which was very pretty and a nice break from the city. To end the day we went on a food tour and had another crepe, more macrons, chocolate, and endless amounts of bread and cheese.

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND

October 22nd – 25th ~Edinburgh was my favorite stop on our trip. It was the closest we got to New England fall and just overall a great place.

One of the most prominent features of Edinburgh is the castle on the hill. It makes the whole place feel very majestic and medieval. We stayed right next to it at Castle Rock Hostel which was also the best place that we stayed in our travels. The first night we went on a ghost tour through the hostel that was interesting, but not too spooky. The next day we actually went to the castle which was very cool. We got to see the Scottish crowned, the Great Room, and a bunch of different museums.

Day 2 started with a veggie version of a British breakfast, followed by the castle, a trip to the Camera Obscure and World of Illusion Museum (infinity hallway on the left), and a tour at the Scotch Whiskey Experience. The whiskey was not my favorite, but the tour was very cool. We also went to a pub with the hostel and learned some Scottish dances which was probably the most fun I had the whole trip even though I’m terrible at dancing.

Some more pictures of beautiful Edinburgh from the Royal Mile and Arthur’s Seat.

The third day, we had breakfast at The Elephant House where JK Rowling wrote some of the later Harry Potter books. Then we hiked up Arthur’s Seat which was maybe the second most fun I had. It was really nice to go on a hike and be away from a city for a minute. I think the Scottish hills really cleansed my soul. There were a lot more people than are seen in the pictures, but it was still a good time just sitting on the grass and looking out at the views.

LONDON, ENGLAND

October 25th – 27th ~ Last stop, London. We hit all the big sites including Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, and last but not least, Buckingham Palace.

Tower Bridge and the London Eye with that classic cloudy London sky.

Grace is studying abroad in London, so we were able to meet up. She showed Ryley and I Borough Market, Tate Modern, and her apartment.

On Friday we took the train from Edinburgh into Kings Cross Station, so of course we had to check out the Harry Potter platform. Unfortunately we had somewhere to be, so we didn’t have time to wait in line for a picture of our own. For dinner one night we went to Punjab (recommended by Madie) for Indian food with Grace. We also had amazing hot chocolate from Dark Sugars earlier in the day.

Here are some pictures of me enjoying London in front of Buckingham Palace, at Tower of London, and in the London Eye.

BERGEN, NORWAY

November 7th – 10th ~ After a weekend relaxing in Florence, I headed to Norway to meet up with Owen for his first trip to Europe. We hadn’t seen each other in three months, since my family left on vacation! It was really great to get to see him and explore a really cool new place at the same time.

After a rough start, with my flight getting cancelled and not arriving in Bergen until midnight on Thursday, and Owen adjusting to the time change we had a later start on Friday. The houses above are the old fish market, now converted into tourist shops, and are a well known sight of Bergen.

With Friday and Saturday free to explore the city, we were able to get in a couple of fun activities. We saw the castle, which is shown in the bottom left image. The aquarium, on the top right, with some very interesting animals, including penguins who probably felt like they were back in the arctic with the weather in Norway. The last two photos are of Magic Ice, which is an ice bar with artwork carved into ice and ice sculptures. One of the works was “The Scream” which was painted by Norwegian Edvard Munch.

We also went up one of the seven mountains surrounding Bergen. We took the funicular to the top and saw the panoramic view of the city. It was very chilly and icy at the top, but it was fun to walk around on some of the paths. We also counted about five playgrounds, so I guess the Norwegians really like their playgrounds. The picture on the bottom left is of Owen at the end of a wooden tube on one of the playgrounds in the “troll forest”. Another very exciting feature of the mountain were the mountain goats which looked very majestic in the setting sun.

Norwegians seem to be very into trolls as we saw a troll mural, troll statue, and many other troll related things. Our Airbnb hosts’ cat was even named troll (sadly not pictured).

On Sunday, Owen and I went on the Norway in a Nutshell Fjord Tour and were not disappointed. We got to go to a few different places and see the amazing nature along the way. We took the train from Bergen to Voss, then a bus from there to Gudvangen, a boat through the fjords (!) to Flam, and then the Flam railway to Myrdal, before finally taking the train back to Bergen.

“I was walking down the road with two friends when the sun set; suddenly, the sky turned as red as blood. I stopped and leaned against the fence, feeling unspeakably tired. Tongues of fire and blood stretched over the bluish black fjord. My friends went on walking, while I lagged behind, shivering with fear. Then I heard the enormous infinite scream of nature.”
Edvard Munch

The quote above is from Edvard Munch, and explains his inspiration for painting “The Scream” — fjords! I understand his feeling, I do not think there is any way I can better express in words the beauty and the feeling of infinity that comes with being surrounded by a fjord. Owen has wanted to go to Norway for a while and I am glad that we were able to go together and have such a great time even if 3 days feels like nothing compared to 3 months.

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

November 11th ~ Flying back to Florence on Monday I had an almost 9 hour layover in Amsterdam, so I decided to take a quick trip into the city. It was very rainy, but I was able to see the canals and walk around a little bit. I even got to meet up with Tim, who I have not seen in a long time.

When in the Netherlands, of course you have to get a stroopwafel! I found a cute little caffe that had delicious stroopwafle and chai. Later in the day when I met up with Tim we also had the french fries with fritessaus.

I saw a blind man in Amsterdam with a box around his neck
And the music box kept singing on and the song I won’t forget […] Well, one and two and three and four walk past the man so fast
The audience kept moving on ignoring the cast
I found fifty of his currency and dropped it in his tin
He said “when your adventure ends your next one will begin”
George Ezra

The famous canals of Amsterdam during a quick break in the rain. The quote above is from a George Ezra song. His album “Wanted on a Voyage” is a great album to listen to while traveling around Europe because it’s inspired by his own travels.

Budapest, Hungary/ Vienna and Salzburg, Austria

November 21st – 24th ~ This past weekend I took a bus trip with my roommates to Budapest, Vienna, and Salzburg. On our trip we were able to visit the Christmas Markets and do lots of other fun stuff.

Our first stop, after a 12 hour overnight bus ride, was Budapest. We went on the walking tour for about 20 minutes before getting distracted by the first Christmas market we saw.

We had a lot of fun walking around two of the markets in Budapest and visiting the thermal baths. We were in the city for less than a day, so we didn’t get to see much, but I’d definitely love to go back!

Second stop was Vienna, where the largest Christmas market was. We had a little bit longer here, so we were able to go on the full walking tour which was really interesting and allowed us to see some less touristy areas as well. We even stopped briefly in a church to see a mosaic of the last supper and listen to some carols.

We went to the Christmas market in St. Stephens square before the walking tour where we shopped around for gifts and tried the mulled wine. Even though it wasn’t snowing, it was still very festive and got us all in the Christmas spirit! We also loved seeing all the horses and stopped to pet a couple.

The walking tour ended at another Christmas market that had just opened that weekend and was humongous. We wandered around for a long time just taking it all in and looking for more presents. Me and Jordan also went ice skating which was my first (and so far only) time going since being abroad. It was a lot of fun even though the ice was basically slush.

What’s a Christmas market without some ornament stands?!

Our last stop was Salzburg. We were only there for a few hours, but we still got to see a little bit of the cute little town and (you guessed it) another Christmas market. Overall it was a super fun trip, but I’m glad it was the only bus trip that I did because it was exhausting to do so much in one weekend.

MADRID, SPAIN

November 29th – December 1st ~ For the very last trip of study abroad (sad) Dakota and I went to the city where Madie studied abroad. Dakota’s friend is living there teaching Spanish, so we were able to stay with her which was really nice.