Travel Week Due!

The clock struck 12:00 PM and I was done with my last class before the second travel break! It was a big relief getting through the second round of exams. And man was I excited for Dublin, Rome, and Florence. We decided to leave to go to Dublin on Saturday as there was a cheaper flight then. I must say it was kind of nice having time to relax, rest up, and pack. I guess it is all personal preference if you want to leave the same day or the next though. The cafeteria will provide what I feel like is even better food than normal if you do elect to stay. You just sign up for it on CIMBAWEB, which is a site that basically encompasses sign ups and news for everything you will do here.

Anyway, I started out traveling with three other friends to Dublin, Ireland. We were all super excited and ready to go. Unfortunately, we had a minor problem right off the bat. As I said before, the bus system here is not the most reliable. Usually buses run about ten minutes late, but this time our bus was thirty minutes late. So we decided to call a cab, which wasn’t too big of a deal. It was kind of upsetting that the bus did finally arrive right as the cab got there. Oh well. It was more convenient with the cab to go straight to the airport. Once we got into Dublin we hopped on a bus and found our hostel. We stayed at the Avalon House, which was a pretty good place to stay. Since we were starving we quickly found an American restaurant: Eddie Rockets! It was quite nice to get some American food back in our lives. After Eddie Rockets we found a local pub to experience the full Dublin effect. The pubs were packed as Ireland’s rugby team was playing. Unfortunately Ireland lost…but we still had a lot of fun.

In the morning we caught the free walking tour. I can’t stress it enough that these are the way to go. They are easy, informative, and you get to see all the major sites. How much you tip really depends on how good the tour guide is. One of the coolest things I learned about Dublin was how building codes made it so houses must be uniform. This is why people would deck out their doors as this was the only thing they could really control. After the tour, we went to an authentic Irish diner for lunch. I had some Irish beef stew and mash, which I really liked for some reason.

The Guinness factory was next after lunch—a must see. When I say list, I mean it literally. This has always been one of my bucket list items to tour the Guinness factory. It was cool to see both the process and then have a Guinness up in what’s called the zero gravity bar. It was a sweet place inside the factory on the very top with a panoramic view of the entire city.

For dinner we actually found some Mexican food. This was the second time we actually had Mexican food (once when the cafeteria made it for us). Gosh I miss it. I think I will be hitting up some Chipotle as soon as I get home. Another cool part about our time in Dublin was that two of the people in our group had friends either studying in Dublin or traveling there as well. We met up with them at this restaurant and for a night out. The night consisted of a lot of talking about our travels. I also had the opportunity to try a strawberry beer, which was really interesting (and delicious). Anyway, it was cool to see how other programs work and how they compare and contrast to ours. Also, to hear their thoughts on where to travel. We definitely get the most travel time in this program after talking to them. CIMBA 1, other programs 0.

The morning consisted of lots of shopping. All of us wanted to get some souvenirs before we were leaving later that day. I really wanted to pull the trigger on one of those traditional hats (I don’t know what you call them), but I decided I couldn’t pull it off. I did get a pretty sweet and cheap soccer jersey though. After shopping it was time for our flight to the great city of Rome.

I was a bit nervous about our stay in Rome as we were staying in a hostel that was only eleven Euros a night (Happy Days Roma). It was actually not too shabby though. Staying in big rooms with a lot of people helps you to wake up early and go see things, which I kind of liked. Especially in a city with so much to see. Overall, Rome was really cool. One thing that definitely took away from it was that it rained the entire time…literally. I will say though I feel like it is a city that you could go back to and there would always be something different to see. It is so big and has so much history to it. We didn’t do much the first night in Rome because we got in late. This was good though because it gave us a chance to get a good pizza and then go to bed and rest up. Definitely do everything earlier in the day in Rome. We got in to everything right away and saw very long lines later in the day. The first morning we decided to do the Vatican museum. It was really cool to see all the detail inside, specifically with all the ceilings. The amount of time it must have taken to construct these basilicas and churches is out of this world.

After the Vatican museum we decided to wait until the following day to do St. Peter’s basilica as the lines got kind of long. This was a great choice as our next destination (Piazza Popolo) was pretty happening. We decided to go to the top to overlook the piazza where we found a movie being produced. They had about fifteen trailers too, so it must have been a pretty big movie. The main actors were right there in front of our faces. The trip was definitely one of those where we just did things and coincidently it was the perfect time or right place. Even after seeing the movie we decided to walk some random way and came out at what were the Spanish steps. The steps were so crowded, but also a cool sight.

After a long day of walking we went back to the hostel and decided since it has a kitchen why not cook for ourselves. Seriously, you can save a lot of money if you cook for yourself. We did this a lot in Rome since we were there for three full days and it helped so much. We also met someone from England who we became great friends with and traveled with for the rest of the week. Sidenote: I love British accents. The night wasn’t too eventful we just hung out with some people at the hostel. In the morning we went back to do the St. Peters basilica. Again, coincidently we went at the right time as the pope leads mass on Wednesdays. It was pretty awesome to see everyone going crazy and waving flags when he came out. After seeing the pope we ventured off aimlessly. We came by a cool castle and later the Trevi fountain. I loved the fountain, which I think I saw about 5 times while I was there. And yes, I did the touristy thing of making a wish and tossing a coin over my head.

As we continued to walk we came to Piazza Novona. This (again coincidently) was the piazza that had a gelato place my gram recommended to me—Tre Scalini. It was hands down the best gelato I have ever had…so go there! It also had the fountain that was pictured in the movie Angels and Demons. Walking back to our hostel we ran into the Pantheon too. The funny thing about the pantheon is that big open hole at the top doesn’t have glass. So since it was raining the whole time it was really wet inside and they had to rope off an area. The Pantheon was somewhat disappointing for me because they were doing lots of construction to the outside of it. After cooking a meal and hanging out we also went back to the Spanish Steps and Trevi fountain late at night. It was better to go there when not as many people were there. I also found some of those chestnuts that I had in Verona, which are a new favorite.

We woke up to you guessed it…more rain; however, this wasn’t stopping us. We were going to see the Coliseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine. You could buy a ticket that would get you into all three, which were all worth seeing. The Coliseum is everything it is cracked up to be. Just how old and huge it is, is truly amazing. Make sure you get there when studying abroad.

Our last night in Rome consisted of going out with my roommates friends who study in Rome. They showed us around at night and took us to a local place that brews their own beer. They had beers that ranged all the way to eleven percent alcohol, which I thought was pretty crazy (and didn’t know was possible).

In the morning, we headed off to Florence. I loved Florence. It had that big city feel while in actuality it wasn’t that big. Right when we got to Florence we went to the leather market. I had saved all my souvenir money as I knew it would all go to Florence. Let’s just say I managed to buy a wallet, belt, and shoes, haha. I think I am done with souvenirs after those purchases. But hey, the holidays and my birthday are coming up. I guess it’s whatever helps me sleep at night. The leather market was great though. There was so much stuff there and most of it was priced reasonably. You also get to test out your bartering skills. I managed to talk down the wallet and belt 8 euro in total! I was pretty proud of this feat.

The hostel we stayed at in Florence was Archi Rossi. I cannot recommend it enough as they serve free breakfast (we are talking omelets and all) and free dinners every night besides Saturday. We also had internet in our room and there is a garden to hang out in. They like most other places offer a tour, which we did after our breakfast. We got to see all the sights like the fonte vecchio (the old bridge where they sell all the gold and silver). We also learned about all the rich history of the Medici family and all of that good stuff. Wine and food are pretty large aspects of Florence as it is in the Tuscan region. We learned about wine and food typical of the region such as chianti. If you want a cool tip when you go there, look for a bottle with a black rooster along the top. This is a sign of a quality chianti produced right in the region. Also, you should try the vinsanto—dessert wine that you dip biscotti like things into. It’s great. After the tour we went to the duomo. I was a little winded after climbing all 463 stairs to the top, but the view and price were definitely worth it! Check out the view…

Shopping around was next on the list along with seeing the Michael Angelo Burial site and a great meal. I got this gnocchi dish with pine nuts, olive oil and veggies along with a chicken breast and veggie meal. Some people got calzones too, which were easily bigger than a football. I unfortunately didn’t get an hour outside of town to that famous chef’s restaurant (Chef Dario C. I think it is). For those that did get there from our program, they said it was the best meal of their lives. Antipasta, eight courses, and all you can drink chianti. There were great big T-Bone steaks and all and the chef came out and talked with the people. I must say I might use it as an excuse to go back later in my lifetime.

The next morning we headed back to Paderno. It is always a bitter sweet feeling coming home. Great to be back and comfortable, but also it is sad to not be traveling anymore. We have a great event Monday though to get into the swing of things. A history of wine class and wine tasting in the cafeteria. Also, tons of other cool events I will report on next time! Until then…

Cheers! (as our new British friends would say).