Athens Unknown

There was a time in my life I dreamed of going to Athens. I could only envision the great columns of the Parthenon and the ancient legacy of the 3,400 year old capitol of Greece. However, as I heard more things about the city, I found myself less and less drawn to it. No one I met had much praise for the overpopulated streets. 

Despite being deterred from visiting, en-route to Santorini, Bre and I had a one day pitstop in the metropolis. While I tritely must say I enjoy being able to say I have seen the "wonder of the world" Acropolis, I could have probably skipped the trip to Athens. In all honesty, it was one of my least favorite places I traveled to. A city's vibe is essential, and the one that emanated throughout the ancient streets was not one I enjoyed. 

Still, being eternally optimistic, Bre and I railed on through our day and founds some enjoyable moments throughout the dubious city. We wandered for hours, making our way up to the ancient center.

Coming Soon

Over two months ago, when I set out on what I like to call my "Great European Adventure", I had no idea how fast the time would fly by. I should have anticipated that after what a whirlwind studying abroad for a whole semester had been, 51 days would feel like nothing. Still, as I sit here back at home in sunny California, I cannot believe it's all really over. 

Backpacking around Europe had always been a dream of my best friends and I, even with the foreboding peril of packing, so well illustrated by Lorelei and Rori. Nevertheless, we rallied and managed to fit 6 weeks of clothes in our Osprey Porter 46 carry-on size backpacks, and now can basically consider ourselves the most efficient packers on the planet. While the majority of my time traveling was spent with my two best friends from home, Brooke and Lindsey, I started my trip with my amica Bre from school in Italy, and then spent some of it on my own. 

On Hiatus

I wanted to write a blog post that summed up my whole semester abroad. That named all my favorite things (the ones I spent my last week savoring) and express how fortunate I felt to have such great friends in Italy (and now, around the world). But I don't really have the words to express the entirety of my semester. It was too great, too unreal, and went by too fast. I can only say, ciao Firenze (for now-I may even come back with a reminiscent Italy blog in a few months, we all know I have the photo number to do it). 

Pisa

On Jewel's to-do list in Italy was the Leaning Tower of Pisa. She was a little more than disappointed when I told her we didn't have a whole day to waste in Pisa. I had heard there's not much to do in the little town, other than the Tower, and this information proved true. Nevertheless, Pisa is a perfect pitstop on a train route from Castiglioncello to Florence. 

We made all Jewel's bucket list dreams come true. 

Checking our bags into left luggage at the train station (the benefits of traveling light), we made the jaunt to the Piazza dei Miracoli. 

A peculiar destination

Mom, Jewel, and I set out on a new adventure after our luxury trip to Santa Margherita Ligure for something a little different. In case you were wondering, yes, we spent a lot of time on trains that last weekend. On the bright side, train travel in Europe is the bomb-diggity.