Sunsets, Sangria, and Spaghetti

Hello, hello!

This past week was the long-awaited fall break trip to Spain and Italy! I have been dreaming of going to Italy for a long, long time and I can finally say it is as spectacular as I dreamed it would be. After ten days of traveling, I am beyond exhausted and I can barely function, but I must fill everyone in while it's still fresh in my mind!

Two fridays ago now, we left the Dublin airport for Barcelona, Spain to meet up with my roommate Chiara. Barcelona was a toasty 60 degrees when we got there at about ten o'clock at night, which was tropical compared to Ireland. That night, we headed out to a small bar called Seranno, where the place was packed with college kids pouring their own drinks. The nightlife in Barcelona is like nothing I've ever experienced before, and I only got a small taste of it! The next day, we headed out to Park Guell, the gorgeous mosaic park set in the hills of the city. The park was designed as a community for the upper class so the structures and mosaics are extremely intricate. After a lengthy photoshoot, we headed to the harbor and walked around the gothic part of the city. There was never a dull moment as the streets are lined with huge palm trees and the most unique architecture I've ever seen. After much exploring we headed out for another night on the town. Saturday night was a great night full of friends, food (yummy tapas), and a lot of sangria! On Sunday morning, we got in some last minute sightseeing and checked out La Sagrada Familia, the spectacular church based off of the designs Gaudi created before his death. The cathedral is enormous and each side represents a different aspect of religion whether it be the Genesis or the stations of the cross. Unfortunately,  we were very sad to leave the beautiful city of Barcelona so we stopped for some Dunkin Coffee on the way out of the city to ease the pain...

Park Guell

Park Guell, the mosaic benches

The Spanish Arc de Triomph

Sunday evening we landed in Milan and spent the night in the greatest hostel called Ostello Bello, where they provided a full buffet of Italian food! The next morning we took a train to Venice, where we actually trained through the water to get to the city! Although the city was dark and gray that day, it was still one of the coolest cities I've ever seen. As soon as you step out of the train station, you are directly facing a canal and you have to take a water taxi to navigate the city. We spent some time exploring the narrow streets and quaint bridges before going on a gondola ride through the city! As much as we begged and pleaded with our Gondalier to sing to us, he would not, so instead he informed us on the sights of Venice. Later in the evening, we were lucky enough to see a spectacular sunset over the water and I was able to take some of my favorite pictures of the trip! Also that day, I had my first taste of Italian gnocchi, prosciutto pizza, and gelato! It was a perfect way to start our journey through Italy.

Venice Canals

Sunset

Tuesday morning, we hopped on our next train to Florence where our friends Katherine and Meaghann are studying! Also, thanks to my friend Brette (a huge Italy enthusiast) we were armed with the greatest suggestion list of all suggestion lists. The city was just as romantic, inviting, and heartwarming as she described it to be. The buildings are mostly a warm red or orange color and as the sun sets, the city looks as if it is on fire. It was truly stunning to see.

Tuesday we spent most of the day shopping and exploring, but on Wednesday we headed out to the Chianti region for a wine tasting in a refurbished Medici castle. The castle, the weather, and the wine made for a perfect afternoon in Tuscany. We got a tour of the castle and were able to taste a selection of wines and snacks with homemade olive oil! We had such a great time eating and drinking together in the beautiful countryside. That afternoon, before the tasting, we headed to Coquinarius in the city for lunch (one of Brette's many recommendations) where I had the most delicious pear and gorgonzola ravioli ever. In case I hadn't eaten enough that day, we went to Brette's recommendation, Neri's Gelateria, for dessert! I alternated between gelato and a cannoli each night.

Thursday, we sent the day exploring the gardens at a local palace, got brick oven pizza at Gusto's (another of Brette's recommendations), and climbed the 463 steps to the top of the Duomo in the city centre for an incredible bird's eye view of the city. We stayed up there chatting until sunset and got to see the sun set the city ablaze as it descended over the horizon. After a perfect evening, we were extremely reluctant to leave Florence the next day. I now understand why people say you fall in love in Italy, because I fell in love with the country itself.

The Ponte Vecchio Bridge

The Medici Castle

Chianti countryside

Wine Tasting

The view from the top of the Duomo

Once we got to Rome on Friday, we set out directly for the Colosseum and the Forum, two of the most impressive archaeological structures still around today. The ruins were so cool! Many, many pictures later, we headed to the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. At the fountain, we all made a wish and threw coins into the water!

The next day, we headed across the city for a tour of the Vatican museum. The museum is an exhibit full of paintings, sculptures, and tapestries. The building itself is so incredible that my eyes couldn't keep up with all the artwork. At the end of the tour, we were led into the Sistine chapel. The chapel was a long rectangular room, painted from floor to ceiling. It was different from what I expected but the paintings were exquisite. Next, we were led into Saint Peter's Basilica which was absolutely enormous! The alter was probably as big as my church at home. This vast building, in all its grandeur, was amazing to explore. Later in the day we stopped at the Spanish steps at sunset to see the grande white church that overlooks the city. There was an enormous crowd of people on the steps just taking in the beauty of the city. After another perfect day in Italy, we ate some more wonderful food and I went to sleep that night with a full belly and a happy heart.

The Colosseum

The view at the Forum

The Pantheon

Maggie and I at the Spanish steps

The Trevi Fountain

After a long ten days I am so very happy to be back in Dublin, but I'm so grateful to have had such an amazing week with my friends. I came back full of gelato and full of love for Italy and Spain. I can't wait to go back someday and keep exploring!

This week it's back to the grindstone before we head to Northern Ireland for the weekend. Miss and love you all during this holiday season. I have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Cheers to a wonderful family, the best of friends, and the greatest semester I could ever ask for.

Much love. Eat some turkey and watch some football for me :)

London & the Patriots Game

Hello!

So this past weekend I had one of the greatest experiences of my abroad trip so far! I jet setted over the pond to London not only to explore the great city but to see the PATRIOTS GAME AT WEMBLEY STADIUM! It was amazing.

Friday morning, Colleen and I headed for the airport at a glorious 4 am. Despite the fact that I am not at all a morning person, I made it to the airport, boarded my Ryanair flight, and made it to London successfully. We finally got to our hostel to meet up with Devo and Amanda and head out exploring! We strolled along the Thames to the Parliament pictures, and of course, took a bunch of photos. Next, we found our way to Westminster Abbey. For those of you that know me well, I am OBSESSED with the Royal family (especially Will and Kate). Therefore, I bought a ticket and went inside alone. Unforunately, I wasn't allowed to take any pictures inside the abbey but there was an awesome guided tour. The inside of this church is absolutely spectacular to begin with, so that, combined with the fact I got to walk down the same aisle as Kate Middleton, made this one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. I walked through the church picturing it just how it was when I watched the wedding at 4 am Freshman year. I loved every second.

After I left Westminster, Coco, Dev, and I headed to St. James' Park and Buckingham Palace. The palace was so cool, and the street and statue in front of it gives it a grand entrance. Eventually, we headed down the road to were there were some guards. We joked around with them, of course, and eventually had one of the guards unable to control his laughter. Now I know Devon, Coco, and I are very humorous people but the guards are definitely not supposed to lose their composure so it was definitely a proud moment for us. Eventually, we left the guards alone and went on our merry way. Later on that night, we headed to the London Eye, the enormous ferris wheel that overlooks the city from above the Thames river. At night the London Eye was all lit up blue and the rest of the city looked spectacular all lit up gold. It was amazing to see the city from this point of view!

Parliament

Amanda and I outside Westminster Abbey

Dev, Coco, and I

Buckingham Palace!

The London Eye at night!

Big Ben all lit up

On Saturday, we found Sara and went over to Trafalgar Square for the NFL fan rally. There, we got to see Brady, Lloyd, Welker, Belichick, Kraft, and a surprise appearance by Gronkowski. Belickick was dressed in his usual headband and sweatshirt with the cut-off sleeves, and Kraft was looking spiffy with sunglasses on, even though it was overcast and freezing. Way to go guys. The best part of the fan rally was when the crowd started cheering, "Spike the Mic!" and Gronk, on command, spiked the microphone. They were a microphone down after that but the crowd went wild. Eventually, we started to freeze so we left the fan rally and went to check out Tower Bridge on the other side of town before heading home. That night, the five of us went on the Camden pub crawl, which took us to four pubs and one club in the Camden area. It was a good way to get out and experience some of London's nightlife.

My man Gronk

The Fan Rally!

Dev, Coco, and I with the Tower Bridge

Sunday morning, Amanda, Sara, and I ventured over to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards before devoting a few hours to exploring Harrods department store! Harrods was unlike anything I've ever seen. There was a department for everything you could imagine. There was even a Christmas section, a Disney princess section, and a pet section! When I realized I couldn't afford a single thing in there, we left for Wembley Stadium. At Wembley, they had set up a huge tailgate for the fans with Budweiser and food galore. After a few hours of getting pumped up for the game we headed into the stadium for a pre-show by Train and kickoff! Before kickoff, everyone held up the plastic bags on their seats to find that half of the stadium formed an American flag, while the other half formed a British Union Jack. It was really cool to see. The game itself, was awesome. We got a little nervous when the Rams scored first, but it ended up being a blowout, 45-7. It was an amazing experience and it was something I will never forget!

Sara & Amanda outside Harrods

US flag to the left, Union Jack to the right

Overall, I had a wonderful experience in London! The city was romantic and charming with its spectacular architecture and the game was an absolute blast. The only thing that could have made it better would have been an appearance by Prince Harry!

Cheers :)