Updates on my worldly travels!

Hi all!!

So I have been super busy with classes ending and studying for finals. I have not been traveling that much during this time because my daddy told em that I am here to get an education so I guess I needed to study too and start paying attention in my classes! haha I promised I passed Dad! DON'T WORRY!! haha

I attended Easter Mass at the Vatican! It was one of the best experiences of my life! Saint Peter's Square was packed. My roommate and I woke up early and got to the square 2 hours before the mass started. We were lucky enough to get seats and we could see the alter perfectly. The Pope arrived in his Pope mobile and the entire mass was spoken in many different languages but we received a program that we could follow along in. This was one of the best experiences I have had since I have been in Rome.

After exams were over, I had some downtime to explore this amazing city one last time. I went to the zoo with some friends and also spent some time on the beach before I had to pack and clean the entire apartment. Packing up after 4 months of living in an apartment was not too easy. I sent 2 suitcases home with my parents in March and I still have so much stuff left here with me!

Well now that exams are over, I will be spending my last 2 weeks in Europe traveling to different countries and cities! I may not be able to update you on all my travels until I get back to America but if I have an internet connection I will do my best to keep you updated. I have one more day to spend in this amazing city. This has been the trip of a lifetime and I will never forget the places that I have been and the people I have met. I will miss walking to the markets and getting gelato after class. Walking down Via del Corso to get to the Trevi Fountain or the Spanish Steps. I will never forget any part of my Roma trip!!

campo market

piazza navona

See everyone so soon!! Can't wait love you all

xoxox 

ciao

Croatia

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would go to CROATIA!! This country is amazing! We stayed in the town of Split, sitting right on the port of the Adriatic Sea. The narrow streets and stone buildings made this town incredible. The 15 hour bus ride was a little rough, they woke us up at 4am to check all of our passports so it was kinda hard to sleep. We got to our hostel on friday morning and immediately took a quick nap. When we woke up we headed for the beach! Friday night we went out with the entire bus2alps group! It was a absolute blast!

Split, Croatia

Saturday morning we woke up early and met at the port for a Island Hopping tour around the many islands near Croatia. We stopped at an tiny island so that the chef's on our boat could make us lunch! We headed to one more island and then back to the town of Split.

Island Hopping

My tip to Croatia seemed very short due to the bus ride, but it was so worth it. I would have never picked to go to this country but once I saw the itinerary I could not pass up the opportunity. I feel so blessed that I have been able to see so many parts of the world!

CIAO!!

Amalfi Coast

I traveled south of Rome to the Amalfi Coast! I stayed in the town of Sorrento and took a ferry to the beautiful Island of Capri.

The Amalfi Coast

Capri was amazing! A sunny beachside town right in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. We got there early in the morning and we took little boats into the blue grotto. This is where we were able to see the neon blue water. Then we continued our boat ride around the entire Island.

The port in Capri

The Blue Grotto! 

We had the afternoon to explore, so without a doubt I went to find handmade sandals! With my love for shoes I just couldn't turn this opportunity down. I decided to purchase 2 pairs and I know it was worth every penny! We went to lunch at a local pizzeria and then returned to the ferry so that we could head back to our hostel in Sorrento.

Overlooking Capri

Sandal Heaven!

The next morning our buses drove us 45 minutes to the town of Positano. This was a beautiful ride, hugging the cliffs of the coast. As soon as we got to the town we laid out our towels on the black sand beaches and relaxed for a little while. After a little bronzing, we went on a boat cruise to go cliff jumping. This was absolutely incredible. I jumped off a cliff into the freezing, clear mediterranean sea. It was totally worth it, and I made sure my parents knew I was still alive when I was finished. The rest of the day in Positano was relaxing and just a great way to end the weekend!

POSITANO

Cliff Jumping

CIAO!
xoxox

MY FAMILY CAME TO ROME!!!

MY FAMILY VISITED ME IN ROME AND IT WAS THE BEST WEEKEND OF THE ENTIRE SEMESTER!!! Mom and Dad arrived early on Thursday morning and I took them right to my apartment so that they could drop their bags off and then we could go exploring. Well I forgot that they were going to be a little jet lagged and they fell asleep for a few hours! haha So our exploring didn't start until a little later in the afternoon. We went to a lovely restaurant and then to the Coliseum and Trevi Fountain that night! I had a huge smile on my face the entire time because I was so happy to see my parents!

We woke up early on Friday and decided to go to Naples and Capri for the day. I bought train tickets for us and we headed south for a sunny day filled with pizza from Naples and a ferry ride to the Island of Capri. We walked around the city of Naples for a while and sat down at a lovely cafe for some margharita pizza. Then we took at 40 minute ferry to the Island of Capri. Let me tell you it was beautiful! We walked around explored the tiny town and then sat in a cafe for a little while.

Julian came Saturday afternoon, he was not jet lagged at all so we kept going all day. We picked him up from the airport and then started exploring Rome with him. We went to the Coliseum and the Trevi Fountain again as well as the Spanish Steps and to Piazza del Popolo to see incredible views of the city! Saturday was very crowded due to the Rome Marathon that was taking place but we still got to see incredible sights and then ended up back in Trastevere for a lovely dinner outside at a local restaurant.

Sunday we woke up early and got to the Vatican just in time to see the Pope speak! They got to see St. Peter's Square as well when we were at the Vatican. We then left to get to the Coliseum for out tour. This was my first time doing this as well. Mom set up a  great guided tour and we were able to go inside the Coliseum to see what took place thousands of years ago! This was amazing! What blew my mind is that the monument used to be white! The pollution in the city has turned the Coliseum brown, and now they are currently trying to restore the monument! This was a great tour with very educational facts that the whole family enjoyed! 

Monday we had a driver meet us and take us on an 12 hour trip south to the Amalfi Coast, Positano and Pompeii. We first stopped at Pompeii to get a guided tour of the ancient ruins. Then we drove along the winding road and stopped to take pictures but we ended up in Positano. This was my favorite place out of the entire week. The views were amazingly breath taking! We walked along the black sand beaches and had lunch right on the Mediterranean Sea. I wish we could have stayed longer but once we had lunch and did a little shopping our driver picked us back up to go back home to Rome.

Tuesday we hopped on a train and headed north to Florence. We spent time wandering around the city and stopping at the leather markets. We climbed to the top of the Duomo for some amazing views of the city and Tuscany. It was 463 steps but the entire family made it to the top in one piece. We stayed at the top of the Duomo for a while and just took in all the sights. We then went to the other side of the city to the piazzale michelanglo! This was another amazing view of the city. We got a bottle of wine and listened to music while looking over the entire city. On Wednesday mom organized a "Best of Tuscany" bus tour for the whole family. We got on a bus and headed to Siena. There we took a guided tour of the city learning about all the major sites there. We also learned a lot about the annual horse races that take place twice throughout the summer. We then headed to an organic farm where we were going to do a wine tasting and have an Italian lunch. We were able to go on a tour of the farm, and then sat down overlooking the hills of Tuscany for lunch! We tasted 4 different types of wine that were made right there on this farm. It was a delicious lunch and a wonderful tour! I was so glad that my family was able to experience an Italian lunch and a vineyard tour. The last stop on this tour was to Pisa. I have already been here but I convinced dad, mom and Julian to climb to the top of the leaning tower for incredible views! 

the view from piazzale michelangelo

The hills of Tuscany

Venice was our next trip! We took the train to Venice early in the morning, checked into our hotels and then was able to "get lost" in the city. This city was amazing (I know I say that a lot, but its true!) There were no cars on the island! We looked at all of the murano glass and took a gondola ride through all the canals. We had a great tour guide name Lorenzo who became Dad's new best friend! haha Dinner in Venice was also delicious (just like every meal and every liter of vino) but the seafood in Venice was very good! 

Julian left early Saturday morning. I was sad to see the week come to an end but I know this was the best vacation ever. Saturday night my roommate Erin's family came into town. Erin was also turning 21 that night so we went out for a big birthday celebration! We went to dinner at a local restaurant and then went out to some local bars for some fun! Overall we had a great night and it was so fun to have both of our families here at the same time! I am so glad that their trips overlapped.  

This was by far the best week of my life! I could not have been happier to have my whole family come visit me in Rome and travel around Italy! I wish they could have stayed for the rest of the semester with me! I am so blessed that they were able to experience some of Italy with me. It will be a memory that I will never forget!

This weekend I am going back to Capri and Positano! 

Ciao

xoxo

DUBLIN

I am so sorry I have been slacking on my updates! I have been super busy trying to get good grades (prego daddy!) 


So a few weekends ago I hopped on a plane and headed to Dublin, Ireland for one of the best weekends I have had so far. Dublin was an awesome city with so much to see and do. We woke up on friday morning and bought a ticket for a hop-on hop-off bus tour. This was the best way to explore the city because our tickets were good for all day and we could get off wherever we pleased. We stopped at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Trinity College, Guinness Brewery and the Jameson Distillery. These were the highlights of my trip. The Cathedral was beautiful and was set right in the middle of the city. Trinity College is an american university set right off of O'Connell Street (the main street in Dublin). The city reminded me of a college town with lots of things to do and a great night life. The Guinness Brewery was very interesting we saw how the beer was brewed and then the final part of the tour was a pint of Guinness for us to enjoy at a bar that overlooked the entire city! This was so cool! The Jameson Distillery was the same way except we were at the old distillery where they no longer make whiskey there. But it was still a very interesting thing to see!  

Trinity College

St. Patrick's Cathedral

We went out on Friday night to the famous temple bar and drank irish beer! Then we made our way to a dance club and danced to american music the entire night.


The next morning we hopped on a bus and headed to the irish countryside of Trim. This is where we met Sister Paul, Sister Claud, and Sister Ann. We were staying at their house and they were going to show us around! We got to their house and we were welcomed with tea and scones YUMMY!! :) We had a wonderful lunch that consisted of chicken, spuds, and grilled veggies. After lunch we headed to the Trim castle and went on a guided tour. That afternoon we went to Newgrange and then went to mass with the sisters. This was one of the best weekends, we were spoiled and we loved every minute of it! I will never forget this weekend in Ireland! 

Trim Castle 

infront of Newgrange

Irish countryside

MY FAMILY CAME THIS PAST WEEK! AHHHH IT WAS THE BEST WEEK OF THE ENTIRE SEMESTER. I MISS THEM ALREADY! THATS MY NEXT POST! I'LL UPDATE SOON! 


XOXOX
CIAO

LONDON

Hey everyone!

Well I have been globe-trotting and the fun just never stops! Last week was midterms for me but what a better way to celebrate midterms being over than a weekend trip to LONDON!!! London was such a great city and THEY SPOKE ENGLISH!!! We arrived early in the morning and started our exploring. We are becoming experts at using maps and public transportation (i feel so grown up)!

Our first stop was at Oxford Street aka shopping!! My roommates and I always find time in our weekend trips to shop! This took up most of our afternoon, we stopped for a quick lunch that consisted of the famous FISH AND CHIPS! After lunch we went back to check into our hostel. This time we stayed in a 10 person dorm style room. Well we ended up staying with 7 french guys. They were gross. never again! But this did not stop us from having a good time! We met up with 2 of my ZTA sisters that night for dinner and then went out to a bar! It was so nice to see some other familiar faces!

ZTA invades London!

Famous phone booth picture 

On Saturday we woke up early and went to sightsee all that we could in the city! We saw the London Eye, Big Ben, Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and the London Tower Bridge! This was amazing and I still cannot believe I am able to see all of these historical monuments at such a young age! I am so lucky and so blessed! Saturday night we went out for an early dinner and then bought tickets to see Grease on broadway. It was such a good show and we had such a blast just roaming the city at night! London was very crowded and reminded me a lot like NYC.

Big Ben and Parliament

Buckingham Palace

London Tower Bridge

Thursday I am off to IRELAND!! I just know this trip is going to be absolutely amazing! I'll let you know about my Irish adventures soon!!

Ciao!

I am the happiest and luckiest girl in the world! Globe-trotting around Europe and DAD, MOM AND JULIAN COME NEXT WEEK! AHHH I AM SO EXCITED!

LOVE YOU ALL
XOXOXO

PARIS- THE MOST AMAZING CITY

HELLO EVERYONE! So I should be studying for midterms (sorry Daddy) but I figured that I need to update you all on my life! This past weekend me and 5 other friends traveled north to PARIS, FRANCE! Let me tell you I'M MOVING TO THIS CITY!! This was the most amazing trip ever! We left on friday morning at 4:30 and took a cab to the airport, we landed in Paris around 9am and then had to take a bus into the city. When we got into the city we started using the metro to get to our hostel. The St. Christopher's Inn was the nicest hostel that we have been to so far! The beds were better than our beds in our apartment! We threw all of our stuff in the luggage room and went out to explore the city! We ate lunch at a melting pot like restaurant where we cooked our own meat right at our table. This was very exciting and we were so happy that we were getting a break from pasta and carbs. After lunch we went back to our hostel and took a nap and then went to find the Eiffel Tower at night!

When we woke up from our naps, we got ready and took the metro to the Louvre to see the MONA LISA! Let me tell you, she is not all that she is cracked up to be. Yea it was amazing to see such a famous painting but she is so itty bitty. Its not like this huge masterpiece! haha After that I went to find the EIFFEL TOWER! Okay this was AMAZING!!! I fell in love with Paris as soon as I saw this at night! Why doesn't America have anything cool like this?!?! After seeing the Eiffel tower we feasted on crepes with chocolate and then came back to our hostel for bed.

The Louvre

The next morning we woke up and it was raining we had breakfast in  the hostel which consisted of french baguettes and OJ. Then ventured out in the rain! We took a train to Versailles to see the Palace that Louis XIV built! It was huge and very pretty! Then my roommates and I love Mexican food so we found a mexican restaurant for lunch and decided to have margaritas and pina coladas! After lunch we took the train back into Paris and climbed to the top of the Eiffel Tower. This was beautiful! Looking over the city was gorgeous and would take anyones breath away! After sightseeing all day us girls decided to get some shopping done on the Champs Elysees! Let me tell you PARIS IS EXPENSIVE!! But that didn't stop me from having the time of my life while purchasing one of a kind items!

Erin and I in front of the Palace of Versailles

The view of Paris from the Eiffel Tower

SHOPPING AVENUE aka HEAVEN!!

Overall it was a wonderful trip and I think everyone should see this beautiful city at some point in their life!

This weekend I am off to LONDON!

Ciao until my next post!

ps. 16 days til my family comes and I could not be happier! LIFE IS GREAT!! XOXOXO