Off to EGYPT for 2 weeks…
After returning from Christmas Break travel and returning ‘home’ to Aberdeen Scotland, I am again off to ‘Make the Most of My Opportunity’ whilst studying in Scotland, since I am much closer to travel destinations compared to West Virginia!
I had to come back to Aberdeen for the first two weeks of January to finish my coursework for 1st semester as well as take an exam! So I’ve been doing non-stop studying and report writing for the past 2 weeks! Finished my last piece of coursework this morning…which officially means I have completed my 1st semester of graduate school! I’m 1/3 of the way there!
So now I’m ready to relax for 2 weeks and explore EGYPT. No coursework, no laptop, just a few books, and the beaches and pyramids of EGYPT!
Many more blog posts and adventures to be posted in 2 weeks…
Friday, January 14, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
$ Milano $
From Rome Italy on New Years Day to Milan Italy for the first 3 days of 2011! My time with the organized traveling group I had joined ended in Rome and it was up to me to find my way back to ‘home’ in Aberdeen, Scotland. Since all connecting flights from Rome to Scotland, first went to Milan, I decided to make a ‘pit-stop’ in Milan for a few days before heading back to Aberdeen to finish my final coursework.
Milan is known as the ‘design capital’ of Europe and is also home of Italy’s stock exchange. Milan was the perfect break in between the busy-ness of traveling from London to Rome and before returning back to the reality of graduate school.
Milan is full of high-end, luxury shopping, shopping, shopping – Prada, Dolce and Gabanna, Hermes, Tiffany’s, and Louis Vuiton literally filled the streets!
The most breath-taking historical site – found right in the middle of all the shopping and in the city center, is the Duomo. As you walk along the streets of Milan and come to the city center you are taken away by The Duomo Cathedral! The pinnacles of the cathedral are almost palace like as they reach towards the sky.
I enjoyed my last few days in Milan relaxing, window shopping (no actual shopping took place), and café hopping – sampling all the cappuccino, and brioche possible. Brioche is what the Italians call croissants. I enjoyed vanilla crème, nutella, chocolate, and my favorite caramel crème filled brioche!
I also started reading up on EGYPT! My next big adventure is heading off to Egypt for 2 weeks before my second semester starts in February!
Milan is known as the ‘design capital’ of Europe and is also home of Italy’s stock exchange. Milan was the perfect break in between the busy-ness of traveling from London to Rome and before returning back to the reality of graduate school.
Milan is full of high-end, luxury shopping, shopping, shopping – Prada, Dolce and Gabanna, Hermes, Tiffany’s, and Louis Vuiton literally filled the streets!
The most breath-taking historical site – found right in the middle of all the shopping and in the city center, is the Duomo. As you walk along the streets of Milan and come to the city center you are taken away by The Duomo Cathedral! The pinnacles of the cathedral are almost palace like as they reach towards the sky.
I enjoyed my last few days in Milan relaxing, window shopping (no actual shopping took place), and café hopping – sampling all the cappuccino, and brioche possible. Brioche is what the Italians call croissants. I enjoyed vanilla crème, nutella, chocolate, and my favorite caramel crème filled brioche!
I also started reading up on EGYPT! My next big adventure is heading off to Egypt for 2 weeks before my second semester starts in February!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
The History and Chaos of Rome
Rome is filled with ancient history…but also filled with masses of people!
On a positive note, you simply cannot replace or replicate the history of Rome, with the ancient ruins of the Coliseum, Vatican City – home and country of the Pope, the Parthenon, Spanish Steps, and Trevi Fountain, as well as countless ancient Roman remains, statues, museums, and historical buildings.
On the ‘not-so-positive side’, it seemed like everyone in Italy, half of the United States, and many; many others were all enjoying the sites of Rome at the same time! At the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain I could hardly move without being surrounded by massive crowds. Streets were literally filled with people, and the interesting thing is that December is the ‘off peak’ season for tourism in Rome; I can’t imagine the chaos in summer!
The Coliseum and Palatine Hill were my ‘Revivals of Rome’ and were the two elements of the bustling city that ‘refreshed and revived’ me from the massive crowds:
The Coliseum was my favorite part of Rome! At night time the Coliseum is highlighted by spot lights throughout the entry ways and many openings. In the day time you are able to go inside the Coliseum and see the ruins covered in green moss and walk around the circle-like maze.
The Palatine is the hillside right beside the Coliseum, holding the preserved ruins of ancient Rome. You can pay to go into the Palatine and walk around, enjoying the park-like setting full of history! Thankfully, we were blessed with great weather, the sun was shining and the air was cool and refreshing, making the stroll along the ancient ruins a real joy. The Palatine also provides great pictures of overlooking the Coliseum from the hilltop.
On a positive note, you simply cannot replace or replicate the history of Rome, with the ancient ruins of the Coliseum, Vatican City – home and country of the Pope, the Parthenon, Spanish Steps, and Trevi Fountain, as well as countless ancient Roman remains, statues, museums, and historical buildings.
On the ‘not-so-positive side’, it seemed like everyone in Italy, half of the United States, and many; many others were all enjoying the sites of Rome at the same time! At the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain I could hardly move without being surrounded by massive crowds. Streets were literally filled with people, and the interesting thing is that December is the ‘off peak’ season for tourism in Rome; I can’t imagine the chaos in summer!
The Coliseum and Palatine Hill were my ‘Revivals of Rome’ and were the two elements of the bustling city that ‘refreshed and revived’ me from the massive crowds:
The Coliseum was my favorite part of Rome! At night time the Coliseum is highlighted by spot lights throughout the entry ways and many openings. In the day time you are able to go inside the Coliseum and see the ruins covered in green moss and walk around the circle-like maze.
The Palatine is the hillside right beside the Coliseum, holding the preserved ruins of ancient Rome. You can pay to go into the Palatine and walk around, enjoying the park-like setting full of history! Thankfully, we were blessed with great weather, the sun was shining and the air was cool and refreshing, making the stroll along the ancient ruins a real joy. The Palatine also provides great pictures of overlooking the Coliseum from the hilltop.
The Hilltop Town of Orvieto
From Florence to Rome we stopped at a small town called Orvieto that is located upon a hilltop and overlooks the picturesque Tuscany countryside. We took a tram up the hillside of Orvieto and then walked about 15 minutes up the stone roads of the Orvieto town. The Orvieto streets were of course filled with tons of wine shops and pizzerias, and were also filled with many restaurants serving wild boar! Orvieto is known for its famous wild boar; however I opted for the traditional Italian pizza for lunch.
At the tops of the Orvieto hill, as the center focal point of the town was the cathedral of Orvieto. After a few pictures of the church and then pictures overlooking the Italian country side, we climbed back on the bus and headed to Rome…
At the tops of the Orvieto hill, as the center focal point of the town was the cathedral of Orvieto. After a few pictures of the church and then pictures overlooking the Italian country side, we climbed back on the bus and headed to Rome…
The BEST of Italy: Florence
So far Florence is my favorite part of Italy! It is the perfect size city, not too big and not too small, with heaps of chain stores and also original boutiques to go shopping. I most enjoyed looking at the original Florence jewelry and leather goods.
To me, Florence was the perfect picture of Italy, with the Tuscany country side in the background, rivers running through the city, churches, ancient statues, museums full of history, tons of pizza and gelato, and lots and lots of shopping! You could easily sit outside in one of the restaurants many outdoor seating areas and watch the crowds go by while, relaxing while enjoying delicious Italian food and a glass of wine, so site seeing to appreciate the rich history of the country, or enjoy a great day of shopping!
Favorites of Florence:
The Duomo and Cathedral: The cathedral was made of all types of colored marble and stone. I really liked the greens, red, and blue tone used to make the cathedral, as most churches and building seen throughout Italy and in Paris were completely white or gray.
Shopping: There was of course the outside ‘street markets’ selling everything you can imagine for really affordable prices. But if you took the time and were willing to spend just a little extra euro, the real treat was all the original jewelry, leather, and fashion boutiques that adorned the town.
Food: How can you go to Italy and not LOVE the food? I ate the best spaghetti with tomato and basil sauce, the best margarita pizza – which is the original cheese and tomato sauce pizza served it Italy, the most delicious gelato ice cream– pistachio and fudge-y chocolate have been my favorite flavors, and the tastiest canoli ever, and drank espresso ‘at the bar’ like a real Italian!
To me, Florence was the perfect picture of Italy, with the Tuscany country side in the background, rivers running through the city, churches, ancient statues, museums full of history, tons of pizza and gelato, and lots and lots of shopping! You could easily sit outside in one of the restaurants many outdoor seating areas and watch the crowds go by while, relaxing while enjoying delicious Italian food and a glass of wine, so site seeing to appreciate the rich history of the country, or enjoy a great day of shopping!
Favorites of Florence:
The Duomo and Cathedral: The cathedral was made of all types of colored marble and stone. I really liked the greens, red, and blue tone used to make the cathedral, as most churches and building seen throughout Italy and in Paris were completely white or gray.
Shopping: There was of course the outside ‘street markets’ selling everything you can imagine for really affordable prices. But if you took the time and were willing to spend just a little extra euro, the real treat was all the original jewelry, leather, and fashion boutiques that adorned the town.
Food: How can you go to Italy and not LOVE the food? I ate the best spaghetti with tomato and basil sauce, the best margarita pizza – which is the original cheese and tomato sauce pizza served it Italy, the most delicious gelato ice cream– pistachio and fudge-y chocolate have been my favorite flavors, and the tastiest canoli ever, and drank espresso ‘at the bar’ like a real Italian!
The Leaning Tower of Pisa
On our way from Switzerland to Florence we stopped at The Leaning Tower of Pisa. I was most surprised that The Leaning Tower of Pisa is just part of an entire cathedral located in Pisa. The ‘Leaning Tower’ is the Bell Tower located on the far end of the massive dome and cathedral. I also learned that The Leaning of Pisa started leaning as they were building it as well as after it was built…and all of the cathedral is actually leaning a bit, but is harder to notice because of the extreme lean of The Tower!
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