Little Legs, Big steps – Part 3

I really don’t even know where to start with Cinque Terre. It was full of so many moments of laughter and happiness that its kind of a blur of smiles and sunshine.

First off – People will say not to spend more than 2 days in Cinque Terre but I would argue you could comfortably spend a lifetime there.

Eryn and I landed in Cinque Terre that first night and went straight to sleep. The next morning we woke up bright and early to catch the shuttle into the first town (forgive me for not even attempting to recall the individual town names) and got started on our adventures!

The first thing we did was have a meltdown when we saw an omelette breakfast shop. We. Don’t. Eat. Protein. In. Italy. The sight of eggs was maybe the highlight of my week, so of course we spent a good portion of our morning feasting over these eggs.

Then we stopped at the train station to pick up our hiking pass and headed off to town 3 to start the “leisurely stroll” we were promised.

Do not go to Cinque Terre for a leisurely stroll. Go if you are training to climb Mount Everest or if you are seriously trying to get that beach body for that special somebody back home. I repeat, Cinque Terre is designed to make softer bodied people confuse tears for sweat and die in a puddle of heat.

Dramatic?

All I could think of during this 2 hour duration was how much I regretted not joining the Cross Fit cult when I had a chance.

It started with a whole lot of stairs. And it was all uphill from there.

We got going and about 35 seconds into the hike Eryn and I lost the shirts and had our skimpy little bikini tops struggling to stay upright with all the sweat on our bodies. We got a couple of looks in the beginning but about mid way we were greeted with the grunts of other women who lost the self esteem issues and were down to their bras and rolled up bermuda shorts.

  

At some point Eryn, bless her sweet 5 foot frame, panted that she was going to write a poem titled “Little legs, Big steps” to commemorate her time in Cinque Terre.

Don’t get me wrong – I would do it every day for that view. I mean my lord, someone upstairs put a lot of thought into this little piece of heaven on earth. It was absolutely stunning and it was worth every drop that slid down into questionable crevices.

  

Although we had a lot of ambition (I promise) and wanted to do the 2 hikes in the same afternoon, after we stopped for a short sitting break we decided we couldn’t get up. So we hobbled over to the 5th town where the tourists flocked because of the beautiful beach there. Eryn and I were pretty delirious at this point in our afternoon so we splurged and spent a pretty penny for chairs and an umbrella on a private beach. So worth it.

To summarize this picture perfect afternoon: 5 hours. Shade for my white, white skin. Sand in my toes. 1 vodka lemons. 1 new business venture with Eryn. Perfect water. 1 more vodka lemon for good measure.

I live in Florida, people. That was hands down the best day on a beach, period. I loved every moment of that lazy afternoon.

   

Afterward we headed back to town 1 where we grabbed some dinner and explored the area for a little while until we had to run back up to our meeting point for the shuttle to pick us up.

We went straight to bed and the next morning marked the beginning of the real adventures!

Sunrise in Como – Part 2

Ahem. After I actually made it to Como after my quick vacation in Switzerland, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

It’s funny because I was just talking to my friend about how nothing significant has really gotten in the way of our travels and we just seem to have the best luck when taking our weekend excursions.

Of course then my trip to Como was plagued by rainstorms the entire time we were there. I could be a super optimist and pretend like I really loved the view of the lake withstanding the downpour or discuss the beauty of the empty streets, watching people take cover.. but I won’t because it kinda sucked just a little.

Come on, this is Lake Como! We go for the sunny skies and hikes!

But in the end, Eryn and I still made the best out of the situation!

For the first few hours it was disgusting outside. It was pouring, gray, and cold. Kind of everyone’s ideal vacation. So we took refuge in a café and hung out for a while waiting for the storm to pass. Then we met up with my friend from high school, Alex, and we went out exploring the lake together! The weather had generously cleared up and we walked around half the circumference of the lake, taking in the gorgeous water and the view of the mountains hitting the lake from all sides.

I endured wet feet for some of these pictures, so please enjoy! I realized I’d never seen a swan in person (that I can recall).. so yay for the little “first times”!

 

After our journey around the cute town we headed back to our hostel. Our hostel is on a mountain so we had to shuttle in which was a little bit of a drawback. The upside? Our hostel was on a mountain. As soon as we got back we decided to take full advantage of the sunshine that had magically appeared out of nowhere and we went for a 30 minute hike up a path that had the most breathtaking panoramic view of Lake Como and the surrounding mountains.

We headed back to the hostel and got there just in time for dinner. As you may have come to realize, my favorite part of my travels have been the people I’ve encountered.

 

This hostel was an incredibly unique experience because it was so homey and small, and was lodged on top of a mountain. It was a little chilly out, with the rain drizzling again, and it was just cold enough to wear my sweatshirt. I think I had one of the most perfect evenings in Europe just sitting at a big table with the 10 of us that was at the hostel (Again, that’s what made it so unique. There were only 10 of us sleeping in the whole joint). We had homemade Italian food and there were new friends from New Zealand, Australia, Germany, California, and Brazil. Conversation and food were flowing and it was just a moment of peacefulness during an otherwise insanely fast paced vacation.

The next morning Eryn and I woke up a quarter to 5 with our new friend Tess and hiked back up the mountain to watch the sun rise. Wow. On the list of things I never thought I’d see in my life? Watching the sunrise on the mountain range between Switzerland and Italy. It was a perfect start to a fun day.

  

After an hour of beautiful weather in the morning, the rain took its position and started ruining lives.

So the general consensus amongst 2 Australians, myself, Tess, Eryn, and Alex was that we should just head over to Milan for the afternoon and then that night we would set out for Cinque Terre.

We all set out on the train together and for an hour I tried to explain the greek system in the universities in America. Yeah, that one didn’t go over too well with them.

After we landed in Milan Tess, Eryn and I headed out to grab some lunch while the others checked into their hostel.

   

I am finally embracing my redundancy because obviously I’m onto something when it comes up so often.. but I think it bears repeating: I love these people.

Tess is in the medical field and she just finished a year long working visa in England and is off to find work elsewhere but in the meantime she’s traveling.

Over a glass of wine and a pizza per person we dove into conversation about her work in the medical field, her favorite places to travel, and everything in between.

I think my favorite point in this conversation is when we all were discussing how travel has given us a lot of hope for our generation. When you travel you meet people from all over the world and who represent a bulk of the population they are from. What you can see from meeting people from 50 countries is that we all want a peace and some kind of solution to the big issues. We might not agree on how to achieve that, or at what cost, but at the end of the day, the normal joe, the kid who goes home to a family, work in the morning, and has bills to pay, just wants a healthier world and a happier future.

 

From traveling you lose this feeling of “Oh, that’s Australia.. India.. Brazil.. *Insert any country here*” and instead you think “Oh, well Tess, Uri, Sam..” and you can finally humanize the other 7 billion people we share space with.

Maybe other people caught onto this lesson without having to travel across the world to learn it, but it was such an exciting realization to have that I am not alone in America and should I just reach out, there is an entire international community with similar objectives and aspirations.

  

After one of the most enjoyable conversations I’ve had in Europe, we headed back to the Duomo to meet our friends before Eryn and I headed off to Cinque Terre.

We said our goodbyes and Eryn and I hopped on a train headed straight for the most beautiful place in Italy!

Adventures with Eryn – Part 1

First up was Milan!

To start with Michelle basically had me convinced Milan was a one stop shop with a couple of stores, the Duomo, and a little bit of gelato. Pretty true to her word, Milan was no Rome. It didn’t have grand architecture or the history that I’ve been so privileged to be around in other parts of Italy, but boy if we didn’t have a good time people watching!

Eryn and I landed in the station (after riding in 1^st class. Nbd.) and made our way to the Duomo stop after a hundred-and-one tries of buying a train ticket. We walked up the metro stairs into the piazza in front of the Duomo, otherwise known as the pigeon sanctuary.

People. Ragazzi. I sit on the floors of highly questionable places, I eat after others, I don’t consistently wash my hands, and I had bugs crawling on my scabs while I was in Haiti. By no means am I a neat freak but WHAT IN THE HELL IS WITH THIS PIGEON CULTURE? 

Pigeons are rats with wings, and that is putting it politely. They carry so many diseases and they don’t even have sparkly colors! Which is why it made my head hurt to think about the fact that all around us people were standing, arms out, palms up, with 15 pigeons making a home on their flesh. I. Was. Thoroughly. Grossed. Out.

We must have sat there for a good 30 minutes just trying to understand why people from all across the world thought it was a good idea to dress themselves in pigeon for the afternoon. Yuck.

After that cute little display of public sanitation Eryn and I finally headed into the Duomo. Holy gothic.

I am pretty sure I’m starting to sound a little repetitive on this here blog of mine, but I was floored. The Duomo in Milan was unlike anything I’d ever seen in my other travels, mostly attributed to the fact that it was Medieval architecture.

It was just so big. I loved the scale of it and compared to the Duomo I saw in Florence it felt full. The Duomo in Florence was barren, to symbolize modest living and lack of material goods, but the Duomo in Milan had these giant pillars and the walls were dark along with the lighting, somehow managing to create a sense of intimacy despite the huge floor plan. Another favorite element of mine was the stain glass. Again, it’s not a super huge thing in Rome so I don’t see too much of it. This one had these massive windows with over 150 individual panes that each depicted a different scene (we counted). The detail in the glass was breathtaking and it brought in some natural light to an otherwise dark environment!

After our trip to the Duomo we went back out and sat on the steps for a little while because we could not get enough of all the people watching. My personal favorite was watching a couple who had just gotten married take their wedding pictures in front of the Duomo.. mid-picture the groom gets a call and just starts casually talking on his phone while his new wife just kind of stood there and continued to pose. Huh?

We also watched as no less than 4 people fell down the Duomo steps.. so the afternoon was pretty interesting without having even gone anywhere!

After we got bored of guessing the Americans (The telltale sign is plaid and chacos) we got up and headed to a park looking thing about a mile away.

 

Shoot darn this place was huge. It was a castle thing with about a million different museums in it. Slight exaggeration but seriously. For 3 euro, I was about it.

We wandered around and looked through an old furniture collection, religious paintings (hello, Italy), and several other forms of art. It was pretty nifty because Eryn is Jewish and I’m a Catholic so as we were going through the museums we had a pretty healthy dose of conversation about how religious pieces of art connect with what our own faiths subscribe to. Light travel conversation!

Afterward I was pretty exhausted so I begged Eryn to give me 25 minutes to take a nap on a bench in the park.

*Insert personal commentary:
I’m starting to give you a play by play of my travels, which nobody wants, so I’ll just condense the rest of this afternoon:

•  We went to a park where we had a nice conversation about career choices and witnessed the most segregated park I have ever been in, with darker skinned Italians on one side and the whiter Italians on the opposing side of the river. Hooray for 21^st century segregation, amiright?
• Window shopped until I felt sad that I wasn’t wealthy enough to buy a giant fur coat in the middle of August. Not that I would want to wear it. I just want to be able to walk in my home and pet my coat and say I have a giant fur coat.
• Went to a great place called Luini that made the most heavenly calzones I’ve ever tasted. (Lookin’ at you, Alison)

Afterward we ordered and ate way too much food for dinner and headed on our train to Como. (Please see my Switzerland post to see how the rest of that night turned out.)

Budapes(h)t

Budapest left me way too many awesome memories.. Since I’m writing this post late I’m terrified I’m actually missing a lot of details! Take my word that it was amazing.

Errrmmmm to start with, Michelle and I are #YOLO travelers. Which is the technical term for doing no research, not looking at a map, and not figuring out the step following anything.

So from the get-go we had a couple of close calls. We decided to get to the airport about 2 hours early and left 2 and a half hours early thinking we would be golden. Our taxi driver came and picked us up and we knew we were going to have a great trip just by how enthusiastic he was.

He asked us what time our flight was and then booked it.. because turns out that if you leave at 6 o’clock in the evening from anywhere, you are going to have a bad time. Bumper. To. Bumper. But this cab driver knew all the backstreets and I think he got a little thrill of nearly hitting innocent pedestrians. Throughout the duration of the ride he told us how the cab drivers in Italy hate the Japanese tour groups and always try and take out the leader of the pack, to convince the others in the group not to cross the street when they’re driving. Super cultured conversation we were having with the taxi man.

 

We make it to the airport just in the nick of time (Jk the flight was delayed and now Meesh and I are super pro at navigating through airports so we were waiting for an hour) and flew our butts to Hungary.

When we got there we decided to use the official taxi service and we turn to each other thinking “Dayummmm we’ve done good so far!” right up until the taxi man stopped in a really sketchy neighborhood at 1 a.m in the morning. I refused to get out of the car at first because none of the buildings had any demarcation indicating that there was a hostel anywhere nearby. The cabbie nearly forced me out though, saying he took us to the address we gave him.

Michelle and I get out of the car and on a small scrap of paper (you can’t make this stuff up), it said “Hostel” in 16 point font on a door.

Oooookaayyyy shady hostel. I see you.

So we go to the keypad and see “hostel” on one of the options and a man answers saying “come in.” We walk into a pitch black courtyard and I’m turning to Michelle about to recommend we go find a holiday inn, when a guy with a beard and no shoes meets us outside and says “Hey. You with the hostel?”

So we head up the stairs with him and the first thing he says is “Shoes.” and points to this massive collection of shoes. It was hilarious and absolutely disgusting at the same time and I just kind of stood there at a loss for words. At this point Michelle and I are trying to suppress the laughter because this is what you get when you are paying 10 euro a night for a bed.

We went to bed and patted ourselves on the back for surviving our first night in Hungary.

The next day we set out to explore! Starting with McDonalds, because nothing says cultural appreciation like eating a big mac in Budapest. Sorry ’bout it.

Really though, I loved Budapest. Otherwise known as two distinct areas, Buda and Pest and pronounced Budapesht in the Hungarian language. It was a really unique city vibe with a mix between urban and casual with a younger looking crowd alongside an aging population. Very, very unique. I’d also never heard the Hungarian language and I thought it was beautiful! It’s unlike any other language I’ve ever heard so I loved hearing it spoken around me.

We wound up going to St. Stephen’s basilica first, because we’re Roman folk now and we love our basilicas. It was absolutely beautiful and I was happy to spend a few minutes there. Meesh and I are massive fans of the city passes so we wound up getting a Budapest pass and with it we visited a number of fine arts museums and took a look at the Hungarian art that was more country and nature oriented than other art I’ve seen here in Europe!

My super blurry pano. You get it though!

 

 

 

One evening Michelle and I went to a little restaurant for drinks and a chocolate dessert before heading back to the hostel. We ordered our daiquiris and dessert and sat for a while before deciding it was time to head out. The waiter came over and in his thick Hungarian accent we thought he asked “Are you done?” so I quickly said yes. He turned around and left and then I looked at Michelle and said “Wait.. did he say are you done.. or ‘another one?'” Within minutes he came back to the table carrying two more drinks and we were doomed to pay the ridiculous cost of another round but did our best to embrace the miscommunication and its outcome! When in Budapest and all that.

That first day we were both feeling tired and sick so we called it a night.. after being so disgusted with the hostel conditions and terrified to use the bathroom alone that we decided to pull a girl move and shower together. No judgment, people. That place looked like a war zone and we weren’t taking any chances in there by ourselves.

The next day we wandered around Budapest and ordered a number of strawberry daiquiris. By far the highlight of my afternoon was exploring the view from atop the palace gardens (I think.. otherwise this could be awkward. Do your research before you go!)

I’m going to be honest here – Budapest was amazing because of the people we encountered more than the museums we visited and historical sites we saw.

I don’t know if Michelle and I are just always super lucky with our hostel friends or if every place is like this, but everyone we’ve met in hostels have been the most incredible and kind hearted people.

On our second afternoon in the city, Michelle and I had come back to the room for a quick nap. In storm these two pretty big guys, screaming at the top of their lungs and playfully harassing the female staff member who showed them their room. I look at Michelle from across the dorm and kind of roll my eyes like “These guys. This is going to suck.”

They immediately introduced themselves to us and their giddy attitudes were infectious. Soon we learned that their names were Omer and Uri and they were from Israel. As we got to talking we learned a lot about where they had come from, where they were going, and who they were.

I have never met anyone from Israel. I have also never met anyone who is experiencing a war in their own backyard. I’ve been keeping up with the Gaza Israel conflict in the news since it began, and I learned how easy it is to slip into a bias just because of the media or vocal opinions of others after talking to someone who is experiencing it in a very personal capacity.

Whatever previous attitude I may have had toward Israel, it definitely changed after meeting two men who used to serve in the army (as is the requirement for all Israeli men and women) and who are currently experiencing national turmoil.

Omer showed me a picture he took just days before he went on his trip abroad. In it are cars all pulled over to the side of a highway after one of the many sirens that go off in the middle of the day. In the picture I could see his mom draping her body over his younger brother as they crouch on the side of the road waiting for the sirens to end.

Uri was the more passionate of the two. He immediately asked me what I thought of Israel after the coverage in the news and I gave him a very honest answer and told him I didn’t know enough about the history, politics, or situation but that I thought it was a terrible situation for both the Palestinian and Israel civilians. He passionately defended Israel’s point of view, telling me that the Israel government was trying to defend its citizens in the most secure way they knew and were not actively harming Gaza citizens. Although we went back and forth and there was a lot of debate, it was chilling to talk to someone who lived in a war zone.

He showed me two videos. The first was in his neighborhood. His friend who lived nearby took a video and uploaded it to Facebook and in it was a scene out of a war movie. An incoming missile is shooting straight at their neighborhood and was intercepted in the air by Israel defense missiles. In the second one he showed me a video of the Hamas influence on Palestinian children chanting for war.

I think in this particular conflict, there can be no right and wrong, because right would mean no innocent citizen dies and children are left to play and not to hide on the side of the road or march off into war. I think there is definitely foul play on both sides, as is the nature of war. Talking with Omer and Uri humanized a situation that I had previously analyzed in terms of statistics, numbers, and facts. Talking with them, seeing Omer and Uris friends and family living in fear, learning that since commercial flights have been banned, they are currently stranded abroad, and hearing about their experiences with their country absolutely reminded me that both sides are suffering and to remember that in every story there are two sides.

 

After our long discussion on the situation in Israel, we learned that Omer and Uri were models and bartenders. Go figure. So at this point we have the two most charismatic, beautiful, and excited human beings in the world, and the five other roommates slowly trickled in. The eight of us all decided to go out together and since we had two conveniently located bartenders on hand we had a grand old time. We headed out to Szimpla, a ruins bar, which was by far one of the coolest things I saw in Budapest.

The ruin bars were part of buildings that had been bombed during World War II and rather than rebuild, some guys just threw some alcohol in there and called it a bar! It was such a fun night with new friends and it was a great way to see the city at night.

At around 4 a.m we got back to our shady hostel and Michelle was back in the room while I did what I do best, and struck up conversation with my new friends. We all sat around the common room couches. Uri from Israel, Ray from Chile, Ajay from India, and Tom from England. And then there was Rachel from Florida. How’s that for diversity?

 

I had one of the most riveting conversations of my life that night.

Ajay was a 26 year old accountant who let me grill him on technology in India, his thoughts on the growing industries in India, and where he saw himself in the next 5 years.

Ray was a 24 year old student from Chile who lamented the costs of education and discussed education reform in an excited tone of voice.

Tom, 22 from England, is a chemist studying abroad in Budapest for a year and we got to talking about self-help books and the English culture.

Uri, 26, was more subdued, I think because he’d just received news from some of his friends back home about another conflict that had broken out.

I have never felt more a part of an international community of friends. It was terrifying to realize that if I allowed myself to stay in my bubble, in my little pocket in America, I would have never met these incredibly unique personalities that each brought a piece of their own “corner” to the table. I loved every second of it and it just reiterated my desire to work amongst the international community to solve some of the most prevalent issues facing our generation.

Another thing I had to take into account is that sometimes I think the only way to meet these people is through just plain and simple travel. If I went the route of politics I run the risk of formalities and meeting just the politicians from a different country who might speak a different native tongue, but who all speak the same language of politics. I think one of the greatest things about all these encounters with people is that they come from all backgrounds, all career types, and all with different futures. That was one of my favorite nights in Europe, just because of the conversation that was flowing between all of us.

 

The next day I was fairly exhausted from the late night and my body was just tired from all the travel, running around, and yes, all those daiquiris.

Thank God for Michelle. We ended up back at McDonalds for a third day in a row and wandered around Budapest at a snails pace. We hit up a walking tour but about one hour into it we realized we were just not up for it and headed back to the hostel for a nap. Ahh, memories.

That night we went back to Szimpla with just the two of us and my favorite couple we met were two very posh men from London. They worked in the fashion industry and I ended up in a two hour debate with one of them about the relationship between a global economy and philanthropy.

We ended up meeting a group of about five guys from England who were staying at our hostel and we wound up talking with them until about 5 am and four of us headed back to the hostel where we promptly passed out.

The next day we were set to head back to Rome!

 

I don’t think I’ll quickly forget that night that I talked with people from all backgrounds from all over the world. It was the most incredible realization that I could not only hold a conversation with these guys, but that with our own perspectives and ideas, we were able to have a productive talk about which direction certain industries and fields should be taking in the next couple of years. I feel so incredibly grateful for this opportunity to have met these people, and for that Budapest goes down as one of my favorites.

 

Dachau

*Apologies for the choppy writing. The camp was so disorienting that all I’m left with is a feeling of intense sadness and confusion. So I tried to collect my thoughts in the most comprehensive way but it gets a little short here and there. Read on for my experience in Dachau.*

I think the only way for me to even remotely try and put words to the atrocities I saw would be to just start with what I learned and saw and then try and explain what I was thinking throughout my trip there.

My tour guide, Gordon, started off by telling the 3 of us in the group that Dachau was the model concentration camp. Compared to Auschwitz and other infamous camps, Dachau has a “clean” reputation that somehow has people convinced it was more humane than most, or that it was less harsh on the people.

This was never the case. Dachau was cruel in its efficiency, cleanliness, and precision. It was the camp that all other camps aspired to look like.

We first walked into the camp with the infamous slogan “Work will set you free” wrought into the gate. Seeing it in person was revolting. That a couple of guys had the rest of the world convinced that they were doing something ethical and inspiring positive change by chaining up another man was a heartbreaking way to start the tour.

We walked into a wide open square with bunkers on either side and a large monument set off to the right. Gordon had to explain to us that a memorial was not about “recreating” the atrocities of the camps. Instead, Dachau survivors came back and created this memorial as a way to reclaim the camp as theirs. Rather than allowing the SS uniform to be on display, or to leave behind remnants of the horrors that once existed, the survivors chose instead to come back to this place that killed their friends and family and used it to highlight the lives of those lost, instead of those responsible for the loss.

So what did this mean for my experience?

Everything was very neat and orderly. There was no hint of the suffering that went on there except for through the pictures and fact that the camp existed in the first place.

I learned that Dachau was the PR front that the Nazis paraded on display for the rest of the world to see. International press came to this place of death and applauded it for its civil nature and its humane treatment of its slaves. In the eyes of the law, as far as the world was concerned, everything that happened beyond the gates was entirely legal.

It didn’t matter that Dachau wasn’t as dirty, scary, or chaotic as Auschwitz. When you walked in you were hit with the sterility and this clean facade that hid so much death and suffering behind it. To me, that was worse.

We continued on into the museum which displayed the room where prisoners were first brought in.

I stood in the same place that prisoners were told to give up their documents. To take off their clothes. To shower off any remains of the outside world. To stand still. To give up their dignity. Identity. Hope.

I stood in the room where there were hooks implanted in the ceiling. Where prisoners were lined up, after stepping out of line or fidgeting when they should have been still. These prisoners had their hands strapped behind their back. They stood on chairs. Had the chain attached to the hook above them. And then the chairs were removed and the prisoners dropped, breaking their shoulders.

The SS would wait until they had 40 prisoners who had misbehaved before breaking 80 shoulders. In unison the men would drop and the screams would be heard throughout the camp – instilling fear in all the men outside, promising that this could be them.

The psychological warfare that was being waged was brutal.

At that point I was standing there in shock. Of course it bothers us to think about how long these camps operated with no resistance from foreign forces or even the Germans who didn’t subscribe to any Nazi belief system. But seeing just how regimented and “perfect” the Nazis got down the process of terrorizing people was absolutely sickening. They were so careful and calculating that nobody even thought to interfere with the “process”. It was a systematic genocide that had people convinced that it was okay.

I think more than anything I was terrified that if it happened so subtly a few decades ago with the use of some pretty words and a catchy campaign, it could happen again with a modern government.

That so few could control so many is terrifying to consider.

 

After the museum portion of the camp we went in to watch a movie with footage from the camp and accompanying pictures.

There were so many limbs and so little flesh. The rows and rows of men standing with their bones sticking out where they shouldn’t be was hard to look at.

The piles of the same men a few weeks later was harder to look at.

After watching the movie I felt a little detached. We went to look at where the prisoners slept, which were wooden platforms where 500 men would sleep at night, sharing disease and body warmth.

I could stomach that.

But when we made it to the gas chambers I almost had to leave.

 

I hadn’t realized the tactics that the Nazis had used to make sure the murder of the prisoners went as smoothly as possible.

First, the SS never brought in the inmates from Dachau to be gassed in the Dachau gas chambers, because they would instantly know something was wrong. So inmates from other camps would be shipped over to Dachau.

They would be told that they were being cleaned and to take off their clothes for a shower (a standard procedure when moving around). Then they would enter into the next room and would see shower heads, to trick them into thinking that they were receiving a shower. The next room told them to prepare for cleansing. The third door would close behind them, and a guard would insert a canister of chemicals from the outside and the room would begin to steam, and one by one the inmates would be murdered.

I walked through the first 2 rooms and I stopped in the 3rd room, where so many lives were taken.

I stood there for a minute and tried, just for a second, to understand the exhaustion these prisoners must have been feeling at this point. They would have been starving, tired, and their bodies physically broken. They would have been just going through the motions of being “cleansed”. Then when they enter the room where they would never leave, then what? After making it so freaking far, that had to be their fate? In this cold and sterile room? Watching your friends and fellow sufferers go down right before you and realizing that you had finally, finally run out of any hope you might have had.

Because one group of people said your blood was dirtier than theirs? Because some business men saw a good cash opportunity to profit off of war? Because a government wanted to maintain power over the people?

I couldn’t stand in there for much longer than a minute because it was an overwhelming feeling to be there in that room, 60 years too late to help any of them.

 

Our last stop was at the memorials set up to honor the dead prisoners. There was a well groomed garden to honor the thousands of peoples’ ashes who had been buried or scattered in the area. Although Gordon said he would prefer if the memorials remained universal, with no identification of race, religion, or lifestyle, I appreciated the fact that the memorials had the different places of worship and sites of those who were persecuted. I thought it showed that an individual should be able to practice whatever faith or lifestyle he or she chooses without fear of persecution. I think taking these peoples symbols away would do a disservice to those who died because of that very identity, so I appreciated that there were monuments offered to those of different types of people, and finally one that goes out to the “unknown soldier”, who stands for every single man and woman who wrongfully died during one of the worst periods in human history.

——

It was a very sobering afternoon and one I don’t think I will forget any time soon.

The worst thing a person can be is a bystander while wrong doing is happening around them. That it took so long for action is an embarrassment to mankind and countless lives were lost because of our reluctance to voice our concerns or to actively stand against injustice.

Beneath the unnamed soldier in the memorial park there is a plaque that reads:
“Honor the dead and warn the living.”

I’m so glad that in the midst of the horrors of Dachau the survivors were able to find comfort in reclaiming the place that condemned so many of their friends and family to warn the future generations of what can happen so as to prevent this magnitude of death from ever happening again.

Under the Tuscan Sun

Okay. So in Florence we had about the same amount of time but it felt like we spent weeks in Florence as opposed to the day it was

We were pretty centrally located so we got a head start and walked over the bridge to first check out a museum we’d read about in Rick Steves but the name is escaping me right now!

Despite the name mystery I thought it was great! After being in Rome for so long and seeing all the sculptures I would have thought I could get tired of them but I’m not sure it will ever cease to amaze me the sheer amount of work that went into sculpting the marble. This place had tons of unique work – ranging from sculptures to religious relics to tapestries. Not to mention the courtyard was hundreds of years old, so that was pretty nifty.

  

Afterward Kara and I set out toward the general direction of the famous Duomo. Along the way we saw a church so we went to go in but unfortunately it was closed. However it was super cool because in my survey of art and architecture class we were learning about the courtyards called cloisters and I recognized it right outside the church! So hey, education really does add value to a person’s experience. Who’d have thunk it?

 

For real this time we set out for the Duomo and lucked out with the line situation. We were ushered in pretty quickly and sweet baby Jesus. Wow. Again, I’m terrified for the day I don’t find beauty as remarkable as I once did, but luckily I haven’t reached that point. I was floored when I saw the dome in the Duomo. In fact I was so enthralled by the fresco that I plopped myself down on the floor with my headphones in, rocking out to some Christian music, and marveling at the painting above me. I definitely got a few strange looks but I could. Not. Stop. Looking.

I think the most captivating element of the painting was how heaven, earth, and hell were depicted. It was a painting of the last judgment so you had the laypeople standing amongst the angels and heaven looks to be open to the people below. While the upper part of the painting was stunning, with bright colors and facial expressions of hope there was such a stark contrast between that scene when compared to the bottom part of the fresco. Hell was depicted as a fiery pit and had demons pulling men down into the bowels of hell and once there the men were standing naked, cowering in corners and just generally looking miserable.

I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen something so visually stimulating and to be honest I was surprised by the harshness of hell painted in a church. Definitely would go back just to sit on that floor again and stare up at the dome.

     

Alright. Moving on.

After we did the Duomo we headed over to another basilica and the Medici family tombs. One of my favorite parts of this tomb was that they provided a space for Raphael to be buried. I love, love, loved the fact that the Medicis, a very powerful banking family unit, recognized the value of art while the artist was still alive. Head Medici dude wrote on Raphael’s tomb: “Here lies Raphael by whom nature feared to be outdone while he lived, and when he died feared that she herself would die.”

I so admired the fact that an artisan befriended a banker (highly unusual at the time for such intimacy I believe) and I wish we could go back to this genuine appreciation for the arts.

  

After we visited the tombs we headed next door to the basilica. I think my favorite part of the whole place was in the chapel where we saw a crucifix. I’m not sure what it is with these depictions of the crucifix but I really enjoy every artist’s interpretation of the scene.

In this particular chapel the crucifix was a harsh reality of the time. Rather than making Jesus a hero who openly embraced death, he was shown as a weak man with no muscle definition and the wounds on his feet were openly bleeding. Definitely one of the more jarring things I’ve seen here.

 

On our way back we decided to stop at this photography exhibit called Hereros. It was spontaneous trip and I’m so happy we went! I didn’t want to take any pictures once I was in there because I wasn’t sure what the rules were but GOOGLE THIS EXHIBIT. It was stunning.

The culture was beyond different as far as economics, customs, politics, and everything else – But the women were crazy strong and the photographer did an amazing job of capturing the relationships between the women and children and between men and women. At the end of the exhibit the photographer wrote that he hoped through his photographs we would realize that despite the cultural barriers, one society cannot rank higher than another. At the end of the day the ties that bring us together in “modern” society are likely the ties that bring people together in all cultures. Pretty cool.

 

As kara and I began walking back that whole walk-run-sit ratio started to get a little too off balance. I was irate with the pace and Kara was irate with my money handling so we had a sister spat and we had a temporary break up! We parted ways (in a huff, of course) and I headed down to a little beach I found right off the side of the river. I sat there for a little while and enjoyed the sights. However as I was sitting there reading my self help book (9 Minutes on Monday if anyone wanted a good management book) it said I should have an emotional investment in my employees. And I figured if I could have an emotional connection with my employees I should probably start having one with my sister.

So I went off to find her and found her atop this Piazza looking out over all of Florence! I tapped her on the shoulder, gave her the nod, and said “Hey. I’ve been reading some self help.” She got a little squinty and said. “Hey. I’ve been reading the bible.” And then asked “Is it time for some alcohol?”

And that was the Halfaker way! We made up for it with some wine as we overlooked the Tuscan sunset and then that night we went for round 2 with the wine and found the most spectacular pizza and called it a night!

Venice and Florence go down as a success in my book. I’m super glad I was able to travel with sister, despite our traveling differences, and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Sister Bonding in Venice and Florence

Allow me to preface this post by saying my sister and I are still alive. Whatever you may read in this little blog here, neither of us has committed a homicide.

Now. Let’s get down to the details of this memorable experience with the sister unit. To start with, Kara is my best friend, although she may not self identify as this, she is. When we are in Gainesville, Tampa, or any place really, we revert back to the role of our 10 year old selves but with a 20 year old’s vocabulary.. so in other words, we have some issues. Despite our inherent sisterly problems, I like to believe that we are compatible friends.. but even the best of friends can make bad travel companions! This trip was a stark reminder that we can fly halfway across the world, but we will never leave behind our Tampa bedroom fights.

Despite the bickering and arguments, the trip was a smashing success!

To start with my train was a teensy bit late so Kara was in line at the baggage place at the Venice train station and that’s where we had our little reunion! Right in front of a bunch of grumbling Italians upset with us for skipping the line. Oops.

Then we headed out! We first stopped at a restaurant.. Where we proceeded to sit down right before Kara insisted we yelp something and made us get up from our seats to go in search of a new shop!

The problem with Venice was that the street signs were virtually nonexistent and it was the furthest thing from a grid system you could possibly imagine. So all of this led to a little bit of confusion when it came to following the yelp instructions to the restaurant. In the end though we found our little place and it was a cute spot that spoke very little English.

 

After we ate Kara knew that she absolutely wanted to see the big Piazza in the heart of Venice so we headed that way. Again.. Maybe directions really aren’t a Halfaker thing because we could not for the life of us get there in a timely fashion. However when we got there it was definitely worth the view!

Kara came all the way from Madrid and was insistent on finding gelato so we grabbed some gelato and sat down for a little while for a Rachel nap and so Kara could read her book. This is how the Halfakers travel.

After we went to the piazza it was my turn to pick something.. And boy if I didn’t want to go on a Gondola. I dragged our butts all around Venice in hunt of a Gondola. Approximately 3 hours later (I really, really wish I was exaggerating with that number) we find a Gondola hot spot, just to realize that it’s going to cost a whopping 80 euro to catch a ride. Nobody around us seemed to be alone and looking to split the cost with strangers so Kara and I had to settle with taking pictures from bridges.

After we dismissed our gondola fantasy we poked our head into a music museum. Correction. A violin museum. That was it.

People, I am a fan of museums. Love ‘em. Spent my whole summer in them. Let me just say this once: This was a silly museum. It was hot as all hell, so dark you could barely make anything out, and the only thing on display were these violins with the date they were created. This museum was just not doing good things for me.

So I insisted we make our way out of there and move on.

It was at this point that Kara and I had already had our little moments of sister sass. She wanted to race walk (she’s the fittest person you’ve ever met) to the piazza and other such places, and I’m a fan of the walk-and-sit ratio. Meaning for every 5 minutes you walk, you take a 10 minute breather.

Kara was a fan of the walk-and-run ratio so I was always trailing about 5 feet behind her at any given time.

We had a sit down meeting and said LOOK. Let’s get our ‘ish together. Where do we both want to go? Venice is stupid expensive and hotter than Tampa on a bad day.. we need to start making some executive decisions here.

Rationally, we both decide that we need to go check out a park on the opposite of the island. Honestly, I wonder about my decision making abilities sometimes.

   

That was the sweatiest walk of my life but we ended up in this really cute park where Kara peed in a bush and took a nap on the grass. Meanwhile I was wide awake and reading my book.

Random anecdote time! I love the Italian gestures and I think the language is beautiful. What’s better than an Italian speaking rapid Italian and throwing his hands around? An Italian toddler speaking Italian and using hand gestures! While Kara was passed out I watched as this little boy is looking at his friend in a meaningful way (as meaningful as a 5 year old can get) and motioning with his hands. Before I died of cute overload I watched the other boy respond with emphatic gestures and it doesn’t stop there, my little guy PUT HIS HAND ON THE KIDS LOWER BACK. Visualize that for a minute. Soon his friend reciprocated and we’ve got this awesome Italian culture wrapped up in two little bodies. It was maybe the greatest interaction I’ve ever witness.
/anecdote

  

Anyways. After our freaking 20 mile leisurely stroll to this park we headed back to to grab a bite of dinner at this cute little restaurant on the water, ordered our pina coladas, and headed back to catch the bus to our tent hostel.

Yup. A tent hostel. It was pretty great.

I’ve just realized this is about to break records in terms of blog content so I think I’ll split up Venice and Florence!

Venice was a beautiful place for a day trip but in the grand scheme of things I’m happy to have just spent one afternoon. It was heavy on the tourism but the view was stunning and I’m glad I could share a little piece of Italy with sister.

More on Florence in the next post!

Bitter Sweet Days

So I’m writing this super late, per usual, but here goes nothing!

As I continue blogging and write about the days that I’m experiencing here it’s a little bittersweet – on the one hand I’m having the time of my life.. on the other hand the end of summer is getting closer and closer and I’m so not ready to go back to Walmarts and Wendys on every corner.

  

The highlights of July are almost always my mornings with my Survey of Art and Architecture professor, Ferro. He loves taking us to off the beaten path spots in Rome and will talk us through the structure and purpose behind the place.

We went to an ancient city called Ostia Antica which was a throw back to my time spent in Pompeii! It was a great glimpse into the past and my favorite part was seeing the public baths because it’s something so foreign to what I’m accustomed to in America and I had a grand time imagining a bunch of old, powerful dudes hanging out in their swim trunks.

  

Another spot that got my full attention was where Peter the apostle was initially thought to have been crucified. Although archaeologists speculate that he likely died closer to the basilica where he’s buried it was still a jolting reminder that people from the beginnings of Christianity walked in the city I’ve spent my summer. Talk about crazy.

One evening we went to a concert with the Lumineers and Passenger. Sigh. Passenger is my main man and I loved seeing him perform live! Since we got there pretty early we were 15 feet from the stage and it was an incredible experience to share with my friends and hey, maybe I’ll check out the concert scene more when I get back to Gainesville.

*Insert irrelevant story time* So I was at the concert with a guy I had a vested interest in and since I have a real life issue with overactive sweat glands I had to find a way to mask the effect of this insanely hot Roman summer. I ended up shelling out 25 euro –  32 American dollars – for a large band t-shirt that didn’t even end up being from the band.  And it had an image of poop on the front of it. Effectively leaving me with a crappy (ha get it?) souvenir from the night. (High five for irrelevant anecdotes?)

One of my favorite people here, Alison, had her 20th birthday in Rome! It was such a great night and I loved sharing such a special occasion with new friends in new places. Plus she’s a super great rapper so it was kind of like concert round 2 for me. Thanks Alison 😉

 

At one point we went down into an ancient temple which laid below a classic basilica which was below an old medieval cathedral. No biggie.

  

These were a couple of pictures from more of our class time adventures.

   

I have been in more churches than I can count and I’m pretty sure I average a 10 mile day.

 

One of my favorite lessons was on the phases of the iconography of Christ. During the first couple hundred centuries after the death of Christ he was represented through symbols of faith such as the dove, greek letters, anchors, and other such biblically founded references. He was depicted through a couple of scratches on his followers tombs and was etched in hidden places. It wasn’t until Constantine adopted Christianity that he took a place on the throne in basilicas, as a Shepard and then finally as a king. It is remarkable to me when I learn about the martyrs of the faith and to see how much the perception of Christianity has changed over the years.

   

One night at our spot in Campo De Fiori we met some Italian people and rode the struggle bus together as we tried to communicate in our broken Italian and them in their broken English.

 

I could sit here and try and name all of the museums I’ve been through at this point but my spelling would embarrass both of us and you would probably wander away from the blog.. but let me just say I have seen more paintings this summer than I probably will for the next 20 years.

    

I think probably my favorite place we visited this week was in Trastevere where we wandered around and went into churches with Ferro and explored some of the Piazzas. It was a beautiful day and I loved the quaint streets that I just don’t see a lot in the area where my university is located.

 

 

 

 

I stinking love the little cars in Rome. They are all over the place and one of the greatest things is that a ton of them are smart cars so they’re conserving energy and just generally looking pretty cool.

On Friday on a spur of the moment type thing Jacob, Michelle, Eryn and I took a 30 minute train ride to the beach! Mind you, this was a cultural experience, not just a tanning opportunity. The men there were sporting their speedos, girls would have made the cast of Jersey Shore jealous, and there was not a tourist in sight. We got a ton of strange looks but hey, I get weird looks at Florida beaches for being so pale so at least this time I was used to it.

 

It was a great week with a lot of memories – I’m kind of flying through these posts so I can make way for my current trip to Lake Como, Milan, and Cinque Terre, but even writing about these experiences just a couple of weeks later makes me wish I could stop time for just a little while longer.

Fall is approaching way too quickly and I need the clock to just roll back!

 

The Luck of the Irish

My phone has this cute habit of dying when I’m having adventures and want to take pictures.. but I have gathered the few pictures I do have from my Irish adventures! (In hindsight though this is one of the most picture heavy posts I’ve written.. Sorry)

To preface this post about Ireland I should mention that my mom’s dad was from Ireland and his whole family is Irish. I know next to nothing about the Irish culture which is what made this trip all the more important to me — there will be a post coming soon just on my perception of the Irish and how I feel about my experiences with its culture. But for now I’ll just do my “week in pictures”!

 

To start with I fell in love with Dublin from the moment we left the airport to get to our hostel. It was big, rustic, and lively. I can’t ever recall a time that a city that I’ve envisioned in books coming to life in a way that Dublin did for me that first day! The streets are lined with pubs, shops, and there were so many people out and about despite the chilly weather and gray skies. Absolutely. Stunning.

 

I think we can all agree that traveling is the worst part of travel. The buses, the plane rides, the number of hours of just waiting is absolutely exhausting and I almost always count that day as a lost afternoon just because of how we tired we all are after transporting our bodies across borders. So the first day we just settled in and made some plans, went to dinner at the oldest pub in Ireland, and agreed to be up bright and early the next morning!

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On our second day in Dublin we found ourselves on a free 3 hour walking tour provided by our lovely hostel! Ohmygoodnessgracious. Day 2 and I was coming up with plans to obtain my Irish citizenship and figure out how I could move to this wonderful city.

 

Our guide had that dry sense of humor that initially took me by surprise but which I quickly came to enjoy. I learned more in that 3 hours than I ever have in a history class just because we were walking around and heard from someone directly impacted by Irish history. It was at this point that I started to get a taste of what a hard past Ireland has gone through. Our guide would have been scolded back in the States for his controversial commentary on the politics, religion, and culture of his country. I loved every bit of it. I appreciated the fact that he didn’t separate the reality of his country from the pretty scenery and the nice monuments. He made it clear why the monuments held significance, or didn’t.

   

We had delicious pot pie during our break halfway through the tour and it was such a nice afternoon just sitting outside and listening to that brogue accent and watching people going about their business!

 

One of the most captivating things I saw on the tour were these statues scattered across Dublin featured in the far right picture above. Everywhere we went we would see these depictions of too-skinny and meek citizens who represented those who were forced to emigrate during the Irish Famine. It’s really easy to dismiss that entire part of history as someone else’s generation and no longer relevant. (Guys, I promise I’m not vapid or careless, these are just things that don’t really plague my mind at nights!) But after hearing our guide’s first hand recount of his family’s history with the famine and the impact it had on the entire nation.. and effectively the rest of the world due to the massive emigration, I had a whole new respect for what the Irish people had to endure.

Following our amazing tour around Dublin we went to the Guinness store house! I was telling my dad that Guinness is probably my favorite beer out of all of them so it was appropriate to visit the place where it all started!

I’m not a fan of partying back in the States on account of the law, the gross environment surrounding alcohol in Gainesville, and because it’s never been on my list of priorities.. but going to this store house and hearing about the story of Guinness definitely made me appreciate all the time and effort that went into building the “perfect” beer. It was an unexpected education I gladly received!

  

The top floor of the shop featured a panoramic view of Dublin and I loved sitting down with my friends and taking all the views in! I had to finish about 3 other girl’s drinks because they apparently did not appreciate the dark beer. Dad would be so proud.

   

So.. that night I followed in my oldest brother’s footsteps and got my front helix pierced in a nice little tattoo shop about 5 blocks from our hostel. Because why not?

 

DAY 3 WAS A MAGICAL DAY. We went on an all day tour to Cliffs of Moher. Now you may be thinking, as I was, that I spent about 12 hours to go see a cliff. And honestly I had kind of expected that too. Because the tour was just called “Cliffs of Moher” tour and we just kind of went for it.. BUT NOPE. Our guide, Joe, to start off with, was the most outgoing and energetic adult I have ever met. He was singing the entire way, telling stories, and recounted the history of Ireland. He was an absolute joy to drive with and I appreciated all the commentary he provided!

We first stopped at St. John’s castle in Limerick. It was a quick stop but I liked the view and felt like I was experiencing more than just the Dublin scene in Ireland, which is great because I’ll be moving there soon and need every bit of exposure I can get.

Then we just went straight to the cliffs and whoa holy moly. When we first arrived the fog was so thick you really couldn’t see 10 feet in front of you. I was a little sad. I could even feel the bitter words coming out that “maybe we shouldn’t have come after all..” right before the fog lifted. People always write that in books, but I swear it was like the fog was on a string that someone just tugged up on. Within the span of 2 minutes we had a spectacularly clear view of the cliffs.

I could probably spend an entire day talking about the cliffs and just reflecting on its size and shape, but I won’t because I value your sanity. Suffice it to say, the entire experience was absolutely breath taking. Every time we walked a little further up a cliff we were exposed to a new view from our angle and I never got tired of looking down at the waves crashing against the shore. We threw a rock down and lost sight of it about 300 feet to go.

 

After we went to the cliffs we stopped by several places. First up, another set of cliffs. These were smaller but no less beautiful. Remember Joe? He’s a little nuts. He went bouncing from rock to rock and invited us to join him.. apparently only Michelle and I were interested in following in his footsteps because out of the 50 people nobody else was comfortable sitting on the side of the cliff with their feet dangling off and leaning over.

I could see how people become adrenaline junkies. We followed Joe from rock to rock and got down into crevices and nooks and sat looking down at the rocks and waves. Every time we got a little further out I could feel my heart beating a little faster and was reminded of my own mortality.

Next up, we visited a pub! On the way we met a rowdy group from a bachelor party! They were a fun time and when we stopped in the pub we all ordered a Guinness (because Ireland) and cheered to the Bachelor. It was a fun afternoon, followed by a quick stop at a chocolate factory.

 

The next day Renoli, Michelle and I went on a Game of Thrones tour in Northern Ireland! I am a big GoT fan so I was fangirl-ing a little bit whenever our guide pointed out scenes that were filmed where we were standing. It was such a cool experience!

 

More than anything I was appreciative of Northern Ireland’s stunning landscapes. It was absolutely beautiful and even writing about it makes me miss it, despite the fact that I was only there for a few short days. Sigh.

   

On our last day in Ireland we just tried to use all the time we had left in this wonderful country. So of course we went to a place called “Queen of Tarts” and had the most delicious lemon tart and chocolate chip cheese cake I have ever had in my entire life.

There were more of the incredible statues, a park on a sunny day, and St. Patrick’s cathedral.

I almost didn’t go in, but I’m so glad I did. I know Catholicism and Protestantism is one of the biggest sources of tension between the Irish people and I regret that any institution is capable of bringing so much pain and suffering to its followers, religion especially.. but for all the negative religion has provided the people of Ireland, it’s also offered something of a haven to some.

St. Patricks was a beautiful cathedral that honored the fallen Irish people throughout various wars and hardships. The art and architecture inside was absolutely beautiful. While I was there the choir was running through rehearsal so as I was sitting in a quiet chapel tucked in the back of the church I was listening to the sounds of gospel music and it echoed throughout the entire cathedral.

It was a perfect way to end my trip to Dublin. I absolutely fell in love with Ireland and I am dead set on making a return trip in the near future! Sorry for the ridiculously long post.. believe it or not this is the condensed version.

It was bittersweet leaving Dublin but I am happy to be back in Rome, where I’m having a much slower love affair, and to throw myself back into the Italian culture!

The London Experience

I could live in  London. Aside from the fact that I paid 1 buck 80 for a pound, things could not have gone better! I’m a fan of the cold so the weather is ideal, I’m a fan of british men so the dating field is spot on, I’m even a fan of really cool museums and big cities so London may or may not be my perfect place.

The last 4 or 5 days have been some of the most fun in my life and I’m so happy to share my London half of my 9 day vacation!

To start with .. I thought Rome’s public transportation was confusing. Turns out 2 lines are a breeze compared to London’s million. By the end of the trip I can happily identify myself as a master of the tube system. On the first day we were utterly exhausted. Our bus was late pulling in, we struggled to find the apartment, and we were an hour late checking in. During all this time I was messaging my youth minister from Tampa who now lives back in England! 30 minutes after we settled in I had to brave the tube to go meet up with him! It was really great to catch up with him.. over my first English Guinness! It was a great evening and I was happy we were able to meet up.

I got back in the evening and the door to the apartment was locked and nobody was answering – Michelle and Renoli (my roommates) had fallen asleep and left me sitting outside in the freezing cold London air for an hour and a half. I was displeased. However once I finally got in by tailing behind another family staying in the apartment I passed out right alongside them. We woke up at around 2 am and for some reason we were craving some McDonalds. So at 2:30 in the sketchy streets of London we braved the cold to get a 20 nugget pack, fries, and a milkshake. Along the way we saw a drug deal go down, someone snort something at a bus stop, and a fox. Yup – this was my introduction to England!

That big pile of eggs? That quickly became our morning routine. We saved $$$ and got more protein in 4 days in London than we had in a month in Rome.

 

Our first full day in London was incredible! We stopped at Haagen Dazs for coffee and ice cream at approximately 8 a.m. When in England, amiright?

Then our group of 6 went by the National Gallery and saw some beautiful paintings. I’ve become accustomed to the statues of Italy so it was refreshing to see some paint for the first time in a month. I especially loved the National Gallery because it was heavy on the religious art, which I find to be the most interesting. I loved seeing the same scene depicted differently by different artists and I spent a lot of time just speculating on what must have been going on in the artists’ minds as they managed to convey something so intangible into something captured by paint on a canvas.

Afterward we split up (surprise!) because Michelle and I bought the London pass which granted us access to unlimited public transportation and free entry to all the “big” places in London. First up? Westminister Abbey.

So I’ve been in Rome for the past month. I thought I was immune to stunning churches and breathtaking architecture by now – Good thing I was wrong.T o start with I don’t think I’ve ever seen gothic style architecture and if I have, never like this. The church was incredibly calming to stand in and just be a part of for an hour. At some point there was an hourly prayer and it felt so nice to just take a moment out of all the craziness of this summer to stand in such a holy place and offer up a prayer with people from around the world.

I didn’t get any pictures because I’m super lame and boring but we went to something called the London Bridge Experience which was crazy. Take my word for it – It was one of the scariest haunted house experiences that managed to educate me on the London Bridge history and construction. No big deal.

Afterward Michelle and I stopped at a pub and I’m slowly learning to breathe deeply and just order a stinking drink. I don’t think I’ll ever be completely comfortable in a bar but hopefully there will come a day that I don’t break out in hives when a bartender asks me what I’ll have.

Our first real night in London saw pasta, McDonalds, and a healthy dose of sleep. We were absolutely exhausted.

There was a lot of discussion amongst the three roommates. How could we utilize all of our time in London to see the most attractions? Well of course we decide to visit caves an hour away from where we were staying!

Best. Decision. Ever. For starters, I got to take my first train in Europe which was pretty much a phenomenal experience because I felt a little like Harry Potter. Then we found ourselves in the sweetest town that had homes lining the streets and this tiny pub right next to where we were set to explore caves.

Once in the caves I immediately recognized how freaking cool the whole experience was going to be. It was freezing cold and we all had to carry lanterns to see in the caves since the lighting had been removed after the caves ceased to be used as World War II bunkers. Oh, did I mention the caves were dug out thousands of years ago by the Druids, Saxons, and Romans? No big deal.

They were used as bunkers during the World Wars and at one point housed over 15,000 people. My two favorite parts were touching a stone stage where The Who, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, and countless other artists played during the time and sitting on an altar that was previously used to sacrifice children for the sun god as we sat in complete darkness as our guide banged on a druid drum. It was such an amazing trip and I’m happy we went there versus another museum or London-type attraction.

More cave adventures.

  

Afterward Michelle and I went on a British Navy ship, the BMS Belfast. It was fun to look at what life must have been like on a ship at the period in English history and once again I just mostly enjoyed the fact that I was able to share in another culture’s history after mostly just being exposed to my own culture’s stories and legends.

   

Since we were on a roll we then went to a small medical museum called the Old Operating Theater and Herb Garret located in an attic above a huge church. It was unique and gave me a whole new appreciation for modern medicine. It was once used as Florence Nightingale’s nursing school and is hundreds of years old!

We were in the neighborhood and heard about a small chapel outside of a medical college so we peeked our heads inside. This was a favorite little random moment of the trip I enjoyed because they had prayer intentions lined up and I was once again reminded of the universality of faith and how it moves people from all backgrounds. We quickly wrote our own prayer intentions and then we were off!

  

We went on the London Bridge Exhibition! So we got great views from the top of the bridge to end our day and we finished with some Chipotle, because we have our priorities straight.

 

That right there in the background? That’s McDonalds. Because it became a nightly event. We have been seriously missing our meat supply in Rome.

Those were just the first two days in London.. More to come in a separate post!