Hej,
I apologize for the delay on my end as well. I do not have the excuse of no internet connection this week (I did last week), but my life has been absolute chaos after returning from my week of travel last week. Thanks to my dad, who is an avid reader of the blog, I have remembered to post a blog today, in order to make up for missing Monday and last week. So I know the question of “what is travel week?” is burning in all of your minds right now. No need to worry, I’ll explain. DIS is a fantastic program that gives students a week to travel independently. Literally, we have a week off school to do whatever we want, whether that be a stay-cation in Copenhagen, or a trip home to the states, or, like most of us, a chance to travel around Europe. For my travel week, I went with a group of friends to Italy and Greece. I have been to Italy before, but I was super excited to return to such a beautiful country.
Our first stop was in Milan. Here, we got to see the Duomo, Sforzesco Castle, and walk around a Leonardo di Vinci museum. Of course, we got pizza and gelato, as we continued to do for the majority of the trip. Italian food is just so good, but I’m sure we burned off all the calories we ate with the amount of walking we did during the week. Anyway, our next stop in Italy took us to Venice, the city of canals. We spent the day exploring the city, mainly by getting lost in the back streets. We eventually made our way to St. Mark’s basilica and square, a place I remember so well from my first trip here. I felt like a tour guide, remembering fun facts about the area, like how the bell tower is not built on firm ground, so it keeps having to be rebuilt, and how Italians will not walk through the lion towers in the square because it brings bad luck. We then took a tour of the city by canal, in nothing other than a gondola. It gives a whole new perspective to the city, and I recommend it for anyone who decides to visit Venice. New day, new city, and the next day was Florence. For my birthday, we waited in line for over two hours to walk up 414 steps to the top of Giotto’s bell tower. Even though I felt very claustrophobic on the way up, the view from the top was worth it. We made it in time for the sunset, so I watched the sun set over the city of Florence, which was the perfect birthday gift for me.
Our Italy tour continued with a visit to Rome. I have never been here, so this was finally a brand new city for me to explore. We got to see the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps, the Church of St. Ignatius, and of course, the Colosseum. I felt like I was in the movie, and yes, the people I traveled with quoted Lizzie McGuire often, because her movie took place in Rome. The second day was spent in Vatican City, which is actually the smallest country in the world. We got to walk through the Vatican Museums, which ended in the Sistine Chapel. Coolest thing I have ever seen by far. I kept staring at the most famous painting, the Creation of Adam, on the ceiling. It was surreal to see all of the amazing and beautiful art in person. We then sat in St. Peter’s square and looked at the beautiful basilica for a bit. Of course, the Pope was in Sweden last week, so we did not get to see Wednesday mass or a glimpse of Pope Francis. Regardless of his absence, we had an amazing time exploring Vatican City and the rest of Rome.
For the next few days, we headed across the Mediterranean to Athens, Greece. My favorite part of Greece had to be the food. Gyros and kebab for days my friends, especially with tzatziki sauce. While in Athens, I saw the view from Mount Lycabettus, the Panathenaic Stadium, and Acropolis. Acropolis consists of many ruins of ancient buildings, the most famous being the Parthenon. It is unreal how people could have built these massive structures with no machinery; in the museum, it said how people of the ancient times believed it was built by cyclops and not people. It felt amazing to stand on and besides these beautiful structures that hold so much history in their ruins. Our last day in Greece consisted of sitting on a beach, which was the perfect way to end our trip. We swam in the Mediterranean in shorts and sports bras, but it was the most yolo moment of my life. The water was clear and cool, and you could easily see the rocks that were impossible to stand on on the ocean floor. My time in Greece was unforgettable, as was the entire journey during the week.
If any of you have the chance, study abroad. If not for a full semester, for a few weeks. If you can’t, get out and travel. There is nothing like experiencing the world through travel. I saw things last week that I would have only dreamed about in the past. This journey has taken me far outside my comfort zone, especially when staying in a hostel or asking a person who only speaks Italian for directions on the metro. I have learned street smarts, like not getting into an illegal black taxi/”Uberto” car in Italy, and book smarts, like finding out that the Panathenaic Stadium is the only stadium made completely of marble. This trip has been a life-changing experience, as has my journey in Copenhagen. My love of travel will only grow from here, and I encourage all of you reading this to get out there and explore the world for yourself.
Until next week,
Bethany
