In the morning of our fourth day in Florence, each of us prepared for what we thought would be a long day. We had been told that we would be embarking on a 5-6 mile hike accros Florence in order to see as many churches as possible. At our morning meeting, John, one of our leaders, reminded us of our busy schedule but then concluded his speech with an 'option'. We could either partake in the long trek, or we could spend the day at the beach and then visit the leaning tower of Pisa. We soon discovered that the 'tough' schedule had only been a trick played on us by our leaders.
We drove 1.5 hours to get to a beautiful beach where we met the kids on the Abbey Road Florence program. After the beach we then headed to Pisa. When we got off the bus I immediately recognized the tower because I had seen it featured many times on the wall of my favorite Italian restaurant back in NYC. It definitely has a tilt and we spent a good amount of time taking pictures where we pretended to push the tower back to its upright position.
We did not get to climb to the top of the tower but instead, we went into the baptistry that stands nearby. The building makes the most beautiful echoes, and at one point the gaurd inside the building stood in the center and sang a few notes as a demonstration of how loud and beautiful a voice can sound inside the strucutre. It was truly an amazing thing to witness.
First Day in Florence
We arrived in Florence after a 3 hour bus ride from Rome. Immediately upon our arrival we were split into our apartments. Each apartment houses 2-4 people and has two floors: the top floor contains the beds, and the bottom floor includes the kitchen, dining room, and a spacious bathroom. The apartments are beautiful and they all surround a small courtyard.
After we unpacked, we headed straight for the Academia museum, where we saw Michaelangelo's "David". The statue is much bigger than I thought it would be, and it's positioned in a way that makes it spring up unexpectedly. I turned around a corner and there it was, right infront of me!
After we left the museum, each apartment was given money to buy groceries. In Florence, we feed ourselves for breakfast and lunch. Many groups struggled with staying under budget, but my 1 roommate and I spent almost our exact amount of money.
In the evening we were split into groups to do a picture scavenger hunt that sent us all over our neighborhood. We were given a list of objects and people that we had to find and we needed to navigate ourselves around the city in order to take pictures of the objects. My group found the most objects on the list so we won a free gelatto, paid for by our leaders.
Most nights in Florence we will be eating our dinners in 'cooking groups'. A small group of students will go to an apartment and cook their own meal together, under the supervision of a leader. Most dinners will be simple dishes, but I'm excited to see how the meals turn out!
After we unpacked, we headed straight for the Academia museum, where we saw Michaelangelo's "David". The statue is much bigger than I thought it would be, and it's positioned in a way that makes it spring up unexpectedly. I turned around a corner and there it was, right infront of me!
After we left the museum, each apartment was given money to buy groceries. In Florence, we feed ourselves for breakfast and lunch. Many groups struggled with staying under budget, but my 1 roommate and I spent almost our exact amount of money.
In the evening we were split into groups to do a picture scavenger hunt that sent us all over our neighborhood. We were given a list of objects and people that we had to find and we needed to navigate ourselves around the city in order to take pictures of the objects. My group found the most objects on the list so we won a free gelatto, paid for by our leaders.
Most nights in Florence we will be eating our dinners in 'cooking groups'. A small group of students will go to an apartment and cook their own meal together, under the supervision of a leader. Most dinners will be simple dishes, but I'm excited to see how the meals turn out!
Last Day in Rome
In the morning we set out for Vatican City. We walked at what we call "young adult" pace; fast enough for those with longer legs, but requiring those like myself to occasionally resort to a semi-trot. The Vatican was the most crowded museum we've visited so far. Every room required careful navigation as we had to avoid the cameras and feet of other guests while keeping an eye on the back of our leader's head. The museum, however, was definitely worth the crowds, especially the Sistine Chapel. "Shush"ers lined the walls and guards motioned us forward, hoping to keep the movement in the room at a steady flow. It was a true tourist
experience.
That night a few of us visited a Castle nearby the Vatican that contained secret pathways used by the Popes to get from their private rooms in the Vatican to the Castle of St. Angelo. The passage was part tunnel and part bridge. We could not walk all the way to the Vatican but it was amazing to think that former Popes had stood where we were standing.
It was almost midnight when we finally left the Castle and we went for one last Gelatto to complete our time in Rome.
experience.
That night a few of us visited a Castle nearby the Vatican that contained secret pathways used by the Popes to get from their private rooms in the Vatican to the Castle of St. Angelo. The passage was part tunnel and part bridge. We could not walk all the way to the Vatican but it was amazing to think that former Popes had stood where we were standing.
It was almost midnight when we finally left the Castle and we went for one last Gelatto to complete our time in Rome.
Rome
We arrived in Rome early Thursday morning and immediately I could spot the differences between Greece and Italy. As we drove from the airport to our hotel, men donning suits and ties zoomed past our bus on motorcycles, though wider streets allowed us to drive more quickly than in Athens. The sidewalks outside our moving bus were dotted with beautiful fountains, and the buildings appeared taller and wider, maybe even a little newer than those in Greece. Arriving in a completely different city was at first a little shocking, but after dining at a local restaurant and tasting the most delicious pasta with red-sauce I've ever had, I decided that this new city was a welcome change, even though I will greatly miss the feta cheese and vegetable salads.
The day after our arrival we set out on a 3 hour bus ride to Pompeii, the ancient city that was destroyed by Vesuvius. We walked through the large, well-preserved buildings, pointing out the grainery, public bathroom, and even grooves in the streets from old chariots.We then paused in the middle of the city center to read a young boy's account of the disaster that he witnessed from his own home. As we stood in a clump, reading portions aloud, we could see Vesuvius staring down at us in the distance. The Volcano, though huge, looks so calm that it's shocking to think it could have ruined an entire city so long ago.
Today we visited the Colloseum and the Capitoline Museum. When we were in Athens, I found that it was hard to imagine the ancient people living or working inside the buildings because they were just large, empty spaces. However, in the Colloseum, I could truly picture the kind of people who would have sat in the stands or fought hand-to-hand combat in the arena. Not only because I've seen the movie "Gladiator", where the actors fight inside the Colloseum, but because the building looks like a modern-day sports stadium. Rome, as a whole, gives off a sense of familiarity that I did not find in Greece because everything about it seems more like home. The city is almost comfortable, but I cannot wait to explore much more and see things I could never see back in nyc.
The day after our arrival we set out on a 3 hour bus ride to Pompeii, the ancient city that was destroyed by Vesuvius. We walked through the large, well-preserved buildings, pointing out the grainery, public bathroom, and even grooves in the streets from old chariots.We then paused in the middle of the city center to read a young boy's account of the disaster that he witnessed from his own home. As we stood in a clump, reading portions aloud, we could see Vesuvius staring down at us in the distance. The Volcano, though huge, looks so calm that it's shocking to think it could have ruined an entire city so long ago.
Today we visited the Colloseum and the Capitoline Museum. When we were in Athens, I found that it was hard to imagine the ancient people living or working inside the buildings because they were just large, empty spaces. However, in the Colloseum, I could truly picture the kind of people who would have sat in the stands or fought hand-to-hand combat in the arena. Not only because I've seen the movie "Gladiator", where the actors fight inside the Colloseum, but because the building looks like a modern-day sports stadium. Rome, as a whole, gives off a sense of familiarity that I did not find in Greece because everything about it seems more like home. The city is almost comfortable, but I cannot wait to explore much more and see things I could never see back in nyc.
Athens
We have almost finished a fourth full day in Athens. My body has finally gotten used to the 7 hour time difference and the late meals no longer seen so strange, but my calves are aching from all the walking we have done. So far we have stood in the middle of the ruins in the Agora, gazed up at the Parthenon, climbed down 999 steps from an old castle to reach the Meditteranean Sea, shopped at the booths and stalls outside our hotel, and learned how to say "thank you" (efcharisto) to a kind local who helped us find our way. The museums we have visited contain the very statues and jewelry I have admired in the books I've read about ancient Greece, and all the ruins we visit belonged to names that I've learned about in history class. Just walking outside is exciting because clothing stores and internet cafes stand on the same streets as the remains of old buildings. The old and new are flawlessly intertwined!
The kindness of the locals has been the most fascinating part of this trip so far. Everyone I've met has been so happy to direct me to the right place or even share information about their own lives. I've never been welcomed so openly into a foreign place.
We only have 2 more days left in Athens and I will be sad to leave, especially when I feel like I've just started to get to know this amazing place. But, knowing that a new stop on my adventure lies ahead, I cannot wait to see what will happen next.
The kindness of the locals has been the most fascinating part of this trip so far. Everyone I've met has been so happy to direct me to the right place or even share information about their own lives. I've never been welcomed so openly into a foreign place.
We only have 2 more days left in Athens and I will be sad to leave, especially when I feel like I've just started to get to know this amazing place. But, knowing that a new stop on my adventure lies ahead, I cannot wait to see what will happen next.
Pre-Adventure
It has taken me weeks to discover a suitable place to write my pre-departure blog post. I tried writing at our dining room table, on my bed, on my sister’s bed, even on our living room floor. Now it is the third of July and there are only four more days left until I depart for my overseas adventure. Due to my awfully bad timing, all coffee shops with wi-fi have closed for the holiday weekend and I am stuck sitting on the ground in front of a closed library, hoping that this slight drizzle will cease and that my ever-decreasing battery power will survive for at least an hour.
While sitting in front of this library, I have begun to realize that the only connection I have felt to our society’s ancestors is the words I have read in books and textbooks. But, words are just words; they offer little insight into the actual people creating the history we learn about. As I consider the buildings and ruins I will be standing among in just a few days, my excitement builds up. I will not just be reading another book in a modernly furnished room, but I will be standing in the midst of history itself, feeling the presence of those who laid the floors and built these very walls.
Will my thirty new acquaintances feel the same way I do about the history we will be witnessing? Some may be more interested in the ancients while others may be more interested in the modern culture, the food, the shopping. I do not know what to expect from the people I will be meeting, but I do hope to come out of these four-weeks with many new friends and an experience more interesting and unique than anything I could have ever found on the shelves of a library. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.
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