stephie86928

We just got back from Venice! I had such a great weekend. Friday we left for Venice and frankly I wasn't all that excited for it. I just thought it would be another Italian city, but I was so wrong. Venice is like no other city I have ever been to. First off, there are no roads, no cars. You get around this maze of a city by walking forever or by taking the water taxi, which is like the city bus. It is so easy to get lost, but that's half the fun! You find new shops or cafes around every corner and then eventually you find your way back to your destination. I didn't really fall in love with Venice until we were sitting in St. Mark's Square at dusk. The lights were beautiful, ... read more

I can't believe week two is almost over. This week went by a whole lot faster than the first week. The museums and Palazzos are starting to blur together and I'm doing the best I can to differentiate them in my head! Plus it's hard when almost every church has the same paintings and same frescoes showing the same Biblical scenes. I can't tell you how many times I've seen "The Annunciation of Mary" or "The Cruxifiction of Christ" It's kind of sad because after a while they all blend together, but each fresco or painting is truly beautiful. One of my favorite places so far have been the Brancacci Chapel in the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine. These frescoes were done by Masaccio and they look so real to life. They are pure emotion. ... read more

Wow. I’ve only been here 4 whole days but it feels like a lot longer. So far in my classes we’ve been to the Ponte Vecchio, the San Miniato Church, the Piazza/Church of the Santissima Annunziata, the Hospital of the Innocents, the Baptistry by the Duomo, the Duomo Museum, the Medici Chapels, Lauretian Library, and San Lorenzo Church, and then finally Casa Siviero. Like I said before, wow. It’s hard to digest all of that information, but I’m doing the best I can. It helps that I love everything that I’m seeing. The Hospital of the Innocents was especially exciting because that was the first piece of architecture from Florence that I ever learned about way back in History of Interiors and Architecture I. It is so surreal to actually be there after studying these buildings ... read more

So I made it; at least to Munich. I’m waiting to board my flight to Florence. The flight over here wasn’t all that bad. I sat next to a Greek gentleman, and that was interesting, to say the least. But I do have to say that I had the best seat: 33K, a window seat right next to the wing. It was the perfect seat for my first international flight. And I do have to say Lufthansa is awesome. The seats were comfy, even though they were cramped. Every person had their own personal TV with movies, music, and other stuff to watch. They served us two meals and the food was actually good! The stewardesses were really nice too. I didn’t sleep very well, but I’ve never been the type of person who can easily ... read more

In less than 24 hours I will be on a jet to Munich, Germany and will eventually end up in Florence, Italy. I can't believe it's really here. For years I've drooled over all of the travel shows on the Travel Channel, PBS, and the like. I've travelled with Samantha Brown on Passport to Europe, I've seen the sights with Rick Steves on Rick Steves' Europe, and I've shared experiences with Ian Wright, Justine Shapiro, and Megan McCormick on Globe Trekker. But now it's finally MY time to be the world traveller! I'm having mixed feelings of anxiousness, excitement, and nervousness. I have no idea what's going to happen on this trip (well I have an itinerary, but I think you know what I mean..). I just know that it is going to be life-changing and ... read more