Vatican City (10/20/15)

We arrived back in Rome at about 7 am, and chilled at the train station for a little while.  We then rushed to make our reservation at for the Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel.  I once again had a very unpleasant experience riding the Rome metro.  But we arrived on time and were able to skip the very long queue because we had bought our tickets ahead of time online!

So I should just start off by saying the Vatican museums are amazing.  We first went through a long room filled with statues.  And then like a million more rooms with statues, but these were covered in paintings as well, not only on the walls, but the ceilings too (I actually think the ceilings were more grand).  Also the floors were often made of intricate tiles.  Basically I felt like I was inside one giant amazing lavishly detailed multimedia piece of art.

The Belvedere Torso

Like this ceiling is insane.

Incredible.

Just wow.

And then there was the Sistine Chapel.  How did Michelangelo spend four years on his back painting a ceiling?  A huge ceiling, to say the least.  It was surreal to see something so old (it was painted between 1508 and 1512!), and also so famous.  I am so lucky to have been able to see such an exquisite piece of art.  Standing there, in that great chapel, filled with people shoulder to shoulder, I felt very calm looking at the awe-inspiring images.  I didn't know where to look, everything was so beautiful, I kept turning my head from one spot to another like a puppy!

So technically you are not allowed to take pictures in the Sistine Chapel because they sold the rights to photograph it to the company that funded its extensive restoration.  And while you can find very high quality photos of it online, I wanted to have my own.  So I may have sneaked a photo.

That may or may not be my head on the left.

After we were finished at the Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel, we had a quick lunch and went to St. Peter's Basilica.  We didn't have tickets for a tour there, and the line was crazy long, so we just took some pictures from the outside.  I'm not Catholic, but it was really cool to see the place where the Pope gives mass.  In general, it was an amazing experience to go to the capital of Catholicism in the world, even if I am not of the Catholic faith.

Me in front of St. Peter's Basilica.  Just above my head to the right is where the Pope gives mass.

We got gelato one more time (you can never have too much gelato) and we made our way to the airport.  Technically speaking, I was in three countries that day: Italy, Vatican City, and France (we flew to Marseille that night), which is pretty cool I think.

Being in Italy was amazing and an experience I will never forget.  The food was great, the art was great, the scenery was so freaking beautiful.  There were trying times, but it was all so worth it.  I feel so lucky that I was able to go abroad this semester, because otherwise I never would've been able to travel this much at such a young age.  I felt so connected to Italy.  I loved the brightly colored houses, the flow of the Italian language, the tiny winding streets (and canals!).
It's hard to put in words how I felt in Italy.  Like with Ireland, it was a privilege to be able to travel to one of the countries my ancestors are from (even though I didn't get to go to Naples, the city where the Italian part of my family is from).  I think it's important to see where I came from, especially as a third generation American, when remembering your ancestors and their lives in their home countries can sometimes be overshadowed by the culture and technology of modern America.

I may write more about this in the future, but during my time in Italy and France I had some good talks with the people I was traveling with, and we realized that even though in America I say I am Irish, I am Italian, I am German, Scottish, English, I would not say that here.  In Ireland I can't tell people I'm Irish.  I say my grandmother was Irish, and so I have Irish in me, but I am not from Ireland.  Just like I am not from Italy.  My ancestors were.  In America, I am Irish, Italian, German, Scottish, and English, but everywhere else in the world I am American.  And that's true; I realized I am, very much so,  American.  And while that may have negative connotations to some people, I am okay (and proud) to be an American.  I am honored to be of Irish, Italian, German, Scottish, and English descent, but I am also proud of my family's hard work since coming to America, and I'm so fortunate for this trip for helping me to see that better.

Venezia, Italia (10/19/15)

So I ended my last post talking about how we bought our overnight train tickets back to Rome for the wrong day, and couldn't change them online or over the phone.  The next day, we got up, missed the train into Venice, waited 45 min for another, and finally arrived at Venezia Santa Lucia train station, where we then waited 20 min in a queue to try to change our tickets.  Instead, we were told that "the ticket is lost" and that we had to buy a new one.  So I got to spend ‎€48 on another ticket, which really put a damper on the day, because I had now spent €98 on a seven hour train, while I could have probably comfortably flown for less.

By this point, we were really hungry, but since we had just spent a lot of money on tickets, we ate at McDonalds for lunch to save money.  I don't really like fast food, but I didn't really care at this point. I was really upset about the ticket situation.

One of the touristy things to do in Venice is to go on a gondola ride through the canals that make up the "roadways" of the city, but they are very expensive (and also more of a romantic thing), so we decided to take a water taxi instead, which still gives you good views from the large canal, but at only  €7.50 per ride.  Of course, we got on a taxi (which is more like a bus) going the wrong way.  We got off near Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square), which is a beautiful piazza unfortunately filled with people trying to get us to buy things.  We ignored them.

Piazza San Marco- minus the part under constuction

We stopped by the Bridge of Sighs as well, which connects the formerly used New Prison to interrogation rooms.  It is suggested that newly convicted prisoners would cross the bridge as they made their way to their cell, sighing at their last glimpse of the beautiful city of Venice.

The Bridge of Sighs- smaller than I might have thought

We then took a water taxi back down the Grand Canal, going to right way this time.  The sun was setting, and the views were so beautiful.  We then got dinner and dessert, and made our way back to the train station, where we more or less got ourselves ready for bed.

So picturesque.

I love how the houses in Italy are often painted different colors like this.

The overnight train was horrible.  It was the worst travel experience of my whole life.  I was in a small cabin with 5 other people (only one of which was one of the friends I was traveling with).
One man had his shoes off and was barefoot and another we eventually realized was homeless and together they made the most disgusting smell I have ever experienced.  It was so hot in the cabin, I felt like I couldn't breathe.  I tried to cover my face with my flannel shirt to block some of the stench but it just got hotter.  A man came in and started speaking Italian and then laughed and made fun of us for not speaking it.  The police came in (unlike in Ireland, they do carry guns in Italy) and kicked the homeless guy out- which was a little scary for me.  Needless to say, I did not get any sleep that night.

It's difficult to write about this part of my trip because it was really hard emotionally and physically.  We arrived back in Rome tired and upset, and we weren't even halfway through the trip yet.  I don't want it to sound like I had a bad time in Italy, because overall I didn't. Venice, while a beautiful city I would love to go back to and experience better, proved to be a very taxing 36 or so hours for the four of us.  I learned so much about traveling during my whole time here in Europe, but especially during these 10 days, which I will make a whole post about later.

The next day we were in Rome, and went to Vatican City, and had a much better experience, which will be in my next post!

 

Firenze, Italia (10/18/15)

We had less than 24 hours in Florence, so we tried to fit in as much as we could.  We had pizza for dinner, and then had breakfast at the hostel the next morning.  This hostel was nicer than the one in Rome, and it was good that we were finally all staying in the same place.  Also we had the room to ourselves, which was great. 

We missed the bus into the city centre and so we basically ran to catch our  guided walking tour of the city.  It was a pretty good tour, and cheap (only 10 euro).  We saw the Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio (the bridge that goes over the Arno River), and many statues.

The outside of the Duomo

Me in front of the Duomo

After the tour we got a quick lunch of calzones, and then made our way back to have a closer look at the statues, such as the David replica.  We didn't see the real David, because we had limited time (and a limited budget- but it's on my list for the next time I'm in Italy- which, yes, I am already thinking about).  We then went to a market where there were many vendors selling Italian products like leather and scarves.  Normally, I am against leather, but I did buy an Italian leather wallet for myself (I almost bought a purse but I really didn't need one and I definitely needed a new wallet).  

Replica of the David

Afterwards, we made our way back to our hostel to pick up our bags (they let us keep them there for free!).  We stopped at an interesting garden along the way.  We then took a very crowded (I dislike public transportation in Italy so much) bus back to the Firenze Santa Maria Novella train station to go to Venice!

Me on the Ponte Vecchio bridge over the Arno River.  

Florence was one of my favorite places I visited on my 10 day trip, and I wish I could've spent more time in Tuscany.  A wine tasting is on my list for next time!

We arrived in Venezia, but couldn't find a bus or train to where our airbnb was (we were staying outside of Venice), so we had to take a very expensive cab ride.  By this point, I was really tired from staying in FREEZING hostels, and was very much looking forward to staying in an actual apartment.  We finally made it to the airbnb, and ate some snacks for dinner.  It was around this time that we realized we had purchased our overnight trains from Venice back to Rome for the wrong night- our tickets were for that night!  We tried to change them online, but it wouldn't let two of us change ours.  We tried to call the train company. but no one answered (even though it was supposed to be a 24 hour line).  So we went to bed and hoped we would be able to change it in the morning at the train station.

Next post will be about our difficulties in Venice, and the beautiful sights we saw in the famous island city!

Roma, Italia (10/15-10/17)

Better late than never, right? So I was in Rome for 3 days, but they weren't consecutive.  So I'll write about the last day after I write about Florence and Venice.

Thursday, October 15th:  Right after I finished my final I quickly ate lunch and headed to the airport. We got into to Rome at about 6 or 7, but had trouble figuring out how to get to our hostel (the wifi at Ciampino is not good), but we ended up taking a bus to the main train station in Rome, Termini (which I would end up using many times).  Then we couldn't find our hostel.  By this point it was nearing midnight, and the neighborhood we were in did not seem the safest (Roma Termini has more homeless people at night than anywhere else I've ever seen).  A nice cab driver who didn't speak English eventually drove us for free because we were super close but just couldn't figure it out on our own (it was getting late and, like in Dublin, street signs are up high on buildings and not the easiest to see).  The people who work at our hostel were nice, but it wasn't the greatest place (I guess you get what you pay for considering it was like 13 euro a night).  I was in the bottom bunk of a room with 6 other people.  I did not sleep great either night I stayed there.  They did give free breakfast though, which was nice.

The next day we woke up and made our way to Piazza Venezia (Venice Square), where we met up with the other two people we traveled with.  We made a few wrong turns, but eventually made it there.  On one wrong turn, we passed none other than the Coliseum!!!  I wasn't expecting to see it, and it was so big and majestic, that I actually got a little teary eyed.

The Coliseum!

We then went on a guided tour of the Coliseum, Palatine Gardens, and the Roman Forum.  Our tour guide was really good and knowledgeable.  For instance, I learned that there are so many holes in the walls of the Coliseum because people would steel the materials to use for other buildings (which is really weird but this was after the Roman Empire when Rome was not nearly as wealthy).

The Roman Forum

After that, we had our first real Italian food: pizza!  It was pretty good, but I had to cut it myself. They didn't give me a pizza cutter, so I had to use my knife.  We then tried to watch the sunset from the Spanish steps, but they were closed, which was annoying.  But we found another way of getting to the top.  We were then scammed by a guy with roses :(.  In Italy (especially Rome) there are a lot of people in the touristy areas trying to sell you stupid things.  They really get in your face.  Like, I have no interest in buying a selfie stick or any cheap toy they were trying to sell.  They even go into restaurants and try to sell you stuff inside the restaurant.  Still, it was a nice view.

That's amore.

Anyway, after that we got gelato! Yum.

The next day, we planned to meet at Trevi fountain (which you may remember from the Lizzie McGuire movie).  But unfortunately, Trevi fountain was closed.  You could see it, but there was no water running though it, and there was a glass wall that made it difficult to through a coin in to make a wish (would the wish even count if there's no water? Hmmm).  This was disappointing, but we got gelato again to make ourselves feel better.

The (closed) Trevi Fountain

We then made our way to the Pantheon, which is the only piece of architecture from the Roman Empire that is still standing in its original form (unlike the Coliseum, which has a lot of damage to the walls and seats, and the Roman Forum, which is mostly in ruins).  It was really beautiful, but I think it's a shame that the people trying to sell you things are allowed to be outside such a place of worship.  On the plus side, it was free!

The Pantheon- look at the crowds!

After that, we got lunch.  I got a pretty good gnocchi dish.  Unfortunately, the portions weren't huge for their price.  They wanted us to buy multiple courses, but it was lunch and we weren't super hungry and also couldn't really afford to do that.  Yet they more or less shoved the desserts in our face and were pretty rude to us because, I assume: we're American, we don't speak Italian, we only ordered one course, and we payed by card (a lot of places prefer cash).  Regardless, I really loved Rome and my first taste of Italy.

We then made our way to the train station to catch our train to Firenze (aka Florence), which I'll write about in my next post!  As usual, more pictures will be on Facebook (soon).

Where Have I Been?

Ahh it's been so long!

I feel like a bad blogger, haha.

So I went on a 10 day trip to Rome, Florence, and Venice, Italy, and Marseille and Paris, France.

I haven't written about this trip yet for two reasons:

1. I am overwhelmed by the thought of writing about the 10 days because I did so much!  But I really do want to write about it and share it with whomever wants to know about my adventures.

2. I am having issues with my living situation and with my life here in general, which is making writing about my trip hard for me.

I kept a journal while I was in Italy and France and took so many pictures, so I have a good account of what I did each day for when I do write about it on here, which I am hoping is soon!

I have also been busy interning at the Irish Wheelchair Association, where I started working last week. I will be interning in their gym for four days a week until mid December.  The internship seems really good so far; I think I will like it.  It's a mixture of physical therapy (or physiotherapy as it is called here), personal training, group fitness instructing, and working as a fitness attendant.

I am also still taking one class, my Healthcare Policy and Practice in Ireland class, for which I have a presentation on Friday, which I should probably get back to work on!

So check back soon for my posts on Italy and France!

Exploring Europe: Part 1- Wales

Sunday I went to Wales, but first a quick recap of my week since my last post:

Thursday I had a field trip to Dáil Éireann, the Assembly of Ireland, which is the lower house of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature).  The building a nice architecture, but it wasn't as impressive at Stormont was in Northern Ireland (probably because of the British influence).

On Fridays this half of the semester I have no class, so I just had a very relaxing day.  I slept in for the first time in a few weeks, which was really nice.  My friend and I then planned our trip to Holyhead, Wales.

We decided to go the next day, but because we used the same computer to buy both of our ferry tickets, for some reason the computer system combined them.  So, after getting up at 6:45 am Saturday to catch the ferry, we find out that not only did we miss the ferry (my conformation email didn't say we had to get there 30 min early), but that my reservation didn't exist.  So we changed out reservations to the next day.

I was really tired after that, but I knew I had some shopping to do for my internship, which starts right after I get back from Italy and France.  So I went into the City Centre and boought a few things from Penneys (aka Primark, aka the greatest store ever- I just found out the only Primark in the US is in Boston.  I am so freaking excited), and Easons (a bookstore- I bought a lunchbox and container with an ice pack so I can bring lunch to work).  Later, I got Japanese food and ice cream with my friend.

Sunday, I got up even earlier and this time we made the ferry! And our reservations were all good.
For whatever reason they made us get first class on the way there, so we got complimentary food and drinks.  The ferry is about two hours from Dublin port to Holyhead, which is on the Isle of Anglesey, and I slept a good portion of the way.

When we got to Wales, we took a taxi to South Stack, which is a small island off the coast of Anglesey.  It is famous for its lighthouse, which unfortunately is closed this time of year.  We hiked on the Anglesey Coastal Path, which took us to around the island, giving us really nice views of Holyhead.  We also went to Elin's Tower, a landmark near the lighthouse.  We hiked up and down a really tall mountain.  Because I dressed in layers, by the end I had 3 jackets/fleeces tied around my waist.  I clearly blended in well with the locals (#American).

Lighthouse in the background.

Elin's Tower

The mountain we hiked up.

Me at the top.

View of Holyhead from the Summit.

Then we looked at these really old circular settlements.  They're called the Tŷ Mawr Hut Circles, and date from the 3rd and 4th centuries.

One of the Tŷ Mawr Hut Circles.

We then went to a nearby farm (maybe trespassing?) to try to get near some sheep (the sheep are like they are in Ireland- everywhere!), but they ran away from us and made loud baaa-ing noises.  We also went to a beach, but it wasn't very accessible.  It was pretty, though.

The beach

We then left South Stack to go back to Holyhead to catch our return ferry.  We were only in Wales for a few hours, but I still had a really nice time.  I hadn't planned on going to Wales while I was here, but I'm glad I did.  Also, this was my first time in Great Britain (and second time in the UK)!
By the time I leave Europe in December, I'll have gone to all 4 countries in the UK.

I have two finals this week- my Ethics in Healthcare class tomorrow and Contemporary Irish Society class on Thursday.  I then have my mid-semester break!  So this will likely be my last post before I leave for Italy and France.  I'm so excited!

Exploring Ireland: Part 3- Northern Ireland!

Last Thursday, we had an academic field trip to Northern Ireland, which, while geographically connected to the Republic of Ireland, is part of the United Kingdom.  We left fairly early in the morning (or early for me, at least.  I had to get up at like 7).  We got to Belfast, the capitol of NI, and went on a walking mural tour.  In Belfast, the Catholics and the Protestants work, eat, and drink at the same places, but live on opposite sides of the city, separated by a physical wall because they don't trust each other.

One of the murals in Shankill, a  Loyalist (Ulster) neighborhood of Belfast.

Northern Ireland is famous for their political murals, which are put up by both sides: the Loyalists (generally speaking, Protestants; they want to remain a part of the UK), and the Nationalists (generally speaking, Catholics; they want a united Ireland).  Some of the murals are tributes to famous Loyalist terrorists or Nationalist (IRA- Irish Republican Army) terrorists.

Dedicated to those on the Nationalist side who died- some civilians who died were only 4 years old.

This is supposedly one of the most famous murals in Belfast.

I knew about the Troubles in Northern Ireland, but I was unaware of how bad things still are there.
Bombings are not uncommon, and they have recently started crucifying again.  There are currently 14 terrorist groups between the two sides; our tour guide I believe is a former political prisoner (I think on the Loyalist side- he didn't give much personal info for obvious reasons).  We also went to and signed the Belfast peace wall, which physically separates the two groups.  Unlike the Berlin wall, the people of Belfast want their wall to remain standing.

Me signing the wall.

After the tour, we got lunch, and departed for Stormont, the Parliament building of NI.  We met some politicians and then toured the building.  It's interesting that NI has many political parties, while the US has only two main parties.  I will be going to the Dail tomorrow, which is the Republic of Ireland's Parliament.

The outside of Stormont- a very impressive building.

We then checked into our hotel, and then had the night free in Belfast.  I got a yummy pizza for dinner, and then we went to a bar and I had the most amazing drink: Kopparberg's, which is a really good cider.  I like the strawberry and lime flavor.  It's delicious, doesn't even taste like alcohol (which could be a not so good thing, I know).  We then went to another bar, and then to the basement of that bar, where they had karaoke.  Yes I did karaoke.  I was not very good.

The next day we went to the Giant's Causeway, which an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of a volcanic eruption.  It's really cool.  We had a little tour- there's one place where you stick a coin into the crevices of the rocks for good luck- some coins have been there for 300 years.  I wanted to stick a US coin into the rock, but I didn't have any so I used a 20 cent Euro.

Awesome.

Me on a cool rock.

The gold coin kind of towards the top is the one I stuck in.

We made a quick stop at Dunluce Castle, where some of Game of Thrones is filmed!

Dunluce Castle

We then traveled to the walled city of Derry (or Londonderry, if you're a Loyalist).  It used to be that only the Protestants could live inside the walls; Catholics were forced to live outside.  It is still fairly segregated today- the Peace Bridge crosses the river to where the Catholics live.

Some of the wall with cannons.

We toured the city a little, and saw some of its murals.  We also saw the "Free Derry" monument, where the Battle of the Bogside broke out in 1969 and Bloody Sunday occurred in 1972.

Free Derry- the quote on the bottom changes to reflect current political issues.

Some murals in Derry.

That night, we went out for dinner and cocktails at a yummy place (I had chicken carbonara), and then went to a bar.

On Saturday, we spent the morning in Derry.  We walked across the Peace Bridge and went into some churches and markets.  We then started the (fairly long) drive home, stopping at Monasterboice, a monastic settlement similar to Glendalough.  It is known for its Celtic crosses (it also has a round tower, but it's not as nice as the one in Glendalough), with Muiredach's High Cross regarded as the finest high cross in all of Ireland.

The Peace Bridge

Muiredach's High Cross.

Overall I really enjoyed my trip to Northern Ireland.  One of my professors said that you can't fully understand Ireland until you visit NI, and now I can see he was right.  It's a beautiful country, but it made me sad to see the violence and strife everywhere.  There are so many issues there, but clearly it's a lot better and safer than it used to be.  I do recommend going to NI: to Belfast to see the political divide, the Giant's Causeway because it's awesome, and Derry (which I liked better than Belfast) for another example of a physical political divide.