"In the blink of an eye your life will change. Enjoy it. Embrace it ... be grateful for the ride." - Abby Larson If you lack nostalgic tendencies or rather emotional attachments to people and places... I advise you to read no further as this is a reflection of my time abroad and I am both nostalgic of my trips these last three months and, well, rather emotional at the fact this experience is coming to a close. Eleven countries and nearly forty cities later... it's time to head back to my first love, Chicago. Living in Bologna, Italy has been a dream, really as cliche as it may be, it has been an experience like no other. I am beyond thankful, truly, for the wonderful people I have met along the way for making this adventure even more magical. I have never felt so alive, so full of life and so grounded in who I am and who I have grown to be through this opportunity. Sunbathing on an island in Croatia, drinking the best tea I've ever had in Bosnia, taking water taxis throughout the lagoons of Venice, jumping off a huge cliff in Cinque Terre, catching up with friends in Florence, visiting concentration camps in Poland, eating a Belgian waffle in Brussels, parmisiean cheese in Parma, climbing to the top of the Vatican in Rome, meeting distant relatives and family on the Aran Islands in Ireland, eating tapas and drinking sangria in Barcelona, watching the Eiffle Tower dazzle me in Paris, eating pretzels the size of my head in Germany, ice-skating in Austria and celebrating Thanksgiving in London, England... There has been adventure. There has been food. So. Much. Food. There has been laughter. There has been dancing. There has been drinking. There has been friends. Friends from every corner of the world. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I am blessed more than words can say. I can't begin to describe how happy I am this opportunity was placed before me and how thankful I am for the amazing friends I leave behind and for the wonderful family and friends I am coming home to. Yes, there has been change. Beautiful change that needed to happen and yes I am enjoying it and yes I embracing it and yes I sure as hell am grateful for this ride. Life is so damn good. As they say, travel is really the only thing one can buy that makes one richer. So, let the piggy-bank savings begin, I'll be back for you soon, Europa. But until then, shine on. -KRIS10 "Take the time to see the world and taste the fulness of life" “You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.” —Miriam Adeney Thank you, Louie for the perfect conclusion to the trip the other night. Thought I would share a tidbit... "Y’all will have to forgive me. My ability with words is no where near the caliber of Dr. Foust, or at least that is what he told me on each one of my essays.
Dr. Todd has graciously allowed me the opportunity to address you and share a few concluding thoughts on our experience here in Bologna. Congratulations on your graduation from the Italy Center Fall 2014! Carson and Trent… better luck next semester. We came. We saw. We ate Gelato and drink a hell of a lot of wine. I hope your memory of this experience will provide you with as much joy and insight as my own will. Life is measured by the friends you make and the hearts you touch, not by the roads you walk down, but by the companions you walk with. In my humble opinion, there is no better group of people that I would have rather walked with over the past three months. This trip, with the help friends, has opened our eyes to the beauty and hilarity of life. We toured Europe, met people, and discovered new aspects of our own nature. This trip has been legendary. I think agape was involved in every single one of our stories abroad, and by agape I mean grapes, and by grapes I mean vino! There are two Europes that we will remember: the Europe of friendship and the Europe of Great Loneliness. Not loneliness in the sense of isolation, but loneliness in the sense of individual realization and reflection. Before this trip, we all knew about the wars and Auschwitz, about Raphael and Michelangelo, about cobble-stone streets and hill-side vineyards, yet being able to experience these wonders first-hand resulted in a profound and incredibly unique feeling for each one of us. Before it was simply knowing the facts; but after visiting these places we walk away with a piece of their beauty and intensity. We have injected this knowledge into our hearts and infused love with understanding. One of my Favorite quotes– “Travel is like love, mostly because it’s a heightened state of awareness, in which we are mindful, receptive, undimmed by familiarity and ready to be transformed. That is why the best trips, like the best love affairs, never really end” When you get back and are questioned by your friends and family about Europe you are going to feel as if this were all a dream. Good. A dream can only be owned by one person, and that is what I mean by the Europe of Great Loneliness. What you learned in Europe cannot be expressed in words because . . . because what words are there to express a reflection of the soul? Enjoy this heighten sense of yourself; let it grow like a vine, and its fruits will produce a wine of wisdom that all your loved ones will enjoy . . . but only you can find. I am so thankful to have been a part of this amazing experience. Thank you Dr. Todd, Dr. Lorenza, Jordan, the staff, and all of you guys. I will miss Bologna, city of rain and pigeons, and I will miss you all dearly. It’s a damn shame that we will say good bye, But remember, “good-bye” doesn’t mean forever and each of you will always be right here, in my memories and right here, in my heart. I guess it’s Ciao for now, and on that, Ciao Ciao. Buona Sera"
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Live. Love. London. My last trip of this college study abroad experience. Holy moly I can hardly grasp the time, it just keeps on rolling by! I just finished up my last exam and with just one last paper due, this semester will officially come to a screeching halt. CRAZY. Anyway, about last week's adventure! I booked my flight for London several months ago, planning on spending all of my Thanksgiving break there. I had a few ideas as to where I would stay and what I would do, but the trip seemed to creep up on me so quickly I wasn't really proactive in setting a strict plan, SO unlike me, right? Luckily, a group of friends, some Spring Hillians and others studying in Rome from SLU, had plans on spending the week in Corey's cousin's friend's (confusing, I know) condo for the week. Graciously, I accepted the invite to bunk up in this gorgeous London flat, right along the Chelsea Harbor. Score! They were planning a lovely Friendsgiving, a Thanksgiving feast spent with friends... Loved this idea! So, everyone was asked to make a dish or two and help in creating a wonderful Thanksgiving spread... We arrived at the London Stansted airport on Wednesday evening, took the hour long shuttle to the city, and after a bit of a chaotic hunt for the apartment complex, we were finally snug and cozy in this ultramodern London condo. It felt UNREAL to be sleeping in a big comfy bed, rather than in a hostel or dorm. Already, feeling pretty thankful! Thursday afternoon, we walked along the river to the grocery store, Sainsbury's, and picked out all the ingredients our recipes required, along with several bottles of vino (bringing a bit of Italy to London) and snacks, too. Many of us had a bit of a challenge ahead of us in finding alternative brands and foods to put in our "American" recipes. I knew right away when asked to make a dish that I would be making my momma's delicious broccoli and cheese casserole and for dessert, our favorite, chocolate covered pretzels! Everything turned out amazing. Check it out. I was so proud of all the hard work put into each recipe and loved that everyone was calling up their families to wish them a Happy Thanksgiving and bragging about just how wonderful our foods turned out! Friday morning, I bought myself an Oyster card- London's transportation ticket- and began my tour of London! First, Gaillard, Jacquelyn, Abby and I went to check out Camden Town for the day. Camden reminded me of a north-side neighborhood in Chicago. It was a very young, edgy and lively area. Since the 70's it has been a bustling part of London. We spent hours on the hunt for treasures in Camden's famous markets, browsed the art, music, vintage goods and everything else under the sun. The vibrant and diverse atmosphere was so much fun. Many famous people, including Amy Winehouse, have called Camden Town their home. The following day, we decided to go check out Harrod's... Harrod's is an upscale department store, similar to Neiman Marcus, located in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. Around Christmastime, this place is decked out with lights, their windows all decorated beautifully and festive for the holidays. It was amusing browsing all the expensive bags, dresses and designer goods. Their tea collection is outstanding, of course, so I picked up a special "Royal" blend for my mom. Can't wait to be home sharing London tea with Nanc! Later that evening, we headed to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. I was wowed by how huge this festival was, a perfect place for London to kick off the merry season! The rides, foods, drinks... all so awesome. It was free admission into this mini amusement park which was nice to simply enjoy the atmosphere and grab a hot mulled wine or hot cider. The whole place was pretty magical. Sunday morning, Gaillard and I got up early, hopped on the metro and hit the main attractions of London. Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the London Eye were among some of my favorites. Cheesin' with Benny Boy. Big Ben, officially known as the Elizabeth Tower, holds the largest four-faced chiming clock in the world. Ben has become one of the most prominent symbols of the United Kingdom. The London Eye is a giant Ferris Wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames. Also known as the Millennium Wheel, is currently Europe's tallest Ferris Wheel and the highest public viewing point in London. "The Eye has done for London what the Eiffel Tower did for Paris, which is to give it a symbol and to let people climb above the city and look back down on it. Not just specialists or rich people, but everybody. That's the beauty of it: it is public and accessible, and it is in a great position at the heart of London." Quick stop to warm up at the Fortnum & Mason Christmas Fair for this YUMMO hot chocolate. Those salted caramel marshmallows were to die for! Next, we headed over to Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station to take our photo as a student of Hogwarts jumping straight at the wall. The Harry Potter store inside the station was so awesome. I loved all the wands arranged by character. Very cool! After a long day running around all over the city, we headed to an evening mass at Westminster Chapel. This church, located in central London, was incredible. Perfect way to kick off the first Sunday of Advent. After mass, we walked over to Buckingham Palace, sadly no sighting of the queen, and then to the Tower Bridge (below). Beautiful!! Such an incredible city, with so much going on and so much to see! I will definitely be making a trip back to beautiful London. Also, shout out to you lovely folks I spent the week with. So much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. The people, places and things I have met and seen this semester never cease to amaze me. Shine On -KRIS10 "Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don't be sorry." - Jack Kerouac Several months ago, in the midst of all my trip planning I knew I wanted to do something special for my 21st birthday weekend. Germany seemed like my ideal location... beers and pretzels the size of my head? Sounds like my kind of town. I can't believe this weekend has already come and gone; how quickly the time is passing is really insane. Not only my time abroad but time in general, 21?? Let the celebration commence! Zum Wohl! Once we arrived we were ready to delve into Munich's famous Hofbräuhaus, the world's most celebrated beer hall. Beer drinking and pretzel devouring has been going on here since 1644, originally built in 1589 by Bavarian Duke Maximilian as an extension of the Hofbräu brewer. This place was just too great. The "Oktoberfest" feel was very much alive in that there is hardly any organization... Fight for a seat at any of the very large wooden tables and benches and grab the attention of the dirndl or Lederhosen wearing beer girls and guys and order yourself a stein of brew and a sausage. Many are also wandering around selling pretzels and traditional German cookies. Guests are talking loudly, the traditional Bavarian band is playing and the "regulars" are singing old drinking songs and chants. Chaos is always half the fun. It is definitely a very popular tourist attraction but I found that it's actually very common for the locals to be frequent guests as well. They have a list "Our regular guests" that has a schedule in which they are assigned their own table on certain days of the week, month and year. Each "regular" even has their own fancy and decked out stein class that is stored and locked in their own cubby, as requested by those that wanted a safe and separate storage space for their personal and valuable beer steins. I love it ! Something tells me Dad and Ben would be among those proud "regulars" had we lived in Munich.... The atmosphere of the HB can be felt as soon as you walk through the beer hall doors. Experiencing the Bavarian way of life first hand, in an institution created hundreds of years ago and sharing in Germany's hospitality, ugh. Just so great. What a way to kick of the birthday weekend! Aaaaand oh SO thankful I got my pretzel fix. Much needed. Saturday morning, we got up and headed toward the city center to Mike's Bike Tour. An absolute MUST. The tour guide was so informative and also super entertaining, making for a fantastic four hour bike ride through the city... Riding through the Englischer Gartens was my favorite part of the ride. The sprawling English Garden is one of the largest city parks and a huge attraction for all sorts of activities. We saw people horseback riding, running, playing music, walking their dogs and even surfing. Yes, surfing. The Eisbach, German for "ice brook" is a small man-made river flowing through the park. A wave has been created in one section where extreme surfing has been a happenin' trend since the 70's; officially the surfing has been made legal in 2010. I loved watching all the locals take turns riding the wave. Hang loose, Munich! Next pit stop? A nearby beer garden for a stein of beer and huge pretzel, of course! Perfect mid-day treat. The rest of the day we walked around and stopped in tons of little shops around Munich. Most of the official Christmas Markets were opening the weekend following our visit; we saw tons of the preparation, set-up and decorating in the works! We did find this smaller market nearby which was darling- tons of food, Christmas decorations, plants, drinks, etc. I wish I could have picked up one of these wreaths, I love the smell of fresh greenery and berries... Got me looking forward to being home for the holidays and to help Nanc with all the house decor! Germany is known for their Cuckoo clock, you know the ones that have the little cuckoo bird emerge every hour on the hour. I had no idea how intricate and expensive these clocks are; several of the ones below were nearly 2,000 Euro. Crazy! They are manufactured in Germany's Black Forest and are a coveted German symbol. Each clock was so unique and all very beautiful. Sunday morning... Day trip to Innsbruck, Austria, the capital of the Alps! Okay, talk about a hidden paradise. The line between city and mountains is hard to distinguish in Tirol's capital city. With the Nordkette Mountains in the background and historic buildings in town, the destination for culture and outdoor activity is prime. Several times throughout the day we would say, "this can't be real, I feel like we are on a Lifetime movie set of a little ski town." The scene is certainly picture-perfect. Those mountains in the background, the turquoise river, colorful houses... stunning! The Christmas Markets in Innsbruck were in FULL FORCE. We were so excited about this. Christmas decorations, trees and lights everywhere... The German sausage, sauerkraut, potatoes, hot wine, beer, pretzels... all of it was so so yummy. I love being able to have different dishes at a market rather than sitting down at a restaraunt. The atmosphere outside was just too wonderful and festive to not soak it all up! Hot spiced wine punch is a staple at the Christmas festivites in Europe. Everywhere you go during the month of December, you will most likely find steaming Gluehwein. And I loved the adorable little souvenir mug... After lots of exploring throughout Innsbruck, we bumped into a ice skating rink ! Yes, I was super excited about this but these two New Orleanians were even more stoked to skate. Clearly... Cheers to 21 years of life and to the wonderful friends that made my birthday so special. Prost! Shine On
-KRIS10 "Paris is always a good idea" - Audrey Hepburn Bonjour! Paris, France. Oh. My. Goodness.Gracious. I honestly fell in absolute love with this city last weekend. The timeless familiarity of the instantly recognizable iconic buildings and works of art, the delicious food, beautiful and high-fashion boutiques... without a doubt one of my favorite cities I have visited since being in Europe. Hannah and I arrived on Thursday evening, hopped on our shuttle from the airport into the city, where we were immediately welcomed by a shimmering Eiffel Tower. It's hard to believe you're actually staring at "the real deal". I have felt this way many times while studying abroad as I have heard and read about different places, monuments and buildings and then actually seeing them with my own eyes- simply incredible. Anyhow, we settled into our hostel (due to some confusion with booking we were able to stay in a private room free of any extra charges, things were already working out flawlessly) and we headed to a local restaurant around the corner. It was the coziest little Parisian restaurant. We had amazing baked cheese, a salmon salad and a delicious chicken entree. After a few drinks Hannah and I were ready to relax and get to bed to rest up for our big weekend in Paris! AH! Friday morning we had breakfast and headed to the metro to start our exploration of beautiful and iconic Paris! The Weather App called for rain for the majority of the day so we decided to do all of our 'indoor exploring' today. First stop: Musée du Louvre, one of the world's largest museums and historical monuments. Before heading inside we had to take our cheesy 'touching the top of The Louvre pyramid' photo which honestly I don't really understand, but seemed only right to do while we were there! We spent several hours walking around and admiring all of the paintings and sculptures in The Louvre, the world's most visited museum. Of course we saw Mona Lisa, Venus, Winged Victory and hundreds of other works of art. Next, Hannah and I decided to check out Paris' glorious shopping scene at Galleries Lafayette. Galleries Lafayette is an upmarket French department store located on Boulevard Haussmann. We were drooling over nearly everything we definitely could not afford, but it was fun to look anyhow. Such a gorgeous store in itself and the Christmas displays were in the midst of setting up. This huge and colorful tree took root in the one-hundred year old Art Nouveau dome, totally bedazzling us in preparation of the festive holiday season. For lunch, we grabbed French onion soup, croquer-monsieur and escargot (yes, snails!) at a bar/restaraunt nearby before hopping back on the metro. On our way back, we noticed a Yves Saint Laurent popup makeup station on the corner. The makeup artists were having a competition, doing makeup for free to anyone interested and all the best artists would be voted on. Free pampering in Paris? Uhm, YES. The line was a little lengthy but we were totally up for the wait. So much fun! Quentin had arrived earlier that day in Paris so once Hannah and I were finished getting glamorous, the three of us were ready to roll! We had a few drinks at the bar; it was so nice catching up with Quentin who I hadn't seen in forever! We took the metro to La Cigale, a music venue in Paris. Benjamin Booker, The Orwells, Parquet Courts and Palma Violets were all playing Friday night. Hate to say we missed the first two bands, but the other two were so great. Nothing beats live music and drinks with friends! Saturday morning Abbey, Madeleine, Quentin, Hannah and I got going pretty early and set out for the city again. I was SO excited about the beautiful weather; the sun was shining and not a rain cloud in the sky- thank God. First, the group went to Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile. If anything rivals the Eiffel Tower as the symbol of Paris, it's this beautiful monument. It stands in the center of the Étoile (‘star’) roundabout. We climbed the 300 steps to the very top where you can see all of Paris. SO incredible. (and clearly very windy) Beneath the arch at ground level is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This memorial honors the lives of the French soldiers in WWI. The eternal flame is rekindled daily and fresh flowers are always present at the memorial. We decided to stop back at The Louvre again since the others hadn't seen it the day before... Quentin smilin' big with Mona! I can't get enough of blue skies and white puffy clouds on a perfect sun-shiny day, especially in Paris! If you thought romance was passé in Paris, take a walk over the Love Lock Bridge and you'll see it's in full force. The tradition goes that a couple writes their names on a lock and throw the key into the Seine River as a symbol of their undying love. But, in recent years the weight of love was to much for the bridge... Several sections of railing on Paris' Pont des Arts Bridge collapsed this summer due to the thousands of "love locks." Many Parisian officials are trying to stop the trend in hopes to protect the city's famous bridges. Nonetheless it's an incredible site and the amount of locks is insane. A whole lotta love. Just across the bridge stands the marvelous Cathédrale de Notre Dame. The famous Cathedral was wonderful; I especially loved the huge stain glass windows. So beautiful! After visiting Notre Dame, we did some walking around and souvenir shopping. Soon after we hopped on the metro for the next stop, Les Catacombes. The Catacombs are underground tunnels lined with thousands and thousands of stacked human skulls and bones. After descending down 130 narrow and extremely spiraling steps below the street, we walked through the dark passages to reach the ossuary... Last stop of the evening, Tour Eiffel! I love that damn thing, especially all lit up. The sparkling lights were added not too long ago and in my opinion, really bring the monument to life. For five minutes every hour, on the hour the added light show shimmers and sparkles- AH-mazing. Fun fact: I know we can hardly imagine Paris without the tower but it was only created in 1889 by Gustav Eiffel for the World's Fair. Supposedly this later became the inspiration to build the first Ferris Wheel, because when the Chicago World's Fair rolled around some years later, they needed something to compete with the Parisians, how funny! And there she is... standing beautiful, tall and très magnifique! Au revoir, Paris! Shine On -KRIS10 Next stop? Munich, Germany in celebration of my 21st Birthday! Never thought I would be spending the big day there. Updates on that when the time comes. Hope all of you wonderful people are doing great and staying warm- sounds like winter is brewing back in ChiTown. See you in just three short weeks! :* "To travel is worth any cost or sacrifice" - Elizabeth Gilbert Eat, Pray, Love I am just a little behind on the updating of this blog, so unlike me... I've learned how incredible, but entirely exhausting, traveling to a different country every weekend really can be. So needless to say, the weekdays have me running around like crazy juggling classes, laundry, and all that other fun stuff. No complaining here though, don't know that I will ever be in this predicament again... soaking it ALL up. So the weekend of November 7th, a group of gals got together to celebrate Madeleine's 21st birthday! Where was her pick to spend the special birthday weekend? Barcelona, Spain! Saturday we arrived, settled into our hotel and our stomachs were already grumbling for some tapas and definitely thirsty for the Spaniards infamous sangria, too! There's nothing more synonymous with Spanish cuisine than tapas, the tradition of eating small dishes to form a main meal is huge here. What could be better than mixing and matching all different little foods in one sitting? For a food lover like myself, nothing beats it! After dinner we went to a couple different bars. Friends that have visited Barcelona before, mentioned one in particular... Bar Dow Jones. Think 'New York Stock Exchange drinking game' -- As drinks are purchased, the values of the drinks begin to fluctuate. Once the sirens go off, warning of a Stock Market crash, everyone snags their drinks at their lowest price! The concept of this bar had us all laughing and playing along; we certainly had a perfect night out in Spain. And OF COURSE we had the bartender play a birthday tune for Mads at midnight! It seems I've been traveling with a rain cloud over my head the last month! Better than snow though, in my opinion. We always make the best of it anyhow and find something to do to stay dry! Sunday morning we had breakfast and headed out into the city. We spent the rainy Barcelona afternoon walking around and exploring the Picasso Museum. The Museu Picasso reveals Picasso's relationship with the city of Barcelona, a relationship that was shaped in his youth and adolescence, and continued until his death in 1973. Very cool place! The remainder of Sunday consisted of walking around and stopping into tons of little shops and boutiques. We bumped into a poem shop, EXPENDEDURÍA POÉTICA , Barcelona Take Away Poetry. They call themselves a "poetic retail shop: art gallery/ poetry shop / poetic space." Anyone can walk in and create an original poem called "Take Away Poetry" which basically works like this: you walk in and grab a sheet of paper, write your name and home country, then stamp up to 3 words at the top. Once you hand the document to the poet, he or she will begin your poem based on the words of your choice. The poem goes next to another poet who continues the poem. Once the poem is finished you put it in a little box and can take it home or anyone can buy them for a small donation. I just fell in love with the whole idea, so darling! The poem I purchased at random reads... "Possible. Laugh. Create. This many never be possible again, so I sit down and laugh; like insanity brewing and the people who look will laugh as well; to be unwound like this inside the jasmine scent of summer. Tastes of ginger of tomorrow of the possibility that all of this can be laughed away. Breathe deep and begin anew; this was always an option; so let's stand tippy toes on the brink of today." Beautiful, right? The last few stops of the busy day... Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell. Sagrada Familia was such a unique church, nothing like those I've seen before. It almost looks like a giant wet sand castle; so interesting. Park Guell was stunning as well. In order to get to the park you must climb this hill, which seemed almost vertical. We definitely got a nice workout making our way to the top just before the sun completely set. There is a large stone staircase in the park in which you can view the entire city; it was such an incredible panoramic view and great way to end our weekend in Spain! Lovely trip celebrating a wonderful friend's birthday- Happy 21st Madeleine!
Shine On -KRIS10 |
Europe 2014 |