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Day 4: When in Rome…

Well, I think it’s “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” I might have just made that up. Anyways, I’m not sure what the Romans do exactly, because most everyone I noticed there was American.

We arrived in Rome in time for lunch…my first Italian meal! I got a pasta dish & some tiramisu…both were excellent.

We met up with the whole group for a 3 hour walking tour of the city. On the tour we visited so many sights….the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Trajan’s Column, the Roman Forum, etc. That was the really cool thing about Rome…it didn’t matter where you were or why you were there, you were always surrounded by something interesting, something with a history.

After the tour finished, Becky, Alex & I continued to explore for a bit before we sat down for dinner. We ate at a new restaurant, called Life, near the Spanish steps. I had pizza and some red wine. It was delicious.

We walked back to our hotel, stopping at the Trevi again to see it lit up, and passing the Royal Palaces. The plan was to go out later that night with some friends, but I definitely layed down on my bed and passed right out.

Day 5: Roma, Italia

The first thing we did on Wednesday was head to the Coliseum (which I have no idea how to spell correctly, thanks WVU for confusing me). We had a guided tour of the inside. It was actually less impressive than I had expected. It was huge alright, but hard to image in its original form because all of the seats and everything were completely gone. The floor was being rebuilt while we were there, which looked really nice.

We then went to Vatican City where we toured the Vatican Museums, saw the Sistine Chapel ceiling and St. Peter’s Cathedral. The Museums were nice, and filled with tons of famous artworks. The ceiling was cool too, but it definitely hurt to look up at it for a long period of time. My favorite place in Vatican City was the Cathedral. It was enormous, and very beautiful.

We left Vatican City and went in search of lunch. After eating we continued exploring and shopping for a little bit longer. We had dinner that night at a restaurant right around the corner from our hotel, because we were all extremely tired and sore from all of the walking.

Day 6: Pizza in Pisa/Welcome to Florence

We arrived in Pisa the next day in time for lunch. Marcie and I got pizza and had a picnic on the grass in front of the cathedral. We thought we were pretty cute, eating pizza in Pisa…actually, we are cute. We walked around the little outdoor marketplace and took the usual tourist pictures with the leaning tower before heading back to the bus.

I was actually very impressed with Pisa. In all honestly, I was not interested in seeing tower that leaned, but it was absolutely beautiful. The cathedral and baptistery were very ornate and it was a really nice, peaceful setting.

We spent the next day and a half in Florence. The city was actually better than I expected as well. It was smaller than Rome or Athens, but I loved seeing all of the art and sitting by the river. It was a nice change of pace.

We arrived in the evening and settled into our hotel. Afterwards Erin, Becky, and I went out exploring the city until it got dark out. We stopped for dinner at an outdoor restaurant in a really nice piazza. I got excellent pasta – even though it took forever to get (really, all Europeans hate me). After dinner we stopped in an Irish pub called The Joshua Tree, right near our hotel. The owner was really great and even though it wasn’t Italian, it was a really cool scene.

Day 7: Florentine Loving

The next day we toured the Accademia Gallery where I snuck a pic of the David. It was very impressive, better than I had expected. The rest of the museum was sort of blah.

We moved right along to the Uffizi Gallery. This museum was great. They had whole rooms dedicated to famous artists like Raphael and Caravaggio. It took a couple of hours to get through it and we didn’t cover even half.

After the Uffizi a group of us went to lunch at another outdoor Italian place. We spent the rest of the day wandering around, shopping, and exploring.

We met up with our 2 program directors, Angelo & Maria for dinner. After we went back to the pub for a little to hang out before heading back to the hotel to pack and sleep.

Day 8: I Heart Venezia!

We boarded the bus for a four hour ride to Venice the next morning. After we got to the area, we had to take a shuttle boat out to the actual city. It was awesome to be on the water and the city from that view is gorgeous!

Once in Venice, we only had four free hours to explore on our own. We walked through St. Mark’s Square, shopped a lot, and ate at McDonald’s. Yes, McDonald’s – we didn’t want to waste the little time we had sitting waiting for food.

After lunch we wandered some more, bought some more, and fed the pigeons in the square. We all met up and took the boat back to the mainland before boarding the bus yet again. We drove to nearby Vicenza, only an hour away to stay at a hotel for the night.

Vicenza was dead. There were no people. There were no bars to go to celebrate St. Patty’s Day. There was nothing. We walked for nearly 45 minutes until we reached a restaurant for dinner. It was worth it though, definitely the best Italian meal I had on the entire trip. (I got white pizza!)

We headed home afterwards, packed our bags, and were prepped to leave Italy the next morning.

Day 9: So Long, Italy, I’ll Be Back

On Sunday I woke up at 6:30 bad idea. I met up with Jen and Courtney for breakfast and we just hung out until we boarded the bus to Milan.

Once in Milan we only had 2 ½ hours to explore and hang out. We visited the Duomo during mass, which was really beautiful. We wandered the streets and checked out the shops. We ate a quick lunch and continued on our way. I didn’t really like the city much: it was industrial and bland. We all congregated and sat in front of a beautiful castle until we left for the airport.

We got to the airport at 4 p.m. because our bus driver had to get back to Rome by a certain time. Our plane didn’t leave until 7:30. Ruth, Lauren, and I played rummy for those few hours.

The plane ride was cramped and I sat next to two whiny Greek men, one who flipped out for the entire 2 hour ride because some other guy spilled coffee on his suit.

We had 1 ½ hours in the Athens airport to relax and stretch out. That airport is insane. I’m pretty sure the security guards were just bored out of their minds because they not only seriously patted me down, but made me open my carry on and inspected my makeup case – I’m not sure if they thought I was going to attack someone with my mascara or what.

Well, we got on the plane and 1 ½ hours later touched down in Larnaca. We got our bags, got on yet another bus, and arrived at our house at 5 a.m. Some of us girls stayed up the extra hours to watch the sunrise…why not? So after 24 hours straight, I went to sleep.

Day 1: Welcome to Greece

We left Larnaca airport early Friday morning. The flight to Athens was only 1 ½ hours so it wasn’t so bad. Once we arrived, we had to haul our luggage around a few small alleys to get to our hotel, which was really nice, very modern. The best part was the view: we could see the Acropolis from our room!!! So, I could lay in bed and just stare at the Parthenon…pretty cool.

My first day in Athens was awesome. After checking into the hotel a group of us went exploring. We went to the main shopping district since it was only one street over. It was not only very expensive, but weird as well. There were street performers and vendors all over the place. There were some American Indians dancing and singing, which was odd, a robot dude, clowns, and the usual traveling musicians.

After that got to be too much for us to handle we went in search of lunch. We ate at a small Italian place (we were all sick of Greek food) which was really good. We got to see the changing of the guards in front of the Parliament building, which was unique.

We headed to a museum to see a Salvador Dali exhibit, but by the time we got there it was closed. No good. So we decided to walk toward (in the rain) the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch. There was a gate around the Temple and we couldn’t get in, but it was still really impressive.

We then went wandering around the back streets and found some really cool shops. We met up with some of the others for a coffee break before heading home.

That night we went to a restaurant called JK for dinner. It was 11 p.m. until we got there, and everyone was really exhausted. I had a salad, though, and it was really excellent.

Day 2 in Athens: Amazing!

Everyone in Cyprus told me that Athens was a dirty city and they didn’t like it. Well, I loved it. (It was sort of dirty though.) It is definitely a crazy place, and I could never live anywhere like it, but still, it’s awesome to see at least once.

We woke up and went straight to the Athens Museum. The tour was kind of boring, but then again I don’t ever really like museum tours. We got to see a lot of what we learned about in art history though, which was kind of cool.

Next we went to the Acropolis. The walk up the hill wasn’t too bad, and the view from the top was amazing! You could see the whole city and all the way to the Sea, even to the first island in the distance. They were renovating the Temple of Athena Nike, and we walked through that to see the Erectheion and the Parthenon. Both were really awesome sights…very large and crumbling, but impressive. We spent a good while up there hanging out and taking pictures, basically being the tourists that we are.

A group of us went back down the hill and looked around the marketplaces and little shops. We stopped at an outdoor café for lunch. I ordered tomato & cucumber salad because, well, I wanted salad, not more souvlaki. Well, what I got was a tomato sliced up. Hmm. Okay, so I never ordered such a salad again. BUT – we did count the number of barterers who came up to us trying to sell stuff: 25. Yeah.

We continued shopping for a good amount of time. We checked out the Athens flea market, which isn’t what I would call a flea market at all but just shops really. We (Alex, Nicole, & I were left at this point) found the famous Greek poet guy who makes sandals for celebrities now. I can’t remember his name right now, and even if I could I wouldn’t be able to read Greek. Anyways, he made sandals, and now I have some awesome handmade footwear.

That night we went to Hard Rock for dinner. I GOT NACHOS! That is all I need to say about that experience.

Day 3 in Athens: WooHoo

We had the last day in Athens free to do whatever we wanted. I woke up and got some coffee before meeting up with Alex & Nicole. We went out to see a few last sights and wander around some of the areas we hadn’t seen yet. The day wasn’t too eventful, except for just getting to know the city a little better.

Andddd….guess where I went to dinner that night? Hard Rock Café. In my defense, American food kicks the crap out of Greek food, which I had been eating for the last 2 months anyway. So, Lauren, Ashley, and Angela wanted to eat there, so I went along. It was a good time. They wouldn’t let me get nachos again though.

On the way home we passed by a huge student protest. It was peaceful, just a giant concert in the square where tons of people were gathered. It was interesting to see though. We were warned coming into the city because they had trashed a lot two nights before during protests. (Greeks go to college for free and they’re making them start to pay now = not very happy kids)

So…this is all I have time to write now, but I promise I’ll write about the rest of the trip as soon as I have time!

Life’s been pretty hectic lately. There’s been tons of schooly work to do before our first big trip to Greece and Italy. I’m pretty much excited to the point of jumping up and down about that!

Lately I’ve been spending my days in class (what else is new?) and the rest of my time either furiously writing papers, throwing together powerpoints, or hanging out with the coolest mix of Americans and Europeans that ever existed.

The past two weeks…well, I don’t even know where to start. Last Thursday we did our usual and went to a party at the Erasmus house…nothing too special. On Friday night four of us girls went to a place called Brown’s New and got dinner and drinks. The food was awesome and I won at poker so the other had to buy me a pina colada. Any night with free pina coladas is a good one in my book . On Saturday we went to the northern Turkish occupied side of Nicosia to do some shopping (things are a lot cheaper there).

On Tuesday, after a few days of crazy, hard core studying, Alex and I went downtown to a bar called Plato’s to meet up with some of the Erasmus kids. We just hung out all night, drinking fruity beers and playing their crazy head European drinking games.

Wednesday we both broke down, and Alex and I went to TGI Fridays for dinner. At midnight it was officially Erin’s 21st birthday, so we went to a local pub so she could have her first “officially legal if we were actually in the United States not Europe” beer.

Thursday the birthday madness began. We decorated the apartment before going to class. Our second class was cancelled so we came home and little miss Erin started drinking right then…2 p.m. Our friend Nemenja came over and cooked us all a feast. Yum! Some of us went to get margaritas and then we all met up for karaoke night. Our b-day girl sang the night away, before we had to carry her home…at 11. I went downtown after with some other GLS kids. It was kind of a great night in Cyprus.

On Friday I went to a reggae night at a coffee house with some other GLS-ers before heading to the club for the rest of the night. Saturday we went to Troodos mountains - - it was cold, and wet, and there was SNOW – I didn’t like it. That night we went to a party at another Erasmus house. The lunar eclipse was that night, so it was cool to watch.

Sunday was the greatest day ever in Cyprus! Lauren’s cousin Pantelis lives about 20 minutes away, and his family invited us over for lunch. So six of us went, and spent the day in their adorable village just hanging out and seeing how everyday Cypriots live. We walked around the village, played in the park for a bit, and ate more than I’ve eaten since I got here. It was just a really nice day…one of my favorite so far.

So now it’s back to the hustle and bustle of everyday nonsense here in Cyprus. School is painful, but we’re leaving on Saturday! Italia…here I come!

Oh…ps- Sasha taught me how to drive his scooter Sunday night! I’m a natural!

On Saturday we left from the house at around 9:30 a.m. We drove to Lafkara, a small village where they're famous for making lace and silver. It was a really cute area, full of cobblestone streets and colorful houses. We went into the Church of the Holy Cross where it is said there is a piece of the cross Jesus was crucified on. I looked where it was supposed to be…definitely didn’t see any wood there…oh well, it’s kind of cool to think about anyway.

From there we drove to Kourion, where there is an archeological site. It was really crappy and rainy out, but there were beautiful views of the water from the hilltop we were on. At the site there was a Greco-Roman theatre and houses including the House of Achilles, with some really great mosaic floors.

Our next stop was Petra Tou Romiou or “Aphrodite’s Rock.” When we got there it was still rainy out and our not-so-cool bus driver wouldn’t let us step anywhere near mud for fear we’d get his bus dirty. It was still beautiful coastline. Ohhh, yeah, this is the spot where Aphrodite was supposedly born…she definitely just sprung her Greek goddess self right out of the waves and was like, “Here I am world! Let the sluttyness begin.” Oh Aphrodite. (ps – It’s late. I’m tired & a little delirious. School sucks. So if this is ridiculous and makes no sense, well, blame school)

So, we got to see the pretty rock and all got back on the bus with mud-less shoes. Yay, us. From there we went to the town of Paphos where we had free time for lunch. Becky, Teresa, Alex, and I went to seaside place called The Pelican. While we were there the rain cleared up and a rainbow came out, which was nice. Next thing we know, there were two actual pelicans coming out of the back of the restaurant and walking around. They were pink. They were awesome. I asked the owner if they would hurt me if they bit, he said no, introduced me to them…and the rest is fate. I now want a pink pelican…they were insane creatures, very cool.

After lunch we went to see the famous Paphos mosaics. We only made it into one mosaic house, but it was really impressive. Some day when I have my own house, someone can come do that to my floors.

Our final stop of the day was at our hotel, The Pavemar, in Limassol. It was oceanfront – right where I like to be. After some resting and unpacking we took a quick journey to the beach. It was dark out and I definitely stomped through some awesome seaweed, which is always nice. Anyways, that night we went out to a Mexican restaurant where we loaded up on strawberry margaritas and nachos. (It was about time I had some nachos on this island!) Afterward we went to a club called The Basement.

Sunday = Carnivale. When I woke up I went for a walk on the beach where a strange Frenchman approached me and let me know he was glad that Cyprus was a clean country, except of course for the “dog shit everywhere.” Oh, France. So…yeah. My roomie and another girl woke up and we went to Starbucks for some coffee. We got ourselves dressed and ready for the day and went to the Carnivale parade. It was very elaborate and colorful. I’m not really into parades but as far as they go, it was a good one. We stopped at a costume shop and bought stuff to dress up that night, which was kind of fun. Back at the hotel we all napped and were lazy for a bit before it came to “dress up” time. I was “Athena,” who many of you may know as the Goddess of Wisdom, but I changed all of that and took on the title of Goddess of Everything for the night. Yep.

So, we took over the roof of our hotel that night and had our own little rooftop Carnivale party, which was excellent. Afterwards we went to a few clubs where there were more men dressed as women than I have ever seen before. It was pretty much a good time…until I refused to get in a cab and started crying because I wanted to go home and see my brother. Yeah, I’m cool like that. And hey, walking home is good for you…exercise.

Monday morning I woke up and went shopping for a little bit. That was definitely nice. Then I went back to the hotel and had some good old fashioned continental breakfast with everyone. Afterwards, Becky and I decided we needed to jump in the Mediterranean…so we did. It was lovely, in a very cold sort of way. Anyways, we ran up to our room and threw clothes on and went to the bus.

Oh—a little aftermath of Carnivale – TWO people ended up in the hospital, TOO many ended up throwing up to count. It was a good time all around. Whew!

So Monday…yeah, I wanted nothing to do with life. I got myself on that bus and just wanted to get home. Too bad there was a castle and a chocolate factory in the way. So, yeah, we went to see a castle, it was closed so we just stood there looking at it, we went to a chocolate place and I didn’t listen to a single thing about it, and we went to another castle where I sat on the roof for a little bit. Then, we went home.

That was Carnivale weekend…good times.

I stole the following from a website so I could fill everyone in on the Cyprus problem. I'm not sure how clear it is or how comprehensive, but it's kind of important. Nicosia is the last divided capital city in the world since the Berlin Wall fell. Half of the city is Greek and the other half belongs to the occupying Turks and their pseudo "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus." Too bad Turkey is the only country in the world that recognizes it as a country. Basically, it's illegal and not cool. The end.

(flag the Turks burned into the mountain)

Turkey invaded Cyprus on July 20, 1974. The international community strongly condemned the military invasion and rejected. The goal was the ethnic-cleansing, 17 years before the term was even coined, of the occupied northern part of the island.

When one reads the report, adopted on July 10, 1976, after months of investigation by the European Commission of Human Rights, one understands why thousands of Greek Cypriots fled their homes at the approach of the Turkish army. The Commission accepted that there were "very strong indications" of killings "committed on a substantial scale." The atrocities of the Turkish army included wholesale and repeated rapes of women of all ages, systematic torture, savage and humiliating treatment of hundreds of people, including children, women and pensioners during their detention by the Turkish forces, as well as looting and robbery on an extensive scale, by Turkish troops and Turkish Cypriots.

Thousands of Greek-Cypriots lost their lives, 1619 are still missing, 200,000 Cypriots fled their homes leaving behind their belongings (the 200,000 refugees in terms of percentage to the population of Cyprus correspond to 110,000,000 in the USA).

Currently, 26 years later, 30,000 Turkish troops are stationed on the occupied part of the island making it "one of the most highly militarized areas in the world", according to the June 1994 report of the UN Secretary General to the Security Council. The island is thus still divided, the refugees still away from their homes, the whereabouts of the missing still unknown. The Turkish-Cypriots are also victims of this invasion and imposed separation.

More than 110,000 Turkish settlers have been transported to the occupied areas, in an attempt to change the demographic character of the island. These settlers, while Turks, they are completely different culturally from the Turkish-Cypriots whose culture is very similar to their Greek counterparts.

The European Union has repeatedly stated that it recognizes the Government of the Republic of Cyprus as the sole legitimate government with jurisdiction over the whole territory of the island and its people.