After our class field
trip to Vienna and Venice, we were free to explore Europe for about a week. My
group did an island tour around Venice and then went to Rome, Vatican City,
Paris, and Barcelona. That means four countries in less than two weeks!
 |
| The island of Burano |
Our island tour was a
half day excursion to the islands of Murano, Burano,
and Torcello. Murano is an island known for their glass blowing.
We were able to see a demonstration and let’s just say it was amazing. In less
than five minutes, the master created a beautiful gondola and flower vase. It
was unbelievable. The next island was that of Burano which is known
for lace making and colorful house. Apparently, the town has permanently
assigned each house on the island with a specific color. This ordinance makes
the island one-of-a-kind. We even saw a lace making demonstration here. Some
lace works have multiple people work on it to complete it because each person
specializes in a specific stitch. It was unbelievable to watch! The last island
was that of Torcello. This island is one of the oldest continuously
inhabited islands of the Republic of Venice. Currently, it only holds about 11
inhabitants. The island was the first island I saw with grass! On the island,
is the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta which was built in the 11th
century. Looking at the church seemed so unreal. Before I came to Europe, I
could never have imagined being able to step foot into a place so old. On our
way back to Venice, our boat traveled by a few other islands. Some were abandoned,
some housed monastery, and one was even the cemetery of Venice. Who knew an
island cemetery existed? Not me!
Once we got back on
"solid" ground, we were off to Rome! By the time our train arrived in
Rome, it was already evening. We decided to explore Rome in the dark! Our only
stop of the night was to Trevi Fountain, but we were left
disappointed. The fountain was under construction, so we had to settle for
throwing a coin into a mini pool of water. Hopefully this substitute fountain
will still fulfill the role of Trevi fountain and my wish will be
granted! In order to overcome our disappointment, we filled our stomachs
with the best homemade ice cream I have ever had. It was located right next
door to our hostel, so we came back on multiple occasions.
 |
| Pope Francis greeting the crowd. |
Our second day in Rome
was spent venturing to Vatican City. We were fortunate enough to visit it on
Divine Mercy Sunday, so we were able to see Pope Francis give mass on screens
outside of St. Peter's Basilica. After the mass, Pope Francis gave his Papal
address! I never would have guessed that I would be fortunate enough to see the
Pope! The rest of the day was spent back in Rome. We went straight to the
Colosseum. We bought tickets and were able to walk around inside it. The ruins
were amazing but nothing compared to our next stop: the Roman Forum. The Roman
Forum is a plaza of Roman ruins and the central square of the old city. Most
buildings were only partially intact, but one church was stable enough to walk
in. I have to say that the Roman Forum was my favorite part of Rome. So much
history and beauty was packed into one space. My biggest regret is not having
hours to spend here. We left the Forum just in time to
see Trevi fountain and walk around inside the fountain, a bright side
of it being closed. Before grabbing dinner, we walked to the Pantheon for a few
pictures. I cannot even imagine living in a city as old as Rome. It seemed like
everywhere we looked more history popped up.
The last morning in
Rome was spent revisiting Vatican City. Since we first visited it on Sunday,
everything was closed. We bought a last minute tour through the Vatican City
Museum, Sistine Chapel, and Saint Peter's Basilica. I spent a little more than
I would have liked, but it allowed us to see everything we wanted to see in
just a few hours. I still can't quite wrap my head around being in the same
room that Michelangelo once was.
We took an evening
flight to Paris, but took our night easy. The next day we set off to the Palace
of Versailles. It was my second time here, but yet it seemed like the first.
Versailles is a magnificent palace covered in gold and crystal. I cannot fathom
how much the palace is truly worth or how Kings justified spending so much
money on a single place. Trust me, I'm not complaining but I think there could
have been better uses for the money. Nonetheless, it is definitely an
unforgettable sight. After the palace, we ventured off to the Eiffel Tower
where we took the typical tourist pictures before setting off for the
Catacombs. The Catacombs are a series of underground tunnels that run
throughout Paris. They are filled with over 6 million skeletons that are all
arranged. Piles of bones are intersected by skulls to create art. It was a very
eerie experience to walk down tunnels with skulls "starring" at you
from every direction. I would suggest that anyone in Paris visit the Catacombs-
it really is an unforgettable experience. After our journey through the
underground of Paris, we headed back to the Eiffel tower to grab a night view
of the city. I had already climbed the tower once, so I convinced my friends to
take the elevator. We were able to the last part of the sunset from above-
something only seen in movies. Even in the busy city of Paris on the tourist
filled tower, I was able to forget about everyone around me for a while and
enjoy the view.
Our last day in Paris
included a trip to Notre Dame and the Louvre. Notre Dame is
a beautiful example of Gothic architecture complete with gargoyles. We then
left to the Louvre where we saw many famous pieces of art. We headed
to find the Mona Lisa before we set forth to navigate the Egyptian wing of the
Louvre. I was able to a mummy and multiple Egyptian artifacts. Our trip through
the Louvre was cut short when my friend began to feel ill.
We hurriedly made it to our last stop of the day:
the Ponte des Arts Bridge. The bridge is covered in locks that
symbolize an everlasting love for those who place it on the bridge and throw
the key into the river. Unfortunately, in recent years the city had to remove
many locks due to structural compensation-yikes. A few of us continued on
through Paris and found ourselves back at the Eiffel Tower. We planted
ourselves by a nearby fountain, placed our feet in the water, and enjoyed the
view. It was a great way to end our time in Paris.
 |
| La Sagrada Familia |
The last stop on our
Spring break journey was Barcelona. We dropped our bags off at our hostel and
headed to La Sagrada Familia. La Sagrada Familia is a
breathtaking church that has been under construction for over a hundred years.
The outside of it is covered in different sculptures depicting different parts
of the bible. It is unbelievable to think of all of the time put into its
construction. The original designer did not even see its completion. We took
the afternoon easy by strolling down Las Ramblas: the city's main
street. The next day we walked across Barcelona to Park Guell.
Unfortunately, we were unable to actually enter the mosaic part of the park,
but we were able to walk through the park. The park itself is an oasis inside
of Barcelona complete with views of the city. To recover from our
disappointment we found the best smoothies of my life before doing a little
shopping. We ended the night with a trip to a club on the beach. It was a weird
mixture of really fancy people and college students. The next day was saved for
relaxing. We lounged on the beach all day drinking, eating, and soaking up the
rays. It was a glorious way to end an amazing and exhausting two weeks.
I cannot get over how
fortunate I was to be able to see everything I did. I meet and bonded with
people from all over the world and from all different walks of life. I ate food
on outdoor patios and saw places older than I can even comprehend. I got lost
over and over again and spent more money than I planned; but I learned and grew
so much more than I could have ever dreamed of. The world is yours to explore,
do it.
0 comments:
Post a Comment