My final destination was a week long visit to one of my favorite places on earth… Florence, Italy. It had been years since I was there yet as soon as I got off the train from Rome I felt right at home and familiar with my surroundings. Other than one day of rain it was seventy-five degrees and sunny. Florence was a bit of a mix of work and play. I was there because I loved the city and because my graphic design artist was doing her semester abroad there. We got a lot accomplished while at the same time enjoying the beautiful weather. There were many days I would go sit in one of the many piazzas and read for hours. Each day was a different piazza. Before I flew out of Edinburgh for spring break, a good friend of mine lent the book “Think Big and Kick Ass” by Donald Trump. It was a great book about never settling for mediocracy and putting your heart into life when it comes to owning your own business. One of my favorite parts of sitting in public places to read was the people watching I could do between chapters. It was so obvious to pick out the American tourists and I know can see why we have a bad reputation for being loud and pushy. In all of the traveling I have done my biggest concern is to try to fit in the best I can and not stand out.¬†
Through the week I did mostly walking around and a little sight seeing. I was most looking forward to my day trip to Venice with a bunch of friends. We left early morning Saturday April 5th on a train bound for Venice. Generally I sleep when Im traveling on a plane or train but this was one ride I did not want to miss out on. The Italian countryside was wonderful. Off in the distance you could see the Italian/Swiss Alps all snow capped. After two hours we crossed the water and arrived in the Venice train station. We took a taxi, in Venice a boat, to Murano where we watched a glass blowing demonstration as well as bought some fun souvenirs. ¬†Next stop was to St. Mark’s Square where I found a nice little cafe on the water and sat for over an hour just chatting with my friend. We waited until the last minute and then ran to the train and finally arrived back in Florence late that night.¬†
The next day one of my other friends and I went to mass in the Florence Duomo. It is a gigantic cathedral church. It is so big that mass was held in one of the corners of the church. As we sat down for mass we realized there weren’t many people around. The priest stood up and welcomed us in Italian. We figured he would then say mass in English. Well we were wrong. The entire thing was in Italian. Even though I didn’t understand half of the words said it was really neat to partake in. ¬†Being a music aficionado I loved listen to the echos of our singing through the building. It was incredible. If only one of my high school music groups could perform in there. The sounds just resonated through the building growing bigger and bigger and then suddenly decaying away slowly into the massive building.¬†
Monday was my return day. The flight was scheduled to leave Florence at 1:00 giving me an arrival time of early afternoon. Well as luck has it, my flight was delayed and delayed and delayed. Each delay was due to “bad weather”. Now my flight was filled with mostly Brits so when the intercom spoke in English they told us that due to bad weather our flight was diverted to some airport way outside of Florence. So we naturally all looked outside to see what the weather was like. It was yet again another perfectly sunny day and approximately seventy degrees. ¬†We all just laughed and wondered what on earth could be casing our flight not to show up. Long story short we had to take a bus out to the middle of nowhere. We all unloaded our own luggage off the busses and had to recheck them in. As we got to the terminal Im looking around and there are only five terminals. Ok so its a small airport. Let me give you a little idea how small. The only planes around were sesnas. Thats right. Single engine planes meant for under ten people. Then off to the right was our jumbo jet. We walked out to the plane and as we are taxing down the runway Im thinking to myself wow this is a really short strip. Sure enough the engines are full throttle and in seconds we are off the ground. We barely made it feet from the end of the runway. As we took off the plane started shaking and all of a sudden the engine noise just died to a light hum and Im thinking to myself we are going down. The nose of the plane started to tip forward and all of a sudden the engines roared back up. In the end it was the scariest flight I’ve ever been on. I landed safely in London and had to buy a new ticket to get to Edinburgh since I had missed my connection. So a mere six hours later than I was supposed to be I was back in my flat in Edinburgh.¬†
Its funny… my mum asked me when I called her how it felt to be back in Edinburgh and to think that spring break was already over so fast. I said to her… are you kidding me? I still have a month and a half left of vacation! Granted I have classes to go back to and tests to take but in the end this semester has been one of the best things I have ever done. I just cant believe where I am in the year already! Time has flown by. In two weeks my family is coming to visit for a week and then the four of us are off to London for the weekend. After that I will have a mere month before I pack my life back up and move home to good old NH. Until then I plan to do a little more traveling and of course a lot more blogging!¬†
I have just posted a bunch of Florence and Venice pictures. Be sure to check them out in the galleries titled: 
Sping Break – Florence
Spring Break РVenice 
 Venice, Italy
 Florence, Italy
For the middle part of my spring break I decided to hit Rome for four days with some of my new friends I met in Edinburgh. I flew in on Wednesday March 27th. It was a long day of travel that included a flight from Prague to Brussels, a layover that was supposed to be two hours turned into three, the flight from Brussels to Rome and then a train from the airport to Termini Train Station. It was the largest station I have ever seen with over twenty-five platforms. Very easy to get lost. My hostel was impossible to find so I ended up taking a taxi there. I arrived that evening, unpacked a few things and headed out to find some true italian pizza. I was not disappointed. The next morning I met up with my friends and we all walked around just exploring the city. The second day of our trip we went to the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. Both were just outstanding. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to take any pictures so you will just have to trust me. It was breathtaking. The next few days we went to the colosseum, Spanish steps, and the Trevy fountain. The last day we decided to get some food and just sun bathe on one of the grassy hills next to the coloseeum. As we were relaxing, there was a big wedding party taking pictures. Can you imagine have the colosseum in the background of your wedding pictures? So neat! The most important topic to mention in all of this travel was of course the amazing food. I thought I ate my way through Prague. That didn’t even compare to the amount of amazing food my friends and I consumed. From pizza to pasta to paninis to tratorias and right down to going to the local grocery store and buying mozzarella balls, salami, focaccia and olives for dinner. It was all so good. Next stop is Firenza, Italy = Florence!
Be sure to check out the photos in my Rome gallery!
 Rome, Italy
For the first week of my spring vacation, I was lucky enough to get to visit my friend Monica in Prague! It had been so long since we had caught up as we had gone to high school together and both have been busy since. I landed in Prague on Thursday March 26th and hit the ground running. Monica picked me up at the airport with one of her friends. Not ten minutes after saying hello she informed me we were off to an opera! I was stoked. So we checked into my hotel, changed clothes quickly and were off to see “The Magic Flute”. It was in the most beautiful big theater. They had a full pit orchestra and it was amazing. Naturally it was in czech but get this… they have a big projection screen above the top of the stage that translates everything! It was a great start to my first day.
The next day consisted of walking around town and getting oriented as to where everything was. Easter is a big thing in Prague so they have a week long Easter Fair. It was so neat. There was food everywhere, crafts, blacksmiths and so much more. Half way through the morning, Monica handed me a little brown paperback notebook with the title, “Prague Survival Guide 2008″. She had put together all sorts of phrases I needed to know, metro stops, tram lines I needed to take to get places… it literally was my bible for the week I was there. Especially when I was alone. The most important phrase in there was “mlooveteh englesky?” which tanslates to… you can guess… do you speak english? I found that most people were very happy to speak english only if you made an effort to speak a little czech. It was fun! Monica’s boyfriend Jack came over and the three of us gallivanted around town for the next four days doing all sorts of fun things. We went to the most beautiful big cathedral for Easter Sunday, we went to another opera and of course hit the easter fair almost every day.
On my last full day there, Jack and I took a little trip outside the city to one of the concentration camps used during WWII named Terezine. It was one of the most moving things I have ever done in my life. When we were walking through the cell blocks you could almost feel the ghosts of the over 30,000 people that died there. The feeling was even worse when we walked onto the execution grounds. This was the kind of thing that I have read about in text books for years and never truly understood the impact of things. As soon as we saw the area that was once a mass grave that had now been turned into 10,000 proper burials with headstones, I knew it was going to be a very emotional experience. It was very interesting to watch how Jack and I responded to all of it. He and I talked the whole hour and a half bus ride there and as soon as we got to the concentration camp, I don’t think we said ten words to each other until we left. That night we got back to Monica’s apartment and cooked dinner and just relaxed until we met up with a bunch of Monica’s other friends and we all headed out for a night on the town. It was a great last day. The next morning I got up early to catch a flight to Rome where I spent the next four days. Keep your eye out for a post about my trip to Rome!
Prague, Czech Republic
The neatest thing happened today. I was walking around Florence after dropping off my laundry at this little laundromat and went towards the river that runs through the middle of town. There were people everywhere just standing. I had no idea what was going on so naturally I picked a spot on one of the bridges and just waited. I figured everyone else seemed to know what they were doing and I had all the time in the world to wait and see what it was. Well let me tell you…. was I in for a great surprise. Out of nowhere over the mountains came nine fighter jets each one trailing different colored smoke. Green, white and red. At first I couldn’t tell what it was and then it hit me… they were making the Italian flag in the air. They swooped down right above us and then took off. Luckily I got a still picture of it and a few minutes later they came around the mountains again and got down even closer. Im so glad I had the foresight to turn my camera into video mode and got the best clip of them flying overhead. Check out the video below!
Published by gness on March 28, 2008
in Pics.
As I was sitting in my hostel in Rome, Italy, I found myself going through my photos over the last week and I realized I had not posted any of them to the blog. So… here they are. I will slowly be uploading new ones and commenting on them and will eventually post some stories. Until then, enjoy the pictures!
Prague Pictures
Rome Pictures
Rome, Italy
As part of my Scottish Culture class, we are able to take part in three different trips throughout the semester. Our second one was Wednesday in St. Andrews, Scotland. On our way there we stopped at the base of the Firth of Fourth Bridge. It was built in the late 1800s and was considered way ahead of its time when it was built. It filled the gap over the water between South Queensferry and North Queensferry. To the left of it is a new bridge built for vehicles as the old one is just meant for the rail system. We then headed to Falkland Palace. It is set way out in the middle of nowhere. Believe it or not, the palace belongs to the queen technically but as the story has it she has never visited there and the last royalty to actually stay there was over one hundred years ago. It has been restored and it is now a beautiful little place nestled between two sets of mountains on either side. Next stop was St. Andrews… the home of golf! We were dropped off in the middle of town and headed straight to the nearest pub for lunch. As some of you may recall, my family and I visited Scotland in 2005 and spent four or five days in St. Andrews. My favorite part of being there Wednesday was being able to relive the fun moments I had with my family and when I walked to St. Andrews Golf course I could picture the way it looked three years ago. We visited it twice. The first time Dad and I played the course and two weeks later we watched the British Open! I could picture Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson stepping up to the tee box at the seventeenth.
We wrapped up the trip by going to a tiny little fishing village on the coast called Crail. It was so pretty and the views of the Scottish coastline was just beautiful. Check out the pictures I have posted. They speak for themselves.
St. Andrews Trip Pictures
 Crail, Sotland
Its final. I have my Easter break plans finished. Starting Thursday March 20, I fly out of Edinburgh to Prague, Czech Republic to visit my good friend from high school Monica. It has been so long since we have seen each other so I cant wait to see her. Im staying in this beautiful hotel right out of the city called Hotel Kavalir. Monica and I have all sorts of fun things planned while Im there including a visit to the theater and supposedly we are going to the biggest club in the world. Should prove to be interesting. Who knows what else she has up her sleeve! I then leave the following Wednesday to fly out to Rome, Italy. Im meeting a bunch of my new American friends there until Sunday. Next stop is Florence where I will be spending over a week at which time I plan on sitting in a cafe somewhere drinking espresso, eating every single bit of Italian food I can get my hands on and just relaxing. One of my good friends from Keene is there as well so we have plans to do all sorts of fun stuff together. So far we have a trip to Venice and an Italian soccer game on the docket. I hope to rent a moped and do some touring outside the city. If I have time and a way to get there, Tuscany is only an hour outside of Florence. When I was there years ago, that was one of my favorite places. It was so picturesque with rolling hills with vineyards everywhere. My goal is to take a wine tour as well. Hopefully my Study of Wine course will help a little! Unfortunately I will be missing that class on Monday the 6th but I figured I would be drinking plenty of Italian wine to make up for it. That afternoon on the 6th, I fly from Florence to London, London to Edinburgh. Tuesday the 7th is one of my days off from class so I plan to just unpack and settle back into the routine of Edinburgh as well as post the hundreds of pictures I will be taking. Im bringing my laptop with me so hopefully I will be able to post a few times while Im traveling. I think overall the trip will be amazing and hopefully very relaxing. I want wish everyone a happy Easter. 
This morning I got up with a whole list of things to do and I seemed to get distracted (not a surprise) by the beautifully clear warm day outside my window. The sun was so strong and so warm it was just the kind of day you walk outside and you can’t help but smile and realize how great life is regardless of the bad things that have been going on. Across the street is the nicest little pastry shop so I headed over to get two pastries and a juice. Next door to the bakery is a wonderful fruit stand where I bought two plums.¬†I¬†came back to my room, grabbed my iPod and a blanket and headed back out to have breakfast in the park right outside my flat. I spread the blanket out under a big oak and looked up at the clear blue sky with not a cloud in it. Let me tell you, that is a rare experience here in Edinburgh. I slipped on my headphones and just melted into the grass as for the¬†briefest¬†moment, I didn’t have a care in the world. No thoughts of school, the work I had to accomplish, planning the final stages of my spring break trip, relationships… nothing. One of my favorite guitarists in the world is George Benson. He has a song called “Got To Be There”. The title was just so fitting of the moment that I was experiencing. You just had to be there.¬†As I got ready to head back inside and face reality and the pile of papers on my desk, the clouds started to roll in and even now as I’m typing this blog entry, the sun seems to drift in and out from behind the clouds catching my eye every once and a while in its short bursts of warmth. The moment was so perfect that it was if someone had planned it just for me.¬†Of all the fun things I am doing here in Scotland and all the traveling I have done and will be doing, I know this is one of those times that will stick with me forever. So simple, uncomplicated and so effortless, the moments that I enjoyed sitting under that tree.¬†
After last night I just have to ask… who said boys can’t cook? We definitely proved that statement wrong. Dinner consisted ¬†of an eight pound roast chicken, creamed¬†broccoli,¬†caramelized¬†carrots and bananas foster for dessert. It was pretty much amazing if I can say so. My flatmates and I invited the guys from Flat 1 to join us for our bi-weekly Sunday night roast. Picture this… nine guys all crammed into this tiny kitchen drinking wine, eating everything in sight and laughing so loud people outside were wondering if we were OK. The guys from across the hall each brought their own plates, forks, knives, chairs, and they even brought their kitchen table with them. After we finished dinner prepared by my flatmate Alan, I started cooking my bananas foster which I was quite pleased with. Of course they all got excited when I lit the rum on fire and¬†flamb√©ed¬†the bananas. They turned out the lights and started taking pictures. Im going to try to get a few of them and post them. It was a fun night girl free! We don’t usually have that considering yes we are all a bunch of guys and who would want to give up a night with the girls?¬†
