So I'm sitting here in an emptying apartment realizing two things: 1) i am a senior in college which freaks me out in itself but also that my time in Cork has officially come to an end. I took my last exam and have nothing else waiting for me. It's really time to start the packing process that I've put off for so long and finally stop denying that it's time to go.
I took my last final exam this morning and as I was leaving campus almost broke down because it was my last time on campus as a UCC student. I hope to be back one day but it won't be the same because I won't be living in Cork or attending school, I will be just another tourist walking the streets I've come to know so well.
After my exam, I was wandering around taking pictures of things I wanted to remember and all the pubs we visited so frequently. It's such an odd feeling knowing that in just 48 hours I will be back to Geneva and my familiar surroundings. I am not too worried about the adjustment back home because I'm so excited to see my friends and family but I have grown up so much while being here that although everything will be the same my outlook on life will be new. I have become so independent and have realized what's truly important to me in life.
Cork has treated me well and I know that none of this would have been possible without the love and support of my friends and family. So I want to thank them for everything. Thank you parents for believing in me, letting me have this experience, supporting me emotionally and financially. Thank you to my friends for the cards, newsy emails and facebook messages letting me know that I was missed. Thanks to the friends that I've made here who made this experience that much more memorable. I have had the best 5 months of my life and have made so many memories that I won't soon forget. I fly home Thursday leaving Cork at noon and with the time change getting into Chicago at 7:20pm. It will be a long day but i'm excited to be home and relax for a bit. I hope you all have enjoyed reading what I've been up to the last 5 months and will see everyone very soon, :)!!!
Love you,
Marissa
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
The Hills are alive with the Sound of Music...
Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start...
Well, yes I am a nerd and because I love the Sound of Music so much decided to head to Salzburg, Austria where a lot of the movie was filmed to see the sights. I took off on Tuesday and rode the 4 hour bus ride to Dublin to fly to Salzburg to meet Caitlyn. My flight was a bit delayed and then had to bus and walk from the train station so got in late Tuesday night. Wednesday morning we got up and boarded the tour bus to see all of the scenes from the movie. We were picked up at your hostel by a kind man named Marcus who with the thickest German accent I've heard saying "You want to come with us?" and smiling from ear to ear. We then went and picked up the rest of our group and started our 4 hour journey. We began at the backside of the villa, saw the gazebo, the abbey, the lake district, the gardens and the church that Maria and the Captain were married in. Everything was so beautiful and just as I remembered it. The tour was fun too because our guide told us lots of little tidbits from the movie that were behind the scenes stuff or mistakes that I'm going to watch for next time I see the movie. Later in the afternoon, we walked around the Old Town area and did some window shopping. We had some Wiener Schnitzel at our hostel for dinner and called it a night.
Thursday we got up early and decided to buy the Salzburg card which got us discounts to many of the areas attractions. We took the bus to Untersberg Mountain which is the tallest in Salzburg and took a cable car to the peak. It was beautiful up there and had some of the most amazing views I've seen so far. We were so high up that there was snow on the ground but the sun was out so it was actually pretty warm up there. We then went back into town and hiked up to the top of the fortress after failing to find the funicular cable car. Again, a beautiful view of all of Salzburg was before us. We took the funicular back down and walked around a bit before relaxing along the river and enjoying the weather. It was great while we were there, about 75 and sunny both days.
Friday it was time to head to Dublin to meet Maggie and Molly for the weekend. We got up and headed to the airport where our flight through London was running a bit late. Our connection times were already a bit tight so we were getting extremely worried. We landed in London with 25 min to spare before our check in desk closed. We power walked to passport control and luckily the Non EU line was non existent and Caitlyn's bag was one of the first to come out so we then ran to the check in counter and the lady told us we were 1 min late but she would "let it slide". We were pretty lucky and then ran to security which again luckily didn't take long and ran to our gate where we made our flight, thank god! We arrived in Dublin a little behind schedule and then waited in line for almost an hour at passport control. Although it was a bit frustrating and our patience was running short we were just glad that this long line hadn't been in London when we were in a huge hurry. Once in Dublin, we took a bus that dropped us a block away from our hostel and got checked in. The weekend was great and I'll write about that later this week. Caitlyn is back in Cork with me now and is hanging out until Thursday when she goes to continue her travels in Spain. Molly started packing everything up tonight because she is heading home on Tuesday, it's crazy.
Hope everyone is doing well. Miss you and see you in a little over a week!!
All my love!
Well, yes I am a nerd and because I love the Sound of Music so much decided to head to Salzburg, Austria where a lot of the movie was filmed to see the sights. I took off on Tuesday and rode the 4 hour bus ride to Dublin to fly to Salzburg to meet Caitlyn. My flight was a bit delayed and then had to bus and walk from the train station so got in late Tuesday night. Wednesday morning we got up and boarded the tour bus to see all of the scenes from the movie. We were picked up at your hostel by a kind man named Marcus who with the thickest German accent I've heard saying "You want to come with us?" and smiling from ear to ear. We then went and picked up the rest of our group and started our 4 hour journey. We began at the backside of the villa, saw the gazebo, the abbey, the lake district, the gardens and the church that Maria and the Captain were married in. Everything was so beautiful and just as I remembered it. The tour was fun too because our guide told us lots of little tidbits from the movie that were behind the scenes stuff or mistakes that I'm going to watch for next time I see the movie. Later in the afternoon, we walked around the Old Town area and did some window shopping. We had some Wiener Schnitzel at our hostel for dinner and called it a night.
Thursday we got up early and decided to buy the Salzburg card which got us discounts to many of the areas attractions. We took the bus to Untersberg Mountain which is the tallest in Salzburg and took a cable car to the peak. It was beautiful up there and had some of the most amazing views I've seen so far. We were so high up that there was snow on the ground but the sun was out so it was actually pretty warm up there. We then went back into town and hiked up to the top of the fortress after failing to find the funicular cable car. Again, a beautiful view of all of Salzburg was before us. We took the funicular back down and walked around a bit before relaxing along the river and enjoying the weather. It was great while we were there, about 75 and sunny both days.
Friday it was time to head to Dublin to meet Maggie and Molly for the weekend. We got up and headed to the airport where our flight through London was running a bit late. Our connection times were already a bit tight so we were getting extremely worried. We landed in London with 25 min to spare before our check in desk closed. We power walked to passport control and luckily the Non EU line was non existent and Caitlyn's bag was one of the first to come out so we then ran to the check in counter and the lady told us we were 1 min late but she would "let it slide". We were pretty lucky and then ran to security which again luckily didn't take long and ran to our gate where we made our flight, thank god! We arrived in Dublin a little behind schedule and then waited in line for almost an hour at passport control. Although it was a bit frustrating and our patience was running short we were just glad that this long line hadn't been in London when we were in a huge hurry. Once in Dublin, we took a bus that dropped us a block away from our hostel and got checked in. The weekend was great and I'll write about that later this week. Caitlyn is back in Cork with me now and is hanging out until Thursday when she goes to continue her travels in Spain. Molly started packing everything up tonight because she is heading home on Tuesday, it's crazy.
Hope everyone is doing well. Miss you and see you in a little over a week!!
All my love!
Friday, May 9, 2008
Current updates on my wonderful life
Hello all-
So the past week or so has been filled with relaxation, surfing, studying, and a little bday celebration. After London I was pretty wiped out and ready to relax for a bit. Since I got back, I've been doing some research for my 2 finals which are May 26th and 27th while still trying to enjoy the little time that I have left here. We are all running a little low on money so have been hanging around Cork and occupying our time in other ways.
Last Saturday Maggie, Molly and I decided to head to Kinsale (about 20 min from here) to try our luck at surfing. The weather wasn't the greatest but we took the bus and arrived for our 2pm lesson. After the huge-long process of putting on the wetsuits we were ready to hit the waves. Our Austrailian instructor had on layer upon layer of clothing atop his wetsuit and informed us that he thought the water was pretty cold compared to back home, obviously. Once he had given us a few pointers, we hit the waves which really weren't that cold because the wet suit kept you pretty warm and the only skin exposed was your face and hands. The waves started to get a little more intense and we were all getting thrown around quite a bit so after moving to a new location a few times, he told us it wasn't safe to continue. We were a little bummed but our lesson was only cut short by 15 min. It was a fun day and one that I won't soon forget.
This week was the big 21st bday celebration. Although it's not really a big deal in Ireland because you can drink when you're 18, we celebrated in style. Our plan was to attempt what they call the "Barrack St. Challenge" which is a street that has 13 pubs in a row and the point is to get a drink at every pub. We started at the first two but then a few of them were closed along the way so we just started a pub crawl of our own. The festivities began at 3pm and went until midnight. It was a fun time and a great way to celebrate my birthday. Everyone was good and drunk and had a great time. The night ended with Maggie buying shot after shot after shot of who knows what.
The actual bday was the next day, Thursday, and was very relaxing which is just how I wanted it to be. I'm not huge into the whole woo it's my bday, look at me, look at me. We had our big party the night before so I spent the day enjoying myself and hanging out. We went to see a movie, Forgetting Sarah Marshall which was good. Nothing is censored here though so that made things interesting. After the movie, Katie, Maggie, Molly and I got dressed up and went to a delicious Chinese restuarant and got the 3 course special. Needless to say we were all bursting by the end of it but it was well worth the 12.95. I then spent the evening relaxing and reading. I've been cruising through books now and am currently reading A Salty Piece of Land by Jimmy Buffet on request by Nikki.
I'll be studying some more this weekend and then am heading out again on Tuesday to go meet Caitlyn in Salzburg, Austria to see the Sound of Music tour and where it was filmed, i can't wait. We will then fly back to Dublin and meet Maggie and Molly for the weekend and go to the State Radio concert, we're pretty excited. Caitlyn comes back to Cork for a few days before continuing her travels. Then it's time for me to finish up my 2 finals and head home, i can't believe it. Less than 3 weeks. Hope everyone is doing well and ready for a great summer! WOO!!
Love and miss you all!
So the past week or so has been filled with relaxation, surfing, studying, and a little bday celebration. After London I was pretty wiped out and ready to relax for a bit. Since I got back, I've been doing some research for my 2 finals which are May 26th and 27th while still trying to enjoy the little time that I have left here. We are all running a little low on money so have been hanging around Cork and occupying our time in other ways.
Last Saturday Maggie, Molly and I decided to head to Kinsale (about 20 min from here) to try our luck at surfing. The weather wasn't the greatest but we took the bus and arrived for our 2pm lesson. After the huge-long process of putting on the wetsuits we were ready to hit the waves. Our Austrailian instructor had on layer upon layer of clothing atop his wetsuit and informed us that he thought the water was pretty cold compared to back home, obviously. Once he had given us a few pointers, we hit the waves which really weren't that cold because the wet suit kept you pretty warm and the only skin exposed was your face and hands. The waves started to get a little more intense and we were all getting thrown around quite a bit so after moving to a new location a few times, he told us it wasn't safe to continue. We were a little bummed but our lesson was only cut short by 15 min. It was a fun day and one that I won't soon forget.
This week was the big 21st bday celebration. Although it's not really a big deal in Ireland because you can drink when you're 18, we celebrated in style. Our plan was to attempt what they call the "Barrack St. Challenge" which is a street that has 13 pubs in a row and the point is to get a drink at every pub. We started at the first two but then a few of them were closed along the way so we just started a pub crawl of our own. The festivities began at 3pm and went until midnight. It was a fun time and a great way to celebrate my birthday. Everyone was good and drunk and had a great time. The night ended with Maggie buying shot after shot after shot of who knows what.
The actual bday was the next day, Thursday, and was very relaxing which is just how I wanted it to be. I'm not huge into the whole woo it's my bday, look at me, look at me. We had our big party the night before so I spent the day enjoying myself and hanging out. We went to see a movie, Forgetting Sarah Marshall which was good. Nothing is censored here though so that made things interesting. After the movie, Katie, Maggie, Molly and I got dressed up and went to a delicious Chinese restuarant and got the 3 course special. Needless to say we were all bursting by the end of it but it was well worth the 12.95. I then spent the evening relaxing and reading. I've been cruising through books now and am currently reading A Salty Piece of Land by Jimmy Buffet on request by Nikki.
I'll be studying some more this weekend and then am heading out again on Tuesday to go meet Caitlyn in Salzburg, Austria to see the Sound of Music tour and where it was filmed, i can't wait. We will then fly back to Dublin and meet Maggie and Molly for the weekend and go to the State Radio concert, we're pretty excited. Caitlyn comes back to Cork for a few days before continuing her travels. Then it's time for me to finish up my 2 finals and head home, i can't believe it. Less than 3 weeks. Hope everyone is doing well and ready for a great summer! WOO!!
Love and miss you all!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Come on you blue boys!!
Molly, Caitlyn and I just spent the weekend in London and we had such a great time. We got in late Friday night and had planned to meet at the airport. Caitlyn had missed her flight from Rome so didn't end up getting until after midnight so Molly and I hung around the airport for a while waiting for her. Once she arrived we took the hour bus ride to our hostel and got checked in. We were pretty dead by the time we got there so just went to bed to get some rest for the rest of the weekend.
Saturday morning we got up early and headed to Birmingham on a 2.5 hour bus ride. We were going to see Liverpool play Birmingham and we were soooo excited. We got there and Molly and I could barely hold back our excitement. The game was so great..it ended up being a tie 2-2 but the goals were exciting and the crowd was so into it. They had so many songs that they sang and chants that they had. There was an old drunken man behind us who was screaming obscene things but kept us entertained. We took the bus back to London and got back just after dinner. We got cleaned up and then went down to the bar of our hostel. We ended up meeting some German guys who were fun to chat with and a boy that goes to Iowa State actually, small world.
Sunday was our touristy day. We decided to do a free walking tour so figured out our way on the tube to get there and took off. The tube is so intense and can get you pretty much anywhere in the city that you want to go to. The tour took us to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard, St. James Palace, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. Our tour guide was hilarious and very informative. After the tour we walked around a bit and then headed to the Soho area for some shopping. After wandering around, we returned to our hostel to get cleaned up before heading out. In the hostel that night, we met a group of Italian guys in which only 2 spoke english so between them translating for the others and Caitlyn trying to speak some Italian, we communicated successfully. They were funny and thought we were so great haha.
Monday, Caitlyn had an early flight so she headed out and Molly and I weren't flying out until 7pm so we explored a bit more. We went in search of the Tower Bridge and Tower of London. Again, we found it on accident which we are so good at doing while traveling. We took some pictures and walked around. We also found the Globe Theater and decided to take the tour. It was really cool on the inside. It's all open on the top and our tour guide told us the story and history of it, it was really interesting. We decided we should probably head back just to be safe so went back to collect our luggage and take the bus ride to the airport. Once we got to the airport, check-in and security were giving us a hard time over silly little things like fees we hadn't paid and our luggage being too big so we were worried we wouldn't get out of the airport alive but survived and made it home safe and sound.
It was a great trip but it feels so wonderful to be back home and relax for a little while. I'm a little traveled out at the moment because I haven't been home and able to relax in Cork very much. The next few weeks will be filled with studying and hanging around before my birthday and my final trip to Salzburg and Dublin. I can't believe how quick time is flying by. Tomorrow is May 1st and then i'm into my last month here, crazy! Well I hope everyone is doing well and I can't wait to see everyone in just a short while!!
All my love,
Marissa
Saturday morning we got up early and headed to Birmingham on a 2.5 hour bus ride. We were going to see Liverpool play Birmingham and we were soooo excited. We got there and Molly and I could barely hold back our excitement. The game was so great..it ended up being a tie 2-2 but the goals were exciting and the crowd was so into it. They had so many songs that they sang and chants that they had. There was an old drunken man behind us who was screaming obscene things but kept us entertained. We took the bus back to London and got back just after dinner. We got cleaned up and then went down to the bar of our hostel. We ended up meeting some German guys who were fun to chat with and a boy that goes to Iowa State actually, small world.
Sunday was our touristy day. We decided to do a free walking tour so figured out our way on the tube to get there and took off. The tube is so intense and can get you pretty much anywhere in the city that you want to go to. The tour took us to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard, St. James Palace, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. Our tour guide was hilarious and very informative. After the tour we walked around a bit and then headed to the Soho area for some shopping. After wandering around, we returned to our hostel to get cleaned up before heading out. In the hostel that night, we met a group of Italian guys in which only 2 spoke english so between them translating for the others and Caitlyn trying to speak some Italian, we communicated successfully. They were funny and thought we were so great haha.
Monday, Caitlyn had an early flight so she headed out and Molly and I weren't flying out until 7pm so we explored a bit more. We went in search of the Tower Bridge and Tower of London. Again, we found it on accident which we are so good at doing while traveling. We took some pictures and walked around. We also found the Globe Theater and decided to take the tour. It was really cool on the inside. It's all open on the top and our tour guide told us the story and history of it, it was really interesting. We decided we should probably head back just to be safe so went back to collect our luggage and take the bus ride to the airport. Once we got to the airport, check-in and security were giving us a hard time over silly little things like fees we hadn't paid and our luggage being too big so we were worried we wouldn't get out of the airport alive but survived and made it home safe and sound.
It was a great trip but it feels so wonderful to be back home and relax for a little while. I'm a little traveled out at the moment because I haven't been home and able to relax in Cork very much. The next few weeks will be filled with studying and hanging around before my birthday and my final trip to Salzburg and Dublin. I can't believe how quick time is flying by. Tomorrow is May 1st and then i'm into my last month here, crazy! Well I hope everyone is doing well and I can't wait to see everyone in just a short while!!
All my love,
Marissa
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Next phase of traveling
So it's difficult to put so much time and experience into words without taking up this whole page so i'll provide a nutshell of the last few weeks the best that i can...
So after Rome and Capri, I took off for Venice to go meet Maggie. Molly headed home to Cork and I trudged on. Sitting on the train on the way to Venice I came to realize how independent I have become. I was on a train...by myself... in the middle of Italy in hopes of finding Maggie at the other end. It ended up working out just fine but the realization hit me hard. We met up in Venice and found our hostel with very little trouble. Got all checked in and headed to town for the evening. We had dinner right along the water, it was great. The following day was a bit rainy and a bit of a downer but walking through the city was amazing. We went to San Marco Square and saw all of its glory. It was enormous, a bit overwhelming. Luckily, it was rainy and there were no birds because i'm not really a fan of birds that attack you. We didn't do a gondola ride because they were crazy expensive and the weather wasn't the greatest. After the few days in Venice, Maggie and I continued on to Barcelona. We got in late Monday night and checked in to our hostel which was so great. Hello BCN was what it was called and it was definietly a highlight. Everyone was our age and the atmosphere was great. We explored the city, saw all the sights, and enjoyed the warm weather. We saw La Sagrada Familia, the Olympic Stadium, Camp Nu (the barcelona soccer stadium) among others and walked down La Rambla which is the main shopping strip. We met some really cool people in our hostel and went out with them one night. Breakfast was included which was nice because that saved some money there. We had a delicious meal our last night there including tapas and paella...it was wonderful. We also enjoyed some Sangria. After Barcelona it was on to Nice for the last leg of our trip. Our flight was way early Friday morning so we decided to not sleep Thursday night and go to the airport at 3am. The problem with Ryan Air (the cheap airline in Europe) is that they often plop you down an hour outside the city and without clarifying make you pay another 10 euro usually to ride a bus to the actual city. This was a big problem in Barcelona because the airport was an hour outside the city and for our 6:45 am flight, it wasn't looking good. We somehow pulled ourselves together and made it to the airport and caught our flight to Milan. Once in Milan we had to take another bus to the actual city where we got on a train to Nice.
Once we arrived in Nice it was so great. We were finally there and after a long day of traveling it was nice to check in and relax. We met up with Maggie's friend Michael and hung out for a bit before getting to bed early. The next morning we took a train to Monaco which is a 15 min ride from Nice. Apparently it's a different country and has it's own government and everything...kinda crazy. We walked around, took some pictures of the beautiful scenery and had a great lunch along the water. We got to bed early that night in preparation for the 1/2 marathon the next morning.
So, going into the race neither of us had really trained at all or run in the last 3 weeks but we gave it our all and somehow, i still have no idea how, ran the whole thing. We crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 8 minutes. The last 4 miles were really rough but I helped us pass the time by telling stories of all of the crazy travel adventures we had had so far. It was all along the Meditterean so it was definitely worth it and an experience that I won't soon forget. Later that night and part of the next day I had some trouble walking but it helped that the whole next day we spent laying on the beach and soaking up some rays. I was sad to come back to Cork but at the same time was ready to have some clean clothes and relax before my next adventure.
I had my French final this afternoon which went well and now Molly and I are off tomorrow to meet Caitlyn in London for the weekend. After London, I will be hanging out in Cork for a bit to celebrate my birthday and then Caitlyn and I are hitting up Interlaken and Salzburg. I am starting to realize how close to the end my time is coming. It's very bittersweet because it will be so great to go home but at the same time I don't want this experience and life here to end. I only have 2 finals left which aren't until May 26th and 27th so I'm hoping to enjoy this last month and take nothing for granted.
I hope everyone is doing well back home, i miss you all and can't wait to see you in just over a month!!
All my love,
Marissa
So after Rome and Capri, I took off for Venice to go meet Maggie. Molly headed home to Cork and I trudged on. Sitting on the train on the way to Venice I came to realize how independent I have become. I was on a train...by myself... in the middle of Italy in hopes of finding Maggie at the other end. It ended up working out just fine but the realization hit me hard. We met up in Venice and found our hostel with very little trouble. Got all checked in and headed to town for the evening. We had dinner right along the water, it was great. The following day was a bit rainy and a bit of a downer but walking through the city was amazing. We went to San Marco Square and saw all of its glory. It was enormous, a bit overwhelming. Luckily, it was rainy and there were no birds because i'm not really a fan of birds that attack you. We didn't do a gondola ride because they were crazy expensive and the weather wasn't the greatest. After the few days in Venice, Maggie and I continued on to Barcelona. We got in late Monday night and checked in to our hostel which was so great. Hello BCN was what it was called and it was definietly a highlight. Everyone was our age and the atmosphere was great. We explored the city, saw all the sights, and enjoyed the warm weather. We saw La Sagrada Familia, the Olympic Stadium, Camp Nu (the barcelona soccer stadium) among others and walked down La Rambla which is the main shopping strip. We met some really cool people in our hostel and went out with them one night. Breakfast was included which was nice because that saved some money there. We had a delicious meal our last night there including tapas and paella...it was wonderful. We also enjoyed some Sangria. After Barcelona it was on to Nice for the last leg of our trip. Our flight was way early Friday morning so we decided to not sleep Thursday night and go to the airport at 3am. The problem with Ryan Air (the cheap airline in Europe) is that they often plop you down an hour outside the city and without clarifying make you pay another 10 euro usually to ride a bus to the actual city. This was a big problem in Barcelona because the airport was an hour outside the city and for our 6:45 am flight, it wasn't looking good. We somehow pulled ourselves together and made it to the airport and caught our flight to Milan. Once in Milan we had to take another bus to the actual city where we got on a train to Nice.
Once we arrived in Nice it was so great. We were finally there and after a long day of traveling it was nice to check in and relax. We met up with Maggie's friend Michael and hung out for a bit before getting to bed early. The next morning we took a train to Monaco which is a 15 min ride from Nice. Apparently it's a different country and has it's own government and everything...kinda crazy. We walked around, took some pictures of the beautiful scenery and had a great lunch along the water. We got to bed early that night in preparation for the 1/2 marathon the next morning.
So, going into the race neither of us had really trained at all or run in the last 3 weeks but we gave it our all and somehow, i still have no idea how, ran the whole thing. We crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 8 minutes. The last 4 miles were really rough but I helped us pass the time by telling stories of all of the crazy travel adventures we had had so far. It was all along the Meditterean so it was definitely worth it and an experience that I won't soon forget. Later that night and part of the next day I had some trouble walking but it helped that the whole next day we spent laying on the beach and soaking up some rays. I was sad to come back to Cork but at the same time was ready to have some clean clothes and relax before my next adventure.
I had my French final this afternoon which went well and now Molly and I are off tomorrow to meet Caitlyn in London for the weekend. After London, I will be hanging out in Cork for a bit to celebrate my birthday and then Caitlyn and I are hitting up Interlaken and Salzburg. I am starting to realize how close to the end my time is coming. It's very bittersweet because it will be so great to go home but at the same time I don't want this experience and life here to end. I only have 2 finals left which aren't until May 26th and 27th so I'm hoping to enjoy this last month and take nothing for granted.
I hope everyone is doing well back home, i miss you all and can't wait to see you in just over a month!!
All my love,
Marissa
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Spring Break-2 weeks of paradise
So it's been a while since I last blogged but I was out and about traveling all over Europe. It's hard to put the last 2 weeks into words so for this first post I'm going to stick to the first week which was spent in Italy with time in Rome, Sorrento and Capri. Molly and I took off early wednesday morning to catch our connecting flight through Dublin before heading off to Rome.
We arrived in the afternoon and Caitlyn, a friend from high school, was there waiting to pick us up. It was so great to see her and tears were shed. We figured out that we needed to take a bus, a train and another bus to get to her apartment because the cheap European airline tends to plop you down about an hour outside of the actual city which isn't very convenient but hey the flights are cheap. We eventually got back and she cooked us a delicious dinner before we went out and got out first gelato which was amazing. We were pretty tired from traveling so we went to bed early to prepare for our full day of sightseeing the next day.
The next morning Caitlyn had class so Molly and I set off on our own to check out the sights. We saw Piazza Venenzia, the Pantheon, the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and a bone church all in one day. It was a lot but well worth it. The bone church was like nothing i had ever seen before. It was art made up of old monk bones...even the light fixtures and walls were covered with art made of pelvis' and fingers....kinda creepy but pretty cool. Later that night, we went to meet up with Caitlyn's friends and hung out with them which was fun.
Friday morning Molly and I headed to the Vatican to see St. Peter's Basilica. We had directions from Caitlyn but got a little turned around and ended up running into it on accident which would be a trend of the rest of our travels. We decided to climb the 551 steps to the top of the cupola and had a beautiful view of all of Rome, it was amazing. Later that night we went back to the Trevi Fountain and saw it lit up at night and made our two wishes. We went to bed early because we were heading down to meet Caitlyn and her friends in Sorrento and then to the island of Capri. We got up and found our way without trouble and somehow located our hostel even though neither of us spoke any Italian, it was all luck. It was in the middle of no where and up the narrowest roads i had ever seen. At one point there was a car coming and we had to lean up against the wall so we wouldnt get hit. We got checked in and waited for the others to arrive. We hung out and relaxed that night before taking a ferry to Capri Sunday morning.
Capri was beautiful. The water was so blue and the cliff sides were breathtaking. We walked around a bit and did some window shopping before deciding to take a boat tour all around the island. Our boat took us into caves and under arches, it was beautiful. We still needed to get back to Rome so after our boat tour we grabbed some lunch and took the ferry back up to Naples and then trained back to Rome. Molly and I were both leaving early Monday morning- Molly back to Cork and I was on to Venice to meet up with Maggie so we got to bed early. It was such a great week seeing all of the history that Rome has to offer and standing in front of the monuments that you hear so much about. It's crazy that people walk by these things everyday and now think nothing of it and that modern structures have gone up right alongside these century old buildings. It was sad to say goodbye to Caitlyn but we will be traveling together again to London and then for a week later on in May. I boarded the train Monday morning and was off to meet Maggie in Venice....
We arrived in the afternoon and Caitlyn, a friend from high school, was there waiting to pick us up. It was so great to see her and tears were shed. We figured out that we needed to take a bus, a train and another bus to get to her apartment because the cheap European airline tends to plop you down about an hour outside of the actual city which isn't very convenient but hey the flights are cheap. We eventually got back and she cooked us a delicious dinner before we went out and got out first gelato which was amazing. We were pretty tired from traveling so we went to bed early to prepare for our full day of sightseeing the next day.
The next morning Caitlyn had class so Molly and I set off on our own to check out the sights. We saw Piazza Venenzia, the Pantheon, the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and a bone church all in one day. It was a lot but well worth it. The bone church was like nothing i had ever seen before. It was art made up of old monk bones...even the light fixtures and walls were covered with art made of pelvis' and fingers....kinda creepy but pretty cool. Later that night, we went to meet up with Caitlyn's friends and hung out with them which was fun.
Friday morning Molly and I headed to the Vatican to see St. Peter's Basilica. We had directions from Caitlyn but got a little turned around and ended up running into it on accident which would be a trend of the rest of our travels. We decided to climb the 551 steps to the top of the cupola and had a beautiful view of all of Rome, it was amazing. Later that night we went back to the Trevi Fountain and saw it lit up at night and made our two wishes. We went to bed early because we were heading down to meet Caitlyn and her friends in Sorrento and then to the island of Capri. We got up and found our way without trouble and somehow located our hostel even though neither of us spoke any Italian, it was all luck. It was in the middle of no where and up the narrowest roads i had ever seen. At one point there was a car coming and we had to lean up against the wall so we wouldnt get hit. We got checked in and waited for the others to arrive. We hung out and relaxed that night before taking a ferry to Capri Sunday morning.
Capri was beautiful. The water was so blue and the cliff sides were breathtaking. We walked around a bit and did some window shopping before deciding to take a boat tour all around the island. Our boat took us into caves and under arches, it was beautiful. We still needed to get back to Rome so after our boat tour we grabbed some lunch and took the ferry back up to Naples and then trained back to Rome. Molly and I were both leaving early Monday morning- Molly back to Cork and I was on to Venice to meet up with Maggie so we got to bed early. It was such a great week seeing all of the history that Rome has to offer and standing in front of the monuments that you hear so much about. It's crazy that people walk by these things everyday and now think nothing of it and that modern structures have gone up right alongside these century old buildings. It was sad to say goodbye to Caitlyn but we will be traveling together again to London and then for a week later on in May. I boarded the train Monday morning and was off to meet Maggie in Venice....
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
It's finally time to take off
So this past week has been extremely low key but very relaxing. After the week with my parents, I came home on Monday and was able to just hang around Cork. I spent the week trying to save money, write my history paper and run errands before I leave TOMORROW. ahh I'm so excited! The paper is done and I am pretty much ready to go. I still have some packing to do but am sooo excited to take off. Molly, Maggie and I are leaving early tomorrow morning to catch a flight to Dublin and then splitting up when Molly and I will go on to Rome and Maggie to Verona to meet up with friends. Molly and I get into Rome tomorrow afternoon where Caitlyn (my friend from High school) will be picking us up. We will stay with her until Saturday and then travel with her and her friends to Naples and Sorrento. Molly is then heading home on Monday and I will be going to Venice to meet Maggie where the two of us will continue our travels.
We will stay in Venice for a night and then fly out late Tues for Barcelona, which I can not wait for. Everyone I talk to says that Barcelona is so much fun and wonderful. We will be in Barcelona for 3 nights before heading to Milan for the day in route to Nice. We will get to Nice late Friday and stay until Tues when we fly home to Cork. Sunday is the big day...the 1/2 marathon...we are going to do our best but haven't trained a whole lot so may take our cameras along and take pictures of the beautiful scenery as we walk along. We will fly home on Tuesday morning after almost 2 full weeks of traveling. I plan on being pretty tired.
Once I get back on Tuesday I have to pull myself together because my French final is that Thurs so it will be good to maybe practice and "study" (??) while in Nice. That Friday Molly and I are taking off again to meet up with Caitlyn in London for the weekend. It's going to be so much traveling and so much money spent but I CAN NOT wait!! I am just going to have to budget and save money where I can. I'm not sure what my internet situation will be while I'm traveling so if you don't hear from me for a while, don't worry I haven't forgotten about you and I will write to everyone as soon as I can. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the ending of the school year. Miss you all!
Lots of love!
We will stay in Venice for a night and then fly out late Tues for Barcelona, which I can not wait for. Everyone I talk to says that Barcelona is so much fun and wonderful. We will be in Barcelona for 3 nights before heading to Milan for the day in route to Nice. We will get to Nice late Friday and stay until Tues when we fly home to Cork. Sunday is the big day...the 1/2 marathon...we are going to do our best but haven't trained a whole lot so may take our cameras along and take pictures of the beautiful scenery as we walk along. We will fly home on Tuesday morning after almost 2 full weeks of traveling. I plan on being pretty tired.
Once I get back on Tuesday I have to pull myself together because my French final is that Thurs so it will be good to maybe practice and "study" (??) while in Nice. That Friday Molly and I are taking off again to meet up with Caitlyn in London for the weekend. It's going to be so much traveling and so much money spent but I CAN NOT wait!! I am just going to have to budget and save money where I can. I'm not sure what my internet situation will be while I'm traveling so if you don't hear from me for a while, don't worry I haven't forgotten about you and I will write to everyone as soon as I can. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the ending of the school year. Miss you all!
Lots of love!
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