Break of a Lifetime!

Ciao Everyone!

Well all of my hard work during mid-terms has paid off! I did very well on my exams and projects, and had an amazing 10 day fall break throughout all of Europe!

I started with my friends Kelleigh and Sarah, on a trip to Greece. We had to catch a 4:30am train from Florence to Milan in order to catch our 12:20 flight with some time to spare. We arrived in Athens in the afternoon and caught the metro into the city. We found our hostel pretty easily, then we dropped our stuff off in our room and started to explore. Athens was a really cool city. One thing we noticed right from the beginning was stray dogs all over the city. We felt bad seeing these dogs all over the street, but we found out that the people who own the stores in the city feed and care for the dogs, so that was comforting.

That night we went out for dinner to a nice little restaurant. They gave us free drinks and dessert so is was definately ok with that! We walked around some more and found a Starbucks, which was awesome, because there are none in Florence. It was really nice to see something familiar from home. We went to bed relatively early that night in preparation for a busy morning.

The next day, we started our trek at the Acropolis. It was breathtaking! It was amazing to see all the ruins in real life after seeing them in so many classes and books. We got the the top and saw the Parthenon. I was speechless! I think I just stood there for like three minutes, staring at it without moving or blinking. It was one of the greatest sights I have ever seen. The Erecthion was really cool too. It is a temple that has these really cool columns that have been sculpted into humans. On our decent from the Acropolis, we walked down and saw the theater of Herod Atticus, which is actually still used today for musical and theatrical performances. We also checked out the Areopagos which is a rock formation, offering some really nice views of the city and the Acropolis.

After visiting the Acropolis, we got some awesome gyros for lunch! Only 1.90 euro! Then, we cut across the city and went to the Panathinaiko Stadium, where the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896. It was really cool! We then walked through the city gardens, and visited the ruins of the Temple of Zeus, and Hadrian's Arch. We then walked back towards the Acropolis, and went to the ancient Agora, which is an old area in the city of Athens which is mostly in ruins. There we looked at the Temple of Thission, which is very well preserved, as well as the reconstructed Stoa of Attalos.

After our ancient explorations, we went and got some dinner. I decided to try Mousaka, which is a traditional greek dish with a flaky base, and layers of meet, eggplant and cheese! It was soooo good! I had baklava for dessert which was also amazing! After dinner, we went to this really cool bar for a nightcap.

The next day, we had a 7:30am ferry from Athens to Santorini, so we got up pretty early to catch it! It was an awesome ride! It was a 9 hour trip, but it was really cool. The scenery was gorgeous and the islands we passed by were amazing! The best part was our approach into Santorini! I don't think I have ever seen any place more beautiful than Santorini in my entire life. I couldn't believe that that was where I would be spending the next two days! There is a volcano at the center surrounded by water, which is then surrounded by the island. The cliffs were beautiful, and the buildings were built into the cliffside which was also really cool! And the water was unlike any color blue I had ever seen. It was so pure and mystical.

We arrived at the port and the man who owns the villa we stayed at picked us up and drove us to Perissa, the small beach town where we were staying. Our room was amazing! We had beautiful views of the Aegean sea right out our window! We got down to the beach as fast as we could. The beach had black sand, which was really cool, and the water was crystal clear. I was up to my neck and I could still see my feet so clearly! That night we went out to eat at this restaurant on the Sea. It was really nice! We were looking for a place to go out (since I was turning 22 at midnight that night) so our waiter recommended that we got to this bar called fusion. It was really cool and it almost felt like a tiki bar! It was also nice that there was a small crowd, maybe eight of us total. The guys who own the bar found out it was going to be at midnight, so sure enough, the clock struck 12, and they were out with a blue tropical drink, with three lit sparklers sticking out the fruit (free of course). It was really cool, and we all had a blast that night! The best part was that suddenly, they started playing all 80's music, and anyone who knows me, knows how much I LOVE 80's music! We ended up going inside and dancing it up! It was a really great birthday night!

The next day, my birthday, was probably the best birthday of my life. We found out about a boat tour of Santorini for only 20 euro so we signed up for it! We started out at the port and took a really cool ship over the volcano! Yes, I climbed a volcano ON MY BIRTHDAY!!! It was sooooo cool! We climbed to the top and saw the crater and then hiked up the summit and saw some beautiful views of the island, and the sea. After our climb, we got back on the boat, and sailed over the an area near the volcano which has natural hot springs! We jumped off the boat and into the water and swam over the springs. It was really cool! A little smelly (because of the sulfur) but still awesome. After that we went to this town called Thirasia on and had lunch. The restaurant was on the side of a cliff, allowing for some more breathtaking views of the volcano, the island and the water. After that the boat dropped us off at our final destination, Ia. a city at the north end of the island. We were there in time to catch one of the greatest sunsets I have ever seen! It as an awesome day!

The ride back was interesting. We waited for the 7:05 bus to Fira (the main city on the Island) along with around 100 other people. It was a mad dash to get on the bus and people were vicious! luckily my friends and I got on unharmed, although kelleigh did have to sit on my lap so we could all be in a seat! lol! We got back to Perissa and I was so tired! We ended up going out to eat, and after dinner, I fell asleep at the restaurant! I wasn't too embarassed, though because we were the only ones there. We went back to Fusion that night and I got a coffee, and I ended up falling asleep at the bar! Apparently the coffee didn't help! Shortly after my final snooze, we went back to the hotel and decided to sleep in a little the next morning.

The next day we got up and had very relaxed day. Kelleigh and I walked along the beach, and explored around our town. We got some Gyros for lunch again ( I AM ADDICTED TO GYROS!!!) we pretty much spent the rest of the day lazing around and relaxing on our beach and drinking a couple of tequila sunrises (That one was the special of the day).

We got on our next Ferry at 5:45pm to Heraklion, the main city in Crete. We arrived a little after 8pm and took a bus to Rethymno, which is a little over an hour outside of Heraklion. We had planed on visiting the Palace of Knosses the next morning, but the bus schedule didn't work out for us, so we ended up just exploring around Rethymno which was pretty cool. Our flight to Milan was at 1:40 in the afternoon from Heraklion, and we arrived a little after 5pm.

Well that is half one of my break. I will post half two in the next few days! I hope all is well with everyone at home! Mom and Dad just got here today!!! I was soooooo excited to see them! I'm showing them all around the city tomorrow and I can't wait!

Ciao for now!!!
Brian

I'm Loving it!

Ciao Everyone!
I apologize for not updating you on my status for such a long time. Between traveling, and classes, I've been losing track of time! I can't believe I have been here for 6 weeks already!

I'll start 4 weekends ago, when I went on a school run trip to Sienna and San Gimignano. They are two Medieval Tuscan cities. Sienna was a rival city with Florence and was actually taken over by Florence at one time. Sienna has a really cool city center with a sloped landscape of pavers. After seeing the city center, we went to their Duomo, which was originally planned to be bigger than the one in Florence, but the city ran out of money, so it is actually much smaller, but still beautiful!

There is a museum located where the Original entrance was supposed to be for the Duomo, which has a tower that overlooks the city and surrounding countryside. I think the stairs to get up to the top were probably 2 feet wide for 2-way traffic, so getting to the top was interesting, but so worth it! The views were breathtaking!

San Gimignano was really cool as well. It is much smaller than Sienna, but has a stronger medieval character than sienna, as a significant amount of it's towers still remain.

That same weekend, my friends and I went on an archaeological excursion to Naples, Herculaneum, Sorrento, and Pompei! We started out in Naples, where we had the best Pizza in the world, which can be found at the Pizzeria Michele. We found out about this place from the book "Eat, Pray, Love." And thanks to Rick Steves' directions, we were able to find it in a snap! I literally almost cried while I was eating this pizza, it was that good. But I have to say, as of right now, that is the only pizza I have found here that is better than Baba Louie's in Great Barrington!

Next up was Herculaneum, A town of ruins that was destroyed in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The city was covered in volcanic ash for over 1,000 years before it was re-discovered and excavated. The ash helped to preserve these old buildings, which were in really good condition. Some didn't even look damaged at all! It was a really cool experience!

After Herculaneum, we went to Sorrento, a beautiful town on the Almalfi coast of Southern Italy. It was absolutely gorgeous! All around were these cliffs that rise up and out of the sea. I had never seen landforms that for so beautiful before! We all had our first hostel experiences in Sorrento as well, which waw pretty cool.

The next day, we went to Pompei, which was destroyed by the same volcanic eruption as Herculaneum in 79 AD. We had planned to climb Mt. Vesuvius, but it was closed due to weather conditions. We were bummed out but it cool because we were in POMPEI! It was a lot bigger than Herculaneum and had some really cool structures including an amphitheater and several gorgeous villas! It was awesome! The weekend was tiring, but we got to see so many things and it was so worth it!

The next weekend, I went on a field trip to Ceretto Guidi with my Architecture in Context class. Ceretto Guidi is a small city near Vinci (Where Leonardo di Vinci is from). It is mostly used as a passthrough town to get to Vinci and not much else. Our class was asked to develop proposals on improving the traffic flow of the city and making a better connection between the city center and beautiful surrounding countryside in order to give the town a new identity. It is a really cool project and I'm excited to be a part of it! We spent the whole weekend surveying the area, taking pictures, making obervations and interviewing the people of the town. It was intense, but a lot of fun!

Next up was probably the best weekend yet, OKTOBERFEST!!!! Oh my god, that was one of the highlights of my life! I had a BLAST at Oktoberfest! My friends and I went with this tour group called "Florence for Fun" We left on Friday night at Midnight, and arrived in Munich at 10am the next day. We walked into the festival and I had goosebumps! This rush of excitement came over me! It was so much bigger than I had ever imagined! During the weekend I met a so many cool people from all over the world, From Norway, to Chile, to Germany and more! The food was AMAZING! One of their highlights is roasted 1/2 chickens, and it was probably the best I have ever had in my life! And the beer, was OUT OF THIS WORLD! It was so good! The first day, we left the festival in the afternoon to explore around the city. We went to a cathedral, and we were able to climb up to the top, from which we were able to see the whole city and Oktoberfest! It was really cool!

The second day we spent the whole day at Oktoberfest! We actually got into some tents so that was pretty cool! The first day we weren't able to get in because there were so many people there. They actually had a record attendance of 1 million people the first day were were there! The ride home was interesting! We were supposed to leave at 5pm and get home around 1am, but of course there were people who were late for the bus, 2 HOURS to be exact! We didn't get home until 3:30am!!! It sucked because all of my friends and I had class at 9am that Monday morning, but it was so worth it!

Last weekend I needed a break from all the traveling, so I decided to stay in Florence, for the most part. I was able to catch up on some work and hang out with friends, whcih was really nice. On sunday, I did end up going to Cinque Terre with my friend Lauren. The Cinque Terre (five lands in Italian) are located on the coast of Northern Italy, and is the equivalent of a National park in the US. There are hiking trails that connect all five towns. The trails are all along the sea and offer breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape and the sea. It was gorgeous and a lot of fun!

This weekend I will be staying in Florence again to prepare for mid-term exams next week. Then after that is FALL BREAK! I will be Traveling to Greece for 5 days, making stops in Athens, Santorini and Crete. From there I fly to Ireland, where I will spend a night in Dublin and Galway. I'm meeting up with one of my friends from Roger Williams in Galway, and we are traveling together to Barcelona, Spain for the second weekend of break! I am so excited!

More good news! Mom and dad were able to change their trip, so they will be visiting me after break instead of Mid-Terms week! I'm so excited! Now I'll actually get to do thing with them while they are here!

Anyways, that is all for now! I miss you all and hope you enjoy reading about my adventures!

Ciao for now!

-Brian

Ciao amici!

Hi everyone!

Well, I have had another fun-filled and exciting week here in Florence! I don't think I have ever been happier in my life than I am right now. It is truly a great place to live and learn.

I'll start off with food. I don't know why, but I feel like I've lost all of my cooking abilities since I've gotten here. My apartment isn't well equipped with the things I usually use for cooking, such as a baking pan, come on really? I have an oven, but I can't even use it! lol! I think I might just buy one at the grocery store. I think also, in my mind it's an inconvenience to have to cook during the school year, since I'm so used to just popping into the dining hall, eating and leaving. I cooked a lot over the summer, and enjoyed it, but I also didn't have much else going on besides working, going to the gym, eating and sleeping. Now I have classes, and places to go and studio. I'm trying to work on it though. It really adds up when you keep going out to get sanwiches, and pizza and stuff!

On a happier food note, I have discovered this great sandwich place all of my friends have told me about. It is called The Oil Shoppe! It is SO GOOD! Their panini are delicious, the prices are great, and the people that work there are so nice! I told them how my friends recommended that I go there, and that they all loved it! The next time I went in, I brought one of my friends and they gave me some fries for free! The last time I went I had a conversation with the sandwich maker about architecture and sustainabilty, etc. It was really cool!

I have also tried aperetivo. Aperetivo happens at restaurants usually from 6-9, and usually serves as a light meal before a big dinner, but my friends and I use it as our dinner! lol! It's a cool concept. You buy a drink, and then you make your way to a buffet filled with "appetizer" type foods, like bruschetta, pastas, rice, finger sandwiches, etc. And most of the aperetivo buffets are unlimited, so you can go up until you're full. The one we went to only cost 7 Euro altogether, and as low as 5 depending on what you get for a drink! My friends and I are going again tonight!

Last Friday, I went to Chiani (the school took us for "free")! We got a tour of a vineyard, which also makes olive oil, then we had lunch and a wine tasting! It was the best red wine I have ever had! After lunch we were free to explore around the vineyard, we went down and ate grapes off the vine, even though we weren't supposed to! They were amazing! And the views of the countryside were absolutely beautiful!

On Saturday, I went to Pisa and Lucca. Pisa was pretty cool. I got a picture taken of me, where it looks like I'm holding up the tower, so that was fun. The Baptistry and Cathedral were really cool! I was so impressed with the architecture and the art. Unfortunately, I was kind of turned off by Pisa. All around these beautiful buildings are rows and rows of tourist store carts, trying to sell you t-shirts, nick-nacks, shot glasses, etc, and people trying to sell fake bags and sunglasses. I feel like those beautiful buildings don't deserve to be disrespected like that. Overall, I'm glad that I got there, though.

In the afternoon we went to Lucca, a Medieval walled city 30 minutes outside of Pisa. It was a small, but really cool city. Everyone rented bikes and rode along the city wall, which was a lot of fun. There were some great views up there, and some cool ruins as well.

This week I have gone on some class field trips, too! For my villas and gardens class, we went to the Palazzo Medici in Florence, and the Medici Villa in Fiesole. The Palazzo was the main home of the Medici Family in Florence, and the Villa was their escape outside of the city. It's so cool to be in a class where we learn about the buildings on site rather than in a classroom with slides!

I also took part in an opportunity to experience the Terrace of the Duomo. Every year on September 8, the Terrace of the Duomo is open to the public for free. It is located around the perimeter of the roof. It was AWESOME! The views of the city from there were beautiful, and being so close the architectural structures and details of the cathedral was really cool! Afterwards, I walked to class, and I was so happy! I must have been glowing or something because one of my friends asked me if I had just gotten a haircut or something, because I just looked really happy, and I responded with, nope, but I was just on the roof of the duomo! It was funny.

Several trips have been planned and booked at this point. Tomorrow, I am going to Sienna, on a school run excursion, to see the town and explore. Then on Saturday and Sunday, my friends and I are doing an archaeological trip, Making stops in Pompei, Herculaneum and Sorrento! I am so excited! I have also booked my trip to Oktoberfest, which is going to be AWESOME! A lot of my friends are going the same weekend as me, so it should be a great time! For Fall Break, My friends and I are planning a trip to Greece, making stops in Athens, Santorini, and Crete! So far for hostels and flights, it's only 350 Euros (just under $500), so I'm thinking of traveling to a few more places as well during break!

I also found out recently that Mom and Dad are coming to visit in October for 12 days so that will be exciting! Dad surprised mom for her 50th birthday/ 26th aniversary, so romantic! Unfortunately, they'll be here during my mid-term exams, but I'm glad, because it will be nice having them around during such a stressful time! And their hotel is literally a five minute walk from my apartment, which is awesome!!!

Anyways, I have to get going, Sorry this one was so long! Enjoy!

Ciao for now,

Brian

School is underway!

Hi Everyone!
Sorry it has been a while since I last wrote! I have been so busy getting settled into my apartment, exploring around Florence, and starting classes! Last week, the day after we arrived, we started our orientation program. The first day of orientation took place in this little Etruscan village set in the hills north of Florence called Fiesole. Fiesole offers one of the most beautiful views of Florence! It was breathtaking.

My roomates and I got back from orientation that afternoon and decided to do some grocery shopping. We ended up finding these two hole in the wall stores; one specializing in chinese foods, the other specializing in nothing. My first thought was, oh my god, I am going to starve for 4 MONTHS! I mean come on, one place had fish balls in their "frozen foods" section, AWESOME! Luckily, the next day I went to visit my friend Caitlin and see her apartment, and on the way, we passed by this really nice market called La Stanza. It's very big for a city market and has everything I can get at most American stores, but the food is of much better quality, Everything tastes better and fresher. I think it's becuase they have stricter laws on the use of preservatives and genetic engineering than we have in the US.

The first couple of days I did some exploring, sometimes with friends, other times by myself. It's so cool to walk around alone and soak it all in and find your own way around a new place (don't worry mom, I never walk alone at night). I think the coolest thing is being able to actually see the buildings and monuments I have been learning about in school for years! The duomo, Santa Maria Novella, the Ponte Vecchio, the Palazzo Pitti, even my own school building, the Palazzo Rucelai, is a building I have studied in my classes. feel like I have seen everything in Florence, but I know that there is much more to explore and see.

As I mentioned the food is great, expecially the desserts! Nutella. One of my new favorite sweets, it has the consistency of peanut butter, but in a chocolate form. And it is DELICIOUS! I had a Nutella Crepe the other day and it was AWESOME! I am also in love with Gelato, I have lowered myself to getting it once every two days which is pretty good. My favorite flavor is Pistachio, but I have been exploring my options. There is actually Nutella flavored gelato, which comes in at a close second to pistachio.

On Sunday, my friends and I went to Viareggio, a beach town just north of Pisa and around an hour and a half away from Florence by train. Viareggio is gorgeous! The water was beautiful, and the backdrop was breathtaking; huge snowcapped mountains! I had never seen anything like it. I mean, here I am, 90 degrees down at the beach, and I see Mountains with snow on top of them right behind me! It was so cool!

I have also started my classes; Monday was the first day! My courses for the semester are Italian I, Villa and the Garden, Architecture in Context, and Advanced Studio. So far they are all going really well! I really like all of my professors and I think it's going to be a really great semester!

I guess that is all for now! This weekend, I am going to Chianti, where I will get to do some wine tasting, and I am also going to Pisa and Lucca! I also have plans in the works with some of my friends to go up to Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest during the last weekend in September!

Ciao for now!

Brian

Day 1!

Well it is officially day one of my European adventure. I arrived in Florence around 7 hours ago and have loved every minute of it. My roomates and I got settled into our apartments and went off exploring as soon as possible! We started walking around and stumbled upon the the Duomo after, oh, 4 minutes of walking....Yes i live LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES away from the Duomo, but it gets better, I live around the same distance from the ponte vecchio, and the Uffizi. Everything is right here, and it is absolutely amazing! The city is breathtaking, moreso than I ever could have imagined! Especially at night! There are so many things going on around here at night, even on a Wednesday! Well, I'm off to bed, We have our orientation program starting early tomorrow!
Ciao for now!
-Brian

Let the good times begin!

OH HEY!!!
Welcome to my Euro-semester Blog! This fall, I am studying abroad in Florence, Italy. I am leaving on August 26 and returning home on December 14. Periodically, I will write about my adventures through Europe, and post pictures right here on this page to keep you updated! I'm so excited to get going! Thanks for reading!

Ciao for now!
-Brian