I settle into a chair at a round table occupied with unfamiliar faces, other than my best friend from school who had joined me on this wild ride of a semester. Everyone makes polite small talk, all in awe of where we are. As I sit in the dining room of The Grand Hotel Baglioni my first morning in Florence, eating my flavorless cereal and oddly enough, an assortment of cheeses, hundreds of thoughts roll around in my head. The room is filled with enthusiastic eyes and warm smiles of those I have never met before. Large glass windows cover the back wall, making me feel as though I could reach out and grab the red-orange Florentine rooftops. I hold up my phone, attempting to capture my first monumental moment abroad, unsure of what the next few months will bring. As I stand on the edge of a cliff in Positano, Italy, I am more than a little nervous about the fall. I never put myself in situations like this. Every slight breeze that passes feels as though it could knock me off the staggering rocks beneath my bare feet. The beating sun is seemingly at eye-level and my whole body is trembling. All I need in this moment is to drown out the screaming voices of my friends in the boat below and gain a burst of courage that people do so effortlessly in the movies. The fear I feel has completely taken over, but I know this is something I want to be able to say I did.
My left hand turns white because of the tight grip I have on my GoPro. After much hesitation, I take a leap forward on the count of three. I smack against the overpowering, salty water, which quickly flows through my mouth and up my nose, despite all efforts to avoid it. As I tread through the ocean, attempting to catch my breath, I feel accomplished. I am proud of how far I have come. I only have two more nights left in my apartment in Florence. I repeat that to myself and I cannot believe that it is true. I look back on these past few months and realize that time has never flown by faster. It has been said that traveling changes people. The experiences I have had, the places I have seen, and the people I have met along the way have changed me. I can see the slight differences in myself and the others in my position. The foreign has quickly become the familiar and Florence is now another home. It is because of this that I am inordinately sad about leaving the life I have created here. Yes, I am looking forward to seeing my friends and family. I am excited about being able to use my iPhone wherever I choose to do so. And I cannot wait to have access to my closet full of clothes I left behind. Although these things hold a fair amount of relevance in my life, I have learned to live quite comfortably without them. But there is not going to be anything to fill the void Europe is going to leave me with. This experience will forever be unmatched. This semester I was enrolled in Travel Writing. It was probably my favorite college class I have ever taken. The course consisted of writing about my own adventures as well as reading about the travels of others. Many of the short stories were exceptionally relatable, considering being in a new country almost every weekend was my normal at the time. There was one story by author Charles Finch with a particular quote that stood out to me. It simply says, "I guess the lesson is you can't go everywhere. You should still go everywhere you can." See the Eiffel Tower at night. Ride a donkey in Greece. Take a picture in a telephone booth in London. Smoke weed for the first time in Amsterdam. Lay on the beach in Barcelona. Gamble at Monte Carlo. Ride a gondola in Venice. Study abroad in Florence. These are all things I want to be able to say I did. And now I can.
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For as long as I can remember, I have talked about visiting Paris. I actually surprised myself by venturing to other European cities first. I had an indescribable love for this place I had never been to, inspiring the choice to take French in high school. I was going to be fluent in the language and go to Paris - that was the plan. But I have learned many a time, things do not always go as planned. And although it was a little later than I had originally planned, I made it. I was surprisingly comfortable making my way around. The metro system is not complicated, leaving my directionally challenged self extremely satisfied each time we reached a new destination without much trouble. It was also nice to catch a break from walking everywhere in a hurry while still having a chance to see what we wanted to. As the brisk Parisian air swirled around me, I strolled up to the Eiffel Tower. It was so much more massive than I had expected and lit up ever so perfectly. After only seeing photographs for so long, this glowing piece of history was finally in my presence. I peered through my lens, hoping to capture it all so I would never forget this feeling. I am not one to get emotional in such circumstances, but I found myself tearing up at the sheer sight of this golden, sparkling masterpiece. My green eyes attempted to focus through the saltiness, not wanting to miss a minute of its unique beauty. The combination of the darkness and the twinkling lights was one of my most magical moments. I am a lover of the touristy things in life, so I also visited the Love Lock Bridges (yes, apparently there are two). Although I currently do not have the name of someone special to write next to mine, I chose to participate anyway. I am also a lover of the cheesy things in life, obviously. My love lock reads - "Love is worth the wait". And once I do find that deserving someone, I am going to give him one of the keys. The City of Love lives up to its name with the charming streets and picturesque views around every corner. Everything in Paris is simply more lavish and elegant than anywhere else I have been, making me feel a little extra romantic than usual. Although I cannot form sentences in the language, I recognized a fair amount of words on buildings, menus, and overheard in conversations - more than I thought I would have. One of my roommates and I were out to dinner and I kindly asked the waiter for cheese. He acted as if he understood, walked away from our table, and held up Tabasco sauce. I shook my head in disapproval, but then it came to me. Fromage.
I guess French class paid off after all. Some people were born to travel.
The people who crave some type of adventure, who don't mind living out of a suitcase, and are not overcome with fatigue if departure is before the sun is up. The people who feel content on a bus or plane or train. The people who have an overwhelming desire to cross things off their bucket lists. The people who have the word wanderlust carved into their brains. I believe I am one of these people. I am diseased in the best possible way. Somewhat sickly. I caught the travel bug. I'm pretty sure I've always had it, but living in Europe has ignited a spark inside me. I look forward to every weekend more than ever before because a break from school means I have an opportunity to explore a new city. I've made my way around this continent a fair amount already, but I sometimes find myself feeling slightly disappointed. Only because there is simply not enough time to go everywhere before my time abroad comes to a close. Maybe saying this makes me seemingly spoiled and ungrateful. Well, I know that I'm spoiled. But I can also say I'm not ungrateful. I realize that I'm seeing and experiencing things most people will only ever dream about. I wish my friends and family could see through my eyes because it is all so indescribable. It's difficult to process what I'm actually doing here. I don't think it will ever feel real. I look back on the pictures I've collected from my travels thus far and almost don't believe I was the photographer. For quite a while, I was apprehensive about leaving my comfort zone in Charlotte. And I wasn't sure if leaving for a semester was something I wanted. I had always wondered what it'd be like to visit Europe. But I continued to feel doubtful. I love my life at school and never wanted to miss out on anything there. What if I had traveled over 4,000 miles and regretted ever setting foot on the plane? Whether I'm strolling past The Duomo of Florence on my walk to class, riding on a bus through the night to reach Prague, or catching a flight to Paris - there's not a doubt in my mind, I don't regret it for a second. Choose to wander because knowing is always better than wondering. Never in my life have I been somewhere so magical. The city untouched by world wars, known for its charming architecture, and home of the most delicious hot chocolate I have ever tasted. My new favorite place. Prague. Before coming to Italy, traveling to the Czech Republic hadn't even crossed my mind. It was just not one of the places I felt like I needed to see. I couldn't have been more wrong. We departed from Florence on Thursday night with tour operator, Bus2Alps. The bus ride was around 11 1/2 hours. I'm not sure how many hours of sleep I got in, but I was strangely awake when we arrived the next morning. We had a little over an hour to get settled at the hostel and eat breakfast before meeting in the lobby for a 3-hour walking tour. The hostel was extremely nice and clean. They served hot dogs at breakfast. I have a love/hate relationship with walking tours. It is a great way to get to know a city, especially being there for such a short period of time, but it's just a lot of walking. The tour guide can also make or break the experience. Unlike the guy who we followed around on bikes in Amsterdam, this tour guide was from Los Angeles and hilarious. Also, passing a Starbucks and TGI Friday's was the first taste of home I had gotten in a month, which was comforting. Everything in Prague looks somewhat fake, like every building and street was pulled straight out of a children's fairytale storybook. It's weird in the best way. I think that's why I liked it so much. Escaping from reality and being an idealist may just be the cure for everything. On Saturday night I participated in my first ever pub crawl. In Prague, beer is often cheaper than water. I should really learn to enjoy it. Although I opted for other drinks, the night was a great time. It was cool to meet people from all over who were in the same situation - 20-somethings studying abroad, just visiting Prague for the weekend. Must-sees: Charles Bridge - I'd say it's comparable to the Eiffel Tower in Paris or Big Ben in London. People don't visit and not see it. A cobblestone bridge with impeccably crafted towering statues and a spectacular view of the largest ancient castle in the world. What could be better than that? The John Lennon Wall - Whether you're a Lennon fan or not, just go for the pictures. The Petřín Lookout Tower - This was not a stop on either of our walking tours, but my roommates and I had some free time in the afternoon and decided this would be a great way to fill it. It is quite a hike to the top, but completely worth it. With each step I took I questioned where I was and what I was doing. Is this really my life right now? This was the first trip thus far in which the exhaustion hadn't utterly taken over. I was actually sad to be leaving. It's a strange feeling being sad about having to go back to Italy. I know, life is rough. But I will be back. I know this because I chose to touch the right plaque on a Charles Bridge statue rather than the left, granting me good luck and another visit to Prague. Let's hope the legend is true. Because I could always use some luck. But mostly because I want to see that dreamworld covered in snow. Studying abroad in Europe allows for many relatively cheap travel opportunities. My school doesn't even schedule Friday classes, giving students ample time to spend exploring other cities. It's almost impossible not to be spontaneous. Last weekend my roommates and I followed our impulses and took a weekend trip outside of Italy. First stop - Amsterdam. We decided staying in a hostel rather than a hotel would be the most practical option when it came to price and location. I'm pretty sure this was the most daunting situation I've ever put myself in. We walked through the door to find a steep staircase engulfed by harsh yellow and blue walls. To the left of the stairs was the lobby, but I'm not sure I could even refer to it as that. A young man with dreads stood behind the desk while several seated occupants made small talk. A large, black cat positioned on a nearby chair. After an aggravating check-in process, we made our way up to our rooms. A room that held 10 had an open bed with my name on it. There were already people who had made themselves comfortable, which freaked everyone out a little bit. We left as soon as possible. I think I slept a maximum of 3 hours that night. The next morning we took a bike ride. It's safe to say this was the longest bike ride I have ever been on. Taking a 3 1/2 - hour biking tour was a great way to get to know the city, especially when we had to squeeze everything into just a couple of days. My hands and feet felt like they were going to freeze off due to the more than crisp temperature and rain, but we fit in because we were riding bikes. We immediately noticed hundreds of locals on bikes, mostly because we almost got run over. Amsterdam has bike parking, paths everywhere you turn, and bike traffic lights. I don't think I even knew such a thing existed. Must-Sees: I amsterdam Sign - When I think about Amsterdam, this is what comes to mind. It's the perfect photo op to prove to all your Facebook friends that you visited the city. Warning, if you go during the day there'll be tons of tourists like yourselves. Go late at night, too. It was deserted when we went during that time. Coffee Shops - In America, the term "coffee shop" is pretty self-explanatory. But in Amsterdam, the term takes on a slightly different meaning. People basically go here to smoke weed. Legally. I have to admit it's definitely interesting to see, whether or not you have a desire to take part in the marijuana-smoking activities. It's strange to be surrounded by something in broad daylight, which is normally illegal. TFIOS - If you're at all a fan of The Fault in Our Stars book and movie phenomenon, just trust me and visit the bench. A portion of the movie was filmed there, making a random green bench along an Amsterdam street now an infamous landmark. People from all over the world go to this spot to take a picture where Hazel and Gus shared one of many intimate moments. No shame. Anne Frank House - I've always liked history, so making my way to the Anne Frank House was up there on my what-I-need-to-see list. Everyone is somewhat familiar with her story, but being present where everything took place was pretty cool. What stood out to me the most was a voiceover I heard as I walked through the museum. It said Anne Frank always wanted to be a famous writer. Little did she know as she wrote in her diary that her thoughts and experiences would later be published and read by so many people. Before visiting, I read multiple times that Amsterdam is a place you have to visit if you have the chance. I can now say the same. I don't think there's anywhere else quite like it. So join the bikers. Because they will not stop for you. After months of discussion, paperwork, and preparation, I have finally arrived in Florence, Italy. I haven’t even been here a week, but it feels as though I’ve been here for months. Leading up to my departure, I had mixed emotions. Winter break was long, which caused a build up of excitement and panic. All my friends were going back to school and I already felt like I was missing out when I hadn’t even left yet. But when it came down to my final day in America until May – I was ready. Traveling throughout Europe has been on my bucket list for quite awhile, but I honestly wasn’t sure if the trip would ever happen. And here I am, sitting in my apartment in Florence with six other girls, five of whom I just met. It’s crazy to think that I am in another country, so far away from home. Keeping that in mind, I’ve already realized there are so many aspects of living here that I’m going to have to get used to. I guess change and a new environment is what I signed up for, but actually being here is so much different than simply talking about it. Jetlag/Time Difference – Sure, the jetlag isn’t permanent, but I’m definitely feeling it. Taking a 4-hour nap in the middle of the day will never again feel this satisfying. Also, being six hours ahead of my friends and family is strange to think about. My days in Florence just begin while they are sound asleep. Lost and Confused – I don’t think I’ve ever looked at a paper map before with the intent of actually using it to find a specific location. Well, there’s a first time for everything. I am pretty directionally challenged as it is, so navigating the foreign streets of Florence is interesting to say the least. Language Barrier – I know, it seems obvious. But I really took notice to this when I asked for change at a restaurant and the waiter was unsure of what I was trying to communicate. Also, saying I would like to order “the same thing” as someone else got me a puzzled look in return. Attempting to read menus and labels can be challenging. FYI, a marinara pizza does not have cheese on it. Wifi – I am only able to use my cell phone when there’s wifi available. I currently have an Italian SIM card in my iPhone 6 which should allow for a little more freedom, but I couldn’t tell you whether it’s working or not. Many restaurants and various buildings do have free wifi, but the quality is not the best. For someone who rarely puts her phone down, this has been frustrating. Living Situation – Never before have I lived with so many people. I’ve also never had a washing machine in the kitchen. And after I use the washing machine, I don’t have the option to put my clothes in the dryer. Heating in Italy only comes on at certain times of the day, keeping my apartment set at a chilly 64-68 degrees. Hopefully my warmer clothes don’t take too long to air-dry. As I begin the semester on Monday and get to know this city better, I can only assume there will be more new and unique developments. I’m usually not a fan of change. But Florence, I’d say you’re pretty convincing. |
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