So Far...

First, I want to say that I'm thinking about everyone dealing with the effects of Hurricane Sandy right now. I'm worried about all of you. Please stay safe and smart (and enjoy your days of rest)!

Also... I voted!! I don't get a sticker, but I'm still pumped about it.

My Semester So Far:

Countries Visited: 6
(7 if you count a layover in Norway)

Cities Visited: 13


Days Spent Abroad: 73

Days Remaining Abroad: 46


Flights taken: 14

Flights remaining: 6
(Including flights back to US, more likely 8 if I plan one more weekend trip)

Bikes stolen: 1
(Oh yeah. Didn't mention this, but I'm devastated. Somebody cut my lock and snatched my bike while it was in the courtyard outside my house.)

Also...

Happy Halloween!!

Long Study Tour: London

I went directly from Paris to London where I met with my European Trends in Communication class for a 5 day study tour in London.

I did a terrible job taking pictures, but we did a lot of great things. I did not, however, see the sun ONE TIME the entire week. It's sunny today in Copenhagen. Rare, but thank goodness after a full week of rain. I'm so over rain.

Highlights: (Pictures are below the list)

-Stayed at the Thistle City Barbican
-Saw Saatchi Gallery (Modern, mostly unkown artists)
-Famous Jamie's Italian restaurant
-BBC Television Center tour and visit
-Harrods
-Burson-Marsteller Public Relations firm
-Lectures from Carol Nahra and Nick Anstead
-Oxford Street (and bought jeans from Uniqlo!!)
-Marble Arch
-London Eye (again...)
-Saw Wicked (by myself...) on the West End
-Stonehenge and a reunion with Liz and Will Slinger
-Bath, England and the ancient Roman baths
-Lord's Cricket Grounds
-Afternoon tea

Things I noticed:

-Seeing Wicked made me miss my family a lot. I haven't seen a musical in a long time and I associate it with them.

-I could see myself working at a PR firm like Burson-Marsteller, which really surprised me. I have shied away from PR for a while now.

-I never shop in CPH, but bought some clothes in London!

-I am happy while I travel. I stay busy and love seeing things and moving around and tiring myself out.

-Seeing Liz and Will Slinger, some very dear friend who I haven't seen in far too long, was perfect. I'd like to plan a trip back to England for a weekend to spend some more time with them.

-Cricket is a weird sport.

-Bath, England is gorgeous.

Kensey and Michelle on the Tube escalator. I feel like I spent half my time in London the the tube.

BBC TV Center

Kensey and Kate at Burson-Marsteller

Reunion with Liz!!

So good to see William :)

Stonehenge. Reminds of the shirt Luke has that says Stonehenge Rocks!

Bath, England. Orange Grove.

Roman Baths at Bath, England

Roman Baths at Bath, England

Bath, England

Bath, England.

Overall, the study tour was great. I have some complaints about the disorganization of the planning, but I understand it's hard to coordinate 35 twenty-year-olds.

I got back to Copenhagen at 12:30am last night. At 2am, I skyped in to VSMT's performance of Lucky Stiff. I didn't even mind being awake until 4:30am. I was so glad to see all these people I love completely in their element at Villanova. It was wonderful.

I'm back in CPH now for a couple of weeks. Will keep everyone posted. This concludes my five blog posts in a row!!

Villanova Reunion in Paris

Last weekend, NINE abroad Villanovans reuinted in Paris for a mid-semester study abroad get-together.

The crew:

Me, studying in Copenhagen.
Olivia Davis: Studying in Paris (provided the trundle bed for me and floor for 5 others! A champ.)
Sarah Moya: Studying in Dublin
Hope Tennery: Studying in Galway
Erin Digan: Studying in Galway
Denis Whelan: Studying in Alcalá, Spain
Rosa Altomare: Studying in Alcalá
Sarah Dunbar: Studying in London
Caroline Garger: Studying in Milan

I arrived in Paris Thursday night with directions to the metro stop nearest Olivia's apartment and her international phone number in hand. Upon attempting to call her at about 11:30pm upon my arrival, though, my phone refused to connect with hers. The call would not go through. I didn't have her address. I didn't have internet. Trying not to panic after several places were closed or would not offer me internet and almost resigning to sleep on the street, I begged a cafe for a minute of internet. The owner agreed. I had time to send Olivia a frantic facebook message before, oh, the power went out and I again was in the dark.

10 minutes later, though, Olivia came strolling down the street to rescue me. Seeing her for the first time was such an awesome feeling. We spent the summer together seeing each other every single day and living in the same room. A reunion was only natural.

We got to her (beautiful) apartment and Skyped with Wes and JJ for a few hours, which was wonderful!! Then, Hope and Erin arrived and we all spent the early hours of the morning catching up. Being around Villanovans, like I said about Dee and Marissa, was unspeakably relieving. It's so comfortable, easy, and natural.

Because I'm posting about 5 blogs posts today, this will be less detailed. I want to list the highlights we saw and just let everyone know that it was an incredible weekend together. There are pictures below.

Some highlights of what we saw/ did:

-Eiffel Tower
-Traveling exhibit of bears from each country of the world (see pics below)
-Eat Crepes
-The Louvre
-Notre Dame
-Arc de Triomphe
-Funiculaire to Mont-Marte and Sacre Cœur
-Rained all day on Saturday
-Palace of Versailles

Eiffel Tower

Ireland bear with abroaders from Ireland

Spain

Denmark

Arc de Triomphe

Notre Dame

Notre Dame

Villanova at Versailles

 Villanova at Versailles

Eating Mousse and being a moose

Hearing about everyone's time abroad, sharing cultural stories and differences, exchanging things we've learned or hope to learn, and spending time together in Paris was such a treat. I love this group. I can't wait to get back to Villanova with all of you and share more of what we learned around the world.

Halfway Point Reflections

The halfway point of the semester fell on October 14, while Bri and I were in Barcelona with Dee and Marissa. I'm so glad we were with our friends from Villanova as we reached that milestone.

Finally, at this point in the semester, I know I can do this. Corny, I know. But it took me a long time to know that. Sometimes, I still have to convince myself it's true. Studying abroad has simultaneously been one of the hardest and most rewarding things I've ever done. I have now spent 9 full weeks away from home and the places and people I know. I will spend 7 more weeks the same way.

I have days where I wake up feeling energetic and excited, curious and content. Those days are frequent. I've realized they have been primarily while I have been traveling. I do LOVE the city of Copenhagen and being here. But I like moving around. I always have. It gives me a sense of purpose, motion, and progress. And I've realized my homesickness is totally under control and happiness levels are high while I travel.

There are other days (like today for example, my first day back in CPH after a lot of travel) where I wake up feeling a little lost. 7 more weeks is still a long time to have to wait 6 hours after waking up for your friends in America to wake up. It's a long time to not be able to call your family or friends, to have to plan Skype dates in advance and wonder if you'll be able to rely on technology to get in contact with the people you want to get in contact with.

One of the people I miss the absolute most apparently had a realization last night that he hadn't seen me in over two months. The text I got from him rang so true. It seems to have hit him in the same way it has hit me. Missing someone is uncomfortable. It's empty and daunting. And though every rational part of my being knows that soon I'll be reunited with those I miss and that technology makes staying in touch 100% possible, the emotional side of me is almost mourning the time I spend without those people I'm missing.

Luckily, my parents will be here in a little less than 2 weeks for a 10 day visit. I can't wait. I'm sure it will be refreshing and it will add a lot to my remaining time here. A taste of home. I wish though, that one or all of my siblings could come with them.

Being abroad has also made me realize my connection with my siblings. Many of you have seen my tattoo, the 3 simple words in Italian, "I Quattro Inseparabili." The inseparable four. Matt, Luke, Julia, and me. Every day, I can't help but think of how true it is. Not once have a gone through a day that I have not thought of each of them. Every amazing thing I see and every cool experience I have, I wish I could share them with them. I want them all to be seeing the things I'm seeing. I feel so connected to all of you even from so far away. Maybe it has to do with how we were raised, with genes, with our personalities, or any combination thereof. But I'm so lucky to have my siblings. I'm so lucky that I miss them so much. And I'm lucky to know I'll see them soon!

Despite my struggles, this is amazing. I'm meeting amazing people and doing amazing things. I'm taking incredible pictures. I feel myself growing as a person. I'm starting to understand the world a little differently. I try to take time regularly to reflect on how lucky I am to be doing everything I'm doing. More than anything, I think I'm learning about myself. I'm so grateful for everything, including the things that have made being away from home so hard. 

Barcelona and London with Villanova Loves!

From October 12-17, Marissa and Dee, two of my best friends from Villanova, flew across the Atlantic to visit me and Bri during their fall break at Villanova. Talk about good friends.

To start at the beginning:

-Bri and I left CPH at 10:30pm on Friday the 12th. We flew from CPH to Norway, and spent a freezing cold uncomfortable night in the Oslo, Norway airport. Persistence and some sneakiness got us a bench to share for the night, but it wasn't fun. By 4:30am we were up and getting ready for our flight to Barcelona.

Saturday 10/13:

-Our flight to Barcelona was, of course, delayed. We had no way to contact Dee and Marissa, who'd be waiting for us in the airport. We finally made it there and found the girls (miraculously) quite quickly. I can't describe what it felt like to be reunited with them after 2 months of being abroad. To say it was a relief would be a massive understatement. One of the things I struggle with most abroad is the lack of comfort. Everything is new and unfamiliar. Being with Bri, Marissa, and Dee, even though we were in Barcelona, was just so familiar and comfortable. It couldn't have been more refreshing.

-Dealing with jet-lag was rough for Marissa and Dee, but they powered through. The first day, fresh off our flights, we checked into our hostel. The hostel was at a perfect location, situated just off La Rambla, an incredible main drag in Barcelona just south of the famous Placa Catalunya. First, we explored the world famoous outdoor market, La Boqueria. It's one of my favorite places in Barcelona. It's colorful, crowded, and crazy with fruits the size of your head and foods you've never seen.

-We then walked all the way to the famous church, Sagrada Familia. I've been to Barcelona several times before and have seen Sagrada Familia twice, but it never gets less amazing. It is one of my favorite places to visit in the world.

-Pretty exhausted, we took a metro back toward La Rambla after Sagrada Familia. We all took a much needed siesta (when in Spain, eh?) before getting ready to go out for the night. We were lucky enough to be celebrating Dee's 20th birthday on this trip. That first night, we got dressed up, went out for tapas and sangria at a tapas bar called Rita Blue, then continued to explore Barcelona despite our exhaustion. Our next stop was a famous bar called Chupitos (spanish for shots). There, you can order off a crazy extensive list of creative and delicious shots. Some highlights:

Favorite: The Boy Scout. A shot is poured and you are handed a mini marshmallow on a stick. The BAR ITSELF is then LIT ON FIRE, where you are encouraged to roast your marshmallow. After roasting, dip your marshmallow in the shot, take the shot, then eat the marshmallow. Delicious.

-The Willy Wonka: Chocolate Liqueur & Kahlua, topped with whipped cream and a chocolate square

-Tutti Frutti: No idea what's in it. Sweet and fruity and refreshing.

Generally, it was the perfect way to ring in Dee's birthday! Exhausted after our long days, we called it a night. 

Sunday 10/14: Dee's birthday!!

The next morning, Bri and I snuck out of the hostel and got Dunkin' Donuts (Bri cried when she saw Dunkin' the first time. We miss America) iced coffee for the girls. We woke them with a chorus of Happy Birthday and started another day together.

First, we explored El Barri Gotic, the gothic neighborhood of the city. One of the oldest arts of the city, it has a ton of character and charm. I love the entire city of Barcelona, but El Barri Gotic is my favorite place to explore and get lost in for a day. We visited La Catedral, the famous cathedral in El Barri Gotic.

Us in El Barri Gotic

After exploring for a bit, we walked toward Port Vell and the water. Not a far walk, we continuted on the beach. We picked up some bread, meat, and cheese from a grocery store and spent the entire afternoon on the beach together. It was gorgeous weather. The sun was much needed and so wonderful.

Selfiez on the Beach!

We went back to the hostel, where we showered in the tiny showers, took a mini siesta, and got ready for the night. We went out to dinner to celebrate Dee's birthday on Rambla Catalunya. We all shared tapas (Patatas Bravas, Toasted bread with tomato, a few liters of sangria, and a spanish omelette. We then shared two massive pans of paella. Bri mentioned that the sangria was so good that she "could swim in it." Dee opened birthday cards from us at dinner and we shared a perfect meal.

We then walked to an Irish bar called George Payne. We got the suggestions from a girl we'd met the previous night. At the bar, we ran into several Villanovans studying abroad in Barcelona!! It was hysterical.

An amazing suprise: The GIANTS game was on in the bar. And it was karaoke night. It was unreal. We stayed at the bar for hours. We split two pitchers of mojitos (SINCE WHEN DO MOJITOS COME IN PITCHERS), I filmed the rest of the girls singing One Direction karaoke as the last song of the night, and we enjoyed being together. It was one of the best nights I've had all semester. We went back to the hostel around 3:30am (EARLY for Barcelona) and spent a few more hours bonding.

Monday 10/15:

Bri frantically woke us at 10am. None of us set an alarm the night before and we forgot check-out from the hostel was 11am.

After a frantic clean up and check out, Dee was struggling a lot from the shenanigans of the night before, so we unfortunately left her to rest in the hostel for a few hours.

Marissa, Bri and I went back to La Boqueria, the market, and explored some more. We tried some adventurous spanish foods, got yelled at by a lot of vendors for taking pictures and not buying anything, and just enjoyed the sights. We moved on to El Barri Gotic once more and explored, letting ourselves get a little lost.

Before a tapas lunch in El Barri Gotic, we collected Dee and visited a beautiful Placa Reial. The green parrot-like birds in all the palm trees could hold my attention for hours. Being in the sun again for the day was incredible.

After that, we collected our things from the hostel and made our way to the airport. We flew (on separate flights unfortunately) to London. On that flight, I decided British Airways is the bomb. Everyone and their mother was commenting on the fact that I was traveling with a bright green pillow ("You know it's only an hour flight, right!?", "You must be going camping!", "Don't get too comfy!")

We had the privilege of staying in a Marriott in London. Dee's dad used his Marriott points to book us a  VIP room. It was INCREDIBLE. We are so lucky and so thankful. We were greeted with free wine and ice cream, plush beds, clean rooms, and a huge shower. It was luxury I haven't seen in a long time.

Tuesday 10/16

After a free VIP breakfast in the executive lounge, we first visited Buckingham Palace via Oxford Road. We walked there from the hotel, exploring all of Oxford Road and the major shops near Marble Arch.

One of Marissa's best friends, Marissa Walton, is studying in London. We met up with her and spent the rest of our time with her.

Next, we continuted to the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. There, we saw the Crown Jewels and explored the tower. 

After that, we shared an incredible lunch and afternoon tea and a quaint spot called Kitchen. Our waiter was flamboyant and hysterical and it was a great little cafe.

Next, we continued to the famous London Eye to see a sunset view of the city. The London eye is basically a massive, slow moving ferris wheel. It holds enclosed pods that overlook some of the city's greatest sights. It was incredible at sunset.

Big Ben

The London Eye

After the London Eye, we visited Big Ben and Westminster Abbey at night. We then visited Marissa's dorm (gorgeous!) and Whole Foods for dinner. I missed hummus.

We all visited Sports Bar at Picadilly Circus, where we again ran into a ton of Villanova study abroaders. The bar was very american, but we had a great time before returning to the Marriott for the night.

Wednesday 10/17

The next sad morning, Bri and I left Marissa and Dee for the airport to return to Copenhagen. Seeing them, even for a short time, was so incredibly perfect. The halfway point of the semester fell in the middle of our trip together. Being with the girls reassured me in a way I didn't know it could. It affirmed that once we're reunited next semester, things will return to normal. We fell together flawlessly during our trip as if no time had passed. I can't wait to spend next semester with them.

A Bit of a Warning

Here is my disclaimer:

I have been traveling very consistently for a solid couple of weeks now. I got back to Copenhagen last night and it's time for me to start blogging about my adventures.

That being said, a LOT has happened. I'm going to break it up into a few more manageable posts. Some will be about how I'm feeling, others fully about things I've done or seen. So, if you subscribe to my blog and get an influx of emails about new posts, I apologize. I just feel like a couple of posts is better than one massive post.

Here goes nothing...

Quick update

I have a ton to report on. I got home from an incredible vacation with my best friends from Villanova in Barcelona and London about 45 minutes ago. It was perfect. I have also officially reached the halfway point of the semester and have a lot to say about that.

Unfortunately, I have a test on Kierkegaard's Authorship, a test in Women, Art, and Identity, and a Danish quiz tomorrow, so I don't have time to write a real blog post.

Also, at 7pm tomorrow I leave for Paris for the weekend to see tons of Villanova people (Olivia, Caroline, Rosa, Sarah, Hope, Erin, and Denis) and will go directly from Paris to London with a class for 5 days. I'll be back next Friday, so expect a very long post and tons of pictures next weekend.

Love to everyone!

Frustration.

It's only 12pm, and I'm so frustrated I could cry.

Went to the dentist this morning because I've been having pain in one of my teeth.

Back story: A few years ago, I cracked a molar chewing ice and had to have the crack filled. That molar also happens to be a baby tooth with no adult tooth behind it, so it will never fall out and will just be a baby tooth forever. It's been hurting for about 2 weeks, so I've been trying to make appointments and I've even gone to several walk-in hours at the dentist, but the language barrier makes this difficult and I keep getting told to come back a different time.

Anyway. Today, I get to the walk-in dentist at 7:45am because it opens at 8. There were already a few people there, and when I took a number, I was #11. Not bad.

So I waited. 11 is not called until 9:45. So at this point that's already 2 hours of waiting. They tell me immediately I need an x-ray to know anything. So I walk down the hall, wait 20 minutes for an x-ray, get an x-ray taken, then they send me back down the hall until someone can read the x-ray.

I wait until 11:30. Almost 4 hours of waiting, now. They finally call my name. This is the conversation I had with the dentist at this point:

Dentist (Pointing at the X-ray): This molar is a primary tooth (aka baby tooth)
Me: Yes, I know.
Dentist: It has a filling already.
Me: Yes, it does. I cracked the tooth a few years ago.
Dentist: You have pain?
Me: Yes, I told you. It hurts, but it isn't too bad.
Dentist: We can take it out to stop the pain.
Me: The tooth!?
Dentist: Yes.
Me: No, I don't want to remove the tooth. Why? Is there a cavity near or beneath the filling?
Dentist: There is some inflammation, but you can't really see on an x-ray.
Me: Ok so what does that mean?
Dentist: I don't know. We could do a temporary filling and see if that makes it better. We have to take this filling out to see if there is anything going on below.
Me: And if it gets better with a temporary filling?
Dentist: We'll put in a new permanent filling.
Me: And if a temporary filling doesn't help the pain?
Dentist: Root canal. But I've never heard of a root canal on a primary tooth. So I don't know. Also, we are too busy. No more patients today, you have to come back tomorrow morning at 8:15. We'll remove the filling and look underneath it then.

Case in point: I waited 4 hours at the dentist to be told that I need to come back tomorrow.

Ok, done wallowing. Off to write a paper.

Travel Break to Athens & Milan

Ok, brace yourselves. This is going to be a long post.

Over the past 8 days, I have had a break from school and got the chance to do some more traveling. I wrote down everything we did while traveling, and I'll relay it all to you!

Our first stop was Athens, Greece. Me, Bri, Aimee, Ben, Dylan, Casey, and our new friend Kris flew from Copenhagen to Athens on Saturday night. Warning: I was a lot better at taking pictures in Athens than I was in Milan. Sorry!

Saturday 9/29:
When we stepped off the metro in Monastiraki Square, the sight was incredible. We looked up to see the Acropolis, lit at night, far above the city. The only appropriate word to describe it is majestic. The square, too, was full of entertainers, live musicians, people eating outside, and general liveliness. Did I mention it was 80 degrees?

Monastiraki Square and The Acropolis

On the first night, we found a street vendor selling authentic gyros for 2.20 Euros. Probably the most delicious thing in the whole world and a perfect dinner for poor students. Our hostel, the Pella Inn, was located just a few blocks from Monastiraki Square. Great location, great hostel. Couldn't have been happier with it. 

Sunday 9/30:
Our first full day in Athens was dedicated to seeing all of the main historical sites around the city.

We started at 10am by climbing to the top of the Acropolis. On the way to the Acropolis, we passed the Roman Agora.

By chance, we visited the Acropolis on day when entrance was completely free, an awesome surprise. The day was already hot. Around 90 degrees. I have no complaints, though. A break from rainy Copenhagen was very welcome. Sites of the city on the way to and from the Acropolis are breathtaking, and the Parthenon itself is incredible. Such an impressive experience. The hundreds of other people viewing the Acropolis with us that morning definitely agreed :)

View of Athens on the way to the Acropolis

View of Athens on the way to the Acropolis

The Parthenon

View of the Acropolis from the walk up

Following the Acropolis, we visited the New Acropolis museum. It was an amazing museum, definitely one of my favorites I've ever been to (especially considering I wouldn't call museums my #1 fav attractions.)

After the New Acropolis museum, we wandered East of the Acropolis to the neighborhood called Plaka. Plaka was possibly my favorite part of Athens. A neighborhood with labyrinthine streets North and East of the Acropolis, it was densely populated, colorful, and exciting. We ate a delicious traditional Greek lunch of Moussaka, Souvlaki, Calamari, and Greek salad. We spent hours wandering around Plaka, doing a lot of shopping (I bought gifts for myself, Mom, Bub, Matt, Luke, & David in Athens. LOVED everything I saw), and wandering the streets. It's my favorite way to see a city. Every Greek shop owner was friendly and eager to help.

[Side note: We counted. Throughout my time in Greece, 7 different Greeks asked me if I was Greek or from Athens!]

After Plaka, we made our way to Kerameikos, an ancient cemetery. Kerameikos is incredible. Knowing this burial ground has been in use for around 3,000 years is mind-boggling. Unfortunately, we got there around sunset and the museum about Kerameikos was closed.

Following about 8 straight hours of wandering the city by foot, we took a little break. We went back to the hostel to rest & gather ourselves before getting another gyro for dinner. After dinner, we went to a little cafe/bar across from our hostel and ordered some wine and baked feta. After a few minutes, Michael Promisel, my dear friend who I've known since 4th grade, met up with me and my group. We spent time at the cafe, then went to the hostel's roof to enjoy the gorgeous evening. Seeing Michael and catching up with him throughout my time in Greece was so much fun.

Things I noticed about Athens:

-Much louder than Copenhagen

-Lots of COLOR!

-Crazy traffic patterns

-Dirtier than Copenhagen: Lots of graffiti and trash cans are just cardboard boxes

-There are historical sites everywhere. So amazing.

Monday 10/1: Island Day

Instead of spending the day in Athens again, we took the opportunity to see one of the world-renowned Greek islands.

Early in the morning, we hopped on a metro to the port, Piraeus, and bought a ferry ticket to the island Aegina. The ferry was just over an hour in each direction. Aegina is famous for its pistachio farms and is rumored to have the most delicious pistachios in the world (which I agree with). 

We arrived in Aegina to some of the most blue water I've ever seen. This day was pretty simple for all of us. We spent the day lounging on the beach and in the gorgeous water. We sampled fresh pistachios from the Aegina farms. I played with the stray kittens all over town. It was a gorgeous, perfect day.

That night, we returned to Athens and, of course, had gyros for dinner. Soon after, Michael brought a bunch of his friends to Monatiraki and we all went out for a few drinks. It was great to talk to students from a different study abroad program. Their program has only about 75 students, where ours has nearly 1,000. His friends are great and we all agreed to meet up again the next night.

Tuesday 10/2

Tuesday was another day spent exploring Athens. We started in the morning by trying to find a large market that we'd been told about. We never found it. 

We made our way to Syntagma Square and the site of Parliament, where a lot of the recent riots have taken place. It was a quiet day, though, until later when we saw a lot of police presence and left the area.

We explored the National Gardens of Athens, where I got pooped on by a bird for the first time ever while watching Army cadets in training.

After that, we made our way to the amazing Temple of the Olympian Zeus. The columns still standing at the Temple are incredibly impressive. The ruins surrounding the temple, too, are in great shape, and there is a great view of the Acropolis from the site.

Syntagma Square

Temple of Olympian Zeus

Temple of Olympian Zeus

After the temple, we walked past the President's residence and noticed a ton of police around Syntagma Square. Not wanting to get involved in anything we shouldn't, we left the area.

Bri and I returned to a shop near the Acropolis to buy a tapestry we'd seen the previous day. The girls split up from the boys, and we got frozen greek yogurt (absurdly delicious) and wandered around before retiring to the hostel for an hour-long siesta before dinner.

That night, we ate- you guessed it- gyros and greek salad for dinner. After dinner, we walked to one of Michael's friends apartments to help her celebrate her 21st birthday. We got to taste the traditional greek liquor, Ouzo, and we all hung out and mingled for a while before returning to the hostel. Because we were leaving the next day, I had to say goodbye to Michael, but hopefully will get to see him in London later this semester.

Wednesday 10/3

In the morning before we had to leave Athens, we finally found the market we'd been looking for. It was a huge open air market with tons of fruits, veggies, meat, fish, nuts, and goodies. Markets are beautiful and crazy, and this one was no different.

Because we didn't have much time before we had to head to the airport, we all had one more gyro, wandered around the shops, and said goodbye to the city and sites before leaving. At the airport, I said goodbye to the rest of the group (who went to Rome), and left for Milan.

In Milan, I met up with Caroline Garger just outside the city. 1) Seeing Caroline was amazing. 2) Milan is a fabulous city! I stayed with Caroline with her host family for the 4 days I was in Milan. Her family is wonderful. Enrico, Clelio, and their two daughters Francesca (18) and Elisa (11) are a lovely family. Very welcoming and sweet. They also cooked me the first home cooked meal I've had made for me in 2 months. And they did the same every night. It was amazing. We had a relaxing night, talking and catching up for hours, and we even got to Skype with Minor Problem for a few minutes. 

Thursday 10/4

Unfortunately, Caroline had class from 9am-3pm on Thursday, so I did a lot of exploring by myself. I was totally fine with that, though, and loved seeing the city again. I was there once before a few years ago, but I feel like I had a better chance to see the real Milan this time!

Places I explored:

-Outside and inside Il Duomo

-Piazza del Duomo

-Piazza Scala, Teatra all Scala

-Galleria

-Via Dante

I noticed as I explored that my head has become a jumbled mess of foreign languages. Between English, Danish, Greek, Italian, and my head reverting to the Spanish I've learned... I'm a mess. The background in Spanish makes picking up some Italian very easy though. I loved learning some Italian from Caroline's host family. ALSO, they saw my tattoo and 1) verified that it's perfect grammar, spelling, etc, and 2) they loved it! So nice to have more affirmation from real live Italians that they love my Italian tattoo :)

Galleria

Il Duomo

Inside Il Duomo

Inside Il Duomo

Milan, the fashion capital of the world, is obviously full of absurdly well-dressed people. Copenhagen is the same way, so I'm used to it. I met Caroline at her school, Universitat Cattolica del Sacro Cuore after her classes ended. After that, we went exploring once more. We did a little shopping before going home to have dinner with her family& watch a movie. Caroline also booked a flight to meet me and Olivia in Vienna, Austria in December to see the Viennese christmas markets, which is obviously very exciting!!

Friday 10/5

On Friday, Caroline and I took the train one hour outside the city to Lake Como for the day. I have been there once before, but it's incredibly beautiful and seeing it again was a treat. 

We first explored the city of Como before taking a boat to the tiny lake town of Cernobbio. In Cernobbio, we walked about a mile to a tiny pizza place, Pizzeria L'ancora, that is supposed to be incredible. Rumors were true: The pizza and beer was amazing. And I don't even like beer.

 We spent the rest of the day exploring the lake. We sat by the lake and enjoyed the sites and the ducks.
 We also took the Funicolare (Funicular, the lift) to the mountain town of Brunate far above the lake. Technically a railway, the Funicolare takes you to where there are gorgeous sites above Lake Como.

After leaving Lake Como, we ate dinner with the family then went out with Caroline's friends. We met her friends in the Canal District, known as Navigli, where the night life was awesome. As is customary in many bars in Milan, with the purchase of one cocktail comes a buffet of authentic Italian food. It was hilarious to see people in a bar setting with a full buffet to one side.

Saturday 10/6

Saturday we had a little bit of a late start to the day because Caroline had to get her permit to stay in Italy for the semester, which took several hours.

Around noon, we headed to a market in Milan. There was tons of food, like most markets, but also cheap goods, knock off designer items, and other fun things. I bought two pairs of leggings for 3 euro.

After that, we went back to the Duomo to visit Luini. Luini is an INCREDIBLE Panzarotti shop behind Il Duomo. Panzarotti are essentially filled pastries. My favorites from Luini are the Tomato and Mozzarella Panzarotti and the Spinach and Ricotta Panzarrotti. The line, pictured below, gives you an idea of how popular and delicious Luini is. 

Line and crowd for Luini

After lunch, Caroline and I ventured to Corso Como, a beautiful street with upscale shops. It was nice to walk, but we soon went to the nearby Milanese china town to do some shopping (against the suggestions of her host family). China town was a lot of fun! Some shops sold goods only in wholesale, but it was a ton of fun exploring the streets and different atmosphere.

After getting gelato (again), we went to a grocery store and returned to Caroline's home. We cooked dinner together, shared a bottle of wine, ate fresh mozzarella and hazelnut chocolate, and watched a movie. Being with Caroline for a couple of days was a huge treat. Thank you again, Caroline, for hosting me. I'll see you soon in Paris, hopefully sometime in Copenhagen, and in Vienna in December!

Our homemade final meal together

I had to wake up at 4:30am this morning to catch my 7:15am flight back to Copenhagen. Being back in my room is nice. The last week of travel, though, was incredible.

I'm so lucky to be having the experiences I'm having. And I'm so lucky that I'm getting to share them with such amazing people. I am almost at the halfway point of my semester, and though I'm still sometimes quite homesick (especially Villanova-sick), the things I'm doing are truly phenomenal.

Sorry for the essay! I'll update soon. Next stop: Barcelona and London with Bri, Marissa, and Dee starting on Saturday!!!