My Home Away From Home

Old Roman Theatre, Trieste, Italy

I have already been in Trieste, Italy for over a week now and I can say that I am excited to be living here for four months. Although I am a litter nervous with the language barrier, I believe that I will be able to figure everything out sooner or later. Trieste is a relaxed place; let me put an emphasis on that. People walk slower, eat slower, close stores in the middle of the day for a few hours, and our registration process for school is going to take forever. But who can complain. The view is beautiful, people are kind and the hills are a great workout! This week I have memorized the main roads to direct me through the city and the places I need to go. I refuse to use the bus system because I feel that I can walk faster and explore more of the town on my own. You miss so much of the town when riding in a vehicle. This week has been about getting the correct documents for living and studying in Italy. The food here is not what I expected to be Italian food. I think that homemade food anywhere around the world is amazing, depending on who is actually making it. The spaghetti my mother makes at home is a million times better than any restaurant just because it was cooked with love. I have had pizza here and it tastes like pizza. The toppings are not the same because of the availability of food choices and what is in season is different, but its still tastes like pizza. I think it just depends on where you go and if it is a small restaurant where the chiefs are good or not.

Piazza Unita, Downtown Trieste, Italy

This weekend I am meeting up with a dear friend that I have known since the Third grade. He just so happens to be studying abroad in Bologna, Italy so he is traveling to Trieste, Italy this Saturday and we are going to Venice Sunday to view the city for the first time together. It will be nice to see a familiar face and be able to talk about our travels so far!

I think the best thing about Trieste is the history behind the city. The city completely faces the Adriatic Sea that has allowed Trieste survive throughout history. The story begins with a prehistoric settlement of a hill-fort on the high ground of San Giusto, which eventually was founded by the Roman Tergeste in the 1^st Century B.C. (Promotrieste.It, 2). The city has Medieval Church’s, Roman Ruins and cultural influences from bordering countries such as Slovenia and Austria. The longer I am here, the more of the city reveals itself to me.

Cruise Ship at the Port in Trieste, Italy

Classes begin on lunedi 30 (Monday) and I begin my day probably by trying to figure out which room my classes are in. The economics building has many floors and as I have found out in Europe, Piano 1 is like our second floor. The ground level is “A” and then it starts at one. I am getting used to the idea of everything being different, but I still think that the third floor of the building shouldn’t be labeled as Piano 2. This is just my American side coming out of me. Being surrounded with the Italian language I am trying to make connections that are similar to what I know in the States. Exit signs are running green men here, the 24 hour time clock is what is used here, and many other things are similar, I just have to look for them.

Adriatic Sea meets Trieste, Italy

I am excited for my stay here, but at the same time chatting with my friends and family just makes it feel like I am off to college and can only use messaging to contact them. In all reality, I am half way around the world, figuring things out by myself in a culture I don’t know much about, a language that is foreign, and I don’t know anyone. It’s just the way that you think about it. I enjoy reading Italian everywhere, it makes me feel like I am in a story book on an adventure.  I am just 20 years old and I have complete one of my dreams of getting to Europe. Now that I am here, it’s up to me to make the most of it!

Ciao!

Prost (Cheers)

This weekend I spent in Bremen, Germany with a dear friend from high school. He was an exchange student my Junior year and we became very good friends. I never thought that I was going to see him again, but I finally did four years later. I have always thought of myself being blessed with so many wonderful people surrounding me. Seeing Thorben run up the train station stairs to hug me made my trip across Germany alone worth it. Being away from my family and friends now for only ten days has made me realized that as long as I can be the one to keep in contact, I will never lose people. I will be away from home for a long time, but why should I just keep my distance? Keeping in contact with Thorben has allowed me to travel where I never thought I could, experience places I would have never known, and meet people that never existed to me. Germany wasn't me being a tourist in a town. I didn't carry my camera around and take photos of what I thought would be great to document. I traveled like a kid would my age here in Germany. I rode buses, trams, trains and walked and walked and walked. It was fun relaxing and enjoying my time with new friends all because of a friend that I kept in contact with for so many years. We traveled to Hamburg and visited the city and of course ate a hamburger in Hamburg :) Yesterday I went to my first ever Futbol game and loved it. There was so much support for the teams on each side. We also went to a concert at Thorben's high school and I met more of his friends. This weekend was wonderful. It has been a very busy last ten days and I am finally ready to head to Trieste, Italy tomorrow and find the place I will call my home for the next year. See you tomorrow Italy! 

To View photo from Bremen please Visit Hannah Swick Photography 

Wooden Shoes Would Have Been Nice

With being in Amsterdam, Netherlands for just over 24 hours, I felt that I saw so much. With the four of us trying to save money we decided to drag our suitcases across town instead of paying for a tram ticket... it might have been better to spend the 2.50 Euros and make it in 10 minutes but we walked for over an hour on old cobble stone roads. I wish I had wooden shoes because the heel out of my boot fell off and now its gone forever. I will be making a trip to a shoe repair man when I arrive in Italy. This trip I have broken a watch, my shoe fell apart, a few blister and shin splintz, but all in all, I don't really care about those things, it's the experiences and memories I'll have forever. So you ask me about my visit to Amsterdam eh? It was absolutely amazing. But one day is enough for me. Earlier in the day after we arrive at our Flying Pigs Hostel on the Uptown side, I wanted to go get lost on purpose and see what I could find. I walked into a small store to purchase a toothbrush and some other toiletries that I was running out of and I had to figure out what things were based on the look of the bottle and what things were around it. It was fun in a weird way. After finding my way back to the hostel, two of us went to the Van Gogh museum! Seeing these paintings in person made my day better! I bought a belt that was his painting of Cherry Blossoms. I had to do the tourist thing and get a souvenir. Since I didn't have a train ticket to Bremen yet to visit my friend from high school, we went to the train station and tried to figure out a way to get a cheap ticket, but they were all so expensive, so we decided to walk back to the hostel. We walked into a small crepe shop on one of the roads and decided to try some of them. Nutella crepes are delicious especially with coffee. I wish everyone could have tried it. You know how " What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas", its the same for Amsterdam :)

To View More photos from Amsterdam visit Hannah Swick Photography

Platform 9 3/4

After getting into the city around 13:00, we toured the Natural History Museum of London, London's Tower and viewed London's Bridge from the castle. It was a fortress for sure! Medieval history is quite fascinating, although very gory. Today was relaxing. The rain made everything seem more like the typical "London" weather that we are always hearing about, but it was beautiful. I would write more about my day but I honestly believe photos can explain it more to you! Enjoy!!
-Ciao

To View more photos from London please visit Hannah Swick Photography
To View photos from my Warner Bro's Tour of the Harry Potter set visit Harry Potter by Hannah Swick Photography

Doing Some Ballet In Front of London's Bridge.

Arabesque

Entrance of London's Tower

London's Tower

Subway in London

Platform 9 3/4

Just On My Way To Hogwarts!

King's Cross Station, London, England.

London's Bridge, England.

I see London, I see France

Big Ben Across the Way, London, England

London, you are the love of my life. Yesterday as I tracked across London, England with my fellow friends, we finally got to see Buckingham Palace, Downtown London, St. James Park, Big Ben, London's Eye, The London Dungeon Tour, and the cultures that thrive in London! Coffee and Muffins suited my day to make the chilly, overcast weather worth the adventure of figuring out how to navigate through subways and finding curry for dinner. We are current residing outside of the city in a small Indian filled neighborhood which allows us to actually sleep and not have the busy city keep us awake at night. The neighborhood reminds one of "Private Drive", with the way the neighborhood is laid out. This morning is by far cooler outside, with an 80% chance of rain. Good thing I bought my "I Love Rain" umbrella yesterday! With the other three sleeping still, I am enjoying the peacefulness of editing photos and drinking hot tea for breakfast. Since we are poor college students, I would say that we keep forgetting to buy food for breakfast due to the fact that sightseeing is a far better way to spend a few pounds. London is extremely expensive. Well I am about to wake the others and prepare for our adventure into the city once more!
 To view more photos from London visit Hannah Swick Photography

-Ciao

At the Top of London's Eye, London, England

Left to Right, Myself, Kayla, Ivanna, London, England

Big Ben Glowing at Night, London, England

London's Eye with City, London, England

 

On the Bridge in St. James Park, London England

To the Cliffs and Beyond

Galway, Ireland

I have always seen Ireland as this foreign place that I would only ever seen in romance movies like P.S. I Love You, but today it was real. I was fortunate enough to catch an Ireland Tour to the Cliffs of Moher and other stops on the way. Today seemed like I was in a dream, driving through the county and seeing the most vibrant shades of green, pinching myself to remind me "this is Ireland, I am actually here!" My dream came true today when I was able to see the Cliffs of Moher outside of Galway, Ireland. That desktop screen saver that everyone has was in front of me and I was engulfed with the beauty of the land and sea. Before arriving at our final destination, we made many stops along the way of our day tour from Dublin, Ireland. We departed Dublin at 7:00 headed towards the West Coast of Ireland. There were some other American's other than the group that I am traveling with and many other foreigners from around the world. The city of Limerick was our first stop where we learned the history of the fights between the English and the Irish. We then went on a few other stops along the way. Today was filled with history memories as I traveled across Ireland. Tomorrow we depart for London! If you want to follow my photo adventure, please view HannahSwickPhotography!

Poulnabrone Dolmen, Ireland

Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

A lost Adventrue

As we arrived in Dublin, Ireland at 7:30 it took 2.5 hours to finally contact our landlords and figure out the international SIM Cards. After a few taxi rides, we decided to refund our original apartment and find a hostel downtown in Temple Bar which just so happened to be packed with Irishmen and Swedish getting ready for a futbol match tomorrow. It was much more exciting to be in the heart of Dublin! It has been over 29 hours since we woke up and now we are sitting peacefully in our hostel to sleep a few hours before experiencing the nightlife of Dublin.  I would say the most amazing part I have experienced in the last few hours of the beginning of my Journey across Europe is how nice people are here! We walked the majority of the main downtown and I haven't met one rude person. I am in love with this town! Tomorrow we are off to see the West Coast of Ireland to visit the Cliffs of Moher. I am over excited. The land is beautiful and the people are amazing. Everyone here is proud of being an Irishman...too bad we are only here for a few days.
 

Our Hostel We Stayed In

11 Days Til Trieste, Italy (Home for the 100 some odd days!)
-Ciao

Four Countries to Pass Through Before School!

Left to Right: Ivanna, Me, Bryan, Kayla

Today I leave for Dublin, Ireland to start my journey to Trieste, Italy to study not only my major, but to learn about cultures and ultimately myself. If I have learned anything in my 20 years of living, it is that I was made to travel the world. I have been counting down since November 2012 to when I will be studying in a different county, and when I woke up this morning I could hardly believe that I would be leaving the town that I have lived in practically all my life and saying good-bye to my loving parents who have raised me to be the woman I am today. With all the excitement rushing through me today, I am glad to finally say that I am no longer going to count down the days to graduation or even my birthday because I want to enjoy the time I will be living in Italy, far from anything or anyone that I will know. I wasn't really nervous until I realized that no matter how prepared I thought I would be to live for the first time in a different country, I would never be prepared enough for everything I will be taking in for the next 120 days. 

Everything I am bringing to Europe for the next four months!

 

My early Thanksgiving dinner in September, also my last dinner before I head off to Europe!

Denver International Airport

Heading to Dublin, Ireland!

My view for 8 hours from Boston to Dublin!

Ci vediamo a gennaio i miei amici