Amanda Guarino ’12

As this year is drawing to a close, most of my time during the next few weeks will be spent at Sussex, studying for and taking exams.  However, for one last city to visit throughout the year, Nora and I chose Amsterdam.  I thought that seeing the city in May would bring nice spring weather and the famous tulips that Holland is known for.  Unfortunately, it rained and was quite cold in Amsterdam, but a fun last trip anyway!

Nora and I travelled back to Amsterdam on Sunday night and had all day Monday and Tuesday to explore the city.  Setting out in the rain Monday morning, we first went to the Anne Frank House, which was a great cultural experience, especially for anyone who has read her diary.  We walked all through all of the canal districts, which were so beautiful despite the dampness and dreary weather.  We did a canal tour one night and explored other areas such as the Red Light District, Nieuwmarkt and Dam Square.  Nora and I took a 3 hour walking tour of the city, which provided us with great background knowledge of the city. 

Personally, we had some great food in Amsterdam.  During the day, we would snack on some cheese, which is delicious in Holland by the way.  We had plenty of these waffle cookies, with Dutch syrup on them.  Also, since Amsterdam is such a multi-cultural area, there were so many different food options!  I had a classic American cheeseburger, some Indonesian food and even a red Thai curry all while in Amsterdam. 

OK, so now I am back in my flat, having just gotten back from Gatwick Airport hours ago.  That was my last time in Gatwick that I have planned, and although I hate to fly, I really love that airport!   Nora and I got up so early this morning, so needless to say, I am quite exhausted.  It was so good to travel, and it is good to be back in the flat as well.  Currently, I am sitting at my kitchen table with 2 of my mates, who are having lunch.  Alright, time for travel is over; now let’s bring on the studying and exams!

Hello,

I know that my blogs lately have been a bit about travel, but soaking up other cultures and seeing the sights of Europe is one of the study abroad highlights!  This past weekend, Nora and I made one last trip of our study abroad year.  Saturday we each flew to Amsterdam, met in the airport, and took a train to Brugge in Belgium.  The first day we had a bit of travel issues because we got on the wrong train and spent a couple extra hours getting to Brugge.  However, Brugge was so lovely, it was definitely worth the travel hassle to get there!

As a chocoholic, Belgian chocolate is one of the many things to love about Brugge.  There is a chocolate shop every few feet, all with equally enticing window displays!  The city itself is more like a large town, very quaint and quiet, with more of a tourist feel during the day and less so at night.  The canal was so pretty and the buildings look like they are straight out of a fairy tale.  Basically, Brugge is like a real-life Disneyland with such a cutesy, story-book feel.

Brugge is a place where you definitely want to be outside!  Although it was a bit chilly and rain threatened, it was fun to walk around.  Nora and I did a canal cruise and climbed hundreds of steps to the top of a bell tower for amazing views.  It was so serene and peaceful. 

As I mention food in nearly every blog, my highlight in Belgium was the chocolate, including a chocolate covered waffle that I had in the train station!  Pretty tasty!!  Also, I had some strawberries covered in white chocolate.  So if you like chocolate in any form, go to Belgium!  Fries with mayo are way more delicious than they sound, so try that as well!

Alright, please tune in to my next blog about the remainder of the weekend, which was spent in Amsterdam!!

Hello,

So the weekend of the royal wedding was rather long.  We did not have class on Friday because of the wedding, and Monday was a bank holiday, so Sussex was also closed.  So, instead of sitting around an empty campus, I flew to Palermo in Sicily, Italy!  My dad had flown in earlier in the day, and we were going to visit some cousins whom I had never met before.  Exciting!

I flew out the day after the royal wedding and my flight was a bit delayed, so I did not get into Palermo until late.  Completely tired, I walked through the arrivals doors after customs to find my dad as well as my cousin Valeria, her husband Davide, and their children Carlotta and William.  Such a nice surprise, and as soon as we exchanged hellos, we made our way to a restaurant for dinner.  Although we were eating at like 11 pm, my seafood risotto was pretty spectacular.

The next day, Sunday, I was introduced to several other members of the family, which was also very fun!  We saw their houses in Palermo and went out for a big family meal in the early afternoon.  In Italy, as in many European countries, a dinner-sized meal is held in the early afternoon, followed by a siesta and a light meal at night.  This was an exhausting day because not only were there a lot of people to meet, but also only a few of them spoke English.  The rest spoke only Italian.  Having studied Italian for one year at Holy Cross, I was able to converse with them quite well in broken Italian, as my grammer skills were a bit rusty.  However, i definitely enjoyed putting my language skills into practice!

Monday morning, while Holy Cross and the rest of America was rejoicing over Osama Bin Laden’s death, I travelled with my dad and our cousing Massimo to the Sicilian countryside to see the small town where my grandma’s family is from.  We drove from Palermo to Polizzi Generosa, a small mountain-top town that was a bit chilly despite the nice views.  We met up with a couple other people there, toured around the town, met the mayor and had lunch at a nice restaurant.  Pasta in Italy is really worth it’s outstanding reputation.  I think I was so completely exhausted from all this that I fell asleep for the whole car ride back to Palermo!  That night we went over to Mondello, a seaside area near Palermo, for some pizza with the family.

Tuesday was an interesting day because my dad and I had originally wanted to set out for Taormina, which is on the complete other side of the island.  Realizing that it was too far to manage in one day, we explored the surrounding towns and area closer to Palermo.  In the morning we saw ancient ruins at Segesta, and after having lunch in a seaside town, we drove to San Vito Lo Capo, which was a peninsula sticking out into the Mediterranean Sea with a very pretty beach!  That night, after we had drove all day through winding hills and countryside, we met the family at Floriana’s house for an extravagant, multi-course home-cooked meal.  I will remember that forever as it was truly amazing with all of the food – sushi, smoked salmon, fresh pesto pasta, other fish, traditional Sicilian casatta cake with lots of ricotta cheese and frosting, and homemade strawberry ice cream, just to name a few items.  This was also one of the highlights of the trip as it was great to be around so much family!

I flew back to England on Thursday.  The last day was spent mostly touring around Palermo.  Massimo drove us to some excellent views of the city and sea, and showed us his summer villa.  The weather, which had been rainy and cloudy the previous days, was finally getting sunny just in time to leave.  We had one last family dinner, a good way to round out the trip. 

So, now I am back to England, back to Flat 27, back to my mates.  It was such a good experience seeing Sicily (I had been to many places in Italy before, but never Sicily).  I can’t believe that week 2 at Sussex is over now!!  Everyone here is definitely feeling the pressure of work, and I have one last trip planned before exams start at the end of May.  Stay tuned, and for those of you at Holy Cross – enjoy Spring Weekend, I am sad to miss it!

Hello,

I am so excited and happy to be living in England during the Royal Wedding.  While I did not camp out in London to catch a glimpse of the royal couple, I had the luxury of waking up at a reasonable hour (8:30 AM) to watch the wedding in my pajamas.  We are fortunate to have a TV liscence in our flat, so therefore we have a TV in our living area near the kitchen.  We also have a second, large flat-screen TV in one of my other flatmate’s bedrooms but that does not get channels.

From 8:30 this morning until 1:30 in the afternoon, BBC 1 was broadcasting the event.  My flatmate Charlotte and I watched on and off as we did some homework.   However, from when Prince William arrived at Westminster Abbey to when he left the Abbey with his wife, our eyes were fixated on the screen.  We waited around for the balcony kiss before turning off the TV and continuing homework.  Danielle was also in the flat, so it was just us girls, a rare combination in the flat for sure!   Anyway, I think my highlight of the whole thing was when Kate’s dress was revealed – I absolutely loved that lace!

I am a big fan of weddings and was also glad that it didnt rain for the ceremony and processions.  It is rather humid in England today, and it is nice that we have the day off from classes as a Bank Holiday. 

That is all for now, my friends.  Hope that everyone who watched the wedding this morning enjoyed it!

I seriously am on a blogging roll lately.  It is quite fun though, and I definitely think it’s a good idea to keep track of your experiences and preserve the memories.  So, currently it is a partly sunny Wednesday morning, the first day of my last term ever at Sussex Uni.  Of course, I have no class but all of my mates are gone at the moment at their lectures and seminars (they do not call them ‘classes’ as I do).  I am writing to you from my room, and although travelling and going home has been a very fun and exciting adventure, it feels so good to be back in the flat!  I flew into Heathrow on Monday and it was PACKED with travelers to London for the Royal Wedding.  I am curious to see how that all plays out on Friday.  It should be interesting.

Since I have been back, I have been busy working and spending so much time with my wonderful flat-mates, whom I have missed greatly!  I am worried a bit for this term because classes end in May, and then exams are in June.  In addition to having to review for all my exams (some being for classes taken in the Autumn term), I know that the time I will be together with all of my flat-mates is severely limited.  They are all leaving at various times to begin summer work or go on holiday, as not all of them have exams until the end of June.  I myself have a few travel plans lined up so I will be out of the flat a bit myself.  Basically, I don’t want to say goodbye to them, and I know that this term will really be over before it starts.

The only other exciting event I have to report on, other than spending lots of time chatting to the mates, is yesterday when I went grocery shopping with flat-mates Danielle and Jason.  We drove to Tesco, which I had never been to before, and the store must have had over 1000 British flags hanging all over the place.  It kind-of looked like supermarkets in America that decorate for 4th of July, only with way more flags.  They even had Royal Brittania, a very British song obviously, playing in there.  Additionally, many of the food items were advertised as being ‘royal’.  You could buy royal wedding champagne, royal wedding coffee mugs, and many other items with a picture of William and Kate on it.  I know my flat-mates were way more intrigued by the reduced price Easter aisle than anything else. 

OK, this was just a quick life update on my transition back to England.  Classes for me start tomorrow.  Due to the royal wedding, Friday is a bank holiday and so is Monday, which makes for a nice long weekend.  I have an exciting adventure up my sleeve so keep reading!

Hey again!

While it is difficult to not be home for any holiday, I particularly love spending Easter in Europe.  Four years ago I was in Spain for the holiday, and it was so nice seeing how it was celebrated, with special things such as an Easter parade.  It is definitely a different experience than in America.  At the conclusion of the Greece trip, Nora flew to Northern Ireland for a wedding while Kelsey and I explored Lisbon in Portugal.  Originally, our plans were to visit either Vienna, Austria or Prague, Czech Republic.  However, due to flight cancellations and other complications, those locations did not work out and we chose Lisbon instead.  I’m so glad that we did!

Holy Thursday was a complete travel day, with Kelsey and I arriving at our hostel in enough time to grab some dinner quick and go to bed.  We had an 8 person room in a hostel that was very centrally located in the downtown area of Baixa, and it was one of the nicest hostels have been to.  Kelsey and I were a bit pleasantly surprised when we woke up for breakfast and found that the kitchen staff was preparing fresh crepes with all different kinds of fillings!  These freshly made breakfasts (one day was scrambled eggs, the other days were crepes) were more than the basic dry cereals and assorted bread or muffins that I expect to find at hostels, and it was definitely a great start to the day every day!

Unfortunately, the forecast for the weekend in Lisbon was rain.  While it definitely did rain, it was on and off and there was plenty of nice weather in between.  On Good Friday, my umbrella in hand, Kelsey and I took a 5 hour walk around the city, soaking in all the sights.  This is the same route that the famous Tram 28 cable car does, going up and down Lisbon’s steep hills.  However, not once did we take that tram – we opted for exercise and the option to explore whatever various streets and neighborhoods we wanted.

Before I continue with the chronological story of events in Lisbon, I need to describe the character of Lisbon a bit.  In my opinion, it reminds me a lot of San Francisco in California – steep hills, cable cars, a waterfront, and even a Golden Gate Bridge look-alike.  Lisbon is mostly made of cobblestones, and is therefore slippery when it rains.  Mixed into the city are many trees and park areas that were in full bloom, as it is spring.  Additionally, there are so many pastelarias (pastry shops) in Lisbon.  You can basically find one on every corner.  While the traditional cookies and Easter breads are very delicious, I also highly recommend trying the dessert that Lisbon is known for – pastel de nata.  Basically, it is like a puff pastry with vanilla custard inside, and you can find them in nearly every pastelaria window.

Other adventures we embarked on in Lisbon included shopping in many of the tourist and scarf shops as well as visiting a castle and the surrounding area of Alfama.  The castle was pretty cool although it poured rain while we were there and most of it was outside.  Alfama is a neighborhood near the castle which is neat to walk through.  One morning Kelsey and I went to a flea market, and we also explored several churches, which were beautiful and all ready for Easter.  There are so many tiles in Lisbon too on different buildings, and that is very pretty and something different.  Even just walking up and down the main street downtown was entertaining, as there were street performers, lots of tourists and pretty buildings and sights.  In a nut shell, I was not bored in Lisbon.

While I can go on and on about this trip, I am going to conclude that travelling is as much a learning experience as it is relaxing and fun.  I highly recommend all of the travel destinations that I have been to on this trip and this year, as they are all so completely different.  On Easter Sunday, Kelsey and I checked out of our hostel and spent all day in the airport and on planes.  I crashed for the night at Kelsey’s house in Spain before making the journey back to Sussex the next day.  And with the Royal Wedding coming up this Friday, stay tuned to see what it is like to be in England on the big day!

Hello again!

The travel stories continue!  Now, last you all heard, if you have been reading, is that I took a ferry from Santorini to Athens and arrived in Athens at midnight.  We checked into our hostel and went to bed.  The next day we got up bright and early to see the Acropolis before it was taken over by tourists.  Having been to Athens 10 years ago, I remembered the Acropolis well and definitely think it is the highlight of the city.  Acropolis means ‘high city’, and the views looking out over Athens are pretty cool, in addition to the ruins.

There is so much to see in Athens, old and new.  We saw the Ancient Agora next, and then made our way into Plaka, which is kind of the old quarter of the city.  It is one of my favorite parts, as it is very touristy and there are lots of restaurants and places to walk around.  We took a stroll through these very lovely gardens and even saw the changing of the guards at the Parliament Building.  That was definitely a cool experience as, unlike in London, in Greece you are allowed to take pictures standing right next to the guards.  The Athenian guards also kick their feet up in the air as they are swapping posts…a very interesting sight overall.  Other places not to miss are the Acropolis museum, the Temple of Zeus, the flea market and any other ruins you stumble upon.  Athens is also a hilly place, so you will definitely get your exercise!

Although they are the same country, there is such a sharp contrast between Santorini and Athens.  While Santorini was very much its’ own little isolated world, Athens was similar to many contemporary European cities, reminding me a lot of Dublin and Brighton at times.  I was surprised at the British influence there – there were so many British food products in grocery stores, British chains such as Costa Coffee, and also the BBC Breakfast show was broadcast on the TV screens each morning at our hostel.  There were so many stores in Athens, which reminded me of Grafton Street in Dublin and just the general shopping nature of Brighton!  However, you never had to look too far before you saw some more ruins, or a museum containing ruins.  Athens is definitely a city where old meets new.  The only hard part is that the streets are kind of like a maze, making it really difficult to get around.  Also, there is still the issue of the stray dogs in Athens too.

Our trip to Athens was brief – we really only had 2 full days there.  In my opinion that is enough time to see the city, and I very much enjoyed it.  To mention some food, Easter time really seems to bring out some excellent Greek treats, as I saw in the cookies in Santorini.  However, Athens had a lot more variety, with Easter breads (some even had colored eggs baked inside them!) and lots of other baked goods. 

At the end of the trip, we parted ways, as Nora was off to a family event in Northern Ireland and Kelsey and I travelled to Portugal.  Read my next blog, which is all about Lisbon!

Alright, La Coruña was amazing, and Greece, although still amazing, was COMPLETELY different.  On Thursday, April 14th, we woke up at 4 AM and began our long series of travels for the day.  After spending all day in planes and airports, we finally got to Santorini at nighttime, just in time to check into our hostel, grab some dinner, and sleep.   We stayed near Perissa Beach, which is on the outskirts of the island but definitely worth exploring.  For the most part, the beaches on Santorini have black sand, and Perissa Beach is no different.  The main cities of Fira and Oia were a bus ride away, but they are the traditional Santorini that tourists generally think of.  Both were extremely beautiful and in addition to amazing views, both had some excellent shopping!  Oia is famous for its’ sunset, and it was pretty spectacular, with the sun setting over the water. 

On Saturday, Kelsey, Nora and I took a bike ride up and down some winding hills, through various terrains in search of the Red Beach.  Thinking that this beach was full of red sand, we were quite surprised when it turned out to be mostly rocks.  I thought it was a very neat and different place, and definitely worth the 12 miles roundtrip we biked that day.  The bike ride also allowed us to see some parts of the island that we wouldn’t normally see, and was good exercise too!

We had some great food in Santorini as well.  From trying traditional Moussaka to sampling special Easter cookies at the 24-hour bakery to eating Greek yogurt in Greece, Santorini was definitely a culinary delight.  Eating gyros in Greece and also lots of gelato was fun too!  I, as you can probably tell already, LOVE FOOD, and I think it is fun to learn about a culture through some of their delicacies. 

There were a few things about Santorini that were a bit surprising.  For instance, the ‘Santorini’ that comes to mind when you think of the word is really only limited to the cities of Fira and Oia; the rest of the island is very geographically diverse, and very desert-like and arid in many places.  There are a lot of hills.  It is a lot poorer of an island than I realized.  Additionally, there are many stray dogs roaming around, coming after you in search of food.  To be clear, it is not that I dislike animals, but my natural tendency is to back away from them.   Therefore, I was not a huge fan of these dogs following us all around, and it made it hard to sit still on the beach, in my opinion.  Finally, because it was the off-season, transportation around the island was very limited, and buses were free to not run by the bus schedule if their drivers so desired.  An interesting experience for sure, but I still loved Santorini and had a great time there. 

At the end of our time in Santorini, we caught a ferry to Athens.  Although it was several hours long, some of the views of the other islands were pretty cool, and we finally got to Athens around midnight.  But that is a story for another post.  Stay tuned, Athens is the next adventure on the list!

Hey all!

So, to continue from where I left off, the first three weeks of my 6-week spring break were spent in America, while the second 3 weeks were spent in Europe.  The past 2 weeks I have travelled to Spain, Greece and Portugal, and this last week I am in England, back at Sussex Uni.  While there is too much to say about each location all in one blog, I am breaking it up into a few blogs so stay tuned!

Anyway, on April 9th I arrived in La Coruña to visit my friends Kelsey and Nora, who are studying there, and also my friend Amanda, who is studying in Dublin.  Although I was completely jet-lagged, it was so good to see them and soon after reuniting, we went back to our separate houses.  Since Nora and Kelsey are in foreign-language countries, they live with host families.  I went back to stay at Nora’s apartment, while Amanda stayed with Kelsey.  Nora’s family was very nice (I’m sure if you read her blog, she may describe them at times) and so was Kelsey’s host mom.  Seeing how my friends are living this year, whether they are abroad or stateside, gives me great perspective into my own study abroad experience and is one of my favorite things about this year.

There were so many things that we did during the few days in La Coruña.  Included in the activities were walking all over the city, going out to dinner and for Spanish tapas, and going to the university where Nora and Kelsey attend classes.  We also saw many tourist attractions including the torre (tower), the bubble (a bubble-shaped elevator to the top of a mountain), the beach and many of the shopping areas in town.  I particularly enjoyed walking along the Passeo (a biking/running/walking path that runs along the water and is gorgeous on a sunny day).  I also had a traditional home-made Spanish meal at Nora’s apartment every day at 2:00 pm, as these large meals in the early afternoon are an important part of Spanish culture, and are usually followed by siesta. 

While I really enjoyed the time I spent in La Coruña (it is a truly lovely city), i couldn’t help but compare it to my own experience and realize how different the lifestyle there is from what I have become used to in England.  For instance, Nora and Kelsey live more family-centered lives, living off-campus from the university, and their Spanish family members are significantly older than them.  In contrast, I live right on campus with a bunch of freshmen who are 2-3 years younger than me.  Since I live with mostly boys, my flat is a lot louder and definitely has a completely different feel.  For instance, I hear music, playstation and FRIENDS episodes 24/7 in the flat, as well as the sound of a soccer ball being kicked up and down the corridor at various times.  I think that there are pros and cons to each living style, and I definitely enjoy exploring the differences.

At the end of my time in Spain, Amanda went back to Ireland and Nora, Kelsey and I got up at 4 AM one day to get to the airport on-time for our 3 flights of the day.  Next stop: Santorini!  Stay tuned!

Hi again!

To continue from my last blog, which describes my recent visit to Holy Cross, this past weekend I visited Holy Cross friends who are spending a semester in Washington, DC!  What a fun weekend!  Arriving in DC on Thursday, it was great to see the really nice apartments where the HC kids are living in Arlington, VA.  Throughout the weekend we had many good times together.  We spent time soaking up famous cultural things such as monuments, the Smithsonian museums, and even the cherry blossom trees, which were in bloom!   Although it was a bit chilly weather for spring, I was so glad I visited my good friend Caroline and the others from HC!

In addition to meeting a lot of new people and having fun, I also got to see a side of Holy Cross life that does not take place at Holy Cross.  One thing that I absolutely love about this year is seeing the completely different lives that all of my friends are living.  It gives me more perspective on my own abroad experience.  While there have definitely been many ups and downs to this year, I would not trade the experience.  It is still not over, and I am curious to see how the year will end.  I also don’t think that the experience of my year abroad will end on June 24th, the final day.  I think that I have learned a new way of living this year, and by being exposed to new things and ideas, I definitely think it will have a lasting impact on my life and my final year at Holy Cross.  However, before I can contemplate the future or reflect more on the past, I first have some travelling to do in Europe!  Stay tuned for future blogs on my adventures!

Cherry blossoms in bloom!