Europe Travels

I am so beyond blessed to be studying abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland for this fall 2019 semester! I am very excited to share my travels on this incredible journey. 

Dean's Village was my first trip while I've been abroad! This cute little village is only about a 2 mile walk from the center city of Edinburgh, but you would never guess it existed while strolling down the busy streets of the royal mile or running around the campus of University of Edinburgh. I was in awe of the tranquility of the forest. The buildings looked as though they had been plucked straight out of a Disney princess film, as if Snow White and her seven dwarves might come hiking out of a little cottage somewhere nearby. I couldn't believe that I am living so close to something so peaceful and beautiful! I could just picture myself with a good book on a bench down by the creek. This will definitely be a good escape if the noise and bustle of the city gets to be too much. I can't wait to see what else this city has to offer.

Thank goodness for new friends because I would have no idea that Stirling existed if it weren't for them. Today we took a short 45 minute train to the most beautiful place! It is not everyday for a California girl that there are tombstones from the 1800s and churches with stain glass windows and abbeys with ruins from the 1200s and rolling hills and canals and cows and sheep all in one place. After starting our day in Stirling with a much needed cup of coffee from a cute little cafe by the train station, we headed to the Stirling Castle. It was a very humbling experience to walk around the old graveyard, reading the names of hundreds of people who lived during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The graveyard also had a breath taking view of all of Stirling. At the top of the hill was the castle. However, tickets were expensive and this wasn't the first castle we've seen, so we decided to take advantage of the views from the top of the free lookout and then we were on our way. Our next adventure was a good mile and a half walk to the abbey. The walk itself was beautiful, with cute cottage houses and the large canal, but the abbey was unlike anything I have ever seen. A big stone building found right at the end of a cluster of cottages and right at the beginning of a huge meadow that met the canal, I couldn't even begin to take it all in. An abbey, we learned, is a place of worship for nuns or other religious groups. This abbey stood tall next to a large grave yard and in front of what looked like ruins from an old building. The informative podiums told us that the original church stood there way back in the 1200s! It was hard to understand the history we were walking over, with original stone foundations still in place. We took some time to play with a local dog and take in the peace and sunshine of the place before we hiked to our next destination. The National Wallace Monument is a hard one to miss in Stirling. This large stone tower sticks out on the top of a large cliff in Stirling. The climb up was a little more difficult than I originally expected and we had to be careful of the stinging nettle, but the fresh air and quietness of the forest as we went up was so worth it. The top of the mountain, as you may imagine, provided the most picture perfect moments in Stirling. We had fun following the trail down the opposite end of the cliff, towards the visitor center and Legends Cafe that can be found at the bottom, because the trail had interesting and fun carving along the way, like the train sculpture pictured above. Overall, this was a way better day trip than I could've imagined! I highly recommend Stirling for a perfect day trip in Scotland.

• Franciacorta Wine Tasting experience 
• The Duomo 
• Brera District 
• The Starbucks Reserve
• Bellavista 
• Gino Sorbillo's
• Naviglio 48
• Navigli
• Leonardo's Vineyard

To be honest, Italy has never been on my main list of places to visit. I always pictured it a little too touristy and possibly overrated. The girls and I chose to visit Milan because it was one of the cheapest flights for the weekend, but I am so glad we did! We arrived to Milan very late on Friday night. The airport is pretty far from center city (about 45 minutes by train or an hour to an hour and a half by bus depending on traffic) so we took the train (13 euros each) to the center city. From there, we could have taken the metro to our air bnb which was just outside the main center, but unfortunately the metro was on strike the day we arrived. Our kind air bnb host warned us of this beforehand so we decided to take a cab. It seems like late at night cabs run more by calls and specific location pick up than they do in other cities where you are able to just hail them. We figured this out pretty quick and decided to stand in line at the train station to get the next cab. It was pretty expensive (20 euros for 6 miles), but it seemed like our only option.

After a decent nights sleep in our air bnb, the girls and I took the metro (only 2 euros each) to the center city. We stopped at a coffee stand and grabbed cappuccinos and croissants for breakfast. It was so yummy and so cheap! Then, we walked through town a bit to get to the Milan Visitors Center. We had scheduled a wine tasting tour before we arrived in Milan and let me say, it was worth every penny (45 euros each). The tour included a bus to the vineyards and to the Franciacorta Outlet malls to enjoy some Milanese style shopping. It also included a "light" lunch for each person involving our own meats and cheese boards with a glass of wine and an espresso. After lunch, we were taken to the Franciacorta vineyards. The winery was beautiful and the tour was amazing! Not being 21 yet, I had never been wine tasting so I had no idea what to expect, but this tour was better than I imagined. We got a whole explanation of how wine is made all over and how it is made specific to Franciacorta. The winery was family owned, which made the experience all the more memorable. The wine was so fantastic that we bought a bottle for dinner. If we could have, we would have spent all day sitting in the warm sun playing with the farm dogs and drinking wine, but the tour ended and we were taken back to center city. We then walked through the streets and stumbled upon the Starbucks Reserve and the Duomo, which happen to be right next to each other. We decided to see the Reserve later because we were starving and chose the authentic Italian looking restaurant Bellavista (see global eats) for dinner. We had to end the night by 12:30 a.m. because that is the latest the metro runs. 

The next day, we slept in after a long day and a later night out so we were very hungry by the time we woke up. We took the metro back into center city and waited in line at Gino Sorbillo's (see global eats) for lunch. I had read a blog recommending this place for cheap and amazing Naples style Italian pizza, but when we had gone to check it out the night before the line was outrageous. I recommend going during lunchtime for sure. Then, we took pictures at the Duomo in the daylight and then walked to the Brera District. The girls and I had been hoping to do some vintage shopping there, and the Brera District is where the internet said we could find this, but these stores were definitely not in a college girl's budget. Also, most stores were closed because it was Sunday. However, I do recommend checking this area out if you have time because the architecture was gorgeous and even if the prices are outrageous, the clothes are definitely of value and nice to look at. After walking in the hot sun for a while, we were running low on energy so we decided to try out the Starbucks Reserve. I know, typical California girl move, but check out my global coffees page to find out why we went. From there we walked through the city towards the Navigli. We stopped in some of the catholic churches on occasion, but most have a dress code that is hard to abide by in the hot Italian sun. On our way, we also stopped at Leonardo's Vineyard, but unfortunately the tours were sold out for the day. We did get a quick peek inside as they were letting another group in though, and it is for sure a place I would like to visit if I ever find myself in Milan again. Our last stop in Milan was the Navigali. It is a long canal in the city lined with restaurants and, lucky for us, a flea market on Sundays! I have never seen so many flea market stalls in my life! There was jewelry and street art and vintage clothes and furniture and more. We spent almost 2 hours looking at everything. Around 7 p.m. everyone started packing up so we started to think about dinner. We thought about finding a grocery store and eating on the water, but we were getting eaten alive by mosquitos so we chose to eat inside instead. The girls and I were still pretty full from out gigantic pizzas at Gino's so we found a cute little restaurant called Naviglio 48 (see global eats) where we found cheap appetizers and drinks on the menu. To top of our time in Italy, we got glasses of wine from a little bar on the water and watched people dance on the streetlamp lit docks. It was an Italian dream. I 100% recommend Milan to anyone that enjoys good food, shopping, and wine! 

• Santa Ponsa
• Magaluf 
• Palma
• O Mama Mia

I know what you may be thinking... "It is fall Jordan, why are you at the beach?" Or maybe you are thinking, "Jordan, you are so smart picking beautiful and warm Mallorca in the fall because Edinburgh looks freezing." I am going with the second thought. Yes your California girl was tired of freezing so she convinced her friends to take a beach vacay with her. There are tons of beaches in Europe so Mallorca seems like a random choice. To be honest I only knew about it from watching the last season of the Bachelor, but after my friend Lauren visited it while she was studying abroad, I knew I had to go! Mallorca is a small island off of Spain. There are tons of different beaches to go to, but I am happy with our pick, Santa Ponsa. Truthfully, I only chose Santa Ponsa because the air bnb was cheap, but when I Googled it the beaches looked nice. After exploring some other parts of the island, I am very happy with the choice. We got lucky with a cheap air bnb that was literally steps from the beach! On the first night, we tried to go to the clubs, but there weren't many in Santa Ponsa, so we went swimming in the Mediterranean late at night instead. The water was so warm and the sky was beautifully sprinkled with stars. Saturday we spent most of the day soaking in the warm weather on the beach. Later in the afternoon, we took a cheap bus to Palma de Mallorca. Palma is where most of the pictures above were taken. It is a stunning city with small alley ways filled with paella shops and gelato. The cathedral is beautiful and sail boats bob about in the water just in front of it. When we returned from Palma that night, we decided to go to Magaluf to try the clubs. We were told to go to Palma, but it was too far from Santa Ponsa. Magaluf was actually really fun and only a cheap and short cab ride away. It was definitely somewhere I wouldn't feel comfortable going to at night without a bigger group because it was a little crazy, but we did have a lot of fun! We sat outside and got drinks and then danced all night in a club called Stereo. The next day was just a chill one. Three of the girls had to go back to Edinburgh for school, so Natalie and I decided to spend the day perfecting our tan lines. We stayed on the beach from 9 am until 3 pm, snacking, swimming, and tanning. Then, we napped by the pool at our hotel for another 2 hours before we got dressed up and went out to dinner. We were craving Italian and I had spotted the cutest restaurant the night before so we went to O Mama Mia (where I had the yummy sangria pictured above). It was the perfect ending to the perfect beach vacation! I highly recommend Mallorca if you are looking for a beach vacation in Europe. 

• Canal boat tour 
• Little mermaid statue 
• Botanical Gardens 
• Tivoli Amusement Park 
• Nyhavn
• Rosenborg Castle
• Stroget shopping area 
• Christiania
• Hot Dog stands
• Torvehallerne Farmer's Market
• Bolten's Food Court
• Hotel EuroGlobe
• A.C. Perch's Tea shop
• Bicycle Brewing 

It has been almost a month of traveling! It has been so nice exploring Edinburgh more, but it was refreshing to fly to another country this weekend! Copenhagen was more beautiful and magical than I expected. It makes since that one of the most famous fairy tales, The Little Mermaid, was written here. We got to Copenhagen pretty late on Friday night so we took a taxi to our hotel, but if you ever visit, I recommend taking the train to town. It is super cheap and easy to use. Our hotel, Hotel Euroglobe, was cheap and a bit like a hostel because there were shared bathrooms on the floor. It was nothing fancy, but for broke college students or anyone traveling on a budget, it was perfect! The location was amazing, walkable to any major attraction in the city. Copenhagen is a very walkable city, we walked about 12 miles every day, but there is a lot of public transport as well. On our first day, we decided just to start walking and see what we could find. There were so may things to see, even for free! We first ran into the Rosenburg Castle, which you can pay to go in to, but the gardens outside are free and were enough for us. Then, we found the botanical gardens in the city, which you can also pay to go inside and see, but there is so much in the gardens to see for free as well. We continued walking and stumbled upon a ton of little shops. We stopped into a bunch of them, each selling anything from clothes to posters to art to Christmas decorations. Everything was so beautiful. It rained all day, so we stopped in for coffee after we explored Nyhavn, where the canal and multicolored houses and restaurants are. We walked to Christiania, which is a "free" community within Copenhagen. Apparently this area had been adopted by hippies back in the 70s. The laws within Christiania are different than the rest of Copenhagen. The people that live there sell all sorts of products, from pipes to jewelry to clothes and little trinkets. To be honest, it didn't feel the safest, so our visit was short, but we did manage to buy a cheap beanie and some jewelry before continuing on our self tour of the city. When we started to get hungry we stopped into Bolten's Food Court. This place was perfect for a large group because there were so many choices all in one place. For all my Southern Californians, it was exactly like the Anaheim Packing District, so it was nice to feel a little at home. Later, we wandered over to the Stroget shopping area. Here, one can find all types of shopping, but mostly higher end stores. We went specifically for the A.C. Perch's Tea Shop, which opened back in 1835. The queen herself buys tea from here! There were so many blends to choose from, if you are a tea lover I have to recommend you visit if you are ever in Copenhagen! After we filled up on tea, we headed over to the norther part of town where Landon's cousin owns his own brewery, Bicycle Brewing. We had a blast learning how he brews his own beers, including some tasty flavored ones like Raspberry. It was a great end to our first day. 

The next day, we checked out of our hotel and checked our bags into a nicer hotel nearby before heading to the Torvehallerne Farmer's Market. I think if I could have I would have spent all day here. The market has the prettiest flowers and the freshest fruits and veggies in the stalls outside. Inside the beautiful glass buildings, there are stalls upon stalls of all different foods, from pastries to meats to teas to chocolates to traditional Danish sandwiches. To my delight, there was an açaí bowl stall so I of course had to get one. We also purchased apples and plums and blueberries before stopping in to get chocolate covered cinnamon rolls to eat while we walked. Stuffed, we walked back down to Nyhavn for a canal tour. I highly recommend this! It was so cheap and an amazing way to see the city and the famous Little Mermaid statue. Then, we walked to Tivoli, the second oldest amusement park to still be running, and apparently Walt Disney's inspiration for Disneyland. Although we didn't go inside, it was definitely an experience just to see the intricate and stunning entrance, which happened to be decorated for Halloween while we were there. When we were finally hungry again we snacked on traditional Danish hot dogs, which are sold for cheap by street vendors all throughout the city. Then, we strolled through the city one last time and treated ourselves to roasted candied almonds, which are also sold by the street vendors. It was a great end to such a fantastic trip. Although Copenhagen is a little expensive, I do think it is possible to see the city on a budget (especially if you are okay with eating hotdogs and croissants for breakfast lunch and dinner) and I highly recommend going!

• Temple Bar 
• Leo Burdock’s Fish and Chips  
• Grafton Street 
• St. Patricks Cathedral 
• Dublin Castle 
• Dicey’s club 
• Christ Church Cathedral
• Ha’penny Bridge

There is no one I would rather go to Ireland for the first time with than Taylor, my best friend and my only ginger friend. Honestly, before I went to Dublin I could only picture leprechauns and four leaf clovers and red hair and beer when I thought of Ireland. Although the beer is not wrong, everything else about Dublin was so different than that. Dublin was very much a city like any other central city of a European country. There were old and elaborate buildings and new and modern buildings. When Tay and I first got to Dublin, we were hungry and tired after taking an early flight from Scotland and mastering the public transport that got us from the airport to the city center. When we got off the bus our air bnb wasn’t ready for us yet, so we stopped into one of the first cafes we could find. We stumbled across a little Italian restaurant that served a full Irish breakfast (beans, eggs, toast, sausage, bacon, and tomato) with coffee for seven euro! We were off to a good start. After we took a long nap in the air bnb, we were ready to explore. On all of my other trips, my friend Madeline has been on top of the itinerary, always having a plan and knowing where we are going. Since it was just me and Tay, we decided just to wing it. Our air bnb was just over the Ha’Penny bridge from all of the attractions. Just by wandering we ran into the famous Temple Bar, which we decided to try out in the evening. We saw the beautiful Christ Church Cathedral on the street, but it unfortunately cost money to go inside so we continued on. As all European countries do so far, Ireland has a castle in Dublin so we of course had to see it. The Dublin Castle was unlike any castle I have seen so far. It seemed almost modern, but obviously old at the same time. There were some pretty gardens and fountains and some weirdly colorful walls of the building. The large courtyard towards the back seemed to me to be only stereotypically castle aspect to the entire thing. Next, we walked towards St. Patrick park where St. Patrick cathedral is located. Unfortunately, we never got to go inside as it was closed for the weekend for graduations and Remembrance Day. Tay and I love our shopping days together, so we headed over to Grafton Street, the major shopping streets containing stores from many major designers and popular brands. The streets were lit up all pretty for Christmas and there were street vendors selling flowers and street performers doing limbo under sticks of fire and younger singers hoping to attract attention and some receiving it. Once we had come full circle back to Temple Bar, we split a large fish and chips at Leo Burdocks. This has been recommended to us by some locals, and although it seems touristy what with the proud list of famous people who had once also eaten these exact fish and chips, it was definitely worth all the fuss. We then washed down the fish and chips with our first pint of Guinness in Ireland at the famous Temple Bar. I see what all the talk about this place is about. It was so much fun. The place was decked out in Christmas lights and decorations and there was live music. Although it was packed, it didn’t take long before we were happily enjoying our beers and people watching. It was definitely worth the expensive beer for the experience. After our long day, we were tired but this wasn’t stopping us from having a night out in Dublin. Tay and I went back to the air bnb and rested for a little and then hit the clubs. We went to Diceys as recommended by a friend who lives in Ireland. Although there was a ten euro cover charge, Tay and I had the best time. We danced the night away in this cool indoor and outdoor club and met a bunch of people from all over. It was great fun until we had to walk back to the bnb in the pouring rain late at night, but we laughed the whole way home. The next day we grabbed a quick breakfast at Starbucks ( I know, typical California girl and her Starbs, but I just had to) and made our way to the Guinness Factory. We bought our tickets online beforehand and I am glad we did because I discovered that it was way cheaper to go Sunday than Saturday. The Guinness Factory was worth every cent! Tay and I spent over two hours there, all the while learning how beer is made, what makes Guinness beer so good, and why people come from all over to try it. Although we had already tried some, Guinness somehow tasted even better once we knew how much work is put into making it, and this is saying something because I typically prefer a cider over beer, but Guinness is something else. Our tickets came with two free tastings and a free pint, which can be enjoyed in many different experiences throughout the museum. We decided to drink out pints while marveling over the huge city from the Gravity Lounge, a large room at the top of the factory with a 360 degree glass walled view of Dublin. I couldn’t how cheap our tickets were after this experience. Happy and full of beer, Tay and I wandered until we found a pub that served good soup and more Guinness, because you can’t have enough in a city where even the taxis are advertising the stuff. We spent the rest of the day walking the city more and ended our trip listening to live music in different pubs. Overall, I can describe Dublin in 4 words…Guinness and live music. I definitely recommend a trip to Ireland if these words sound at all appealing to you. 

• Parliament 
• Buda Castle
• Széchenyi Chain Bridge 
• Heroes' Square 
• Széchenyi Thermal Baths 
• Gellért Hill
• Citadella
• Liberty Bridge 
• Elisabeth Bridge 
• Géllert Hill Cave (Church)
• Titiz (food)
• Instant night club

*There are so many other things to do in Budapest, but I unfortunately did not have enough time to see it all! Here are some other recommendations I have found that I was unable to visit: 

• St. Stephen's Basilica 
• Matthias Church 
• Central Market Hall
• Vajdahunyad Castle 
• Hungarian National Gallery

Budapest was my last trip with all of my girls here in Scotland and it was absolutely a great way to end it with them. I hadn’t even really planned on visiting Budapest during my time abroad, but a few weeks ago the girls texted me and said that tickets were cheap and they wanted to go, so I thought ‘why not?’ I don’t even think I really had an idea in my head of what Budapest would be like. Before I went, I couldn’t have even pointed it out on the map (I’m not sure if that is an embarrassing fact, but it is the truth). The girls had arrived to Budapest on Thursday, but seeing as I have class on Friday, I couldn’t meet them until Saturday. I hopped on a bus when I landed in Budapest and was very unimpressed at first by what I saw when I looked out the window. The city looked run down, with abandoned looking buildings and litter, and the dreary weather wasn’t helping. My first bite to eat in Budapest was at a little Turkish cafe at the corner from our air bnb called Titiz. I had vowed I wouldn’t spend a lot of money in Budapest and thankfully the city was accepting of this. My bowl of falafel and veggies at Titiz came out to 625 Huf, or about 2.50 USD! I knew I was going to like Budapest at that moment. After I had dropped my bag off at the air bnb, the girls and I were ready to soak in one of Budapest’s famous thermal baths. Széchenyi is one of the most famous and the price wasn’t outrageous. For about $16 we were able to soak in the baths until 10 pm if we had wanted. I haven’t been in a bath or jacuzzi since before I left for Europe, so this was such a treat! We tried out every bath, from the beautiful outdoor pools surrounded by ancient looking oval walls to the indoor pools, some room temperature and some hot, to the ice bath outside the sauna, meant to promote healthy metabolism. It was all such an experience one just can’t find in America or most parts of the world. Then, we decided to treat ourselves to a traditional Hungarian dinner. We each started with a glass of wine and a cup of Goulash, a popular Hungarian soup, and a basket of bread. For our main courses, we each ordered either beef or turkey stuffed with different cheeses and vegetables and breaded to perfection with a side of potatoes. In America or even Scotland, this meal would cost about $25 to $35 each. However, in Hungary, this meal cost us $10 each! Completely full and satisfied, we stumbled back to the air bnb and hung out for a little before going back out to the club. We went to Instant, a club that had been recommended to us by some friends. At first, we were not impressed. The music was weird and the restroom charged for toilet paper and the enclosed underground dance floors smelt from the cultural hygiene differences of the individuals that occupied all the space. However, we decided to wander around the large club some more where we found the upstairs and outdoor dance floor where the DJ knew what he was doing and every person was enjoying themselves. As usual, we danced the night away. The next day, we woke up and found a little coffee shop where we had croissant sandwiches and coffee. The girls then took me around to see what I had missed so far. We saw parliament and walked across the many beautiful bridges in the city and hiked to the top of Gellért hill, where there were stalls upon stalls of Hungarian souvenirs and cuisine, and wandered around the palace grounds and spent time admiring Gellért cave church, a church built into the side of the mountain. I was awestruck by the amount of things to do in Budapest and the incredible views and architecture of the city. After walking over ten miles, two of the girls had to catch their flight back to Scotland, so we had their final meal back at our trusty Turkish cafe, where we indulged in gyros and baklava. Later, after Madeline and Tess had left, Aidan and I decided to go to the Christmas markets. We spent time looking at all of the ceramics and candle holders and scented garlands and Hungarian soups and spices and pastries. This is the best time of year to visit all of these different European countries. We ended our trip with, can you guess, another meal at Titiz. We ordered falafel and tadziki and veggies and naan to go and snuggled up watching a Christmas movie. It was the perfect ending to a great last trip with my girls. 

• Trevi Fountain 
• Spanish Steps 
• Pantheon 
• Piazza Navona 
• Da Gildo 
• Hercules Chapel 
• Colosseum 
• Arch 
• Roman Forum 
• New memorial building 
• Pizzeria Da Michele 
• The Vatican- St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel 

As this trip goes on, I continue to feel more and more like the luckiest girl alive. Rome can do that to a girl, especially when she gets to go to Rome with her mom. When we first landed in Rome, we caught a bus to Termini station and then caught a taxi to our air bnb. In all of my traveling in Europe, I have only taken a taxi one other time, and it was actually in Italy again, in Milan. It was a little painful, but it was raining and my mom and I had a deadline to meet with our air bnb owner, and let’s face it, it wasn’t that painful for me because for once I wasn’t paying for it. My beautiful amazing mother surprised me with where we were staying, right in front of the Trevi fountain! That’s right, every morning while we stayed in Rome I got to wake up to the sound of the Trevi fountain and the same every night as I fell asleep! I truly am lucky. As soon as we had checked into our air bnb, we headed out for dinner. It should be noted for any traveler going to Rome that even at 9 pm, the restaurants in Rome are packed on a Saturday night. Luckily, my mom’s friend had given us recommendations on restaurants and although the first one was booked, we were actually the only ones in the second. Full on pasta, we got gelato, as you do even when stuffed in Rome. It was the best pistachio gelato, so rich and creamy, I had ever had. It was so good that I actually got it every day in the three days we were there. 

The next day was Sunday. We planned our trip accordingly, knowing the Vatican would be closed on Sunday. We first walked from our adorable air bnb at the fountain to the Spanish steps, a little less than a mile away. It was raining, so at first all I saw was a sea of umbrellas, but the view at the top was definitely worth it. From the top, all of the domed buildings and rooftop gardens are visible and just enough to take ones breath away. We then walked to the Pantheon, one of the oldest buildings ever preserved. The Pantheon dates back to …. A.D. The history here was just incredible and how the builders constructed such a building back when they did is beyond me. I had to sit in the Pantheon for a while researching all I could about its history before I left, which was well worth the time. Even learning that the materials go from heavier to lighter as you look up towards the giant hole in the top of the domed roof made the experience all the more magical (for lack of a better word). Next, we walked to the Piazza Navona. Here, there are three major fountains, each with their own history and stories told though the sculptures that make them up. After all the walking, we decided to head to lunch. My mom’s friend was very insistent on going to Da Gildo and ordering the gnocchi, so that we did. The restaurant was just across the river, so we had a good walk and view of this different part of the city. We were afraid that the restaurant might be full, but we were in luck, they had a table for us. I won’t go much into the detail about the food here because it can be found on my “Global Eats” page, but let me just say that my taste buds went to heaven that day and any other description of this experience we had at Da Gildo would be an understatement. Completely full and utterly satisfied, we walked towards the colosseum. The colosseum is larger than I pictured from all of the pictures I had seen and again amazing as it stands so tall after so many centuries. Unfortunately, in the winter the colosseum and the Roman Forum closes early so we were unable to go inside, but this just means I will have to go back one day. After relaxing at the air bnb for a bit, we were finally hungry again for dinner. After reading Eat Pray Love I have learned that Rome does not have good pizza, at least not when compared to Naples. Luckily, Naples pizza doesn’t have to be too far when there is Pizzeria Da Michele. This little chain only has its original location in Naples and then two in Rome and we are so lucky that we found it (see “Global Eats” for details on this incredible pizza). It was the perfect ending to an unforgettable day. 

On our last day my mom had a tour of the Vatican booked for us. Honestly, I am not typically a big fan of tours. I like to explore on my own and not have to worry about an agenda. However, after experiencing the Vatican with a personal tour guide, I definitely believe it is worth it in this case. Our tour guide’s name was Sergio, a very nice personal tour guide from Rome. Sergio took us through the painting and sculpture galleries of the Vatican. I swear there wasn’t a question I could’ve asked him that he wouldn’t know the answer to. He told us when paintings were painted, why certain figures or colors were portrayed, where the painting used to hang, who painted it, and more. The same went for the sculptures. The Vatican, if you didn’t know, is separate from Italy, so it has its own police, court system, banks, and jobs. A tour of the Vatican includes a walk around the museum, which houses many old paintings, tapestries, and sculptures. After done exploring the museum, there is a tunnel that leads right into the Sistine Chapel. The inner walls of the chapel are dressed with the works of Michaelangelo, including the famous painting of God creating Adam. The Sistine Chapel is much smaller than one might have guessed, but is also more overwhelming than anticipated, with the beautiful and old artworks of such a famous artist. After gazing at the paintings in the Sistine Chapel for a good amount of time, Sergio took us to St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest Christian church in the world. The size of this church is breathtaking. The ceilings of it are decorated with beautiful paintings and surrounded by gold. The history of this place was hard to comprehend. It is said that Peter, God’s disciple, was buried below the church’s current location. There are also over one hundred popes buried underneath the church and a few even embalmed and entombed within the church walls. All of this, we wouldn’t have known without our private tour guide. The history of the Vatican is immense and the city itself is underrated in my opinion. I think that a trip to Rome is incomplete with a visit to the Vatican. 

Overall, Rome was one of my favorite places I have visited on my study abroad trip so far. I definitely recommend it and hope to visit again someday. 

• Hotel Brighton 
• Ritz Carlton 
• Louvre
• Notre Dame
• Seine River 
• Eiffel Tower 
• Moulin Rouge 
• Arc de Triomphe 
• Catacombs of Paris 
• Paul
• High Tea at the Daniel Hotel
• Christmas Markets at the Roue de Paris 

I find it fitting that my last trip while studying abroad is to a city that I’ve been to before. It was even more fitting that I went to the city of love with my mom on her birthday. I have been to Paris three times now and I fall more in love with it every time. My mom and I left from Edinburgh to Paris on her birthday. Once we landed, we walked down to the train station that is in the airport and took a train into the city. I definitely recommend this when traveling in Paris because Paris was expensive! A train ticket from the airport costs about ten euros while a taxi would have cost over fifty euros. We checked into our hotel, freshened up, and walked around trying to find a good place for my mom’s birthday dinner. We had been looking beforehand, but decided just to wander and find something when we got there. Unfortunately, it was a Friday night so a lot of places were booked, but we finally found a cute little French restaurant. After dinner, we decided to get dessert at the Ritz Carlton. My mom’s friend had recommended we at least go in it while we were in Paris because it is stunning and since it was her birthday, we agreed it would be worth the splurge (and it was). Very full and satisfied, we walked to the Christmas markets which were just in front of our hotel and surrounded the Roue de Paris (a giant ferris wheel). The markets were so cute! There were stalls of food with smells of sausages and cheeses and chocolates and potatoes leaking from them. There were stalls of Christmas decorations and Paris souvenirs and hats and artworks. There were games and rides and even an ice skating rink. I think Edinburgh’s Christmas market has been my favorite, but this was a close second. Exhausted from traveling, we went back to our hotel room and watched a movie and called it a night. 

The next morning, we got up and walked to the Louvre, which was just about a block from our hotel. I had never been inside the Lovure so I was excited! I do recommend ordering a ticket ahead of time, which we did not think about, but the line was long to get in so it would have saved some time. The Louvre reminded me a lot of the Vatican museum we had visited the weekend before in Italy. There were galleries of paintings and galleries of sculptures. We saw old Egyptian caskets and sphinx sculptures and of course, the Mona Lisa. I had been warned ahead of time, but the Mona Lisa is much smaller than one might imagine and there were tons of people surrounding it so we took a quick and crappy photo from afar just to prove we had seen it and then went on our way. We didn’t get to spend much time in the Louvre because our stay in Paris was so short and there is a lot to see, but it was definitely worth even the quick visit. When we left the Louvre we walked towards Notre Dame. Many of the major monuments in Paris are easy to find if you just follow the Seine River and this walk down the river is amusing as vendors have little stalls of old books and posters and paintings set up. We stopped at a cute and busy cafe for lunch where I had the best brie on toast and a honey walnut salad and of course a latte after my meal as the French do. I had so much fun in Paris getting to try all of the food, especially because my trips without my mom have definitely been less extravagant, with lots of cheap street food involved. After lunch, we arrived at Notre Dame.  I was curious to see how it looked since part of it had recently burned down. There were unfortunately lots of gates surrounding it so we couldn’t walk up to it like I had years before, but it was in better shape than I had expected. Then, we walked towards the Eiffel Tower, stopping along the river on the way to look at the stalls and take in the sights. When I was in Paris last, the city was in the middle of taking down the famous lock bridge because all of the locks were weighing down the bridge. I was excited that I remembered what the bridge looked like so we could stop and take a picture on it. It looks so different without the locks, a very insignificant looking bridge except that there are a few locks that were kept on the poles to identify it. We finally arrived to the Eiffel Tower just before it got dark and took some pictures before heading to our tour meeting point. My mom had booked us dinner on the Eiffel Tower, a river boat tour and tickets to Moulin Rouge. It was such an unforgettable night! Dinner included a cheese board and access to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower so we could see the city and watch the tower sparkle as it does every hour. The river boat tour was pretty insignificant, but a good break before heading to the show. Moulin Rouge was such an experience! I had seen the movie with Nicole Kidman years before, but of course the movie and the show were not very alike. The show included snakes and miniature ponies and dancing and nudity and the famous can can. Moulin Rouge was spectacular!

Although Moulin Rouge didn't end until late, we had to wake up early the next morning in order to see the rest of the major sights in Paris. We first took a taxi to the Arc de Triomphe (side note, taxis are pretty expensive in Paris so definitely try to avoid and plan extra time to walk if you can and are trying to budget). To our surprise, you can go to the top of the Arc for free on Sundays! We had a little bit of time to grab a croissant and walk down the Champs Elysses while we were there, too. Then, we took a taxi to the Catacombs of Paris, which was definitely an experience. It was very deep underground and the bones are real, so keep this in mind if you have it on your Paris bucket list, but overall it was interesting. On our way back to our hotel, we stopped into Paul, a popular bakery in France, to get a box of macaroons. Definitely make your way to a Paul while in Paris, everything looked so yummy. My mom and I ended our trip to Paris and our time together in Europe with our birthday tradition, high tea. I found Hotel Daniel online a few months ago and loved it because of its classy eclectic tea room, plus it was relatively cheaper than other high tea places in Paris. This was one of the best trips, not only because my incredible mama was there, but because Paris has so much beauty and activities to offer to travelers!

• Windermere
• Grasmere
• YHA Grasmere Hostel 
• Grasmere Gingerbread Bakery

The last trip with my girls abroad! I think our weekend in the Lake District became my favorite trip while abroad. We wanted to go hiking somewhere so we did some research about the Lake District, which is a national park in England. We chose Grasmere because the hike looked decent and it was one of the only places left with available housing for cheap. We took the train from Edinburgh to Windermere and then taxied from Windermere about 20 minutes to Grasmere. All of these towns were so cute and little. Once we got to Grasmere, we walked around the town, visited their well-known Gingerbread Bakery, and got dinner and drinks at a local pub. Our hostel, the YHA Grasmere Hostel, was perfect! We had our own private room with two bunkbeds for the four of us. There was a kitchen downstairs and common rooms in the main house, so we took advantage and watched the first Harry Potter on the night, The next morning, we woke up to snow all over. I was overly excited because I don't get to see snow that often, and I knew it would make the hike extra beautiful. The hike was only about 6 miles, but was a little more difficult because of the slippery ground. I of course fell twice, but we laughed and talked and took in the scenery the entire time. I don't think I had ever been anywhere so quiet and beautiful. There were sheep and waterfalls and a huge lake. After our hike, we went back to Windermere and walked around the town's small Christmas market. We had mulled wine and enjoyed looking at the local artwork and little shops. Our last stop was The Crafty BAA, a little eccentric bar in town. It was packed and everyone was talking and there was good music playing and the homemade cakes and mochas were fantastic. It was a great end to a perfect last trip.