Well it's taken about 24 hours, but I am officially bored at home...my trip to Italy is still 55 days away (no worries, I have a countdown on my desktop), but I figured I'd go ahead and get this kicked off. I'm new to blogging - unless you count the middle school days of Xanga, which I don't - so we'll see how this shapes up. But I got multiple requests and suggestions to keep a blog, so here goes. I will be flying out on July 1st (landing in Rome on the 2nd), and returning by July 30th. Our first weekend is full of travel to the Umbria Institute in Perugia and new student orientation, and our last weekend consists of boarding a bus at 1 AM Friday night (Saturday morning) to be able to make it to the airport in time for morning flights. Basically that leaves me with three open weekends to travel as I please - starting Thursday morning and ending Monday afternoon. I have lists of plenty of places I'd like to go, but unfortunately time is limiting. Trips to Milan, Munich, Paris, Marseilles, Vienna, Switzerland, Greece, Naples, etc. etc. etc. would have been lovely no doubt. However, as of now I'm looking at hitting up the big 3: Rome, Florence, and Venice.
Rome: Obvious choice. It's an iconic city, from its empire roots to its modern vibe. The Colosseum is a must see; I'll have to try my luck at the Trevi Fountain; take pictures on the Spanish Steps. And on top of the sightseeing, get a feel for the culture of the city, from cafes to clubs and everything in between.
Florence: I have an inner history nerd deep down, and Florence is a great throwback to Renaissance life. It's been described as a mesh of modern and medieval culture, as if you could still feel the presence of the Medici family. There are plenty of museums, including the world renowned David statue. I'll try to do my best art snob impression in the midst of all these classical masterpieces.
Venice: It seems to be consensus that this is a must see destination, but I'm conflicted. There seems to be something magical about Venice that you have to be there to experience, and I feel like I may regret not seeing it if I do not go - especially after hearing stories from friends who may make the trip. I am not as high on it as others seem to be. No doubt it is mobbed with people, especially during the summer, and I don't want to be the typical tourist. I'm not a hipster backpacking Europe or a senior citizen trying to see the world - I'll be a student, and I want to try to mend into the culture as much as possible. Not to change who I am, mind you, but to engulf myself in another culture and live as they live.
If I don't take the trip to Venice, I will most likely spend my first full weekend in town in Perugia for the Umbria Jazz Festival - the world's largest outdoor Jazz festival, sure to be an amazing time. It really is quite the coincidence that I will be in Perugia at the same time as this - it is definitely not something that I would go seek out, but the fact that it is coming to me almost like a welcoming party to Perugia seems so surreal. It is another thing that seems like I will regret if I miss, although it is taking travel opportunities away in favor of staying in a town I will most likely become very familiar with during the weekdays. I still have time to decide, I guess, but I should probably get rolling on some more concrete plans soon - booking hostels and train tickets, trying to get in groups of people to travel with, and making sure things don't get too stressed out last minute.
Perhaps I started all this a bit too early, but I wanted to get some thoughts down to ease my decision making processes, as well as hold this oh so catchy title that I thought of while taking a final exam. I suppose it'll be a good place to throw some random thoughts about my trip before I actually leave. I hope you all enjoy reading and keeping up with my travels! Or my wallowing away at home for the time being...ha.
I would end with an Italian phrase other than "Ciao" but I do not know any...luckily my Italian class starts up on Monday! Hopefully I can expand my vocabulary a bit more - beyond food and random names of places that I have picked up through trip destination research.
- Jordan
bip bop.
ReplyDelete