La Vita Bella

So as I sat down to write this post I kind of fought with myself on how to approach it. (Don't you worry though, I did end up winning eventually) I've come to the conclusion that because it was so difficult to start that I just can not put to words a description of the past ten days I was able to spend in Italy and allow you to feel the same excitement about it that I have. Every time I would start to write I either would have way too much to say for a blog post or struggle with putting in too little because it leaves out way too much for you to get a real feel of what my experience was like. It was more than awesome and nothing less than liberating. For one, being in a completely different culture from Irish or American was amazing in itself. I have a new inspiration to become fluent in as many different languages as possible; a difficult task I know. But it was so neat, I was able to use/learn parts of 4 different languages on this trip. (Italian, Spanish, French, and Croatian). The Italian language though is so beautiful and so much fun to speak and now that I am back home in Ireland I still find myself thinking in Italian sometimes; but honestly I don't mind it one bit. Although, trying to talk in the Dublin airport upon returning and forgetting I could switch back to English proved to be quite funny. For example, when asking a security guard for directions to the bus I needed to catch I didn't realize I had been talking in Italian until he looked at me confused saying "Pardon?" and me responding with "Oops!" and covering my mouth as we both laughed. My over all experience in Italy however was so wonderful. I spent 3 days in Venice, 3 days in Florence, and 4 days in Rome. I keep being asked which is my favorite city and my rating goes a little like this because its so hard to compare: Venice is my favorite city to wander in and is probably the most unique and peaceful, Florence I would rate best for the amount of fun we had and for its beautiful buildings and sites all within walking distance, Rome is rated best for the amazing experiences I was able to stumble into having and best for its ancient historic sites (oh and most definitely rated #1 for its gelato :) ). I really can't describe to you the overall beauty of Italy though. I think the thing that struck me the most was the age and history of the places that I was able to walk through. It was unreal for me to think about the history as I wandered around and because of that alone I wouldn't trade the experience for the world. "If only time machines were real", I kept thinking.haha I wished I could feel what it was really like to walk through the cities in ancient times and be part of the culture but just being able to imagine it as I took in the surrounding scenery was good enough for me (my eyes probably as big as tennis ball looking like the stereotypical tourist trying to take it all in). I really am so blessed to have this experience abroad. We truly had so much fun in Italy! I don't think we went a day with out taking a break from laughing for more than 5 minutes. I loved all the people I was able to meet too, it certainly contributed to the... uniqueness of this adventure.haha  And the food...oh my...people don't rave about it enough! I will definitely be missing it as I return back to my lovely budgeted college diet. But because of the immensity of stories and information that I have to tell you and the difficulty I have choosing the experiences I want to put into my blog right now I think I will just attach some pictures and leave the descriptions in words for a time I see you all in person again. Do be forewarned however, you are all in for a talkative treat that's for sure. But its nothing a nice cup of coffee and a listening ear can't cure when I get home! I guess some people really don't come back the same. For me I think I will be the same for the most part, just more well rounded, talkative, and passionate about certain things. The biggest thing though that I am sure you will notice will be the increased intensity of the little travel bug inside me.There's soo much more to see that I just don't have enough time for in one semester. But I have my whole life ahead of me, I am not too worried. :) Until my next post however, I hope you can "live vicariously" with me through my pictures! (aka that means you Aunt Jay)

 

Mt. Brandon and Dingle