The End of an Era

My dear readers,

My time in Bologna has come to a close. But what a year it was! It wasn't always easy, but there was never pain without growth. I have been so blessed to have met friends I'll keep, visited places I'll remember, and learned recipes I'll continue to make.

Some of the things I will miss most about Europe:

1. The friends I have there.

2. The food: the quality, and how it changes from country to country, city to city.

3. Open-air markets for everything from food to clothing to antiques to artwork.

4. Public transportation. Ok, so long train rides aren't exactly fun, and Ryanair isn't the greatest, but it is so amazing how easily you can get from place to place!

I'd like to thank all of you who have followed my blog these past nine months, it was a joy to write it for you!

Ciaociao for now!

Signing off until next big adventure,

the Sengenblogger

Last Walks around Bologna

Goodbyes are never easy. This is a tribute to some of my favorite parts of Bologna.

Santo Stefano

Piazza Maggiore

Piazza Nettuno

Via Farini

Via Farini

San Domenico

Santa Maria dei Servi

Signed,

the Sengenblogger

Under the Tuscan Sun

The end of the year BCSP trip: two days in Tuscany. Can I say I picked a good program?

We started out in Monteriggioni, a small fortified city on top of a hill. I said it was small: you can pretty much see all of it in this picture, taken from the top of the wall.
Stop #2 was Siena. One afternoon was not enough to see the city, and so it goes on my list of Must Return's. Siena is famous for hosting the palio, a horse race that takes place twice a year in the Piazza del Campo. Each contrada (quarter) of Siena, in addition to having its own flag, animal symbol, colors, and crest, supports a horse in these races. We stopped by the Contrada della Selva, or, of the forest. The colors are green and orange, and the animal is the rhinoceros, which was thought to be a mythical creature during the Middle Ages, when the palio first began.

We stayed overnight at a once-monastery, now-hotel, called Sant'Anna in Camprena, which is actually where some of The English Patient was filmed.

The next day we stopped by Pienza and Montalcino, both small and adorable Tuscan towns, before heading to San Gimignano, another fortified city, but on a much larger scale than Monteriggioni. It is known for its towers, which you can see below.

The best part of Tuscany, however, was the countryside. I brought homework to do on the bus, but it was hard to read when out the window you saw some of the most beautiful hills in the world!

Signed,
the Sengenblogger

It's All Greek to Me...

In order to thank Greece for...giving my dollars so much more breathing room, I headed down to Athens, where my friend Eric guided me through the slightly chaotic maze of ancient ruins and modern people.

Athens, while having a plethora of ancient temples, houses, and hills, looked much more modern than I anticipated. The buildings, seen from above, give the city a very white and boxy feel.

There are a ton of stray dogs in Athens. Apparently when people can no longer house their pet, they let it free to roam the streets. The government, to mitigate the multiplicative effect of these animals, rounds them up one by one, gives them all sorts of shots, spays them, and then returns them to the streets.

When the Olympics came to Athens a few years back, they needed to expand the subway system. Of course, it being Greece, they found a lot of cool stuff while they were digging. But the show must go on, and they kept on digging, putting up glass walls to show off their discoveries.

The traditionally-garbed Greek guard outside a government building across from Syntagma Square, where many of the protests take place.

The open markets were great for shopping, getting lost, and people watching.


At the top of the Acropolis.

Greek food is delicious! Now, if only I could remember what it's all called...

A two-hour bus ride from Athens, and you arrive at Sounio, site of an ancient temple to Poseidon, and an incredibly beautiful sunset over the Mediterranean Sea.

Greece was in all kinds of protests while I was there, and they almost kept me from leaving the country. Luckily, I was able to get one of the last metro services to the airport before they went on strike that Tuesday morning, and I flew out of the country before all the Greek airports closed on Wednesday.

Signed,
the Sengenblogger