I really like rhymes, so the title of this blog is: A Croatian Vacation

Fun fact of the weekend: college kids are “hella” (most obnoxious word in the English language - can you technically claim that it’s part of the English language?) annoying. I’m currently sitting on an overnight ferry which takes passengers between Split, Croatia and Ancona, Italy, surrounded by about 80 other college students. If I am as irritating as all the people around me, someone should slap me against my newly sun burnt face. Constantly bragging about being drunk, yelling obscenities, and whining about everything in the world, these kids really need to hear themselves. No wonder Italians hate us.

Besides the people I’ve had to travel with, my Easter weekend in Croatia with Beth was quite enjoyable. While everyone else was out drinking and clubbing, Beth and I headed to the hotel room early every night to watch pirated online movies. Maybe that’s why I find college kids so irritating: I’m already an old woman. Maybe I’ve got a Benjamin Button thing going on, so that in my later years I’ll start acting younger. I’ll just be a super cool old lady. Sure, that’s a good way to think of it.

Anywho, we arrived in Split Friday morning around 8. After being ushered to our hotels, Beth and I immediately headed out to find the beach. The beach in split, Bacvice, wasn’t anything special. However, it did have sand, European men wearing speedos, and perfect sunny weather. It was cool too because the water was super shallow; it didn’t go past our knees even when we walked quite a ways out towards the ocean.

My sunburn level that day after being out for about 3 hours was only a 1.25 (on a scale from 0 to 10, 0 being no sunburn, and 10 being absolutely fried), which is extremely impressive for me. This fact is thanks to my dear mother who made me buy a little tube of sunscreen (which I avidly argued against - accidental assonance!!) before I left the states.

That night we went to a quiet dinner outside our hotel where we tried some delicious fish soup, fish salad, and french fries. It should be noted that because we only ordered those three things, the waiter served me the french fries as my main course. Please imagine me sitting at a table with a huge plate of fries in front of me. Laugh.

I promise we tried to go out that night. We just couldn’t find an open bar selling cocktails. However, we did come across a bakery where we bought 2 yummy cakes which we took back to our hotel room with us to eat while we watched a movie.

The next morning we slept in late and found our way to a nearby town called Omiŝ (pronounced omeesh). Beth did all the research to find out that it had some of the best beaches on the Dalmatian coast (that’s what they call the part of Croatia we were in). After the 30 minute bus ride (on which I left my book - sad day), the beach we found was absolutely serene. There were almost no people around, and we sat very close to the water, listening to the waves lap against the shore, eating strawberries and grapes we’d bought the day before at the Split fruit market.

(After day two of beaching, my sunburn was still only at a 1.25! Impressive, I know)

We had quite an adventure trying to find the bus station in Omiŝ, stopping in a hotel to ask for information (and luckily finding a very friendly receptionist), running into “Italian Frank” who took a picture with us and slobbered all over Beth’s hand, and eventually hopping on some random bus, hoping it would take us where we needed to go (don’t worry, it did).

Dinner that night was UNBELIEVABLE. We went to a place (called Nostromo) directly adjacent to the local fish market, and supposedly the best fish restaurant in Split - I can now vouch that this is a true fact. We went super early so were the only people there, and got some first class service. We tasted more fish soup, got some of the greatest seafood spaghetti (full of clams, mussels, and octopi), and bread. Oh, and Beth thought it was a good idea to split an entire liter of wine between the two of us. This lovely alcohol consumption led to us stopping at an ice cream stand, and then by a grocery store on the way back to the hotel and buying loads of cookies and candy to stuff ourselves with while we watched a movie in the room again (ok, so maybe we are annoying college students - unless you mention the fact that we were back in our hotel room by 9).

After such an eventful night, I felt quite sick the next morning (never mind, I definitely am an old woman) which was unfortunate because Sunday was white water rapid day. I sucked it up, and we were able to participate. Which was good, because it was so much fun.

We suited up in wet suits, life jackets, and helmets, and settled ourselves into our rafts with our paddles. We looked ridiculous. The rapids weren’t very intense and we each had an experienced guide who would yell “bombo!” whenever something mildly intense was about to happen. At this command, we would basically duck into the raft and get swallowed in water while our guide steered us through the rapid. It was exhausting, but the scenery was so beautiful and on the relaxing parts of the ride we got to sit back and look at it all. Hopefully I can put up some pictures at some point. We couldn’t take cameras with us, so the head guide took pictures all along the way and sold a CD at the end of the trip, but there was only one. So one girl bought it and hopefully is going to put them up on Facebook for others to have.

Final sunburn rating for the weekend: a TWO. Guys. Only my face is slightly pink. That’s ALL. I think this is a first in history. Mommy, be proud!

Besides the white water rafting, Sunday should be known as another delicious food day. Almost everything was closed since it was Easter Sunday, so we stopped at a random stand selling breaded stuff. For both lunch and dinner we bought hot dogs wrapped in sesame seed bread and a couple other sweet and salty breaded snacks. Each time, our meal cost less than $5. And it was absolutely delish.

That brings us to now, as I am sitting on the 10 hour boat ride back to Florence. By the time I post this tomorrow I will be heading home in less than 3 weeks. I’m not going to lie, I am extremely excited. Too excited to find my departure bittersweet. Maybe once I’m home for a while I’ll begin to miss Florence (or at least all my European weekend vacations). But all I can think of now is how much I miss Texas and most of the people in it (I have to say “most” because to say “all” would mean I miss people like Jerry Jones - ew).

Since Croatia was my last big trip and starting this week I start turning in final papers and taking tests, this will probably be my last big post for a wile. Maybe I’ll update right before I leave or once I’ve been home for a while. But in any case, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my adventures in Italy. I won’t give this a real closing yet, saying I’ve survived or something, or I’d jinx myself for sure. I’ll just end this with, I’m so excited to see you all and have free tap water at restaurants!! Oh, and Chipotle of course.

PICTURES!!

(sorry, I didn't take very many)

24 hours in a bus: 48 hours in Prague. Worth it.

Prague (located in the Czech Republic) was quite an adventure. i took an overnight bus with a travel agency to Prague from Florence. It took about 11 hours to get to Prague, but once we got there, the bus drivers got lost trying to find the hotel - for almost two hours. Although the start of the trip wasn't ideal, we still ended up having a pretty great time.

We got a late start on Friday, but got to eat beer and sausages, saw the John Lennon wall, the Astrological Clock, and ate a delicious meal of goulash with potato cakes (oh, and more beer).

Saturday was sight seeing day. We woke up early to rush out and see the local communist museum, the Prague Castle (the oldest in Europe), the Lennon wall (again), and the Jewish Quarters (where the Ghetto once was during Nazi power). Unfortunately, the Jewish Quarters were closed, but we did sneak a peak at the cemetery which holds thousands of bodies stacked on top of each other.

There was a Starbucks in Prague, which we happily sipped down Saturday morning, but we still got our share of traditional Czech food. At little stands placed everywhere, there were sausages, cinnamon bread, cinnamon covered almonds, beer, pretzels and more. We stopped for bagels for lunch, which were delicious as well. I ate way too much all weekend, but was happy it wasn't pasta for once.

That night we went to a bar which actually had beer taps at the tables. It was cool to tap our own beer, but the service was awfully rude, so we left after one drink. We had assumed that the bar would have food, but they'd stopped serving by the time we arrived. Thanks to our poor planning, we began looking for dinner places around 11 p.m. after we left the bar. Thus, dinner was KFC. I wish I could say I was bummed about not eating more Czech food, but the coleslaw, french fries, mashed potatoes, and fried chicken were pretty dang good. Thinking about it now makes me hungry.

We left at 10 on Sunday morning and got back to Florence around midnight. The bus ride was quite unfortunate, but the trip itself was really enjoyable.

Some catchy, classic phrase about Rome or Romans or something

This weekend I spent three days in Rome with the big TCU group (well, big as in there were 18 of us, but more TCU people together than usual). Let me just say, I got more history crammed into those three days than ever before, and that’s saying something since I’m studying both history and art history.

We had an awesome guide from Australia. She was brilliant. I think I learned more from her than from Rick Steves.

Our first day (Friday), we left Florence around 9 (took the fast train - classy, I know). We stopped at a lovely little restaurant for lunch after arriving at the hotel. Oh, and then gelato of course, but this time dipped in chocolate. Like an Italian Dairy Queen (without blizzards, aw I miss blizzards - who wants to buy me one when I get home?!). We explored the open market, full of all sorts of fresh fruit and beautiful flowers, and where I bought a bunch of mixed dried fruit as if I were in a candy store. Then we met up with Freya (our guide) who showed us several awesome churches, one with a Carvaggio painting, one with a saint’s body and a statue by Michelangelo, and others which I can’t really remember.

But the most amazing thing was walking into the Pantheon. I’d learned about it in class (obviously making it ten times cooler than it could have been). BTW, the Pantheon is the giant dome with the hole in the top. The one no one could imitate until Brunelleschi’s dome (the one that I can see from my room in Florence).

Our last stop was Trevi Fountain (the one where you make wishes and throw coins in - which, fun fact, are collected and used to help the poor in Rome). We got some classic touristy “throwing-the-coin-behind-you-and-acting-giddy” pictures and then headed back to the hotel for some rest.

Dinner. Was. The. Greatest. Meal. Of. My. Life.

Turns out there’s a Hard Rock Cafe in Rome. I literally almost teared up at the anticipation of so much delicious food. I had a California burger. With real American beef. Guacamole. And, the kicker, RANCH DRESSING. Oh, and this of course followed a lovely precursor of buffalo wings. With a side of ranch. Let me just say, I haven’t felt this bloated in quite a long time. But it was so worth it.

Our second day was spent primarily at the Vatican. We got up early and walked over to the Vatican museum (on the way I tripped and fell, the sequel to my epic wipe out on the hotel steps the day before). We got to see several beautiful artworks, including the School of Athens by Raphael, the real Laocoon (which I’d thought I’d seen in the Uffizi, those tricky Italians), the Last Judgement, and of course, the Sistine Chapel ceiling by Michelangelo. I was blown away. Plus, we had our nifty tour guide who knew so much, making everything even more epic.

We ended the tour in St. Peter’s Basilica, where he is actually buried, and saw Michelangelo’s Pieta, another mind blower (fair warning, my mind blew wide open on multiple occasions this weekend).

We took the metro (woo so trendy) to the Spanish steps, picked up some pizza and sat on those overrated steps to eat. We headed to a couple churches. One had a crypt, entirely decorated with thousands of bones of Franciscan monks. It was, different. I feel evil if I call it creepy or weird since it’s supposed to be holy. We weren’t allowed to take any pictures, so I’ve found one online to give you an idea of what it was like.

As an avid Dan Brown reader (as much as I hate to admit it - I know none of its true and its all far fetched and every book of his is exactly the same, don’t worry, I’m self aware), I’d been looking forward to seeing St. Theresa in Ecstasy by Bernini. I can also say though that I have learned about it in real school too, not just fictional tales. Thus, we made our way across town to the little church in which it stands. I must admit, it was very beautiful.

Sight seeing from 9 A.M to 4 P.M. wipes you out. So Beth, Veronica and I watched The Fighter on my computer that night and headed to bed early. Such a good movie. Christian Bale impressed me even more than he did as Batman, which is saying something if you know me at all.

Day three was painful. I decided to wear new shoes. You’d think after living for 21 years, you’d know not to wear new shoes when you’re walking generally long distances. Nope. Apparently I don’t know that. However, we did get to see the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Capitoline Hill (on which is one of the oldest bronze statues - Marcus Auralius).

We had delicious salads for lunch at Insalata Ricca (mine had all sorts of fish on it) and then made our way back to the train station for our train to Florence.

Thanks for reading. Sorry it’s long again. I’m going to Prague next weekend, so get prepped for that! Unfortunately I have two research papers due over the next couple weeks, so I’ll be busy on those. Isn’t school in Florence supposed to be easy? I think I signed up for all the wrong classes for sure.