Ghost Town

While on our weekend trip to Naples, Matt and I also stopped in the ancient ruins of Pompeii. In case you aren't familiar with the story behind these ruins our friends at wikipedia have offered to fill everyone in:


Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning two days in 79 AD. The eruption buried Pompeii under 4 to 6 meters of ash and pumice, and it was lost for over 1,500 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1599. Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire. Today, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Italy, with approximately 2,500,000 visitors every year. Thanks Wiki!



In all seriousness, it was a very sobering trip. To see the almost perfectly preserved ruins of a city smothered by ash was very melancholy. Although thousands of years stood between us, my heart could not help but ache for these people and the terror they must have felt. I highly recommend making the trip to go out and see it- especially if you love ancient Rome.





Tanti Baci,
Lauren

PS: Matt and I also did travel to another Roman city that was a victim of Mount Vesuvius called Herculaneum. Sadly my camera battery died mid way through Pompeii so I was unable to share pictures to you. Nevertheless, I also highly recommend it!

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie!

Pizza. Garbage. The Mafia. These three images have always come to my mind whenever I imagined what Naples would be like.




Well the pizza was OUT OF THIS WORLD. The garbage was really no worse than other cities in Italy. And their was no Cosa Nostra insight.



Naples just oozes the feeling of quintessential Italy for me. Perched beautifully on the exotic Mediterranean, Naples has this larger than life. It is a big ballsy city that despite it's rambunctious, in your face attitude has also perfected the art of la dolce vita. Not only that but I witnessed one of the most incredible sunsets I have ever seen while I was there. Bellessima!



All and all a splendid city; especially recommend for those who want to see more of what southern Italy has to offer. Even Matt, who I traveled to Naples with, liked the city and he CERTAINLY is not the biggest Italy fan (however I do think the incredible food played a major role in his decision making!)



Tanti Baci,

Lauren

PS: The awesome pizza shot was taken by Sam; he went to Naples the weekend after Matt and I did (We talked it up so much/he was jealous that we went without him that he had to go.) Thanks again Mr. Wex!

PSS: Sorry for all the coastline and sunset pictures- I just couldn't get enough of it!

Look at these mussels- I'm No Twerp!

My time in Antwerp all started with a hobo fight. That's right, a hobo fight. One evening before our academic trip, my friends Matt and Sam invited me to come to Antwerp with them after Brussels. I politely declined, since I wanted to come back after the trip and catch up on some work. Shortly after I declined this offer, the insanity that is living in San Spirito caught up with me. While on my way to Mr. Drink I witnessed two hobos fighting each other in the piazza.

At that moment things just got way to regional for me, so I went back inside and took Sam and Matt up on their offer. Va bene!



Antwerp is a really great place with a very different vibe from Brussels. While Brussels in both quaint and cosmopolitan, Antwerp is an interesting combination of port city and polished diamond capital with an appropriate dash of Flemish flare.





I highly recommend taking some time to check out the Rubens House and the Diamond Museum is a must (it was so sparkly but they wouldn't let me take photos!) Oh and as I alluded to above, the mussels are incredible and all around it was a great food experience (we ate at a restaurant that had only been open for 6 days and it was some of the best food I have had while in Europe.)



All and all it was a solid trip- I had a ton of fun with my two dads aka my pet name for Matt and Sam (I don't remember exactly how they got the nickname, probably because they were calling me a baby who needed to buy a backpack.)

Tanti Baci,
Lauren

PS: I felt like I should also take this opportunity to showcase my two Dads at work. Matt and Sam take traveling VERY seriously.

For instance, no stone can be left unturned:



Nor can any artsy fartsy photo opt be wasted:



Let me just say, it is certainly an experience with my two dads, va bene :-)

It's Raining Waffles

Brussels is a city that is very near and dear to my heart. It is a city where my parents traveled to as newlyweds on their first real trip together. That is why finally getting to go to the city with such special memories for them was extremely important to me. I truly enjoyed Brussels, Belgium. It is an extremely cosmopolitan city; however, it has a type of quaint charm that harks back to times long since past. The rain was it's one flaw for me; I would have liked to have gotten some shots of the city in another color other than gray (good thing I will be back in April!)








Even though it was a busy academic trip, I found that it fulfilled by intellectual side by allowing me to be total EU nerd while there (This EU thing, it just has so...so many abbreviations...eh...eh....just google it!) However, it did not disappoint my inner wander lusting gypsy with all of the interesting sights.



(Observe Above: EU nerding)



(Observe Above: Gypsying/Wander lusting about the Grand Platz)


And who can forget the waffles- AMAZING. Trust me, I ate two in a row!*



Tanti Baci,
Lauren


*It must be noted that some toppings on my first waffle fell off mid-bite. EPIC FAIL.

My Love Affair With London Town

I knew it was love, London, when my easyjet flight touched down on your Anglo-Saxon soil. It was a total rush that came over me, a sense of joy that I had never felt on Italian soil. Even though the mean customs officials at the airport threatened not let me through, my moonstuck feeling couldn't be deterred. I was a sucker for you from square one. Our romance spanned three days and it wasn't enough. At the risk of being extremely tacky and cliche, when I got on the plane to travel back to Italy, my heart started to hurt. Although it may have been the first time I ever visited, I knew immediately that London was my city soul mate.

Bleh. I am so cheesey. But I can't help it, I truly love the place!










In all seriousness, London is fantastic. Few cities can mix such such past grandeur and modern splendor so seamlessly. In many places the mixture seems awkward and forced; like a clash of past eras (The city of Florence is a prime example, it just seems so wrong there.) However, London is able to do it flawlessly which in turn not only makes it beautiful but also makes it vibrant and real. What a lovely place and what a lovely trip. I got to spend some time with a very dear friends of mine and have some much needed rest and fun in a fabulous city. (That's why I lack so many mom photos; I was simply having too much fun in the moment to take tons of photographs! However, below is a silly shot that my friend Ceri got me to take with some awesome London graffiti :-])





Patiently dancing down the conga line until I can return to London,
Lauren

The many angles of Amsty

Oh Amsterdam. You truly are such a strange city. In certain lights and weather conditions you can seem quite lovely and charming with just a hint of the exotic. And in others lights; well let's just say your flavor is much less wholesome.











Nevertheless, I enjoyed Amsterdam's strangeness and respected it. Not all cities have the courage or the character to be so dramatically different when looked at through different angles. All and all, it's a solid town. Extremely fun too, I had a ball there. The people are great, and the they speak one hell of a language. It's impossible to understand a lick of it but it sounds like it would make for some great haus music. A-Rink-A-Dinkin-Do-Dinkin'-Rinkin'






Tanti Baci,

Lauren

Living Fairytale

People say that it is a fact that fairytales have give people unrealistic expectations about love and life; this is a debatable assertion (but I can't lie the story of Cinderella helped foster my shoe fetish from an early age.) What is a fact is that once you travel to Prague it will give you unrealistic expectations about cities. Because when you walk through the small city you feel like you have truly entered an enchanted realm. I was half expecting for talking animals to bust out of the astrological clock and start singing to me as I frolicked around the city.

*Now cue the sweeping Disney tunes*








The city is breathtaking. However, Prague's beauty is not only it's blessing but it is also it's curse. It is almost too beautiful, too perfect looking. It makes a part of you reject ever wanting to live there because you innately know you just don't belong.








Nevertheless, the enchanted atmosphere of Prague allows one from time to time pretend that all of those unrealistic expectations do exist.




Tanti Baci,
Lauren

PS: My apologies for the lack of posts over the past few months. I have been swamped with school and am using my break to catch up on my posts! xox