Journey 6: Veni, Vidi, Vici (Spring Break 2013 Italy)

So maybe this is a cliché expression, but it’s never been more applicable in my life. This was my first Spring Break out on my own, and I definitely went, saw, and conquered. I’ve never been to Italy before, and for those who’ve known me for any length of time know that it has been a dream of mine for quite a few years now. But not only did I get to travel somewhere I’ve always wanted to, I did it on my own, successfully. I wasn’t on my own the whole trip, but Sunday morning I got from the bus station, the airport, and the Rome train station all by myself. I felt so accomplished and so capable. It’s both terrifying and invigorating how independent I’m becoming.

I was only in Rome for a night, so I didn’t get to actually go into anything. But I did walk past most of the major sights like the Vatican and the Colosseum. I knew it beforehand, but even that first night I was reassured that I was traveling with a great group of people. The weather had been great until I arrived. Then, of course, it started pouring rain. However, that didn’t stop them from guiding me to the Trevi Fountain, one of the main things I knew for sure I wanted to visit. It was so sweet, and I was just completely giddy the whole time.

At the Trevi Fountain!

Our day trip to Assisi the next day was probably the highlight of my break. Everyone was still in a really good mood, the weather was a little rainy but otherwise not too bad, and the city itself was stunning. It was quite a hike getting around and we had all of our luggage because it was just a pit stop on our way to Florence, but it was completely worth it. It was a great place for personal reflection and taking time to enjoy the beauty of Italy. I would go back.

Most of our group in Assisi, unfortunately with all our luggage

Another high of the trip was a literal height. In Florence, my favourite thing was climbing to the top of the Duomo. It has a ton of stairs, and I almost wasn’t sure I would make it, but the view was what did it for me. Just being able to look out and see the whole city and surrounding areas…incredible. There happened to be a film crew up there while we were touring, which was kind of cool but also a little annoying because there were certain times that we had to be still and quiet. I also got yelled at twice by the crew, though neither time was really my fault…

At the top of the Duomo

The other main attraction we saw while in Florence was the statue of David. We waited outside in on-and-off rain for an hour and a half, not really knowing what to expect from the museum. I was worried it might not be as impressive as everyone made it out to be, but let me assure you, it is. He’s way bigger than I was expecting! Plus, there are so many other neat things to look at as well. It was well worth it.

My proudest moment was most definitely Thursday. If you don’t know, most of the people I was traveling with are introverts. But none of us had really been able to have alone time. We introverts need our alone time. So, fortunately for that day, our group split up and went to two different cities to meet up the next day in Venice. I split off with two of the guys in our group, and the three of us went to Monteriggioni in Siena, while the rest went to Cinque Terre. I would have liked to be able to see Cinque Terre, but for time’s sake, we couldn’t do both. I think I made a good decision.

To get to Monteriggioni, we had to take a train to Siena and then a bus to the base of the hill upon which the walled city sits. It’s a kind of long story, all the trials we went through to get there, so all I’ll say is that the bus system is horrendous. But we met so many nice people in Siena who helped us get to where we needed to be that it ended up being such a blessing just to be there. We had a lovely time, and the time spent just the three of us was much needed for all of our sanity.

On top of the walls in Monteriggioni

The cutest little house in Siena

Venice was probably my favourite big city that we stayed in. I loved the fact that there were no cars; all the taxis were boats (though we never rode one because, really, there was no need). We did however take a gondola ride on Saturday, and it was, as Ethan put it, the best 23 euros ever spent. The boats have a six person max, so we had to split up. It somehow ended up that the four girls were in one boat and the three guys in another. But the two gondoliers kept our boats pretty close together the whole time. At one point, the guys’ gondolier left their boat, got onto ours, gave Natali and me a hug while singing to us, before stepping back to his own boat. It was one of the coolest and funniest moments ever. Plus, once we docked, I got to dance with a third gondolier who just happened to show up. Sure it was only for about 30 seconds, but it was an awesome 30 seconds!

That's the guys' gondolier. He may or may not have been a little intoxicated while rowing...

Other than trying to get our two groups back together that Friday night, everything went really smoothly. Our hostel in Venice was incredible. We had a whole floor to ourselves: four bedrooms, two baths, a living room, and a kitchen. It was a little hard to find, and I’m pretty sure we were the only people in the entire building, but most people said it was one of their favourite hostels during the trip. (Which was great for me, since I happened to be the one to book it!) Venice was just such a peaceful way to end the trip. The city is wonderful and very laid back. There were a lot of markets, but unlike Florence, no one was trying to force you to buy anything.

On Sunday, we flew out of Verona, and I must say, Verona has one of the most relaxed airports I have ever been to. The security personal were so nice and friendly. Morgan set of the metal detector, but they asked her if it was okay for them to check her before they actually did. Who does that? They were so polite as we came through too, reminding us of everything we needed to do and take off before going through the detector. It was incredible.

Overall, I had a wonderful time in Italy. Obviously I can’t tell you everything that happened in the week or this blog would be so long that no one would be interested in reading it. But I hope I gave enough highlights for you to get a general idea of how it all went. There were ups and downs for sure, but I was with a great group of people and the place itself was as good as I hoped it would be. I also had so much gelato and pizza, and even a few cups of coffee.

Yet despite all of that, I was ready to get back home by the end of it. And what’s surprising is that by ‘home,’ I meant Oxford. I hardly ever use the term ‘home’ to describe anything other than my address in The Woodlands. My mom may refer to ACU as ‘home’ for me sometimes, but you’ll rarely hear me call ACU ‘home.’ But when I saw the sign for Oxford in the London airport, I got giddy all over again. I was headed back to somewhere familiar, where I didn’t have to struggle with the language, where I didn’t have to drag a suitcase around everywhere I went. It was such a relief. It’s amazing what eight or nine weeks can do. It doesn’t sound like a very long time, but I have become quite attached to this little city. I know my way around and feel very comfortable here. I actually feel like I belong here. It’s funny how your definition of something (like the word ‘home’) can change as you grow and adapt and mature. You start to view things in a new light. It’s scary, but exciting.

I only have six more weeks of the semester, and that’s really sad. I’ve done so much in these past ten weeks, though, that if I were to leave tomorrow, I know there are things that I didn’t get to do, but I wouldn’t regret any of how I have spent my time. Fortunately, though, I’m not done. In fact, in four days I’m headed to France for 13 days. But I know it’s all going to fly by. I also already know it’s going to be weird getting used to American culture again. Not that I’m saying I’ve become ‘British’ by any means, but I’ve definitely become accustomed to the way things are done here. I don’t have to think about that yet though! For now, I’m going to soak up as much as I can for as long as I can…