Italy Part 2: ROMA!!!

Hi Everyone!

I am back from 2 very exciting and HOT days in Rome!!

Yesterday morning I started off my day by going to visit an orphanage that is about a 15 minute drive away from the port. When we got there one of the teachers at the orphanage explained that it was very unique because this orphanage creates families with the children that live there. There are 4 houses and 8 kids live in each house. There are 5 boys and 3 girls in each house and then 1 male educator or psychologist and one female educator or psychologist. This group becomes a "family" and it gives the kids more of a sense of belonging. The youngest kid that lived in this particular orphanage is 9 and the oldest is 15. They do not allow international adoption out of this orphanage and adoption is not very common within Italy, so many of the kids will live there until they are into their 20s. Many orphanages have to "kick" kids out when they turn 18, but this orphanage helps the kids get a job in the town and save their money so they can move out when they turn 20 or 21. We got a chance to walk around the orphanage and then we sat in the courtyard waiting for the guide to finish his presentation. I am obviously not one to sit still for very long, so I saw a few of the younger kids were playing fuse ball outside. I tried to signal if I could play (There was obviously a language barrier) and they were nice enough to let me join. Eventually we had a game going, me and another kid from the ship vs. two 10 year old Italian boys. Needless to say the Italians kicked our butts!! It was a ton of fun and I think the kids really enjoyed having us there to hang out with!

Later in the day I took a train to Rome with my friend Sydney. We checked into out hostel and then walked the cobbled streets of Rome for the rest of the night. Our first stop was the Colosseum. We did not get a chance to go inside, but it was really really big from the outside. It was literally right in the middle of the city too. Many of the places I have visited the buildings have been built away from the sites, in Rome they just built everything right along with the sites.

Next we walked through the streets to the Pantheon. Personally I thought the walk to the actual Pantheon was the best part. We got to walk through a bunch of small side street and we came across a massive church. We went inside and it was breathtaking. The paintings on the ceiling and the walls was amazing. I am telling you these Italians know how to build a church!

Next we went to the Trevi Fountain. I think this was probably one of my favorite parts of Rome. It was really large and the sculptures all along the fountain were beautiful! We spent some time just sitting and looking at the fountain, which was nice. I also threw a Euro into the fountain for good luck. After the Trevi Fountain we went to the Spanish Steps. The Spanish Steps were really crowded, but it was fun to sit down and look at all the different people who were traveling in Rome. There had to be families, tour groups, and young people from thousands of countries. I have heard so many different languages spoken over the past few days here in Italy.

This morning we checked out of our hostel and made our way to the Vatican City. Luckily we bought our tickets online a few days ago because when we walked up, there was a line that had to be about 2 hours long. We talked to some other SAS students who were standing in line and they said that they had been there for an hour and they were still outside when we came out of the museum. The Vatican Museum was amazing! I am not usually an art museum person because I get bored pretty easily, but the paintings, sculptures, and oddly enough carpets were so beautiful! We walked through the museum for about an hour and a half and then at the end we went into the Sistine Chapel. I wish they allowed pictures because it was AMAZING!! I swear I almost fell over 2 or 3 times because I kept leaning farther and farther back to see everything on the ceiling. The chapel itself was a lot smaller than I originally expected but the beautiful walls and ceilings made it so much larger. We spent so much time just looking at every part of the chapel making sure we did not miss anything. After the museum and the Sistine Chapel we walked around to St. Peter's Basilica. It was really really cool! They seemed to be doing a lot of construction in the Vatican City area, but it was off to the side so we were able to see everything.

Now I am back on the ship for the night. We have one more day in Civitavecchia and then we leave to Malta on Saturday morning. I hope everyone is enjoying their last few days of July! I cannot believe it is almost August. I looked at the calendar and I come home in exactly 4 weeks from today. I do not know where the last 6 weeks went and I have a feeling the next 4 are going to go by just as fast. I will be soaking up every single minute of this experience!!!  

Love

Kelly

Italy Part 1: Pisa and Florence

Hi Everyone!

We docked in Livorno, Italy on the 21st and I have done a lot of traveling around since then. On the 21st I had a Field Lab for one of my classes. We went to a World War Two cemetery right outside of Florence. It was extremely moving to see all of those white marble crosses in rows and rows. There are 4,398 men and women buried in this cemetery. It was intense walking up to several of the headstones and reading the soldier's name and the date he died. I found one solider that was killed exactly 47 years before I was born. It was a very unique and heart wrenching experience, but I am so glad I had the chance to pay my respects to the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

The next day I went with a few friends to Pisa. The city itself is pretty big with shops and restaurants lining the streets. The Leaning Tower is only a small part of the city. So we were able to walk through the streets before we found the tower. I had my first authentic Italian pizza and let me tell you it was delicious. After lunch we found the Tower. It was really cool, but a lot smaller than I thought it would be. We spent a lot of time just looking around and taking pictures of it. Here is a picture of me "holding" up the tower.

 

Today I went with my roommate and a few other girls to Florence. It was really beautiful there! I just could not look away from the buildings they were so pretty. We spent a lot of time walking around the city and eating Gelato of course. Then we found the Duomo. It was HUGE and beautiful!! I could not get over how many sculptures were on the outside of the church! It was absolutely stunning!! 

Tonight the ship leaves Livorno for Civitavecchia. This is basically the port city for Rome. Tomorrow morning I am going on a volunteer project to an orphanage. Then later in the day I am going to Rome with a friend for the night! We are going to see as much as we can in the first evening and then on Thursday morning we are going to the Vatican! I am really looking forward to it!

I hope everyone is doing well! I hear you guys are getting some hot days at home!! We were probably floating around 95-96 today in Italy so I know how you feel!!

Kelly

Athens, Greece and Santorini, Greece

Hi Everyone!!

I am finally back from an amazing 4 days in Greece! I had such an amazing time experiencing the big city of Athens and the breathtaking island of Santorini.

The first day in Greece my friend Sam and I went around Athens together. We took the subway into the center of the city and spent a lot of time in the older area of town. There were a lot of shops and restaurants and a really nice marina. We walked around a bit and had lunch at a small cafe. Best gyro in the world!!! People who have gryos in Chicago I am sorry, but they are no comparison! These gyros were so amazing. I had 3 for the four days we were here in Greece. After lunch we started our walk towards the Acropolis. Let me tell you something, these Greek people must have calfs of steel because everything worth seeing is either up 300 steps or up a hill. When Sam and I got up the hill we saw the Parthanon and Nike's Temple. From the top of the hill we also had a wonderful view of the whole city of Athens. On our way dawn the hill we saw the Theatre of Dionissos and the Temple of Zeus. Next we went into the Acropolis Museum. It was an awesome museum with a lot of the sculptures that were dug up with the Parthenon. Here is a picture of Sam and I in front of the Parthenon.

The next day my friends Sam, Emily, Julia, and I got up super earlier to catch the ferry to Santorini. The ferry took about 5 hours to get to the island. Our hotel was a beautiful little place right along the water in Fira. Fira was kind of in the center of the island. We spent some time walking around town and hanging out by the pool. That night we went to Oia. This is the part of the island that has the best sunsets in the world! And let me tell you it was stunning. There were hundreds and hundreds of people in the restaurants and along the cliff to watch the sunset. We had a very nice dinner and spent the evening there. After the sunset we went back to Fira and spent the night hanging out with other Semester at Sea students in town. The next morning we decided we needed more time in Ois so we went and spent the day there. We took tons of pictures! If it was not for all you people at home I would be staying there forever :)  I am really glad I was able to go there, I hope to go back someday!! 

We got back from Santorini last night and went straight to bed on the ship. This morning we went back to walk around Athens for a little bit. After having lunch in the city, we took the metro to check out the Olympic Stadium. Right when we got off at the Olympic stop we were instantly hit with and erie feeling. The whole place was a ghost town. There was graffiti everywhere and there were very few people there. The only people we saw were some athletes swimming in the pool, and a bunch of kids who were in a summer camp playing in the stands. It was kind of creepy to see how something so magical as the Olympics can turn into something so plain. I am writing a final paper for one of my classes about the different countries who have hosted the Olympics and the effect it has had on the country. I hope to see the Olympic villages in Rome and Barcelona. Here is a picture right under the Olympic Stadium sign.

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We leave Greece tomorrow morning! I am sad to leave because I have had such a good time, but in three days we will be in ITALY!!!!! I am so excited to good some real Italian pizza into my belly! Also GELATO!!!!!!!!!!! 

Hope everyone is doing well in the US of A! Love you all!!

Kusadasi, Turkey: The Gateway to Ephesus

Hi Everyone!

We spent the past 2 days in Kusadasi, Turkey. This was definitely the most touristy city we have been to so far. There were two other cruise ships docked with us. If you look at the picture below you can get a sense of how small the MV Explorer is compared to some of these HUGE ships. The white one in front is a Royal Caribbean and the little blue one next to it is the MV. She might be small but she it mighty!! The first day at Kusadasi was not all that exciting. We just walked around town for an hour or so, but we were getting harassed like crazy by shop owners to come into their stores. The cat calls were getting a little out of hand so we spent the rest of the day relaxing on the ship. It was actually really nice since the ship was empty! We basically had the whole thing to ourselves.

Today we got up early to go and see the house Virgin Mary spent the remainder to her life before she died. That was a really cool experience. We got to walk into her house, and then there is a spring of Holy Water right next to it. Down the road from the house it a wall with thousands and thousands of prayers written on anything from tissue paper and napkins to bus tickets. The prayers are tied onto these poles connected to the wall. It was a really cool thing to see. Then we took a taxi to go see Ephesus. Ephesus is a town of ancient ruins. It is believed that many of Jesus's disciples spent many years of their lives there. It was awesome! It amazes me how many of the ruins are still standing. Something my friends and I also discovered is that ruins and monuments in other countries are not roped off. So you can go up and actually touch and climb on the ruins. There may or may not have been some Greek statue poses made on some of the pedestals. Overall it was a wonderful place to see. By far one of my favorite sites so far on this trip.

Tomorrow morning we leave Kusadasi for Athens, Greece. We only have one day of class (tomorrow) between out departure and our arrival so that makes us students very happy. We are more than half way done with class since we have so many port days coming up in the next 6 weeks. This trip is flying by and it is about to get a whole lot faster. I miss everyone at home so much, but I do not know how I am going to readjust to looking out my window at home and just seeing grass or other buildings. I am getting so used to seeing the beautiful sea water or an interesting foreign city. Maybe I'll just take a picture of my porthole window and just put it on my window at home :)

Beaching in Crete!!

Hi Everyone!!!

When SAS canceled our stop in Istanbul it added the Greek island of Crete so we have been there for the past few days. Crete is a beautiful island with a very fun city. The first day we were here we walked around the city and looked at all the shops. We ate at one of the cafes too. All of the cafes in the city center are open air so we were able to sit outside and do some serious people watching. At the cafe we asked out waitress where the best beach near town was. She told us to get on a bus and drive 20 minutes to a small town called Amoudara. This beach was beautiful. There are beach bars up and down the sand with sand chairs and umbrellas all over. All you have to do is order one drink and you can sit on the chairs all day. It was a really great set up.

We spent almost the whole day at the beach and then on the way home we got some gelatto. It was really refreshing after a hot day on the beach. We enjoyed the beach so much that we woke up this morning and did the same thing. We ate a big breakfast right on the boat and just went right to the beach. On our way back we had a late lunch at a little cafe. We had gyros and bread and oil it was amazing. The restaurant owner was so nice and sat and talked with us the whole time we were there. He was telling us everything we need to see when we go to Athens in a few days and talking about his family who lives with him in Crete. It was a great spot for lunch and they had free WiFi which is always a plus because we only get 2 hours of wifi on the ship for the entire summer. 

Crete was a great port to kick back and relax. The ship leaves from Crete early tomorrow morning and then we have class tomorrow. On Thursday we will dock in Kusadasi, Turkey which was also another addition from the Istanbul cancelation. After Kusadasi we will be going to Athens, Greece for 4 days. For the first day I am going to go around Athens with my friend and then the next two days I am going to Santorini. For anyone who has seen Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants that is the area of Greece in those movies. Basically the most beautiful place I think I will travel to this summer. I will take as many pictures as possible. Hope everyone is doing well. 

Love,

Kelly

P.S.- Please enjoy the pictures of my SEXY tan lines!!!!

Beaching in Crete!!

Hi Everyone!!!

When SAS canceled our stop in Istanbul it added the Greek island of Crete so we have been there for the past few days. Crete is a beautiful island with a very fun city. The first day we were here we walked around the city and looked at all the shops. We ate at one of the cafes too. All of the cafes in the city center are open air so we were able to sit outside and do some serious people watching. At the cafe we asked out waitress where the best beach near town was. She told us to get on a bus and drive 20 minutes to a small town called Amoudara. This beach was beautiful. There are beach bars up and down the sand with sand chairs and umbrellas all over. All you have to do is order one drink and you can sit on the chairs all day. It was a really great set up.

We spent almost the whole day at the beach and then on the way home we got some gelatto. It was really refreshing after a hot day on the beach. We enjoyed the beach so much that we woke up this morning and did the same thing. We ate a big breakfast right on the boat and just went right to the beach. On our way back we had a late lunch at a little cafe. We had gyros and bread and oil it was amazing. The restaurant owner was so nice and sat and talked with us the whole time we were there. He was telling us everything we need to see when we go to Athens in a few days and talking about his family who lives with him in Crete. It was a great spot for lunch and they had free WiFi which is always a plus because we only get 2 hours of wifi on the ship for the entire summer. 

Crete was a great port to kick back and relax. The ship leaves from Crete early tomorrow morning and then we have class tomorrow. On Thursday we will dock in Kusadasi, Turkey which was also another addition from the Istanbul cancelation. After Kusadasi we will be going to Athens, Greece for 4 days. For the first day I am going to go around Athens with my friend and then the next two days I am going to Santorini. For anyone who has seen Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants that is the area of Greece in those movies. Basically the most beautiful place I think I will travel to this summer. I will take as many pictures as possible. Hope everyone is doing well. 

Love,

Kelly

P.S.- Please enjoy the pictures of my SEXY tan lines!!!!

Antayla, Turkey!!!!!

Hi Everyone!!

I am back from a very busy and exciting three days in Antayla, Turkey!!!

The first day we were here my friends and I just wanted to explore and do some shopping. Antayla is a very touristy town, but there is an old market where you can buy tea, turkish delights, and other fun stuff. So the four of us had a very successful shopping day. I had to hold back buying too many things because every time I walked by a new shop I saw a bag or scarf that was just gorgeous!! But I stayed strong and only bought a few things!!! The hospitality in Turkey is pretty amazing. I went to one shop and bought a postcard and turkish delights and the man kept offering me tea. At first I thought he wanted me to pay for it, but he explained it is a way of welcoming people to the country. So he made some really good apple, beery and pomegranate tea for us! It was SUPER hot but it was fantastic! After that I had a very interesting experience of going to a Turkish bath. I won't go into great detail, but basically you go into a very steamy hot room and sweat like crazy while this woman soaks you in freezing cold water. There was also the choice of getting a scrub down and massage, but since I had recently gotten some serious sunburn I decided against it. My two friends did get the whole package and they said it was wonderful, but my roommate Julia and I were pretty content with the bath.

On the second day in Antayla I went on a Field Program organized by SAS. We went to an island about 2 hours away from out ship called Kekova. It was absolutely stunning! We were able to go hiking to the ruins of an old castle and the view on top of the hill was breathtaking. I did not want to leave it was so beautiful! We then took a boat to the middle of the water and did a little swimming. Once we returned to the dock we took the bus to Derma. Derma is the home of St. Nicholas……so in other words SANTA!!!! (See Rachel I told you he was real C: ) We got a tour of the ruins of the old church and were able to walk around the town. After that we went to Myra where there were ruins of an old roman theater! We were able to go inside and look at everything it was really cool! Then finally after a very long and fun day we made it back to the ship. A pretty good 4th of July if you ask me.

Today I went white water rafting at Serik. We took a 2 hour bus ride into the mountains. I found out that Turkey does not believe in guardrails on their roads so I was having a minor panic attack every time we turned (which was every 25 seconds). But we made it!! The rapids were pretty tame, but it was still a lot of fun. Our boat guide kept on throwing us into the freezing cold river water and every time we passed another boat we would have a splash war. Everyone seemed to have a great time. 

Now I am back on the ship for good. We do not leave Turkey until tomorrow night, but all students have class tomorrow. We can get off but we cannot miss a class and since my classes are all throughout the day I can't really get off. I am not too bitter thought because I can use some time to rest because on Monday we will be in Crete!!!! My parents have been telling me that everyone has been telling them how much they enjoy reading my blogposts. It means a lot to me that so many people are interested in my trip!! Thanks for the continuous love and support!! 

Tea!! From left to right is my roommate Julia, and my friends Emily and Sam.

Outside of the marina on the first day!

View from the top of the castle in Kekova!