The Final Study Abroad Post (Probably)
As one last hurrah from study abroad, marking almost one year since the best experience of my life, I have a final post from our European adventures.
Our first two weeks were spent in Athens, Mykonos and Stanorini, Greece. Though we were only in Athens for two days, we spent time at the Acropolis, toured ancient Greek artifacts, and even got into a bus crash. The day spent sightseeing, I wore a black flower romper that I posted in a blog called “Flower Power.” For our group dinner we ate at Spilla Tis Acropolis which has Greek musicians and a view of the Acropolis. It was amazing to see these ancient artifact and structures right down the street from the local Sephora.
The next morning we headed to Mykonos, waking up at 4:00 am. Our time in Mykonos consisted of a hike to a lighthouse, dinners by the water and shopping in the Chora. One of the days we took a trip to Paradise Beach where there were outdoor beach clubs with strange (to say the least) dancers. We even watched a man murder an octopus, but this is a fashion and travel blog so I will spare you from the details. One of the popular destinations in the little town was the windmill. Though the town was small, it was like a maze making our adventures through the same area always seem different. Stray cats and dogs roamed the area, though this disgusted Marissa. I thought it was fun. We even had a really cute waiter named Xristos who I am now Facebook friends with. Hi Xrtistos ;)
If I thought I loved Mykonos, I was in for it with Santorini. This was the most beautiful place I have ever seen, and I could spend years explaining the feeling the island gave me every day. Santorini is split into different sections. We stayed in Thira, but Oia was just a bus ride away. We learned how to take the public transportation here, and I am honestly really proud. Our time here was spent eating Gelato, hiking in the “danger do not pass” zone to get to red beach, exploring the town, watching the sunset, swimming in hot springs, and eating too much food. I think we did so much during this part of the trip, we burnt out by the time we got to London, but it was worth it to say I’ve climbed an active volcano. However, one of the days I climbed from the port at the bottom of the mountain to the top to avoid promoting the cruel donkey industry for a ride back to the city. I could have gone without that experience, but you live and you learn.
London is where we did most of our learning. Every morning I took the red bus to class just for an hour and then had the rest of the day to sight see. The walk to class from the bus stop was also much better than my walk to Weimer Hall in Gainesville. I can definitely see myself living here in the future. I loved the food and the atmosphere. We saw Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, Big Ben, London Theatre, took a boat cruise, went to pubs, and lived in the TINNIEST dorms you could imagine. Think of two fashion bloggers sharing a room a quarter of the size of a normal dorm.
Our weekends were spent traveling as well because my friends and I don’t know what downtime means. I posted blogs on both Edinburgh and Dublin, so I won’t go into too much detail. We gave all of our attention to each city for a day and a half each. In Scotland, we climbed to Calton Hill and enjoyed the view, did the Scotch Whisky Experience, toured the Edinburgh Castle, and walked to Dean Village. In Ireland we fell asleep at 8:00 pm the day we arrived, but we saw a rainbow after dinner. Then next day we went to the Guinness Storehouse and did the Taste, Pour and Explore tour. We walked this entire city in a day hitting the Temple Bar District, the Dublin Castle (it was closed that day,) and Merion Square Park. Then we called our Uber to take use to the airport and back to London.
The following weekend we spent in Paris. I have blogged on Paris before, but this incredible city was filled with history. I ate cheese the ENTIRE time we were there, saw the Mona Lisa in person at the Louvre, spent hours sun baking under the Eiffel Tower, visited the Arc de Triomphe, and again took public transportation. I am very proud of myself for doing basic adult tasks. I bought a red striped romper from Zara to remind me of all the striped fashion I saw there. It is definitely a staple in my closet.
This experience was the absolute best thing that I ever did. One year later and Marissa and I still won’t shut up to people about our experiences. Half of our conversations begin with, “remember when.” I met the most amazing people on the trip too. My friend Maria and I spend more time with each other than she would probably like to because we bonded in another country, and I think that is so incredible. Walking back into the J-school at UF is totally different now. Before this trip I sat in classrooms and lecture halls recognizing a few faces. Now, I walk into a lecture hall and know everyone. One of my classes this semester has 5 of us from the trip out of a 20 person class. It made UF small, and I even got to drink a beer with one of the most popular professors in my college. For now this is the last time I will blog on this, but I’m not making any promises.