Oppa! We're in Athens!

My feet could no longer take one single step, my mind could no longer form one single thought (that actually made sense), my body was on shut down mode but spring break was not over, next destination…to the Capital city of Athens!

Here we winded down, visited the unbelievable Acropolis, walked through the most amazing gardens, and had some real Greek food. The Greek culture reminded me so much of my own, Armenian, all the men on the streets looked exactly like the men in my family, they were playing with “taspies”, drinking shots of thick Greek kofe, and playing nardi! It brought me back to my roots and made me feel a bit homesick.

We then took a mini day trip to the island of Aegean, a quaint beach town with boats lining the shore, outside food markets, and adorable restaurants and hotels lining the streets. The weather was absolutely beautiful so we had lunch outside overlooking the ocean with Erin and the gang. It was the quintessential Greek Island and the perfect way to end the greatest spring break of my life.

Emilia

Spring Break Madddness, Corfu

My great apologies for once again lacking on posts…first came midterms then came spring break…can you blame me?

March 18 to March 25…a week which will live in infamy. I’ve always been one to celebrate spring break…usually because it’s around or on my birthday but this year it was extra extra special because I went BIG…8 days on the Greek Islands with 300 plus students from all over the world.

We first took an overnight cruise ship to the island of Corfu…we danced, we mingled, we built a little group of our own with some fine individuals, KJ, Thomas, Erin, George,Nick, Brianna, Lauren, and the list goes on. The epic Pink Palace was our destination for the next three days and when I say pink I mean pink, everything from the linens to the ceilings were pink. The first night was spent with one euro skittles shots, a group of Skippers from Australia, New Zealand, and England, and some interesting card games to say the least.

Our second day in Corfu was dedicated to pure Spring break madness…One part - Booze Cruise manned by the dirtiest Captain ever…Captain George….shotguns, a rocky dinky boat, cliff jumping, bat caves, and a whole lot of loving. Second part – Pink Toga Party…authentic Greek dancing, ouzo drinking, plate smashing fun!

We relaxed for the next few days, soaking in as much sunshine as possible on the sandy crystal blue Adriatic waters and trying our best to recharge for the second half of the trip in Athens.

A big hug and kiss to the Pink Palace, to the Island of Corfu, and to all the people who made this trip totally epic.

Emilia

Dear Paree, how I love thee...

My apologies for my lack of posts, it has been a hectic couple of days, after all I am here to study…which is what I am doing the least of. Thursday morning rolled around, the 10^th of March to be exact and Jenna and I had not even begun to pack for our Paris trip, we actually hadn’t put much thought into traveling there at all…but once we got on the plane….landed…boarded a bus…I distinctly remember looking out the window and thinking, “I’m in Paris right now, one of the most historic cities in the world...what?!” and just like that the trip turned around.

The first night we were there we met two twin brothers from Canada that were staying at our hostel, we instantly bonded over a round of brutal tequila shots and traveling stories. Making friends is what Jenna and I do best.

The second day was spent with Afshar, Afshin, and a tour group walking around the whole city learning the ins and outs, tails and facts of every inch of every monument, from the bullet holes of WWII to the story of the lady who married The Eiffel Tower. That night we rode the metro (my favorite thing ever created) all over the city with a Heineken can in our hand and a bag of cookies…leaving a trail of cookie crumbs all over the steets of Paris. We watched the Eiffel Tower glimmer, shimmer away and the end is one big Parisian blur…

Emilia

The art of being happy...

The simplest of things can carry the greatest amount of happiness...

1. The lamp posts seen on every corner, of every street, in all of Europe...are...magical...detailed in ever curve and line, if only I could bring one back with me.

2. "The Art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things."

3. An exquisite handbag inspired by one of the most noted cities in the world...Paree...which I will finally see on Thursday.

4. The tiniest kitchen, with no cabinet space, no counter space, no room, has become my place of comfort.

Emilia

The sinking city of Magical Loving, Venezia

Every city in the world has its charm, its number one outstanding trait that sets it apart from the rest, Las Vegas, Nevada “the city of anything and everything goes”, Los Angeles, California “the city of 364 days of sunshine”, New York City, New York “the colossal city of dreams” and then there is Venezia, Italia “the sinking city of magical loving”.

March 6^th was spent in the sinking city, Venice, during the closing weekend of Carnivale. Carnivale in Venice is a weeklong celebration that kicks starts lent. The entire city comes alive and celebrates for seven straight days, dressing up in fascinating, unique and totally awesome costumes, parading around the city, enjoying life. I didn’t think much of Venice before I actually got to see it, and I have to say, it has become my favorite city in the entire world. The only means of transportation is by foot…or water taxi, the city is completely surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, there are tiny bridges everywhere attaching one old building to the next, there is a distinct ambiance of love and art in the air, I could go on and on…if it weren’t for the thousands of tourists that visited the city I would consider being an illegal resident there...for eternity.

Emilia

Night Owls...hoot hoot

I thought I would dedicate this post to the pulsating lights and the glittering waters of Florence found only when the Tuscan sun sets. Jenna and I spent Friday night in the most unconventional way, at least for two young women living in a different country. While the rest of the city got dolled up, messed up and headed to their preferred hotspot, Jenna and I took our time to have dinner, and decided that tonight would be perfect to just take the city in with the lights turned off. We walked about four miles, without even realizing how far from the city center we were, down the Arno River it was quite, and still…it was my first time in that area, at that time of day and I loved it. It was really nice to be in the right state of mind, while 85% of the cities judgment was impaired (alcohol and such). It was a good Friday night.

Emilia