tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29895639872184513042024-02-06T20:05:50.141-08:00 The Wandering BeanJillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.comBlogger191125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-41773277040504665262014-07-01T12:52:00.000-07:002014-07-17T05:43:35.406-07:00Spain <p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWavVI5E39rEo2OQIQYiRIItLobjvtljqJSziRDr80sbBzHrdw2Yj_W57CH2OnFvE8R-1oDUuP-qIfjTSmNhmBa3dmz7HwUdNt8kMrCuO-O2OhsrXwVShrjr8pjDv1mhY1NjQMcB1VoaaW/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4CiAGNzfWKbMwDDp6TegthYJWxe1jW2tY_OMBATj9Wlrsn_s0Ds76qZvOA4z3fBmDJMYgJsPnTCOpet2t54d49XVwUgNN0E-wrpHB938-3pJ5eyfru8qpY5j0bIzxEI0Du3FcfDx7-d-i/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>Visiting the Basque region of Spain has been a dream of mine for a long time. I remember hearing about it I high school Spanish, and being fascinated that the language shared no roots with any other language. </p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJimi9Rv10dMYMew6gqCsGEFJN2P232235vYFnQdEQqzgAIhPx5Mu42bq8Z-X4wCPlPs2t6XUWn31PwJtcGmXdUcILOquqGL2sd8N2COG9EQD6J4LeI5A5IxJWbtxeChNjr7Qziy2gell0/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkncG7nWXNZXkh3crb9vAbZqJ1mBNhKPpu_8aC_m-BHHM5w9Fj576dMBtfo3GaLo8Q5L0FnZw29Xg6msOK8l70NSIvYwYoEwKD-h0HaoTstjsL0RwYsiVgg5JqYgjiHNiJAI4DIQ7r9aIg/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>While the weather barely cooperated, the days I had there were pretty amazing, but then again it's hard not to like a place the excels at pintxos, the bite sized food that every bar has. Tiny meals all afternoon & evening long? Sign me up. </p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHJjTf3643FV2DnxPZrv711a6h_qFCQa8_j_fMV6YdqKddWprc5wOLCE5zuN5VTXww-rak0EvF9s79Y_SqVWz5txYWDELnpoXyDb7EE3pB8U4sUHAGQ0TBhE3yDPWWrcXV51ODWcuHY_9/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7MEh7FbV90ip5RA2jq-UHzhqIIeGFUwhKsClyxSmwPFtT3ibUS31lNWhviqaHkhOEdOGd3kRJBQhfJVIXKeo4Nv7rWXGxTaEaQSjTbi_1zrgKxTGOWJw5Z5yJ5tFR6TGEzJb6AHxj-sY/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvXRc0uci45HJn7OusSJwMQheTeAe9yg_jUzvpFmVlgEYIRbO6xOTP_DjkOPcE63ADONcWsIY6zHY0MGTu6nxc7THGhLpwpckPfoCX2-AXdu5ji-2H1nDEJiF-9BnGXtY76nE2aiHZwhyphenhyphenH/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>Our ship docked in Gexto-a small town with amazing architecture, and since we were just far enough from Bilbao we had a shuttle that took us into the city. </p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEjAY8sySukW_R5SCENUw-Q63QsEyk2dLmX32xUnAEm5gYI0t8Fi13Kw-1FrQsBmqPrO7QTOlRF7LShoi2ePKxpmeWiruPm7-DP3oJCo6J-nVaglpOJdQoP-Sa-F4fD9w4xUKvWifTYj9/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>I was also lucky enough to escape to San Sebestian with friends for a quick day trip, however the weather had other plans for our day at the beach. A quick & wicked wind storm kicked up pretty quickly, and we had to run for cover to avoid a fairly intense storm. </p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Ln-NohsyoRFkpVIuedWM3uORej6QnHSkXlca2TeKsINY7FvgToqYzpg1KzFYRcUBMbWrpE4TX2-dtgZEnNlH_cTrUR_vXPm2cNuU57NUG8KyRQUKb7iJ-KcDcii-tBD6O9p53tNo0fAN/'></div></p>Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-53422856316959074492014-06-25T02:10:00.000-07:002014-06-25T02:10:13.122-07:00Life at Sea<div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;">
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So what's it like living on a ship at sea? It's pretty cool.
First of all, our ship the M/V Explorer is beautiful. It's hard to tell from pictures but the ship is much smaller than the cruise ships people normally sea in ports. When we're next to them the Explorer looks like a baby, but it feels quite big when we're sailing. The ship is 7 decks with two dining areas, a faculty/staff lounge, a pool area with snack bar and loads of classrooms and cabins.
Second, life is also pretty structured when we're on the ship. Breakfast is at X time, Lunch is at Y. Classes are on a regular schedule and there are always activities in the evening including our mandatory pre-port meetings when we get information about the country and city we're going to visit next.
Third, I get seasick at sea. Horribly, horribly seasick. I'm not the norm when it comes to that, so many people can handle the movement like a champ, however I am not in that group. To be fair, I get motion sick on treadmills, but I'm currently taking seasickness pills, wearing the Sea Band bracelets, keeping my stomach full and taking naps. I'm not sure which of those works, but I'm not as green as I was on the way to Portugal.
It's the small things, right?Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-78222426114819826212014-06-14T13:50:00.005-07:002014-06-14T13:50:58.331-07:00London<div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;">
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London was pretty fantastic.<br />
I got a lot of research done
which included receiving a 3 year pass to the British Library. I don't
know about you, but that sets my little geeky heart all a'flutter. I
found what I needed and then some. <br />
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On top of that I got to do some sightseeing. Not as much as I'd like, but I got to explore Shoreditch and Notting Hill thanks to the <a href="http://www.thegreatgiftcompany.co.uk/him/age/all_gifts_for_him/city_cycling_in_europe.htm?utm_source=google&utm_medium=base&productid=1806&gclid=COSh34Ka-r4CFUn4wgod37wAwQ" target="_blank">City Cycling London Guide</a>. The guide was small & I really liked the design so I picked it up despite my firmly pedestrian status. It's a great little guide. Probably a fantastic one if you were actually traveling around on a bike.<br />
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One day I want to return (I only have a day in London after the voyage because the Fall 2014 semester starts almost immediately after the voyage) and actually tour around London for an extended period of time.* <br />
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Now I'm in Southampton at a <a href="http://www.grandharbourhotel.co.uk/" target="_blank">very lovely hotel</a> going through orientation for our voyage. It's been great seeing lots of familiar faces and meeting new people too. The ship comes to port tomorrow and we'll actually embark on the ship in the afternoon!<br />
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*Okay, what I really mean is I want to come back and see <i>everything</i> related to Harry Potter.<br />
<br />Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-62867436800970932202014-06-09T16:15:00.000-07:002014-06-11T16:21:17.786-07:00And Here We Go <p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_atSgVgREHfvN31EF-s_igQ6fRElejad3p00wLnEcmnWsIkEPwipGp-boFZaOYhJtlqjV9EdV5G5WcQ83I50vGuzAesITserHtLis2DT7urw-bTwPLMjUYEjA5kPxa1D669L2kRyGF18e/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>I'm drafting this post on my flight from Boston to London. It's about a 6 hour flight which is just short enough to make sure that we'll all be horribly jetlagged & cranky when we arrive in London at 6:10am. <br><br>Despite my impending crankiness, I am very excited to see London again. I've only been to London once before on my backpacking trip 7 years ago. I have nothing but good memories of my time there (cool shop! Delicious tea! Free museums! Pubs!) so I'm excited to sneak away from my research for a few hours each day to really see the city. <br><br></p>Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-39635646018651601532014-06-04T06:09:00.000-07:002014-06-04T06:09:11.549-07:00Where are We Going<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I leave for London in just a few days, which is both exciting and overwhelming. I have some dissertation research to do before the voyage so I'll be working in London for a couple days before heading to meet the ship in Southampton.<br />
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Summer voyages mean that the program focuses on a smaller area whereas the full semester voyages go around the world. As you can see from the map above we're going to some pretty spectacular places this summer! I'm excited to visit some new places (Portugal, Scotland, Norway, Sweden & Poland), and of course I'm always excited to return to Saint Petersburg. <br />
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The voyage is also going to be a little bittersweet since it's the <a href="http://www.semesteratsea.org/2014/05/29/new-developments-at-the-institute-for-shipboard-education/" target="_blank">last summer voyage for the MV Explorer</a>. Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-3071140373511289922014-05-03T09:00:00.002-07:002014-05-03T19:01:02.217-07:00Let's Sail Away<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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(Picture via Semester at Sea)<br />
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Five years ago I had the amazing opportunity to serve as faculty for <a href="http://www.semesteratsea.org/voyages/summer-2014/" target="_blank">Semester at Sea</a>. I figured it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. <br />
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I am so fortunate that I was hired again so that it's now a twice in a lifetime opportunity as I once again sail as faculty for the 2014 Summer Voyage. This time we're sailing around Northern Europe (with stops in Portugal and Spain before we head north).<br />
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I'm so very excited to do this again. Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-11890965946297184622013-11-04T00:16:00.000-08:002014-05-15T06:26:03.567-07:00Rome<div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;">
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I should confess that Rome isn't my favorite city in Italy. Since I've only been there in the summer, when I picture Rome I think of intense heat, insanely large crowds and paying 6 euros for a single bottle of Fanta. On this trip I was perfectly happy to skip Rome entirely because I had been there on two previous trips, but I needed to go to Rome to process my Russian visa--twice. </div>
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There are no pictures of Rome from my first trip there this summer because it was a comedy of errors. It poured the entire day. And I mean <i>poured</i>. It started just as Mer and I got to the visa processing center & it was so intense that we couldn't even see the street. We ended up hanging out at the center for nearly an hour waiting for it to stop, and when it finally eased up we made a run for a cafe to wait it out. When it tapered out to a drizzle we decided to wait for the bus...for 45 minutes. When the bus seemed as though it was never going to come we attempted to take the metro only to find out that most of the lines were down & we could only go back to the train station. Poor Mer pretty much saw nothing of Rome. It was one of those types of days.</div>
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Sean and I had much better luck on the return trip to pick up my visa even if I was still not 100% better from my bout of salmonella (I would guess 40% better). The heat was intense, but we managed to run all around Rome to see all of the big places. We walked so much. So so much. </div>
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We also got to see quite a few things that I had never seen before. One was a local organic market that was right near the Forum. We got to sample local cheeses and even local beer. We were also able to go to the Pope's Cathedral which we stumbled upon while looking for the aqueducts. We just so happened to be there while the Pope's main bishop was saying mass so it was kind of a big deal (apparently). It was pretty amazing to see, and definitely an unexpected adventure.</div>
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Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-70379817826245042282013-10-28T00:34:00.000-07:002013-10-28T00:34:59.896-07:00Cinque Terre<div align="left" class="bloggerplus_text_section" style="clear: both;">
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For my last two weeks in Italy, I was lucky enough to have my fiance join me. It was his first time in Italy, and one of his Must-Do activities was visiting Cinque Terre. Located on the west coast of Italy, the area of Cinque Terre is made up of 5 (in case Cinque didn't fill you in on that) small towns that hug the coast. First of all, the towns are each incredibly beautiful. Coming out of the train tunnel out of La Spezia and catching that view for the first time was surreal. It's better than my pictures can show. It's better that you can imagine. Unfortunately, I barely saw any of it. I had the incredible misfortune of coming down with salmonella almost as soon as a we got there.<br />
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Our goal was to hike a bit of the trails, but the famous (and easiest trail) Via dell'Amore was closed due to landslides, and as we started to head up to the higher trails I started to feel awful-cold sweats, shooting pains in my stomach and queasy. To be fair, this is normally my reaction whenever someone tries to get me to hike something that takes longer than 20 minutes, but I could tell this wasn't going to be good. The more we walked through the first two towns Riomaggiore and Manrola, the worst I felt. Every time I caught a whiff of the area's famous fried fish, I wanted to toss myself off the cliffs. By the time we reached our rental apartment in Corniglia (and the massive stairs that you take to reach the hilltop town) I was done. I spent the next 12+ hours puking my guts up and wondering if it was possible to die from puking because it sure felt like I was.</div>
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One important thing we found out was there are no pharmacies in Corniglia. My fiance ran around town buying bread and water, but there was no medication to be found. A waitress at a cafe (we were under the mistaken impression that fresh air and some mint tea would help---it didn't--I puked on my fiance on the street in public. Another proud moment in my life) confirmed the lack of pharmacies but was sweet enough make a mixture of lemon and warm water which she promised would help. I did seem to feel better afterwards so I'm crediting her with my recovery.</div>
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I did feel well enough the next day to continue on to the next two towns of Vernazza and Monterosso. I wasn't well enough to eat, but Vernazza did have a pharmacy where I paid $14 for one box of anti-nausea medication. I have to say it might be the best $14 I've ever spent. It meant that we got to have a mostly normal day, and enjoy the views the area has to offer. Vernazza was, by far, the most crowded of the towns we had visited thus far. While the others had a sleepy feel to them Vernazza was hopping with tourists, cafes and tourists shops. It also had the prices to match.<br />
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Our final stop was Monterosso which was completely different than the other four towns. Rather than cliffs there was a beach lined with small cafes and outdoor bars (I can't tell you how upset I was not to be able to sit there and relax with a snack and a drink). We stopped by a nice hotel and asked if we could possibly leave our bags there. For a fee of 3 euros the lady said we could check our bags and change into bathing suits in the restroom. For another 2 euros we were able to rent towels. That's a pretty great deal in my mind.</div>
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We swam at this beautiful beach for a bit. My fiance was good for two swims, I decided to play it safe with just one and rest on the beach. Monterosso seemed to have more of a traditional seaside resort feel to it compared to the other four towns. There seemed to be more standard hotels as opposed to apartment rentals that the other towns seemed to have.<br />
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Overall, what I saw of Cinque Terre was lovely. I wish I had had the opportunity to try some of the local fare and you know...not do the puking tour of one of the prettiest places on earth.</div>
Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-78256300500181230462013-10-21T02:28:00.000-07:002013-10-21T02:28:50.882-07:00Dante<div class="bloggerplus_image_section">
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The reason I was in Florence this summer was to learn Italian for my dissertation. One of the texts I'm working with is <i>The Divine Comedy. </i> So it seemed like a good idea to have a working knowledge of Italian. Since Florence was Dante's home prior to his exile, there's tons of Dante related things all over the city. These range from historical (his house & the church where Beatrice is buried) to the kitschy (Dante impersonators & cafes named after him).</div>
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Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-20197157803246689822013-10-14T06:36:00.000-07:002013-10-14T06:36:46.996-07:00Siena<div class="bloggerplus_image_section">
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My first trip to Siena was in 2009 when I sailed with Semester at Sea. It was an all too brief stop on an all day tour of Tuscany. I had the insanely good luck to be there on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palio_di_Siena">Il Palio</a> so the town was filled with people, brightly colored flags and horses. I wanted to dig my feet in and not get back on the tour bus because the town was just that cool. </div>
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Lucky for me, Siena is a quick bus ride (ok, that's not entirely true if like me you get car sick. Then it's way too long & leaves you fairly green by the time you get there) away from Florence. Towards the end of Mer's stay in Florence we hopped the bus and headed out to Siena. <br /><br />It was a great day trip. The town was busy, but there were enough side streets that we didn't feel crushed by people. We went to see the house & various severed body parts of St. Catherine of Siena (I like religious relics. I'm a bit ghoulish), and then we went to the Duomo. </div>
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This is where I have to confess that I wasn't entirely thrilled by visiting the Duomo again. I knew Mer should see it, but since I had already been there I wasn't relishing spending another $15 and waiting in a horrendously long line for something I'd already seen. <br /><br />Within 10 seconds of walking into the Duomo I realized how incredibly stupid that train of thought was. The Duomo of Siena is just flat out spectacular. Worth every penny. Worth every second in that incredibly long line. </div>
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After the Duomo we followed the advice of my Brazilian friend and went to <a href="http://www.osteriadadivo.it/">Da Divo</a> for lunch. Da Divo specializes in truffle dishes so I was instantly sold. Add in the fact that they bring out a giant cheese wheel to mix your pasta dishes in and they grate they truffle right in front of you, and I was in truffle loving heaven. Mer is not a truffle person, and even she admitted that it was delicious. That's high praise from someone who thinks eating veggies is akin to torture. </div>
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I have to confess that Mer and I got on the wrong bus to get back to Florence. We had tickets for the express bus, but jumped the gun when we saw a bus that said Florence and just hopped on. Turns out that bus was the local bus. Ugh. It doubled the time it took to get home (and my level of car sickness). We got back just in time for a horrendous thunderstorm so we had to spend an extra 40 minutes hanging out in the bus depot waiting for the rain and lightening to pass.<br /><br /> Luckily the city decided to make up for the hassle with a gorgeous rainbow right over the Ponte Vecchio. It's hard to stay disgruntled when this is your view walking back. </div>
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Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-88216071931069301242013-09-24T00:27:00.000-07:002013-09-24T00:27:44.665-07:00Fiesole Adventures<div class="bloggerplus_image_section">
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Fiesole was another quick day trip for Mer and me. Located just 8km from Florence, the little town's claim to fame is a spectacular panoramic view of Tuscany. </div>
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It was another hot as could be day so once Mer and I figured out how to get to the places with the good views (we headed in the wrong direction first, naturally), we took in the slightly hazy but beautiful view, and the headed to a small restaurant for an amazing lunch of pasta and a meat tray. </div>
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The real treat of the day, however, was having a drink at the spectacular <a href="http://www.villasanmichele.com/web/ovil/villa_san_michele.jsp">Villa San Michele</a>. This place was a "Must Visit" according to our friend from Brazil so Mer and I decided to see it. Our Brazilian friend was right, the place was definitely a Must-Visit.<br /><br />First I should mention we walked there from the center of town. This would not be a huge deal except we had to walk on the street and dive into the very tiny ditches every time a car rounded one of the curves. <br /><br />Second, I should mention we had to walk down the hill to get to the property only to then have to walk all the way up the hill that the hotel sat on. Remember I said it was really hot? Yeah, so take a moment and imagine what sweaty messes we were as we rolled up to this gorgeous 900 euro a night hotel. I'm amazed they let us in, let alone were as gracious as they were. </div>
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The entire place was like a dream (a very expensive, out of our league, surprised they aren't calling security on these two sweaty lunatics dream) but we had lots of fun sitting at the patio bar drinking our prosecco while checking out the view and people watching. </div>
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That's the hotel property, isn't it wild? As we flipped through the hotel property book I saw the same company owns the <a href="http://www.grandhoteleurope.com/web/opet/grand_hotel_europe.jsp">Grand Hotel Europa</a> in Saint Petersburg which is equally dreamy. </div>
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And the bar was pretty awesome too. <br /><br />Overall, it was an awesome little day trip, well worth the 2.70€ in bus fare. </div>
Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-22475865165269599132013-09-19T02:29:00.000-07:002013-09-19T02:29:26.711-07:00Gorgeous Verona<div class="bloggerplus_image_section">
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Verona was our second weekend trip while Mer was visiting me in Italy. Originally we wanted to head south to see Positano and Capri, but problems getting my Russian visa meant we didn't have as much time as we originally thought. So rather than a rushed (and expensive!) trip south, we decided to take a day trip to Verona.</div>
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Verona is just gorgeous. We went on an especially hot and busy day so the streets were crammed with people, and there was precious little shade to be found, but we still had an amazing time. </div>
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Our first stop was Casa di Giulietta, naturally. While I was really happy we got to see the house and famous statue, it certainly was a test of patience. The courtyard was crammed full of eager statue fondlers making it hard to move let alone get a picture. I also noticed that locks seem to have replaced love letters these days (in a true sign of the times, inside the house museum you can send Giulietta an email on one of the provided computers). </div>
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After a tour of the interior of the house (well worth the visit and price of 6 euros) we decided to wander through the center of town and then to the outskirts. The center square was packed with vendors and our fellow tourists looking for bargains at the crazy end of summer sales going on so we continued to head away from the center. We lucked out and found a small cafe with a balcony right over the river. For such an amazing view the prices were very reasonable. I had a salad of arugula, lemon & thinly shaved beef. It was one of my favorite meals in Italy. Light and delicious. </div>
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We walked around for a bit more after lunch until the afternoon sun forced us to seek out some shade, and take advantage of the extraordinarily cheap aperol spritz specials many of the cafes had (they were around 5-7 euros in Florence, we paid 2-3 euros in Verona). </div>
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Our time in Verona went much too quickly. Since it was only a day trip we were unable to see an opera due to the train schedule (trains stop running before the performances end). This means Verona is on my Must-Return list. </div>
Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-88868354837146548242013-09-17T05:14:00.000-07:002013-09-17T05:14:46.510-07:00Lago di Como<div class="bloggerplus_image_section">
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I've been lucky enough to have visitors during my stay in Italy. First, my friend Alex came over for a way too brief weekend visit where we explored Florence and made a quick trip to lovely little Lucca. Alex was my roommate on my first trip to Russia in 2003, so it was our 10 year anniversary of being abroad together. Next up was my best friend Meredith. Since I had class while Mer was here it meant our travels were contained to the weekends. Since Mer arrived on a Friday, it meant she had to hop off the plane & jump right on a train so we could explore Lake Como. She was a trooper--I'm not sure I could have fought off the jetlag as well as she did.</div>
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The lake is pretty much what you expect it to be--gorgeous, breathtaking, stunning, etc. I kept asking Mer, "Why don't we live here? Why would anyone want to live anywhere but here?" We stayed at the <a href="http://www.parco-san-marco.com/en/">Parco San Marco</a> resort for our brief trip, and were spoiled by the incredible view from our balcony and the free room service breakfast. </div>
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We spent the rest of our day moving from the various pools to the lake and back again, and capped the afternoon off by playing on the waterslide. </div>
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On our final day we took a boat ride to the town of Bellagio where we shopped for silk scarves (what the area is famous for), and had lunch at a great little enoteca where the staff sliced the proscuitto right in front of us. The local wines were 2 euros a glass, and Mer and I lamented once again that we didn't live there. </div>
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It was a quick trip, but we saw enough to know that Lake Como is definitely a place we have to visit again (and again and again and again).</div>
Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-66758852875052473462013-09-12T04:21:00.001-07:002013-09-12T04:21:44.340-07:00Travel & Technology (Computer Edition)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-3f182d33-11e0-8dc2-1838-beefe82851e2" style="font-weight: normal;"> My sparse but effective work station in my apartment in Italy. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is my first time traveling with my beloved Mac since I started grad school in 2007. Last year, my computer started giving me the death wheeze and I knew that it was time to upgrade to something new if I was going to start writing my dissertation. Right before I sailed with Semester at Sea in 2009, my hard drive crashed and everything was lost so knowing that I never ever want to live through that again (even the thought of that happening during the dissertation process makes me a little hysterical), I purchased a new 13 inch Macbook Pro with a few upgrades thrown in.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I received my grants to research abroad this summer and fall semester, I was faced with the same problem. Did I really want to take an expensive (expensive for me at least) computer containing all of my work from grad school, my dissertation and all of my work to Italy and Russia? Did I want it bumping around on planes, trains, buses? What about overnight trains in Russia? Even with online storage, a backup hard drive and travel insurance I still wasn’t in love with the idea of something happening to my computer or the hassle and expense of replacing it.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I knew I needed something to work on while I was abroad, so I purchased a </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-XE303C12-A01US-Chromebook-Wi-Fi-11-6-Inch/dp/B009LL9VDG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378036681&sr=8-1&keywords=google+chromebook" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Google Chrome Book</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by Samsung. It seemed like a good fit for most of my needs. It’s inexpensive (I actually cheaped out and bought the Warehouse deal for $184 rather than paying full price), it automatically saves everything to Google Drive and it’s lightweight enough to not add too much weight to my bags. I especially like that if something were to happen to it, everything I had was safely copied and saved in my Google accounts. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After 7 weeks of working with the Chrome Book, I feel pretty aware of what it can and cannot do. It’s relatively straightforward to use and adapting to using Google Docs exclusively was easier than I imagined. The computer is fast and it’s easy to navigate through the various features and apps. I also love that it’s small enough to use on a plane or train without bumping elbows with the person sitting next to me, yet it has a full sized keyboard so I’m not constantly hitting the wrong keys. There are certainly a lot of quirks to it, and it can be endlessly annoying to get to a coffee shop with broken WiFI on a day I forgot to download a much needed document. Since everything online it means that without WiFI (or making sure you have saved everything offline if you know you’re going to be without internet) I’m not a huge fan of blogging with it because getting my pictures from the cameras to the computer is a challenge.</span></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Overall, it does what I need it to do so I’m pretty happy with it. I do have my iPad here as well and the combination of the two (the iPad for reading research documents) works exceedingly well for dissertation writing. In fact I turned in 60 pages to my advisor last week. I doubt that it will ever replace my Macbook permanently, but the Chrome Book is definitely going to be my travel computer both on this and future trips.</span>Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-13597765164173209632013-08-31T04:10:00.000-07:002013-08-31T04:10:26.078-07:00Souvenirs<div class="bloggerplus_image_section">
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I think it's fair to say I do a good bit of traveling. One of the dangers of traveling around a lot is not falling into the habit of buying a lot of souvenirs. It's a slippery slope where you see one thing that's so unique and of course you want something to remember the trip when you get home. Plus shouldn't you buy your mom something? What about grandma? Or your friend who absolutely just love that necklace? And oh wow is that a handmade basket? You definitely cannot find that in the U.S.<br /><br />Pretty soon you're a bit poorer and your luggage is a lot heavier. <br /><br />A few years ago I decided to really be aware of what I spend on souvenirs especially from places I've been to several times. This didn't mean ruling out souvenirs entirely, but instead focusing on something that had meaning to me and I could really use. That item for me is jewelry. I try to buy one piece of jewelry from each country so that when I wear it, I can remember my time there. My price point is pretty low (under $50), and it doesn't add much weight to my luggage. The bracelet above is from L'Accademia. One of my classmates here had one, and I thought it would make a very nice memento of both my time in Florence and of taking classes. It was 8 euros, so in addition to being pretty, the bracelet hardly breaks the bank.</div>
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If I'm buying something for someone else (like my mom), I try to make sure it's something she can really use. A t-shirt might be a good bargain, but is that person going to wear something from a place they've never been? I'm a big fan of gifts for the kitchen, like food or the wine bottle stopper above. My mom loves wine, but bringing back a bottle of wine isn't always practical (especially not when I'm traveling to Russia for several months on this trip first). This is small enough to fit in my suitcase without adding much weight, and isn't a glaringly obvious souvenir. </div>
Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-57367204607242285002013-08-30T08:11:00.000-07:002013-08-30T08:17:03.671-07:00Loving Italy <p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRqQtKVARwi50VL9qIeKaUhwVr9MlfQS2RRLa0EjlwMit61noo3S_02OTJW_ACgzCihyphenhyphenKD9vSt0rpPK3YOQlYRA1izarzKlkGK8MM6CGIwA57acHRNaLMCOSH54Zqa_pZ1u7NrtFij3DPk/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>I have been having such an amazing and productive trip. I finished my Italian lessons, I've seen so many interesting places, and I've handed in nearly sixty pages of a draft of my dissertation. </p><p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLo9Uqc6yyWYx_FtO5Jqix6WhPDYmWhDGElf_QPOj7DeaU4fy4rlESHEWLHI0CLEfPIy7F1N7Y1Rx89iCjxW7X-BEh3v7jMmzlbwOIRCyCMRWgasA1ZhcIUpDXuK6xrEZIo-GRJabw9xU0/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>I have lots of thoughts on all of those things, but it's my best friend's last night in Italy so there is prosecco that needs our attention. </p>Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-32848387737995747292013-08-13T04:57:00.000-07:002013-08-13T05:03:01.508-07:00Exhausted <p class='bloggerplus_image_section'><div class='bloggerplus_image_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA1qb0g0Ben-6mS8pxxF5Nz-HsSUUM5pjNkx1lB48m-4sv2rnOfi12cQNS1SNXHbof6R_lD6PPJOMgsVWEJFNU1K_dDHNEr9c8eO23Qz4ygpaNOh6PkRmB3-_lZGviZ5OXZnfLw6I0UoNF/'></div></p><p class='bloggerplus_text_section' align='left' style='clear:both;'>I had the best few days as one of my closest friends came to visit for a long weekend. I have lots of pictures to share, but I am so exhausted from running around & this nasty little bug we both picked up. <br><br>I'm spending this extraordinarily hot day recouping from the weekend & catching up on all the boring stuff I've been putting off like laundry and applying for grants. <br><br>The above picture is from our Sunday trip to Lucca, and was made with the <a href='www.rhonnadesigns.com' target='_blank'>Rhonna Designs App.</a> I'm still trying to get the hang of it, but it does make for fun pictures. </p>Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-40762405845921160532013-08-08T12:15:00.000-07:002013-09-17T04:54:17.532-07:00Mastering Gelato<div class="bloggerplus_image_section">
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I'm doing my best to try every flavor of gelato Florence has to offer. With the weather reaching well over 90 degrees every single day, stopping at a gelateria on the way home makes the heat a little less deadly. </div>
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Despite being a diehard chocolate fan, I think my favorite flavor so far is lemon-sage. It's the right combination of tart & savory. Pistachio comes in second much to my surprise. </div>
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My instructor at school let us in on the secret to great gelato. You need to get it from a place that keeps the gelato covered. The places that have giant mountains of gelato don't make it themselves. The ones that keep it in covered tubs are the truly outstanding ones. I tried both types, and the difference is really easy to see (taste?). </div>
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Don't worry, I'll keep trying more flavors. If I remember anything from my math classes in college it's that a larger sample size means more accurate results. </div>
Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-53941641574615101192013-08-02T03:40:00.001-07:002013-08-02T03:40:52.939-07:00Io abito...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pB3YMAN4DQTC5588s7P0CjX2r_rX1n-M5JyX9HM2FG90VOfeb0batuWmV7JGd-aRdAjkbsNqEHv0Mqusv9pf2ZlZ-dvzyzoFr3_njAk-phFI3dv_uAfAKU_BqIFgWdpXNASWi3a4KIhd/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pB3YMAN4DQTC5588s7P0CjX2r_rX1n-M5JyX9HM2FG90VOfeb0batuWmV7JGd-aRdAjkbsNqEHv0Mqusv9pf2ZlZ-dvzyzoFr3_njAk-phFI3dv_uAfAKU_BqIFgWdpXNASWi3a4KIhd/s640/photo+(1).JPG" /></a></div>
One of the hardest things to plan for this trip was where to live. I knew that I'd have a few guests coming to visit me so that automatically ruled out the dorms (also, at age 32 the thought of dorm life again gives me chills). I also knew that I had a pretty set budget and Florence is sort of crazy expensive when it comes to real estate.
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My first stop was Sabbatical.Com because I figured it would be a pretty safe site. However, I didn't have much luck. It seemed like everything was rented out, and the prices were at the upper end of my price range. There also weren't a lot of reviews of the places, and I spend enough time on the internet to be wary of anything that looks too good without reviews supporting it.
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That brought me to <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/">Airbnb</a> which is a vacation home rental site that is established enough to have a good pool of places to choose from with enough reviews to make me feel comfortable. It took me forever to pick a place that I wanted for my stay here. Not because there were too few, but too many! There were so many gorgeous houses and apartments, it really came down to what I was looking for in a place. Did I want to be in the countryside with my own little house overlooking the wineries (yes!), but did I want a 35 minute bus ride everyday on Florence's notoriously late public transportation system (no). Did I want to be in the center of everything so it was easy to get around (yes). But did I want to pay $2500 a month for that convenience (definitely not).
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So after much searching, I found the place I knew I really wanted. It was just out of my price range, but I wrote the owners hoping for a deal because of two things: 1. that I would be considered a long term rental since AirBnB also places short stays and 2. I would be in Florence, a notoriously quiet month for locals as many Italians go on vacation for the entire month. My gamble paid off, and the owners gave me a really fair deal for a really wonderful place.
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How wonderful? Well, I sort of live in a palace. How cool is that? It's a recently renovated palace just off of S. Spirito, a street that I really liked the first time I visited Florence a few years ago. It's full of small cafes & coffee bars. I'm just outside the center of the city which means that I'm far enough away all the tourist activities that I don't have to deal with loud, crowded streets or pay $5 for a bottle of water. I'm also close enough that I have about a 10 minute walk to school and a 15 minute walk to the Ponte Vecchio for days that I want to do tourist things. It's also right in what I think is the antique district because there are tons of antique furniture stores and furniture repair shops in the area. Last night as I was walking home from class I also noticed a few artist studios right on the corner with painters working with the doors wide open so I could peek inside. It's lovely.
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All in all I'm really so thrilled with the choice of apartments in Florence. I used AirBnB to book my Russian apartment, and hope I'll have the same luck there.Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-600399407028321162013-07-29T05:31:00.000-07:002013-07-29T05:31:32.436-07:00Getting There is Rarely Fun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBRgVJ-WAaXxWd7h7pwqueopaLnhkIgvT9MaqH3IpS1s2lcpjnu2n57e7SlqUnV_7p_GP4EvpJCLMWELgV_Q1d9Eco4KVrYqqWc0qfag-vLRbLufPNt33CSBFI4xVdSUf3W_tFAsaR6vV/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBRgVJ-WAaXxWd7h7pwqueopaLnhkIgvT9MaqH3IpS1s2lcpjnu2n57e7SlqUnV_7p_GP4EvpJCLMWELgV_Q1d9Eco4KVrYqqWc0qfag-vLRbLufPNt33CSBFI4xVdSUf3W_tFAsaR6vV/s640/photo.JPG" /></a></div>
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Somewhere along the way I must have pissed off the gods of travel because it has been quite a while since I've had a smooth travel day. Even my last short trip, a visit to see my family in Florida resulted in a misplaced piece of luggage.
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This time, however, might take the cake. My flight was suppose to go from Cville to Philly to Frankfurt to Florence with just enough time between each stop (just over 2 hours) to allow me to stroll through each airport without missing my connections. I'd even have time to grab dinner at Chickie & Pete's in the Philly airport. Right from the start my travel day went right down the toilet.
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The bad weather in Charlotte meant that the crew for my Cville flight wouldn't be arriving until well after I missed my connection in Philly. So I had two options: wait for a much later flight in Cville and hop a connection in Philly to London to Milan and then a train from Milan to Florence which would put me in Florence at 11pm on Sunday night or take a cab to DC and hop a flight to Paris in hopes of reaching Florence by 9pm on Sunday. Neither option was that great, so I went with the DC one so I'd avoid having to take a train on a Sunday (I wasn't sure what time the trains stopped running on a Sunday).
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So I made my way via cab (at U.S. Airway's expense, thanks guys) to DC and that was thankfully uneventful, as was boarding the plane (now an Air France flight which means no miles for me, thanks guys) even though it was done in the most chaotic fashion I've ever seen. What didn't go smoothly was the three hour delay on the tarmac because of an electrical failure. Oh, who doesn't love to hear the phrase "electrical failure" on a trans-Atlantic flight? Especially when they tell you "We're having an electrical problem with piloting system." There's such thing as too much honesty sometimes.
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Thankfully our plane remained electrically intact for the remainder of the flight. I arrived in Paris with enough time to jump on an earlier flight to Florence, but sadly my luggage did not. It apparently enjoyed the CDG airport so much it decided to extend its stay by a day which has been a pain for me. After some freaking out (and a long discussion with myself about what really should go in a carry-on. Clothes & toiletries, less books), I realized my luggage would eventually get here, and going to school in a Mickey Mouse shirt was not the end of the world. My landlord was even nice enough to pick up some toiletries for me so that I could feel human again.
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After my minor freak out, I went for a walk around my neighborhood and discovered it is absolutely lovely. Close enough to the center of the city to walk everywhere, but far enough away to avoid the crowds of tourists. I found a small bar, had a big glass of wine & enjoyed the free buffet that comes with happy hour here.
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On the walk home I treated myself to a big cone of gelato. The journey here may have sucked, but just being here for an hour made the trip worth it already.Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-25692899453261506372013-07-14T17:25:00.000-07:002013-07-14T17:25:42.070-07:00Here I Go Again<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZiKSqLm5uJhXDZKIKN1hSDIg5nHUhSJElwugDXTvbeVUEvnauvWaVPjfYHZ974ZJV4VzyM-py5at_NYjlv0ZslsDf8UsY2QDqUUg5hYoYerzxPpDn1L2eY5bQ6kA4UmLyKK4ZVY85-NmT/s1600/DSC_0385.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZiKSqLm5uJhXDZKIKN1hSDIg5nHUhSJElwugDXTvbeVUEvnauvWaVPjfYHZ974ZJV4VzyM-py5at_NYjlv0ZslsDf8UsY2QDqUUg5hYoYerzxPpDn1L2eY5bQ6kA4UmLyKK4ZVY85-NmT/s640/DSC_0385.JPG" /></a>
It's been a long time since I've written here, but it's been a busy year. A lot has happened in the last 10 months that have kept me busy and away from the blogging world.
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First off, I'm officially Wandering Bean, ABD (All But Dissertation). The big event in the Fall of 2012 was studying for my PhD comprehensive exams, and subsequently passing them! It was exhausting, tear inducing and an experience I never have to go through every again.
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This also means that I've started the dissertation writing phase of my career, and <i>ohgoodness</i>, is it way harder than I ever anticipated. It's just so much bigger than I could have ever pictured. It's also oddly enjoyable since I get to do two of my favorite things-reading and writing. And it's a very good thing that I like reading and writing because dissertating means you do both of those things. A lot. All the time.
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I also got to teach my own course for my university for the first time. It was a course on travel literature, and it was a really fantastic experience. I am anxiety disorder ridden and when I first started teaching, couldn't even think of entering a classroom without medication. It is now second nature to me, and that never fails to surprise me.
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I did a bunch of traveling as well with several trips to Florida to visit family, and a trip to Napa Valley to celebrate my birthday in March. I could happily live in either state.
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Finally, I received two grants from my university for study and research so I'm going to be spending the next few months living in Florence, Italy and Moscow, Russia for my dissertation research. In fact, I leave in 12 days, which is shocking, overwhelming and scary. I have a ton to do before I leave. I'm really excited that I get to spend extended time in each place. Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-14769884826574358462012-09-17T07:49:00.000-07:002012-09-17T07:49:24.628-07:00Summer Flowers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's fairly grey and gloomy here in my hometown so I'm missing summer quite fiercely despite my love of all things autumnal. The truth is I love summer. I wish I had just a few more weeks of it before the chill sets in. I can already see my breath when I take my dog for his early morning walk.
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I find myself looking at my pictures from Puerto Rico wishing for just a couple more days of heat, swimming and sundresses.
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Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-76024515047578949792012-09-07T09:44:00.000-07:002012-09-07T09:44:39.989-07:00Puerto Rico: The Big News<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Despite all the chaos of our trip to Puerto Rico that included hurricane evacuations, angry roosters and lack of electricity, the trip will always be special to me because my boyfriend, now fiance proposed to me. It's hard to be upset about all the little frustrations of the trip when something so wonderful happened too.
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Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-4187887861713089382012-09-04T06:39:00.001-07:002012-09-04T06:39:23.418-07:00Bits of Boston<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It happened again. I blinked and the summer is over. For a summer that did not involve any extended travel plans, I traveled way more than I ever imagined.
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I'm still thinking about our trip to Boston, with all the amazing restaurants we tried. I still cannot get the mini biscuits and clam chowder of the <a href="http://islandcreekoysterbar.com/">Island Creek Oyster Bar</a> out of my mind. One of my goals of the Fall is to replicate their Bergamot Buck, one of the best drinks I've ever had.
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For a quick blitz of a trip, we packed so much into it, and tried so many new places.
Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2989563987218451304.post-819892203792530802012-08-15T08:55:00.001-07:002012-08-15T09:10:22.234-07:00Packing for Puerto Rico<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><div style='width:600px;margin:0 auto'><div style='position:relative;'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/packing_for_puerto_rico/set?.embedder=3587526&.svc=blogger&id=56343534'><img force='1' border='0' height='549' title='Packing for Puerto Rico' src='http://cfc.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-set/.sig/cgBNUlYWbo4cN6qTg1Nw/cid/56343534/id/X9ISHkwTTE2FxQj91ObHAg/size/c600x549.jpg' alt='Packing for Puerto Rico' width='600'/></a></div></div><br/><div style='text-align:center'><small><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/packing_for_puerto_rico/set?.embedder=3587526&.svc=blogger&id=56343534'>Packing for Puerto Rico</a> by <a href='http://wanderingbean.polyvore.com/?.embedder=3587526&.svc=blogger'>wanderingbean</a> featuring <a href='http://www.polyvore.com/summer_shorts/shop?query=summer+shorts'>summer shorts</a></small></div><div style='width:600px;margin:0 auto'><br/><small><div style='text-align:left'><a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=3587526&.svc=blogger&id=62289121' rel='nofollow'>Party tank top</a> / Laura Urbinati <a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=3587526&.svc=blogger&id=61472559' rel='nofollow'>floral bandeau bikini</a>, $270 / <a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=3587526&.svc=blogger&id=62680417' rel='nofollow'>Summer shorts</a>, $31 / Karen Millen <a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=3587526&.svc=blogger&id=62464059' rel='nofollow'>high heel sandals</a> / Talbots <a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=3587526&.svc=blogger&id=59910731' rel='nofollow'>gladiator wedge sandals</a> / Mulberry <a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=3587526&.svc=blogger&id=59558996' rel='nofollow'>white handbag</a> / BCBG Max Azria <a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=3587526&.svc=blogger&id=62182835' rel='nofollow'>seed bead jewelry</a> / <a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=3587526&.svc=blogger&id=62408143' rel='nofollow'>Feather jewelry</a>, $16 / <a href='http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing.outbound?.embedder=3587526&.svc=blogger&id=49522896'
rel='nofollow'>NARS Cosmetics eyeshadow</a></div></small></div></div>
<p>
When I taught my travel class this summer I confessed to my students that I am not a light packer. For a while I really wanted to be one of those people that could toss a pair of shorts, two t-shirts & a pair of sturdy shoes in a backpack, and be ready to travel around Europe for six months. However, I am not that kind of traveler. When I travel internationally I always use the exact same medium sized suitcase. When I travel in the U.S. I use a duffel bag. I pack the exact same amount of clothes in each, whether it's for a week or an entire summer. I can't help it. Variety is the spice of life, right?
<p>
Right now I'm having a lot of fun packing for Puerto Rico. We've got so much planned for this trip that I want clothes that are nice enough for beautiful dinners out on the beach, and things that will be light & airy for our days wandering around the rain forest of El Yunque. Jillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03787106377525561634noreply@blogger.com0