Passportfolio: June 2012

Passport to Split

June 21-24, 2012

Croatia is perhaps my favorite place in the entire world. After being landlocked in a very chilly and rainy Czech Republic (which is still beautiful, of course), I could not express how excited I was to take a weekend to get away to the gorgeous country of Croatia. I had heard nothing but good things about it, and was determined to get there. However, actually getting there posed quite the challenge. There were NO buses or trains, and the cheapest flight was 550 euros! It was looking depressing, and then, we met Allison with Bus2Alps. Alli was so kind and helped us set up a private bus trip to Croatia for an extremely affordable price. We had an awesome guide, Alex, and each had two seats on the bus on the way there, which made the 13 hours each way bearable.

Alex, our tour guide and me

Actually, the bus was more than bearable, it was fun! We watched movies, napped, and all got to know each other better. The trip consisted of BHP kids, MPAs, and 3 girls who were studying at Charles University. Everyone was ready for some sun and in a great mood.

We arrived in Split around 11:30 on Friday morning after spending the entire night on the bus. After eating a quick breakfast at the Goli and Bosi Hostel, we all sprinted up to our rooms, which were awesome, and threw on our swimsuits. A day at the beach was the perfect remedy for our colds and pale skin, and everyone soaked in some much needed R&R.

Our Room in Goli and Bosi

Goli and Bosi Hostel

Morgan and Me by the Sea

First Day at the Beach!

View from our hike in Split

That night, we all gathered for a pub crawl around Croatia. The first bar we went to was an open bar through the entire Germany-Greece Eurocup game, which made out for a lot of fun. Almost too much fun for a couple of our crew! The whole pub-crawl was a blast, and we meet many international friends from Australia, Norway, England, France, and more.

The next morning was a tough one for everyone to wake up, but when we did we got to get on a boat for an Island Hoping tour! Can you say paradise? We sailed for around an hour and a half, visited two different gorgeous islands and beaches, had a delicious meal, and soaked in even more sun. All I could think the entire day was how can people do bad things when there is such beauty? I even had a little inspiration for my Plan II Senior Thesis while sitting on an overlook searching the sea.

Morgan and me on the Island Hoping Tour

Shaun and me on the boat

Our first Island. Extremely local. That lady was scaling her fish.

The lunch on the boat (sadly I did not participate, but the chicken was good too!)

The second island's beach. There was sand!

For Ranny. BHPoint.

After we got home from the island hoping tour, we all rushed to change and then boarded the bus again to journey to the nearby town of Trogir. Let me tell you, the bustling nightlife, incredible food, gorgeous food, and white washed architecture stole my heart. I cannot wait to go back, because all I can say about the city is that it is absolutely enchanting.

Split's port

In Trogir, Croatia. A town that comes straight out of the middle ages.

Sunday morning began early as I walked through the market to explore the fruit stands and flower markets. Even at 8 am, the market was bustling as everyone retrieved their ingredients for the day. I seriously craved having a kitchen so that I could explore all of the flavors available in the market.

Diocletian's Palace in Split

The flower market in Split. Some of the most beautiful arrangements I have ever seen.

Shortly after leaving the market, we all boarded the bus again for the long haul home. But first, before the 13 hour stretch, we stopped at Krka National Park, which by far was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. We walked on platforms that were just surrounded by running water and saw hundreds of little falls, and a couple of really big ones too. My breath was taken away by the sight and sound. Words literally could not describe the elation everyone felt in witnessing such a powerful force of nature. At the end of the hike, we all jumped into the refreshing waters of the falls and were showered by the falling water. A couple of photo shoots ensued, and everyone had a great time.

Krka National Park.

The most beautiful place in the world

Morgan, Shaun and Me in the waterfalls

Aw yeah, we're strong.

Climbing and exploring

Hook 'Em.

I could stay here forever.

As Shaun put it, I saw two of my favorite places in the world in 12 hours. I would definitely call this weekend a success. Croatia, take me back.

Passport to Milan

In order to get to Prague from Italy, we needed to fly out of Milan, so we decided to make a trip out of it. Vishal and Forrest's future roommate, Taylor, and his friend Will from UT had been studying abroad all semester in Milan and were excellent hosts! They showed us all around town, and introduced us to the lively night club scene in Milan. After traveling for two weeks, it was such a nice comfort to have old friends and some wonderful hospitality. Because our group was a whomping eight people, we couldn't all fit in Taylor and Will's apartment, so we stayed in the Zebra Hostel instead. After traveling to three different hostels this one finally fit the traditional description of a hostel - I'm talking 24 beds in a room, community showers for about a hundred people, a community game room and lounge, and a do it yourself kitchen. I was loving the experience.... until I discovered that there were mosquitos. Yuck. They ATTACKED us in our sleep, and I even had a bite on my face that lasted for a whole week! I could definitely have had done without. Luckily I made friends with some Canadians who lent me their bug spray, but it could only do so much.....

Even though the mosquitos sucked, I still had some great journeys in Milan. I had a brand new book when I flew out of Austin, but due to much traveling, it was finished before we even arrived in Italy. My Dad suggested Les Miserables, and I happily downloaded it onto my iPhone when we were in Cinque Terre. I began reading and then realized that it was 7000 pages long on my phone. Talk about a marathon. By the time we arrived in Milan I was desperate for the printed version of the book, and so I set out on an adventure to find it. There was a lovely bookstore called American Bookstore that was located by Il Duomo (I know, there are a lot of these in Europe... this one was my favorite though). Also, little did I anticipate, it's extremely difficult to get an english novel in Europe - so this bookstore was a goldmine. I asked the hostel manager how to walk to Il Duomo and I set off with a limited time table, needing to meet everyone that night for dinner. By the time I arrived at the church, I was ready to get there - and I couldn't find it anywhere. It turns out that the store was across from el castello (the castle), rather than Il Duomo. Luckily my italian isn't as awful as my czech and I was able to get some help from various store owners until I finally made my way there. And let me tell you, the place was heaven. It turns out that the printed version of the book isn't much better, for it is 1300 pages long and weighs about 3 pounds, but I still love the print.

I rushed back to the hostel after obtaining my treasure and met everyone for a traditional homestyle pizza dinner at Taylor and Will's favorite spot. It was DELICIOUS. That night we all just hung out and caught up and shared our respective travel stories. Probably my favorite thing about traveling is meeting travelers.

The next day was full of touring as we went to Il Duomo (made it onto the ROOF!) and El Castello. And then, the unthinkable happened. Little did we know when we were planning our trip, but THE POPE was in Milan while we were and was speaking in the town square at 5. We all camped out for a spot and witnessed, in person, the Pope. It was unreal. I still can't believe the luck we had.

Our flight was at 7 am the next morning, so we resolved to pull an all-nighter and enjoy our last night out before arriving in Prague. The basic path of the night was dinner, club, cab at 4:30 am, bus to airport, and finally our flight to Prague. Needless to say, it was a great night, but it set me back MAJORLY on my sleep schedule.

Milan was such a great end to our pre-trip and Prague has been so incredible (with the exception of the rain). At this point I'm about halfway through my summer abroad and can't wait to explore more. Stay tuned for a post from Croatia - we leave tomorrow!

The Zebra Hostel - 24 beds baby!

Il Duomo - Gorgeous church

The family pizza meal! Sooo good.

With Michelle at Il Duomo

With Courtney. They were setting up for the Pope behind us.

On the roof of Il Duomo. I had to sneak a hook 'em in because it's considered incredibly rude in Italy... yikes.

El Castello

The Epic "American Bookstore"

THE POPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Passport to Florence and Pisa

While staying in Cinque Terre, Me, Michelle, Angela, Connie and Courtney decided to take a day trip to the near by towns of Pisa and Florence. Both were beautiful and full of history. We didn't get to spend a ton of time in each, but the day was definitely a success. When we arrived in Pisa, the train station was in the middle of nowhere. We wandered blindly seeking out a leaning tower, and thankfully there was a HUGE crowd of tourists we could follow. When in doubt, follow the tourist in Europe - they'll never fail you. Our time in Florence was a whirlwind, but we saw some beautiful buildings, Il Duomo, the garden of statues and enjoyed some really authentic markets. All in all, it was probably the most successful day trip ever.

Our first picture in Pisa - the tower actually leans!

Almost looks photoshopped, huh? Photo cred to Connie, who was the only one of us to really figure out how to make these shots work (I on the other hand was an awful photographer).

More handstands.

Such a fun group of ladies to travel with.

Angela, Courtney, Connie and Michelle in Florence!

Il Duomo

Probably the most beautiful door in the world.

Oh, the statues.

Passport to Cinque Terre

May 27-31, 2012

Cinque Terre was probably one of my favorite places in the world. The city is made up of five little towns on the sea-side each separated by around a kilometer or two. We spent four days as a group relaxing and recuperating on the rock beaches and hiking through the incredibly scenic hills and vineyards. Highlights of the trip included wine tasting at multiple wineries, hiking 15 miles from the first town to the last in the chain of five, and meeting a bar owner who showed us his cantina and let us taste his homemade wine. Oh, and of course, clip jumping and swimming in the sea. What a trip.