Travel Week 2 (BREAK)

In another blog, I wrote about my first travel week with my core course. This last week was the second Travel Week, and since I had already spent one with my class, this was all mine.

I decided to visit Prague first then make my way through Italy. My and two of my friends met up with other friends studying abroad in Prague, spending the weekend there. We loved seeing the Prague Castle and getting the traditional tredlniks. After that weekend, we started in Rome. We saw the Colosseum, Vatican City, Pantheon, and Trevi Fountain. We also had the most amazing pasta at a tiny Italian restaurant (they only had 8 tables!).

I then made my way to Perugia. This is a small Italian city. It’s about 2.5 hours from Rome and Florence by train. I went by myself to visit my friend who was studying there from Penn State. Perugia was had beautiful views, amazing pizza and gelato, and super friendly people. This medieval town is traditional Italy — far fewer tourists than Rome and Florence. This was the first place that I had visited where the language barrier was quite high. In all the other places I had visited people spoke English, very well. It was nice to experience this, and immerse myself in this culture.

After Perugia, I went to Florence. More pizza, gelatos, paninis, and of course, leather. The leather markets are everywhere in Florence, and that’s also where a ton of people study abroad. I saw eight friends from UMD or from my hometown! It was great to see so many people, but I didn’t feel like I was immersed in Italian culture. Either way, I had a blast. I loved seeing the Duomo, the Statue of David, and the view from the Piazza ale Michelangelo. The view from the steps is indescribable. I could’ve sat there for hours. Another great week abroad!