Firenze!

Buon Giorno!

   I am now in Florence and week 1 has been hectic but truly amazing. I have seen so much, I can now die in peace. Upon our arrival we had a walking tour of the city at night and our first Italian 3-course meal. Living with a host family can be one of the most amazing experiences ever. It truly feels like home and it's amazing to have someone care so much for us and help us learn about Italian language and culture. The city is very beautiful and the market is awesome. Here are some pictures!

 David

 The Duomo

 The Bell Tower

Happy Easter,

Rebecca S.

A little peek at Barcelona

Hello all,

   For spring break last week, I escaped the cold climate in England and made my way down to Barcelona. The climate was perfect: sunny with a nice breeze. First thing I loved: they spoke Spanish, so I felt at home. Second thing: The buildings reminded me of those back home in Puerto Rico, due to Spain owning us long, long ago. This gives me all the feels! Anyways, The first day we went to "Plaza Espana" and it was very beautiful. It sort of looks like the Arc de Triomphe avenue. There is the "Arenas de Barcelona" shopping mall and market which was very nice and we managed to eat gelatto crepes.  There is also the amazing building home to the Anthropology museum. I loved Barcelona and the people were very hospitable. Here are some pictures:

 The Anthropology Museum :)

Candy Store!

Happy Easter,

Rebecca S.

Paris Trip!

Hello all,

  Here are some pictures from my trip to Paris. I am now in Barcelona and it is sunny and beautiful. The food is great, too! The first night in Paris we decided to take the long bus ride to Trocadero and see the Eiffel Tower (duh!). Tip: don't climb the tower if you're not used to exercising like me! I almost die haha. The view form the tower is Magnifique!

   Then we had dinner at a very nice Piano Bar and the poor waitress had to explain the whole menu to us. Food was great though. Next day we went to the Louvre and it was amazing. All the paintings and sculptures were great to see and very inspiring. It was funny to see so many people in front of the Monna Lisa, which is sorta small.  The Nutella crepes are delicious. God bless Europe, they put Nutella on everything!

 View from our hotel room

 Yum!

 View from the top of the Eiffel Tower

 Arc de triomphe

 Ms. Monna Lisa

 pretty carousel

the tower at night

Bonjour!

Bonjour!

      For our second long weekend we decided to make a lil trip to Paris and I'm glad we did because it's unbelievable. Many a waiter we have asked to translate the whole menu for us. I'll upload some pictures soon.

     Here are some pictures I took while visiting the Queen's House, the Royal Naval College, and the Royal Maritime Museum. They are beautiful buildings with a lot of meaning and it was very interesting to see how navigation could have impacted a country's history in the way these did.

 The Two matching buildings were intended to appear as two cats were staring at each other.

 The group!

 The Two main buildings of the College

 Queen's House

 Some of the many navigation-related paintings at Queen's House

 Details of the ceiling at the Queen's House

The Tulip Stairs

 Dining room tables and chandeliers at the Painted Hall

 Detail of the columns at the Painted Hall

 Ceiling of the Painted Hall

 Painted Hall Ceiling

 Chapel ceiling

Chapel