Athena Blogs

My experience in Europe has been full of amazing memories. But there are just some that stand out above the rest. Here are my top 10 most epic moments from my time abroad!

1. Climbing to the Top of the Duomo

Florence, Italy

The beautiful chirstmas tree in front of the Duomo!

Wow! I cannot believe in just 48 hours, I will be back in America! This past week has been full of my friends and I saying "Oo! We have to go to that place one last time!" and "Shoot, we haven't been to that museum yet!", as well as, of course, "Um…we should probably go to the library and study for finals".

We all are feeling that sense of the clock ticking. Many of my friends are ready to go home--they miss their families and America. While I miss my family and friends, I can't help but think about what I could do with a couple more weeks (or…years?) in Europe. There are so many places I now know I have to visit, or visit again, and I view my time abroad as a jumping off point.

My advisor told me before left for Italy, that once a person travels, they are "bitten by a bug", and feel compelled to travel for the rest of their lives. I truly believe that today. After having such a positive experience here in Italy, I find myself planning my next trip!

In continuation of my "Rutkin Recap" photo series (yeah, just came up with that right now), here is the next part for all of you who don't want to go back and reread my entire blog:

Places Kara Went in Europe

(Specifically, outside of Italy)

My time in Florence is tragically coming a close. Emphasis on TRAGICALLY. I still cannot fathom that I have been here for over 3 months, and I board a plane to the United States in 9.5 days.

With that, I thought it would be fun to do a photo recap of some of my travels for those of you weren't paying attention :) And that way, I can give a lazy response to that question I'm really looking forward to answering when I come back: "Hey Kara! How was Italy?" Cause honestly...How am I supposed to sum up the absolute time of my life in a conversation with my friends and loved ones back in the states?

Each entry from here on out will feature photos and memories that I never put on the blog, just in case you haven't been Facebook stalking me religiously. The first entry in this series is going to commemorate all the places in Italy that I visited. Let our journey begin!

Making fresh pasta with Kirsten

Busy busy busy week! The past couple days have been full of presentations, reading assignments, and research paper submissions. I scrambled all week to get everything done--but I finally did! On Wednesday I presented my research paper for Art History.

I had done it on a work called The Ecstasy of St. Teresa, by Gianlorenzo Bernini. Last week in Rome, I dragged my sister and friend to go see it in real life! Seeing it right in front of me, after studying and researching it for weeks, was so special. I used the pictures I took last weekend in my power point! Not many art history students in America can say that!

This weekend, my friend from college, who is studying in Granada, Spain, came to visit me in Florence! It was so nice to see a familiar face from Mary Washington, and we had so much fun! She came with two of her friends, so I spent the weekend being their tour guide! One night we made fresh pasta and pesto--it was hard work but tasted SO good! I can't believe I only have thirteen more days here--I'm not NOT ready to leave yet! This semester has been so amazing. I never prepared myself for the end of it!