Athena Blogs

So remember when I said how much I loved Florence, and that part of me never wanted to leave?

Well, apparently Florence listened. The city had its first major snow in 10 years this weekend. The odds of it snowing this hard in Florence are just as great as Los Angeles's, hence the city did not know how to handle such conditions. With that, ALL flights out of Florence were cancelled. Ours to Zurich included.

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

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?

1. Wearing heels on cobblestone has to be one of the Top 10 hardest things to do in the world.

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So I finally made it over to Rome! Geez, it seems like I've had tentative trips fall through about a million times this semester. Okay, not really. But my excursion into the ancient city couldn't have been better! My friend from LdM, Carissa, and I took a train over there on Saturday, where I was once again reunited with the fabulous Jenny Driver! Jenny had been to Rome when she as 13, but was excited to see the city with older eyes.

Last weekend, I embarked on what will be my last bus journey to another country (Bittersweet, to say the least). This trip was taken to the gorgeous Austria, and I was more than happy to be reunited with the German culture post-Oktoberfest.

The trip was hosted by my old pals at Bus2Alps, who I also did Cinque Terra and Oktoberfest with. After a 10.5 hour overnight bus ride (awesome, right?), we arrived in Vienna where we immediately headed to the city center. Vienna is a very modern city, and has a lot of great shopping spots and restaurants. The only downer was it that it POURED rain and my poor new boots got soaked through. Looks like I will be investing in some rain boots soon.

Hi everyone!

As of Thursday, I only have a month left. Holy CRAP. Where did the time go?!? My emotions are so mixed right now. I seriously have about 42149 million thoughts spinning through my brain. Allow me to let you in on some of them...

One of the amazing things (amongst the thousands of other reasons) about studying abroad is that you get to live the life of a jet setter. If you want to go somewhere, you just do it. So I decided that I was going to visit my fellow HB Oiler softball alumni Jenny Driver in England for the weekend. The reason? Just because :)

Jenny is studying abroad in Bristol, which is a city in South West England. She attends the University of Bristol, which could very well double as Hogwarts.

Here are some highlights from my parent's positively delightful visit to Florence. I couldn't have asked for a better time with them, and I miss them already!!!! But only 6 more weeks until we are reunited in California :)

During their time in Florence, the Rutkins:

Visited the Uffizi

Saw the David

Took a day trip to Siena

Explored the Boboli Gardens

Gazed at the city from the Piazza delle Michelangelo

Feasted on Bistecca Fiorentina

Did a wine tour in Chianti

Hiked to the top of the Duomo

And enjoyed each other's company more than ever before.