Athena Blogs

As a part of the program package for our semester abroad, Athena includes two free trips to a variety of locations. Last weekend, I had my first free excursion to the South of France! It seemed a bit surreal at the time that I would be waking up in Italy to find myself only a few hours later off the coast of France but that's what the study abroad life style is all about. I had no idea what to expect from the trip but it was certainly a pleasant surprise and a great way to kick off my international travels.

Our first stop was in Monaco, the second smallest nation in the world (beat out only by Vatican City), Monaco is home to tax-free citizens and some of the most breath-taking views in the region. France provides water, public transportation, and military defense to the little country but Monaco houses one of the most beautiful prisons in the world! Located on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean, I was comforted knowing that the country's financial criminals have a nicer place of residence than I do. After our tour and several hours of exploring the small country we headed to our next location: Nice!

It's been a couple weeks since I first flew into Florence and it's easy for me to forget how much has happened since I first arrived. It seems like years ago that I stepped onto a plane at LAX for my first European excursion. 12 hours, a connecting flight, and one taxi ride later, I landed my new home for the next four months.

The first few days were spent orienting myself amongst the city's narrow streets and odd layout but it didn't take long for Firenze (as they call it here) to feel like home. But Ventura, California can't quite capture the sensation of living in the world's most famed Renaissance city.