McKin travels the world!!...(well only Europe really)

Final thoughts...

2008-12-08T05:57:00.000-08:00

Monday, December 8, 2008. Venice

So I am sitting here, T-minus 12 hours until I get on a water taxi and say good bye to this unbelievable city, these amazing people, and the most wonderful house in all of Venice, Italy, and the world. (ok so that last one might have been a slight exaggeration).

Not much has been going on here except people frantically packing, cleaning, finalizing peoples gifts etc. I cannot believe that I have been here for four months. Sometimes it feels like so much longer, yet sometimes it feels like just yesterday that I just walked into this (now sadly empty) room. I feel like I should impart some wisdom that I have learned or something, but I am kinda at a loss of words.... All I can say is this. This has been the hardest, most expensive, most amazing, irreplaceable semester of my life and I have learned SO much. About people, myself, traveling, geography, life, boys, living arrangements, cooking, Italy, God, iPods, packing, ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. I missed my friends from home SO much. But now I am coming home and I can honestly say it was ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND MILLION KAJILLION percent worth it. Venice (and Italy) will forever have a hold on my heart. If you EVER see anything about Venice--be it music, picture, book, movie, postcard--PLEASE tell me because I want it. :)

Thank you to all of you who read this jumbly account of my adventures (even though sometimes I think it is just you, Mer. Ironic since you are IN most of my blog...).

I cannot WAIT to see you all, but bear with me as I try to remember to speak English again, that I must DRIVE places, that not every restaurant has gelato, that I cannot take a train to Paris tomorrow, and that I no longer live in the "Real World: Venice" house full of the most insane group of amazing people.

Fewf, what a semester!! Atlanta (via Winston-Salem for a night or two :) ) here I come!!!

Ciao ciao, Venezia. Ti amo molto!!

Hey Guess What?!?!

2008-12-05T12:03:00.001-08:00

I AM FINISHED WITH EXAMS!!!!!!!!!

Bleh. Exams. 1 down, 3 to go...

2008-12-02T06:38:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, December 2, 2008.

Our weekend was pretty low key. We hung out, watched movies, snuggled, ate leftovers. (Well, I ate leftovers, Miss Picky ate chocolate and bread...) Saturday we did some shopping. Mommy sent an email of a laundry list of things "she wishes she bought" so Loff and I went on a wild goose chase for them. We found everything, though, so dont worry. We also got some wonderful gifts for the fam.

Sunday AM we got up early. You are probably thinking 7 AM or so, because when I think early thats what I think of. But no. I mean THREE THIRTY AM early. As in what time I sometimes go to sleep (well, on a REALLY late night). We got up, met up with Elizabeth--a girl in the house-- and her family who were on the same flight as Loff, and water taxied over to the airport. We would have taken the bus, but it doesnt run at such an awful hour. After dropping our respective family members off (quite teary for Loff and me...), Elizabeth and I realized that there was no express bus to take us back for the next 2 and 1/2 hours. In the words of my German friends (ok, my ONLY German friend...) WUNDERBAR. We found another bus to take us, but he ran out of tickets so we couldnt board. Cool. (By the way, how could you ALREADY be out of tickets at 6:00 AM?!?!?) I no longer have my baby sister with me, exams start tomorrow, and I have no way to get home. Oh yeah, AND its raining. Finally a bus WITH tickets arrived and we made our way home. I was back in my bed by 7:30 and slept until 12. Another day of sleeping in. I could get used to this.

The rest of the day was not quite as fun as I had to start studying for exams. Chained to my desk, I conjugated away at verbs. What is the past perfect subjunctive anyway? Even in ENGLISH I dont know....

Monday was VERY exciting because we had ACQUA ALTA! READ MORE HERE!! Not just any ole acqua alta, but the HIGHEST in 27 years!! Our Italian professor had to buy new boots on the way to class because his other ones werent tall enough!! I ventured out (just around the corner) until the water got too high and took some pictures (you have to see them!). The water even came in the house! IN MY ROOM!! At one point we had a nice little aquarium complete with FISH! Eventually the water went back down, and it was back to studying.

This morning, I got up, got some coffee, studied more, and took the exam. We will see how it went... Now I just have to decide if I want to take the Lit exam tomorrow or Saturday (people complained about lack of time to study, so he made the exam time optional). To get it over with or to have more time to study... THAT is the question.

In the mean time, I am taking a study break. I deserve it, right?!
SEVEN DAYS AND COUNTING!!!!!!

Thanksgiving in Venice!!

2008-11-28T10:36:00.000-08:00

Friday, November 28, 2008. Venice.

So Loff is here and we have been SO BUSY, so I apologize for my lack of posts. Monday and Tuesday were busy days for me. I had class all day long and then babysitting all afternoon long, so I felt bad for making Loff sit around all day with nothing to do. Luckily one of my housemates had season one of gossip girl which I promptly got Loff addicted to which was great because then I didnt feel so bad for leaving her. We did have a little drama in trying to get the hostel to accept Loff one day later because as it turns out, Ana's parents (the people who had been planning to visit Venice before Laughlin was who were staying in the guest room in the house) were not coming until Wednesday, so she could stay in the house a night longer. Don't worry, though, Matteo--the hostel man--and I worked things out. The Kanes would be arriving on Wednesday.

Wednesday my Art class had a visit which was our only class of the day. So I dragged my baby sister with me to the museum and made her suffer with the rest of us. Afterwards, we went to go find the hostel. The directions were less than clear, but we found it. Did I mention there is a chocolate store right next door? We checked in, walked around, and got groceries for our fruit plate for the next day--THANKSGIVING!! We came back cuddled, watched some movies, and then went out! It was so fun to get to have Laughlin with me when we went out!! I took her back to her hostel and told her to meet me back at the house (and wake me up, becuase I wasnt setting an alarm.)

Thursday morning we got up to go walk around Venice. Am I the worst sister and tour guide ever for waiting this long to show her the city? oops. Anyway, we walked to Rialto, then up to Strada Nuova, to the train station and back home. Obviously there were a lot of shopping stops. Not to mention that while walking on Strada Nuova we made a friend Tony who wanted us to go to his bakery the next day... haha. OHHHHH Italian boys.... Then we came back to the house to shower and make our fruit plate (it was both beautiful AND delicious). We had pineapple, cantaloupe, persimmons (who knew they were so delicious?!?!), kiwi of both the regular and golden variety, and pomegranates. It was wonderful.

Then the people started to arrive. All 60 of them. Yes. It was SO crowded. And somehow I was nominated to write and read the prayer. Go me. After our FEAST of a dinner we cleaned up and went out... again. But it was again a great night! I took Loff to her hostel, then came back to snuggle with Kayla.

This morning I woke up around 11:45. I NEVER sleep that late. I guess all of the Thanksgiving festivities WORE ME OUT! Anyway, it was raining and GROSS so we decided to keep it a cuddle day. Perfect. Movies and eating galore.

Exams are looming, though. Next week is our week of finals and I couldnt be dreading anything more. Its ok, though, because Ill be home soon enough!

Freezing in Milan, but SNOW IN VENICE!!!

2008-11-24T02:34:00.000-08:00

Monday, November 24, 2008. Venice--the city of SNOW!

So sorry that it has been SO long since I last posted! Last week was crazy with Mommy and Ms. Ellen here then leaving, then a week of class etc. It was sad to see the fam leave on Tuesday morning, but I knew that the week was short and MER WAS COMING TO VENICE!!! Not much to note about Monday-Thursday.

Friday AM I got up and took the shuttle to the airport. I brought my book just in case which was a good plan considering that Berlin was COVERED in snow and thus Mer's flight was delayed. I hung out in the airport and read until her flight flashed "arrived!" I eagerly anticipated her sweet self to walk through the doors. She finally did and it was great to see her! We chatted away like usual with no time for any breaks in our conversation. We walked back from the bus via Pizza al Volo where we picked up some lunch then headed to the house. It is so refreshing to show the city to someone who is not so desensitized to its beauty! I showed her the house and then we hung out for a while. Around 4:30 we decided to to Salute, a church very near by, that was having a "party" of sorts that they have every year to thank the Madonna for ending the plague. To each his own, right?

The church was really beautiful with candles (and TONS of people) but perhaps the best part was the chocolate/sweets market that was outside of it. Mer and I had an almond cookie and the most delightfully UNHEALTHY fried donut with Nutella! YESSSS!! Then we came back to the house for dinner and a house party! There were even more people here than usual because Tom had his cousin over with a bunch of his friends (they study in nearby Parma).

We got up Saturday morning READY FOR LOFF!! We had both been counting down the days and were SO excited! We walked around Venice a little--probably my fave walk in the city that I have done thus far! We went crossed over the temporary bridge that they put up for Salute to St. Marks, then to Rialto, then all the way up Strada Nuova to the train station. We hopped on the bus to the airport (my second time in 2 days) to go get Loff. We got there with a little time to spare. We were standing outside the sliding doors that separate the baggage claim from where Mer and I were but we saw Loff pop her head into view and wave PROFUSELY. Typical. We picked her up and went back to Venice. How sweet it was to get to have both Loff and Mer!!! Whats not to love about a bestie and a sister?!?! She also came bearing gifts!! She brought me the Chi Rho Christmas CD from Allye (YESSS!!!!)

We made Loff go DIRECTLY to the train station where we got on a train to Milan. What, you may ask, did we do on the train for 3 and a half hours? Talk incessantly. Apparently we have no problem with finding things to talk about. I packed a lunch for everyone of pb&j sandwiches, apples, chocolate, and Bellinis--you know, a typical Italian lunch. We arrived FINALLY and checked in our hotel. There was actually a lot of getting lost in there, but we got there. Our hotel was actually pretty nice. It was 30 euro a person, but was actually nice. We even had free breakfast included.

After getting settled, we went to the Duomo area for dinner and to see the Duomo. We had pizza at a really cute restaurant then headed over to the Church to take a whole bunch of pictures. It was SUCH a great time! We laughed and laughed and laughed. After getting some Grecian boys to take our picture, we took our FROZEN bodies back to the hotel for some slumber party time.

Mer got up at the crack of dawn (o'dark thirty, if you will) for her plane back to Berlin to meet her cousin. It was SO unbelievably sad to see her go. I spent the majority of the day trying to not think about how sad I was that she left. But I had Loff, and that made everything infinitely better! We ate breakfast, and made our way back to the train station. After a quick trip back, we took the Vaparetto to the house. Loff loved it! Then we toured, cuddled, watched a movie, cuddled, talked, cuddled... :)

Anyway, now is a regular Monday except for one thing. I WOKE UP TO SNOW IN VENICE!!!!!!!!! I am lucky if I can get snow in Winston or Atlanta, but VENICE!?!? I am not sure what Loff wants to do for the rest of the day. I guess she'll come to class with me and just kinda hang out! We will just have to see.

Anyway, Ill try to post more frequently again and get my pictures up.
Love yall
xoxo
McKin

Florence Take Two

2008-11-14T12:32:00.000-08:00

Friday, November 14, 2008. Florence, Italy.

It is clear who planned this leg of the trip because we had an 8:30 AM train from Rome to Florence (that means MOMMY booked that ticket...). We checked out, took a train where I napped and listened to the most recent RUF talk, and arrived in Florence. We checked in and walked around. After typical Italian panini lunches, we got some gelato (clearly). Then Mommy and Ms. Ellen went to go see the Duomo which I already saw with Daddy, so I clearly took a nap. A LOOONG nap. I was SOO tired!

I finally got up and we walked around. We came upon a market of sorts and I got a new bag! It is beautiful leather and big enough for all of my things!! I love it! Then we went to dinner (the same place I went with Daddy and Tracy when they were here!) There was a HUGE group of University of Dallas people there with some teachers (and their families). One of the adults had the most PRECIOUS little girls, maybe 2 or 3 years old. I sat there playing peek-a-boo and waving at her. She would copy everything I did. It was the most precious thing EVER!!! My cheeks hurt after wards from smiling so much!

Now we are back in the hotel, and Mommy is already asleep. I am wired after my lovely nap. Perfect time for me to catch up on emails etc!

xoxo

Once a Wildcat, ALWAYS a Wildcat

2008-11-13T14:17:00.000-08:00

Thursday, November 13, 2008. Rome, Italy.

We went this morning to the Pantheon (right outside our hotel!!!) which is so interesting because it used to be a pagan house of worship, but once the city was evacuated and only Christians remained, it was turned into a Christian house of worship. Its what the Italians call “recycling.” Later, we went to St. Peter’s Basilica. It was so overwhelming. Everything is so massive—all of the monuments, the paintings… While we were inside, the skies decided to open up and it POURED. To stay dry, we went to see the Popes’ tombs and see the tomb of Pope John Paul II. We waited as long as we could, but we eventually had to leave. We decided to come back to the hotel to change clothes etc because my feet were so wet I practically had all of Lake Lanier in my shoes. Some “boat shoes…” We waited out the rain while our jeans and socks tried to dry out. We put back on our wet clothes (we didn't need to have TWO wet outfits) and spent 20 minutes finding a restaurant the hotel concierge recommended which should have been a 2 minute walk. Such is life.

After a satisfying lunch, we came back to the hotel as the skies looked foreboding. Rome’s second deluge of the day occurred while we were safely in our hotel room (I watched a DVD on my laptop!) I felt guilty being in Rome and watching a movie in our room, but, hey, its vacation and raining. What’s a girl supposed to do?

After our evening of lounging, we went to dinner at the cutest little Italian restaurant. This is what is so wonderful about Italy—ALL of the restaurants are great because they are all family owned! This particular restaurant had only two people eating in it—a cute married couple. We were put at the table next to theirs. Our waiter told us that because things were slow that night, they would give us a free sample of olive oil his family made just last night!! IMAGINE! Can olive oil get any fresher than that?!?! The people next to us were telling us how much they enjoyed their food which lead to us chatting (imagine me making random friends…how strange… haha). We found out that they were from Atlanta (!) and the wife went to WESTMINSTER (!!!!!!!) Thus the blog post title--our high school mascot is the wildcat. How small can the world be?!?! I had a ball talking with her! She studied in Venice when she was in college (not Wake though, don't worry!) After a great risotto dish, our waiter gave us free limoncello and biscotti! I am obsessed with this country! (don't worry, that doesn't mean that I don't miss you too!!)

Now we are back to the hotel and getting up EARLY tomorrow to go to Florence. I hope that my jeans and shoes are dry by then. Otherwise, I’ll be wearing Mommy’s clothes. I hope you are all having a great week! Love you all! xoxo mckin

Inside the Vatican Walls

2008-11-13T04:34:00.001-08:00

Wednesday, November 12, 2008. Rome, Italy.

My alarm went off this morning at 6:00 AM. Well, it was Mommy’s alarm, but the point is I got up at 6:00. GAG. We ate in the hotel with our “free” breakfast, hopped in a taxi, and went to meet our tour guide at the Vatican Museum. We got out of the taxi to be greeted by a cute blonde woman who recognized the three women for whom she was looking. She introduced herself in the most impressive English I have ever heard from an Italian. There was NO trace of an accent! I asked her where she was from, and she said GERMANY! My next question was of course “So, then, how many languages do you speak?” She replied, “only the easy ones.” To me that means English ONLY but apparently to her that means German, English, French, Italian, and Spanish. Obviously. She studied in the US for one year, and she has perfect English. By that logic I should be half way fluent in Italian by the time I get home… yeah right.

We walked through the paining rooms in the Vatican Museum and then got to the Sistine Chapel. It was SO BEAUTIFUL! She had so many stories about all of the panels etc and for a while we were the ONLY ones in there! It was really, really cool! It was also really cool because a lot of the things that she was telling us about history/art/Italian were things that I was learning. It is so cool to be able to understand and relate to history when I am learning it! Then she called her driver (yes, she has a driver) who came, picked us up, and drove us all around Rome. We got out at beautiful views and got to walk around a little. We saw the Coliseum, a bunch of Roman ruins, the 7 hills, a bazillion fountains, the Vatican walls, etc. It was really amazing. Then back to the hotel for a quick rest (we had been up since six afterall!!!)

We went to dinner at the cutest little place called La Pina. I had a great risotto dish and berries and gelato dessert. Food, I love you.

Roma: La città eterna

2008-11-13T04:32:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, November 11, 2008. Rome, Italy.

This morning we left Aix for ROMA!!!! Before we left, though, we went to the market in the center of Aix. They had much nicer things than we found in Paris—at least Mommy thought so…she did take SOO LONG to get through there. And then we ended up with so much stuff that she had to give some of it to me to put in my bag. Then we headed to the airport. Once we found our check in place (easier said than done…) we got on the plane and went to Brussels. Apparently the cheapest option to get from Marsalles to Rome is via Brussels… go figure. I slept the ENTIRE way.

After an hour layover in Belgium, an uneventful flight to Rome and a dramatic baggage recovery, we got in the taxi to go to our hotel. Our driver seemed very agitated when we first met him. Mommy’s suitcase handle is broken, and he was not happy about that. Once I started talking to him in Italian, though, he opened right up. In fact, he even showed us a video on his phone of his dog singing. Yes. So now we are in our hotel in Rome getting ready for our big day tomorrow. We have a private tour of the Sistine Chapel!

Mi piace la francia.

2008-11-10T09:17:00.000-08:00

Monday, November 10, 2008. Aix, France. (pronounced EX, France)

I write to you today from a bed in a room where the walls are "papered" in the same fabric as the draperies leaving me feeling a little... dizzy. But it is indeed beautiful here! Let me first tell you about our trip to Avignon!

Saturday we were still in Paris. We got up and went to the Louvre Museum. It was SOO HUGE. There was NO way to see everything, but we DID see the Italian artists section which was so cool because that is what I am studying in my Art History class! We saw the Mona Lisa, obviously, but it was smaller than I imagined. I also felt like I was reliving the DaVinci code as I was walking through the paintings, thank you Dan Brown. After that we went to a "market" which was pretty much just like a bunch of JUNK on the side of the road for sale. After a few minutes there, we left and got some lunch. After eating, we went SHOPPING!! I didn't actually end up buying anything (minus a little chocolate) but we did run into a little booth of a lady selling white chocolate pistachio spread (similar to nutella!) which we bought. Obviously. After shopping, we went back to the hotel and went to dinner. The hotel made us reservations at a "casual" place that didn't end up so casual. So Mommy and Ms. Ellen suggested that we just get up and leave. So one MORTIFIED McKinley got up and left without even ordering anything. It was worth it though, with the dinner that we got instead. Salad for dinner and a trio of sorbets for dessert! YUMM!!

Sunday, we got up, packed up, and made our way back to the Paris train station to catch our 8:05 AM train to Avignon. We were in first class and it was a SUPER fast train! We were of course in a little cubicle with Mr.I-brought-my-dog-on-the-train. Just my luck. I napped and listened to my iPod. I have gotten to the point where I love trains! They relax me! We got to Avignon, took the bus to our hotel and wandered. We went to the Papal Palace (Did you know the pope used to live in Avignon?) and shopped around. We then went back to the hotel to rest. Dinner time finally approached and we went back into the city for dinner. We walked into a restaurant and our waiter was so rude that we, for the second time in two days, got up and left to find a new restaurant. But again, it was worth it. I had lime salmon for dinner and our waiter was SO cute and nice. Oh French boys...

It was also during this time that I checked my text messages to see one from Laughlin saying "Call Mer, she has the slate!" She was referring to the TriDelta list of officer positions that I had been waiting for. She got through a few names and then said, "McKin, you are--" then my ONE MINUTE that I had left cut out. I didn't know what I was. So I hurried home to get back on Skype with Mer to find out that I am VP Chapter Development. What does that mean? I'll let you know when I figure it out.

Then, this morning, Mommy and I went to the Avignon Bridge--LIKE THE SONG. It was such a beautiful morning, and I loved the bridge! Then back to the hotel to pack up, check out, and get on our train to Aix. Wouldn't you name a city "Aix" and pronounce it "Ex?" We checked in, got our lavishly decorated room, and went out into the city. We found some really cute shops and explored the city. Now we are back in the room and heading off to dinner soon... I hope!

We are off to Rome tomorrow for three nights! Yay for Italy! A culture that I understand and a language I can kinda speak.

Love yall!
xoxo
mckin

Bonjour, Paris!!!!

2008-11-07T12:11:00.000-08:00

Friday, November 7, 2009. Paris, France.

So I am sitting here on the floor of our VERY nice hotel room (well, remember that everything is relative these days--it isn't a hostel, so it is automatically nicer than anything I would be staying in without my mom) because the ethernet cord is too short and only reaches about 2 feet. Therefore, I am on the floor while Mommy and Ms. Ellen are fast asleep. Can't blame them; we did a full day of Paris and they flew all night.

First, let me recap this past week. It was CRAZY!! I had a music test that I was really stressed out about and I was just trying to get all of my housing stuff worked out for next year. So anyway, this week FLEW by. I could not wait until this weekend! I feel like Paris is such an important part of Europe, so I couldnt WAIT to go. Plus I would get to play with my mom and our good family friend Ms. Ellen. After staying up till 2 on Wednesday night and getting up at six on Thursday morning to study, then going to bed at two AGAIN Thursday (Brian's parents took me out to a FABULOUS dinner!!!) I got up at 6 to make my flight to Paris. Mommy and Ms. Ellen met me at baggage claim and we headed to the hotel.

We checked in, dropped off baggage, and went searching for food. I had a DELICIOUS goat cheese sandwich on french bread (YUMMMM!!) Then we hopped onto the Metro to Notre Dame which was SO beautiful! The stained glass windows were unbelievable and there was a service going on which was really cool to see too!! Bonus point: we got nutella crepes. Need I say more?

We hopped BACK on the metro to go to the EIFFEL TOWER!!! It was so stunning! It was amazing to see in real life something that is (a) such an important monument in Europe and (b) depicted in so many movies! We went up to the second level before we decided the line was just TOO long to go to the top, so we went back down. But it was really OK because the view from there was so excellent anyway, I don't feel like I missed out on anything. Not to mention it was pretty chilly!

Then, yep, you guessed it--FOOD TIME AGAIN! We went to an Italian restaurant near our hotel (I just cannot escape my beloved Italia!). The food was good, but more memorable was our waiter. After practicing my Italian on him for the entire meal, he gave me 2 mints and asked me (in Italian) if he could call me. ...ha ha, what? I pretended to have no idea what he said, then he said in impeccably clear Italian "I would like your number." I laughed. He didn't. I tried to let him down gently but I think he was not pleased when I said no. Did I mention he was about 40 years old?!!? Geez, what is it with these people?

Anyway, what a wonderful start to this city and country! I cannot wait to see the rest of France!
Miss all of you!
xoxo
mckin

PS LOOK AT THESE PICTURES FROM PARIS!!!

Lots of Laughing + a night of fear= weekend in Zuirch

2008-11-03T00:06:00.000-08:00

Monday, November 3, 2008. Venice.

I packed up my warmest things on Thursday night after getting an email from Mer warning me that we were going to encounter a "White Halloween." Friday morning, I left for the train station ready for my 7 hour train trip to Zurigo. I was bummed because I downloaded some movies etc to watch on the train, but somehow my computer got unplugged and didn't finish downloading before it lost power, so I was left with nothing really to do on the train. So I slept. You know how I hate sleeping.... ;)

I was enthusiastically greeted in the train station by one Meredith Edrington. As we walked around the train station trying to figure out our plans, we laughed and laughed and laughed. I changed out my money (Swiss francs are so beautiful!! Click here to see how pretty! )We discussed hostel plans--we had a reservation until 5 pm with no credit card information at one hostel, but it was far away. So we found another closer one, got our sheets, and settled in. According to our map, there were 3 big churches in the area, so we went to explore. The first one we saw was the Gossmunster. It had BEAUTIFUL front doors and a TALLLLLLL tower! The tower was closed already so we couldn't go up. Then we crossed over the river to the Fraumunster. It had SUCH beautiful windows . They are quite modern looking for a church, though! Then we went to St. Peterskirche which looked more like a concert hall on the inside than a church. It's tower is home to the biggest clock face in Europe!

Then we walked around the cold streets of Zurich talking, solving life's most difficult questions, laughing A WHOLE LOT. It was delightful. We then found an Italian restaurant and split a pizza. YUM. We returned back to the hostel to find a German guy who was definitely in the possession of illegal substances... and three of the nicest Australian people ever. Between Mer and me, we can talk people's ears off, but we enjoyed staying up talking with them!

The next morning, Mer and I split 2 pastries that we got at a cute market, then decided since we had already seen all of Zurich (apparently there isnt much more to it than those 3 churches that we saw in the first 2 hours...) we walked around Lake Zurich. It was foggy, but the company just couldn't be beat. We talked about boys, God, family, Europe, home, life... We went to the grocery store for food for both lunch and dinner and went back and ate our lunch. There was someone obnoxiously chain smoking in the kitchen, but after we annoyed him so much with our chit chat, he left us in the smoky kitchen. After lunch, more exploring, then back to the hostel for dinner, Gossip Girl on my iPod, and bed. This is where the fear part comes in.

To make an exceptionally long and convoluted story short, one of our hostel mates was a tad bizarre leaving Mer and I uncomfortable sleeping in the room with him. This means we spent much of the night awake (some of it watching more Gossip Girl) cuddling in her bed. Luckily, our new friends Jackson and Oscar (more Australians) returned from their night out partying which made us more comfortable. We still slept little.

Anyway, I came back to Venice on the most BORING train ride ever to find 22 emails, Italian howework, literature reading, registration problems, issues with housing for the spring etc, so I was a little stressed. Everything is ok now though!

Friday I leave for 10 of traveling with Mommy and Ms. Ellen and I am so excited! Yay for hotels and no hostels!!!

OK, off to finish some work that is due in...oh... 45 minutes...
Love yall and miss you lots!
xoxo
mckin

ACQUA ALTA!!

2008-10-29T01:14:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, October 29, 2008.

The rest of my weekend went pretty much the same way the beginning part did. A whole lot of sleeping, and a whole lot of eating. When I went shopping, I got a really cute winter dress, but I have no shoes for it here, so Ill have to ask and see if Mommy can bring me some when she comes.

During Italian on Monday, our professor couldn't be here, so we had a substitute. He stood in front of the class for two hours and lectured on the image of women in Italian songs and poetry. You would think not so interesting, yes? Under normal circumstances, I would agree. However, what made this time not like the others is that I could understand almost ever word coming out of his mouth. Did I mention he was speaking in Italian? This was very exciting for me!

Monday afternoon I babysat, and when bringing Eugenia home from gym, a very nice couple that we befriended on the Vaparetto asked if she was my daughter. Seriously? Do I look old enough to have a seven and a half year old daughter? Please.

Last night we had our Halloween party. No one told me to pack in my 44 lbs a Halloween costume, so I just had to make due with what I had. So clearly flashdance made an appearance--80's, my favorite decade! I had to leave during the middle of it to walk to the train station to pick up my friend Ryan who is visiting in Venice. I think he is going to explore the city while I have class. Lucky duck. It should be interesting, though, because the water is SOOO HIGH. Sometimes the tides trap large amounts of water in the lagoon flooding Venice creating Acqua Alta (literally "tall/high water"). This is the first time we have had Acqua Alta since I have been here!

Mer and I are off to Zurich this weekend, and I am soooo very excited! We aren't leaving until Friday morning, but we are going to see the city, don't you worry!

Can't wait to see you all when I get back.
Love you!
xoxo
mckin

What a delightful weekend!!

2008-10-25T02:47:00.000-07:00

Saturday, October 25, 2008.

Yall, this has been just the most wonderful weekend! We finished class on Thursday and I promptly fell asleep to a wonderful nap! I got up, ate dinner, and had BUNCH of skype dates! It was really great to get to catch up with people! (If I didnt call you, dont worry, I WILL!!!)

Then yesterday, I slept in until 10:30, got up ate, went to the grocery store and finished up some paperwork, came back, ate, went BACK to sleep, got up, ate (do you notice a pattern here.....). Last night was really fun, too. There are only 5 of us still here, so we cooked together, then had a little slumber party! One of my fave nights in Venice yet!

Today I slept in again, and am getting ready to go shopping! So my weekend in recap: eating, sleeping, shopping, slumber party-ing. Can you think of a more "McKinley" weekend than that?!?!? I DON'T THINK SO!!!

I am looking forward to catching up with Mer who is in Prague right now so that we can plan our trip to Switzerland for next weekend. We have a hostel, but no means of actually getting to the hostel... deeeetails.

Alrighty, off to shop! Love yall!
xoxo
mckin

Midterms and such

2008-10-22T09:47:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, October 22, 2008.

Sorry that I haven't updated in a while... I have been super super busy. Monday Daddy and Tracy were here and we had so much fun! They went to the Guggenheim and to St. Marks when I was in class, then we met up and walked around a little. Then we headed back to their super nice hotel, had some free snacks from the special snack room, and "went to dinner." I put that in quotes because Tracy and I ate so much in the snack room that we were full come dinner time. So we just had cappuccinos while Daddy had pasta. Then we came back here to study for my second midterm (I had my Italian one on Monday), this time alla Art History. 65 slides of pictures that we had to know the title, artist, date, and current location. FOUL. Long story short, I ended up staying up until 4:00 in the morning studying (y'all know how much I dislike studying, especially when it comes at the expense of something that I love... such as sleep...) 26 of the paintings were called "Madonna and Child" which you would think would make it EASIER, but NO. Anyway, I was already in a bad mood because I was really tired PLUS I had just had a teary goodbye with Daddy and Tracy.

So I stayed up studying, then got up at 7:00 to study MORE... The exam yesterday went OK I guess, well see. After classes, I babysat yesterday and it was SO FUN! Eugenia, the older daughter, and I talked in English about all sorts of things. It was so great. Then I came back here for dinner and a house party.

Today we had class as usual, then I met up with Marco, my fave Italian friend. We walked around, got some gelato, and talked. It was so wonderful! The weather was great and we talked in English and Italian. Mostly English though because his English is so much better than my Italian. It was really really fun! Tonight we have house dinner and have to watch an opera for music class.

I am staying in Venice this weekend and am So excited about it! I have a HUGE list of things to do, so I am glad that I will be able to stay here. I am still so behind on everything since our 10 day break so it will be nice to be able to do laundry, have some skype dates, get some travel plans in order...

Anyway, I am glad that Daddy and Tracy came! We had such a great time, but it made me miss all of yall back at home! I hope everyone is doing well!!!

Miss you all and love you lots!
xoxo
mckin

This is me studying... can't you tell?

2008-10-19T00:24:00.000-07:00

Sunday, October 19, 2008. Venice, just back from Florence!

SOOOO... This past weekend I went to Florence to meet up with Daddy and Tracy! I pretty much SPRINTED to the train station on Thursday because I was so excited. My train was uneventful, I finished watching my last Desperate Housewives episodes on my iPod (which was obviously necessary) instead of studying... whoops. I finally got off of the train to see Daddy and Tracy standing there in the train station waiting for me! I felt like such a grown up--I just met my parents in the train station in FLORENCE, ITALY!!! I'm a Big Girl now!!

We headed back to the hotel (VERY NICE, although Daddy didn't think it was too impressive, he just needed to remember that if it had a locked room and I didn't have to pay for sheets, it was already better than anywhere else I had stayed.) We checked in and then explored our city. Ironically enough, our street was called Elisabetta! PS I LOVE THAT NAME!! After a delightful dinner, we (after getting smidge lost...) got back to the hotel and called it a night.

Friday morning, we got up, walked all of 10 feet to the Duomo and accidentally got in the line to go up to the top of the dome. About half way up, Tracy decided that was enough for her and decended, but Daddy and I went to the TIPPY TOP! It was so cool and we had a WONDERFUL view! We finally got back down (after I befriended a lady from Alpharetta!!) and visited EVERY scarf/bag/jewelry store in Florence. It was great! Daddy was a little bored, but thats ok! We went in a few churches, and walked around A TON. We pretty much saw the city, but without going in to any of the museums etc. Then we went to a cafe where we got some internet (Daddy and Tracy didn't know if they actually had reservations for the hotel in Venice). After computer time, we went back to the hotel, showered, and found a GREAT little restaurant that was SO close to our hotel! I had the BEST pasta since I have been in Italy. It was a spinach and ricotta ravioli with walnut cream sauce. Sounds interesting, but it was DIVINE!! After dinner, we went back to the hotel, chatted for a while, then went to sleep.

Saturday morning, we had to get up early to go to the train station because Friday was a train strike and we didn't know how that would affect the next day of travel. Lucky that we did because the train's 2nd class was full, so we had to take 1st class, dang. I hate it when that happens. ;) Our train ride to Venice was uneventful if you don't count a couple making out right in front of me "eventful." We arrived in Venice and took the Vaparetto to the house. It was nice to have Daddy and Tracy there because I sometimes am jaded to the beauty of this city. Being their first time here, they were in AWE, which was so nice for me! I showed them around the house, then we headed to the Hilton where we HOPED they were staying.

The Hilton is on the Giudecca, which means it is across this little canal. The hotel has a free shuttle which is so nice! Anyway, we got to the hotel, checked in!, and got internet so we could check on the status of the Georgia/Vandy and Wake/Maryland games. Enough said about that.
After the game, we went to the Executive floor where we had i dolci! Mi piaccono! Then I hopped back on the shuttle boat to come back here! I ended up staying up until about 3 studying for my midterms tomorrow and Tuesday, and then got up early this morning to write this and 2 papers. Now I am just waiting for Daddy to skype me to tell me he is up and ready to meet up!

ALSO! David told me that Mer and Loff could stay here in the house when they come!! YESSSSS!!

Miss you all a lot lot lot.
xoxo
mckin

Same old same old....

2008-10-15T01:39:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, October 15, 2008. Venezia.

Since returning from my 10 days of fabulous-ness, not much new has happened! I did decide on Monday that I was going to try to cut back to 2 days of babysitting instead of 3, because I only have 3 days in Venice a week anyway (because I travel Thursday through Sunday) and every one of those 3 days I am babysitting. Not only does this cut down on nap time--as in make it impossible to nap--but I have difficulty doing things like go to the grocery store, get train tickets, watch movies on my laptop... Also, we started up our converstaion partners from Ca'Foscari University here in Venice, and I really wanted to be a part of that. So now I am just going Mondays and Tuesdays to babysit.

That brings me to Tuesday when I MET my conversation partner. Our first meeting was on Tuesday as was a required opera for music class, so I am only babysitting Monday and Wednesday of this week, but starting next week will be Mondays and Tuesdays. Anyway, Kayla and I got paired up with Marco, who is just wonderful. We love him. His English is INFINITELY better than my Italian, but it is really fun to practice with him! He is very patient and understanding.

Then we went to the opera. It was nice, but I just don't love operas.

This morning is our sleep in morning, as in we dont have class until 11, so I got up "early" aka 9:00, and went to the train station to get my ticket to Florence for tomorrow so I can see my Daddy and Tracy!! On the way there, I encountered a protest... At first I thought it was a Gay Pride something or other, but I am not quite sure WHAT it was... Oh Venice...

Anyway, not much else new... I cant wait to show my Dad and Tracy around Venice!!
Miss you all very very much! Please email me!
xoxo
mckin

My goodbye to Germany and Austria

2008-10-13T02:54:00.000-07:00

Sunday, Oktober 12, 2008. My last day in Vienna.

Mer and I got up and exchanged names with our new hostel friends. Then we packed up and headed out. We went to this MANSION. I can only equate it with the Biltmore house, but even that comparison doesn't suffice. This house made the Builtmore house look like a SHACK. It was huge and had stunning gardens! We walked around there for a while, saw the fountain in the back and just explored there. We had to head back to the hostel so that I could get my stuff and get the 8 hour train back to Venice.

Mer and I parted ways at the Westbahnhof and I was a mess. It took all of my strength to keep it together on the tram that took me to Sudbanhof from where my train was leaving. I got to the station in time to grab a quick snack and hop on. I was in a compartment with 2 women from Georgia. I am not sure what language they were speaking, but apparently my humor about also being from Georgia was lost in translation. We attempted to communicate, but they knew ZERO English words, and I don't even KNOW what language they spoke, so I clearly couldn't talk to them.

About five and a half hours in is where the train ride gets interesting. I had napped, read, watched Desperate Housewives on my iPod until it was dead, and was now looking out the window when Adraino joined our compartment. Adriano is about 35 years old and Italian. I love talking to Italians and practicing, so we start chatting away. His questions to me are a little different than mine to him. For example, I ask him where he is from, what he was doing on his trip, how he likes Italy. He asks me if I am married, how old I am, and if I like Italian men. Hmmm....

At one point, these two Georgian women, Adriano, and I were discussing the politics of the US, but all three speaking different languages... haha. Just imagine. I, as a general rule, don't discuss politics, but this conversation was like no other!!

So we chat for a while until he is about to get off when he leans in close to me and asks if I would get off with him so that he could kiss me. WHAT?!?!? I am sorry, how did we go from discussing Italy and politics to him wanting me to get off the train with him?!?! I spent the next 20 minutes trying to justify to a man whom I JUST met why I didn't feel comfortable getting off the train with him so he could kiss me. He got a little upset, and I was a little scared, especially becuase the two women next to me didn't understand ANYTHING and could therefore be of NO assistance. He got off, though, and I just said CIAO and went back to my book. I HATED the book I was reading, but I was so thankful to be able to escape from this man's craziness.

I got back to Venice safely, hopped on the Vaparetto, and got back home! I uploaded my pictures, skyped with the fam (and Mer!), and went to sleep.

Final thoughts about my trip: I was so nervous about this trip. I had to plan everything for myself and was even traveling by myself for much of it. And yet, I LOVED EVERY minute! I was sceptical about Germany, but am now IN LOVE with it! I find myself back in Italy and thinking of all the new German phrases I have learned. I cannot say enough wonderful things about Germany. Austria was BEAUTIFUL, and getting to travel with Meredith was beyond amazing. I felt so independant on this trip. Being with Mer, though, made me miss home a little, just because that is something that we have in common. Also, being able to hang out with someone that I actually KNOW (better than 2 months worth..) was just so nice. We had some amazing chats and I am SO thankful that I got to travel with her! What an AMAZING 10 days!
Miss you all.
SOOO MUCH LOVE!
xoxo

PS- Daddy and Tracy are on their way here to Italy RIGHT NOW!!!! I cannot wait to see them this weekend!!!!

Operation: Flow House.

2008-10-13T02:41:00.000-07:00

Saturday, Oktober 11, 2008. Wien.

We "slept in," as in slept until about 9:30, grabbed some coffee and a croissant on the way to the train station and began our mission for the day. To find the Flow House. Let me take this opportunity to let my tour guide self tell you about the Flow House. Wake owns 3 houses, one in Venice (obviously), one in London, and one in Vienna. Seeing that I live in one of these houses, I thought it would be cool to visit another one. I talked to a few of the girls who live there and they were just starting their 10 day break, so I knew they wouldn't be there, but we still wanted to see it. We found the address online and asked our hostel people how to get there. The Wombat Hostel, by the way, is FABULOUS and the people there are SOO helpful. They gave us directions and we started on our way. We got a little turned around, however, because the directions they gave us were driving directions, and we were walking. But it actually turned out really well because Mer and I loved getting to figure it out via map on our own! We got there with almost NO trouble, and we had so much fun sovling our little puzzle!

When we got there, we rang the bell and the Wake professor there answered the door. She wasnt supposed to let us in, but she did ;). We got to walk around and see the place. I guess I am probably partial, but I like our house better.... It was very beautiful though different from ours. We left there in time for yet another picnic lunch (noticing a theme here?) After lunch, we saw a man in a motorized couch chair (yes, you read that correctly) who was setting up a petition to legalize heroin. Mer translated this dissertation that he taped to the ground which essentially blamed the US for both world wars, 9/11, and all of the drug problems of the world. His solution to this, logically, was to legalize heroin. As we were leaving that scene, we found some street perfomers that were SOOO COOL!!!!! Then we visited a few more of the sights we had not yet seen, shopped around, then headed back for the hotel.

Mer and I had a little internet time and swapped pictures. Then Ryan called and said he was coming back that night and wanted to see if we wanted to meet up. YES!! We met Ryan at Westbahnhof and went to this bar 1516 for a late dinner. We even got to see football highlights on the bar TV! Apparently we left the bar about 2 minutes too late because we missed the last train back to our station. So then we had to take the night bus. Not a problem...IF you know where the night bus is. We asked a bunch of people and eventually found it. There were still TONS of people out, so I am not sure what Vienna Public Transportation is thinking closing up shop so early. On the night bus, we got CONTROLLED AGAIN!!!! Seriously? We had tickets, but apparently that is SO rare. I am just lucky like that I guess. Back to the hostel safely.

In case you cant tell, I ABSOLUTELY ADORE VIENNA!!!

At last, reunited with Mer: Vienna Day 1

2008-10-13T00:10:00.000-07:00

Friday, Oktober 10, 2008. Vienna Austria.

After successfully getting up at 4:30 and making it to my train on time, I finally arrived in Vienna. Meredith was waiting for me on the train platform and I couldnt have been more excited to see her. 36 hours is a long time, especially when you are by yourself for those 36 hours. We had talked with Ryan (who studies in Vienna) the night before, so we were meeting up with him too. He took us to breakfast at this great little cafe--where we accidentally almost left without paying...oops--and we had great breakfast wraps! Mer and I HAD to drop off our stuff because our backs were dying, so after we said bye to Ryan who was heading out of town later that day, we went back to the hostel to drop off our stuff.

We checked in but couldn't get into the room yet, so we got a map, and decided to venture out into the city for a while. We saw SO MANY beautiful places in Vienna. (PLEASE SEE MY PICTURES! They are up now!) We grabbed some brie, bread, and jam from a grocery store and sat down by a water fountain and had the most delightful picnic! We went to the opera house because we wanted to get tickets to that nights ballet. Usually students get standing room tickets for 3 euro, but we splurged for 5 more euro and got a box seat! We walked around until about 4:00 where we both just crashed and decided that for the rest of the day to be the slightest bit productive, we would have to nap. So we did.

When we woke up, one of our hostel-mates was there. We got to talking with her and guess what we discovered?!?! SHE IS A TRI DELT TOO!! haha, go figure! (there is a picture to document, don't even worry). Anyway, we got up, got dressed, and headed over to the opera. We packed another picnic that we ate on the steps of the Albertina Museum (where Mer found a guy who lives SO close to her house at home!) and then went to the ballet.

We couldn't see much because we were at a bad angle, but it was still such a cool experience. The building itself was AMAZING and HEY, I was at a ballet in an opera house in Vienna!! We went home from there, but not quite to bed. Once we got back, we went down to the lounge/bar area of the hostel to hang out and make some friends. And a "friend" we made... More like this Persian guy from Iran wanted to take Mer salsa dancing and she woudln't go and he got hostile. Luckily our other new friend Andrew from Philadephia rescued us. We finally escaped from there to shower and hop in bed for another day of Vienna.

The Hills are indeed Alive!

2008-10-12T14:31:00.000-07:00

Wednesday & Thursday , Oktober 8 &9 , 2008. Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg was GREAT!!!! I was very nervous about going because I was traveling alone for the first time in my life... I was not so much worried about my safety as much as worried about who I was going to eat with, who I would talk to, etc. Mer so very kindly walked me to the train and waited with me until it got there. I boarded and was on my way! My train went directly to Salzburg without me having to change trains which was nice, but I did have to move CARS because the train split up mid trip. NBD.

When I got to Salzburg, I pulled out my itenerary which had EVERYTHING I needed for the trip in it and looked for my directions. They said follow signs for the city center, pass under a bridge etc. No problem, right? WRONG. I forgot that the signs for "city center" that I would be looking for would be IN GERMAN and I no longer had my trusty German translater, one Meredith Edrington. I made some educated guesses and convinced myself that I was correct, and luckily ended up in the right place! I checked in behind 2 Canadian girls and ended up in the same room as them. Once up in the room, we started chatting and we went to dinner together! It was nice to have someone to eat with, especially because I had been nervous about who I would eat with!

I came back, grabbed my book, and headed for the eating area to read a little. A girl from Australia ("Straaal-ya") joined me, then a guy from Australia, a guy from Canada, and 2 more Australian girls. We sat around talking, but then I retired for the night knowing that I was getting up the next day for the SOUND OF MUSIC TOUR!!!

I got up early Thursday morning, grabbed some breakfast, and waited for the tour to pick me up. (door to door service!! nice!!!) We went and met the bus where I made my friend Emily. She is 4 years old and from Australia. Her favorite movie is the Sound of Music and she loves her vacation to Europe because she got to leave her brothers at home. She was ADORABLE!! We visited all of the sights (that we could) from the movie including the "curtain clothes in the trees" scene, the tipped over canoe scene, the church where Maria got married, etc. It was WONDERFUL! We listened to the soundtrack while driving from place to place. It was just wonderful!!! After the tour, we ended up at the gardens where the "Do Re Mi" scene was filmed and I ran into two of the guys I met the night before from the hostel. We walked around together, found a castle, explored. Again, it was nice to have friends to talk to and walk around with! They even spoke English! SWEEEET!!

We went back to the hostel where we watched the end of the Sound of Music--the perfect ending to the day! I got on the computer then showered and hopped in bed (I was leaving the next morning on a train at 6 am, so getting up at 4:30 to pack and walk to the station! eek). I COULD NOT WAIT to meet back up with Mer. Did I mention that I just LOVE HER?!?!? :)

--Its late here, Ill finish telling you about Vienna tomorrow!

Good News and Bad News: the Transition from Berlin to Salzburg

2008-10-12T14:20:00.000-07:00

Sunday, October 12, 2008. Back in VENICE!

Good news: I have decided to break up the past week into days to make the posts less daunting.
Bad news: I cannot seem to find my planner, so I will be trying to recall everything from my memory....

Tuesday, Oktober 7, 2008 Berlin

Tuesday night with Mer was one of the highlights of the week, if not my semester thus far. We got some chocolate and wine, and after we made a serious dent in THAT, we cuddled up in her bed and fell asleep. It was just delightful. We did eventually wake up in the night sweating profusely and got into our respective beds, but we DID fall asleep cuddling. I got a good nights sleep which was GREAT because I was getting up early to leave for Salzburg!

Loving Germany!

2008-10-07T11:11:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, Oktober 7, 2008. Berlin, Germany!

Let me just start out by sharing my initial thoughts and feelings towards Germany. I had no motivation whatsoever to come visit here. I didn't love the food, certainly don't love the history, don't know the people, so really...Mer was pretty much my only reason for continuing my visit to this country (beyond Oktobefest, of course!) However, since coming here, I have found myself ENTHRALLED with its history! Yes, you read that right, McKinley is interested in the history of something! Let me tell you why!

Monday morning, we went to Mer's school which conveniently enough is right by where the free bike tour of Berlin meets! Scratch that, let me start with an even more interesting story. Mer has never gotten "controlled" which is when German train officials demand to see your tickets. So it would clearly be when I was with her that they would try that on her. They demanded my ticket and passport (which I didnt have with me at the time). I was so scared because he was essentially yelling at me in German, which I don't understand. Super. We survived that with a warning "It was a small misunderstanding" and got on with our day. We got to the IES building and it was misting. When I got to the tour (right after I got 30 minutes of internet when I started my other post) the tour guide told me that the tour would not run, but that I could instead go on a walking tour. Yeah, right. I'll be sure to do that. Luckily 24 more people promptly showed up and the tour was on!! We got to visit:

The Brandenburg Gate
The Reichstag
The Holocaust Memorial
Museum Island
SS Headquarters
Gendarmenmarkt
Above Hitler's Bunker
Checkpoint Charlie

On the tour, I made a friend from Nicaragua who enjoyed following me around. So that was fun. But when Mer came to meet me after her class and after the tour and gave me a little love tap on my hip, I was scared that it was my new friend. Luckily, it was instead my actual friend. By the way, Mer and I have decided that we are just essentially the same person. Anyway, back to my bike tour. It was MARVELOUS (and free, did I mention that?!) I did almost get run over a few times and as Mommy pointed out, NOT wearing helmets... We learned both about the history of World War II and The Berlin Wall. I could not absorb enough of the German history.

Mer and I went to lunch at the Doner Kabab place (a whole in the wall, essentially...) and ate like queens. Then we went to the Berliner Dom (a STUNNING church) and walked around. We went up to the balcony to take pictures and ended up hanging out there for a while which was so nice, we even got to actually PRAY in a church--go figure. Mer had class again that night from 6-8, so I came back to her center and emailed and skyped. After her class, we came back home to cuddle and shower. GOOD DAY!!!

This morning, we got up. Meredith dropped me off at Checkpoint Charlie so that I could visit the museum. It had lots of survivor stories about how people smuggled themselves in hollowed out surfboards etc. It was very interesting. Then, I, BY MYSELF, traversed the city (with VERY specific instructions from Mer, but nonetheless...) to the Holocaust Museum. En route, I did a little shopping and am now the proud owner of a new black knee-length coat!! AAAND its super soft!! At the museum, I got to walk through and read all sorts of stories again. Again, I could not even believe how interested I was in the history! Mer was excited too, because she is OBSESSED with all things German. I then met up with Mer at the train station so we could go to Alexanderplatz where there is a mall and other cool things to see. We walked around, took some pictures, then returned to her neighborhood to the TURKISH MARKET!! Again with the market, Eli, you would have DIED!!! It was so cool!! I bought some rasins, banana chips, chashews, apples, a scarf... it was great!!! Did I mention that I love Germany?!?!? Now we are back at Mer's house sharing some delightful food and even better company. Tomorrow my train leaves at 9:00, so its going to be an early morning, but I have had such a wonderful time! Life is good!

Having a ball!!
xoxo

QUOTE OF BERLIN: "Are we going to DRIVE all the way to Berlin, or are we actually going to take off?!?!" -Meredith Edrington, love of my live, upon being in a plane driving on the runway for longer than usual.

PS I didn't bring my computer, so I can't share pictures yet, sorry. But they will be up later, don't you even worry!

Ich spreche kein Deutsch.

2008-10-06T01:12:00.000-07:00

Monday, Oktober 6, 2008 BERLIN, GERMANY!!! (for the first time, something other than Greece or VENICE!)

I don't have much time to write this post, because I am going on a bike tour of Berlin in just a few minutes, but I wanted everyone to know that I had a GREAT time in Munich!! I promise to post the details a little bit later if I don't get them in on this post (as in a few hours when I get back from the bike tour and Meredith is in her 6-8 class. Typing on this computer is quite difficult actually because the z and y are mixed up. Plus the shift key is shorter so I end up with "i" instead of "I" a lot... oh well.... Plus there is no spell check like there is on my computer, so I am really very sorry.

Thursday night slash Friday morning: Kayla, Megan, Ana and I set out on our overnight adventure. I was very nervous because the Munich plans were pretty much my responsibility and I was feeling a lot of pressure that everyone have fun and met up etc. But once we got on the train, it was fine. Kayla and I ended up in a compartment with one other guy (sketchball that he was). He pulled down this little bed thing above the chairs, so Kayla and I got to spread out on our chairs and have a delightful nights sleep! kinda... We got to the train station around 6,00 am and spent the next 30 minutes trying to figure out which train to take to this OTHER train station to meet up with Mer. After waiting for a while, we found her and headed to the hotel. This is where I was SUPER nervous because we were trying to get 7 people into a 2 person room (an expensive hotel is much more managable 7 ways than 2. Don't judge) Despite being questioned about our excessive baggage and extra people, we (didn't lie simply) EVADED questions.

We then decided to go visit Dachau, the concentration camp in Dachau (slightly outside Munich). I am so glad that I went, but it was a very sobering and sad experience. We saw the places where thousands and thousands of people slept and died. Meredith was with us and she had visited twice before (she is also is essentially fluent in German and lived in Munich one summer...) so she was our unofficial tour guide. Like I said, I am glad I went and would have been disappointed if I didn't, but it was so depressing there. The rain didnt help.

We walked around a bunch and saw some really cool things like Marianplatz (sorry, Mer, if I misspelled that...). In the train station there, we ran into Paige Harryman, one of my classmates at Wake and sorority sisters!!!!! IN ALL OF MUNICH, we WOULD be in the same train station.... haha We also happened upon a Oktoberfest tent where we had a little snack. It was SOO cool!!!! We grabbed pretzels and waited to meet up with Katie and Ryan, other wake friends staying with us in our hotel. We met up with them and explored Munich. This is when I learned my one and only German phrase (thus the title...)

We found dinner at this PRECIOUS little restaurant for dinner. They had some authentic food (apparently, thats what I was told...) After dinner, we walked around a little and headed back to the hotel where we were going to squish 6 people into 2 twin beds and a teeeeeny bit of floor. super. The girls slept on the bed (there were 3 of us) and the boys (well, at that point, only Ryan) slept on the floor. The boys were so gentlemanly about the whole thing and it was actually pretty fun! (well, I can say that having slept on the bed...) It was like a big sleepover! The other two more boys (Matt and Joe) came in late. Wow. Day one down.

Saturday: The boys who got in late got up at 6 am to get into the tents, but we just decided that we were going to "sleep in" until 9 and head on out. So we did (minus sleeping through our alarm...whoops...). We stopped by a German bakery and I had the most DELICIOUS croissant and this bar that was a mix between mixed-nut brittle and granola... it was divine. Oh yeah, and a cappuccino. Then we headed over to Oktoberfest. We found out that Joe and Matt couldn't make it in, so clearly we HAD to get in to show them up. Afterall, they had been there for 4 hours already and didnt make it in. Don't even worry. We walked right up, and walked right in. No problemo. I think that they want to let in more girls (to bring the boys, and thus more beer, and more money...) so they were willing to let us in. It was INSANE. Singing breaking out all the time, and just general craziness. Friday was German's equivalent of the Fourth of July, so they were feeling very patriotic that weekend. People would just start singing, there was a BAND in the middle of the tent (I am not kidding...). When I say tent, you might be thinking like a camping tent, well that is what I was thinking, but no, this is like a building. A huge building filled with German beer. Oh Germany, I do love you. We didn't have reservations, so we had to table hop as we kept getting kicked out, but we eventually befriended our friends Max, Alex, and American-do-rag-guy (I forgot his name...oops). We stayed there for the next few hours (minus a quick walk around the rides etc with Kayla. We were also sitting right next to the exit (guarded by the security guard) but we befriended him also and with a little persuasion he let Zach, Jaimie, and Karen in the side door!! One point for us.

When we FINALLY left the tent and decided to head to dinner in the direction of our hotel, we ran into another Wake group!! We also purposely met up with some other Wake students. We headed to dinner at this wonderful little restaurant where I had a delicious baked potato with chicken and cheese!! :) After dinner, we headed back to the hotel for showers and an early night! LOVE THOSE!

Sunday was our last day in Munich. People were leaving at all different times, so we all kinda did our own things. Mer and I were not flying out until 8:30 pm (or 20:30 if you want to go Euro with me). This means another whole day to sight see!! We went to the English Gardens and walked around , saw the Chinese tower, had coffee with one of Mer's Munich friends, visited the Olympic grounds from the 1972 Munich Olympics (close to my heart having visited the Atlanta Centennial Park only about a thousand times)!! Around 4:30 or so, we decided that we had seen everything we wanted to see and headed towards the airport to relieve some of our stress about flying from Munich to Berlin. Our flight was uneventful except that Berlin lovingly greeted us with GROSS rain. Boo. We decided to taxi-it home because in the rain with my bag it would take about a hour and a half and it would just be miserable.

We arrived (on the FIFTH floor mind you) to Mer's house and it is WONDERFUL! It is a cozy apartment with her host mom and host brother. I have a little palate on the floor, but in reality, Mer and I spend a lot of time cuddling on her bed... We went RIGHT to sleep.

Munich, I LOVED YOU. But I am moving on. Sorry. Here I am, Berlin!!!

Germany and Austria HERE I COME!!!!

2008-10-02T09:01:00.000-07:00

Thursdsay, October 2, 2008. Venice, but soon to be Munich!!

Today marks the end of the first round of MIDTERMS!!! YESSS!! And you know that feeling you get when you finish a test or a big project--that fewf relief you feel? Well I dont have it. I am embarking on a 10 day journey of Germany and Austria speaking all of 3 German words and having next to no idea about what I am doing. Sweet.

My midterms went OK, I guess. But the good news is that it is over. For now. Until I return for my Italian and Art History midterms. But until then, I will be visiting Oktoberfest, Mer in Berlin, the Sound of Music tour in Salzburg, and who knows what in Vienna!! I am not sure if I will have internet access, but I am being optimistic and bringing my computer, so well see!!! Be thinking of me nervously traveling!!

In any case, Ana, Megan, Kayla and I leave for our overnight train to Munich tonight, and are meeting up with the gang tomorrow morning. I think we might be going to Dachau for the morning and then coming back to sight see. Not sure exactly what our plans are yet... Ill try to keep you posted!

Miss yall!
xoxo
mckin

MIDTERMS=bane of my existence .

2008-10-01T04:10:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, October 1, 2008.

I wish I had something interesting to update you on (other than the fact that I leave tomorrow for the most exciting 10 days thus far!!!). Midterms. Gross. Enough said.

I am hoping to take my laptop to Germany and Austria with me so I can keep you updated. In the mean time, be thinking of me sitting at a desk miserably taking midterms.
Bleh.

"What language do they even speak here?!" A tale from Ljubljana, Slovenia.

2008-09-28T00:34:00.000-07:00

WARNING: another long post coming at you... I think this is just going to be a general trend for my weekend trips. Sorry.

Sunday, September 28, 2008.

So at 9:27 pm Kayla, Jenny, and I boarded our train to Ljubljana, Slovenia. At the time, we were not sure how to pronounce that, but I am almost certain now that it is pronounced "Lub-lana," as in silent j's. Who knew j's could be silent? Kayla and I downloaded Law and Order:SVU episodes for our iPods and switched, so our train flew by! We were on the front part of an overnight train to Budapest, so we got off wayyyy before the train terminated. Even so, it was about 2:00 am when we got off and we tried to navigate to our hostel. Luckily we were only about a 2 minute walk from the train station (the man at the train station gave us directions in meters... I cant even do directions in feet/miles, I dont know what he was thinking). It was also about the time that we got off the train that we realized that we had NO idea what language was spoken in Slovenia. Oh goodie. It sounded Russian-esque, but it certainly wasnt anything that I could understand.

We found our hostel to find 9 other people SNORING and dead asleep. So we had to make our beds and get ready for bed in the pitch black dark and be super quiet. Did I mention that our hostel used to be a jail? Well it did. We opted for a NON CELL room, but even then, it was literally box springs on the floor of this attic. Special. I had a delightful nights sleep and woke up ready for our day of exploration. We had breakfast at the hostel and left to walk around. Directly outside our hostel is what we will call the "alternative lifestyle neighborhood." Please see pictures of the graffiti covered walls. All the colors, though, were actually pretty! We used our map to find ourselves some castles and such. One of the castles had a tower we could climb up, which was AMAZING, because the view from up there was UNBELIEVABLE. We came down and found a SLOVENIAN MARKET!!!. It was at this point that I realized I LOVE THIS PLACE! There were little clothes booths, and a TON of fruit and vegetables. I got some peaches which I promptly ate--they did NOT disappoint. We wandered around a little and found a restaurant that looked good (they had no cover charge and free water! Take that, Italy!) My sandwich had practically an entire chicken on it, it was so big, but DELICIOUS.

We continued to walk around and found a tennis complex where we sat for a while watching people play. It was so nice and lovely! We read that there was an opera and a ballet in Ljubljana so we were going to try to find it, but we could not for the LIFE of us find the building, so we decided a big fat NO on that one. Then, guess what, we were hungry again, so we ate dinner! We went to a Slovenian restaurant which probably wouldn't be that memorable were it not for 2 key things. 1- our waiter lit some candles for us on our table and left one on the sideboard-like piece of furniture next to us. About 3 minutes later, the sideboard is on FIRE because he left it under one of the shelves. I moved it just in time, but another waiter walked by thinking that it was ME who lit the fire... 2- we had some DELICIOUS apple pie for dessert!! :) Our waiter also always replied to our "thank you's" with "thank you for you." We thought that was funny!

We went back to our hostel after that--we were BEYOND pooped!!! We were the first ones in bed (ironically after being the LAST ones the night before...). We were sitting around chatting when one of the other guests came in and changed clothes, etc. He threw his towel over one of the beams and cleaned up his stuff etc... We got in bed, and one of my bed neighbors (Kayla and Jenny were together in a corner and I was next to a couple and some rando guy...) asked me if I smelled anything. I told her it smelled like a campfire, but we just assumed it was the party that was going on outside our hotel (we never did figure out what they were celebrating). Anyway, about 10 minutes later, people are screaming FIRE because the towel was draped across a LIGHT BULB and caught on fire. Genius. Apparently we were not having good luck with fires that night...

The rest of the night was uneventful, but we got up early the next morning and took the bus to Lake Bled in Bled, Slovenia. It was really beautiful! When we got there we grabbed some lunch at a pizzeria and I made friends with our waiter. Apparently, the pizza I ordered was called "fat girl" (in my defense, it was mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil...I mean, really?!) He was quick to tell me that, but reassure me that I was NOT fat... thank you, Borris (that is what we named him). When I got up to pay, he told me that I was tall, which I already knew... OHHH BORRIS...

We walked around the lake which was such a nice stroll and BEAUTIFUL views! On the way back we saw a rowing regatta--COOL!! We took the bus ride home, then played cards/read in our hostel until our train back to Venice at 2:22 am. That means we arrived in Venice at 7:30 am--about 2 hours ago, so I am prettttty tired! But, I LOVED Slovenia!!!

Midterms are next week--BOO, so that means studying this week. Or at least PRETENDING to study...
MISS YALL!
xoxo
mckin

PS They speak Slovene! :)

I forgot to mention...

2008-09-25T04:12:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention 2 things...
1- When I was walking around yesterday during Eugenia's practice I ran into an old man wearing a WF hat! I stopped him and asked him if he knew Wake Forest (expecting him to clearly say YES) and he said no, he had no idea what I was talking about. I pointed to his hat and he told me that some friend of his gave it to him, he had no idea what it meant. Typical... I explained to him that it was my university, but he didn't seem that interested in what I was saying.

2- A girl yesterday asked me IN ITALIAN for directions. The fact that I had NO IDEA where she was trying to go was of no moment to me. The important thing is that she thought that I looked local enough to know where I was going!!! YES!!

La mia vita favolosa

2008-09-24T23:49:00.000-07:00

Thursday, September 25, 2008. Guess where...

Dear Friends,

I am very sorry that I left you hanging on one of the most interesting weeks of my life (well, "you" being the select few who actually read this...). Let me just give you a quick run down of my days...

Monday- I believe when I left you last I was anticipating my first day of babysitting (mostly because I had not yet told her I would be gone 3 of the remaining 8 weeks I am here... whoops). I met the mom, Giovanna, at her apartment with the older daughter, Eugenia, and the father of the younger daughter, Emelia. We walked to Emelia's school, picked her up, then took Eugenia via Vaparetto to her gym for gymnastics practice (she goes there four times a week!! INTENSE!!) The mom had to show me around so I would know what to do on Mondays and Wednesdays. We played around in i gardini that are close by, then went back home. Emelia and I played until about 6:15 when I had to go BACK to the gym to pick up Eugenia. I was really scared that I was going to get lost, but I didnt! By the time that we got back, it was 7:30 and time for me to leave. I pretty much floated home, I was so excited that I was BABYSITTING IN ITALY!

Tuesday- Another regular day of classes, then off to babysitting! I knew what to do for Mondays and Wednesdays, but Tuesdays Eugenia gets out late and doesnt have gym, so the mom had to show me what to do on Tuesdays (pick up Eugenia and her friend Bianca and bring them back to the apartment). The girls played with my hair and told me that I was as beautiful as a "princepessa." I loved getting to hear them talk in Italiano because I could actually UNDERSTAND them!! It is funny to hear 7 year olds jabber on in every tense imaginable with ALL of the irregulars, while I struggle to conjugate the easiest verbs in the present!

Wednesday- We don't have class until 11:00 am, but I made plans to meet up for coffee with the cousin of two families for whom I babysit back at home. I met him and his fiancee in San Polo (I had never been there before either, and was terrified of getting lost and being late. I didn't even have his cell phone number to call if I got lost...) I was there on time! and had no trouble finding the place! We sat and chatted. I got back to the house to find TWO packages from Mommy! Granted, they were clothes that I already own, but I was so excited to have some warm clothes! Then I babysat. Berta, the other babysitter (I am not sure why they need 2...) and I took Eugenia to the gym and played with Emelia at the park. She and I sat there for almost 2 hours talking in mostly Italian, but a bunch of Spanish in there too about the differences between American and Italian food, grocery stores, etc. It was great because her first language is Spanish and mine is English, and neither of us speaks very good Italian, so it was fun to try to communicate with her!

Today we had a debate in Italian and it was so fun! We argued nord contra sud. Obviously the south won... coke, chick-fil-a, bbq, sweet tea anyone? :) Tonight Jenny, Kayla, and I leave for Slovenia! I am not sure what we are doing there, but we are going and we are going to have a ball!!

More to come on the trip later!
xoxo
mckin

PS- When I was on the Vaparetto yesterday taking Eugenia to the gym, I saw the Vaparetto boy... haha.... ohhhhh my life....

Not exactly Lenox, but it'll do...

2008-09-22T03:56:00.000-07:00

Monday September 22, 2008. Venice (I guess I could stop writing this because I have yet to post in another city besides when I was in Greece...)

Yesterday was one of the most wonderful days that I have experienced since I have been here! I woke up FULLY rested and without my alarm clock around 8:45, got up, checked my email and got BACK in bed until about 9:30! I LOVE GETTING BACK INTO MY BED AND LOUNGING!!! I finally got up for good and had a leisurely breakfast. The house was really quiet because most of the house was still out of town. I then brought my nite nites and laptop upstairs and watched a movie on the comfy couch (with a few skype interruptions with Mommy!). Then I had a delectable lunch of leftover pasta. By this point I was STILL in my pjs--the mark of an EXCELLENT morning!! I finally got dressed and ready for the day around 1:00!

Rhianna, Laura and I left for Vicenza, Italy, a little town about 45 minutes away for a shopping extravaganza. They had all sorts of stores there, clearly nothing like my fave shopping back in Atlanta, but it was cool! I mean there was no JCrew... It was interesting though because all of the sizes are different. They had shirts in sizes like 42, 44, 46 etc and jeans in S, M, and L. Who knew?!

We came back here in time for dinner (we didnt want to have to pay for an out dinner) and homemade cookies that Jenny made! I had more than my fair share... oops. I then watched my SECOND movie of the day with Kayla on the big projection screen and hopped in bed. What a GREAT DAY!!

Today is just a normal Monday. I got a lot of catch up emails from friends back at school and home which was GREAT to hear what everyone is up to! AND I START MY FIRST DAY OF BABYSITTING TODAY!!! I am really excited (and a tad nervous!!). I forgot to tell her last time that I am going to be out of town for almost 3 weeks, so I hope she doesnt hate me...

Alrighty, miss yall sooo much! If anyone has extra money hanging out, they should just pop on over here for a visit!!! ;)
xoxo
mckin

Rain, Rain, Go Away, Come Again...NEVER

2008-09-20T12:26:00.000-07:00

Saturday September 20, 2008. Venice (JUST BACK FROM SAN MARINO!)

After an uneventful day of class on Thursday, I took the afternoon off. As in I napped ALL AFTERNOON. It was deeeeeeeee-lightful! I finally got up in time to make dinner, watch Tom Cruise in Cocktail with Rhianna, and then pack for my trip the next day. All in all, the day was a success!!

Friday, I woke up right before my alarm (5:40 am, by the way...). I think I was afraid I was going to oversleep so I didn't sleep well--most of you know this is VERY out of character... I got up, showered and finished packing up my bag. We were packing "light" which clearly included an extra tri-delt tee shirt, BOTH night nights, enough purell for an entire army... Can you picture it now?

We had to rush to the train station for our 7:20 train because I had to validate my Eurail pass (stressful, but only because I made it so...). After a BRISK walk to the station we made it on the train perfectly! The train ride was uneventful. I tried to read my book for our literature class, but I fell asleep every 10 minutes, so I just gave up on that. When we got to Rimini, our destination, we got off the train to find RAIN. WHAT IS WITH THE WEATHER THESE DAYS!?!? We pulled out our directions to the hostel and were on our way. Bus #11 to stop 24, then they were number 25. Sunflower Beach Backpacker's Hostel, here we come!! We found the hostel with little difficulty. From the outside, I was...skeptical to say the least. Other than Greece, I have never been to a hostel, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The woman who greeted us at the door was very nice and spoke about 5 different languages. The hostel had free linens, free internet, free breakfast, comfy couches, free showers, lots of books, tables and chairs, free wifi... etc. It was REALLY COOL! It had pretty wall colors, and I just loved it!!! I kinda didn't want to leave the hostel (and the increasing DOWNPOUR outside wasn't helping...) We checked in early and left our stuff while we went to find lunch. While we were there, Zach, a boy from the house who was in Madrid for the weekend, called to tell me that the night before they ran into some sorority sisters of mine!! CRAZY!! In all of Europe...

We stopped off earlier than we wanted to because the rain was just getting tooo bad. I had an umbrella and a rain jacket, but that can only do so much. I had a DELICIOUS mozzarella and tomato sandwich (and a few bites of Jenny's nutella and whipped cream wrap...). We decided to head back to the hostel (YESSSSSSSS) and wait for the rain to die down a tad. Around 2:00, we decided that the rain had subsided enough and we ventured out. The hostel gave us a free map that had 4 "monuments" of Rimini on it, so we went on an adventure to find them. They seem to be spread out across the WHOLE city, so I was concerned that it would be a LOT of walking in the rain, but turns out, Rimini is about the size of Westminster's campus (ok, so maybe slightly bigger), so it wasn't too bad (don't get me wrong, that Askew to Turner walk can be a KILLER in the rain).

We found a few really cute buildings, a castle, some pretty windows, flowers, etc. Check out my pictures and you will see pretty much EVERYTHING I saw! We found a place for dinner after about 45 minutes of walking. Apparently Rimini-ians only eat at cafes, because we could find almost NO real restaurants. After dinner, we even had trouble finding gelato places and that is just NOT ok. We went back to the hostel and fell asleep with NO problem around 9:45 pm. Without a doubt the EARLIEST I have gone to sleep in Europe.

The next morning, we got up, ate our free breakfast, checked out, and headed for San Marino. The teacher in me is coming out: let me give you a little lesson on San Marino. San Marino is a COUNTRY completely land locked in Italy. If you have looked at a map of Italy a thousand times, you STILL probably missed it. We were going to the CITY of San Marino, conveniently located in the COUNTRY of San Marino. It is smaller than Atlanta, yet a country. Interesting. Anyway, they have 3 famous towers there (which we were too cheap to pay to go in, so we only have pictures from the outside) that we hiked around and found. I was in my flip-flops though because my regular shoes were STILL SOAKED from the night before. GROSS. We found some pretty postcards--I bought 2 to send home, but had to write them THERE because the San Marino francobolli (stamps) only work in San Marino. It seems obvious now, but it was quite a concept while we were there.

We saw everything we wanted to see, so decided to take the earlier bus back to Rimini, and then the earlier train back to Venice. We could get back earlier, and eat dinner back at home which would save us money. YES PLEASE!!

We got on the train, but I was slightly disappointed that we had not made any new friends on our trip. Do not fear, the trip was not yet over. A girl came and sat next to us on the train and she was studying just like we were. Granted, she was an ITALIAN student, but we shared the woes of studying etc. I was happy that I had not gone an ENTIRE weekend without making a new friend!!

I think that Rhianna and I are going to Vincenza tomorrow to go shopping. I have not bought ONE THING while here not counting food or other things that were unavoidable. As in NO SOUVENIRS. We must change that and FAST. Don't worry, Daddy, I wont spend TOOOO much. AND I'll have an income come Monday!!

Okie Dokie. Ill tell you all about my shopping adventures later!
Love yall!
xoxo

I love my life!

2008-09-17T04:31:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, September 17, 2008. Venice.

I apologize for the proximity of posts, but I just had to update my last entry! I was disappointed yesterday afternoon that I didnt exchange email addresses with my new friend that I met in Santa Margarita, but it didnt matter, because she looked me up on facebook and messaged me--so now I have an American friend in Venice!! YESSS!! We are going to try to get our groups together sometime next week which would be SOO fun!

Then at 7:40, I went to go meet up with the family for whom I might be babysitting. I knew RIGHT where their house was because of the 2 hours I spent looking for it earlier in the day! I buzzed in and they gave me directions to take the elevator etc. I have NEVER seen an elevator like this. It was TEENY!! and I didnt know how to call the elevator either, and was afraid that I might accidentally call the police or fire alarm instead (it looked like what we have for fire alarms...) Anyway, I finally get up to their apartment--which was BEAUTIFUL by the way--and meet this precious family that I already love! They have 2 girls who both do gymnastics. The little one wouldnt talk to me in English until I had her convinced that my Italian was WAYY worse than her English. As it turns out, I am going to work there Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 3:30-7:30 playing with them, taking them to the gym, talking to them in English etc. I AM SOO EXCITED! I was worried that it was a huge time commitment (and it IS) but I figure that spending 12 hours a week with an actual Italian family is way more cultural than sitting around playing never have I ever with 19 Wake Forest students--not that I dont LOVE doing that, but I think while in Italy, I should find every way to embrace this culture!! So I WILL!! Plus, a little income never hurt anyone, right?!

I got back and everyone was going out. So clearly I went. We got all dressed up (let me tell you, I was in my TARGET dress with my hair back in a pony tail barrette, nothing to be impressed with) but I did make a friend on the Vaparetto (public water bus system of Venice). We are not exactly sure what his name is, but I think we are going to get coffee early next week. Well see how that goes... Dont worry Mommy and Daddy, I will make sure that someone is there with me. ;)

Now I am off to class. Again, this whole Study part of Study Abroad keeps getting in my way. Ill have to work on that.
Love yall
xoxo
mckin

Lost? Me? Never... OK, well maybe just a tad.

2008-09-16T08:28:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, September 16, 2008. The city with no directions, Italy.

Since I last posted, some big things have been happening. Well not BIG persay, but bigger than my usual nap, eat, work, skype routine. Sunday morning, I tried out a church in Venice! It was an Anglican Church, which I had never been to, so I dont have much to compare, but it was interesting. It was funny, though, because I didnt know where the church was. I printed out directions and spend maybe 20 mins looking around for it earlier in the week, but never found it. I was hoping that Kalya or Elizabeth would be able to help--I knew it wasnt that far because they said they were near the Accadamia bridge, same side as we are. When we left, though, it was POURING and we stopped along the way at a owning to wait for the rain to pass, and we had a chat about how dedicated we were to finding the church, when we looked up and saw "St. George's Anglican Church." I have pass by the church EVERY time I leave the house and never knew it was there! CRAZY!! The actual service was different. There was one part where we prayed for the Queen, and I thought to myself.. what queen?! Then I remembered that the Anglican church was the Church of England that Henry VIII essentially formed so that he could divorce Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. (hows that for some history from the NON-history person?! I just hope that is right...) Anyway, history lesson aside, it was interesting. I am going to try their "more contemporary" service that they have on Thursday evenings.

The rest of the day was uneventful. Grocery store run and lots of cuddling. It was a dreary day and I wanted to be in my pjs in my bed! Monday was just a regular day of classes. After class we had a house meeting where David, looking DIRECTLY, at me asked all members of the house if anyone would be interested in babysitting for a family that has 2 girls. They lived in New York for a few years and want their girls to continue learning English. My hand SHOT up! I had been looking for an opportunity like this!

Today, I got the phone number of the family and called. They want to meet today!! I needed to go to the train station, so I thought that I would find their house after that. On the way to the train station, I saw a girl sitting on a bench with a Duke shirt on and a Duke hat, so I stopped and asked her if she went to Duke. Logical, right? She looks up at me like she is going to tell me in VERY FAST Italian that she has no idea what I am talking about... but she didnt! She is indeed a Duke student (as was her friend sitting next to her) and they are studying for the semester in Venice! We told them that we hang out in Santa Margarita a lot, and to stop us if they ever see us! I love this place!!!

So I finally got to the train station to buy my tickets for this weekend to Rimini and San Marino and got in the wrong line TWICE before they told me that this train didnt require reservations, all I needed was to validate my Eurail pass. Cool. 45 mins DOWN THE DRAIN. So then I walked back towards Casa Artom to find this house. I walked for over an hour trying to find number 401. If you know anything about Venice, you know there is no rhyme or reason to the numbering system here, so every time I would get close to 401, it would jump to like 1352 or something. I was SO frustrated. I finally found 399 where some men were talking and asked them in PERFECT (or as perfect as I can be...) Italian where 401 was. They gave me directions IN ITALIAN and then I found it!! It is conveniently enough about 4 minutes from the house yet took me over an hour to find. This was my first TRUE Venetian getting-lost-story! And I couldnt be more proud! :)

So I am going to eat tonight here at the house, meet this babysitting family, then perhaps meet back up with the group who is going out! Fewf, what a day!!
love love love!!
xoxo
mckin

Not a post for the faint hearted: CINQUE TERRE

2008-09-14T00:29:00.000-07:00

Sunday, September 14, 2008.

I apologize in advance for the length of this post. In the words of every Westminster teacher, "I have a lot of information to cover, and not enough time to cover it." So here goes...

Wednesday night we went to dinner for Elizabeth's birthday. It was a nice little restaurant on the other side of the Accadamia bridge. Our waiter was kinda cookey; instead of going around and asking everyone what they wanted, he went through the menu and asked everyone to raise their hand for the item they wanted... anyway... after that we went to the casino. We got all dressed up and walked the FORTY minutes it takes to get there, but it was a beautiful night! We had to give them our passport and they entered in all the information into the computer. I didnt realize that they were also trying to take my picture, so my picture that they now have on file for Elizabeth McKinley Kane is one where I am looking away and frowning... They require you to pay 10 euro to get in, but they give you a 10 euro chip when you enter. I waited a long time to invest my money, but after Rhianna made SEVENTY FIVE euro and Ana made 50, I thought I was destined to win. WRONG. The minimum bid was 10 e, so when I put mine down and lost it, I was finished. A few of the girls and I left early and headed back home because we had class the next am... whoops...

Thursday we had normal class (minus music because David lost a bunch of music that he needed for class. I hate it when they cancel class on me ;) ) but our Art History class had a visit as we do EVERY Thursday. We went to St. Marks Basilica. I had been outside to see it when Katie and Eli came, but we decided to be cheap and not actually enter. Good thing, because our teacher apparently has ALL the connections. We got in for free AND avoided the line. Once we were in there, she took us to all of the places where normally people have to pay to enter plus some places that people cannot enter at all! If you havent seen it, please google it, because it is AMAZING! The whole ceiling is mosaicked with GOLD LEAF tiles. I could go on and on, but I wont. Suffice it to say, it was beautiful and amazing.

We came directly back to the house after that because we were leaving for CINQUE TERRE!!! Side story:: As we were packing up final things, the house keepers were DEBUGGING our house. Im not kidding. Apparently, some people picked up FLEAS from a train and brought them back to the house. So while we were gone to Cinque Terre, the house was being exterminated... Back to my original story. Now, I didnt know anything about Cinque Terre before this weekend, so let me give you a little back ground. Cinque Terre is not actually a CITY, it is the collection of five towns (thus cinque-five terre-lands. If you care for more information, check this site). Anyway, we were going to the southern most of these five little towns, Riomaggiore. We booked 3 apartments because there were 17 of us going--16 house people plus our student adviser, Jenny. We had to check in before 8:00 pm but we were NEVER going to make it there with the train we had (15:43 because our class lasted until later than the previous train) so we had to send Jenny ahead. This meant that I, MCKINLEY KANE, was in charge with getting all 16 of the rest of us to Cinque Terre. Super. We had to go from Venice to Bologna to La Spezia to Riomaggiore. Luckily, everything went according to plan. Our La Spezia to Riomaggiore train was a tight connection, but we ran and made it! I was laughing THE WHOLE TIME, though, at the image of 16 college students running with luggage across the La Spezia train station. A random guy on the train told us we wouldn't need tickets. I was meant to simply ask him if he was positive about this and asked him, "Are you the conductor?" Apparently, though, it came out like I was trying to put him in his place by saying, "Are YOU the conductor?!" as in, what kind of authority do you have to say this? Everyone laughed at me, story of my life...

We got to Riomaggiore late Thursday night and met Jenny. I couldnt really see anything because it was dark, but I could tell that the town was SO cute! It was on the coast and went, LITERALLY, directly up. AKA lots and lots of stairs. Everyone got settled into their apartments and we met up for a VERY late dinner.

Friday morning, Kayla, Jenny, Elizabeth and I got up semi-early and went down to the little town for breakfast. I had the most wonderful chocolate brioche ever. We then met up with some other people in our group and around 100:00 am began one of the most STRENUOUS experiences of my life. The five towns of Cinque Terre are connected by a hiking trial--an eight mile, hilly, stair ridden, dirt/slippery rock path. It started out nice and easy with a paved path and an overcast sky, but by the time we were in the fifth town, it was HOT and there were switchbacks with stairs etc. I wanted to curl up in the shade and take a nap. We finally got back to our room around 5:00 pm. It was an amazing hike once we were done and absolutely worth the sore EVERYTHING I had the next day. I have so many pictures of it, so PLEASE look at them!

We met up with the group again for dinner and ran into some Auburn guys (one of whom was from Lassiter High School!!) who wanted to hang out with us. Dont worry--we were tooooo good for them :) We were hanging out after dinner, when Ana and Rhianna called (they went back to the fifth city for dinner) and told us that there was a train strike. Yes, that is right, a TRAIN STRIKE... So that meant that Ana and Rhianna were stuck in Monterosso until the train strike ended and the panic began because we were supposed to leave Saturday afternoon around 4:00. We decided to get to sleep and get up early the next morning to figure out what was going on and what we needed to do.

So....Jenny, Elizabeth, Kayla and I got up and went to the train station. They told us that there was a train leaving for La Spezia in about 4 minutes, and then ONE LAST one for the day leaving in an hour. It was maybe 8:30 at that point and no one else was up. We had to get everyone up, packed up, and apartments cleaned in an hour. Mission Possible? I thought not. But we did it. We crammed onto the train to La Spezia. Once to La Spezia, we had to sit around and wait in LINE AFTER LINE to figure out how to get back to Venice. After an hour or so we decided that our best bet was to go from La Spezia to Pisa to Florence to Venice because that way we could use the tickets we already purchased (we were supposed to go from La Spezia to Viarregio to Florence to Venice) and those trains were among the few confirmed. So we went to Pisa and got to see the tower!!! There really isn't much in Pisa besides the tower, so it was nice that we no longer had to waste a trip there! I also bought some pink sunglasses from a street vendor while we were there! After seeing the tower, we still had a few hours before our Florence train, so we stopped off at a pizza place where we met the SKETCHIEST waiter ever. We finally escaped from that back to the train station and got on our train. The trains from Pisa to Florence and Florence to Venice were uneventful except that we essentially LAUGHED the whole time. I think this group of people just has too much fun with each other! Good thing there is no such thing as too much fun!

When we got back to Venice, our lovely city decided to greet us with rainy and cold weather. Thanks, Venice. We took the Vaparetto back to the house because we were so exhausted. It took us over 12 hours to get home!! I showered, hopped into my newly debugged bed, and was asleep within 15 minutes.

SO that was my weekend. Thank you for reading the whole thing (if you even did...) Please look at my pictures! They are really fun and beautiful!
xoxo
mckin

And 800 euro later...

2008-09-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

Wednesday September 10, 2008. The BEST city in the world (Venice! duh)

SOO We leave for Cinque Terre, Italy tomorrow afternoon and I AM EXCITED!! It is my first traveling adventure! I, somehow, got put in charge of the tickets, though, so that makes me nervous. Especially since I had to pay for them all. This brings me to my first real predicament of this trip. A few of us went to the train station the other day to buy the tickets and I put them all on my credit card, and at 12 people times 60 euro per ticket, that is a WHOLLLLLLE lotta money! (Dont worry, I hunted everyone down until I was paid in full!) Anyway, when I went back yesterday to buy my tickets for my October break travels, my credit card was rejected. Oops. When I called the credit card people when I got back, they said it must have been a problem with the train station's machine. I guess we will just have to see... I did get the tickets though, which means that I now have EVERY leg of my trip planned out, even with hostels!! I am much less stressed now!

Wednesdays are our "late class" days, so we went out last night to Santa Margarita (again...) and it was SO FUN! I resisted the temptation of gelato for the FIRST TIME since I have been here! It was especially hard because the day before I had THE BEST GELATO since I arrived here. It was caramel which is surprising, because I usually lean towards the sugar based fruity ones and not the creamier ones. But it was DIVINE. Anyway, we came back at a reasonable hour, but then stayed up talking in the hallway. So much for my plans of catching up on sleep...

I got up early this morning anyway and did laundry and went for a stroll. A very productive morning if you ask me! I decided to go to the LEFT of the house for the first time! (We always turn RIGHT out of the house, I had never been left!) I walked around and found a pretty church and got to see a lot of good people watching!

Last weekend (I am not sure if I wrote about this earlier...) the boys went to the casino while the girls had a girls night out! Much to the boys' dismay, we ACTUALLY had fun without them! But they have now decided that they are having a casino "date function." The frat boy lives on... So anyway, that is what we are up to tonight. Let me tell you that my "date function" attire is limited from my 44 lbs of clothes that I brought. Ill just have to make due!

Thats all I have for now!
xoxo
mckin

A weekend in Venezia

2008-09-08T02:00:00.000-07:00

Monday, September 8, 2008. Venice.

I would consider this weekend to be my first "true" weekend, because I just started to feel at home here. We had to stay in town because we had to get some paper work done which was silly, because it shot the whole weekend for 2 hours in line at the post office. Such is life...

Friday we went to Lido, which is the beach off of the coast of one of the Venetian islands. It was really fun, but HOT!!! The sand was more fine than any sand I have felt in the states and the water seemed saltier too! We played in the water and soaked up the sun! Karen and I left earlier than the rest, came back and showered/read/cuddled. It was a good day!

I was in the group of students that went on Saturday to get our papers, and on the way back Laura (the Italian woman who is in charge of the house) treated Rhianna, Kelly, and me to breakfast at a little cafe. She told us all about the new bridge about to open in Venice. This is a big deal because there are currently only THREE bridges that cross the canal, and they are about to open this fourth one. I think we are going to the opening of it, but Laura was telling us it wont be that big of a deal because the opening has been postponed for so long so many times. Apparently there were some problems with the contractor etc. Anyway, it was very interesting.

On our way back, we passed through our favorite piazza, Santa Margarita, and got some bread at this little bakery. We spoke with the woman in Italian (well, more like she corrected our Italian) but she was so nice! And I bought the most WONDERFUL bread for only trentatre centessimi (that is thirty three cents)!! I love this place!

Rhianna and I also ventured into Venice with the intentions of getting lost. For those of you know know me well, this is not a difficult feat even in ATLANTA, none the less in a city I dont know as well. Anyway, it seemed that every store owner was out to get us. They hated us. My shoe size made them mad. I wanted to touch the shoes, they got mad. We tried to bring our food into a store, they got mad. Notice a trend? We finally escaped unscathed, but we found our adventure for the day!

Then Sunday was the Regatta Storica! Some people who actually had MET Venetians since we arrived invited them over, but I just hung out with the people in the house. David also had some friends that were staying here, and they were delightful to visit with. They have a son in Laughlin's class, so we talked all about the qualms of freshman year. Back to the regatta. It was AMAZING! There was a parade first that went by, then a few heats I guess is the right word? Anyway, the Accadamia bridge was PACKED and we just got to look out our window! (see my new pictures in the "Venice-More" album! The boats were BEAUTIFUL!!!) In fact, there was a racing boat parked at OUR dock for about 20 mins before the parade and we made friends with them! Ana even GOT ON THE BOAT! We feasted on the food that everyone prepared and watched the boats go by. It was so relaxing and wonderful!

I also found, but have not booked, my plans for our first 10 day break. I am going to Munich for Oktoberfest, then back to Berlin with Mer, to Salzburg by myself for the Sound of Music tour (dont even get me started on how excited I am about THAT!!!) and then meeting back up with Mer in Vienna. It should be stressful but AMAZING. I just need to book my hostels and trains.

Ok, thats all for now!
miss yall!
xoxo
mckin

Dear Venice, I love you. Love, McKin

2008-09-05T07:56:00.000-07:00

Friday, September 5, 2008. Venezia!!

As Laughlin just informed me, "McKin, you haven't posted on your blog in a while..." So I thought I'd send out a little update. I guess I haven't posted because there is not much exciting going on. Well, I am in VENICE, so everything is exciting, but you know what I mean.

I am getting to know everyone in the house pretty well which is really fun because so many of these people I had never before even SEEN, none the less met (pretty strange considering Wake is only 4000 undergrad...). We play games all together a lot and have a family dinner AT LEAST once a week. I have even started convincing people to cuddle with me/play with my hair etc while we are hanging out talking. Sparknotes version: these people rock. We have fun AND talk about serious stuff. And we all can relate everything back to Wake. I cant wait to be walking to the Pit one day when I get back and run into one of my Venice housemates!!

With classes starting and all, I am starting to wish that I was here for a semester long VACATION instead of semester. It just doesn't seem right to have to study when there is so much of Italy/Europe to explore! Even just in Venice, there is so much uncharted territory (well, in my eyes. It is of course all charted to the Venetians...) We sometimes go for walks and have NO idea where we are going. We find cool places that we will never be able to find again. And then we just follow the signs back to Accadamia/the Guggenheim. POOF, hey Casa Artom! As bad as I make the classes seem, they really aren't that bad. We had our first music test and dont worry, I got a 99. Great, now the expectation bar is set high, way to go McKin... I think I am really going to enjoy our Italian class, too. It meets three times a week (two days a week LESS than the Italian 153 class back at Wake!) and one of those days we just sit in groups and talk! YES. I love talking! Granted it is in Italiano and I know all of 10 words, but it is still SO FUN!

Mommy sent me a package that I got the other day and opening it was like CHRISTMAS, but perhaps better! Since I only got to take one suitcase, I was running low on clothes. Everyone else got to pack like 3 suitcases, and I only got one (this is where you feel sorry for me). Anyway, I opened up the box to see all of these wonderful clothes of mine! It was maybe even better than Christmas because everything was the right size and right color! haha. If anyone else wants to send me a package, they should feel free to do so. WINK WINK.

Anyway, this weekend we have to stay in Venice because we have to get some paperwork completed to say that we are residents here. Since we are staying here this weekend, we might as well explore Venice even more, yes? We went out last night to Santa Margarita (one of the main piazzas near our house) and hung out, but not too late beacause half the group had to get the paperwork to the post office EARLY the next morning (as in this morning, Friday AM) even though the rest of us are not going until Saturday morning. (If that last part didn't make sense, don't worry--it really isn't that important...) So today we went to Lido, which is a little island south of "the fish of Italy." Look at a map and you'll see what I mean. It was really cool to be at an Italian beach, but I didn't stay too long because it was SO HOT! Now I am back here, showered cuddled up on the couch and contemplating a nap. ...who am I kidding, no contemplation needed. A nap WILL happen.

The Regatta Storica is taking place this Sunday. I am not sure exactly what it is, but we are having a house party here, so I like it already. We are talking about going to Cinque Terre (pronounced "Chin-quay Terr-eh." Again, I am not sure what that is, but it is only 5 euro to get there and less than 30 a night to stay! SIGN ME UP!!

Ill try to keep posting as often as I can, but things are getting busy here with school etc. Love yall!
xoxo
mckin

Getting into the swing of things...

2008-09-01T03:09:00.000-07:00

Monday, September 1, 2008. VENICE!

My first weekend in Venice was GRAND!! Eli and Katie were here and I loved getting to play with them! We all got to visit Piazza San Marco and see the pigeons which was really cool because it is one of the most famous things in Venice. I didn't touch the birds, though. They were dirty and I was scared of them... We also walked to the Rialto bridge and took too many pictures!

Earlier today Eli and I visited the Guggenheim Museum which was really cool. There were some AMAZING works of art (and we got in for free because the house has passes!! Gotta love those perks!)

I wish I had more to report, but it was a lazy weekend with lots of hanging out and walking around. Class is about to pick up, and I am not sure that I like the "study" part of "study abroad..." I hope my GPA can handle the rest of this semester!!

Email me, skype me, call me! I want to know what is going on with everything with everyone else!
Miss yall!
xoxo
mckin

A Night in Verona......on the streets

2008-08-29T08:35:00.000-07:00

Friday, August 29, 2008. Venice, Italy 5:45 pm.
WELLLL HELLO!!!!

We had our first 2 days of classes on Wednesday and Thursday--enlightening hours, let me tell you!! My Italian professor also teaches English at a university here in Venice, and I suggested to David, the professor from Wake that came with us, that we each practice our languages on the Italian students (as in they practice English with us, and we practice Italian with them). I think that would be so fun!! I already have homework, Thank you Wake Forest.

No much is new other than we went to the opera in Verona last night. WOW. What an experience. Not so much the opera, but the whole night. Right after class was over, I got on my first train and we rode the express train to Verona. When we got off, I was surprised to see cars again! It had been a while since Venice has only canals. We walked around a little and explored. We had dinner at a delightful little place and then headed over to the arena. There is no way that I can describe to you what it looked like (so just look at my pictures!). It was this HUGE arena made completely of marble! It was stadium seating and we were sitting at what might be the 15 yard line if it were a football stadium. I am not going to lie, I nodded off for juuuuuuuust a minute, but I was back in the game by the end. (It was all sining, a story line I didnt know, and in a language I dont speak fluently, give me a break...) After the opera, we were going to have to stay the night in Verona because the next train wasnt until 5:30 AM. We knew this going into it, so I came prepared with a change of clothes, some water etc.

We stopped at at a little cafe and Karen and Jaimie and I split tiramisu, a banana split, and a pina colada. The perfect way to do dessert!! I was in heaven. Then we went to this campo next to the cafe and hung out by the benches. We played THE LONGEST GAME OF MAFIA ever. It was interesting to be IN ITALY talking about "the mafia," all the while meaning the game, but having people walk by inquisitively. I wont bore you too much, but one thing you must know. I was in the mafia, and I won. That is all I am saying. I rocked it.

Moving on, we played there until about 4:30, walked to the train station and came back to Venice. I ate, showered, and slept, in that order, until about 1:30. Gelato and grocery store run to follow. Now were are hanging out waiting until 6:45ish to go to a movie here.

We continue to have beautiful weather, and I am in love with this city!! Eli and Katie come tomorrow, although I am not sure what time. Not sure what we are doing either. I know the house is going tomorrow for a trip to the Target equivalent. There are still some things I need here.

Love you all and miss you tons!
xoxo
mckin

Grocery Store Galore

2008-08-26T10:37:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, August 26, 2008. Venice, Italy 7:30 pm

So I am here in Venice and it is STUNNING. I want so badly to blend in with the Europeans, but it is difficult to do so with a CAMERA attached to my face. But I cant help it--I want to remember everything, and I want to show YALL everything too!! None the less, new pictures are up...

Yesterday we got up for an orientation meeting. We met our teachers, I clearly have forgotten all of their names already. Good start. Then we went to the grocery store and...wow. First of all, let me preface this story by telling those of you who do not already know that I LOVE THE GROCERY STORE. I love everything about it. Shopping + food= my fave. I also love the organization and the colorful boxes, the advertisements, EVERYTHING. This is why I do most of the grocery shopping for both my mom and my dad when I am home. So I was looking forward to going to the groc in Italy. We walk to the Billa, the grocery store, and gather outside to get the instructions on how to do the grocery store. I am not someone who needs directions on how to buy food, but I tried to listen anyway. You had to pay for a cart. 1 euro. You got it back when you put the cart back, but clearly I didnt have the correct coins, so I had to borrow. Boo. Then we walk around the most NARROW aisles ever trying to find what we might need. Let me tell you what I bought. Tell me if you are surprised: Ritz crackers, peaches, apples, special K with peaches cereal, soap, shampoo, yogurt, some pita wraps for sandwiches, jelly (I brought my own peanut butter knowing that they wouldnt sell it here), nutella and milk. These last two were especially noteworthy. The nutella had an entire section dedicated to it. Loff, you would LOVE IT!! They had every size bottle ever--5 kg ones (Loff, that would last you about a week... haha) down to little baby travel ones. They were so cute!! The milk just annoyed me because I couldnt figure out which to get. They had about 10 kinds and none of them (shockingly) were in English. So I didnt know if I was getting soy milk, lactose intolerant milk, whole milk, goat milk, freshly mixed from powder milk, old milk etc. I drank it this AM and it seemed fine, so I hope its ok... We came back and just hung out around the house. We then went out because it is one of the girls in the house's birthday. We came back from some square (all of them run together...) and hung out here in the house until late.

This morning we got up early-ish and went to the train station for our next level of orientation. Now I know where the station is and how to get a ticket etc. We then walked around for 4 hours. FOUR. It was intense. I was SO lost. I am directionally challenged enough when I can actually read the signs and speak to the people. Now everything is in Italian. Great. But it was nice! Good exercise and a BEAUTIFUL view! I came back, napped, skyped and am sitting here telling you all about it! I am not thinking I am going out tonight--I havent read for tomorrow yet...oops. Eli and Katie, my friends from Greece, are coming to Venice this weekend so I am excited about that, AND we are going to the opera in Verona Thursday night. We sleep on the streets until our train comes at 5 AM. There will be 20 of us, though, so dont worry. I am just worried because it will be my second all nighter in a week (and in my life... funny how that works out. Thank you, Europe). That cannot be good for me.

Thats all for now.
Miss you all
xoxo
mckin

In case you were wondering, I am looking at the Grand Canal RIGHT NOW!

2008-08-25T00:42:00.000-07:00

Monday, August 25. Venice, Italy 10:00 AM.
Goooooooooooood Morning Venice!!!!!

The last few days have been a whirl wind of sorts, so Ill try to do a quick recap!

Friday morning we decided that the lack of air conditioning was just not working in the hostel. We loved it, and also the owner too, who had an interesting sense of humor... in any case, Ellen had found a villa a short walk from Fira (this was before she had 40 sea urchin spines lodged in her foot...) so we decided to move there. That would mean closer to the big city and we could walk instead of taking and paying for the bus. After a little negotiation with Spiros, the villa owner, we got two triples, one with a kichen! The rooms were air conditioned and the villa was BEAUTIFUL!! We also had a pool!! We lounged around the pool for a little while Eli and Ellen went to the grocery store to cook. That night we had a delightful orzo with feta and a nice bottle of wine given to us by Spiros.

We wanted to go out that night, but wanted to wait until later because the night before, we left before most of the people even got there. We knew this would mean nap time... I dont remember what I did instead of taking a nap, all I know is that I didnt sleep before we went out. We then went into Fira. The walk is maybe 10 minutes, but somehow we got to singing on the road and it just flew by! We went and talked to our Greek friends who were working AGAIN. We were then walking around trying to find somewhere that had no cover charge to get in where people were dancing and the guy in the front of a bar called Town Club told us he would let us in for free. There were a decent amount of people there but EVERYONE was dancing! AAND there was a bunch of music we knew! I met a boy from NAPOLII (imagine me saying that with an Italian accent) who was very nice, his name was Nicola. We left very late, and went back to the villa.

I didnt sleep in the next day. We got up and went for a tour of the Santo Wines winery. (Storisis told me to remember Santorini, but only half). We were told that we missed the last English tour, but we could go in Greek. No thanks. So instead of waisting the bus fare there, we just decided to enjoy the beautiful view, and one of Santo's wines. It was a delightful time. A friend that we made there gave us a ride back to Fira. His name was Dimitrius.

We split up and walked around Fira a little, and visited an amazing church there. Mer and I went down to the harbor via cable car and then, get ready for this, RODE BACK UP ON DONKEY. Now, let me tell you something. I am a decent horse rider, but these donkeys were less than obedient. Mine, whose name I have forgotten, kept ramming me into the wall on the side. He also could not decide if he wanted to be in the front or in the back, so we ended up being the slowest, then RUNNING to the front. It was quite an experience.

We met back up for the sunset and ran into some UNC people who knew mutual friends of ours. The world is SO small!! We went back to the villa and had more of Ellen's delicious cooking. Again, the group napped and I didnt. I uploaded pictures. I did get a few minutes of a nap in. Then Mer, Kendra, and I decided to go out again. It was my last night, I was not staying in!! It was a similar night to the night before, but only three of us instead of six. Our Greek friends gave us a coupon for a free drink at Town Club which we had decided was our new fave bar. We stayed out until about 4:30 again, which was conveniently about an hour before I was leaving for the airport. So I showered, packed, and left my lovely island of Santorini without a wink of sleep. This was my first all nighter and I can confidently say that I paid for it the next day.

My flights were fine. I went Santorini to Athens to Rome to Venice. It was excruciatingly painful because I literally could not keep my eyes open. I have been in some boring classes with little sleep, but this was OUT OF CONTROL. I was falling asleep WHILE playing solitaire on my iPod. I finally got to Venice (after meeting and befriending on the plane a Brazilian navy guy named Fabio who was all swollen from a moped accident...). I met up with a guy from my program in the airport and we took the water bus here to the house! We werent sure how to get there, but somehow magically we ended up here. It was definitely a God thing. I unpacked my things in my room (which is ON the Canal. As in I see gondolas right now!! and hear the lapping water!!!!!!! (more like CRASHING water..) We went to dinner (this is Sunday night) at the restaurant in Venice that loves Wake students. I came back and crashed. I NEEDED SLEEP!!! I think we are getting ready to go to to the grocery store which would be nice seeing that I only have travel shampoo and NO food. Anyway, I miss everyone, but it is so beautiful here!
sooo much love!
xoxo
mckin

PS PICTURES ARE UP!!! Look at them! More to come!

Just another day in Santorini...

2008-08-22T00:09:00.000-07:00

Friday, August 22, 2008. 1:45 AM Santorini time

Well, I wasn't planning on posting everyday, but seeing as we keep on running into such adventures, I figure I might as well share!

Since 8:30 this morning, SO much has happened! We called the airport who informed us that our baggage was in fact in Santorini. (Well, we first accidentally called the hostel thinking that it was the airport when the man who runs the hostel answered and proceeded to ask why we were calling from downstairs…) After spending another 1,40e each way to the airport and back and about 2 hours, we finally got our baggage. I felt so relieved!! It was like I was actually officially IN Santorini—not just half way.

We then decided to throw on our suits and walk around Oia (the city on the island of Santorini where we are staying, pronounced “ee-ah”) while Ellen explored Fira, the capitol city. We each had delicious “salty crepes” for lunch in Oia at a little cafe where the woman made each one at a time (translation: we were there FOREVER because it took so long). But, it was delicious! I had chicken, cheese, corn and green peppers, can you think of a better combination of food, all wrapped up in a yummy crepe??? I took some BEAUTIFUL pictures, (again, to be posted as soon as possible) and we ended up trekking down 235 stairs to the coastline. We curved around the volcanic rocks on the coastline and then jumped in the water!! (not from too high up, don't worry, it was more like big steps down). Here’s where the story gets interesting. As Kendra, Katie, and I jumped in, we encountered some very chilly water. As Meredith and Elisabeth jumped in, they stepped on some sea urchins. Super. Mer and I swam over to a boat hoping that they knew what tweezers were and hoped that they had some. They did not, but one boy (later to be known as Storisis, or as Ellen affectionately calls him, “unibrow”) informed us, “no worry, I doctor.” Comforting, yes? As Storisis tried to pull out the spines, Eli swam over to the rocks in immense pain. To make a long story short, Apostolis, the friend of Storisis, gave Eli and Mer a ride on his jetski back to land because they could not walk, then rode Katie, Kendra and me back from the boat to the shore. We were careful not to receive any spines for ourselves. Storisis moped-ed Mer and Eli back to the hostel while the rest of us hiked back UP the 235 steps, easier said than done, and found the girls back at the hostel. Our new Greek friends informed us that they would be working at a bar in Fira named Memouna and we should come visit. Ellen, at this point, was MIA. Mer and Eli soaked their feet in olive oil per advice from many and tried to figure out what to do next.

This is where my part comes in. I sat on the floor of the courtyard of our hostel with the girls for about four hours picking at Mer’s feet trying to retrieve the spikes. Literally, during the hours of 4:00- 8:00 pm I saw little but the foot of one Meredith Edrington. Somewhere in here, Ellen walks in to the hostel, foot bandaged too. She had evidentially found some sea urchins of her own. What a strange coincidence!! We eventually decided to go grab some dinner (after watching the sunset, of course!!) We ate at this little Italian-like place where I had yet another crepe, this time with mozzarella, basil, and tomato. It was good, but I’d say my first crepe was better.

After dinner, we headed to Fira to meet up with the boys. We were not sure what the name of the bar was, nor could we really remember their names, and we for sure did not know the location of this bar, so we were really looking for a needle in a haystack. We finally found Memouna, but were told it didn't open until 11:30, so we waited around and people watched on a bench. We finally met up with the boys outside the bar (we didn't want to pay the 10e cover charge…) and chatted with them for a while. We eventually decided to head back to the hostel, seeing as it was 1:30 in the morning at this point. One taxi ride later and I find myself sitting here, outside our room in the hostel, overlooking the lights of this beautiful place, and thinking WOW!!!!

What are we doing tomorrow? No one knows. We have half the group unable to walk because of the sea urchin spines, and so much ground to cover!!
Just another day in Santorini…
xoxo
mckin

Love at first sight? I think YES!!!

2008-08-21T06:12:00.000-07:00

Thursday, August 21, 2008. 8:30 AM Santorini time

Oh wow. We have arrived!!! And in case you were thinking that there is no way that Santorini is as beautiful as it is shown in pictures or in the movie, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, IT IS!!! The water is as blue as a crayola crayon and the buildings are WHITE!!!

Now, our travels getting here, not so beautiful. I left my house around 9:30 am, met up with my friend from Birmingham, Elisabeth. We finally left the Atlanta airport around 12:40 pm and made the venture to Philadelphia to meet up with our friend, Katie. We then spent the next nine hours TRYING to get comfortable on the airplane. Conveniently enough, it was only about 25% full! So we all got to spread out and sleep (with a little help from Tylenol PM…) The trip passed surprisingly fast—as fast as 9 hours on a plane can go. The food was mediocre at best: gross pasta, and a pathetic excuse for a jam filled pastry. Then we arrived in Athens, hopped off that plane, got my first passport stamp (!!!!), and onto another one to Santorini, our final destination!

Our arrival into Santorini marks the beginning of the drama. We waited for our baggage that never came. No joke. After waiting for about 30 minutes, we went to the Aegean counter (this man took us through a side door that bypassed customs… oops) where we tried to talk to some women to explain our problem. (by the way, the keyboard was GREEK!!!!) They informed us that our baggage would be on the next flight! Conveniently, we were waiting for our friend Meredith to arrive to all travel to the hostel together. So we waited. And waited… Meredith arrived, no baggage. We approached the woman again. Next plane, she said. It was about 2:30 pm by this time. The next plane was scheduled to come in around 5:00. We didn't want to COMPLETELY waste our first day, so we left our numbers with the woman and went on to the hostel.

We met up with Ellen and Kendra to make our six girls in the hostel, which is beautiful—not what I would expect from a hostel! The beds are just bunk beds, and it is a little warm when you close the door, but otherwise, there is a fountain in the courtyard and everything is white and blue. It is stunning. I am writing this from the desktop in the hostel, but as soon as I can get internet on my laptop, I will upload my STUNNING pictures!!

We went into Fira for dinner and ate at an “authentic Greek” restaurant. I had something with pita bread and chicken, it was great! I am still getting used to the money here (they have 2e and 1e coins… how strange!!!) We then went to a place that over looks the “middle of the C” of Santorini (look at a map and you’ll see what I mean) and watched the sunset while all sharing some Greek wine. It was so wonderful!!!! The sunset was UNBELIEVABLE. Wait until I post the pictures!!!

Because I have NO clothes, I had to sleep last night with almost no clothes on and pretty much didn't move the whole night to stay cool. The hostel has no air conditioning (not surprising since we are paying 17e to stay here INCLUDING BREAKFAST) so it was pretty warm. I am not sure what our plans are for today, hopefully I find my luggage…

I love you all and miss you dearly!
xoxo
mckin

Packing

2008-08-11T06:24:00.001-07:00

Ah, yes. Packing. Well. I havent started. But I am sure I will get there! As soon as I figure out which of my clothes are the 44 lbs worth of the most important ones. Super.

BUUT I am SO excited about going! I leave exactly 8 days from now, and I cant wait! I hope that I can keep up with this blog enough to make it worth it, so keep checking to see my marvelous adventures!

xoxo
love, mckin