FGCU Adventure Abroad 2019: June 11 - 12: The Vatican City & Pompeii (by Shelbie T. and Lauren T.)

Day 12: The Vatican City

I've been anticipating this day of the trip before I even knew I was going. I grew up hearing things like, "That outfit would never fly in the Vatican," and "You think that is beautiful? Just wait until you see the Sistine Chapel."

As hot as it was in Rome, I felt refreshed with the knowledge that I'd travelled across the Mediterranean to get here, experienced so many different cultures, took in thousands of years of architecture and art, and finally, finally, I was going to step into one of the holiest places in the Roman Catholic religion.

I've come to find that marble statues bring actual tears to my eyes. After so many places that showcased statues: The Met, The Acropolis Museum, Delphi, it was sort of shocking to walk into a room that had entire, larger-than-life-sized statues encircling the entire space. It was as if we were being teased the entire trip with damaged or noseless statues at all of these sites, only to find that there were places in the world that had these entire statues reconstructed to their original form. Seeing art that marvelous brings tears to my eyes even thinking about it now. I feel so lucky to have seen it.

The room with the maps was like a room I've been trying to dream up my entire life but just couldn't. I could write entire novels set in that room, inspired by that room. Books filled with adventure and fantasy, elves and goblins and long-bearded seers with cloudy eyes and crystal spheres. It was awe-inspiring to see huge art like that, so delicate and intimate, stretching across hundreds of feet of hallway. I'll be dreaming about that room every day until I see it again.

For someone who loves words so much, I'm having trouble coming up with any that give the Sistine Chapel any justice. So instead I'll describe how it felt to be me in that room:

It was hot. Crowded, stuffy. People shuffling forwards, like a river with no chance of turning back or stopping. Everyone was pushed forward, crammed and filtered into this room. Even more people. I made my way to the middle, like I was told. I began to look at the art on the walls, like I was told. I reached the middle and turned around. I looked up. I looked up until my neck hurt and begged me not to look up anymore. I stared at those hands until my vision blurred and my contacts stuck in my eyes. I studied the wall, the blue that was so prominent and the cloths draped over almost all of the private places. I stared until I had no concept of time, and history and art didn't make sense, and I could not fathom something as old as what I was staring at. Couldn't hold in my head the gravity of the miracle before me.

I looked up some more. I got dizzy-- maybe from the heat, or maybe from the entrancing way that the  angels floated outside of each story, the way it looked like they could easily depart from the wall and fly down to us. The way it looked as if they were just as contemplative as we were-- staring into each window of art as if they, too, could just reach in and grab a forbidden fruit.

I knew that even though I was surrounded by people, some of whom I know very well, each and every one of us were experiencing that room differently. However, it was very clear that there was a desperation in that room. It was floating around and clinging to the walls. A ravenous, anxious desperation to consume all they could, to capture this moment and hold onto it, because it may never again present itself.

The Tiber River at sunset. A beautiful Roman landscape.

Day 13: Mt. Vesuvius & Pompeii

So I’m pretty sure I know this as a fact:

Most of us were singing/humming/jamming out in our heads to the opening of Bastille’s “Pompeii” as we hiked Mt. Vesuvius and walked the empty, sun-scorched streets of the city. 

I could have sworn I heard the echoes of “eh eh eh eh oh, eh eh eh eh oh” from the crater of the volcano. 

But I know I personally reflected a bit on the lyrics in the verses as Lauren and I encouraged each other, “just a little bit further until we get to the top” :

“But if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like nothing changed at all? And if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like you’ve been here before?” 

It was a mixture of feelings between awe and grief as we witnessed the beauty, the destruction, and the perseverance of history, art, and memory. 

It’s almost as if the people of Pompeii never left. Their stories spilled out of the impressive ruins of tiny houses and marketplaces, their streets indented with ruts of movement and life and freedom as a seemingly harmless and flower covered-volcano lies waiting just breaths away. Like nothing’s changed at all.

Everything frozen in time forever- until the next inevitable eruption. A city still standing for us to appreciate for them and cry with them, for us to learn about their way of existing in a world that didn’t know us yet. I’m thankful for my chance to have seen it. 

The city of Pompeii was a day that felt like time travel. Despite the sweltering heat, I felt as if we all got carried away in our imaginations of what this place would’ve looked like before the walls came tumbling down. 

And this final lyric to ponder in reflecting on the city and the song: 

“We were caught up and lost in all of our vices

In your pose as the dust settled around us”

What stories would we tell if we were frozen in time where we stand today? 

I hope they would be just as beautiful xx

We made it to the top of the volcano!

The view from the top of Mt. Vesuvius.

The sweltering heat in the ruins of Pompeii.

FGCU Adventure Abroad 2019: June 9 - 10 On an Evening in Roma (by Kait Y. and Antonio P.)

Day 9: On an Evening in Roma! 

Our day started in the clouds! We left our hostel in Croatia bright and early to get to the airport. The Split airport was very small and only had sandwiches or pringles available for snacks… unless you wanted Croatian specialties, such as Truffle oil chips or fig ravioli-shaped cookies. After a small delay and a short plane ride, we arrived in Rome! To get to the city, we took about a 30-minute train ride to Termini. Our hostel, Alessandro Palace, was only a quick walk from the train station.

Once we got to our hostel, we had free time to rest and refresh. Many of us went over to the restaurant across the street to get a snack and enjoyed some pizza!

After, we all met up for a walking tour of Rome and a chance to see the main sights - the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and the Pantheon. On our walk, we passed by the Tiber River. It was almost sunset, and we had a beautiful view of the sun peeking through the greenery and illuminating the buildings. Sunset is the perfect time to see the painted colors of the buildings.

The Spanish Steps, along with buildings at "golden hour," when their colors are illuminated by the sunset

The sunset over the Tiber River, as seen through the greenery

Halfway through our tour, we stopped at Piazza Navona, one of the most famous “piazzas” in Rome. We learned that a piazza is an open square, or plaza, where people gather to hang out and enjoy time together. Our group gathered to enjoy dinner at a perfect people-watching spot. We all had our first bites of Italian cuisine… and loved every minute of it! 

Kait's Spaghetti al Pomodoro and a chocolate and ricotta dessert - her first Italian meal! 

Piazza Navona filled with people as dinnertime approaches

We continued our walking tour after dinner, and despite the late hour, the city was buzzing! The Trevi Fountain was packed. After seeing its breath-taking glory, we aren’t surprised.

The Trevi Fountain all lit up in the night 

The outside of the Pantheon - a former Roman temple to all of the gods, and now a Christian Church

Our trip research had shown that the Pantheon was open all night on Sundays, but it was sadly closed when we arrived. We marveled at its beauty from the outside, but rescheduled time to go inside. Known as the best preserved ancient Roman building, it was a must-do for our group! We then began our trek back to the hostel and arrived close to midnight, ready to rest for our exciting day ahead.

Day 10 - The Colosseum

The 10th day of the trip was truly a landmark day, with our first destination being that of the famous Roman Colosseum. In order to beat the crowds, we had an early rise after a brief meeting at breakfast. After having coffee and pancakes in Italy, which was an experience to remember in of itself, we went straight off to the metro station that would take us directly to the historic site.

Outside the Colosseum!

This picture was a risky shot, as many of the organizations did not want you to have any symbols when taking pictures. However, in this one, we have two. Our flag, and our silly ‘wings up’ gesture to show our eagle pride. We had attempted to find why no symbols were allowed, but couldn’t find any full information. Generally, you could assume they don’t want to take the risk of someone posing with a negative symbol.

The inside of the Colosseum

Another stunning view of this "colossal" ancient building

It was remarkable knowing that you could see this landmark history from a wide range of areas, including an absolutely perfect view from the top of the Roman Forum that made for great pictures on a separate day. Regardless, after exploring these old massive ruins, we moved on to another important site; Saint Clement Basilica.

The inside of the modern church in Saint Clement Basilica, which stands above two ancient churches from the 4th and 1st centuries 

Who knew a small church in the middle of the city could be as captivating as the Colosseum was. The main floor already spoke volumes of the various cultures of Rome, as well as the gold leaf that decorated the ceiling every corner showed Rome’s wealth during the more ancient era. Its basement was like going down a time capsule, that had another time capsule underneath it. Ancient ruin upon ancient ruin, so perfectly preserved you felt disrespectful treading on the careful designs of the marble flooring.

The rest of the day involved free time to explore Rome. This meant seeing more sites, eating more new foods, and enjoying the wonderful city of Rome. Kait, Rachel, Amalie, and Briallen stopped at a restaurant by the Colosseum to enjoy a Roman delicacy - Cacio e Pepe! This simple dish of cheese and black pepper became a quick favorite of theirs.

Ending the day the best way possible in Rome - with gelato! 

FGGU Adventure Abroad 2019: June 5th & June 6th ~ Delphi & Split (by Stephanie L. and Rachael B.)

DELPHI, GREECE

On our final day in the beautiful country of Greece, we took a day trip to the city of Delphi. Once we arrived, we toured ​Temple of Apollo​, Ancient Theatre​ and ​Delphi Archeological Museum. It was amazing to see another place of theatre, especially since most of us have a connection to theatre in one way or another. Once our tour guide, Maria, was finished with the archeological part of the tour, we sat as a group just past the theatre. We listened to Gerritt tell us ancient stories, looked out at the amazing view and just took it all in. After seeing two beautiful Greek theaters, and seeing where this beautiful art form came from, it was a lot to take in, but we were able to all appreciate it, especially just being in the place where historical plays and comedies and tragedies took place. We continued on to the museum portion of the tour and were able to learn further about the artifacts that have been discovered within the area.  After the tour was complete, we stopped for lunch in this cute little town of Arachova.

Ancient Theatre in Delphi

Beautiful Views of Delphi, Greece from the Archeological Site

Lunch stop in Arachova

Once we arrived back in Athens, we were dropped off near the Acropolis since we were going to be seeing Norma later on in the evening. Most of us got a small bite to eat or walked around the streets with shops while we waited before entering for the opera. The opera started between 9:00-9:30pm at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. We stayed only for the first act unfortunately because it was already close to midnight when intermission began and we had to be ready to head to the airport at 4:30am. Watching an opera in this historical theatre was definitely a dream and it was beautifully presented. After we left the theatre, we took our last walk back to our hostel in Greece!

Odeon of Herodes Atticus ~ Norma 

SPLIT, CROATIA

Our first day in Split started out with us getting acquainted with our hostel and the hostel owners, the Lero brothers and their dog Blondi. We ended up learning that the two brothers actually grew up in the house that we called our hostel, and they had renovated it to use as a source of income. The hostel was by far the nicest place we stayed at during our two weeks abroad, and I think we were all very grateful for it after our hostel in Greece. After getting settled in our rooms, we had some free time. Some of us took naps, some went out for lunch on the town, and others just went and explored around the harbor.

Later in the afternoon, we had our scheduled bike tour. The group all met outside Toto Travel, the company we rented the bikes from. The bike tour started off great with wonderful views and perfect weather for biking. We first stopped at this little path that takes you down to an amazing view of the mountains and the crystal-clear water below. We kept biking and then we stopped at a museum that Gerritt recommended we visit when we have some free time. Our next stop ended up being our last stop... We stopped at a beautiful, quiet beach area where we could swim if we chose to do so. The water was freezing, but that didn't stop many people from going in! Some dove right in and others eased their way in. Very quickly, Gerritt and Julie realized there were sea urchins in the water and warned everyone to be very careful of where they were stepping. Despite the warning, six of the students got stung by sea urchins and had to get in a taxi to go back to the hostel. 

Overlooking the Adriatic Sea in Split

The 10 Sea Urchin Survivors

Therefore, there were now 17 bikes at the beach and only 10 of us to get them back to Toto. Some of us grabbed a quick bite to eat at the beach before attempting this journey back. Once it was time to go, we paired up in teams of 2 and each team had 3 bikes to get back. Very quickly into our walk back, these two men from Bangladesh and London showed up and offered to help us get them back to town. They ended up helping us the whole way back, which was incredibly nice of them to even offer! Along the way, we got to know them a little bit more, and we found out they are university students in London and are backpacking on a rock-climbing trip. After the  walk back, Gerritt treated us all to dinner. 

What an interesting - but adventurous - first day in Croatia!

FGCU Adventure Abroad 2019: June 3 - 4 Athens, Greece (by Amalie B. and Gabby K.)

 Day 4: Flying to Athens

If I'm being honest, I couldn't quite tell you when day 3 ended and day 4 began. It all occurred while we were on the Flight That Never Ends™ from JFK to Athens. The flight itself was only about 9 hours long, but it went on for what seemed like eons during our cycles of sleeping, waking, and eating. Finally, 3 naps, two meals, and a movie later, we landed in Athens, Greece.

The view from my tiny seat on our giant airplane.

As we stepped out of the airport we were greeted by blue skies, a warm breeze, mountains (!) and our driver Spiros. Everything we saw on our drive from the airport to our hostel was incredibly picturesque like something out of a movie. Most of the roads were lined with colorful flower-bearing shrubs and mountain peaks kissed the sky in every direction I looked.

It was beautiful.

So beautiful I fell asleep.

I woke to sights that seemed more like they belonged in America than in Greece. The streets were narrow and covered in graffiti and everything looked so....urban. 

The street outside of our hostel

Our view of the Acropolis from the restaurant

I finally got a glimpse of the Athens I had been dreaming about when we went on our walking tour of the city that afternoon. Our tour guide, Alexandros, walked us through the history of Athens as we walked through Plaka and Monastiraki before leaving us at a restaurant with an incredible view of the Acropolis.

                 

                     Monstiraki

                 Day 5: Visiting the Acropolis Museum and the Acropolis Hill

This day was perhaps the most anticipated day of the trip for many of us. We started our day bright and early at 7 AM and started our trek to the Acropolis Museum. 
The Acropolis Museum was full of incredible statues and artifacts from the Acropolis and all over Athens. We marveled at the detail of the artifacts and the fact that they were able to survive all this time. 
                                           

One of the artifacts from the Museum

After the Museum we had some much needed free time for lunch and a nap before meeting up again to climb the Acropolis.

The hike up the Acropolis hill was grueling. The air was dry, dusty, and hot and the slick pathway did not make climbing up the slope any easier.

On our way up we stopped at the Theatre of Dionysus, which is often referred to as the birthplace of Drama. 

The theatre was breathtaking and incredibly well preserved. We were actually able to sit in the seats as if we were watching a performance. 

As soon as we all filed in and sat down, a serene silence fell over us and we all tried to soak up our surroundings and the thousands of years of history that stood there with us. 

The experience proved overwhelming for many, as some were overcome with emotion to the point of speechlessness and even tears. 

While we sat, Gerritt recalled the tale of Prometheus Bound to us as we all tried to imagine it on the stage in front of us. 

It was like we had stepped back in time.

Our moment in the theatre was magnificent and I'm sure we could've stayed there all day just imagining all of the history that happened in that very place but we still had to make it to the top of the hill before it closed. 

At the top of the hill sat the Parthenon in all of its glory. It was a temple built as a gift to the goddess Athena, who Athens was named for. The view was astounding, there were mountains that danced along the horizon and the setting sun cast a golden glow across everything in its path. From the top it seemed as if you could see all of Athens. 

Again, many of us were overcome with emotion at these incredible sights. The Acropolis looks amazing in pictures but there is something about being there that just renders you speechless. It's like you can feel the history around you. 

I sat perched on a rock staring up at the Parthenon and imagined how many people had come to the temple to pray or offer a sacrifice to Athena and ask for her guidance or protection. I imagined how many people had sat in the same place I did, dumbfounded by the sights before them. 

There are not enough adjectives to accurately describe the experience of being at the top of the Acropolis, but I can definitely say it was life changing.