Bologna: as in the city, not the meat

Bologna is a fairly large city, only an hour by train from Ravenna, where I was studying all summer. We made it out there a couple of times, and we always had a great time.

There are lots of great stores, the city's central square is Palazzo d'Accursio. And the two main streets are Via dell'lindipendenze and via ugo bassi which turns into via rizzioli. Unfortunately, during our stay they were restoring the buildings in the main square, but lucky for us they put up a sheet showing what the building will look like when it is finished.
Not too far from the center of the city there is the University of Bologna. There are a few small cafes where you can find the university students sitting down for a coffee between classes. The school is filled with beautiful architecture, alleyways, and gardens.

There are plenty of hotels all around town, including some right across the street from the train station. One night, after a very long an confusing day of traveling, we stayed at the Starhotel. They had english speakers, which was great, and great service. it was primarily a business hotel, but reasonably priced (99 euro a night), for a nice room, of modest size.

Favorite Travel Resources

School is getting harder, and the blog is definitely lacking... So I thought I would inspire you to look further than my blog and visit my favorite travel resources.

Online:

--Daily Candy- No matter where you're going or what you're doing you'll find something here!

--Expedia- This is my favorite site to book flights, it's not always the cheapest, but it's usually pretty good. And I'd have to say it's the easiest.

In Print:

--Travel and Leisure- Great pictures and articles make every issue worth a read!

--National Geographic- I can't stop looking at all of the pictures from exotic places. I don't quite like the online version, there's just something about turning pages...

--Frommer's- There guidebooks are great, simple, and to the point.

--Michelain Guide- They have execellent restaurant picks. There is a select number of Michelain starred restaurants in the world, and only a handful that get all three. I've been lucky enough to go to a few of them, and they really are as fabulous as Michelain says.

--Harper's Newsletter- This is a subscription newsletter, and they are phenomenal. We used their recommendations and services for our trip to Africa and I could not have asked for more!

Ciao for Now

School is kind of a drag, unless of course it's abroad. This summer I decided to take summer school in Italy. So, for two months I took Beginning Italian Language, with 21 other students from Colorado College. We took classes at a small language school in Ravenna, a tiny town on the east coast, and an hour outside of Bologna. We had about 4 hours of immersion Italian a day, and stayed with a host family who spoke minimal English, if any at all. So, it would have been difficult to not learn any Italian.

Ravenna is best known for its mosaics, some of which date back to the 6th century. We toured the most famous churches, my favorite being San Vitale.

During our free time, my friends and I made sure to spend lots of time at the beach, too. We would bike about 5 miles to get there and back, completely flat and scenic. But you could also get there by bus, which too about 15 minutes, and 2 euro.

We also spent a lot of time in Piazza del Popolo, the main square in town. It's a great place to sit, have a cappuccino, and log some serious people watching hours. And last, but certainly not least, I loved the shopping! All of the shops around the city were small boutiques, and Via Cavour had the best selection of lesser known Italian brand names.

During my stay in Italy we had a few free weekends, so I was lucky enough to visit Rome, Venice, Florence, and Bologna. Stay tuned, because I have lots to say about those cities!

Big Bambu at the MET

Don't miss it if you're in New York!! There is an incredible bamboo structure on the rooftop of the MET. I was lucky enough to visit it when I was in NY in July. The exhibit will close at the end of October, but don't wait until the last minute because it closes with the rain.

If you're interested in climbing on the structure, you have to get on a guided tour, so sign up in advance.

The ambiance up there is fantastic. They have set up a bar so even if you're not into the modern art, it's always nice to have a drink on the rooftop of the MET. And the view of the city is phenomenal.

The New York Times wrote a great article abut it.

Elephant Rides for All

I have always wanted to ride an elephant, and I decided Africa was the perfect place. While we were in Livingston, the city on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls, we heard there were elephant rides, so we decided to go for it. We each got matched to an ele, and hopped on. My dad and I were able to climb up some stairs to get on ours, but the one my mom was riding was too fat to fit in the contraption so she had to climb up its side.

We each had a guide on our elephants with us. They weren't very talkative, but they did have treats for the eles.

The elephants were all extremely photo friendly. Each of them knew a bunch of tricks, so when it was time for a photo the guide would yell, "SALUTE!" and they would put their trunks on their heads.

The baby elephant followed us all the way along our walk. He trekked through the river with us, even when it got deep. It was a pretty cool idea that we were on elephants just strolling through the Zambezi River, just before the falls...

This one was a really little baby. He was abandoned by his mother in the wild, but was taken care of at this elephant camp. He was very playful, which was a bit of a problem, because his way of playing was head butting. And let me tell you, it's pretty sore when a 200 pound animal rams into your knees.

After riding around for about an hour, we got a chance to hang out with our elephants. They gave us a bag of food, and we got to feed and play with them. The whole experience is one that I will never forget.

Hayman

Not to be confused with the Cayman Islands, Hayman Island is part of the Whitsunday Island chain off the cost of Australia, near the Great Barrier Reef. If you are interested in staying on the mainland, Cairns (pronounced cans) is the place to stay. However, I think the Whitsundays are unbeatable. The water out there is crystal clear, you can dive right off the shore, and you don't need to worry about 12 foot long crocodiles!

For the second half of my spring break from Melbourne University (in October), I headed up to the Whitsundays, and to an island called Hayman. The entire island was dedicated to the resort and its staff. It was gorgeous. The rooms were luxurious and the staff was extremely friendly.

Hayman is one of those resorts where you can just relax, and do nothing but enjoy your surroundings. OR you can fill every daylight hour exploring and active. We opted for the latter. My family and I would wake up with the sun and go on a sea plane to the outer reef, a boat to snorkel off of, or catamaran-ing! I also got to try scuba diving for the first time. I would have to say that if you are going to visit the Great Barrier Reef, the islands off the coast of mainland Australia is the way to go!

Help us Help you

Where am I going?

If you ever have questions ask the concierge or the front desk at the hotel. They're there to help you. Ask them where the best local indian restaurant, or a nice place to take a walk. I'm sure they will have lots of suggestions, and they are more likely to know the town and its attractions better than you. And even if you think you know the city pretty well, it's always worth the time, because they might be able to help you find something new, that you would never have gotten to on your own.

Did you forget your razor? Or do you need more shampoo?

There's no need to raid the maid's cart, you might not even have to drop by the corner store. You can usually just call down to the front desk, and they would be happy to bring it up to your hotel room. This service is free of charge at most nice hotels, but it's always nice to tip the bellman. And even if they aren't able to get it to your room, its worth the phone call.

How To: Dress at an airport

Dress nicely at airports. People treat you better.

-Simon Donnan, Creative Director, Barney's New York

Just because you dress nicely in the airport, doesn't mean you can't be comfortable on the plane. If you are like most people, and don't like to wear your pajamas in public and you don't like to wear a suit on the plane, you can just bring a set in your carryon. As soon as you get on, head to the bathroom and change into your comfy outfit. You will not only be so much more comfortable on your flight, but when you change back into your street clothes you feel refreshed, and ready for your next destination.

The Great Ocean Road

If you're looking for a great day trip from Melbourne, then the Great Ocean Road would be a great adventure. It's a beautiful drive 151 miles down the Australian coast. It will take you about 4 hours, because the roads are so windy. There are also some quaint towns along the way that are worth a stop. The big destination at the end of the Great Ocean Road, is the Twelve Apostles. While I was down there I didn't make it all the way to the Apostles, which are some huge rocks out in the ocean, but I don't think I missed out on too much. This is definitely one of those situations where the journey is just as good as the destination, if not better.

The views from the Great Ocean Road are spectacular. It's similar to other coastal drives, but I can never get enough of the beach, even if it's just looking at it.

Hiroshima

Unfortunately, most of Hiroshima's fame comes from World War II, when they were a victim of the atom bomb. However, it has really grown into a bustling city, complete with a Peace Memorial Museum and Park. The museum is incredibly moving, but you definitely have to prepare yourself to walk through. After the museum, I would suggest a walk through the park, which is extremely well kept and calming. While in the park, see the memorial monument (pictured), the dome, and the millions of handmade paper cranes strung up and hanging.

If you're interested in reading about the bombing of Hiroshima before your visit, which I would suggest, Black Rain by Ibuse Masuji is amazing. The visit to the Peace Memorial is much more meaningful after reading about what happened.

Kinkakuji

The Golden Pavilion is an essential tourist destination if you are visiting Kyoto. The city has managed to survive countless wars and natural disasters, but because of its historical content, it was eliminated as a possible atomic bomb target during World War II. While I was in Kyoto for a summer class, one of the places we visited was the Golden Pavilion. It was beautiful. The entire two-story building is gold plated, and stands alone amongst trees and bushes, sitting next to a small pond.

Since I was there for a class, we had to do some reading about Japan before we got there. One of the books we read was The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, by Yukio Mishima. It is a novel based on the burning of the temple in 1950 by a young Buddhist acolyte. The story is very well written, and brings what might seem like a boring historical moment to an exciting, passionate story of a confused boy.

My favorite part of the book was painting a picture of what I thought the temple looked like while I read, then getting to see the real thing only a few days later.

Maui Wowie

I love Oahu, and it is my favorite island, hands down. But I have to admit that Maui is pretty great, and my just be the runner up. Maui is the third most populous of the Hawaiian Islands, and is frequented by over two million tourists each year, mostly from the United States and Canada. The beaches on Maui are gorgeous, and you have your pick between white or black sand.

My favorite hotel on the island is the Grande Wailea, part of the Hilton chain. It is definitely on the expensive side, but for good reason. It is a luxury hotel, with gorgeous views, and a water park attached!
The Grande Wailea is a great family hotel, with something for everyone. Dad can hang out in the shade by the Hibiscus Pool(where kids aren't allowed), Mom can have a spa day, and the kids will be entertained for hours in the activity pool, complete with water slides, hot tubs, and even a water elevator!

Even though the Grande Wailea has everything you could need, for about a week, from shopping to restaurants to day-filling activites, don't take for granted the island of Maui. The half dozen, or so, concierges will be happy to help you enrich your stay on Maui with adventures unique to Maui and Hawaii. A few I might recomend are surfing lessons, zip lining, a visit to Haleakala, and a drive down the scenic Hana highway.

And if you're a Hawaii resident, don't forget to ask for the kama'aina rate, it really makes a difference.

AFRICA: it's the place to be

Thank you, World Cup! It seems that everyone seems to be talking about Africa. Whether it's friends pictures on Facebook, a credit card commercial, or an article in this week's Time Magazine, Africa is all the rage. I absolutely loved my vacation in southern Africa, but when I went it was still a below the radar.

While I was in South Africa they were already getting ready for the World Cup. All of the stadiums were under construction, and all of the logo gear was already on sale. You could already feel the excitement for the games, and it was more than 6 months away!

We only spent a day in Johannesburg, because it's really not the safest place. While we were there we had to take hotel cars, because taxis were unreliable. We ended up taking one from the Intercontinental (a hotel attached to the airport), where we were staying, to a very nice mall about half an hour away. We had some local cuisine, which was delicious!

Later, we went on to Cape Town, which is a beautiful city! We stayed at Cape Grace, which is a gorgeous hotel a few minutes walking from the wharf, where there is a mall and excellent shopping. We, as usual, spent a lot of time shopping. Between the mall with chain stores and boutiques and the open market lined with stalls that sold handmade items, I just couldn't get enough!

The Botanical Gardens are a great place for a picnic!

And table mountain is a must! You drive a bit up the mountain, to the cable car station, and take that all the way up.

There is a restaurant up there, which had a great menu with local and Westernized options.

If we had been there for longer I would have loved to take a car toward the peninsula to a beach where there are hoards of penguins! I just love those little guys, and apparently there are hundreds that just hang out at the beach. Another great thing I wish I hadn't missed was Robben Island. During World War II, this island was used as a prison, and now is devoted to a historical landmark and museum. Both of these adventures would have been a half to full day trip. If you have been lucky enough to visit, tell me all about it!

Miyajima

Miyajima is a small island off the coast Hiroshima, Japan. You have to take a ferry to get there, but it is relatively easy, and you can buy the tickets right before you get on. Miyajima Island is a perfect day trip from Hiroshima, and is definitely worth it. Just follow the path and crowds from the ferry station over to the shrine.

There are deer all over the island, just hanging out. They sell deer food, but be careful because they might try to snack on your bag or clothes, too! They are very tame, and used to human interaction, so you don't really need to be too weary of them.

The tori, gate, that is a famous symbol of the island usually appears to be out in the ocean.

But tourists flock toward the shrine when the receding tide reveals the sand.

Local Japanese will also come down to the beach when the tide goes out, and look for shellfish in the sand.

And while you're there you absolutely must tried their famous fried manju, which is a traditional Japanese treat filled with sweat bean paste. In the area with the shops, they have these sweets available in every few shops, so pick one that looks popular and dig in!

Love Beer?

Well, I do. During my time in Italy this summer I had a free weekend from class, so a few of us headed up to Brussels, Belgium. It was my first time in Belgium, and I am so glad I went. I would have to say it is now one of my top ten favorite cities in the world. Well if you make it over to Belgium, there is one bar that you must visit. It's call Delirium, and its symbol is a pink elephant.

The bar is not too far from the Grand Place, which is the center of the city, I would say a 3 to 5 minute walk. Its in what seems a bit like an alleyway, so be careful not to miss it when you pass by, because we almost did!

This bar has the largest collection of beer in the world, with a menu compiling over 2000 different kinds. I would have to say my favorite beer I tried was a cherry beer called Kriek. It isn't too sweet like many fruit beers are, but you can definitely taste the cherry.