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.