It is often long after a moment is passed that its meaning comes to light, if it ever does at all. I find that seeing so much in such a short time has its tendency for pitfalls; things simply start to blur. The statues, the bridges, the nights spent in bars. Except for the moments. In the week since I have returned from my trek around Europe, this is how I have come to make sense of it all. I promise that when the demands of life subside a bit and I can properly describe the little details I will. Until then, I want to leave you with a few thoughts from "spring break". That is an odd term for me really, since I am almost positive the first thing most think of is a cold Corona on an island beach. Regardless, as you know our trip covered five cities in three countries, none of which I had ever previously visited. Of these, Paris and Rome seem to stick out in my mind. I was surprised how much I enjoyed Paris, as it was not on the top of my priority list of things to visit. There are an overwhelming number of things to see in Paris, as there are in most cities. However, that is not what stood out to me. If I had to pin it down, the afternoon we spent wandering along the Seine River without a proper destination in mind was most enjoyable, as was the late night spent in the streets of the Bastille area looking for a bar. Moving onto Venice, what they say is true: there is nothing like getting lost in Venice. I have no idea how far we walked in single file through the cities maze of little streets and canals but I cannot complain; it was simply breathtaking. I can hardly forget the snow that greeted us in the early morning when we arrived in Florence, or the kindness of the women at the hostel who let us check in early and sleep for a few hours. Though I admit I suffered through my semester of Art History last fall, the knowledge cam
e full circle when we visited the Galleria dell'Accademia to see the works of Michelangelo, Brunelleschi and Donatello, among others. Professor Meadows-Rogers, I hope I made you proud. Next stop on our whirlwind tour, in the words of Phoenix, Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome. I've been told you cannot discover it all in a life time, and all I had were two days. The Vatican and the Colosseum were stunning, though both were honestly not as impressive as I had imagined in my mind. Again, to pick a moment, sitting on the Spanish Steps on Friday morning watching the world go by. The hectic scramble to the airport that ensued in the wake of the transit strike also made for a good story, though not as lovely as the Rome skyline in the early morning sun. Compared to the relative warmth and beauty of the Italian peninsula, Prague was a bit of a shock. It was certainly the most foreign feeling place we visited, in my mind anyways. The sun stayed away most of the weekend and left the city with a gloomy and oppressive feeling. I do not think I ever felt truly comfortable. Regardless, the architecture was stunning and gave off that Eastern European vibe. After a week of intense sight seeing it was nice to kick back and enjoy our time in Prague without any pressure to go out and see things. Was it the highlight of my trip? No, but you cannot put a price on time spent with good friends. You can try and try to see it all, but at the end of the day who you are with is just as important. There is so much to take away from this trip and so much more I want to see, but if I discovered anything significant it was that feeling I had when I stepped off the plane again in Dublin Airport: it was good to be home. Sure, over the previous ten days I had visited a few of the most historic places in the world, but I was overwhelmed with a sense of how much I love this Island. I guess it is safe to say I picked the right place to study, and there has got to be something in that. To get right back in the swing of things, we had a day to rest before St. Patrick's day and I think you can take a guess what happened next. I'll save that for another day. As always I keep counting my blessings and forging ahead. We are small pieces in an ever changing, yet ever beautiful world. Cheers.
Window shot, Prague Castle
e full circle when we visited the Galleria dell'Accademia to see the works of Michelangelo, Brunelleschi and Donatello, among others. Professor Meadows-Rogers, I hope I made you proud. Next stop on our whirlwind tour, in the words of Phoenix, Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome. I've been told you cannot discover it all in a life time, and all I had were two days. The Vatican and the Colosseum were stunning, though both were honestly not as impressive as I had imagined in my mind. Again, to pick a moment, sitting on the Spanish Steps on Friday morning watching the world go by. The hectic scramble to the airport that ensued in the wake of the transit strike also made for a good story, though not as lovely as the Rome skyline in the early morning sun. Compared to the relative warmth and beauty of the Italian peninsula, Prague was a bit of a shock. It was certainly the most foreign feeling place we visited, in my mind anyways. The sun stayed away most of the weekend and left the city with a gloomy and oppressive feeling. I do not think I ever felt truly comfortable. Regardless, the architecture was stunning and gave off that Eastern European vibe. After a week of intense sight seeing it was nice to kick back and enjoy our time in Prague without any pressure to go out and see things. Was it the highlight of my trip? No, but you cannot put a price on time spent with good friends. You can try and try to see it all, but at the end of the day who you are with is just as important. There is so much to take away from this trip and so much more I want to see, but if I discovered anything significant it was that feeling I had when I stepped off the plane again in Dublin Airport: it was good to be home. Sure, over the previous ten days I had visited a few of the most historic places in the world, but I was overwhelmed with a sense of how much I love this Island. I guess it is safe to say I picked the right place to study, and there has got to be something in that. To get right back in the swing of things, we had a day to rest before St. Patrick's day and I think you can take a guess what happened next. I'll save that for another day. As always I keep counting my blessings and forging ahead. We are small pieces in an ever changing, yet ever beautiful world. Cheers.
Window shot, Prague Castle 
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