Spring European Travels

Travels continued around Europe during our "Spring Break" this semester. A majority of the class left Friday evening, taking a cruise ship over night to Roma, Italia. From what I heard, they had an amazing time and were able to spend a few extra days in Rome before class tours started Monday. A few of us chose to travel to Athens, Greece instead. We spent one day riding mopeds around the Aegina Island and the next, celebrating my 22nd Birthday on Sunday, March 1st at the Parthenon, before heading to Rome to meet up with the rest of the class.
While in Rome, we each prepared a short presentation about different structures around the city. Although it ended up being very rainy those few days, we were still able to enjoy our time and visit the Colosseum, Arch of Constantine, Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum, Piazza del Campidoglio, Markets of Trajan, the Pantheon, St. Ignatius Church, Trevi Fountain, Stadium of Domitian, Santa Maria Della Pace, Castel Sant' Angelo, Piazza Navona, Baths of Diocletian, Jubilee Church, various Catacombs, Auditorium Parco Della Musica, Palazzetto dello Sport, and Vatican City, including Piazza of St. Peter's, St. Peter's Basilica, and the Sistine Chapel. The busy days passed by quickly, but we learned a lot about the history of Rome and thoroughly enjoyed our time there.
One student chose to spend his entire week traveling to Oslo, London, Edinburgh, Stirling, and Glasgow with his brother. They were able to tour Oslo Opera House, Akershus Castle, the DogA Exhibition, the Nobel Peace Center, Vigeland Sculpture Park, Viking Ship Museum, Edvard Munch Museum, and Fram Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway, while spending their nights on a ship in a fjord. The biggest attractions in London, England were the London Eye and Tower Bridge. Then visiting Edinburgh Castle, Calton Hill, the Scottish Parliament, and walking up Arthur's Seat, while riding around Edinburgh, Scotland on Double-decker buses. They finished their time in Scotland with the Glasgow Transportation Museum, Stirling Castle, Stirling Bridge, and William Wallace Monument, located in Stirling as well.
At the end of the week, many of us split up to visit more of Europe, traveling to many far away places such as Oslo, Stockholm, Venice, Paris, Florence, Milan, and Pisa, each of us gaining new experiences that we will take away with us forever. Oslo and Stockholm proved to be very expensive for only a few days, but visiting the Modern Museum of Art and Museum of Architecture was definitely worth the trip.
Gondolas were experienced by travelers in Venice and Paris showcased the Louvre, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, and Eiffel Tower. In Florence, we saw the Cathedral of Saint Maria del Fiore, Giotto's Bell Tower, Baptistery of San Giovanni, Basilica of San Lorenzo, the Medici Chapels, the Uffizi Gallery, the Accademia Gallery containing the statue of the David, Church of Santa Croce, Ponte Vecchio, Piazzale Michelangelo, and the Church of the Autostrade. Milan's Piazza del Duomo and its cathedral made a powerful impression on its visitors, along with the Modern Design Museum and Sforza Castle.
We visited Pisa's Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square), also known as Piazza del Miracoli (Miracle Square). Within were such notible structures such as the Baptistery, Campo Santo Monumentale, and the Cathedral of Saint Mary and its bell tower, most known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa. All in all, we had an amazing time on our trips and wished our time could have lasted longer.