Portugal

Hi!

   I know, I know I bet you're all surprised that there is another blog post coming so quickly after my previous one! Well here it is and its about: you guessed it…Portugal! In my last blog post, I mentioned that on our last day in Italy Nick left to go back to Paris and I left for Portugal. Well, Nick actually left in the morning and my flight wasn't until 9 pm so I spent the day in Venice all by myself. Let's just say there was a lot of wandering around, sitting on benches, and riding the Vaporetto. I definitely consider myself a people person and I really don't like being by myself--traveling, especially. So my flight to Portugal couldn't come sooner! Plus, I was going to be seeing my favorite people in the world so there was that excitement too! I got to the airport a little early because a) I was getting bored (I know, you're probably thinking how can you be bored you're in Venice?! Well trust me, it's possible!) and b) because I was so excited I figured why not get there early just in case. At 9 pm, I hopped on my flight and touched down in Portugal at 11:30 only to walk out of the arrivals section to one of the most classic Mertens Family scenes: Dad waving, Andrew waving even more excitedly to embarrass me, and Mom & Chris excitedly walking over to me. It was great!

   We grabbed a cab and headed to our apartment that we would be staying in for the week. We caught up, hung around, and ate loads of my favorite American chocolates that my mom brought over for me…sadly, they didn't make it past Monday. My brother's friend, Norman, who we've known since elementary school met up with us in Portugal since he's teaching english in a village in Spain. One thing I love about traveling with my family is that it's so relaxed and low key. We woke up late the next morning because everyone was getting used to the time difference, grabbed lunch, and did what our family does best…explored Europe by bus. My dad LOVES these guided bus tours, so naturally we had to buy tickets. Now I know, they scream "TOURIST" but I have to say that for someone who isn't going to be in the city for a long time, they do a pretty good job of getting you around and showing all the city has to offer in terms of monuments and such.

My favorite boys!

Lovin' the bus life!

 We rode around on the bus for a bit before deciding to take a shuttle bus up to the top of this castle that overlooks all of Lisbon--it was absolutely beautiful!

The view from above

Andrew, Chris, Norman and I 

Family photo + Norman

   After walking around a bit, we headed to a cafe to grab some drinks. Both Chris and Norman ordered hot chocolate which was basically a melted chocolate bar in a mug…Oh my god it was heavenly. I had half of Chris' and finished off Norman's. It was unreal.

Pure happiness

    Later that afternoon we walked around, went shopping a bit, and grabbed dinner. Everyone was pretty tired so we went to bed early and woke up a little bit earlier than the day before. The next day we went to the Santa Justa elevator. Yup, you read that right: an elevator. Lisbon is known for its hilly terrain and in the 1800s they decided to build this elevator to help connect Baixa Square to Carmo Square. At the top of this elevator is a platform where you can see all of Lisbon which was really cool. Similar to the lookout on top of the castle except now you actually get to see the castle. 

The elevator in all it's glory

    The rest of the day was spent using our bus passes to stop at different places in Lisbon. We stopped at the Belem Tower which was built in the 1500s as a watchtower for incoming boats. Andrew, Dad, and I decided to venture inside and go to the top which was a mistake. We got to the top and saw all it had to offer which took 5 mins top and then waited in line for 45 mins to go back down the small winding staircase. When we finally got down, we hopped back on the bus and took it around for a little longer before making our way back to the apartment where everyone ended up taking a nap and having a small homemade dinner. 

Belem Tower

Sunset from our terrace

    Our last full day in Portugal was spent in this small town called Sintra which is a 45 minute train ride from Lisbon. It's a small town that has many different royal buildings from castles to estates. At the halfway point of the hill, there is this Castle of the Moors that you can get to by walking up all these stairs. We opted out of that one since it would just  be another look-out point and decided instead to go to the castle which was up the hill. It was a pretty castle, but for the size of it I didn't think it measured up inside. Maybe I'm biased because I'm studying in France, but I think that the French have the whole castles and chateaux thing under their belt. 

Someone clearly lived in Florida for two years...

Potential Christmas card??

   After spending some time wandering around the castle, we went back down into town where we grabbed lunch and then walked around the town. We made our way back to the train station and returned to Lisbon, where we found a restaurant for dinner. This restaurant was definitely what you would consider a local neighborhood restaurant. No one spoke English and we couldn't speak Portuguese so there was a lot of pointing and guessing. The dinner ended up being pretty good even though no one knew what they had ordered! 

   The next day was spent lounging around and cleaning since Mom, Dad, and Chris were leaving in the afternoon. We had lunch at this delicious Italian restaurant and then said our goodbyes. Crazy to think I wouldn't see them til December! Andrew and I were leaving the next day so we decided to walk around and do a little shopping. Overall, it was a great trip! I LOVED seeing my family and being abroad with them is always an adventure! Hope all is well in the States and everyone is getting ready for Thanksgiving! 

Steph 

A little catching up to do...

Hello, hello! 

   Since my last post I feel like I have been all over Europe traveling through Italy, to Portugal, and then to Belgium. It has been a long couple of weeks but it has definitely been an adventure! Unlike my other posts, since there is wayyy more to write about, I will try and make this one short and sweet. 

   Where do I start? The last week in October was my fall break off from classes so my friend Nick and I decided to take the opportunity and travel through Italy. We both had been to Rome with our families once before so we decided to travel to places we've never before been to. The way the week worked out was that we would travel to three different cities--Cinque Terre, Florence, and Venice--and spend a day and a half in each. This worked out perfectly because as two college students who didn't want to spend all our money and all our time in museums, we had the time to wander around and explore. We started off in Cinque Terre which in Italian actually means "The Five Lands" which are located on the Mediterranean Sea. They're old little fisherman villages that are so beautiful! We stayed in Corniglia which is the village right smack dab in the middle. 

Corniglia from the boat

It is also the only one not right on the water, which Nick and I found out after getting off the train and hiking up the steep hill in the pitch black. That would be the first hike during our time there. The five villages are reachable by train or by trail. During our full day in Cinque Terre, we hiked from Corniglia to Vernazza and then to Monterosso al Mare. We met another American, Albert, who was backpacking through Europe. 

Nick, Albert, and I overlooking Vernazza

He came with us on our hikes which was great because we got to hear about his stories thus far and he gave us some advice on the other Italian cities we were going to visit. The views from the hike were amazing. We took a break at a look out spot which was beautiful! It was a cloudy day, but you could see the sun trying to come out and you could see where the land met the ocean. All in all, I found it breathtaking. 

The picture doesn't do the moment or view justice

From Monterosso, we took a boat to Manarola where we explored a bit but many of the shops were closed. We headed back to Corniglia via train and took the shuttle back up to the top where we showered and grabbed dinner.

Here's a map so you're not completely lost!

The next day was a "travel day" where we were able to morning and early afternoon in Riomaggiore before heading to Florence. We walked around a bit in Riomaggiore and grabbed a pizza to split before heading to the train station. We then took the train from La Spieza to Pisa Centrale and then to Florence. We arrived in Florence in the early evening and made our way to hostel. After checking in and resting a bit, we grabbed dinner at this Chinese restaurant that this elderly Kiwi couple we met in Cinque Terre told us about. Finding this restaurant was a miracle! The lady we met couldn't remember the name of the restaurant but described where it was in Florence and from those directions we managed to find our way. It was perfect because it was cheap and it was a change-up from the pizza and pasta that we had been eating everyday! 

Found it!!

We walked around at night got gelato. YUM. I'm pretty sure that we got gelato every night we were in Italy. Hey, when in Rome right? Or in this case, Florence! We sat on one of the bridges and ate our gelato before heading back to sleep. Florence was the start of my killer mosquito bites. That night, Nick and I woke up multiple times throughout the night to kill mosquitos that were flying around. I can honestly say I don't think I've ever been bitten that many times in one night or in the same place!! My arm was COVERED with bites…and of course Nick had barely any. 

Heaven on Earth

Bad quality picture, but my arms were covered!! 

During the day in Florence, we wandered around a bit and went to the leather market that is just a little ways away from the Duomo. With the help of Nick's great bargaining skills, I got a new leather purse! After my exciting new purchase, we went to see the statue of David. We walked around the museum a bit, saw the statue, and then left to get pizza. We headed back to the hostel to relax a bit and then decided to go to the lookout point at Piazzale Michelangelo. We tried getting there for sunset, but sadly missed it! The view from the top was still pretty to see during the night! 

After trekking down from Piazzale Michelangelo, we grabbed dinner and gelato (anyone seeing a trend here?) and then walked around a bit. We headed back to the hostel where they were having a little get together and I met this guy who was from Wales but working on a farm in Italy. It was really cool to hear his stories and meet some of the other travelers there! The next morning we checked out, dropped our bags off at the train station locker, and then went back into Florence where we wandered around a bit. In the late afternoon we left for Venice via train and arrived in the early evening. This wouldn't have been a problem except that it gets dark really early. Venice is already a confusing city so the darkness only added to the adventure of finding our hotel. We were staying near Piazza san Marco in Venice which is pretty far from the train station. We hopped on a vaporetto which is a boat bus that took us to the stop. From there we wandered around crossing multiple bridges and eventually got lost. Oh, and we didn't have a map because they were being sold for 2 euros at the tourist office and well, we're cheap college kids! But a total miracle happened! We went into a grocery store we found and all of a sudden this girl comes up to Nick and asked if he went to Colgate. Turns out she goes there too and was studying abroad in Venice! She was really friendly and super sweet because she left the grocery store and took us to where our hotel was. After that we parted ways, she was leaving for a weekend trip to Rome in the morning and we checked in and got dinner. Guess what we did after dinner? Yup, you probably got it right. We walked around and got gelato!! Except it was freezing cold with the wind so we decided to call it a night early. 

The next morning we woke up, grabbed bananas for breakfast, and started walking around. Pretty much all you can do in Venice is go to museums, eat pizza/pasta, and get lost! We weren't really in the mood for museums so for most of the day we found ourselves walking down little streets and crossing bridges. 

Shameless selfie waiting for the Vaporetto

Since we were in Venice we figured we couldn't leave without going on a gondola…even though it was 80 euros! Well let me just say that it was the biggest waste of my 80 euros. We were on the little boat for maybe 25 minutes. Now, before anyone says "well didn't you check the prices beforehand?" you should know that all gondola rides are 80 euros but I guess it depends on the driver how long you go out for! It was a bummer in my opinion, but hey at least I can say I've been on one! 

View from our gondola: Realto Bridge

We were starting to get pretty tired of walking around and getting lost so we decided to ride the Vaporetto for a bit. Perfect timing because it was as my friend Leah would call it, "the golden hour" where everything is beautiful and lit wonderfully by the setting sun! We even saw the sunset from the boat bus. 

We of course, then headed back to our hotel where we hung out for a bit and then went to grab our last Italian dinner and gelato! The next day Nick would be leaving to go back to Paris and I was going to meet up with my family in Lisbon, Portugal! It's crazy how fast studying abroad is flying by. That week marked the "halfway" point of the semester! I'll continue with the rest of my traveling adventures in another post…don't want to write too much in one! Hope all is well in America and everyone is getting excited for Thanksgiving! Can't believe I won't be home for it this year, but I have offered to make a Thanksgiving dinner for my host family so we will be celebrating it over here! Don't worry that will be another blog post…

Xoxo,

Steph 

"Just touched down in London-town"

Hi!

     I am going to write a quick blog post (I know, I know thats a shocker!) because in an hour I am leaving for a week and a half long fall break! WOOHOO! Today, my friend Nick and I leave to spend a week traveling in Italy from Cinque Terre to Florence, and to Venice. Then from Venice, I am flying to Portugal to meet up with my family in Lisbon! Honestly, couldn't ask for a better fall break plan! But yeah, so I am leaving in like half an hour and I figure I'd leave you with a little update on my life.

     Last weekend was one of my best friend's Michelle's 21st birthday! She is currently studying abroad in Scotland and her family was abroad to visit. Her mom had messaged me late in the summer to invite me to celebrate with her and her family in London, but it was to be a surprise! (For those of you who know me, I love surprises! I hate being surprised, but I love giving them!) Of course I said I would love to join them and surprise her. So last Friday, I hopped on the train and took the two and a half hour ride into King's Cross. It was a slightly frantic day because I got into King's Cross but was planning on meeting up with a friend from home for lunch. I also had to figure out how I was going to get from London to Gatwick Airport by 5 pm where I would be meeting Michelle and her family! I was frantically running around London trying to figure out the Tube, my transportation, and seeing my friend. Naturally, I was stressing out but everything turned out great. I met up with my friend Emma for lunch which was so nice since I hadn't seen her in four years. After lunch, I took the Tube to Victoria station so I could hop on a bus that would take me to Gatwick. For the record, whoever says the DC or Paris metro system is confusing has clearly never been to London...that thing is impossible to figure out!! But, I managed to find my way  and I got to the arrivals section at Gatwick where I would meet up with Michelle's mom and her uncle. Michelle's extended family lives near Brighton so we would be spending the night and Sunday at their places. The three of us were so excited for Michelle and Sarah to come walking through the doors. We even had bets on whether Mich would start crying. When they walked through the gates, she first saw her mom and then me. She was totally surprised and it was definitely a candid moment! It was so great to see Michelle and Sarah and to have a little piece of Saint Mike's with me while in Europe.

     We got in the car and drove back to her uncle's house where we met the rest of the family and went out for dinner. Dinner was amazing and her family is so welcoming and wonderful! It was so nice and relaxing to be hanging out with her family because it reminded me of mine. Everyone was so sweet and  talkative and it was really just great! After dinner, we went to a bar for a little bit and headed back home. Saturday morning, we headed into London for the day where we would sight-see, shop, and go out that night. During our quick stay in London, we saw Big Ben & Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Harrod's, Oxford Street and we went on the London Eye. I think the funniest part of the whole weekend was when Michelle fell down the stairs in front of Buckingham Palace. Sorry Mich, but I still laugh about it to this day. By the end of Saturday, we were all a little exhausted so we grabbed dinner and went to a bar in the SoHo part of London. Going out in London is pretty expensive so we were fine with just hanging out in one bar and then calling it a night.

    Sunday morning we went on the London Eye and then found a train to take back to where her family lives. They planned for a large family lunch so we had to be back in time for that. Personally, I was so happy to go back. London is amazing but it can definitely be overwhelming with the 8 million people in the city. We got back to the beautiful countryside, met up with her family, and had an amazing lunch. It was nice to sit back and relax with her family and enjoy a big meal. Sadly though, I had to get back to Paris on Sunday night so I once again hopped back on the train into London to catch my train to Paris.

    The weekend was just what I needed--some Saint Mike's loving, a big family to hang out with, and a beautiful countryside to stay in. I can't thank Michelle's family enough for the hospitality they showed us. They are all so fun and welcoming and I would love to see them again soon! The cousins are also exceptionally adorable especially with their little british accents. Getting back to Paris was bittersweet because I was leaving behind old friends & new friends as well as the beautiful English countryside. It was an amazing weekend and I'm so happy I could be apart of it.

    Told you it would be short! Or at least shorter than the rest of my posts. Well, I gotta get ready for my whirlwind fall break trip! Studying abroad has been great so far. I have met cool people and traveled to many parts of Europe. This past week I got a text from my mom that in two months I'll be home! Eeek that's too soon!! But until then, I will definitely try and make the most of my time abroad! Hope all is well State side and have a happy halloween!!

xoxo,

Steph

Soaked

Soaked.

That's the word I have choosen to explain my weekend in Amsterdam. Soaked and maybe exhausted.

Let me explain.

Last Monday or so, my friend Willa and I decided to plan a trip out of France. We contemplated going to Switzerland and other surrounding countries but in the end chose Amsterdam! Last minute booking always leads to expensive fares but we managed to find bus tickets for a round trip of 79€--only catch was that we would be leaving Paris at 11 pm and getting in at 6 am, but hey YOSAO, right? We bought our tickets and found a place on AirBnB for relatively cheap and we were off! Thursday night Willa and I met up on the metro which would then take us to the bus depot. We got there early, checked in, and got on the bus 10 minutes before it left. For anyone taking a bus, GET YOU'RE OWN ROW!!! Willa and I opted to share one and it was exceptionally uncomfortable! My long legs cramped as I was next to the window and it was impossible to fall asleep. So make it easier on yourself and grabs row for yourself. Also, it didn't help that there weren't any bathrooms on the bus going there. So I wouldn't say that traveling to Amsterdam was miserable, but maybe one step up from there. We arrived at 6 am and managed to make our way to the apartment we would be staying in for the weekend. Our host lady was a nice alternative woman who put simply was a hippie. She was definitely not a morning person so our initial meeting was very quick and rather cold. But, she showed us to our room where we were SO excited to take a three hour nap before taking on Amsterdam. When we finally made our way back out the door we went to the central station where we bought the I Amsterdam card which got us into many of the museums that are well known in Amsterdam. It was pouring out as well so the card basically saved us by getting us into more museums than we probably could've imagine going to. We went to the Tulip Museum, the Houseboat museum, this really odd photography museum, FOAM which is another photography museum which was much cooler than the first, and finally the Van Gogh Museum. It was super col because we were able to go to the Van Gogh museum at night since it's hours were extended on Fridays. Plus they had some DJ playing and it was basically like a night club--cool but also weird. Willa and I decided to go to a tapas place for dinner and after made our way back to the apartment where we got to hang out with our host, Anna. She was great because she gave us tips for places to go that we're off the beaten path!

We had had plans to get up early and try to beat the line for Anne Frank, but Anna told us of this market that was near her apartment that was only on Saturdays and it was in a traditional Dutch neighborhood where we would find cafés serving the traditional Dutch breakfast. We decided to go to the market instead and were so happy to have done that. We found this adorable cafe that served the traditional Dutch breakfast which is basically apple pie with whipped cream and a big cafe au lait. It was delish! Plus we were able to sit outside since it was the only day that didn't have rain in the forecast. We walked around the market and were successful shoppers! We then made our way into the center of the city and hopped on a canal tour where we met two very nice Brits who suggested to visit the Anne Frank house around 7 pm because that's when the line dies down. After our canal tour we hopped on one of the ferries that connects central Amsterdam with northern Amsterdam and went over to check out this warehouse Anna suggested. She mentioned that there was a place that had good sandwiches and this huge warehouse that has a a skatepark and where you can normally see people practicing graffiti. We grabbed some sandwiches and then headed over to check out the warehouse. There was this huge market going on inside of the warehouse so we were unableto see any fresh graffiti but it was still really awesome in there. Also, the little kids in the skate park were really impressive and well. After spending some time there and snacking on a fresh waffle while waiting for the ferry, we made our way back to central Amsterdam and Anne Frank's house. Our wait for the house was only 30 or so minutes which was good since it started to rain--again. We were able to go in and see the original jam factory and secret annex that housed the Franks as well as another small family and family friend. It was a very humbling experience to see where they lived, the small quarters, and the very diary that would become a best seller. After spending some time in there, it was getting late and we still hadn't has dinner so we wandered around trying to find somewhere cheap with big portions--can you say hungry American college students? We finally made it back to the apartment around 1230ish and fell fast asleep. Sunday morning we woke early as we still had things we wanted to do and it was our last day.

No surprise that Sunday's forecast was rain and 45 degrees. We bundled up, packed our backpacks, and made our way to central station where we dropped off our backpacks for they day. We then walked to the red light district where we walked around for a short time. It definitely was an uncomfortable place to be in my opinion. I know that it's part of Amsterdam and I guess you could say its part of their culture, but having half naked woman standing in windows trying to sell themselves is really bizarre to me and I don't fully understand why it's still acceptable, but hey t hats just me and my western ideas! We walked around for a little bit and then made our way to one of the cafés nearby. In case you didn't know, Amsterdam has two types of coffee shops. There's the typical cute coffee shop with lattes and biscuits and then there's the coffee shops with lattes and joints. Yup, drugs are legal in Amsterdam! Willa and I decided to venture into one of these coffee shops and no, we didn't do any drugs! But, we did watch people grind, roll, and smoke joints. It was definitely interesting! After enjoying our drug-free coffee we made our way over to the Hermitage museum which was once a woman's hospital but is now a museum with an art gallery. We spent our time walking around because at that point we were both soaked. After Hermitage, we walked over to the botanical gardens which took us longer to find than the amount of time we actually spent into there. We were both kind of miserably wet and cold so we decided to do the one thing that would make u both feel better and that was eat. Pancakes are big in Amsterdam so we opted for this small pancake cafe where I got this delicious pancake that slightly resembled a quiche and a hot chocolate. Willa and I then shared a choclate pancake with ice cream and were basically in heaven. It was exactly what we needed. We were all museumed out so we left the cafe, went to the grocery store where we bought our dinner of bread and cheese, and then found another cafe where we could keep warm &dry before our seven hour bus ride back. We hung around the cafe for a while and then made our way to central station to grab our backpacks and take the train to the bus depot area. We got there early, changed into drier clothes, and eventually boarded the bus. We each got our own rows until around 3 am when one of the stop had like 20 people come on. This bus ride wasn't as uncomfortable as the first one, but I was still lightly cramped and still partially damp from the rain. We pulled into Paris at 6 am where we got off the bus and took the metro home. At 730 I walked in the door to my apartment where I dropped my stuff, made a nice warm breakfast and took a hot shower because...I had french class at 9!! I'm not sure how I managed today but I've made it all day without a nap so I'm sure you can imagine how tired I am now! I'll try and post pictures later as well as catch you guys up on my trip to Nice as well as Amboise and Chenonceau! Hope all is well in the States! I'm definitely missing the Vermont fall foliage and my mom's homemade apple crisp so enjoy it for me!

Munich Pictures

Hi All,

   Sorry I haven't been up keeping up to date with blogging! Since Munich, I have had class and this past weekend (Thursday-Sunday) I was in Nice with my Arcadia program. Tomorrow morning I am leaving for Amboise, France where I will be staying for one night. My friend Nick and I decided last minute to go somewhere in France this weekend and so we settled for Amboise. It's a small village just south west of Paris located in the Loire Valley. I really wanted to go somewhere small since we were I've been in big cities lately, so we have decided to venture here! I'm really excited because they're loads of chateaux nearby which we decided that we will bike to. Plus, the fact that I'm missing Vermont fall is really hitting me so I am excited to get out from the city and hopefully enjoy some foliage. The leaves are already changing here in France, so I can only hope they will be changing there too! But, this blog post was to share with you guys some pictures from my trip to Munich. I realized I forgot to share them with you. Not to worry, I will find time to fill you guys in on Nice as well as the quick trip I'm taking tomorrow. But until then, here are some pictures to share!

Entrance into the Dachau Concentration Camp

Memorial statue created by Nandor Glid

"Work Makes Freedom"

Camp Road 

Crematorium

Emily, Nick, and I in front of the Glockenspiel in Munich

Delicious appetizer!

Best German dinner we could've asked for!

The sponsor of our Beer Tent

 

Heavenly...

Rocking out in front of thousands!!

Thanks Walter for getting us on stage!

P.S. Sorry these pictures are so all over the place...for the life of me I can't figure out how to place them in an aesthetically pleasing manner.