My final week of winter break, thanks to my sister and the generosity of my grandparents, I got to take a trip with my sisters and my younger sister's boyfriend to the Cayman Islands and spend a week relaxing in the sun. The beach was literally at our back doorstep, and the sound of the sea could be heard throughout our timeshare. (The fact that I was able to get a tan while back home the temps only got up to a high of like 20 degrees was an added bonus, haha.)
(Personal photo of timeshare in Grand Cayman. January 2015)
We went to a Pedro Castle, the oldest building on the island, went to the same restaurant as Taylor Swift a mere 2 hours before she ate there (so close!), went hiking, saw an amazing botanical garden, and marveled at the loquacious local parrots and massive blue iguanas--as well as the hundreds (thousands?) of free-roaming chickens/roosters and domestic cats. All in all, a fun and fantastic vacation!!!
(Personal photo of Cayman parrot in Queen Elizabeth II Botanical Gardens, Grand Cayman. January 2015)
Roughly 12 or so hours after returning home from that trip, I got to get back on a plane to fly over to Arezzo, Italy for my semester abroad! And while I have only been here a couple of days, already I know that this is a place that I will love and remember for life!!!
(Photo of myself and friends with gelato in Arezzo Italy. Taken by Wade Hensley. January 13, 2015. Facebook.)
The surrounding vineyards and olive trees, the walled city with its history and rich culture, the people, my apartment, and the food--aahhh, the food--are so amazing and perfect that I still can barely believe that I am not dreaming.
(Personal photo of the country outside the walls of Arezzo, Italy. January 13, 2015.)
There you go. Two more favorite places to add to my list. And be assured, as I travel throughout this semester, I will most definitely have more places to add, haha.
Ciao!!!
Ohhhhh, THE FOOD is right, Jessica! I am going to be so jealous, ha ha. I made a lot of extended trips to Italy when I was in graduate school because my main professor taught partly at Berkeley (where I was a student) and partly at Siena. In fact, the whole Classics scene in Siena is really exciting, with great people like Maurizio Bettini, Gianni Guastella, Giovanni Manetti, and more besides. Take a look at the website for the AMA: Antropologia del Mondo Antico and you might see a good conference or seminar that you want to attend there. Oh, in fact, there is a great one tomorrow, Thursday, probably too late notice, by Cristiana Franco: Le moine di Pandora, la memoria di Argo. Cagne e cani nella Grecia antica (she's fabulous!). Yep, I really am going to be sooooooo jealous of your Italian adventures!
ReplyDeleteHey, Jessica! Those two places sound absolutely AMAZING!! I’ve had several friends go to Arezzo and all of them have either returned or plan to return whenever they are able. You’ll have to add more pictures of the places you go throughout the semester. Anyways, that’s so fun that you had back-to-back trips. I imagine that was exhausting but so worth it!
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