When in Rome....

After spending only a weekend in Rome, Italy, I am a strong believer that everyone should at some point make a trip to Rome!  The combination of food, sights, shopping and weather should not be missed.  I could go on and on describing everything I loved about Rome, but it would be hard for me to do it justice.  Instead I will try to bring you as close as I can to my favorite sights with pictures from my wonderful weekend.

The Coliseum would be hard to miss when in Rome due to how large and spectacular it is.  I suggest taking a tour, the history behind this famous landmark is incredible!

The Spanish Steps are a great place to people watch or to grab a quick bite to eat.  The steps are beautiful in themselves and when walking to the top it’s nice to look out at the city.

The Trevi fountain is the most beautiful fountain you will ever see.  Throw 3 coins into the fountain for good luck and you’ll return to Rome!

The Vatican- If you’re interested in art take a tour of the Vatican, if arts are not your thing walking around on your own will do the trick. The Sistine Chapel and St. Peters Basilica are breathtaking. 

The food in Rome is absolutely delicious.  My favorite restaurant of the weekend was L’archetto, a restaurant near the Trevi fountain; it’s off the beaten path but has the best pasta you will ever eat!

If you haven't been to Rome yet put it on the top of your list of places to travel!! 

and i lost my heart to a Galway girl...

After a few weeks spent in Cork, our group decided it was time to discover another part of Ireland and try our hand at traveling using public transportation.  The decision was unanimous; a trip to Galway would be the perfect weekend getaway.  We left Cork Thursday night right after class.  All 25 of us piled onto a bus giddy with excitement to see one of the most beautiful places in Ireland.  Galway may sound familiar to some, the movie P.S. I Love You and the song Galway Girl, has made it famous to many Americans, at least those who love a good love story.  We arrived at our hostel (sleep zone) late.  I was one of eight girls staying in a room together.  When we opened the door we all agreed that it looked similar to an orphanage, but would do for the weekend!  The next morning we woke up early and took a ferry out to the Island Inis Mor.  This small island is beautiful!  We took a bus tour since it was cold, but the Island is known for bike tours during the warmer months.  In the middle of the Island there was a path to hike up to the highest point on the Island.  We took the 15 minute hike and it was well worth it.  From the top you could see the entire Island and look miles and miles out into the ocean.  We spent quite some time on the top taking in the beauty.  It felt like I was finally in Ireland; this was the view I was waiting for!  The next day we went to the Cliffs of Moher which are some of the biggest cliffs in the world and a famous tourist attraction.  The cliffs were huge and definitely a sight to see, but it was nothing like the day before.  The Cliffs of Moher were too touristy with big gates that took the feel of being in nature away.  Overall it was a wonderful weekend and we all made it safe back to Cork.  We survived our first weekend of travel!!