to love and wander

Day Seven: Venice, Murano and Burano

“We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment” -Hilaire Belloc On day seven, I was able to finally sleep in for the first time during the entire trip and trust me, I desperately needed it. Lauren and I awoke around eight and headed down to breakfast (this became our Italian tradition since we got…

Day Six: Hello, Venice!

“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” – Saint Augustine As the sun rose over the Florence skyline, I was just finished packing and ready to head downstairs for an early breakfast. Today was the first of two city transfer for the trip and I was required…

Day Five: Vino, Castles and Skylines…Oh My!

“Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience” -Francis Bacon I don’t know if everybody reading this is aware that Italy kinda has a big wine industry which most of us were really excited about. In the morning after breakfast our guide, Antonella Mori, met us…

Day Four: Ferraris and Bologna

“I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” – Mark Twain Day four started like any other day here on the Fantastic and Fun-Filled Florence Frenzy. Breakfast was served a bit too early (7, I’d prefer around 11:30)…

Day Three: Pens, Architecture and David

“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” -Maya Angelou I could never fully articulate the irrational and uncontrollable hatred I have for mornings. They really sneak up…

Day Two: Ill After Effects of Transatlantic Flights

“The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.” -G.K. Chesterton We landed in Florence with such a change in climate that most of us were appalled by how much we should be living here instead…

Day One: It Begins

“Airplane travel is nature’s way of making you look like your passport photo” -Al Gore If you ever want a work day to seemingly last forever, the best way to do this is to plan a extensive vacation because the last workday before you leave will undoubtedly feel this way. I can’t say I was…

Round Two… (36 Days to Departure)

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” -Mark Twain It’s February and those close to me know…

Quick Update…

Alright everybody, I have a quick update regarding my blog. As you know, the purpose of this blog was to post live from my trip in Brussels. Now that my trip is over, I decided to keep this site going as long as I can find ways to keep it interesting and most of all,…

Our Last Day (Day Ten)

Today has been a very bittersweet day. Its saturday and is our last full day in Belgium and while I know a lot of us are homesick, there is still a big part of us that wish we would never have to leave. Considering that it is Saturday, we had no business appointments, nothing on…