badgerjenvstheworld

Fall Break came just at the right time for me. I was exhausted from the start of the school year and just getting over a cold. So, I hopped on a train and travelled 9 hours to the northern Poland city of Gdansk. I was lucky enough to be able to meet up with my sorority sister/ friend, Eve, and her friend, Cary, who were visiting from the US. On the first day, we followed the Solidarity Walk to see some of the sights important to the Solidarnosc movement. Led by Lech Walesa, this was the city where the fall of Communism in Europe was started. Enjoy the pictures!

Bologna was a dream. So many beautiful buildings and the food...the food was amazing. Truly a foodie paradise. The bologna, the mortadella, the tortalini, the wine...HEAVEN. It's been a while so I'm not going to write up all that we did. It's pretty much summed up in the two albums below. Day two- a long walk around the city followed by two magnificent meals. The last day was basically a quick walk followed by breakfast and then the train to Milan, bus to the airport, and then back to Ostrava. It was a wonderful trip- a sampler of Italy. It was a great way to wrap up the summer and relax before the craziness of the new academic year began. Looking forward to next summer's adventure with V.

After all the mosaics and monuments of Ravenna, we were looking forward to getting to Bologna and.....eating!  Bologna is known for having some of, if not THE, best food in Italy. Yes, I know that is very debatable, but this is what I've heard. And I gotta tell ya...I believe it! We arrived by train and took a quick cab ride to the Quadrilatero District (the market area) and made our way to our hotel. To say it was in a great spot would be a massive understatement. It was located next to and across from fabulous food shops, and right on the corner was one of the best restaurants in the city. And the hotel itself was very charming.  After unpacking a bit and refreshing, we asked at the desk where we could get some lunch (it was a bit late for lunch-or early depending on who you ask) but the hotel owner told us that right on the corner was the most famous and best spot for tortellini and mortadella called Tamburini. It did not disappoint!  After lunch, we made our w...

On the final day in Ravenna, I wanted to see a few more mosaics before we had to catch the train at noon to Bologna.  The Basilica of St. Apollinare was quite breathtaking- so large in scale and yet quite basic in structure. The mosaic motifs were gorgeous again and you really needed to take your time, put down your camera, and soak it in.  There is quite a lot going on- frescos, naves, mosaics representing the Apostles, scenes from Theodoric's life, scenes from parables, etc. I'm sure I missed quite a few things.  After the Basilica, and last minute shopping in the gift shop (I bought a little mosaic kit to recreate one of the common motifs- still need to get on that!), and a quick cappuccino, V and I were off to Bologna for the final 3 days of our trip.  A side note: I have referenced a few times that I enjoyed a cappuccino or latte after 10 in the morning. Well, if you read any sort of travel guide about Italy, you will be bombarded with the advice that if...

On day 2 in Ravenna, we headed out to hit up as many of the UNESCO World Heritage sites as possible. I have pictures, but really they just don't show how gorgeous and intricate the mosaics are. It was pretty incredible to be walking around churches and places that have been there since the 400s- really cool experience. At one point, I put the camera down and just enjoyed the atmosphere and tried to be as present as possible.  Sometimes, I think we try to hard to take the perfect picture or capture each and every moment, and by doing so, we actually miss that moment. I mean, most of us take digital photos and download them to the computer...and then do we look at them again? Maybe while we are deciding which ones to post to Facebook or Instagram or perhaps to a blog (ahem), but then they just sit there on our computers. Isn't it better to take a mental picture? Truly be there in that moment and just soak it all in?  I don't know...just my thoughts... We stopped for lun...

Well, I can't seem to stay on top of this blog at all. Last year was crazy! As Head of the Secondary School, it was a full on year. This year, I'm going to really try to take time outside of school for myself- and not bring work home. Part of that is to stay more on top of the blog. As I've always said, this blog is to keep friends and family updated on my travels and life. It's not ground-breaking or anything, just a digital postcard/ letter if you will. Anyway... this past summer my travel buddy, V, and I went to Italy for a week. We went from Milan to Ravenna to Bologna. And it was amazing! We were only in Milan over night, so not much to report there. Our first real stay was in Ravenna. And I was so surprised and delighted by the city. I had never heard of it before and it really is an unexpected gem. I have so many pictures that I'm trying out flickr albums. Let me know what you think- and be sure to check out the descriptions of the photos for more i...

Here are the final pictures from the second part of my trip to Greece this past summer. I realised that this was the longest trip I had taken as an adult without my family! At 42. Ha! I'm growing up, y'all!! I really got used to the whole "lounging under an umbrella with a drink in my hand" thing!! Boat cruise...bluest water ever. Swimming in the clearest water.. Crystal decanter of ouzo- fancy! Miller GD- even fancier!! Moped riding.