Ari Melenciano takes us on a journey. "Here are a few moments from my trip to Fez, Morocco - an amazing place to visit."
Cinque Terre is a series of five small fishing villages along the northwestern coast of Italy. These villages are, in order, Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare. In fact, these villages are so secluded that it's faster to get to the other villages by foot (several hours) or by boat (several minutes) than by car. Because the villages are so secluded, the people of each village developed their own specific local dialect. The remains of ancient fortresses and churches pepper each village; the rocky outcroppings and secluded locations made them popular targets for pirate raids. This iconic view of Manarola was taken from the bay's other side, by climbing up a set of stairs and leaning over the rails. This was one of our first hikes. We took this shot of Manarola on our way to Corniglia.
Vernazza has a secluded, inner bay as well as its main harbor port. The dark part to the right is the castle remains. Every night we made sure we made it to the sea side to watch the sunset throw incredibly colors into the evening sky.
At the beginning of the academic year, fellow Terp, Austin Hou, decided to make a trip with friends to Burning Man in Nevada. According to Burning Man's website, "trying to explain what Burning Man is to someone who has never been to the event is a bit like trying to explain what a particular color looks like to someone who is blind." It's an ephemeral city of art and self-expression in the desert of Nevada, created by its participants only to be destroyed weeks later. Instead of trying to explain it further, we'll just try to show you in pictures and film (photos and film © by Austin Hou).
Junior Eashan Samak recently sent us photos from a visit to Turkey. In his words, he describes his impressions of the country. "Three summers ago I was fortunate enough to visit Turkey on a 2-week long exchange program. Even though I have traveled internationally before, it was the first time I went to a place where East literally meets West in terms of culture. The very European culture of the west blends seamlessly with Middle Eastern and Arab cultures of the east."
Ah, Roma. Che bellissima! La città con il Colosseo, il Vaticano, ed i Romani. I studied abroad in Rome last spring. The food is delicious, public transport is sketchy, the fashion is amazing, and the people are friendly when you act nicely... I loved it. Here is a link to a google map with places to go in Rome: http://goo.gl/maps/wVRC6. Safe travels!
Udaipur, India, is an ancient city located in northern India. Also known as the City of Lakes, it boasts mountains and valleys, castles and lakes. It has a strong artisan culture that specializes in miniature portraits and leather-bound books. On the left is Naples as seen from la bocca del vulcano (the mouth of the volcano). Southern Italy is riddled with inactive (and sleeping) volcanoes, which formed this rich, fertile countryside thousands of years ago. As an Italian once said about the area, "Put a compass to paper and trace a circle. Then tell me which other country has such a concentration of places like Amalfi, Naples, Ischia, Procida, Sorrento, Positano, Pompeii, and Capri." Seriously, this place was ridiculous. I want to share a video below that was beautifully shot by a friend of a friend... I mean, it actually looked like this. It's a small city-town at the edge of a river, overlooked by an ancient fortress. Even the colorful graffiti adds to the place. The pictures below give a snapshot of my weekend in Salzburg, visiting a fellow Terp.
I visited some family friends in the Netherlands for the weekend. First, I flew into Amsterdam and met our friends at the central train station. We biked around Amsterdam, passing through parks, the Red Light District, and clouds of smoke. The boats lining the canals reminded me of a painting...it's easy to see how so many artists combined drugs and nature to create masterpieces in Holland (do not try that at home).
Our family friends lived in Hengelo, all the way on the eastern border of Holland. It's a small suburban town, filled with beautiful houses, an eco-friendly biking culture, and lots of herring.
Volendam has got to be the most picturesque fishing village that I've ever visited, tied only with Cinque Terre, Italy. Note that the above video has footage from Oxford and other parts of England, as well as London. |