Notes of a Wanderer

Leave the house without a map in a city you have never visited. Does it matter if you get lost and walk around the back streets for an hour? Depending on the time of day not really. Explore everywhere.

Don't be afraid of meeting new people, it is part of the experience. 

Use whatever means possible to make yourself understood. Even if it means miming a lightbulb to the lady in the supermarket.

Become a local don't just follow the tourists. If there is a bar or restaurant jam packed with natives on a Tuesday night there is bound to be a reason. It is probably a good sign if there appears to be no order to proceedings and everything seems to be a bit crazy.

The people who stare at you on the street are curious, not rude. When they start to shout at you then there is probably a problem. 

Appreciate what is happening in the place you are in. It doesn't matter if things are falling apart elsewhere.

Take pictures. Not of buildings and famous monuments but of the funny moments and the people you shared everything with.

Don't buy eggs that are already hard boiled. Unless of course you want eggs that are already hard boiled. Look at what you are buying properly otherwise your hungover self will hate you later.

Wear comfortable shoes. No one likes the grumpy person with blisters.

Don't climb out of your bedroom window to take pictures. At least put shorts on rather than a skirt, it might be easier.

I think that is about everything I learnt this week. I will probably think of other things. Maybe. 

A room with a view

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Arrivederci Bergamo! Hola Murcia!

After three months of living in Italy my time has drawn to a close. It makes me a little sad to know that I will no longer wake up and walk out of my front door to be greeted by the mountains or that I won't be nearly run over by a Vespa before I have made it to class. As much as I have complained about Bergamo to my friends, family and anybody else who is unfortunate enough to listen, it will always have a small corner in my heart.

The night before I left we sat reminiscing about everything that had happened to us in this crazy land. It took a good hour and a half before we confirmed we wouldn't change a thing.  The weekly aperitivo on a Thursday night was responsible for most of our stories but there were also other treasured moments. The trip to the mountain lodge sealed our friendship and was the beginning of some of our best adventures. Running around the streets of Bergamo in sheets on Halloween pretending to be ghost and trying to scare people in cars was also a highlight. Rome was so incredible that it has its own post! There are so many moments that I keep remembering for various reasons which all made my time in Bergamo amazing. Thank you to Whitney, Ellie and Sarah Jane for providing some brilliant entertainment and also moral support when Bergamo wasn't being so great (quite a lot).

The question is am I fluent in Italian now? Is the Erasmus experience working? At first I thought I knew about as much, if not less Italian than when I first arrived. Other than asking for two bus tickets or a caffe latte I didn't really feel like I was talking an awful lot of Italian. However, since arriving in Murcia I have actually had a nearly fully functional conversation with my Italian housemate. I say fully functional as I am now beginning to confuse my Italian and Spanish together (again). Nevertheless, it does prove that I must have taken in and understood a lot more than I actually realised. So, if you are contemplating an Erasmus semester or two then it is more worthwhile than it first appears. Even when you feel downhearted and stare blankly at people for at least 15 minutes until you understand what they have said, you are probably better than you think.

Murcia is a completely different place to Bergamo and after reading Martha's stories of the city I am hoping there will be a lot more to tell. But for now, I need to start figuring out what everyone is saying all over again.

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The Leather Satchel Co.

Firstly...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Now that is done on to the main event. About six months ago I discovered The Leather Satchel Co. after reading a post on Fashion Is My Drug. It is a British company who hand-craft satchels, made to order with any combination of colours, sizes and letters that you could possibly want. The result is a beautiful bag fit for any of your daily (or nightly) needs. 

My amazing mum took my hints and ordered a custom made one for me straight from the workshop.

Wrapped in brown paper and twine

You can have your initials embossed on the bag but I have also seen designs with favourite quotations underneath the flap.

A mark of quality

My satchel is 14 inches (which is big enough to fit A4 paper and books) in British Racing Green with extra width. If you don't want a custom made one then you can find them on Amazon or Asos for about £90 but it really does depend on the style of the bag. A satchel this well made will last a lifetime if it is looked after and it has literally made my day receiving such such a gorgeous gift! 

I hope all of you are having a marvellous Christmas and that Santa Claus brought you everything you asked for! 

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When in Rome...

Last weekend we took a small trip to the capital in order to add a little variation and excitement to our lives. Two full days and an afternoon was just about enough time to have a whistle stop tour of the city and learn a few things on the way.

We had booked into an all female hostel named Coconuts, which was perfect for us as we weren't planning to spend an awful lot of time there. We dressed to go out for dinner before joining a pub crawl with one of Whitney's old school friends. When eating out, I would suggest you research where you would like to go beforehand otherwise you will get stung with high prices for mediocre food...not ideal.

We met up with the boys before jumping on the tube to join the pub crawl organised by Colosseum Events which started at the Colosseum Metro station and continued through three different bars. It was pouring with rain and we had no idea where we were going but it is safe to say it was one of the most entertaining nights I have ever had. So many people from around the world getting together for one massive party for one night is possibly on of the most surreal feelings you can ever have. The bar crawl costs 20 euros and includes and open bar for an hour and a half, pizza, entrance into all the bars and clubs and a t-shirt to remember your night.

My second lesson came when we were returning to our room at 6AM. If you are in a hostel and you are planning to go out for the night, don't share a room with one or two other strangers! They won't appreciate your 'I'm trying to be quiet but I am actually being unbelievably loud because I am drunk' behaviour.

On Sunday morning, in various states of conciousness, we grabbed some breakfast/lunch at a snack bar near the station before heading off to explore Roma. We saw everything from The Forum to The Vatican City and each attraction had its own unique beauty.

In the evening after our 'tour guides' had left we went on the search for some dinner. After spending two months eating only Italian food we decided it would be amazing to have a change. We caught the metro and headed to the Hard Rock Cafe for big American burgers and onion rings. Book before you go unless you want an hour wait however, if you don't mind you can always use your time wisely having cocktails in one of the bars across the road while you wait.

It was such a fun evening and eventually we were the last in there just listening to the music and talking about the events of the night before.

On our final day we decided to keep it nice and relaxed especially after all the walking from the day before. We dropped our bags in the Termini bag drop office which cost about 5 euros each and then took the metro back to the Vatican to see the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums. There was so much to see and I would have loved to have had about 3 days just in there taking everything in! Normally in Italy for students and people under 26 they have discounts for galleries and museums which is always great.

We headed over to the Spanish Steps and wondered around before stumbling upon The Pantheon which can only be described as epic!

Unfortunately by that point we had run out of time and we were in desperate need  of going to the airport. We climbed into a taxi and said goodbye to Rome and for the next week we were all in a Rome coma, wishing we could go back!

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Poppy

They don't sell poppies in Italy so, this blog post is my poppy. If you would like to make a donation to the Poppy Appeal 2012 click here.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them. Pin It

Winter is coming...

This week Halloween snuck up on me rather quickly however, it didn't stop me joining in the fun and having a somewhat epic costume to go to The Velvet Pub for the weekly ESN night. I even had time to carve a Jack O'Lantern!

He's called Clive

Now that the scary season has past I am getting rather excited about winter! It is pouring it down with rain outside but being curled up in a blanket makes everything seem a little better. So, here are five things that I am most looking forward to this winter...

Red cups: In 2008 I visited London on a school trip with one of my best friend's Zoe and during that weekend we had our first ever Starbuck's Red cup experience. By the end of the weekend we had managed to sample all the different festive flavours and since then I have made it my mission to try each flavour every year. They don't have Starbuck's in Italy so I guess this red cup will do for now!

Boots: There is nothing that I love more than hearing boots crunching through snow/leaves/gravel and so this year I have decided to make a solid investment into these beauties! They are so comfy, light and go with literally everything.

Topshop £70

Music: My brother once said this album reminded him of walking around in a thick jacket on a crisp winter's day. Take a listen because it truly does just make you want to have a wonder around a city in the snow. Interpol- Turn on the Bright Lights

iTunes £7.99 or if you are old school Amazon sell it on CD and Vinyl

Purple Lipstick- I love lipstick. I think it can completely transform an entire look. I have recently fallen in love with this Rimmel Colour Riche Intense in Plum Passion. I bought it before I left thinking that I would never wear it...oh how wrong I was! Dark lips are amazing and sexy and I shall be wearing this all winter!

Boots for around £8

Winter coat: Currently I don't have a winter coat which, in the mountains of Italy is a little insane however, a great coat will last you forever if you take care of it well. I love going outside snuggled up in a beautiful coat, a way of enjoying the cold without being cold! I have quite a collection of them at home but have yet to acquire the perfect one here. The quest will continue but for now this is my dream coat...if only I had a postbox!!!  

Nasty Gal £67.41

So those are my five things I am most looking forward to about winter. What are you guys excited about? 

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Mountain Lodge

This weekend I went to the mountains near Bergamo with about 30 other ERASMUS students and it was AMAZING!! We left on Friday night and drove for 45 minutes up a twisty mountain path that, I have to admit, made me fear for my life a little until we reached a huge Mountain Lodge hotel at the top. As it was pitch black it was impossible to see and also freezing cold so we made our way inside to find our rooms and unpack.

We sat down for a three course dinner (which we had every lunch and dinner time) and got to know our fellow students slightly better. It was then time to grab some drinks and play some games before heading into the 'club' which was a room adjacent to the hotel with lights, table football, seats and most importantly a stage! We stayed up until five in the morning talking to people we didn't really know beforehand until it was impossible to keep our eyes open any more. 

Saturday morning, was very chilled with people not getting up until gone 12pm however, as I can't stay in bed that long I went and sat outside with some of the other early risers. As soon as I walked through the door onto the balcony my jaw dropped...

This is what I had missed the night before! The beauty of it was that it wasn't cold and so we could sit and soak up the sun before lunch. It was the loveliest atmosphere I have been in since being here, with everyone telling jokes and laughing. (They way I describe it, it sounds like a scene from The Secret Seven but it was cooler than that.)

At lunch we were each given our own secret challenge that had to be completed by the end of the weekend otherwise you had to walk home...although I am not so sure they were being serious.

After lunch we went for a walk up the mountains which I was completely under prepared for but it was fun nonetheless! They told us it would be close to an hour before we reached the top but in actually fact it was closer to 30 minutes. It was worth it in the end though.

We returned for dinner and then the party games started again along with the dancing. Although at first when we were told 'The dancing happens in the room next door' I have to admit I was a little dubious BUT it was actually perfect for the amount of people we had and lots of fun. 

It was sad to leave on Sunday but, eventually it was time to head back to reality and even though we already knew most people before I think it is safe to say that everyone felt that little bit closer as a group.

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