The Pearl of the Adriatic

GE May 28, 2016

Aside from watching them play at the world cup and having one of my favorite flags, I did not know much about Croatia. I think most of us have a vague idea of their political conflicts throughout history but in reality it seems like a distant and rare country to us. Last summer I had the chance to visit this fascinating country as the last stop of my trip around Europe.

I visited a little bit of the Dalmatian coast, like Split, Kotor and Budva but mainly I visited Dubrovnik. It is a magnificent city! The new town is very pretty with a lot to discover but the main attraction is the old town.

Placa or Stradun street. One of the main streets of the old town.

One of the top things to do is to go up the ancient Dubrovnik City Walls which go around the town for almost 2 km. Up there you can walk surrounding the city and admiring the view of the Adriatic Sea. Dubrovnik is one of the few cities that still retain its medieval walls in such good shape and appearance. This city which is often called "the pearl of the Adriatic" is so peculiar and unique that it can´t get confused with any other.

In old times, Dubrovnik gained a lot of power from maritime trade. Nowadays the city has become a very popular travel destination. If you happen to be a Game of Thrones fan, then you should know that many scenes where filmed in Dubrovnik´s Old Town ( They have a GOT tour and everything).

After visiting the city I took some time to relax and unwind at the beach.

Croatia is quite different from what I imagined. I did not think it would have such amazing an powerful sceneries all around. I wanted to take pictures everywhere (kind of did). I really hope I can go back and have more time to get to know this country as well as their culture.

-Greta

Photos by Greta Elizondo and Gabriela Garcia.

Lugano

GE February 19, 2016

Sorry for the wait, but I am back to telling you about my summer in Europe. I was in Milan for the most part of my trip. The nice thing about being in Milan is that there are many interesting cities nearby. Just take a train and in a few hours you can get to Rome, Florence or Venice! This one weekend I was quite exhausted from walking and traveling, but of course I could not let myself stay in doing nothing. That got me thinking, where should I go? A close city, different country, a relaxing day... Lugano was the answer!

Lugano is a city in the Italian speaking part of Switzerland. There are no major attractions but sitting by the Lake Lugano and letting your mind wander is something you do not get to do often.

The city is very pretty with many small and unique shops. The best way to get to know Lugano is by walking, you don´t even need a destination. Explore every street and alley. Once you are tired, find yourself a cute restaurant by the lake, order a pizza and relax.

-Greta.

All Roads Lead to Rome

GE September 12, 2015

Finally Roma!! I had never visited before. We all have a lot of references about what Rome looks like but what it feels like to be walking through its streets and ruins is a completely different story.

Probably one of the most recognized landmarks of Rome is the Colosseum. It was built between 70-80 A.D, started by Emperor Vespasian and finished by his son Titus. The amphitheater could seat around 50,000 people. All sorts of games and entertainment could be seen at the Colosseum, from gladiator fights to naval combats (yes, somehow they flooded the arena for this).

It truly is an architectural masterpiece. Of course the building by itself is stunning but even the small details in the inside show that Romans had brilliant minds. For example, along the staircases there is a small canal used to drain the water out of the building, possibly very useful for cleaning.

The Roman Forum was the main plaza of ancient Rome. Surrounded by government buildings, citizens would meet here for political or economical business. Being able to walk through the Roman ruins is just incredible. It gives us a better understanding of how the Roman Empire became so powerful. In my opinion the key was not only to have a strong army but to use their architects and engineers at their fullest potential.

There is so much to discover in Rome. You can be walking around the narrow streets, not really knowing where to go and all of a sudden end up standing right in front of a magnificent ancient building, like the Pantheon.

The Pantheon is thought to be almost 2,000 years old. Aside from standing in perfect shape, the Pantheon´s elegance and explicit design is a very good example of the great architecture implemented by the Roman Empire. At first it was built as a temple to all gods but later was turned into a church, historians think this is one of the reasons why it has survived. It is very famous for its dome. The dome´s weight would have been to heavy to be supported, so Roman engineers made the walls thinner on the upper part and also used lighter materials. Also the distance from the top to the floor is proportional to its diameter making the design even more impressive! (I was lucky to be traveling with my dad who is an architect).

I learned so much about the greatness of the Roman Empire but specially the understanding of the "All roads lead to Rome" saying.

-Greta

Photos by Greta Elizondo and Gabriela Garcia.

Another Pointe