Tel Aviv!

Posted by Where in the world is Rachel... , Tuesday, July 26, 2011 5:47 AM

Okay, I realize I kind of fell off the face of the earth once I got to Israel, so here is me catching up on the end of my trip!! :)


Tel Aviv was hot and humid! But the coastline was amazing!! We spent most of our time at the beach, mainly because it was just to hot to walk around the city. Another friend from Poland, Pete, ended up coming to Israel with us! Joanna and I were extremely glad he was with us, especially for our Jordan adventure! Tel Aviv did start off a bit rocky since the person we were supposed to stay with initially was super flaky and it fell through. Luckily, Joanna's friend Dana was more than amazing and allowed us to stay with her and her family on VERY short notice...like 3 hours notice! We loved spending time with Dana and Galit and their adorable children! The baby twins were the cutest little girls in the world and Guy, he is going to be such a heart breaker one day!
While in Tel Aviv we did check out some sites like Carmel Market, Neve Tsedek, Jaffa, Rothschild Blvd., and the art museum. We also ate a lot of falafels and kebabs. Nothing to exciting happened while in Tel Aviv, other than Shabbat dinner at Dana's. We ended up watching the kids so Dana and Galit could go to Shabbat dinner downstairs, but the kids were terrified of us...I concluded that it was because we didn't speak Hebrew. Anyways, after the kids were calmed down Dana and Galit brought us some food from Shabbat dinner and it was delicious!!! We were sad to say good buy to Dana and the family, but after a few days we had to head north to Tivon to visit Gal and his family! :)

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Warsaw!

Posted by Where in the world is Rachel... , Monday, July 4, 2011 4:16 AM

I arrived in Warsaw on Thursday afternoon and was greeted by my friend Joanna! It was so good to see her again! It has been years since I saw her in Key West! Thursday was a good day meeting her friends and going to a fountain show where hundreds of people released chinese lanterns! It was really cool! I even bumped into a huge group of missionaries! A sister missionary randomly asked me to take a picture of the group of missionaries! I then told her I was a member! They all freaked out that I was a member and visiting Warsaw! It was fun running into them!

The rest of my time in Warsaw was rainy and cold! But I did get to go to the Uprising Museum, which was really cool. It was the other side of the story...the story behind the Polish people fighting against the Nazis. I hung out with Joanna and met some more of her friends at different places. I ate some perigees and drank some delicious herbal teas. Overall, it was a wonderful time in Warsaw with Joanna. Tonight we are going to this restaurant where they sing and dance traditional Polish folk music! It should be a wonderful last night in Poland! It is off to Israel tomorrow, which includes an overnight layover in Budapest and an afternoon arrival in Tel Aviv on Wednesday! I'm so excited to start the last leg of my trip in Israel, especially with a friend!!

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Krakow!

Posted by Where in the world is Rachel... , Saturday, July 2, 2011 12:28 PM

The rest of my time in Krakow was very nice. I got to visit a few sites within Krakow and then I took 2 day trips out to Auschwitz/Birkenau and also to Wieliczka Salt Mines. The Salt Mines were pretty fascinating. It's crazy how extensive the mine was. It was large enough to contain 40 chapels! There were a lot of different statues carved by the miners when the mine was still in operation. I really enjoyed visiting this part of Poland.

The day I went to Auschwitz/Birkenau was actually a bit of a dreary, cold, rainy day. I think it was suitable for my trip. Auschwitz has been turned into a large museum pretty much, but it was still a powerful experience seeing all the different exhibits and the buildings where thousands of people were forced to stay. The hardest thing to see was all the clothes for children that were found in the concentration camp. I still can't believe how many people lost their lives there. The other surreal moment of Auschwitz was walking through one of the gas chambers and crematoriums. I can only imagine the fear, anger and anguish that was felt by everyone at those camps. The visit to Birkenau was even more surreal for me. Birkenau has been pretty much preserved as a concentration camp with the barracks still present, for the most part. It was such a LARGE area with so many barracks. It was jaw-dropping to see how large it was and to think about how many people were ruthlessly and pointlessly killed there. Visiting these two locations made me realize the reality behind these concentration camps and the mass extermination of not only Jewish people but of anyone the Nazis wanted to kill. Visiting these locations I think is an experience everyone should have, it helps put everything into perspective. It helped me feel such gratitude for those who fought for those who could not defend themselves. I heard amazing stories of selfless individuals who would smuggle Jewish children to safety and would volunteer their life in place of another. Amazing experience visiting these locations.

On a lighter note, I met some nice people during my different tours in Krakow. I met this nice girl named Lala who was from Vietnam, studying in Singapore but doing a foreign exchange in Spain for a few months and was now visiting Krakow. It's been very interesting meeting a wide variety of people with such different backgrounds and stories! After a few days in Krakow, I hopped on a train and headed to Warsaw to meet up with my friend Joanna! The train ride was also interesting. A nun sat across from me and we spoke in Spanish for a long time. Apparently she is from Slovakia, but served in Peru for 8 years and is now in Poland for the next couple of years. She was very friendly and even shared her food with me! :) Poland has been a great experience so far!

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Krakow day 1

Posted by Where in the world is Rachel... , Monday, June 27, 2011 12:39 PM

well, i arrived in krakow around 6am. i was extremely tired. i went to the hostel and got some breakfast and since i couldnt checkin yet i decided to go explore krakow. i ended up going to schindler's factory. it was such a surreal experience seeing images and remnants of nezi germany's control of krakow and the mass extermination of the jews. crazy to think of how recent these things were as well.

after schindler's factory, i checked out market square in old town. i went into st. mary's church, it was very baroque inside, very ornate but pretty cool, other than the fact that they wanted to charge you extra to take pictures inside. i paid 3 zloty for admission and they wanted 5 zloty for pictures...not happening. after walking around this cool market area called cloth hall, i realized how hungry and tired i was. so i headed to a place recommended to me by my friend sean and by the receptionist,u babci maliny. it was interesting ordering but i got boiled perogies with meat and cabbage. it was delicious!! after my late lunch/early dinner i headed to the hostel to nap...i was very tired!! tomorrow i am heading to auschwitz, im a bit nervous but i'm sure it will be a good experience.

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Athens

Posted by Where in the world is Rachel... , 12:26 PM

what is there to say, athens is a sketchy place, at least in my opinion. i ended up seeing that nice family from georgia on the ferry back to athens. turns out, our hotels were 2 blocks away from each other as well! we took the metro together and i got off at oomonia square. the directions said the hotel was right in oomonia square...lies! it was a few blocks away, i had to call them. mainly because all the greek letters were really throwing me for a loop! i finally did find the hotel, and the receptionist was pretty friendly and funny. the room...smelled like smoke, gross. i washed my clothes and went to bed. it wasnt safe to be out in that part of town after dark, alone and a girl.

the next morning i walked to church which was about 20 feet from the entrance to the acropolis, pretty convenient! church was good! i was glad i had made it there. after church i went to the acropolis. i love it up there! i spent the rest of the day wandering around athens checking out monastriaki, the agora, plaka and even syntagma square...where all the protestors had camped out. it was a good sunday! i even got trated to dinner by that nice family from the ferry! it was good to see them again. a few hours later, i found myself heading to the airport to catch my 4:30am flight to krakow!

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Santorini

Posted by Where in the world is Rachel... , Friday, June 24, 2011 10:51 AM

these past few days in santorini have been much needed! i have done basically 2 things...sleep and eat! :) dont worry though, most of the sleeping has been done on the beach so i'm making good use of my time here.

i am in a hostel on perissa beach, which is the black sand beach of the island. i did get up to thira and oia to do some exploring the other day. oia is what you see in all the pictures of santorini on google, the white and blue buildings. absolutely gorgeous! it is very hot up there though, not much breeze like there is in perissa. but still, worthwhile!
today i went scuba diving around the new volcano. not much marine life but pretty cool cliffs and volcanic rocks. the seond dive we got to feed the fish so that was cool. scuba diving really takes it out of you, so the rest of the day was spent on the beach, sleeping and reading. tomorrow i head back to athens and spend 2 nights and a day there, then off to krakow, poland! :)

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Brindisi, Italy and the longest couple of days of my life!

Posted by Where in the world is Rachel... , Wednesday, June 22, 2011 10:52 AM

3on sunday, i headed to the outskirts of florence to go to church. i met a lovely peruvian lady who somehow knew right off the bat that i was peruvian. we talked for a while after church and then she introduced me to a few other visiting girls from denmark. the girls and i ended up taking the train back to florence together. we met 2 guys from utah who were at church as well, on the train. we all ended up hanging out together for a few hours until we all had to part our ways.

i headed back to my favorite part of florence, piazzale michelangelo. i walked around florence one last time and then prepared for the longest couple of days imaginable.
first, i took a train to bologna around 10pm, to catch my overnight train to brindisi at 1am. i sleep in the cabin of the sleeper train, not very comfortable and very loud. i arrive in brindisi around 10am and get a ferry ticket to patras, greece for 6:30pm. i kill time in brindisi, reading and talking to random locals who think its there duty to talk to strangers. they were very kind, but i decided against going back to the old man's house...didnt think it would be a good idea. :) i finally get on the ferry! it was pretty weird. the deck seats meant i could fight for an airpland like seat in this theater like room with lots of other people. it was a loud, smokey breed of people. i curled up in the corner and tried to sleep. luckily this nice lady from georgia ended up sitting next to me. she was traveling with her daughters. after a 15 hour ferry, we ended up in patras. this nice family and i stuck together. we got the bus to athens, another 3 hours. once in athens we had to take a local bus to piraeus, the port of athens. finally, we get a ferry ticket to santorini! the ferry left around 7pm, on what is now tuesday night and arrived a little past midnight. by the time i get to the hostel, shower and clean the clothes i'ved been wearing since sunday, it is 2am. i could've slept through anything i was so tired!
i have to say though, it was all worth it. i sat on the black sand beach of santorini and swam in the mediterranean sea today. not bad, not bad at all. :) i plan on visitn other parts of the island tomorrow and hopefully get some of those classic santorini pictures! then im booked for scuba diving on friday! :)

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Firenze day 4

Posted by Where in the world is Rachel... , Saturday, June 18, 2011 1:55 PM

after the long day yesterday, i decided to sleep in. i slept in and then got stuff squared away for church tomorrow and for the next couple of days of traveling.

for lunch, i decided to walk back to piazzale michelangelo. on my way up i was stopped by a cute italian man. he told me his name was mauro and asked if i spoke italian, i said no, sorry. then he asked something else...dont know what. then he asked if we could get coffee. regrettably i said no, mainly because i dont drink coffee and he doesnt speak english and that wouldn't have been good. but he was very cute! :)
i sat at the piazza for a while, writing and thinking. i then decided to head to ponte vecchio and just walk around. again as i passed palazzo vecchio, i saw this huge ceremony taking place! everyone was dressed in medeval costumes! i stayed and watched for a little bit, then went to my hostel to put the food in the fridge. i asked the owners what was going on and they said it was a huge ceremony of the first ever soccer game played! it happened 500 years ago in florence! the city was alive with excitement! it was fun to watch the proceedings.
later on, i was just sitting in the piazza dell la signoria and this girl started talking to me. she is from south africa and also traveling alone. we chatted for a while and ended up exchanging info, now i have a contact in capetown! not bad! :)
the highlight of the day would have to be the number of people who came up to me asking for directions or help...in italian! :) either i look like a local or just look italian in general! it made me feel good. :) i was even able to be helpful for some people! of course, i answered in spanish...not italian, which through people off. :)
well, tomorrow i am off to church and then taking an overnight train to brindisi! i paid the extra 10 euros for a bed on the train, still 14 euros total for a bed on an overnight 8 hour train ride, not bad! thank you eurail pass! :)

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Firenze day 3 and Cinque Terre

Posted by Where in the world is Rachel... , 1:32 PM

this morning i woke up earlier than any other day so far. i had booked a hiking tour of cinque terre. i walked to the bus and started the day by 8am. we left and headed northwest to the mediterranean coast. it took about 2 and a half hours but we passed through tuscany on the way and got to see la carrara, which is the white marble quarry where michelangelo picked the marble for david, and its one of the only places in the world to find this much white marble!

our tour guides were sandra, a local, and douglas, a brazilian/italian who moved to italy from brazil about 5 years ago. need i say more...he was attractive, even with his hair long enough to pull in a ponytail. :)
as we get to manarola, the first town we visited but the 2nd of the 5 towns, i start talking to this girl named magda. she is my age and is from poland also traveling alone. we got along great and pretty much stayed together the rest of the day! i also met a canadian girl named brenda who has been living in munich for 2 years teaching p.e., she was also very nice. the day goes wonderfully! i did get another blister but, whats new there!
the hike reminded me of macchu picchu at times but it was really not that bad. the towns were beautiful! such pretty colors and amazing views! these towns were built on cliff faces and there a tons of terraced fields for growing grapes! it was a beautiful experience. i full intend to return on day with my future husband and put a lock on the fence of lovers lane. :)
by the time we got back it was about 9pm and i was exhausted from a long day of hiking! magda and i parted ways and i headed towards palazzo vecchio. again, i ran into a free concert there! this time it was a band playing outside. the band was a weird mix of pre-teens, young adults and grandparents! they were alright, but it was fun to watch! they even played jesus christ superstar! that brought me back to my band years! :) i was standing next to the parents of the 1st chair trumpet player, who i thought looked a lot like what i imagine my dad looked like when he was younger! :) it was nice to see the parents there. the band closed the night by playing the italian national anthem! it was fun to see and hear everyone cheering and singing their anthem, althought most were just cheering, some were "lalala-ing", dont think they knew the words. :) overall, it was a great day!!

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Firenze day 2

Posted by Where in the world is Rachel... , 1:04 PM


on the second day in florence, i woke up kind of early and went straight to il duomo. the lines were already long. so i decided to get in line to climb to the top of the dome, instead of just look around inside. that line was pretty short! :) i got to see parts of the inside and the view from the top was definitely worth it! i stayed up there for a while. i find i am really in no hurry at all, i just like going somewhere with amazing views and just sitting there, soaking it all up! :)
after il duomo, i headed for the galleria accademia, where michelangelo's david is. there was a bit of a wait there but it was worth it! david is the most amazing sculpture i've seen. i still dont think i believe its real, even though i saw it! the attention to detail was incredible! you can see the veins in his hands! amazing work of art!
the rest of the gallery was also very nice! after that i went to uffizi, another art gallery. i saw some da vinci, boticelli, michelangelos and carvaggios. it was also very nice, but i think i was getting tired of museums by this point. :)
after uffizi, i decided to take a stroll around florence and ended up on ponte vecchio. i saw a film crew there and laughed to myself, pretending it was the jersey shore film crew. haha it wasnt though. after a while, i headed to the pharmacy to get some neosporin and gauze, which was an interesting experience. trhe pharmacist thought i was asking for foot fungus cream...we finally agreed on an antibiotic ointment, we'll see how it works. ;)
on my way back, i got gelato and was walking through la piazza signoria when i overheard a lady with one of those cool secret service ear pieces say, "you know they stopped at a trattoria next to that green statue." i was intrigued to headed toward this trattoria. sure enough, there they were...vinny, pauly d, jwoww and mike. just standing there waiting for snooki, angelina, ronny and deena. jwoww i think noticed me non-chalantly walking by and then sitting on a bench, obviously watching them, so she waved...haha something i would do to make sure the person knows that i know they are looking at me. :) withing minutes the word spread that they were there and a swarm of american teenagers gathered to scream, take pictures and fist pump. it was rather entertaining. you gotta love florence, you never know whats going to pop up next!! :)

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Bologna and Firenze Day 1

Posted by Where in the world is Rachel... , 12:50 PM

(well, i am typing this from my phone so please forgive the lack of caps.) well, bologna. what can i say. it was nothing like i expected. it was a busy city with little charm. my hotel was far from the historic area, kind of sketchy but i was only there for one night. i walked around and bought a pizza and gelato, story of my italian life! :)

the next morning i headed to firenze (florence). i immediately fell in love! i got to my hostel, which was in the middle of everything! it was steps away from palazzo vecchio and santa croce! after i put my stuff down, i started walking around. i went to palazzo pitti, santa croce, ponte vecchio and then to the bardini gardens. it was beautiful! i ended up in piazzale michelangelo, which is home to 1 of 2 david replicas in florence. the views from up there were breathtaking! you can see all of florence! i stayed up there until sunset, great decision!
as i sat up there, i also saw these 2 peruvian musicians! i heard the distinct instruments and sure enough, there they were! they even played unchained melody! haha made my day!
later that night, i was walking home when i passed palazzo vecchio and noticed it stayed open until midnight. i decided to go in. as i headed up to the entrance, i noticed a free recital taking place there. so i sat for a while and watched. i felt like i was watching the next greatest violinist, pianist and even clarinetist?! it was like child prodigy and child prodigy was performing! i loved it! oh and i did end up walking around the palazzo vecchio too, that was pretty cool too. :)

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Verona!

Posted by Where in the world is Rachel... , Tuesday, June 14, 2011 12:55 AM

Today is my last day in Verona. I have been staying with a couchsurfer, Paola. She is very sweet and has cooked me some very good food! :) She also took me around Verona and so did her boyfriend Francesco.
Verona is a beautiful little town. Very idyllic. Something you would see in movies of a typical Italian town. I visited the house of Juliet, from Romeo and Juliet. Although it is of course make believe, everyone visits. So there is a balcony and a wall...thats it. :)
Paola also took me up to Lake Garda. Which is similar to lake Como near Milan. A lake situated at the base of the mountains. Very beautiful landscape!
Last night, Italy finally passed a referendum, for the first time in years did enough people make it out to vote! Everyone was very excited, seeing as how most people can not stand the Italian government, especially their Prime Minister, Belusconi. So we went out with a few of Paola's friends to this little town up the mountains. Apparently the best red wine in Italy, and maybe the world, comes from the vineyards in this town. It was a small little place, where literally, everyone knows you by name!
After a couple of days exploring Verona, I will head to Bologna this afternoon and head to Florence tomorrow afternoon. I plan to do some resting while in Florence. I had to drop some major cash to find a place in Florence on such short notice, but I think it will be worth it! Sorry I dont have pictures again, they are on my camera and I dont want to load them onto a random computer! :)
Ciao for now!

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Venice!

Posted by Where in the world is Rachel... , Saturday, June 11, 2011 12:56 PM

VENICE!!


Well, I got here yesterday and stayed in a quaint little hotel. Although it was a little sketchy getting there. I decided to walk around Venice yesterday, forcing myself to stay awake and fight the jet lag. I ended up back at the hotel around 8pm and tried eating a cheese sandwich with the food i bought at the grocery store. I pretty much fell asleep eating. ;)

Today, I woke up and checked out of the hotel. I spent the day roaming the streets and bought another murano glass ring! The one from last summer broke! :( I was supposed to meet up with my friend, Arianna, who I met last summer in the Venice Airport. But the weather was rather rotten most of the day, so that didn't happen. Hopefully we can meet tomorrow in Mestre, before church.

I am currently at my couchsurfing host's apartment in Venice. She is a very friendly girl. :) We met at this little bar in Campo Santa Margherita and hung out with 2 of her friends, also very nice people! We ended up talking about politics and the health care reform in the States. haha You know, light, easygoing conversation. :)

Sorry I don't have pictures to upload...I do have some on my camera though! Don't worry! :) I am very much looking forward to going to church tomorrow and then checking out Verona! I will keep you all posted!

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And so the summer begins!

Posted by Where in the world is Rachel... , Thursday, June 9, 2011 12:40 PM

after a long school year filled with stressful days of studying, i decided to leave my stresses behind a travel again! this summer i will be gone for 6 weeks and will be trying to update my blog as much as possible!

as i type this i am using my phone and am sitting in the philadelphia airport waiting to board my flight to london! ( sorry, for some reason my phone doesnt let me use caps...)
my first stop will be to venice, italy! i am excited to be in venice again and to meet up with a friend i made there last summer! the rest of my trip of course is still a bit up in the air, but after italy i plan on going to greece, and after greece i will be visiting poland. once in warsaw i will meet up with my friend joanna and we will then journey to israel together!!
i am nervous, anxious, and of course excited for the adventures ahead! i hope i will be able to update my blog often! :)

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Spring break!

Posted by Where in the world is Rachel... , Tuesday, April 5, 2011 3:33 PM

Last week was my first spring break in 5 years! I haven't had one since high school and I was pleasantly surprised to find out I would finally be getting a spring break again, even if I am in Medical School! Sadly, this was my last spring break...pretty much of my life. Feels weird to be growing up and not living a student's life. I guess I have at least one more year of a typical student's life then it's off to clinical rotations! :)

Anyways, for my spring break I got to go back to Utah and visit my friends and sister! I loved being back in Utah! I got to see pretty much everyone I had planned to see, with a few exceptions. I even made it to the Holi Festival of Colors for the 3rd year in a row!


My week in Utah seemed to FLY by and before I knew it, I was back at the airport heading for Philly. Once I got back to Philadelphia I just relaxed and get ready for my new class that started on Monday. Part of "relaxing" included going to the "Pay what you wish day" at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Since I didn't have any school work and it was General Conference weekend at church, I went to the Museum with some friends. I was planning on paying $5 to get into the museum, but I ended up getting a membership...haha. For students it's only $40 and its good for 1 year and you get 1 free ticket to all the traveling exhibits which usually costs an additional $20, so I figured that was a good enough deal and not this will force me to get to the museum more often which is NEVER a bad thing. Its a GREAT museum!!


Anyways, I'm still unsure as to where I'll be headed for the summer but as of right now it looks like my itinerary is: Italy--Greek Isles--Poland--Israel--Cambodia/Thailand?. I'll keep you posted!!!


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Bad day

Posted by Where in the world is Rachel... , Tuesday, February 1, 2011 10:02 AM

So I haven't updated my blog in quite sometime, mainly because med school is sucking any life I have left right on out of me, but today I wanted to write in my journal so I could remember everything that has already happened and it's only 1pm.Today is my 23rd birthday and it started off rotten as can be! There is a huge winter storm tearing through the US but luckily there was no rain or snow here in Philly. The one thing that did happen was a lot of freezing rain over night. So I geared up for school with my trusty Sorel snow boots and headed out the door. As I walked 2 feet away from my apartment I fell...flat on my butt! I almost turned around and called it a day but I had mandatory class today so I had to make it to school somehow. Once I made it to the subway I was already in a bad mood... thinking, I shouldn't have to face this bad weather and falling all over the place on mybirthday?!? Once I got off the subway at school, I fell AGAIN walking to school. This time people were around and helped me up but for some reason it made me very upset. I ended up having to take a moment before class and hid in the private bathroom on the first floor and just let the tears flow. Once I composed myself as best as I could, I headed to class. Class was alright but I was still NOT in the mood to be happy, after all I was still holding back tears. After the first class, things started looking up.


First, I got my first couchsurfing request!! I'll be hosting 2 girls from Vienna, Austria next Tuesday! I'm excited to meet them and time permitting, show them around Philly!

Second, my good friends made me brownies!! Yummy!! My friend Katherine also got me a Diet Mountain Dew, she always knows how to win me over. :)

Third, I got a package from my best friend Chelsea! She told me she had sent a card and thought it might not make it in time but it DID!!! The best part of the present was the Symphony bar of chocolate!! And the card was pretty funny too...not going to lie. :) The card fit me perfectly!! (Pictures of the card below :) )

Just in case you can't read it, it says "There's no place like Paris, There's no place like Paris"

haha! Never thought of it that way, but it's definitely very true!! Why on Earth would you wish for Kansas if you had magic shoes?!?! :)

I guess I just need to focus on the good things that have happened today and not let the bad things hold me down. I'm determined to turn this birthday around! I decided to take a couple of hours off from studying and then get back to the books! Hopefully it's all fun and games from here! I don't think I can handle anymore bad/sad things happening today.

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