Europe – Page 9 – DU Abroad

hadleyway

Hi! I’m Hadley way, a junior studying hospitality management. Currently in Florence, Italy, I write about my experiences abroad. Thanks for following along!!! 🩷🩷

After cosplaying as a tour guide this weekend with my friends, I have curated the perfect itinerary to see Florence (IMO)!!!

Morning

If there is something I am sure about, it is that you need to sleep in a bit before hitting the streets of Florence. This is not an early city, and you don’t need to “beat the crowds” when wanting to see it all. That being said, sleep in a bit. Don’t start your day too early or else you risk the burnout when mid-day rolls around. If you want a big breakfast, head over to Rooster Cafe, not your traditional Italian breakfast, but filling. If you’re wanting a more relaxed breakfast, grab a cafe latte or cappuccino at the Vintage Cafe. After breakfast, go to the leather markets – a must-see when in Florence. Here, you can bargain leather bags & it’s always fun seeing how low you can go. If you chose the latter breakfast option, you are probably going to be hungry earlier (even if you did choose the Rooster Cafe). It is so important to me that you go to the Central Market for lunch. The bottom floor is full of vendors selling produce, cheese, fish, meats, etc. But the top floor is where many locals grab a quick and easy bite to eat. I highly recommend grabbing the Tuscan Burger with Pecorino cheese but be sure to explore all the options (and grab anything the vendors are giving out to sample!)

Mid-Day

After grabbing lunch, I would suggest making your way towards Ponte Vecchio to cross the river. Take your time though – pop into vintage shops on the way or the Gucci store if you’re wanting to treat yourself 😉 When crossing Ponte Vecchio, be sure to stop at the halfway point and look at the Arno River & the city around it. Across the River, you’ll find the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens. These are very historic landmarks of Florence, as the Medici family inhabited the Palace (along with other families, but Medici were very influential for Florence). Spend a few hours exploring the Palace and walking around the Gardens – some of the best views of the city are from here!

Evening

After walking around the Palace and Gardens, make your way back to siesta, go to the Odeon Cinema to watch a movie, or pop into a cafe for another espresso! After feeling well-rested, go grab an aperitivo at La Ménagère. It’s like a bar inside of Anthropologie home section. If you’re a student, you even get 10% off if you sign up for emails (do it, you can always unsubscribe later). After eating all of the olives and exploring the store and flowers, finish the night off at my favorite restaurant – Fuoco Matto. It’s a trendier spot, but they perfect every dish. It is also very budget-friendly, whether you want an 8-euro pizza or 30-euro lobster tagliatella, you can have it all.

So yeah, it’s not the perfect day for everyone, but it’s the perfect day for me. Have fun exploring!

Arrivederci,

Hadley

When I was registering for classes at UCC over the summer, I was really intrigued by the possibility of taking an archaeology class. This kind of course is (mostly) not accessible in the U.S and I’ve always been interested in learning about the way people lived hundreds of years ago. The specific class I registered for covers archaeology in the later medieval period of Ireland- it’s a crash-course about both Gaelic and Anglo-Norman ways of life in Ireland from about 1150-1550 AD. As a bonus feature of the course, this past Saturday we went on a field trip to East Cork and Youghal (pronounced “yawl”), where castles and churches from the later medieval period still stand. We had several stops, and there were a few that really left an impression on me.

I. Conna Castle, East Cork

Irish castles are extremely unique because they don’t tend to follow the traditional structure we picture when we think of castles. Instead, they are mostly stone towers that- out of necessity- were primarily defensive in function due to hostilities with England. Many of these castles were strategically built on higher ground with stone quarries (for building) and a water source nearby, like Conna Castle. Unfortunately, a majority of these tower castles around Ireland are considered ruins, primarily because a lot of them do not have ceilings and, in general, they are extremely unstable. Conna Castle is a great representation of the functions of tower castles in the later medieval period, and it was an incredible experience to see it.

III. St. Mary’s Collegiate Church, Youghal

St. Mary’s Church is a really unique landmark in Youghal, County Cork. It’s almost an amalgamation of different period influences: later medieval, the Reformation, the Renaissance, and the Victorian Era. The most notable of these features is St. Mary’s ceiling: most of the wooden beams are original to the first church, carbon dated back to the 12th century. This is extremely remarkable because it is one of the only- if not the sole- surviving examples of later medieval church roofs. The rest of the church has been restored: the Reformation saw the installation of medieval replica tiles, the Renaissance saw the construction of renaissance-style tombs, and the Victorian Era introduced most of the stained glass throughout the church. While St. Mary’s is not a perfect preservation of the later medieval period, the parts of it that have survived have taught archaeologists a lot about church construction during the period. The church itself is extraordinary.

The Youghal city wall was constructed around the church, some of it original to the later medieval period while other parts are the conservation attempts of the Victorians. While up on the city wall, you can see out over the church grounds and onto the water.

I am so glad that I stepped out of my comfort zone to take this archaeology class. Not only am I learning so much about the architecture of later medieval Ireland, I’m also gaining knowledge about the way of life during the period. My overall goal with my courses was to be able to learn as much about Ireland as I can- past and present- and I feel like I’m really connecting to its origins.

Tag: Europe

How to Have the PERFECT Day in Florence

East Cork and Youghal