Ricky's Adventures in Europe

On Friday and Saturday, my study abroad group took an overnight trip to three different places in Italy. The first place we visited was Ravenna. This is the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia and is known for its beautiful mosaics. These mosaics were finished around the years 425 - 450. It is astonishing to me just how beautiful and ancient everything is. Next, we went into was the Basilica of San Vitale. It is estimated to have been finished in the year 547. Like the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, it has jaw-dropping mosaics. Pictures do not do it justice, but there are AMAZING mosaics EVERYWHERE in the Basilica of San Vitale. Lastly, we went into the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, and, no surprise: it is also super old, dating back to the year 504, and also has incredible mosaics. The three wise men. -- After getting lunch in Ravenna, we went to San Marino, which is actually an independent microstate within Italy. It was established in 301. It sits on Monte Titano, and is around 650 m...

On Monday, my study abroad group took another field trip. This time, we went to Parma, which is a 10 minute train ride from Reggio Emilia. The first place we visited the Palace of Colorno, which was where Duchess Marie Louise, the second wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, lived. Then, we saw the Palazzo della Pilotta, which is a grand building that was built in the 16th century. If you look closely at this picture, some of the wall is missing. This is due to the bombs from World War II. We also visited some beautiful churches. I am amazed at how many gorgeous churches are in Italy. The city center. A statue of Parmigiano. Some friends and I ended our trip by getting dinner in the city around 5 PM. If you didn't know, Italians eat dinner SUPER late. When we walked in to the restaurant, we didn't see anyone...not even a waiter. Eventually, someone found us and led us to a table. -- I led two discussions in my Intercultural Communication class this week. Here is a picture of one of the q...