Varsity

So, from what I've gathered from my time spent in the UK thus far, there are no real college teams, but rather everything is a club and is run through the student unions. That being said, today was pretty much the equivalent of homecoming here in Cardiff. There were multiple events with varsity games going on all day against Swansea, culminating in the men's rugby match held at Millennium Stadium in the evening (which is like the stadium of Cardiff - it was passable as far as stadiums go). I actually went and it turned out to be an interesting match. Apart from the rugby, there was a streaker, a flasher, and some guys who decided to throw their beer on everyone around them. Let me just say that security was prepared for that streaker, tackling him like a rugby player. Anyways, Cardiff was reminiscent of the Nats, what with having the lead in the beginning and then just losing 13-21. It was disappointing, but I'm happy to say that I was able to understand what was happening in the game. Thank you one semester of rugby at W&M! It was really fun to watch and I recommend going to see a rugby match if you ever find yourself in the UK. Oh, I made oatmeal raisin cookies at some point since my return from Italy (as a tangent from sports). The raisins I used, flame raisins, really expanded in the oven. 'Twas quite strange, but they were delicious. In all, things are mellowing out here now, what with exams coming up. Time really has flown.

London

HA RYANAIR! HA!

I started this leg of my journey with a large breakfast. I then made my way to Bologna's airport via public transportation (bus) and I almost lost my ticket! Thank goodness someone noticed it had fallen out of my pocket and chased after me. Ryanair would have charged me to have it re-printed because it was less than an hour before the flight by the time I got to their

Bologna, Venice, Ravenna, oh my!

San Luca walk

My time exploring Bologna was limited because Bologna was more of my base to visit other places due to its central location. From what I saw of Bologna though, it seemed to have a lot to offer in the gastronomy and shopping departments. It was a lot more gritty than Florence for sure, with graffiti being prominent pretty much everywhere and a lot of dog poop. I just tell it how I see it. Bologna did have its charms though. When I arrived via train it was raining and my umbrella was wedged somewhere in my backpack. Bologna though, has this whole system of porticoes that basically make having an umbrella unnecessary for the most part. They're also very picturesque when you look past the graffiti and people begging.

All roads lead to the Duomo in Firenze

Panorama of Firenze

Man oh man do my feet hurt. I've done nothing but walk! Walk and take pictures and eat gelato! Rough life, I know. So, my first full day in Florence (Firenze) I went to the Uffizi Gallery where I saw numerous Madonna and Child/ Madonna Enthroned works and a lot of Greek myth stuff including Caravaggio's Bacchus. Now, if you are going to Florence, I highly recommend that you take a renaissance art history themed class before going. I happened to take such a class last spring so it was interesting to see all of the actual works I had worked so hard to memorize.