Rome and Amalfi

The much awaited spring break (much later than I'm used to!) finally arrived, and boy was I ready for it! I had been planning this 2 week trek all across Italy for months and I couldn't wait to start it off on Saturday with a trip to Rome with Eason. This was the first long vacation we have ever taken together (besides going back to the US). It was really fun to get to experience Rome together. It's one of my most favorite places in the whole world, and I was excited about showing Eas around. Despite the earthquake (kind of scary) and us getting immediately ripped off by an unlicensed cab driver (crazy how they can speak perfect English until they are trying to scam you, then it's ALLLLL Italian), the trip was tons of fun! We ate lots of pizza and gelato and walked all over the city. Some highlights were the Borghese Park in Rome (on our way to Borghese Gallery), spending some time on the Spanish Steps at night (how romantic!) and going to the Vatican before the Easter crowd came the next week. We also got to go to the Colosseum and Roman Forum - my favorite! The weather was great and we both got some much needed (and hard to find in Europe) sun!



Roman Forum



Me and Eas in front of the Roman Forum


In front of the Pantheon


Making a Wish at the Trevi Fountain

In front of the Vatican


Me in front of the Pantheon

My favorite cross in Rome - at Colosseum

Me and Eason on a sunny day in the Colosseum

The Colosseum!


On Tuesday we trained down to Salerno (Amalfi Coast). Our plan was to drive down the windy roads of the coast all the way to the city of Sorrento. Eason was very excited about driving 007 style (too bad the roads are way too windy and crowded for all of that)! But that didn't stop him from singing the James Bond theme the entire way. It was a beautiful, sunny day and an absolutely breathtaking ride. I tried (unsuccessfully) to take pictures, but most of the time I only got the car window...and the windy roads were making me a bit sick! Check out the picture of the big tour buses sharing the road with us measly little cars. They actually had to honk when coming around sharp corners so that the cars around the corner (and out of sight) would stop and let them come through first. I held my breath a lot on this drive!

The drive on the Amalfi Coast

A tight squeeze!

007 Driver

Beautiful Sunset in Sorrento

Sunset in Sorrento

Me and Hil doing some Rock Climbing

Hanging out in Sorrento

I'm so Happy my Sister Came!

Me and Eas looking down on Sorrento

Sorrento


Friday came around and it was time to head to Amalfi. The 4 musketeers loaded up in the small European rent car (it wasn't a sports car, though Eason will tell the story as if it is)...we had bags everywhere! I cranked up the Itunes on my computer (better than Italian pop music) and down the coast we went! We stayed the night in Amalfi, but didn't see much of the town. After we checked in we were taken to our rooms. Sounds easy enough, only the elevator was only big enough for one person and 2 bags, and our rooms were in the apartment "only a few feet away." Yeah. Right. Only a few feet, 8 flights of stairs, through a door, on to a rooftop, through another door, up more stairs and into a completely different building. Mad props to the boys for carrying most of the (heavy) luggage. Us Haglund girls aren't great packers. :)

As soon as that feat was accomplished, it was time to find some relaxation. We walked about 20 feet from our hotel where we found a little outdoor bar. Perfect - we'll have a beer then explore the town. "Have a Large beer?" asked the waiter. Sure, why the heck not...that drive down the coast was stressful! Well one large beer turned into 2 (that and the fact that we me some fellow Texans at the table next to us). At first we were slapping ourselves on the wrist for not going out and exploring the city more, but then we got to experience something really special. Turns out Amalfi was holding their annual Good Friday processional that night and we ended up with front row seats! The businesses turned off all of their lights and lit candles. The streets got very quiet and all of the sudden we heard the sound of singers. There must have been 200 people involved in this awesome processional. I felt like we were witnessing a very private and special town tradition. I love how much religion is still a part of their lives. What an awesome experience!

The Group in Amalfi

Me and Sis Drinking a Texas Sized Beer

Me and Eas in Amalfi

Good Friday Processional in Amalfi


Good Friday Processional in Amalfi

Then back to Rome we went, where Dad and Lisa were meeting us. After an amazing Easter weekend in Rome, Eas headed back to London and the rest of us headed north to Florence. Following Florence, Dad, Lisa and I went to Milan to check out The Last Supper before heading to Lugano. More on these adventures in the next post!

Ciao ciao!

Mom and Marty Do Europe (and Other Visitors!)

Mom and Marty in Lugano

These are very exciting times. My parents (Mom and Marty) came to visit. Normally this would be huge (I miss my momma) but it was an even BIGGER deal considering the fact that neither Mom or Marty had ever been abroad before! And boy are they hooked! Marty, for sure! He particularly like the laid back, easy-going Italian lifestyle. I think he could have been happy as a clam just sitting on my nice, sunny porch all day, every day! It didn’t hurt that the weather was absolutely beautiful that week. Nearly 70 degrees and sunny the whole time! It hasn’t been like that before or since, so I’m quite sure they brought it with them (and took it home)!

When they showed up with about 10 bags my jaw hit the floor. What in the world are you doing with so many bags?! Turns out one of them held my very important diplomas needed for my UK Visa application, and the other bag was entirely full of American goodies (also very much needed)! We’re talking Starburst, Chex-mix, Skittles, Rotel, Velveeta, GIRL SCOUT COOKIES…oh my, was I a happy girl!


M/M Eating Yummy Gelato in Downtown Lugano

I took Mom and Marty down to Lugano one day and up the funicular (like a cable car that takes you up the mountain) to see the beautiful views of Lugano and this area another day. We also went to Como for a day which was great fun! We really lucked out on the weather. So relaxing.


View of Lugano from San Salvatore Mountain (Funicular ride)


Mom in front of the Duomo in Como


Me and Mom in Bellagio

The days that I was working, Mom and Marty went on little day adventures. Having never traveled via public transportation, I gotta tell you I was so proud of them! They took boats, trains, planes, busses…they did it all! They really enjoyed the castles of Bellinzona and especially Lucerne. They also got to see the Last Supper and Duomo in Milan which was a real highlight for them.

The last weekend of their trip I took Mom and Marty to see the City of Lights – London! Eas had plans for us on Friday night and met us at the train station. He really was a great tour guide all weekend! We had some yummy meals (Turkish and Brazilian!) and even got to meet up with Morgs and Eric and Adam. It was such a fun time! Saturday night we went to see “Wicked” which I loved! Mom and Marty stayed at the newly renovated Langham Hotel near Oxford Circus. Wow, what a treat, let me tell you! We even got access to the VIP lounge which provided snacks and cocktails to us for free. It was so nice!
I was so sad to see them go. We had such a blast! It was nice to have my mom here to calm my nerves and clean my house (like only moms can!). But alas, they had to go home and I had to go to Geneva! I don’t know that I’ve wide publicized this, but a couple of months ago I was offered a teaching job in London! I haven’t told many people about it because it was all contingent upon whether or not I could get a work visa to work and live there. It’s not quite as easily done as you might think. Apparently they are limiting the number of people who come in to work/live because of the bad economy. So bad timing on my part but oh well!


The Four of us Soaking up the Sun in London



Me and Eas in my Future City!



The London Eye and Thames River



Me and Momma



Eas in front of my New School: Southbank!

So on the day that M/M left, I took a VERY early flight to Geneva from London so I could FINALLY turn in my UK Visa
Application and all of the documents. This has been quite the process (as everything had to be in it’s original form – bank statements, diplomas, pay slips, etc). It really got down to the wire as I was waiting on a Fed-Ex package from Dad that arrived 30 minutes before I took off! Wow! But the bottom line is, I turned it all in and was on a train back to Lugano that afternoon. Sadly enough the whole process to get to Geneva and back to Lugano took as long as my parents’ trip back to Lufkin!


I have never been to Geneva so it was nice to get to see the city (even if for just a few hours). The train ride back was absolutely beautiful, too! Long, but beautiful! The problem with turning in my application was that they had to keep my passport for anywhere from 4 days to 3 weeks. You can imagine how unsettling of a feeling that is when you’re a foreigner living in a country other than your own!



Lake Geneva


The Notre Dame of Geneva

But I’m happy to say I got my visa! They called not 3 days later and said my passport was ready to be picked up. It was a nerve-racking trip to head back up there without knowing my fate, but luckily I had nothing to worry about. Now inside my passport is a lovely visa permit to work in the U.K. for 3 years! No worries, I’m not planning on staying there that long but it’s nice to know I have the option. I am now accepting London visitors to Casa Hag in London next year. Please come visit!!


My Train Ride Back to Lugano from Geneva



Glacier near Zurich

Next on the list of visitors were Jenni and Darin. They arrived the day I got back from Geneva. They were in Italy on a trip with their Dad, Liz, Jacque and Kevin, and were nice enough to pop on over the border to come see me (I didn’t think I’d have my passport back in time to travel to Italy)! It was so great having them here (even if just for a night). They picked the best time to come (Lugano Chocolate Festival was going on!) but didn’t get to see how beautiful it was due to all of the rain. But none-the-less we had lots of good pizza and lots of good wine (and lots of good chocolate and fun, of course too)!



Jenni and Darin at the Lugano Chocolate Festival


Making Chocolate Easter Bunnies!



Yum! Chocolate!

I want to extend a big CONGRATS to all of my friends who have had babies recently. Kelly had a beautiful baby boy (Hayden), Casey had an adorable baby girl (Tatum), Kristin had another sweet girl (Ava), and Jenny May is about to pop any day now! WAIT, this just in (literally as I typed this): JENNY MAY HAS HAD HER BABY! Welcome to the world, sweet Bekah Burkhart!! I can’t wait to meet all of these sweet young people!

Well I’m off now for 2 weeks – it’s Spring Break time around here (finally!). I’m heading to Rome on Saturday with Eason to see
all of the sites! Then off we go to the Amalfi Coast for a few relaxing days (other than the scary driving in Italy part!). Hilary and Stephen are meeting up with us down there – we are so excited to spend time together, just the 4 of us! Dad and Lisa join us in Rome next week (for Easter) and we will all enjoy Italy for the rest of that week! We’re going to Rome, Florence, Milan, Lugano and Como. PHEW! Take that Carmen San Diego!

Ciao for now and Happy Easter to everyone!
Hayley

I'm a Bad Blogger...BAD Blogger!

Shame on me! It's been a while, hasn't it? Where shall I start? From the beginning, I suppose. We'll pick up from the trip after Amsterdam (it's been 7 weeks of straight trips or visitors, so...buckle your safety belts, folks!)

The weekend after Amsterdam I met my two best buddies, Morgan and Travis, for a fun weekend in Portugal! Travis was there for a full month researching for his Ph. D. It was rainy the whole weekend, but much warmer than Switzerland, so I was happy about that! We had a nice, relaxing weekend full of yummy food, LOTS of chocolate, cheap wine and fun stories of way back when. We even watched a movie or 2 in English! I love hanging out with my old buddies!

                                    Trolley in Lisbon, Portugal

                                    Fun Night out with Friends!

                                         Castle in Lisbon

                                           View of the beautiful city!

Unfortunately, I came back to Lugano to MORE snow.  But it sure was beautiful!

The next weekend was trip to London #1.  I got to spend 5 days in London with my friend from TASIS, Allyson.  But this one wasn't for fun - more like stress!  We were there in order to attend a job fair.  Both of us had the dream of looking for a job in London.  Literally we put ALL of our eggs in this one basket, as there were only 3 London schools in attendance.  Within 3 minutes of the start of the fair, we had been turned away by 2 of them.  Yikes.  But luckily, we both secured interviews with the SAME school (in London!).  I am convinced that I only got the interview because I literally FELL into the principal as I was shaking her hand.  Nice.  Allyson and I had a weekend full of interviews with the school (and even got to go to their campuses to visit in person!).  More on that later!  We did get to have some fun as it was Adam's (Eason's roommate) 30th birthday.  A good time was had by all, and Allyson and I almost forgot how worried we were about the job situation. :)

                                 Me and Allyson Out on the Town in London

Me and Eas

Adam and All of his Ladies on His 30th!

The next weekend it was BACK to London. This time I got to bring all of my buddies from TASIS along as it was a 4 day weekend for us! Good times! Other than losing my purse on the flight (it's okay, I still had my passport and money/credit cards), it was a great weekend! I got to see Morgan, hang out with my TASIS friends, and spend Valentine's with my boy! He had a great surprise day planned out which included a manicure (for me), a REAL show, drinks at a nice bar, and dinner at a very special place for us - Buddha Bar. He took me to the same place in Paris on my birthday - I have to recommend it - so great! It really was a nice and relaxing weekend. PLUS we had a reason to celebrate - the day before the trip I was offered the job in London! Talk about shock! Still working on the work permit to actually be able to live/work in London but the ball is rolling on that!

La Cage on Valentine's Day!  Great seats!
Going out for a Date

The next weekend was a weekend that I had been waiting for...KRISTIN'S TRIP TO EUROPE! I was so, so excited about this! My sweet friend, Kristin, had never been to Europe and she took time to come explore it with me! I was so very honored! I met up with her in Paris (after she explored all by herself all day!) and we hit the town running. We saw all the sights, had lots of good food, and shared some fun Euro-moments that will go down in the history of the mermaids. :) Here are just a few pics from Paris:
Me and Kristin at the Louvre
Just climbing the Eiffel Tower...
  "You Gotta Get IN the Map!"
Me and Merms in front of the Eiffel Tower

That week Kristin went all around Switzerland and Italy on the trains. I was so super impressed!! She has some funny stories to tell about the Milan train station ("Here, Italy is my boot...you are here, Naples is here...Lugano is way up here!"). It was just so nice to have her there when I came home from work (just like old times!). It didn't hurt that the weather was BEAUTIFUL for her! She really got to see Lugano at it's best! Check out this great pic from a lovely Lugano day:


Beautiful Lugano!


More coming soon! I had more visitors this past weekend (the boys!) and my Mom and Marty are coming this weekend! I can't tell you how excited I am to see them! I feel so blessed that everyone has come so far to see me. For those of you who can't come, know that I miss you tremendously and can't wait to see you over the summer (that's only 3 short months from now!).

Until next time,
Hayley