Israel!

After graduation, my parents and I headed to Israel for a jam packed week of sightseeing and touring. We arrived in Tel Aviv Monday afternoon, which gave us just enough time to prepare for our week ahead. Tuesday morning we were met by our guide for the week, Jacob, and headed to Jerusalem.

Dad, Me and Mom

We started with the Wailing Wall and were able to place our prayers. After a quick lunch of delicious felafel, we walked the Via Dolorosa, the Stations of the Cross. These fourteen stations follow the path that Jesus walked carrying his cross to his crucifixion. Because of the constant change in Israel most of the stations are artistically represented. My favorite stations were the fourth, fifth and fourteenth. The fourth station is where Jesus meets his Mother, Mary. The fifth station is where Simon is enlisted to help Jesus carry the cross, as he cannot go on. There is a place where Jesus rested and his hand print is embedded in the stone. The last station is Jesus' tomb where he was buried and resurrected.

Station 4

Station 5

After Jerusalem, we headed to Bethlehem which is located under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian authority. Bethlehem is surrounded by a 30 foot concrete wall and in order to enter we had to cross through passport control and no-man's land. We were met by our Palestinian guide, Rio, who also spoke Italian (go figure!!), who would bring us around for an hour and a half. He brought us to the Church of Nativity which was built over the stable that Jesus was born in, allowing us to see his birth place and the location of the manger. Our guide brought us back to the border and our crossing expedition began. While trying to cross the border there was a large back up and Israel wasn't letting anyone back into the country. Therefore, we ended up getting stuck in Bethlehem for a very long fifteen minutes. As we were waiting, more and more people were coming and the tension was rising. There was no where to go as we were all stuck in this cement room. It was definitely an experience and I can say that I was glad we made it to the other side.

In Bethlehem tasting the Christmas Mass Wine

Wednesday was a change of pace, with a trip to Masada, one of Herod the Great's palaces and the last Zealot outpost during the Jewish Revolt. Located on a cliff overlooking the Dead Sea, the palace was an engineering feat to say the least. He had marble imported from all over the world and had intricate mosaics done throughout. As it is the desert, they created a complex water drainage system that brought water in and stored it in two large cisterns.

Palace of Masada

We then headed to the Dead Sea for the afternoon! It was an amazing experience and the water, so saturated with salt actually felt oily. The Dead Sea is disappearing and on our trip from the Spa down to the sea we passed the old water levels. The sea used to be right at the edge of the building but is now a 10 minute walk from the spa. As the sea continues to evaporate, not only is it shrinking but the solution is becoming more and more saturated causing more salt to collect on the floor, causing an increasingly vicious cycle.

Dead Sea Fun

uh oh

Thursday we spent the morning at the Jerusalem Holocaust History Museum, an extremely moving experience. It is hard to describe the emotions and feelings while there. The exposition was very well done. We saw children's games catered to the German children where to win they would have to rid the town of Jewish men and women and a Jewish game that was a take off on Monopoly that taught kids how to survive in the ghetto. There were original train tracks and cars that were used for transport and parts of the floor were made up of the squares that they were brought to before boarding the trains. The Museum was something I will never forget.

Heading up to Tiberias we stopped at the Jordan River, the site where Jesus was baptized by John. The river was much more narrow then I expected and quite dirty but we still put our feet in. The other side of the river was Jordan, however, we were not allowed to cross the border!

In the Jordan River, with Jordan behind me

Friday was a day full of churches and the Sea of Galilee, which has large religious significance. On our way to the Sea of Galilee we stopped at Magdala, a current archeological dig uncovering the temple in the town that Mary Magdalene was born. We visited the sites of the Sermon on the Mount and where Jesus fed 5000 people by multiplying the five loaves of bread and fish.

Mom & me in the Galilee with St. Peter's Church Behind us

In the afternoon we headed to the Golan Heights where we went to the Valley of Tears, the site of the 1967 Yom Kippur Battle. We could see across the border into Syria and could see a city that has been taken over by Syrian Rebels. We could also hear Syrian bombs in the distance. After that experience we went to the valley and had lunch in a Kibbutz, a collective community, with all the food coming from their farms. A Kibbutz was traditionally based on agriculture but now also has industries and they are becoming increasingly privatized.

Found all over Israel

Saturday was our last day and we headed to Acre and Caesarea. Acre is one of the oldest continually inhabited sites in the world. It is known as a well protected and fortified city with amazing ruins and excavations. We were able to go into the excavations and walk through the underground tunnels and see the dining hall. The fort was continuously used and built upon throughout history as it is located on the water near a port. Caesarea, a Roman city dedicated to Caeser was built by Herod the Great. The city shows remains of an ampitheatre and the theater is still standing and used today.

Caeserea

Israel was an amazing experience and trip. Not only were the sites amazing but the food was delicious. I never had a bad meal and the hummus, Israeli salads and frozen coffee were all so good! The trip was a great ending to a fantastic year abroad. Now back in the states, I am looking forward to the next chapter.

Frozen Coffee, Israeli Salad and Falafel, hummus and spreads

Look out world, here we come!

I officially have a Masters degree with distinction! This past Sunday my friends and I graduated with a Masters in International Management and are now ready to take on the next chapter in our lives. The celebrations began on Thursday when I was offered an internship in Lugano for the summer, so fear not Lugano, I will be back in June! My parents arrived Thursday morning from NY for the graduation festivities!

Masters graduate!

On Saturday my parents and I, along with my cousin Gianluigi, Shannon, Stefan, Jeannie, Patrick and Jeannie's mom took a leisurely boat ride on Lake Lugano. On the way to lunch we were able to see the shores of Lugano, Gandria and many other small towns that dot the coast.When we landed in Italy we had a little bit of time before the reservation and were able to take a quick glimpse around the town. It was so cute and built up on a hill with windy stairways leading up to the rest of the town. Our lunch was amazing and there was so much food! None of us had rented a boat on Lugano so it was quite the experience and a highlight of the weekend. It was definitely a great way to celebrate our graduation and I will remember this day forever.

At lunch

Sunday was graduation! At noon we had a lunch with our classmates, parents, our director and other school officials. It was a nice prelude to graduation as we were able to meet families and friends.

Graduation festivities

It was so nice to have my parents there to watch me graduate. I was presented my diploma by a good family friend, which made the day even more special. To the end the day me, Jeannie and Shannon along with our families and friends went to apero before we all went our separate ways.

Proud Parents

This year at graduate school was an amazing experience that I will never forget. I couldn't have done it without my family and friends. Jeannie and Shannon are such great friends and I don't know what I would have done without them. They made the year fly by and the countless memories we have will last a lifetime. I cannot wait to see them again and see what our futures have in store. This isn't goodbye, it's just the beginning!

The best

Hello Helsinki

Last Wednesday, I took my last final for grad school and am now in the home stretch. I have one more week consisting of a capstone exercise and then am officially done! With Thursday and Friday off, I headed to Helsinki, Finland to meet up with my friend Ben. Ben and I went to high school together and he has been living in Helsinki for the past two years as a neuroscience researcher.

Ben and I in Helsinki

I arrived in Helsinki late Thursday afternoon and we spent the rest of the day wandering around the city. The days in Helsinki are getting longer so the sun doesn't set until around 10:30pm and rises at around 4:30am. It definitely took some getting used to as I never realized how late or early it actually was. We had a late dinner and then began to walk around the water. The city of Helsinki includes many small islands so the majority of the city is surrounded by water, allowing for many great walks and views. Thursday night we stopped at Cafe Regatta, to have some dessert by a fire pit overlooking the water. The cafe is a small and cozy red cabin well known for their Finnish pastries and coffee.

Sunset in Helsinki around 10:30pm!

We ended our night at the Sibelius Monument. Jean Sibelius was a Finish Composer during the twentieth century. His monument was designed by Eila Hiltunen in 1967 and is an abstract piece. Consisting of more than 600 tubes in varying sizes, it is meant to showcase the flow of music.

Sibelius Monument at night

Friday, with Ben at work, I set out to explore the city on a route that was planned out for me the night before. I started at the Helsinki Cathedral, or Tuomiokirkko, but most well known as the White Church. The Lutheran Cathedral was completed in 1852 and was originally built as a tribute for the Grand Duke of Finland, a Russian Tsar. The Cathedral is a distinctive landmark that can be seen throughout the city. It is in the shape of a Greek Cross and is well known for its five green domes that pierce the skyline. I then headed down the street to the city market, where stands sold everything from Finnish Sweaters, fresh fish, handicrafts, food and most importantly all things reindeer!

The White Church

From the market I jumped on a 15 minute boat ride and headed to Suomenlinna, a sea fortress built on six islands off the coast of Helsinki. It was built in the mid 1700s during the Swedish reign as a way to protect the mainland from invaders. While there I was able to visit the Military Museum and wander around the fortress, which now houses many little cafes and parks. However, my favorite part of Suomenlinna was the boat ride as it allowed me great views of Helsinki and the tiny islands that dot the sea!

En Route to Suomenlinna, a small Island

Once back on the mainland I headed over to the Uspenski Cathedral, the Russian Orthodox Church. Built in the late 1800s it was modeled after a church just outside of Moscow. The outside consists of 13 onion shaped domes and although more modest looking the inside is spectacular! It was very ornate, with chandeliers hanging from the vaulted ceilings, every inch of the walls covered and many lavishly decorated icons were on display throughout.

The Uspenski Cathedral

After a quick lunch, I made my way to the Rock Church, a Lutheran church that was opened in 1969. The church was built by excavating the bedrock. The oval shaped church's walls are natural rock and the ceiling is a copper dome, with windows separating the two to let in enough sun in to light up the Church naturally.

Inside the Rock Church

Having filled my day, I headed back to meet Ben. We were able to enjoy the nice weather and sit outside for a little. After dinner we joined some of his friends, who were watching the Finland vs. Austria Ice Hockey Game. While I was in Helsinki the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship was going on. Therefore, Helsinki was teeming with Ice Hockey fans, especially those from Russia, as Russia and Finland have quite the rivalry.

Saturday Ben and I headed to Seurasaari, an open air museum on one of the islands. The museum, situated in a park, consists of over 80 different houses and buildings. Every region of Finland is there allowing for a good representation of their countryside life from the 17-1900s. To get there we took the scenic route and island hopped by foot. Before we left we picked up some traditional Finnish pastries, with cardamon and cream to enjoy on the way. In the afternoon we hopped on the bus and returned to the city center to explore some more. That night we headed to a traditional Finnish restaurant where I tried sauteed reindeer, mashed potatoes and lingonberries.

On our walk to Seurassari

An old church in Seurassari

Sunday morning I had an 8am flight to return to Lugano to take on my last week as an graduate student! Being able to meet up with Ben was great, as we haven't been able to see each other in a while. It was so nice to catch up, see where he calls home and explore the beautiful city of Helsinki!