I moved to Verona around 12 weeks ago now and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I am having the time of my life! Of course, Santiago will always have a special place in my heart, along with all of the people I met there (Compostelanos, I will never forget you!) The thing about Verona, and Italy as a whole, is that it's all new for me. I'd never been here before so the first few weeks were a real eye-opener - everyday I was learning/seeing/trying/enjoying something new and I'm really happy to have had the opportunity to spend time in such an amazing country.
Verona itself is absolutely beautiful; I couldn't have asked for a better place to spend half of my Erasmus year. From the buildings to the food, the people to the language, from my university classes to the obsession with the story of Romeo and Juliet*, I just love everything!
Thanks to Student Finance Wales coming in twice this semester, as well as receiving the last part of my Erasmus grant (Oh Erasmus grant, I do love you) I have been lucky enough to be able to visit some incredible places already, and I'm only halfway through my time here! Checked off the list so far are:
- Venice
- Bologna
- Trieste
- Bergamo
- Vittorio Veneto
- Milan
Still to come (hopefully) are Florence/Siena/Pisa, Rome & the Vatican, Cinque Terre, Sicily and possibly a cheeky trip back to Spain! Looks like a diet of just rice and beans could be on the cards for the next few weeks ...
However, as much as I would love to stay and fill you all in with my adventures of the past few months, I'm afraid bed is calling my name - after a heavy weekend in Milan, I am cream cracker-ed! I promise I will try and update this more regularly though, if only for myself; This year has been such a fantastic one and I want to try and remember as much as possible.
A dopo!
*The story of Romeo and Juliet is, quite literally, everywhere. There is Juliet's house and balcony, Juliet's tomb, R&J gift shops and an actual 'Juliet Club', who respond to letters sent to Juliet, asking for advice about love (More about this in a later post)
