All the fun of the Fair...

Agrhh I am very stressed currently...I'm writing this blog post mainly to vent. I am trying to do some packing before leaving tomorrow and am having that awful realisation that not everything is going to fit...what do I do?!

Also, just wanted to update on the last few days. On Sunday we went to Rimini to the beach. Whilst it was very warm, it was actually pretty cloudy and miserable, there was even a bit of rain, nonetheless we sat on the beach and had a pretty nice, relaxing day.

On Monday, we went and got some forms signed in the morning. I got a charm for my bracelet of the Bologna towers as a little momento of my time here and then went home to chill....that evening we went for our final 'Il Rosso', one of our favourite restaurants here in Bologna which was, as always, delicious...God I'll miss that Tiramisu. 

After officially leaving UniBo (International Office in the background)

Yesterday though, to put a more positive spin on this so far pretty negative blog post, we went to Mirabilandia. Oh my goodness, this day was TOO much fun. Seriously, Emma and I had the best time. It was gorgeous weather all day, it was quite busy but we never queued for more than 20 minutes for anything even the big Roller coasters (which we went on more than once :P).

Honestly European theme parks are so different to British ones, the water rides are ridiculous, you don't just get a bit wet, you get head to toe drenched. Emma and I scoured at the people walking around the park in swimwear, then a few hours later, wished we had done the same :P Here's a little video I took to prove the seriousness of their water rides...

A few highlights were the 'watercoaster' which is a roller coaster but you go through water in parts..VERY unique and cool...the most insane coaster ever..'Speed' and having amazing views of the Ravenna countryside from the biggest Ferris Wheel we had ever seen.

I'll leave this blog post here with some pictures. Next time I talk to you I'll be back in the UK which is pretty hard to believe, I'm excited to be going home but also can't believe how quickly time has gone here...I'm really happy we have made the most of this last week though with lots of trips and days out :)

 the water'coaster..it takes you up that structure and the roller coaster starts to the left of the picture

The End is Nigh...

Here I am...haven't written a blog post in almost a month and I am leaving Bologna for good in 5 sleeps :O 

There are legitimate reasons as to why I've been absent from the 'Bloggersphere', of course I specifically am referring to exams...BLURGHH. The dreaded time that arrives twice a year for us lucky students. 

Whilst most Erasmus students had the luxury of 'only needing a pass' on this year abroad, unfortunately my institution decided it would be a brilliant idea to make this year worth 30% of my degree, meaning I actually had to put some effort into writing essays and sitting exams. 

Two of my exams, which were based on essays I had written a couple of weeks earlier went pretty well, and I was very happy with the result. My final exam, which, to be realistic is the only one I have actually had to work hard for this year, was..catastrophic. I mean, I passed, god knows how, but it was one of the most humiliating moments of my 22 years thus far.

You see, this is the joy of oral exams (get your mind out of the gutter..I am of course referring to spoken rather than written examinations)...unlike in a written examination where you have time to think through your arguments, make them cohesive and 'blag' it a little, as we English students are all masters of...in an oral exam, you're there, the examiner is sat opposite and there is no time for 'blagging'. There is no time for 'ummmm' and 'arrrr'..and if you don't know..they can SEE the fear on your face. Without boring you with the details, that is what happened to me in my final exam..I completely fell apart BUT I passed, and that's all that matters..Whilst I never thought I'd say it, I'll definitely be glad to see the return of the English 3-hour written examination. 

Anyhow, now that exams are over, I have some time to finalise paperwork and most importantly have some fun! 

Here come the updates and pictures I know you're all here for...

On the 18th May, I took a whirlwind trip home to attend my Dad and Jackie's wedding...it was such a fun day, great to spend time with family I hadn't seen for years and meet new people..oh and not forgetting the obligatory eating and drinking ALL day. 

 The BEST cake EVER! 

 One of the only photo's you will ever see of my and my sister haha!

 This was just too cute!! My niece Hollie and Cousin Kyle <3

 Hollie and Taid (Welsh for Grandad :P)..a.k.a the Groom, My Dad. 

A Danish tradition to kiss on chairs when people tap their glasses :) 

So, what have I been up to since finishing exams on the 4th June (it's the 8th today)..and what will I be doing until I leave.

Well we went for a 'family' dinner last week as it was potentially the last time that all of us Leicester-Bologna friends would all be together in Italy..the food was DIVINE. 

This week we also celebrated Emma turning 21!! I don't have many pictures as I wasn't on camera duty that night but we did take her for a surprise breakfast at this rather fancy place in Bologna which was very luxurious indeed! The Plum cake (which does NOT taste like plums...no idea where the name comes from..) was ahhh-mazing!! We went out in the evening, first to 'Spaco-Napoli'..an AMAZING pizzeria and then on to 'Chalet' and it was actually an incredibly fun night, so nice to have a good time after the stress of exams! 

Whilst everyone is still finishing their exams, yesterday Emma and I went to Padova. We heard great things about it from friends and wanted to see just a little more of Italy before we left. The weather here currently is exactly the reason I came to Italy..28-31 degrees..this just added to the beauty of Padova! 

Unfortunately they are currently doing a lot of work on some of the main sights but they are still just as breathtaking. 

We got to sit in on our very first Catholic service in this church..even dabbled in a bit of Holy Water (surprisingly soft lol)..very 'culturing' experience :P (is that a word?!) 

 soo..THIS was the toilet in the restaurant we ate lunch at...I don't understand?! I have never seen on before and ended up stripping half naked in order to use it. Odd. 

And finally, up to date..today. We met the others for lunch..and in the afternoon took a trip up to the utterly incredible San Luca..you can google for information, as I'm sure I've stated before, this isn't a historical info/fact based blog...but if you're ever in Bologna it's a MUST, we even took a trip up on the 'San Luca Express'..a little wooden 'fun train'. (All the photo's were taken on my iPhone 4..pretty impressed with the quality :P) 

So..you still with me? Just to tell you what's to come...tomorrow we will hopefully, if the weather holds out, be heading to Rimini..a.k.a the nearest BEACH town..very exciting..Then on Monday we need to go and get some forms signed etc and have a relaxing day I think, hopefully go back one more time to one of my favourite restaurants here in Bologna, Il Rosso. Finally on Tuesday, we're VERY excited about going to the theme park, Mirabilandia :D

I leave on Thursday..which I cannot believe how quickly it has come around. But I'll write an entire blog post on that when I'm at back home and craving Italian sunshine.

Until next time...Ciao 

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Southern Italy

As promised, I am blogging after my trip...it's been some time since we returned and I'm ready now...(as Amy would put it :P) to be jealous of my past self. 

The trip involved a 9 hour coach ride from Bologna to Napoli (Naples). After essentially no sleep, we arrived and embarked upon our day trip to Capri. This island is potentially the most beautiful place I have ever been to in my life. Everywhere you looked could have been a postcard, and having done some previous research on it, I was excited to see the idyllic visions come to life. 

Rather than bore you with written descriptions, I will give you what you're all here for, the pictures! 

Capri was honestly beyond beautiful. BUT you need to be at prime fitness level to tour it properly, let's just say that there were several points in the day where we genuinely believed we would die. The terrain is either extreme uphill/steps or extreme downhill...we left that island feeling not only like the real athletes we are, but a little worse for wear.

For the evening we returned to our hostel which was, a little cramped to say the least. There were 7 (meant to be 8) of us in one room, with one small shower/combined toilet...and 2 plugs..it was, let's say...interesting.

The following day was the day I was very excited for, the climbing of Vesuvio (Vesuvius) and then the trip to Pompei. 

The climb up Vesuvio was pretty difficult considering how much our legs were aching from Capri and the rays from the burning heat as we clambered our way up the treacherous volcano. But we made it to the top, which was...breathtaking.

After lunch we headed over to Pompei, a very sombre experience...it's pretty hard to believe what happened there but if you can ever visit, I would really recommend it! It's absolutely huge and we only got to see a tiny portion of it so I would love to go back! 

I found the last picture (above) pretty chilling as we were in the ruins of Pompei with Vesuvio in the background looming over it, warning it that it still has the power. 

The next day, with never ending sore legs, we took on the tour of Napoli. A few of us weren't feeling so well, I think perhaps a touch of sunstroke (our own fault for not having hats!)...Napoli is a really unique city, it's pretty picturesque from the sidelines, inside the heart of the city it seems overcrowded yet vibrant.

By the final day, everyone was pretty wiped out. There had been a party in the hostel, which I didn't attend because I felt unwell, so either from feeling unwell or hungover, it's safe to say nobody was looking forward to the 9 hour coach ride ahead!

Just before we departed back to Bologna, we took a trip to Sorrento. I was actually really excited to go because I know of some people who got married there and it looked beautiful. The combination of not feeling too well and lack of time meant we didn't actually get to see that much of the town but I look forward to perhaps visiting again one day. 

Overall, the trip was an amazing experience I will treasure in my memories, potentially one of my favourites from the entire year abroad.

Now I am back in the reality of Bologna. For many people here, their Erasmus year is not worth anything in terms of their final degree mark...for me it's worth 30%. The amount of work I currently have to do over the next few weeks is terrifying,  I mean, it's literally impossible, so I am currently trying to figure out what I can get away with not doing.

It's such a shame that I can't enjoy my last month and a half here like the rest of the students, instead mine is filled with deadlines, essays and exams. I spent over a month revising for my exams last year when they were worth even less, now my deadlines are only a few weeks away and I'm still yet to even read the texts never mind start revising.

It makes me just want to go home where I know the deadlines will be over, for a few months at least. But I must slap me, and tell myself to enjoy my last 6 weeks(ish) here.

Obviously this blog post whilst necessary is complete procrastination.