The Eternal City

Imagine living in a place with over 14,000 years of history. Walking down the streets each day is like walking the pages of a history book. From the Trevi Fountain, the Coliseum, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, and so many other sites, I absolutely loved calling Rome my home for four months my junior year of college.

We lived in the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome, which was full of vibrant young people and the best food in Rome. We spent every moment we weren’t in class or traveling roaming the Eternal City. Quickly, we learned some of the bigger tourist attractions, The Coliseum and the Trevi Fountain, were best seen at night. Often times after a night out we would wander over there to enjoy one final drink with a view before bed.

As for food, the Italian definitely knew what they were doing. To this day I still crave cacio e pepe pasta from Tony’s and tiramisu from Miscellanea. We were regulars at quite a few places, and are still in contact with many of the restaurant owners who are eagerly awaiting our return. No words can describe the experience that is living in Rome.

OBX

Other than Disney World, my family’s favorite vacation spot that we always return to is the Outer Banks. We always stay at the northern end of the island, in either Duck or Corolla. There’s not too much up there, especially in Corolla, a grocery store, a few shops, a few restaurants is all. Corolla is peaceful, which is why my family enjoys it so much.

This past summer, the entire family decided to rent a house right by the beach, on a lake. The house was big enough to fit my parents, both sets of grandparents, my aunt and her friend, my little brother, my friend, and me. The house was three stories, with two kitchens, six bedrooms, two family rooms, a wrap around porch on every level, a pool, and a hot tub. Needless to say, we could have not left the house all week and been content.

We would wake up early to spend our mornings sleeping on the beach. After our morning naps, we would head back to the house for lunch and an afternoon outing. The afternoon outings consisted of kayaking, climbing a lighthouse, a wild horse tour, shopping, and a wine tasting. If you’re looking for a peaceful vacation spot with a lot to do, Corolla is the place to go.

Sunburns, Sand and Shirley Temples

Cruising has always been one of my favorite ways to vacation with my family. I have been on over ten cruises, the majority with Royal Caribbean. So when friends suggested we spend our senior year spring break on a cruise, I was all for it.

We booked a four-night cruise leaving from Port Canaveral, Florida, so we could spend the night before our trip with my grandparents right by the port. While I was skeptical that four nights and five days was not going to be a long enough trip, I was most definitely wrong.

We boarded the ship that Monday and immediately headed to the pool, what we hadn’t realized before that moment was that our ship consisted of 95% college students. We spent that day and night at the pool, only leaving for dinner.

The next morning the nine of us woke up, went to breakfast, and then headed off the ship to CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island. We quickly found lounge chairs and spent the morning napping on the beach. After napping we woke up, ate lunch and decided it was time to swim. We spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the water, and headed back for the ship thoroughly sunburnt.

The rest of the cruise proceeded in a similar fashion, the main focus being spending time in the sun as well as eating. By the end of the week we were all ready for a second spring break, happily sunburnt.