Studietour Part 2: Pompeii & Mount Vesuvius

This is the second part of the story of my school trip to Rome! This includes our trip to Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius. Be sure to read the first part before this one!

After spending four days inside Rome, we hopped on a bus for about 3 hours and took a drive down to Naples to see Pompeii!

It has always been a dream of mine to see Pompeii; I remember being endlessly fascinated by it while being taught about it in school, so this day was really special to me. I couldn't believe that I was actually going to a city I'd dreamed about visiting since I was so little! It was really a surreal experience.

We had a Danish tour guide who walked us around the city and explained all the structures and buildings, what they once looked like, and what they were used for. The condition of the buildings is incredible for being so old! You can still see the paint on some of the walls:

We were also able to see some of the bodies that Pompeii is so well known for.

It was so interesting to be able to hear about the history of Pompeii while actually being there! It's a truly incredible place, if you ever have the chance to go I highly recommend it. I just wish we had had more time so that we could've seen more of it, but it was incredible all the same.

My class at Pompeii

Leaving Pompeii

After Pompeii we hopped on the bus again and drove to Mount Vesuvius. The volcano is still active, and is most well-known for the eruption that buried the city of Pompeii in 79AD. It has not erupted since 1913-1944, but it will erupt again.

We drove up the side of the volcano, which was truly a surreal experience. There was a very narrow, windy road, zig-zagging up the side of the volcano. There were burnt trees lining the sides of the road, all the way up to the top. The road had very sharp turns, so the bus driver would have to honk every time we approached a turn to warn other drivers, since we couldn't see them. It was honestly a bit scary, but we made it up unscathed.

Mt. Vesuvius

Burnt trees

View from the bus ride

 We got off the bus and began to climb up the steep hiking trail leading to the top of the volcano.

Unfortunately, we didn't have the best weather that day, so everything was a bit grey and foggy. So, we couldn't see much once we made it to the top of the volcano, but the trip was worth it all the same.

On top of Mt. Vesuvius

This was by far my favorite day of the trip. It was such a crazy experience, and I can't believe I got the opportunity to go on this amazing journey. I'm so grateful to my school for taking me on this trip, it's something that I will truly remember for the rest of my life. It has helped me become even closer with my friends I've made here and I couldn't be happier for that.

Thank you so much to Kathleen Owitz for donating to my GoFundMe. I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart for contributing and allowing me to make these wonderful memories and experience these absolutely incredible things. I will never be able to express my gratitude enough.

Danish Word of the Day:
Vulkan- volcano

Studietour Part 1: Rome & Vatican City

This is the first part of the story of my school trip to Rome! This includes the four days we were in Rome, and our trip to Vatican City. The next part will be about our trip to Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius!

It is typical for students in the second year of Gymnasium (highschool) to take a study trip abroad for about a week. My class was no different; we were lucky enough to spend a week in Rome, Italy!

We left on Sunday the 8th of April and flew out of Copenhagen to Frankfurt, and then took a connecting flight from Frankfurt to Rome. We got into Rome at about 1am, so that night we went straight to bed.

The first full day we were in Rome it actually rained quite a lot; so much so that we had to cancel our plans for the day and return to the hotel! The next few days were quite busy though. The other exchange student in my class (Giorgia) is actually from Rome, so we were given the unique opportunity of getting to visit her school and see what life is like for a typical student in Italy. I was lucky enough to get to meet with Giorgia's family, and they took us out to dinner one night. I got to try a lot of traditional Roman food, and it was delicious!

Giorgia's family was so sweet and generous, and I am so grateful for all of the wonderful experiences they were able to introduce me to!

Of course we got to see the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and many other breathtakingly beautiful monuments. Rome is so incredible and full of such beautiful historic buildings everywhere you turn. It was really a dream come true to be able to see it all.

Colosseum exterior

Inside the Colosseum

Inside the Colosseum (with Freya and Jeppe)

Outside the Colosseum (with Giorgia)

We also got to go to Vatican City one day and visit the Sistine Chapel as well as the Papal Basilica of St. Peter.

The buildings on the way to the Sistine Chapel are filled with all kinds of beautiful artwork; handmade tapestries, old maps of the different parts of Rome, and fresco pantings lined the walls and ceilings all the way down.

The Sistine Chapel was breathtakingly beautiful. The images seemed to come alive the longer you looked at them. It's truly a masterpiece and something I never expected to be able to experience in my exchange year. It was truly a magical experience being able to go here.

We saw so much in the little time we had there, it felt like we were there for three weeks rather than one- but I enjoyed every second of it. I definitely became much closer with a lot of classmates on this trip, and I will never forget it.

Papal Basilica of St. Peter

Pantheon

Pantheon 

Something that I really like about Danish culture is that they really respect and trust their children. We were allowed to walk around the city ourselves (in groups) and explore at our own pace and what interested us. Some of my favorite memories are walking around the streets of Rome with my friends.

And, of course, we got some pretty killer pasta and pizza while we were down there...

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the Lowney's for donating to my GoFundMe! I love you all so much, I think you know how much you mean to me. Thank you so much for helping me get to Denmark, which helped me get to Italy!:) I miss you guys a lot and can't wait to see you again. Thank you so much!

Danish Word of the Day:
Kunst- art

Påskeferie

Sorry that it's been so long since my last post- it's been crazy busy here in DK!

Some recent developments are that I've since moved from my second host family to my third and final host family! I am now living back in Rønde, near where my school is located. I have a wonderful new family that I'm very excited to be living with:)

In March, we had a week off from school for our Easter Holiday (or Spring Break), where my family came to visit me! I met up with them in Copenhagen, and got to spend a couple days with them there.

We stayed in a cozy little apartment in an area of Copenhagen called Amagerbro. We got the opportunity to explore the city a bit, and even got to take a boat tour through the canals of Copenhagen! (It was still pretty cold when they came to visit, and even snowed a few of the days they were here...but we were able to manage)

We also went to the world famous amusement park, Tivoli! It was beautiful and HUGE. Most businesses in Denmark close around 6 o'clock at night, but the park was open until midnight! Luckily it wasn't very crowded when we went (maybe because it was a bit cold), but I was so glad I got to experience going there. My sisters and I went on several rides together and had a lot of fun.

After our short stay in Copenhagen, my family and I rented a car and drove back to Rønde, where I live now. My first host family was so kind as to let my family live with them for a few days. I was able to show them around the town where I live, and even took my sisters to school with me one day.

The first night we were in Rønde we took my family out to the castle ruin called Kalø that is about a 3 minute drive from where we live. We took coffee out and watched the sunset from there.

The families meet!

Over the next few days I got to show my parents and sisters where I've been living the past 8 months, introduce them to my host families and new friends I've made, and show them what it's like to be living in Denmark. I'm really glad they got the opportunity to come visit, it was nice to be able to show them the life I've made for myself over here.

Although I miss them, it's only a little over two months until I see them again!

A big thank you to Nancy Lane for donating to my GoFundMe! Without your donation I never would have been able to share this experience with my family, and I am so thankful that I was able to have this opportunity. Thank you so much!

Danish Word of the Day:

Påskeferie- Easter Holiday