Florence, study abroad mecca

During the spring semester of my junior year of college I did a study abroad program with NYU in Florence, Italy. It was the best 5 months of my life and I made amazing friends there. Florence itself is overrun with American study abroad students, which can get a little annoying. Most people don't go there to only meet Americans... But once you get past all the students and the thousands of tourists crammed into this tiny city you really start to feel the charm of La Bella Vita. The winding streets open up into magnificent piazzas filled with statues, fountains and carousels of all things. In Florence the smaller the better, and one of the best restaurants there Trattoria Mario, was so small that they would sometimes seat you at the same table as strangers. By the end of the meal you would be the best of friends and make plans to meet up sometime soon. It was the most relaxed I think I have ever been, and I can't seem to remember ever feeling stressed out about anything during those 5 months. The Italian way of life suited me just fine and I enjoyed reading a book in one of the many outdoor cafes while sipping a glass of wine and eating the lightest cheesecake I have ever tasted. Italy seems to have the art of living life down to a science. They know the important things (food, wine and good company) and the things that one does only to survive (work). It was a magical 5 months, and I will share more of my Italian adventures soon.

Thai food

How can I begin to describe the food in Thailand? To start with, I will say that I did try the street food, and I did get food poisoning. However with the food poisoning still in my system I kept trying all the local foods, because they were that good. I literally could not stop eating! It also helped that Sophie, my friend and amazing tourguide would run to a food cart every five blocks and return with a bag full of some new treat and insisted that I try it.



One of my favorites was a mini crepe filled with egg cream and shavings on top that I think were actually shrimp flavored. I had mini thai donuts, fried bananas, deep fried beef with sticky rice and Thai apples (which I believe are called cherry apples).

Thailand was also the first country to witness me trying seafood. I am normally a VERY picky eater, but how could I resist a fish that had been killed literally one minute before being served to me? It was the freshest fish I have ever eaten and the sea food was actually very good. By the end of the trip I was trying fried squid eggs like a pro.


The pad thai was obviously amazing, filled with new flavors that I had never before tasted and I was introduced to the hotpot; a giant pot where you combine vegetables, meat and noodles in a delicious broth.
Every day brought new tastes and flavors that really brought all of the sights and sounds of the city together.

Koh Samed, the island

During my two weeks in Thailand, I went to the island of Koh Samed. This island is only accessible by boat, and I took a speed boat to get there. This boat was so fast, it felt like we spent more time in the air than on the actual water. If you did not hold on, there was a good chance that you might fall out of the boat.

Once we reached the island we went to check into our bungalow. The main mode of transportation on this island is a truck taxi service. They have pickup trucks with narrow wooden planks built in the back to sit on. Like the boat ride, you have to hold on for dear life or you will be thrown from the back of the truck. Koh Samed was one of my favorite parts of my Thailand trip. While I was on this island I got to eat at one of the most amazing restaurants, Ploy Samed. To get to this restaurant you have to go to a boat dock. There you will see a sign that tells you to ring the bell for a boat to pick you up.

Once you ring the bell, a boat is sent to you on a wire. You get in the boat and they pull you out to the restaurant which is in the middle of the water.

Every table in this restaurant has a hole beneath it so your feet are dangling over the water. You can see the fish swim by and feed them while you are eating. The waiters told us that every once in a while, people see a shark swim by too. It was an amazing island, one that I recommend everyone to visit.

Thailand, cont.

Back to my Thailand adventures...
After visiting the beach town of Hua-Hin (according to Sophie the Thai version of the Hamptons) I was taken to visit one of the old summer palaces of the Royal Family. The palace is now a museum for the public and I can't understand why. It is one of the most beautiful homes I have ever been to, completely exposed to the warm air and painted pale blue and yellow. Before entering any palace or temple in Thailand you have to be completely covered. Since I was not, they provided me and anyone else with bare legs, arms or shoulders with large pillowcases to wrap around ourselves. At first I felt like a crazy bag lady, but by the end of my visit I didn't want to return the wraps! The fabric flowed nicely all around the body, and the bottom piece could be wrapped into a skirt or pants. They came in yellow, to match the palace and in purple to symbolize the royal family. Walking around in these large pieces of fabric, I felt a little more connected to the people who used to live here and actually wished for a moment that we could all walk around in pillowcases...

Korea

I recently counted all the countries that I have been to and realized that it totalled up to 16. Not bad, although I still have a huge list of places to see. Since I started with Thailand and that was my most recent trip I think I will continue there and work backwards. My flight to Thailand was not an ordinary one. I had a 13 hour layover each way in Seoul, Korea. On the way to Thailand I was full of energy and excitement, so I signed up for 6 hour downtown tour of Seoul. The tour was very dissapointing, mostly due to the apathetic nature of my fellow travelers. My tour was made up of 2 families and myself,all of whom were interested in sitting on the bus,shopping or eating. So although I did not get to see alot of Korea, I did have an amazing Korean BBQ lunch. We had to take our shoes off and sit on cushions on the floor where a low table held two mini open flames. We watched as our food slowly cooked itself and enjoyed an amazing lunch complete with Kimchi. On my flight home I was exhausted from all the traveling around and didnt want to experience another non tour. So I decided to check into the hotel airport for 6 hours and then spend the other 7 hours exploring the airport. Turns out there isnt much to do in the Incheon Airport. As I was roaming up and down the airport hallway, I saw a Korean cultural center for visitors. The center had traditional games, a brief history and a dress up area where you could take a picture ina traditional Korean dress called a hanbok. Boredom can make you try anything, and sure enought 3 hours later there I was getting my picture taken in full on traditional gear. My jeans were covered, but my exhaustion could not be hidden...

Thailand

I recently went on a trip to Thailand to visit my friend Sophie. This picture is in the old ruined capital of Ayudhaya. They had the largest reclining Buddha I had ever seen! Walking around the old city you can tell how magnificent it used to be. All the temples which were once covered in gold are now burnt and crumbling. Sophie told me to walk around the city and touch the stones, and listen very carefully. She told me that if you try hard enough, you can still see the city in all its glory and imagine how it used to be. I like to believe that the energy of this once bustling city is still there, even after all the years of ruin.

A LITTLE ABOUT ME

Welcome to my blog! I've decided to start this as a project for myself, and for anyone else who might enjoy listening to me and my thoughts. I don't want to categorize this blog just yet, I'm waiting to see what it evolves into, but it will be a mixture of fashion, travel, food and people. Basically my life, interests and adventures. So I hope anyone reading this will enjoy and welcome to my thoughts!

xo, Leora