Bonjour! Ciao! Hallo! Current Location -Florence, Italy While abroad in France fall quarter, I will blog about my many adventures. I know this will be a once in a life time experience, and don’t want to forget a single moment of it. My tentative schedule for the first 24 days abroad is: France, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and Italy. Then, I will be living in Angers, France for three months. It is a small city located in the Loire Valley. There, I will be attending the Catholic University of the West and traveling on the long weekends. My depature date is September 5, 2010. My return date is December 21, 2010. 108 days of learning, exploring, independence, traveling, culture, and of course cuisine. Amour toujours, ShannonTumblr (3.0; @sbrophy)http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8m8x0NgS1qc3paao1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8m8x0NgS1qc3paao2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8m8x0NgS1qc3paao3_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8m8x0NgS1qc3paao4_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8m8x0NgS1qc3paao5_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8m8x0NgS1qc3paao6_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8m8x0NgS1qc3paao7_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8m8x0NgS1qc3paao8_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8m8x0NgS1qc3paao9_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8m8x0NgS1qc3paao10_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>Monte Carlo!!!</p>http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1306610785http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1306610785Wed, 13 Oct 2010 12:38:53 -0400<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8lvjbGfG1qc3paao1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8lvjbGfG1qc3paao2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8lvjbGfG1qc3paao3_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8lvjbGfG1qc3paao4_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8lvjbGfG1qc3paao5_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8lvjbGfG1qc3paao6_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8lvjbGfG1qc3paao7_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>The Cinque Terre. Easily my favorite place on the trip. It was so amazingly beautiful. I know that one day in the future I will be returning to this incredible part of Italy.</p>http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1306577340http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1306577340Wed, 13 Oct 2010 12:30:52 -0400<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8ljvwhnY1qc3paao1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8ljvwhnY1qc3paao2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8ljvwhnY1qc3paao3_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8ljvwhnY1qc3paao4_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8ljvwhnY1qc3paao5_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8ljvwhnY1qc3paao6_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8ljvwhnY1qc3paao7_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8ljvwhnY1qc3paao8_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>Oh Italia..</p>http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1306547611http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1306547611Wed, 13 Oct 2010 12:23:49 -0400<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9f32bbhIn1qc3paao1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9f32bbhIn1qc3paao2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9f32bbhIn1qc3paao3_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9f32bbhIn1qc3paao4_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>Pisa - Typical tourist behavior :)</p>http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1199311982http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1199311982Mon, 27 Sep 2010 13:54:10 -0400<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9f2tpzqfR1qc3paao1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9f2tpzqfR1qc3paao2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9f2tpzqfR1qc3paao3_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>Florence, or Firenze as the Italian call it was my favorite place on the trip to far. The people were hilarious, all had an abundance of personality and sass. In Firenze, we visited the famous David statue. Did you know that Michelangelo was the only artist to actually go to the site and pick out his own material for carving. We also visited</p> <p>The Duomo</p> <p>Bell Tower</p> <p>Ponte Vecchio</p> <p>Academia.. all amazing</p>http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1199292429http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1199292429Mon, 27 Sep 2010 13:49:00 -0400<p>We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again &#8212; to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more</p>http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1199148918http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1199148918Mon, 27 Sep 2010 13:11:59 -0400<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l94176vPTY1qc3paao1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l94176vPTY1qc3paao2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l94176vPTY1qc3paao3_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l94176vPTY1qc3paao4_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l94176vPTY1qc3paao5_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l94176vPTY1qc3paao6_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l94176vPTY1qc3paao7_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>Venice, Italy- Not the best weather, but still fun. We saw a lot of gypsies, knock off bags, and gondolas. Although we did not take a ride in the gondola, we still had a wonderful time. In Venice, we found a place owned by a former American who one day moved to Venice, met her husband, and opened a small Italian restaurant. It was wonderful.</p>http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1162432955http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1162432955Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:40:00 -0400<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9406xvmvi1qc3paao1_500.jpg"/><br/> Dolomites<br/><br/> <img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9406xvmvi1qc3paao2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9406xvmvi1qc3paao3_500.jpg"/><br/> Hockey Arena<br/><br/> <img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9406xvmvi1qc3paao4_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9406xvmvi1qc3paao5_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9406xvmvi1qc3paao6_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9406xvmvi1qc3paao7_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9406xvmvi1qc3paao8_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>Cortina, Italy- It was the home of the 1956 Olympics. Here, we saw the Hockey Arena, Bobsled Track, and Ski Jump.</p>http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1162353150http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1162353150Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:18:30 -0400<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8uxtqmgmK1qc3paao1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8uxtqmgmK1qc3paao2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8uxtqmgmK1qc3paao5_r1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8uxtqmgmK1qc3paao6_r1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8uxtqmgmK1qc3paao7_r1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/>http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1133527852http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1133527852Thu, 16 Sep 2010 16:49:00 -0400<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8uwhrzwHl1qc3paao1_500.jpg"/><br/> Salzburg<br/><br/> <img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8uwhrzwHl1qc3paao2_500.jpg"/><br/> View from our hotel<br/><br/> <img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8uwhrzwHl1qc3paao3_500.jpg"/><br/> Salzburg<br/><br/> <img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8uwhrzwHl1qc3paao6_r1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p><span> <p>Salzburg was so lovely. There we attended a Mozart concert in the fortress. Simply incredible. It was a must though, since Salzburg is the home to the famous Mozart. </p> <p>History on Mozart:</p> <p><span>Mozart showed prodigious ability from his earliest childhood in Salzburg. Already competent on keyboard and violin, he composed from the age of five and performed before European royalty. At 17 he was engaged as a court musician in Salzburg, but grew restless and travelled in search of a better position, always composing abundantly. While visiting Vienna in 1781, he was dismissed from his Salzburg position. He chose to stay in the capital, where he achieved fame but little financial security. During his final years in Vienna, he composed many of his best-known symphonies, concertos, and operas, and portions of the<em>Requiem</em>, which was largely unfinished at the time of Mozart’s death. The circumstances of his early death have been much mythologized. He was survived by his wife Constanze and two sons.</span></p> </span></p>http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1133389855http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1133389855Thu, 16 Sep 2010 16:20:00 -0400<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8uw8wI3gj1qc3paao1_500.jpg"/><br/> Eagle's Nest View<br/><br/> <img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8uw8wI3gj1qc3paao2_500.jpg"/><br/> Eagle's Nest View<br/><br/> <img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8uw8wI3gj1qc3paao3_500.jpg"/><br/> Eagle's Nest View<br/><br/> <img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8uw8wI3gj1qc3paao4_500.jpg"/><br/> Eagle's Nest<br/><br/> <img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8uw8wI3gj1qc3paao5_500.jpg"/><br/> Eagle's Nest View<br/><br/> <p>Pictures from the trip to Eagle’s Nest:</p> <p><span>The so-called “Eagle’s Nest” was built as teahouse for Adolf Hitler’s 50th birthday. Perched on a mountain summit, its unusual position makes of the daring project a unique engineering feat. What few realize is that Hitler’s home and headquarters - the second seat of 3rd Reich power - were located at Obersalzberg, at the foot of the Eagle’s Nest mountain</span></p>http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1133365368http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1133365368Thu, 16 Sep 2010 16:14:54 -0400<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8p1aqJ5Ox1qc3paao1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8p1aqJ5Ox1qc3paao2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8p1aqJ5Ox1qc3paao3_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8p1aqJ5Ox1qc3paao5_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8p1aqJ5Ox1qc3paao6_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>Munich!</p>http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1115835894http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1115835894Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:18:24 -0400<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8p04n0ocy1qc3paao1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8p04n0ocy1qc3paao2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8p04n0ocy1qc3paao3_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8p04n0ocy1qc3paao4_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8p04n0ocy1qc3paao5_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8p04n0ocy1qc3paao6_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>We had the most wonderful time in Bregenz, Austria. In Bregenz, we stayed with the Troy family. My Aunt Katie lived with them when she was in her 20’s traveling and studying abroad. They showed us an extraordinary amount of hospitality.. from the flat where we stayed, to the meals that we ate. It was incredible. Thank you so much Troy family for showing us Bregenz and all that it has to offer. We hope that in the near future, you will come visit us in Portland, Oregon. That way, we can return the favor. Love you all so much and we look forward to seeing you soon. XOXOXOXO</p>http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1115750344http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1115750344Mon, 13 Sep 2010 11:53:09 -0400<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8hkbplMnn1qc3paao1_500.jpg"/><br/> Matternhorn at sunrise<br/><br/> <img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8hkbplMnn1qc3paao2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8hkbplMnn1qc3paao3_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8hkbplMnn1qc3paao4_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8hkbplMnn1qc3paao5_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8hkbplMnn1qc3paao6_500.jpg"/><br/> So many sheep!<br/><br/> http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1092058603http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1092058603Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:28:35 -0400<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8g1ze2OSS1qc3paao1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8g1ze2OSS1qc3paao2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8g1ze2OSS1qc3paao3_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8g1ze2OSS1qc3paao4_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8g1ze2OSS1qc3paao5_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>Zermatt, Switzerland is simply precious. The people are so welcoming and lovely. Our hotel looks to the Matterhorn. The view is nothing short of breath taking. For dinner we had fondue with escargots- and of course large servings of beer. It was beyond delicious. In Zermatt it is 13 degrees Celsius. Brrrr!</p>http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1087740587http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1087740587Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:54:48 -0400<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8evj5CUll1qc3paao1_500.jpg"/><br/> Cathédral Notre-Dame<br/><br/> <img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8evj5CUll1qc3paao2_500.jpg"/><br/> Cathédral Notre-Dame<br/><br/> <img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8evj5CUll1qc3paao3_500.jpg"/><br/> Opéra<br/><br/> <img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8evj5CUll1qc3paao4_500.jpg"/><br/> Arc de Triomphe<br/><br/> <p>Paris, you were wonderful and I will be back in the near future. Time for Switzerland! Au revoir!</p>http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1084896704http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1084896704Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:37:51 -0400<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8eus3FHuL1qc3paao1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>La Tour Eiffel a été incroyable. There, I ran into a college friend who was also visiting the Eiffel Tour with her family. What a small world we live in.</p>http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1084825499http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1084825499Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:21:38 -0400<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8eujeioOr1qc3paao1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8eujeioOr1qc3paao2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>Escargots et Duck</p>http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1084803296http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1084803296Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:16:25 -0400<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8cdp2mxMs1qc3paao1_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8cdp2mxMs1qc3paao2_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8cdp2mxMs1qc3paao3_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8cdp2mxMs1qc3paao4_500.jpg"/><br/> <br/><p>The Louvre.</p>http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1077127765http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1077127765Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:17:00 -0400<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8cd7ga9n41qc3paao1_500.jpg"/><br/><br/><p>Today, we discovered the Louvre. C’était magnifique. The Mona Lisa was lovely, but I personally enjoyed the high ceilings with carvings and beautiful murals. Littered through out the museum were hundreds of naked men sculptures. I personally believe this was mothers favorite part of the museum. </p>http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1077077986http://sbrophy.tumblr.com/post/1077077986Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:06:52 -0400