The next 5

       6. The Great Coral Reef, Australia

• The World's largest Reef system, comprised of over 2,900 reefs and 900 Islands. They are located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in North-East Australia. The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms. They have also been deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Threats to this site include climate change, pollution, crown-of-thorns starfish, oil spills, tropical cyclones, and fishing are the primary threats to the health of this reef system. 

       7. Bali, Indonesia

• Bali is an Indonesian Island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. It is one of the country's 33 provinces. Its 3,891,000 people account for most of Indonesia's Hindu minority. It is also the largest tourist destination in the country and is renowned for its highly developed arts, including traditional and modern dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metal-working, and music. My sister traveled to Bali a few years ago and came back with amazing stories and fabulous tapestries she adores. She said the people are so humble and are amazing. 

       8. Istanbul, Turkey

• Historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople, Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey. With a population of 13 million, Istanbul is the largest metropolitan city proper in Europe and the second largest metropolitan area in Europe. Famous sites in the city include the Turkish baths, the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Markets, and the Hagia Sophia. 

       9. Cinque-Terre, Italy

• Cinque-Terre is a portion of the Italian Riviera compromised of five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Cormigilia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Noted for its beauty, the paths, trains and boats connect the villages, and cars cannot reach it from the outside. It is a very popular tourist destination that boasts sensational beauty.

      10. Niagra Falls, Canada

• Located in Ontario, Canada, these Fall attract millions of visitors each year. They are formed as a result of natural occurrence from the Niagra River. 

Ten Places I want to Visit

After traveling throughout Europe for the academic year, 2009-2010, I have developed a passion for travel. There are so many places that I would love to explore but for now, here are my TOP 10:

1. Zanzibar, Africa

• Zanzibar is located in the Indian Ocean, about 25 miles from the Tanzanian Coast.  It is an incredible Island that is said to be one of the only surviving Ancient towns in Africa characterized by beautiful sandy beaches with fringing coral reefs. Zanzibar’s local people are an incredible mixture of ethnic backgrounds, indicative of her colorful history. Islam is the dominant religion. Zanzibar is an island state within the United Republic of Tanzania, and has its own semi-autonomous government made up of a Revolutionary Council and House of Representatives. The current President is Amani Karume. The economy is primarily based on fishing an agriculture produced by the local peoples. Zanzibar is a hidden gem of Africa and is a place that I would love to visit at some point in my life. 

       2. Machu Picchu, Peru

•  Rediscovered in 1911, Machu Picchu is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Incas began building the remarkable site around AD 1430 but it was abandoned as an official site for the Inca rulers a hundred years later at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. 

       3. St. Lucia, Caribbean

• An Island Country in the East Caribbean Sea, this gem boasts truly sensational beauty. Since February 22, 1979, Saint Lucia became an independent state of the Commonwealth of Nations. This volcanic Island features beautiful beaches and mountains. This would be the perfect honeymoon spot someday...

       4.  The Taj Mahal, India

• This Maosoleum located in Agra, India is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As one of the most recognizable strucutes in the world, The Taj Mahal is the finest example of Mughal Architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Islamic, and Indian architectural styles. This amazing structure was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, in memory of his third wife. It is widely considered as one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and stands as a symbol of eternal love.

       5. The Pyramids, Egypt

• As of 2008, there are 138 Pyramids that have been discovered. Most were built as tombs for Pharaoh's and their consorts during the Middle Kingdom era. The Pyramids of Giza are accounted as the largest structures ever built. The Pyramid of Khufu at Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid. It is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still in existence.

Favorite Photos of Lausanne

Tomorrow marks the beginning of true responsibility. I am registering for my classes for my final year at Pepperdine. Wow how time flies. Day's like today help me to realize how amazing my experience at Pepperdine has been and how blessed I am to attend such an incredible school. While Malibu yields sensational beauty and a feverous passion for life, Lausanne still has my heart. So as a tribute to Lausanne, here are my favorite photos. 

Second Semester

My last blog post (about a year ago) was about the educational field trip we took to Athens, Greece. This experience was incredible and definitely worthy of a blog post. For some reason, life got to me second semester and my passion for blogging ceased to exist. I have good news though, I am back! I decided that rather than posting long paragraphs about my experiences I would post photos because photos really do speak 1,000 words. Here are some highlights from my second semester adventures.

Barcelona

Ibiza

Ibiza Sunset

San Sebastian

After our spring break, my friends and I ventured for to Lake Lucerne in Switzerland for a day trip. We took a cable car up to the peak of Mt. Pilatus where we enjoyed typical Swiss fondue and baked mac & cheese. It was so delicious!

Chateau Gutsh (I went there when I was a baby!)

After Lucerne, my friends and I took at 16.5-hour, overnight train to Prague for my 20th birthday (which was also my golden birthday)! This weekend was a fantasy, so beautiful and idyllic.

My 20th Birthday Dinner

Next, we took a short weekend trip to visit our friends studying in Heidelberg, Germany. This town was so amazing. So quaint and lovely, not to mention beautiful!!

After a long and exhausting day of traveling I finally arrived home in Lausanne around 11:30 pm Friday night.  This past week I went to Athens, Greece for my 'educational field trip'.  The week was action packed but was very enjoyable and beautiful.  We stayed in Athens for the week but took many day trips to the islands and other parts of Greece outside of Athens.  Our hotel was at the base of the Acropolis which was breathtakingly beautiful and was a short walk to most of the fabulous sites in Athens.  This is a quick run down on what we did!


Day 1: We arrived around 3:30 pm so this was a free day to explore.  We walked around and explored the city, bought souvenirs, and picked up some yummy feta cheese pizza!

Day 2: We woke up at the crack of dawn to set sail aboard the 'flying cat 1' to the Greek islands of Poros and Hydra.  These islands were so beautiful and were a lot of fun.  Poros is a quaint, less traveled Greek island so its authenticity remains high and few tourists visit.  We sipped on the best cappuccinos and gazed out at the beautiful sea for about an hour.  Then we went shopping, of course, where I found two divine pillow cases.  I am so excited to decorate my apartment next year with the fabulous things I collect throughout my travels! Afterward, we ate a fabulous greek meal, complete with tezaki, hummus, grilled pita, fried zucchini, feta cheese balls, greek salad, and excellent olive oil.  The Greek are so hospitable and appear to be extremely joyous and relaxed.  Poros definitely had the 'island time' vibe going on and I loved relaxing and exploring.  Next, we set sail abroad the 'flying dolphin' to the Greek island of Hydra.  Hydra is a more known, touristy area that is special because there is not a single car on the island.  Every resident/tourist uses donkeys to navigate around the island.  Hydra was the picturesque Greek island with beautiful Mediterranean style villas, blue and white buildings, and fabulous hiking.  We hiked around for a bit and found a spot that had about 35 'slum cats' as we called them.  They were adorable but were all abandoned and very sick.  Afterward, we sat down at a cafe on the water front for a few 'Tiger' beers, which I hadn't had since Vietnam so I was very excited!  After a long day of exploring the Greek islands we headed home and went out to a lovely dinner.  Our dinner was amazing and we got eight free bottles of wine! The Greek love tourists, especially Americans, and will do anything for their business.  That night, I learned that 'Yaimas' means 'cheers' and we used that phrase quite a bit....

 

Poros

  

Hydra

  

Day 3: We woke up again, at the crack of dawn, to pouring rain.  I mean torrential down pour...this day was very wet and as a result, I am now sick.  Despite the horrifying rain, we saw amazing things and had a great time.  The day started off by traveling outside of Athens to see the Mycenae ruins, including the tombs and palaces.  It was awesome.  We hiked up a mountain to the top of the Mycenae acropolis which was wonderful and had a great view.  After this, we went to lunch at a delicious taverna and stuffed our faces.  Next, we stopped at this medieval port city called Nafplion that had adorable shops, cafes, and ruins of fortresses and castles.  This was so amazing to see! After this, we went to the Amphitheater where Greek plays, chariot rides, and other forms of entertainment began.  It was unreal to see where all of this actually took place after learning about it for so many years. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Mycenae

  

Greek Amphitheater

Day 4: Again, we woke up too early, to climb the Athens Acropolis!  Even though I was exhausted from the night before, I cannot complain because the Acropolis was so beautiful and had a view of the whole city of Athens. There is not much to describe through words...so here are some photos...

 

 

  

  

The Acropolis (The Parthenon, The Temple of Athena, etc.)

After the Acropolis, we walked through the Ancient Agora ruins which were incredible.  It was essentially, a giant park that was so green and luscious with the Temple of the Gods and various ruins scattered throughout...Here are some photos of that...

 
 

Temple of the Gods

 

  

After this we ventured to the Olympic Stadium which was entirely built from marble and was used for some of the Olympic games in 2004 in Athens.  

 

After our planned activities we had free time to explore the city, pack, and fly home! Our flight home was a nightmare...it was delayed 4 hours due to maintenance issues which was unfortunate but they took us to another delicious tavern as a result and had probably one of the best meals of the week! I am so happy to be back in Lausanne, even though it is freezing and snowing.  I am now preparing for midterms which are the next two weeks and they will drain everything out of me.  I look forward to my upcoming travels to Spain in two weeks and for Azzurra and Britt to visit me in Switzerland next weekend!

"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone"
-Audrey Hepburn