UHart Art on the Beach in Cefalu

I'm pretty much obsessed with this picture as most of you already know, but for those of you who haven't seen it/have no clue what it is...

James and a few others from Hartford did this really cool art thing on the beach with driftwood and old sticks, cactus pieces, lemons, etc. They stuck the lemons and cactus pieces onto other the sticks and then stuck the sticks into the sand and I just thought it looked really beautiful against the blue of the water. As the rain started to move in, the light on the beach was kind of eerie and made things look even cooler.

So here it is...my favorite picture from the trip. It just makes me remember how much fun we had doing the simplest things and enjoying each other's company all at the same time.

Fish dinner in Sferracavallo, near Palermo

Rosa, Sahar and Sarah enjoying our fish dinner consisting of the following courses, most of which are pictured below:

1)sardines in oil 2) sardines wrapped around raisins with bread crumbs 3) rice balls 4) calamari 5)smelts or "macaroni fish" 6) seafood bruschetta 7) smoked tuna 8) shrimp salad 9) fish-balls 10) mussels 11) linguini and little clams 12) risotto 13) seafood penne 14) seafood platter 15) lemon ice and limoncello
Seafood bruschetta
Calamari
Smelts
Shrimp salad
Fish-balls
Mussels
Linguini and little clams
Seafood risotto
Penne with squid, shrimp, wild fennel and parsley
Our waiter suggests a toast.
Seafood platter

Story Package #2

Buon giorno!

The first of many beautiful temples in Sicily that we were able to feel, hear and see the past. Ciao Bellos!

che bello!

The wee hours of the morning in San Vito Lo Capo. The first of the Sicily sunrises, and one of the reasons jet lag hit so hard.

And we're back

And we're off to Sicily!

Program director Rick Newton's famous packing demo -- just a SMALL part of it, that is.

Traveler vs. Tourist

What it means to travel is setting out on an adventure to try new things, expanding outside of your comfort zone and blending in. The last is hard to do when you constantly want to capture your trip through photography and have a constant amazed "tourist" look on your face from the views. But the main goal of separating yourself from the tourist is your willingness to accept the culture that surrounds you and try new things. It is common that as Americans tend to stick out in other countries. But if you want to avoid the stereotype of being the "typical America tourist" then you must take on the role of a traveler.

As kids at one point or other we had dreams to see the world, or at least I did. The experience of the unfamiliar is enthralling in itself. Who wouldn't want to see the world? With that said, I would never want to find myself as the tourist but rather the traveler. I want to experience the unfamiliar to its fullest potential, otherwise what is the point.

THE FOOD! Anywhere you go you have to try the food. A tourist is more concerned with the souvenir cup they get after they finish the drink. A traveler researches the most exquisite cuisine and then goes out and enjoys it. You won't find a traveler at mickey D's for a quick bite to eat. There is no time for McDonalds in a travelers schedule. Rather you will find them stopping by a vendor with the regions version of fast food. Yum.

The best way to travel is take things as they come. Have some kind of plan so you don't stick out like a sore thumb but also be willing to bend the plans. If something interesting comes your way, take the opportunity to explore it. And just because its not on the top 10 things to do in the region, doesn't mean its not worth your attention. Don't be afraid to try new things and take chances. If the idea of being a traveler appeals to you, follow me this way... next stop, Sicily!

Why I Want to Travel

I don’t think I could ever choose one reason for which I enjoy traveling. For me, the experience of visiting a place I’ve never been before combines a whole slew of things into one. It’s being exposed to a new culture, interacting with the locals, indulging in and exploring the cuisine, and even just walking around, taking in everything from the scenery to the scents and sounds of that area.

A change of pace is always something that’s nice to have, especially living life as a college student. Doing the same things, seeing the same people, and just going about the daily grind, trying to get from one week to the next, can be daunting and often times exhausting, nevertheless to realize that you really haven’t done anything special at all.

When you travel it’s completely different. You see something new every day. Your senses are often on overload, but in a good way, not the way you might feel when you’re on public transportation listening to people scream over each other, sitting next to someone who may or may not have showered within the last 72 hours.

No. Travel is a completely unique experience. It’s one of those things that can’t be categorized. You will never be able to say, I am going here and I’m going to do this, this, and this. Because then it becomes tourism not travel. If you don’t allow yourself any time to explore and take everything in and discover new and exciting things, then you are not allowing yourself to travel. You are simply planning out your days and nights, just as you have to in your normal life and you’re constricting yourself to stay on a straight and narrow path. And even if you’re in a new place, this can get boring.

The thing I love most about traveling is taking some time to myself to just think and soak everything in. If I’m somewhere tropical or on a beach somewhere, you can bet that at some point I will wander down the long stretches of soft sand to explore in the pools and under the rocks, searching for the most interesting and majestic sea creatures I can find.

If I’m somewhere like Sicily, a place with such a deep food culture, you can bet just the same that I will be investing a lot of time into exploring the various cuisines, just as I do on the ocean shore, in search of the most delicious, simple, and incredible tastes and smells that the island has to offer.

I think that if you go into a trip with too much of a plan, then things can easily be ruined. I like to go into a travel experience with an open mind, knowing that I’m going to enjoy most, the moments when I can just relax and take things in my own way.