I'm traveling to Spain in May?

GREECE, SPAIN, OR ITALY, I CANT dECIDE?

• I am a senior at usf in tampa, fl. and I am studying abroad this spring, it seems I have narrowed it down to three options. I want to go somewhere where I can learn about the culture, and have easy access to traveling to bordering countries. I have an appriciation for museums and such but if im going to be spending 3 months there I want to be able to go out from time to time, enjoys good food and resturants, and endulge myself in any sort of nightlife that may exist (im still in college I wanna have some fun:). I have never been to any of these countries or anywhere in Europe for that matter. I would love to hear any advice or suggestions on which country I should choose. the choices are......Thessaloniki, Greece......Florence, Italy......and Salamanca, Spain. Thanks

• Answer:

  I wish I had this problem . . . . Thessaloniki is freaking gorgeous - but you're kind of stuck in Greece. It's bordering countries, while beautiful, aren't exactly the safest places for American college students to go running around. Also, flights into and out of Greece are pretty expensive, so getting around the continent that way will be more difficult. Spain - also pretty - but again it's only bordered by Portugal and France and would take you at least 8 hours on a train to get to any other country. I've never been to Salamanca so I can't really comment on it. If you choose this one, don't go to Ibiza unless you can get there between June and August, it's a ghost town otherwise and check out Morocco. Florence is very pretty - my only real complaint with it is that you and about a million other American college students will be studying there at the same time. However, it's located in the northern part of Italy, so the train ride to France/Switzerland/Austria/Czech Repubic (and others) isn't too long. Italy is also so diverse that you can travel just a few hours in any direction and it's very different.