How to handle unexpected natural disasters when abroad

Dobre Dan (Good Day in Croatian) from the island of Brač just south of the Croatian city, Split.  As I wake up to the sound of small fishing boats and the majestic mountains that line the mainland coast of Croatia's Dalmatian Islands, I can't help but wish that I never had to return to the business of Belfast and exams.... Little did I realize that my wish could become a reality, at least for what I hope now to be as little time as possible. On April 15th there was a volcanic eruption that took place in Iceland which caused a cloud of volcanic ash to follow the winds east over northern Europe and quickly making its way south over all of Europe making flights impossible to move.

I guess this wouldn't be such a problem if I had stayed in Belfast these last two weeks, but I have been exploring southern and eastern europe along the Adriatic Sea.  I arrived in Rome on Friday night, 9 April and after taking a shuttle from the airport to Termini train station I searched for my hostel, which led me to meeting a kind Italian man named Alfredo who left his restaurant to help me find the hostel. The next morning I spent the day touring around all of Rome walking everywhere seeing almost every popular Roman attraction from the Colosseum, Palatino, Campo de Fiori, Vatican City, the Castel Saint Angelo, walked along the Fiume Tevere, the Piazza del Popolo and my favorite, the Gardens that look down on the Piazza! I eventually walked down to the Trinita dei Monti where I enjoyed a gelato on the Spanish steps, and then made my way to the Fontana di Trevi, the Quirinale, the Piazza della Repubblica, and finished my afternoon with a Saturday vigil mass at Santa Maria Maggiore.
That evening I enjoyed pasta, pizza, and a bottle of red wine with my friend Mary, a friend from Queens, who I met up with after her travels in Naples.

I caught a morning train to Florence on Sunday where I met up with some good friends from Stonehill (Anna, Erin, and Laura) where we spent most of the afternoon catching up and talking about Volleyball, Stonehill, and life abroad.  That evening Anna and I made homemade Gnocchi and her boyfriend Mike brought over some chocolate desserts!
The next morning Anna and I woke up and got showers in before walking around Florence.  We planned on seeing the David but was disappointed to see that it was closed on Monday's.  We then walked over the another museum to see if it might be open, but that as well was closed because it was Monday.  We ended up walking through the various markets in Florence, and stopped for one of the nicest iced cappuccino's I've had since coming to Europe at a cafe called the News Cafe.  Eventually we made our way to Anna's favorite Panini place where we got a huge and delicious sandwich for under 4 euro! That afternoon I (first missed my train then) caught a train to Bologna where I waited and walked around for about an hour a half before catching a train to Ancona to catch my ferry to Split, Croatia.
The ferry was slow and took about 12 hours to cross the Adriatic Sea, but Mary (who I met again in Ancona) and I arrived early on Tuesday morning to Split where we first went to our hostel to catch some sleep.  We walked around Split that day with two other girls, one American, one Canadian, who were also studying in Ireland, and traveling around Europe for their break.  That evening we got one of the largest pizza's in Split from 'Nonne's' and shared it between all of us.  We stayed in and watched a film that evening and enjoyed being able to relax.

The next morning I spent a lot of time speaking with the manager of the hostel, a woman by the name of 'Ladybird' who could be one of the most positive people I've ever met in my life.  She is a Norwegian woman who lives in a room the size of a closet with her paintings and knitting, experiencing the world through all those who walk through the doors.  She has so many wonderful stories and such a great outlook on life, she makes life seems so simple.  I stayed in the Beach hostel again that evening and Andrew arrived to Split that evening we caught the early ferry to Brač. The island is only a 45 min ferry ride from Split, but it's seems so peaceful and far from the rest of Croatia.  My favorite thing about Brač would be the view of the mountains from the island.  I've been here for about 4 nights now enjoying the sun and stone beaches of the island.  We walk from our villa in a town called Splitska to the nearby towns of Supetar and Posteria.  
Since the unexpected eruption of the volcano in Iceland, I've found it harder to relax and really enjoy my time here in Croatia because I'm not sure if my flight will be cancelled or not, and if it would be cancelled how we'd be getting home in a timely manner.  I guess there isn't much to do here besides enjoy my time here in Croatia, and plan accordingly.  
More to come as events unfold....