We had our first choir concert and it went pretty well. We got to sing in the Palazzo Vecchio which was pretty sweet. We only sang 4 songs, so it was very short. Some parts were a little flat, but otherwise not too shabby! I still love it :)
My parents got here the day after our concert, go figure, and that was last Wednesday. I ran over to their hotel during my 15 minute break from class and they were just putting their bags into their room. Talk about good timing! Mom said the smile on my face was pretty huge; it was really good to see them. After I was done with class I bee-lined them to the gelato shop and I can definitively say they are in love. Dad kept asking me if I was SURE the ice cream cone we got was only 1 Euro. He couldn't believe how cheap it was! We have had gelato EVERY day since they've been here. I LOVE that my parents love ice-cream (gelato in this case) as much as I do! We just took a short walk around Florence and I pointed out some of the major sites. Then we went and ate at a good restaurant my host mom had taken me to.
Thursday after class I took my parents to the Medici Crypt underneath San Lorenzo church. I had not been yet, so it was pretty cool! I also got in free thanks to my Friends of the Uffizi card. Sweet! We also walked around the food market for a while and got a bite to eat there. That night I directed them to Trattoria Anita and I later found out that their food was amazing. Love that place!
Friday morning it was off to Rome! We arrived and were soon introduced to their wonky bus system. Actually, it was a fine bus system, except that there appeared to be no place to buy a schedule of the lines and their stops which proved to be frustrating. However, we were able to make it to our hotel just fine. The hotel was nice too! Mom and Dad's bed was underneath mine, but theirs was a queen? and mine was a lofted single. We had a double hot plate, small fridge and microwave, so we even cooked 3 meals while we were there! OH MY GOSH! There was also Fox station on tv IN ENGLISH so we watched a lot of Simpsons, Scrubs, and According to Jim. They wouldn't be my first choices in shows, but they were in english so I watched them. Thankfully my parents were understanding in that I haven't seen English shows on tv since I've been here, so they put up with it. Mom even laughed at the Simpsons a few times! Big steps for her :P
Unfortunately it rained pretty much the entire time we were there. Needless to say it got quite frustrating having to battle the rain all the time. Friday after we put our stuff in our hotel we walked around the inside of St. Peter's. Then Saturday it was really rainy so we went and visited Castle Sant'Angelo which is really an old prison/fortress. Then there was a pause in the rain so we hurried to the Colosseum and walked around the outside. On Sunday it was pretty nice in the morning so we went to the Trevi Fountain and Mom and I tossed in our coins so we would be guaranteed a trip back to Rome. Dad didn't want to toss a coin because he wasn't really enthused about coming back to Rome. Then we went back to the Colosseum and toured the inside. It was really really neat! Definitely a good chunk of history right there!
Today we went to the Vatican Museum and the Sistene Chapel. It was A LOT of art, but very cool. We ate gelato EVERY day while we were in Rome. There was a really good place that we always walked past and it had HUGE cones with 3 flavors of your choice for only 2 euros. It was pretty amazing. We also ate at the same restaurant twice because it was really good. I got penne alla vodka both times. It's penne pasta in a vodka creme sauce...so delicious!
Well, those were the highlights of the trip. I am quite tired so I apologize for the lack of creativity/exciting details in this one!
Until next time....
Monday, November 22, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Journey to Assisi, School and Choir
Last weekend my friends Lori and Allison went with me to Assisi. On the way there we got off at Arezzo, thinking we needed to change trains, but it turned out we didn't. So, we got to spend 2 hours in Arezzo! It wasn't too bad though, and we made light of the situation. We got to Assisi a little later than we expected, and most of the restaurants were done serving lunch. We found a self-service place and I got a type of pizza and french fries! The fries were really really good and they tasted like American fries :)
Our main site was the cathedral. It was really really pretty and the view was simply amazing. We walked around a lot and that was pretty much it! I know it doesn't sound that exciting, but there are only so many different ways to say how beautiful a view or a church is and I think I've pretty much used all of them up! Anyway, I would've liked to have spent a little more time in the town, so I am hoping to go back with my parents when they get here in LESS THAN 1 WEEK!
School is going pretty well. I am getting As and Bs in all of my classes, so it's pretty normal. The school week always goes really fast for me because I only have class on Tuesday and Wednesday, then one hour Thursday morning. It will be kind of difficult to adjust back to a more rigorous schedule when I get back to Iowa. Luckily I was able to work out my last semester so I don't have class on Fridays :D
I was in talking to my advisers this week and I showed them a picture of me as a mascot at Iowa. They could not believe it was me in the suit and they were quite tickled. Then Luca told me there is an American football team here (obviously not american players) and that he thinks they would love to talk to someone who could help them create a mascot. So that is the next thing on my list of things to do here. My friend who also goes here is a cheerleader and he said they would like to talk to her too. He thinks they would have us teach some people about it so they could have even more of the American football atmosphere. Apparently he told my friend that there might even be compensation involved. Woohoo!
The biggest thing on my agenda right now (other than my parents coming) is being a member of the Florence City Choir. I absolutely LOVE it. We sing really good songs, and while it is just a community choir, we still sound pretty good! We have 6 concerts before I go home and for one of them we are traveling to an island for 2 days! The trip is right before my finals week, but I couldn't say no. I'm trying to get a head start on all of my papers and projects now so that I won't be so swamped then :P Either way, it is going to be a blast, and plus, I'm only in Italy to study once! (Notice how I said "to study"...I will be back someday!) It is mostly Italians in the choir too, so it is fun to interact with them. We have practice every Tuesday and Thursday night, and our first concert is this coming Tuesday! Wish us luck!
Our main site was the cathedral. It was really really pretty and the view was simply amazing. We walked around a lot and that was pretty much it! I know it doesn't sound that exciting, but there are only so many different ways to say how beautiful a view or a church is and I think I've pretty much used all of them up! Anyway, I would've liked to have spent a little more time in the town, so I am hoping to go back with my parents when they get here in LESS THAN 1 WEEK!
School is going pretty well. I am getting As and Bs in all of my classes, so it's pretty normal. The school week always goes really fast for me because I only have class on Tuesday and Wednesday, then one hour Thursday morning. It will be kind of difficult to adjust back to a more rigorous schedule when I get back to Iowa. Luckily I was able to work out my last semester so I don't have class on Fridays :D
I was in talking to my advisers this week and I showed them a picture of me as a mascot at Iowa. They could not believe it was me in the suit and they were quite tickled. Then Luca told me there is an American football team here (obviously not american players) and that he thinks they would love to talk to someone who could help them create a mascot. So that is the next thing on my list of things to do here. My friend who also goes here is a cheerleader and he said they would like to talk to her too. He thinks they would have us teach some people about it so they could have even more of the American football atmosphere. Apparently he told my friend that there might even be compensation involved. Woohoo!
The biggest thing on my agenda right now (other than my parents coming) is being a member of the Florence City Choir. I absolutely LOVE it. We sing really good songs, and while it is just a community choir, we still sound pretty good! We have 6 concerts before I go home and for one of them we are traveling to an island for 2 days! The trip is right before my finals week, but I couldn't say no. I'm trying to get a head start on all of my papers and projects now so that I won't be so swamped then :P Either way, it is going to be a blast, and plus, I'm only in Italy to study once! (Notice how I said "to study"...I will be back someday!) It is mostly Italians in the choir too, so it is fun to interact with them. We have practice every Tuesday and Thursday night, and our first concert is this coming Tuesday! Wish us luck!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
2nd Half of Fall Break in Sicily!
Tuesday, October 26th
Today started at a very early 2:30 AM. At 3 our cab arrived at our hostel and took us to the bus stop because the train wasn't running that early. I slept a little on the way to the airport. There was quite a line for check-in when we arrived, but we had plenty of time. With the last of my pounds I bout "My Sister's Keeper" and read 2/3 of it on the plane, which was good except that meant I wasn't sleeping.
We got into Trapani and took a bus from the airport into the city. What a trash-hole that town is! There is really only one main street that is clean and has shops. It reminded me a lot of Mexico. We found our B & B pretty well and checked into our small, but comfortable room. Then we walked for a long time and found a place to eat. After seeing at the bus station that the last bus to Erice (the town on top of the mountain) didn't give us much time to be there, so I gave up grumpily and returned to our B & B. When I got there I decided to look again to try to find the cable cars that go to the mountain because I figured there had to be an easier way. Well, I was right and I found where they were located and that I would have about 4 hours on the mountain.
Paige wanted to rest so she stayed at the B & B and I started my very long walk through the entire town of Trapani to the life. I was tired when I reached it, but it was worth it. Only 6 euro to get there and back. I shared my cable car with a very kind old Italian man who has always lived and worked in Erice. He was very talkative and when we reached the top he showed me a church where I could buy a ticket so I could go into a bunch of churches.
When I was heading to the last church, I rounded a corner and thought to myself, "I bet there is going to be an amazing view" and when I rounded the corner I literally lost my breath it was so beautiful. I saw a church with an ocean and an island behind it with lush green bluffs to its sides. I hurried through the last church as it wasn't very exciting and I wanted to get back outside to see the view. Once outside I found a random little path that was mostly green from overgrown weeds, so of course I decided to follow it. The path led me to ruins of part of a castle. I think the door was supposed to be locked, but it wasn't so I went in! It was pretty worn down and some of the stairs were missing in places so I couldn't go all the way to the top, but it was still pretty cool. I tried to walk down another overgrown path after that castle but it led me to a really high wall so I turned around. The other big part of the fortress/castle was closed so I wasn't able to go in. The weather also started taking a turn for the worse so I headed back down the mountain.
On the way home I stopped to get a bite to eat. I found a place that had a piece of pizza type thing. It was shaped like a slice of pizza, but the crust was on top and bottom and was really flaky like a croissant. Then inside was cheese, turkey and spinach. It was really really good! I've seen them in florence too but have never tried them, I guess I will now! The rest of the night consisted of my finished my book and going to bed.
Wednesday, October 27th
Today Paige and I woke up and packed our bags to check out. The B & B allowed us to leave our bags there while we went and bought a bus ticket and also while we ate breakfast. I had a croissant with marmalade which was pretty delicious. After we bought our bus ticket to San Vito lo Capo we had some time to kill so we walked around the town a little and found a bread shop we had seen the day before. We stopped in and met the sweetest old man. He gave (well, sold) us these amazing pieces of bread rolled in sugar and then took pictures with us.
We went back to the B & B, checked some stuff on the computer and headed out. When we got to S. Vito lo Capo we found ourselves in a ghost town. We managed to find our hotel, but nobody was there. Finally, after calling the number on a card on the front desk, a lady showed up. Apparently she didn't know we were coming (even though I made reservations...found out later she is the sister of the lady I corresponded with by email). She told us to leave our luggage there, go look around for an hour and then our room would be ready.
So we set off on a journey to find something to eat. It was about 3 PM so we didn't really think twice about being able to find something to eat. However, apparently everything is closed between 2 and 6 in this town. We finally found a restaurant that said they would take us. We both ordered pizza, but when mine came out it had fish on it! It was not very good so I pushed the fish to the side and ate the rest. When we went back to our hotel we found our room but the lights didn't work. The lady told us that the weather was bad and the power was going in and out. Awesome. I tried to take a shower but the hot water heater wasn't working, so finally I just gave up and we both took naps. We both woke up a little happier and went in search of dinner before we missed our window of opportunity.
While we were walking to the restaurant the street lights all turned off! Not only the street lights, but every light in town, except cars...obviously. Luckily I had put my flashlight in my purse, I knew that would come in handy! We found a nice restaurant and I got pasta with shrimp and zucchini. There were cats in the restaurant too (it was outdoors, in a tent thing). The staff would yell at them, but not too badly because Paige and I didn't mind. They were cute! There was even a kitten! After dinner it was straight to bed!
Thursday, October 28th
Go, go, go and then go some more! Today we got to sleep in a little more which was nice. The people at the hotel weren't very busy (it's off season...hence the ghost town) so they let us stay as late as we wanted. We were able to leave our bags to look for the bus station and get some breakfast. I got a croissant filled with nutella that was really really good! Then we looked for the bus station but couldn't find it. We talked to a tourist lady who informed us that there is not actually a station but just the stop and you buy the ticket on the bus. We went back and got our bags and headed to the stop. We ended up having to wait about an hour, but finally the bus came. The ride was also kind of long, but the scenery was really pretty. We arrived in Palermo around 4 but didn't get to our B & B until between 4:30-5.
The lady who runs the B & B was really nice! Turns out there wasn't room in the main part of their B & B for both nights so we got an entire apartment to ourselves that they just bought and are working to fix-up. Since we had a stove we headed to a market that the lady pointed out to us and bought fresh food to make dinner and breakfast the next day. We found chicken, zucchini, carrots, potatoes, onion, garlic, soy sauce, bread, eggs, cheese, butter, salt and sweets! And it was all really cheap too! We made stir fry and it was delicious.
Friday, October 29th
We were starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel at this point of our trip. Nothing very exciting happened today. Got up and showered and when Paige woke up we made breakfast. She made french toast and I made scrambled eggs. Then I went to the internet cafe to check my emails and such. When I came back we went to the market to buy a few more things to make dinner again. For lunch though we had chicken and hashbrowns. Then I returned to the internet cafe to skype with a few people, which was really nice. I went back to the apartment and napped for a little while. When I woke up I started preparing dinner. After dinner we played cards for a little bit and then went to bed. It was nice to lay low for day :)
Saturday, October 30th
Today was the last day of fall break! We had to be out of our B & B by 11 but she let us leave our stuff in a room. We went and saw the catacombs which were really freaky. It was 3 euro to get in and it was just several different sections of dead people with their clothes still on. Some of them still had very distinct facial features and even hair, so it was really creepy.
Then we went to a restaurant that the lady at our B & B recommended. We both had spinach and riccotta ravioli in tomato sauce and a piece of bread. It was super good, and really cheap too! After that we went to a sweet shop and Paige tried 3 different types of cakes. I was way to full to even try a bite though, so I didn't have any. Then we headed to the theater but we didn't tour or anything. I actually just sat in the sun for a while (it was probably 75 degrees) while Paige went into a Sephora. We stopped in a couple tourist shops and I found a thimble and a ring. After that we went to the market yet again so I could buy some sweets for my host family. We were tired of walking around by that time so we burned the rest of our remaining time at the internet cafe just hanging out. Our flight was late and we didn't get back into Florence until around 1 AM.
I definitely had an amazing trip and I am so glad I was able to have this opportunity to travel. It is still really surreal to be here sometimes. I am loving this experience but I am also getting more and more excited to come back to the US as the days go by :) Also, I updated my online photo album with LOTS of pictures, so make sure to check them out here: Bridget's Italy Pics Much love to all!
Today started at a very early 2:30 AM. At 3 our cab arrived at our hostel and took us to the bus stop because the train wasn't running that early. I slept a little on the way to the airport. There was quite a line for check-in when we arrived, but we had plenty of time. With the last of my pounds I bout "My Sister's Keeper" and read 2/3 of it on the plane, which was good except that meant I wasn't sleeping.
We got into Trapani and took a bus from the airport into the city. What a trash-hole that town is! There is really only one main street that is clean and has shops. It reminded me a lot of Mexico. We found our B & B pretty well and checked into our small, but comfortable room. Then we walked for a long time and found a place to eat. After seeing at the bus station that the last bus to Erice (the town on top of the mountain) didn't give us much time to be there, so I gave up grumpily and returned to our B & B. When I got there I decided to look again to try to find the cable cars that go to the mountain because I figured there had to be an easier way. Well, I was right and I found where they were located and that I would have about 4 hours on the mountain.
Paige wanted to rest so she stayed at the B & B and I started my very long walk through the entire town of Trapani to the life. I was tired when I reached it, but it was worth it. Only 6 euro to get there and back. I shared my cable car with a very kind old Italian man who has always lived and worked in Erice. He was very talkative and when we reached the top he showed me a church where I could buy a ticket so I could go into a bunch of churches.
When I was heading to the last church, I rounded a corner and thought to myself, "I bet there is going to be an amazing view" and when I rounded the corner I literally lost my breath it was so beautiful. I saw a church with an ocean and an island behind it with lush green bluffs to its sides. I hurried through the last church as it wasn't very exciting and I wanted to get back outside to see the view. Once outside I found a random little path that was mostly green from overgrown weeds, so of course I decided to follow it. The path led me to ruins of part of a castle. I think the door was supposed to be locked, but it wasn't so I went in! It was pretty worn down and some of the stairs were missing in places so I couldn't go all the way to the top, but it was still pretty cool. I tried to walk down another overgrown path after that castle but it led me to a really high wall so I turned around. The other big part of the fortress/castle was closed so I wasn't able to go in. The weather also started taking a turn for the worse so I headed back down the mountain.
On the way home I stopped to get a bite to eat. I found a place that had a piece of pizza type thing. It was shaped like a slice of pizza, but the crust was on top and bottom and was really flaky like a croissant. Then inside was cheese, turkey and spinach. It was really really good! I've seen them in florence too but have never tried them, I guess I will now! The rest of the night consisted of my finished my book and going to bed.
Wednesday, October 27th
Today Paige and I woke up and packed our bags to check out. The B & B allowed us to leave our bags there while we went and bought a bus ticket and also while we ate breakfast. I had a croissant with marmalade which was pretty delicious. After we bought our bus ticket to San Vito lo Capo we had some time to kill so we walked around the town a little and found a bread shop we had seen the day before. We stopped in and met the sweetest old man. He gave (well, sold) us these amazing pieces of bread rolled in sugar and then took pictures with us.
We went back to the B & B, checked some stuff on the computer and headed out. When we got to S. Vito lo Capo we found ourselves in a ghost town. We managed to find our hotel, but nobody was there. Finally, after calling the number on a card on the front desk, a lady showed up. Apparently she didn't know we were coming (even though I made reservations...found out later she is the sister of the lady I corresponded with by email). She told us to leave our luggage there, go look around for an hour and then our room would be ready.
So we set off on a journey to find something to eat. It was about 3 PM so we didn't really think twice about being able to find something to eat. However, apparently everything is closed between 2 and 6 in this town. We finally found a restaurant that said they would take us. We both ordered pizza, but when mine came out it had fish on it! It was not very good so I pushed the fish to the side and ate the rest. When we went back to our hotel we found our room but the lights didn't work. The lady told us that the weather was bad and the power was going in and out. Awesome. I tried to take a shower but the hot water heater wasn't working, so finally I just gave up and we both took naps. We both woke up a little happier and went in search of dinner before we missed our window of opportunity.
While we were walking to the restaurant the street lights all turned off! Not only the street lights, but every light in town, except cars...obviously. Luckily I had put my flashlight in my purse, I knew that would come in handy! We found a nice restaurant and I got pasta with shrimp and zucchini. There were cats in the restaurant too (it was outdoors, in a tent thing). The staff would yell at them, but not too badly because Paige and I didn't mind. They were cute! There was even a kitten! After dinner it was straight to bed!
Thursday, October 28th
Go, go, go and then go some more! Today we got to sleep in a little more which was nice. The people at the hotel weren't very busy (it's off season...hence the ghost town) so they let us stay as late as we wanted. We were able to leave our bags to look for the bus station and get some breakfast. I got a croissant filled with nutella that was really really good! Then we looked for the bus station but couldn't find it. We talked to a tourist lady who informed us that there is not actually a station but just the stop and you buy the ticket on the bus. We went back and got our bags and headed to the stop. We ended up having to wait about an hour, but finally the bus came. The ride was also kind of long, but the scenery was really pretty. We arrived in Palermo around 4 but didn't get to our B & B until between 4:30-5.
The lady who runs the B & B was really nice! Turns out there wasn't room in the main part of their B & B for both nights so we got an entire apartment to ourselves that they just bought and are working to fix-up. Since we had a stove we headed to a market that the lady pointed out to us and bought fresh food to make dinner and breakfast the next day. We found chicken, zucchini, carrots, potatoes, onion, garlic, soy sauce, bread, eggs, cheese, butter, salt and sweets! And it was all really cheap too! We made stir fry and it was delicious.
Friday, October 29th
We were starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel at this point of our trip. Nothing very exciting happened today. Got up and showered and when Paige woke up we made breakfast. She made french toast and I made scrambled eggs. Then I went to the internet cafe to check my emails and such. When I came back we went to the market to buy a few more things to make dinner again. For lunch though we had chicken and hashbrowns. Then I returned to the internet cafe to skype with a few people, which was really nice. I went back to the apartment and napped for a little while. When I woke up I started preparing dinner. After dinner we played cards for a little bit and then went to bed. It was nice to lay low for day :)
Saturday, October 30th
Today was the last day of fall break! We had to be out of our B & B by 11 but she let us leave our stuff in a room. We went and saw the catacombs which were really freaky. It was 3 euro to get in and it was just several different sections of dead people with their clothes still on. Some of them still had very distinct facial features and even hair, so it was really creepy.
Then we went to a restaurant that the lady at our B & B recommended. We both had spinach and riccotta ravioli in tomato sauce and a piece of bread. It was super good, and really cheap too! After that we went to a sweet shop and Paige tried 3 different types of cakes. I was way to full to even try a bite though, so I didn't have any. Then we headed to the theater but we didn't tour or anything. I actually just sat in the sun for a while (it was probably 75 degrees) while Paige went into a Sephora. We stopped in a couple tourist shops and I found a thimble and a ring. After that we went to the market yet again so I could buy some sweets for my host family. We were tired of walking around by that time so we burned the rest of our remaining time at the internet cafe just hanging out. Our flight was late and we didn't get back into Florence until around 1 AM.
I definitely had an amazing trip and I am so glad I was able to have this opportunity to travel. It is still really surreal to be here sometimes. I am loving this experience but I am also getting more and more excited to come back to the US as the days go by :) Also, I updated my online photo album with LOTS of pictures, so make sure to check them out here: Bridget's Italy Pics Much love to all!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
5 Days in London
Thursday, October 21st
Got into the Stansted airport and caught a bus into London. The bus dropped us off at Finchley Road and then we took the tube to Willesden Green. The tub is FANTASTIC! We checked into our hostel and met our roommates for the first 4 days, Josephine and Evie who are both from Sweden and are very nice. Then we went downtown to Oxford Circus and walked around looking for a place to eat. Turns out they don't serve late in London like they do in Italy, kitchens here close at 10 or 10:30! So since it was 10:30 we just grabbed some McDonald's which actually tasted pretty darn good. I had a massive headache though from being tired so we went back and called it an early night. Hostel perks: free breakfast and internet!
Friday, October 22nd
We woke up, ate breakfast and headed back down to Oxford Circus today. We walked around for a long time just looking at buildings and shops. Then we went to Buckingham palace but were a little disappointed because they only change guards every other day in the fall/winter. Then we walked to Westminister Abby and Big Ben and took some pictures. We ate at a little pub nearby and had jacket potatoes with chicken, bacon and cheese. They were delicious! I washed it down with a Strongbow, a cider that is hard to find in Italy.
After that we stopped back by Oxford Circus at a tourist shop and bought postcards and souvenirs. We went back to the hostel and got ready to go out on the town. We went to the Soho district and once we located the bar we wanted to go to we found some food. It was unusually difficult to find a place with fish and chips, but we did. I was a little disappointed though, it wasn't that great. We stayed at Candy Bar all night and it was......."unforgettable" I guess. We even met some "nuns" at the bar who were really fun :P
Saturday, October 23rd
Today was the best so far because I went and saw WICKED!!!! It was AMAZING! I had delays getting there because the train doesn't run at some of the stops on weekends so I had to take the bus, but apparently it was to my advantage. I arrived 40 minutes before the show and the ticket guy said if I had come 1 hour earlier there would've been nothing. Then he told me it would be 62 pounds and my jaw dropped! That's a lot of money for a matinee! I asked if he had a student discount and he did. It was only 25 pounds since I am a student. Score!!! Since I saved so much I even bought a program :) After seeing the musical I kind of want to go into that industry. They do tons of public relations/communications work. I think it would be fabulous...but it would mean living in Chicago if I want to stay in the Midwest...we will see.
Didn't really do much else the rest of the day since the musical was right in the middle of the day. Paige and I ordered a late night pizza and had it delivered. It was delicious and tasted like America :P
Sunday, October 24th
What a busy day! We woke up and had breakfast and then headed right to the bus (because the train was still out) and went to Tower Hill to see the London Tower and the Tower Bridge. It was a little pricey to get in but it was pretty cool. I thought the part on the old torture techniques was pretty interesting, and scary! I also finally got to see one of those guards in the red uniform with the big, black furry hat! Paige and I actually made him laugh, so that was pretty fun. We got lunch inside the castle walls and it was delicious! I had winter minestrone soup and french baguettes. It was soooo good!
When we left the Tower we looked at the Tower Bridge, took pictures, then crossed it. We stopped by Shakespeare's Globe Theater but there was a performance going on so we couldn't go inside. We continued along the river to Tate Modern Museum where there was the sunflower seed display that I really wanted to see. It was really neat! A huge room filled with hand-painted porcelain sunflower seeds. You could sit along the edges and write things with the seeds. Very cool!
Then we caught the tube to Camden Town to go to the market. We were pretty tired by this time so we didn't go very far into the market, but we did find some awesome Converse shoes! I bought my first pair of Chucks ever :) They are black and have a double tongue that you can fold down so it is bright blue! I like how it looks. I also had the best steak sandwich ever! It was basically a Philly cheese steak, but so much better! It had steak, mushrooms, onions, and cheese on a french baguette (my new favorite type of bread). Simply amazing! And it was only 3.50 and was probably as long as a footlong sub, if not longer, made fresh right in front of me.
The rest of the evening consisted of Paige and I packing our bags and hanging out because we had to switch rooms for the last night in the hostel.
Monday, October 25th
Another busy busy day! Paige and I started out at Oxford Circus because she wanted to go to a couple of clothing stores. I ended up giving up to peer pressure and buying my first pair of true skinny jeans. They are light gray...I haven't decided how I feel about them yet, but they do look pretty sweet with my new chucks! After shopping we went to Covent Garden and found a tea shop! I bought some instant tea and it is delicious and very very sweet :) Like me! When we left the store we caught the end of a street performance that was pretty cool. This guy climbed a free standing ladder and then juggled knives at the top!
After the show we got lunch at White Lion. I hesitantly tried fish and chips again and was NOT disappointed! It was AMAZING! Very very very good fish and chips. I also had some Strongbow again...had to drink it while it was available! After lunch Paige and I split ways because we wanted to see different things and I had a great time.
I went to Hyde Park which was amazing. I have missed being around grass and trees since I have been overseas and this place definitely fulfilled my nature needs. The trees were turning, the sun was shining and it was just beautiful. Throughout the park there were sculptures by a featured artist that were reflective but turned everything upside down. They were really neat. I spent a long time just walking around and snapping pictures.
After the park I went to St. Paul's Cathedral. I had a lot of time to burn, so I went to the Clockmakers museum first. It wasn't the most thrilling thing I've ever seen, but it was still interesting. Even after the museum I had some time to waste so I bought a chocolate milk and a granola bar and sat on the steps of the cathedral while I waited for the Evensong Mass. The mass was very cool. Unfortunately the choir boys were gone on 1/2 semester break (just like me!) so they weren't there. However, they brought in another choir and they were really good. The acoustics of the church made the singing very cool.
After mass I headed back to the hostel, stopping on the way to grab some take-out Chinese food. It was actually pretty good! It was nice to be in a country where I could get the same type of food I get in the States. I had Doritos too! They were delicious. The rest of the evening was packing and preparing to leave the hostel at 3 AM for Sicily. Yucky!
Got into the Stansted airport and caught a bus into London. The bus dropped us off at Finchley Road and then we took the tube to Willesden Green. The tub is FANTASTIC! We checked into our hostel and met our roommates for the first 4 days, Josephine and Evie who are both from Sweden and are very nice. Then we went downtown to Oxford Circus and walked around looking for a place to eat. Turns out they don't serve late in London like they do in Italy, kitchens here close at 10 or 10:30! So since it was 10:30 we just grabbed some McDonald's which actually tasted pretty darn good. I had a massive headache though from being tired so we went back and called it an early night. Hostel perks: free breakfast and internet!
Friday, October 22nd
We woke up, ate breakfast and headed back down to Oxford Circus today. We walked around for a long time just looking at buildings and shops. Then we went to Buckingham palace but were a little disappointed because they only change guards every other day in the fall/winter. Then we walked to Westminister Abby and Big Ben and took some pictures. We ate at a little pub nearby and had jacket potatoes with chicken, bacon and cheese. They were delicious! I washed it down with a Strongbow, a cider that is hard to find in Italy.
After that we stopped back by Oxford Circus at a tourist shop and bought postcards and souvenirs. We went back to the hostel and got ready to go out on the town. We went to the Soho district and once we located the bar we wanted to go to we found some food. It was unusually difficult to find a place with fish and chips, but we did. I was a little disappointed though, it wasn't that great. We stayed at Candy Bar all night and it was......."unforgettable" I guess. We even met some "nuns" at the bar who were really fun :P
Saturday, October 23rd
Today was the best so far because I went and saw WICKED!!!! It was AMAZING! I had delays getting there because the train doesn't run at some of the stops on weekends so I had to take the bus, but apparently it was to my advantage. I arrived 40 minutes before the show and the ticket guy said if I had come 1 hour earlier there would've been nothing. Then he told me it would be 62 pounds and my jaw dropped! That's a lot of money for a matinee! I asked if he had a student discount and he did. It was only 25 pounds since I am a student. Score!!! Since I saved so much I even bought a program :) After seeing the musical I kind of want to go into that industry. They do tons of public relations/communications work. I think it would be fabulous...but it would mean living in Chicago if I want to stay in the Midwest...we will see.
Didn't really do much else the rest of the day since the musical was right in the middle of the day. Paige and I ordered a late night pizza and had it delivered. It was delicious and tasted like America :P
Sunday, October 24th
What a busy day! We woke up and had breakfast and then headed right to the bus (because the train was still out) and went to Tower Hill to see the London Tower and the Tower Bridge. It was a little pricey to get in but it was pretty cool. I thought the part on the old torture techniques was pretty interesting, and scary! I also finally got to see one of those guards in the red uniform with the big, black furry hat! Paige and I actually made him laugh, so that was pretty fun. We got lunch inside the castle walls and it was delicious! I had winter minestrone soup and french baguettes. It was soooo good!
When we left the Tower we looked at the Tower Bridge, took pictures, then crossed it. We stopped by Shakespeare's Globe Theater but there was a performance going on so we couldn't go inside. We continued along the river to Tate Modern Museum where there was the sunflower seed display that I really wanted to see. It was really neat! A huge room filled with hand-painted porcelain sunflower seeds. You could sit along the edges and write things with the seeds. Very cool!
Then we caught the tube to Camden Town to go to the market. We were pretty tired by this time so we didn't go very far into the market, but we did find some awesome Converse shoes! I bought my first pair of Chucks ever :) They are black and have a double tongue that you can fold down so it is bright blue! I like how it looks. I also had the best steak sandwich ever! It was basically a Philly cheese steak, but so much better! It had steak, mushrooms, onions, and cheese on a french baguette (my new favorite type of bread). Simply amazing! And it was only 3.50 and was probably as long as a footlong sub, if not longer, made fresh right in front of me.
The rest of the evening consisted of Paige and I packing our bags and hanging out because we had to switch rooms for the last night in the hostel.
Monday, October 25th
Another busy busy day! Paige and I started out at Oxford Circus because she wanted to go to a couple of clothing stores. I ended up giving up to peer pressure and buying my first pair of true skinny jeans. They are light gray...I haven't decided how I feel about them yet, but they do look pretty sweet with my new chucks! After shopping we went to Covent Garden and found a tea shop! I bought some instant tea and it is delicious and very very sweet :) Like me! When we left the store we caught the end of a street performance that was pretty cool. This guy climbed a free standing ladder and then juggled knives at the top!
After the show we got lunch at White Lion. I hesitantly tried fish and chips again and was NOT disappointed! It was AMAZING! Very very very good fish and chips. I also had some Strongbow again...had to drink it while it was available! After lunch Paige and I split ways because we wanted to see different things and I had a great time.
I went to Hyde Park which was amazing. I have missed being around grass and trees since I have been overseas and this place definitely fulfilled my nature needs. The trees were turning, the sun was shining and it was just beautiful. Throughout the park there were sculptures by a featured artist that were reflective but turned everything upside down. They were really neat. I spent a long time just walking around and snapping pictures.
After the park I went to St. Paul's Cathedral. I had a lot of time to burn, so I went to the Clockmakers museum first. It wasn't the most thrilling thing I've ever seen, but it was still interesting. Even after the museum I had some time to waste so I bought a chocolate milk and a granola bar and sat on the steps of the cathedral while I waited for the Evensong Mass. The mass was very cool. Unfortunately the choir boys were gone on 1/2 semester break (just like me!) so they weren't there. However, they brought in another choir and they were really good. The acoustics of the church made the singing very cool.
After mass I headed back to the hostel, stopping on the way to grab some take-out Chinese food. It was actually pretty good! It was nice to be in a country where I could get the same type of food I get in the States. I had Doritos too! They were delicious. The rest of the evening was packing and preparing to leave the hostel at 3 AM for Sicily. Yucky!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
European Chocolate Festival, Venice and Midterms
Last Friday I joined my friend's class to go to the 2010 European Chocolate Festival in Perugia. It was AWESOME! The bus ride was a little long, about 2 hours I think each way, but it was definitely worth it. We paid 30 Euros and that paid for the transportation and a chocolate card that allowed you to have free samples at a few of the places!
The best thing I had were these chocolate raviolis that were made of 40% chocolate pasta and filled with a chocolate cream. The ones I had were almost the texture of a croissant and then they were sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with strawberries. It was simply amazing. I also bought a hunk of dark chocolate with almonds inside which was quite tasty.
One of the stands for free samples was hot cocoa, except it is NOTHING like the hot chocolate in the states. Here it is basically melted chocolate, they served it to us with a spoon! The brand is Ciobar and they were filming commercials for Italian MTV at the festival. My friends and I volunteered and they had us put on silly costumes and gave us silly props, then had us dance around to their theme song. It was really fun, AND we got another free hot chocolate out of the deal :P
On Saturday morning the program I came here with (Wells College out of NY) had a trip to Venice. I was really excited to see the blown glass and have a gondola ride, but my spirits were quickly dampened. The weather was not pretty at all and the tide was really high, so we were unable to get to Murano, the island with the blown glass, and we also didn't get a gondola ride. However, I had a really good time hanging out with the girls from my program who I don't get to see very often at school because of different schedules. That was probably the best part, just having a relaxing weekend. We went on a couple of tours of a church and some historical buildings, but other than that we didn't do much. The main highlight of the trip was the dinner we had paid for. I had the BEST vegetarian lasagna I have ever had in my life. It was delicious.
You will all be happy to know that I have completed my 5 midterms! This week I had 2 on Tuesday, 2 on Wednesday (and a paper due!), and 1 today (Thursday). It was definitely stressful, but now I am done and get to go on VACATION!
I will post pictures from the chocolate festival and from Venice when I get back. I will also try to post my pictures from this break soon after my return! I love you all and miss you!
A Presto!
The best thing I had were these chocolate raviolis that were made of 40% chocolate pasta and filled with a chocolate cream. The ones I had were almost the texture of a croissant and then they were sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with strawberries. It was simply amazing. I also bought a hunk of dark chocolate with almonds inside which was quite tasty.
One of the stands for free samples was hot cocoa, except it is NOTHING like the hot chocolate in the states. Here it is basically melted chocolate, they served it to us with a spoon! The brand is Ciobar and they were filming commercials for Italian MTV at the festival. My friends and I volunteered and they had us put on silly costumes and gave us silly props, then had us dance around to their theme song. It was really fun, AND we got another free hot chocolate out of the deal :P
On Saturday morning the program I came here with (Wells College out of NY) had a trip to Venice. I was really excited to see the blown glass and have a gondola ride, but my spirits were quickly dampened. The weather was not pretty at all and the tide was really high, so we were unable to get to Murano, the island with the blown glass, and we also didn't get a gondola ride. However, I had a really good time hanging out with the girls from my program who I don't get to see very often at school because of different schedules. That was probably the best part, just having a relaxing weekend. We went on a couple of tours of a church and some historical buildings, but other than that we didn't do much. The main highlight of the trip was the dinner we had paid for. I had the BEST vegetarian lasagna I have ever had in my life. It was delicious.
You will all be happy to know that I have completed my 5 midterms! This week I had 2 on Tuesday, 2 on Wednesday (and a paper due!), and 1 today (Thursday). It was definitely stressful, but now I am done and get to go on VACATION!
I will post pictures from the chocolate festival and from Venice when I get back. I will also try to post my pictures from this break soon after my return! I love you all and miss you!
A Presto!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Un po di Pisa e Cinque Terre (A little of Pisa and Cinque Terre)
This past weekend I went with my friends Jessica and SaraClaire to Cinque Terre. We left at 6:30 AM to head to the train station, expecting to leave at 7:10 at arrive in the Cinque Terre around 11. The train did not leave until 7:40AM and when we got to Pisa I thought we needed to change trains. Turns out we didn't have to change trains, but it was too late. Since it was a two hour wait until the next train, we decided to go find the leaning tower of Pisa! It turned out to be just perfect. We got to the tower, took the stereotypical pictures holding up/pushing down the tower and then walked back to the station. On the way back we stopped at a pastry/chocolate shop and I got a croissant filled with Apricot marmalade. It was delicious!
Once we were back on the train we were golden until we had to switch trains at La Spezia. We ended up having an hour wait for the train so we went and got lunch. That turned out wonderful too because I got a HUGE margarita pizza for only E5! We caught the train from La Spezia and finally arrived in Monterosso. We found our hotel and it was very comfortable. It was nothing too fancy, but it was clean and pretty spacious-all for only E25 each! Not bad!
Then we hopped on the train to go back to Riomaggiore, the southernmost town of the Cinque Terre and were going to work our way back up to number 3. However, once we got on the train it went zooming past all the towns and arrived in La Spezia! We had accidentally gotten on the express train! Thank the Lord the conductor didn't ask to see our tickets because we would've gotten fined! Luckily too we were able to get right back on a train to go back to the town we needed. Once we got off in Riomaggiore we started our amazing walk. We walked between Riomaggiore and Manarola. This walk is called "Via Del'Amore" or "Walk of love". It was very beautiful and not very long at all. Along the path are locks locked to chains, ropes, rails, everything really. The locks represent people locking their love there forever. Pretty cute :) The little towns also had tons of character! From Manarola to Corniglia we had to take a train because the path was closed. Once we arrived in the train station we had to climb 382 steps to get to where the town was located. (I only know how many steps because there was a sign at the top!) It was very beautiful though!
After Corniglia we headed back to our town (Monterosso) and went out to dinner. The place was very nice and the food was excellent. Jessica and I both got pasta with a mushroom sauce and SaraClaire got an amazing Pesto pasta dish. Of course after dinner we had to get gelato too :) We went to bed very early that night and got a great night's sleep. It was perfect!
In the morning we packed up and walked around the sea in Monterosso. Then we got on the train and headed to the last town that we had not seen, Vernazza. Vernazza was very beautiful. We looked in a lot of the different shops, hung out by the sea for a while, and got delicious focaccia bread. Mine had pesto on it! Then Jessica and SaraClaire wanted to look at more shops but I didn't really want to, so I sat on a bench and read my book for a while. It was nice to relax! Once we had burned some time we hopped on the train to La Spezia and from there we returned home with NO PROBLEMS! It was way better than the trip there!
I can't wait for my parents to come because I know my mom really wants to go to Cinque Terre. It is very beautiful, and if the weather is nice I would like to spend more time there and hike some of the longer trails! I know it would be absolutely breathtaking!
Make sure to check out my online photo album for pictures from this trip! Click here to go to the photo site!
Once we were back on the train we were golden until we had to switch trains at La Spezia. We ended up having an hour wait for the train so we went and got lunch. That turned out wonderful too because I got a HUGE margarita pizza for only E5! We caught the train from La Spezia and finally arrived in Monterosso. We found our hotel and it was very comfortable. It was nothing too fancy, but it was clean and pretty spacious-all for only E25 each! Not bad!
Then we hopped on the train to go back to Riomaggiore, the southernmost town of the Cinque Terre and were going to work our way back up to number 3. However, once we got on the train it went zooming past all the towns and arrived in La Spezia! We had accidentally gotten on the express train! Thank the Lord the conductor didn't ask to see our tickets because we would've gotten fined! Luckily too we were able to get right back on a train to go back to the town we needed. Once we got off in Riomaggiore we started our amazing walk. We walked between Riomaggiore and Manarola. This walk is called "Via Del'Amore" or "Walk of love". It was very beautiful and not very long at all. Along the path are locks locked to chains, ropes, rails, everything really. The locks represent people locking their love there forever. Pretty cute :) The little towns also had tons of character! From Manarola to Corniglia we had to take a train because the path was closed. Once we arrived in the train station we had to climb 382 steps to get to where the town was located. (I only know how many steps because there was a sign at the top!) It was very beautiful though!
After Corniglia we headed back to our town (Monterosso) and went out to dinner. The place was very nice and the food was excellent. Jessica and I both got pasta with a mushroom sauce and SaraClaire got an amazing Pesto pasta dish. Of course after dinner we had to get gelato too :) We went to bed very early that night and got a great night's sleep. It was perfect!
In the morning we packed up and walked around the sea in Monterosso. Then we got on the train and headed to the last town that we had not seen, Vernazza. Vernazza was very beautiful. We looked in a lot of the different shops, hung out by the sea for a while, and got delicious focaccia bread. Mine had pesto on it! Then Jessica and SaraClaire wanted to look at more shops but I didn't really want to, so I sat on a bench and read my book for a while. It was nice to relax! Once we had burned some time we hopped on the train to La Spezia and from there we returned home with NO PROBLEMS! It was way better than the trip there!
I can't wait for my parents to come because I know my mom really wants to go to Cinque Terre. It is very beautiful, and if the weather is nice I would like to spend more time there and hike some of the longer trails! I know it would be absolutely breathtaking!
Make sure to check out my online photo album for pictures from this trip! Click here to go to the photo site!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Sono andata in Germania! (I went to Germany!)
Last Wednesday I left Florence by myself for my first big adventure. I went to Germany to see my friend Bekky who was a foreign exchange student at my high school 3 years ago. I stayed with her family in Tapfheim which is about an hour and a half by train from Munich.
Wednesday:
I left Florence in a hurry after class and started out from the Santa Maria Novella train station. When I arrived at the station it took me a little while to find where to find where to buy a ticket, but once I did it was easy. In fact, I ended up helping 2 other Italians figure out how to use the automatic ticket machine-all while speaking Italian! I had a little trouble finding the track I was leaving from because with the automatic ticket machine it doesn't put the track number on the ticket, you have to look at the time monitors. Luckily I asked the help desk and they pointed me in the right direction. Once on the train it was pretty smooth sailing. I did get hassled for the first time while on the train for money by a guy. I had to be very emphatic (in Italian) that I didn't have anything for him and I wanted him to leave. My heart was a little sad having to get frustrated with him, but he had started reaching for my purse and getting very close to me (while I was sitting) so I had to be stern.
I had to change trains at Pisa Centrale and fortunately I saw the train I needed listed on a sign so I didn't even get lost finding the other platform. Once I got to the airport it took a little time to get oriented, but I arrived even before the desk opened to check-in for my flight so I was fine. I got checked in, went through security and waited to board my airplane. When I arrived into Munich-Memmingham West Bekky was not there. That morning I had received a message from her saying that she had earlier thought I was flying into Munich, not MMW (I didn't know there were two) so I was worried that it was a lot of trouble for her to get to MMW. Then I saw her and her dad, Michael, come through the doors and I had the biggest smile on my face ever. It was so amazing to see a familiar face after being away from home for a month. Her dad drove us back to her house in Tapfheim where he had a simple dinner of small sandwiches-which actually tasted quite good after being on a pasta diet! Here dad and the twins, Tabea and Lena, were there for dinner that night. They also have mayo in Germany, which is not found in Italy, so I enjoyed having that on my sandwiches.
Thursday:
Bekky and I drove to Donauworth to take the train to Dachau. We changed trains in Munich and ate a Leberkase on a bun. Leberkase is basically a roast that tastes like a hot dog and they slice off a piece and put it on a fresh bun. Once we were on our second train, we accidentally missed our station and had to wait a little while to go back to the Dachau stop. I told Bekky it wasn't a trip without getting a little lost at least once! When we arrived by train in Dachau we took a short bus ride to the Dachau concentration camp. It always sounds so bad when I say that I have always wanted to visit a concentration camp, but it's true. It's one part of history that we always learn so much about in school and I was excited to finally see where it happened. It was a very surreal experience. I definitely felt very close to a part of history that I have always felt very removed from.
On the way home there were some massive train issues, so instead of going to visit the Munich city center we just headed home to avoid the train mess. It ended up being a very long train ride. That evening it was just Bekky and I for dinner and we had cold sandwiches again. Later that night her dad made an awesome mixed fruit salad. It tasted really good to have a big bowl of fresh fruit!
Friday:
OKTOBERFEST DAY!!! Bekky and I got a lift to the train station from her Dad that morning and at the train station we met Katha and Johannes (nickname Mari). They didn't really talk to me on the train ride because they were too shy to speak English. I was having doubts about the day because the train ride was so bland with them all speaking German, but the day only got better. At the Munich train station we got a Leberkase sandwich again. After we went to the bathroom (where I had my first experience of tipping the lady who hands you paper towels and cleans the bathroom during the day) we followed the crowds to the festival grounds.
Wow is that place ever HUGE! I was in awe of the immensity of the whole site. Everything there seemed so permanent that it was really hard to imagine it being an empty space for the majority of the year. They had roller coasters as big as ones at Six Flags! Even the beer tents are not actually tents. They are huge buildings that have tables and benches inside, podiums for musicians and different corrals for different seating areas. It was insane. We found a beer tent that had free seating until 3:30PM (we arrived around 12). We sat down at a table with 2 guys and ordered our first beers. After a while I noticed the guys next to me were speaking English (while Bekky, Katha and Mari were still speaking a lot of German) so I started talking to the guys. They were from Australia and were touring around the world for 8 months. What a life! After a while Bekky, Katha and Mari started talking to them too, and me! in English which was nice.
About every 10 minutes (at least) someone would stand on a table and chug and entire mug of beer and everyone would cheer, or boo if they couldn't finish. About every 30 minutes we would sing "I'm prosting" which is the same as "I'm toasting" and then some other German words about living a good Bavarian life. We also sang this really cool song: So a Schoner Tag
I only really sang the "la la la" part and "schwim schwim schwim" which is "swim". It was cool seeing and hearing some German traditions. However, I also got some good American moments in when they sang "Hey Baby" and "Amazing Grace"! It was awesome. By the time we finished our second beer we were being kicked out because it was 3:30. We tried finding another seat in a tent but it was full everywhere. Since we had drank our fill of beer we headed back to the train station and went home.
When we got back into Donauworth Bekky's dad was swimming and couldn't come pick us up so we went to a Turkish restaurant and had Doners. A doner reminds me of a pita so it tasted delicious after drinking!
Saturday:
Saturday the whole family ate breakfast together: Michael, Andrea (mom), Hannah (oldest of Bekky's younger sisters), Tabea, Lena, Bekky and I. Michael cooked the famous German white sausage and I tried one. I wouldn't say it was my favorite, but it was ok! For lunch Bekky and I were invited to Simon's house (Bekky's boyfriend). His parents made schweinshaxe with kartoffelknodel. Schweinshaxe is a cut of pork that is roasted and kartoffelknodel is a type of potato ball. It was delicious. Then for dessert we had a little bit of black forest cake :D After lunch Bekky and I stopped at the store to buy some medicine (I had started a cold) and I wanted some chocolate! I bought some delicious little chocolate snack cakes with wafers in them and a few chocolate bars. That afternoon we just hung out at Bekky's house-I watched Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother.
Then came the EPIC NIGHT! Bekky and I headed back to the train station and left for Nuremburg where her friend Manu was having her birthday party. The train ride took forever, but it was totally worth it. We hung out at some friends' apartment and pregamed for a while. Then we headed to a club where Katha, Alex, Mari and I were the only ones to go into the dancing part. We had a blast though! The night was a ton of fun and we stayed out until 4 AM because Bekky and her friends didn't want to stay the night in Nuremburg so we took the 5AM train back to Donauworth! We got back at 7:10 AM and then started to rest.
Sunday:
I only slept until 11 but Bekky slept until 1 so I actually got a little homework done. Then once we were both up and ready we went into Donauworth with Tabea and Lena to walk around a bit. We all got delicious hot chocolates and even ended up in the middle of a fireman's parade! Then that night Michael cooked an AMAZING dinner. We had rindsroulade with spatzle. The rindsroulade was the beef dish, I think. It was beef rolled around a little bit of cheese, boiled egg, and pickle pieces. The spatzle was a homemade type of pasta. There were also carrots and potatoes with it. Just writing about it makes me hungry! Make sure to look at my photos to see!
Monday:
We left Bekky's house at 7AM to head to the airport. Everything went well getting back home. On the train from Pisa to Florence I met 2 older couples from the states who were just visiting Florence for the day. I offered to help them find the market when we got in and to show them my favorite panini shop. When we got to the panini place one of the men bought me a sandwich! It was a great end to the trip.
Make sure to look at my pictures online!
Wednesday:
I left Florence in a hurry after class and started out from the Santa Maria Novella train station. When I arrived at the station it took me a little while to find where to find where to buy a ticket, but once I did it was easy. In fact, I ended up helping 2 other Italians figure out how to use the automatic ticket machine-all while speaking Italian! I had a little trouble finding the track I was leaving from because with the automatic ticket machine it doesn't put the track number on the ticket, you have to look at the time monitors. Luckily I asked the help desk and they pointed me in the right direction. Once on the train it was pretty smooth sailing. I did get hassled for the first time while on the train for money by a guy. I had to be very emphatic (in Italian) that I didn't have anything for him and I wanted him to leave. My heart was a little sad having to get frustrated with him, but he had started reaching for my purse and getting very close to me (while I was sitting) so I had to be stern.
I had to change trains at Pisa Centrale and fortunately I saw the train I needed listed on a sign so I didn't even get lost finding the other platform. Once I got to the airport it took a little time to get oriented, but I arrived even before the desk opened to check-in for my flight so I was fine. I got checked in, went through security and waited to board my airplane. When I arrived into Munich-Memmingham West Bekky was not there. That morning I had received a message from her saying that she had earlier thought I was flying into Munich, not MMW (I didn't know there were two) so I was worried that it was a lot of trouble for her to get to MMW. Then I saw her and her dad, Michael, come through the doors and I had the biggest smile on my face ever. It was so amazing to see a familiar face after being away from home for a month. Her dad drove us back to her house in Tapfheim where he had a simple dinner of small sandwiches-which actually tasted quite good after being on a pasta diet! Here dad and the twins, Tabea and Lena, were there for dinner that night. They also have mayo in Germany, which is not found in Italy, so I enjoyed having that on my sandwiches.
Thursday:
Bekky and I drove to Donauworth to take the train to Dachau. We changed trains in Munich and ate a Leberkase on a bun. Leberkase is basically a roast that tastes like a hot dog and they slice off a piece and put it on a fresh bun. Once we were on our second train, we accidentally missed our station and had to wait a little while to go back to the Dachau stop. I told Bekky it wasn't a trip without getting a little lost at least once! When we arrived by train in Dachau we took a short bus ride to the Dachau concentration camp. It always sounds so bad when I say that I have always wanted to visit a concentration camp, but it's true. It's one part of history that we always learn so much about in school and I was excited to finally see where it happened. It was a very surreal experience. I definitely felt very close to a part of history that I have always felt very removed from.
On the way home there were some massive train issues, so instead of going to visit the Munich city center we just headed home to avoid the train mess. It ended up being a very long train ride. That evening it was just Bekky and I for dinner and we had cold sandwiches again. Later that night her dad made an awesome mixed fruit salad. It tasted really good to have a big bowl of fresh fruit!
Friday:
OKTOBERFEST DAY!!! Bekky and I got a lift to the train station from her Dad that morning and at the train station we met Katha and Johannes (nickname Mari). They didn't really talk to me on the train ride because they were too shy to speak English. I was having doubts about the day because the train ride was so bland with them all speaking German, but the day only got better. At the Munich train station we got a Leberkase sandwich again. After we went to the bathroom (where I had my first experience of tipping the lady who hands you paper towels and cleans the bathroom during the day) we followed the crowds to the festival grounds.
Wow is that place ever HUGE! I was in awe of the immensity of the whole site. Everything there seemed so permanent that it was really hard to imagine it being an empty space for the majority of the year. They had roller coasters as big as ones at Six Flags! Even the beer tents are not actually tents. They are huge buildings that have tables and benches inside, podiums for musicians and different corrals for different seating areas. It was insane. We found a beer tent that had free seating until 3:30PM (we arrived around 12). We sat down at a table with 2 guys and ordered our first beers. After a while I noticed the guys next to me were speaking English (while Bekky, Katha and Mari were still speaking a lot of German) so I started talking to the guys. They were from Australia and were touring around the world for 8 months. What a life! After a while Bekky, Katha and Mari started talking to them too, and me! in English which was nice.
About every 10 minutes (at least) someone would stand on a table and chug and entire mug of beer and everyone would cheer, or boo if they couldn't finish. About every 30 minutes we would sing "I'm prosting" which is the same as "I'm toasting" and then some other German words about living a good Bavarian life. We also sang this really cool song: So a Schoner Tag
I only really sang the "la la la" part and "schwim schwim schwim" which is "swim". It was cool seeing and hearing some German traditions. However, I also got some good American moments in when they sang "Hey Baby" and "Amazing Grace"! It was awesome. By the time we finished our second beer we were being kicked out because it was 3:30. We tried finding another seat in a tent but it was full everywhere. Since we had drank our fill of beer we headed back to the train station and went home.
When we got back into Donauworth Bekky's dad was swimming and couldn't come pick us up so we went to a Turkish restaurant and had Doners. A doner reminds me of a pita so it tasted delicious after drinking!
Saturday:
Saturday the whole family ate breakfast together: Michael, Andrea (mom), Hannah (oldest of Bekky's younger sisters), Tabea, Lena, Bekky and I. Michael cooked the famous German white sausage and I tried one. I wouldn't say it was my favorite, but it was ok! For lunch Bekky and I were invited to Simon's house (Bekky's boyfriend). His parents made schweinshaxe with kartoffelknodel. Schweinshaxe is a cut of pork that is roasted and kartoffelknodel is a type of potato ball. It was delicious. Then for dessert we had a little bit of black forest cake :D After lunch Bekky and I stopped at the store to buy some medicine (I had started a cold) and I wanted some chocolate! I bought some delicious little chocolate snack cakes with wafers in them and a few chocolate bars. That afternoon we just hung out at Bekky's house-I watched Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother.
Then came the EPIC NIGHT! Bekky and I headed back to the train station and left for Nuremburg where her friend Manu was having her birthday party. The train ride took forever, but it was totally worth it. We hung out at some friends' apartment and pregamed for a while. Then we headed to a club where Katha, Alex, Mari and I were the only ones to go into the dancing part. We had a blast though! The night was a ton of fun and we stayed out until 4 AM because Bekky and her friends didn't want to stay the night in Nuremburg so we took the 5AM train back to Donauworth! We got back at 7:10 AM and then started to rest.
Sunday:
I only slept until 11 but Bekky slept until 1 so I actually got a little homework done. Then once we were both up and ready we went into Donauworth with Tabea and Lena to walk around a bit. We all got delicious hot chocolates and even ended up in the middle of a fireman's parade! Then that night Michael cooked an AMAZING dinner. We had rindsroulade with spatzle. The rindsroulade was the beef dish, I think. It was beef rolled around a little bit of cheese, boiled egg, and pickle pieces. The spatzle was a homemade type of pasta. There were also carrots and potatoes with it. Just writing about it makes me hungry! Make sure to look at my photos to see!
Monday:
We left Bekky's house at 7AM to head to the airport. Everything went well getting back home. On the train from Pisa to Florence I met 2 older couples from the states who were just visiting Florence for the day. I offered to help them find the market when we got in and to show them my favorite panini shop. When we got to the panini place one of the men bought me a sandwich! It was a great end to the trip.
Make sure to look at my pictures online!
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