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!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Siamo andate alla cena... (We went to dinner...)
My friends and I went to dinner at an American diner last night. Never have I been so happy to taste beef! They don't really eat it here so it was quite a treat! However, they don't cook things very thoroughly here so we all felt quite carnivorous as our hands were covered in the juices from the burgers! It was somewhat gross...but really quite awesome at the same time. The burgers also had CHEDDAR cheese on them which was amazing. They do not have yellow cheeses here which sucks because I love yellow cheese. While we were waiting for our burgers one of my friends saw a sign that said we get a complimentary mimosa with our dinner so she asked and we got those too! Then when the server brought our food he gave us all a 10% student discount. It was a good evening of food.
Later in the night I ended up getting the short end of the stick though when a friend and I went to find this bar. We found the place but nobody was there because there was no live music there last night. Then we decided to walk to another place we were told about but we never found it. We ended up walking along the Arno river for a very long ways. At least we worked off that burger! Anyway, we stopped at one place and I got a beer but it was E7.00!!!! I guess that will teach me to ask to see a drink menu with prices before I order. I think it was so expensive because it was during a certain time period when they also have appetizers so I don't know if I was supposed to buy an expensive beer and then eat the appetizers...not really sure. All in all it was a good night though. A little pricey because of that beer but oh well. Live and learn!
This morning I was eating breakfast and watching TV when Baywatch came on! That's what I'm watching now in Italian and it is so funny! Not only have I not seen Baywatch in years, but watching it in Italian is quite entertaining.
Today and tomorrow I think some friends and I are going to visit some of the museums here. We have cards that let us in to all of them free so that will probably fill our days. That's all for now!
A presto!
Later in the night I ended up getting the short end of the stick though when a friend and I went to find this bar. We found the place but nobody was there because there was no live music there last night. Then we decided to walk to another place we were told about but we never found it. We ended up walking along the Arno river for a very long ways. At least we worked off that burger! Anyway, we stopped at one place and I got a beer but it was E7.00!!!! I guess that will teach me to ask to see a drink menu with prices before I order. I think it was so expensive because it was during a certain time period when they also have appetizers so I don't know if I was supposed to buy an expensive beer and then eat the appetizers...not really sure. All in all it was a good night though. A little pricey because of that beer but oh well. Live and learn!
This morning I was eating breakfast and watching TV when Baywatch came on! That's what I'm watching now in Italian and it is so funny! Not only have I not seen Baywatch in years, but watching it in Italian is quite entertaining.
Today and tomorrow I think some friends and I are going to visit some of the museums here. We have cards that let us in to all of them free so that will probably fill our days. That's all for now!
A presto!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Oggi é Martedi (Today is Tuesday)
I just had to ask Gabriella (my host mom) what day it was. I find that happens a lot with me here! It also seems like I am on vacation all the time! I think I am really going to like my schedule-Tuesday and Wednesday full, 1 hour in the morning on Thursday and then done!
On Sunday my friend Nmeli and I went to the Pitti Palace. It is a huge palace with an equally huge garden just a few minutes from my house. The palace is now full of artwork that was donated mostly by the Medici family to Florence. We walked around and looked for 2 hours, but it was not near long enough. We have free passes to get into there and all the other city museums though so we will go back sometime.
Yesterday I spent the entire morning looking for books. I like to buy my books used because it is cheaper (duh!) but unfortunately out of the 4 used bookstores I went to, only 1 had books I needed and it only had 2. That's ok though...better than nothing I guess! Then I spent the afternoon doing lots of homework.
Today was kind of crazy. I had to apply for my permit of stay this morning but when I went to pay they said my credit card wouldn't work. That was not a good thing to hear when I had walked across town to get there! So I returned home, took out cash from an ATM and returned later to take care of it. Turns out the bank keeps e-commerce blocked even when you tell them you're leaving the country. This basically means that I can make purchases anywhere in Italy except online because there has been huge problems with fraud. I guess it was for the good then...but still a little inconvenient.
Well, it is 11:15 PM here now and I finished my homework so I better go to bed. Tomorrow is my long day without a break. I guess I have a tiny break, but it's not much. 8-8:50, 9-11:30, 12-2:30 and then I'm done.
Buona notte! (Good night!)
On Sunday my friend Nmeli and I went to the Pitti Palace. It is a huge palace with an equally huge garden just a few minutes from my house. The palace is now full of artwork that was donated mostly by the Medici family to Florence. We walked around and looked for 2 hours, but it was not near long enough. We have free passes to get into there and all the other city museums though so we will go back sometime.
Yesterday I spent the entire morning looking for books. I like to buy my books used because it is cheaper (duh!) but unfortunately out of the 4 used bookstores I went to, only 1 had books I needed and it only had 2. That's ok though...better than nothing I guess! Then I spent the afternoon doing lots of homework.
Today was kind of crazy. I had to apply for my permit of stay this morning but when I went to pay they said my credit card wouldn't work. That was not a good thing to hear when I had walked across town to get there! So I returned home, took out cash from an ATM and returned later to take care of it. Turns out the bank keeps e-commerce blocked even when you tell them you're leaving the country. This basically means that I can make purchases anywhere in Italy except online because there has been huge problems with fraud. I guess it was for the good then...but still a little inconvenient.
Well, it is 11:15 PM here now and I finished my homework so I better go to bed. Tomorrow is my long day without a break. I guess I have a tiny break, but it's not much. 8-8:50, 9-11:30, 12-2:30 and then I'm done.
Buona notte! (Good night!)
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Siena Day Trip
**Today I updated http://bridgetsitalypics.shutterfly.com/ with pictures from this trip**
Yesterday I traveled with two of my friends to Siena for a short day trip. We left in the morning at 8:50 on a bus that dropped us off right in the middle of Siena. We had no map or really any information on Siena except that we should visit the duomo there so we just wandered around. Our first stop was at a little shop that had a cafe downstairs and a pizzeria upstairs. Jessica and I both got pastries and they were amazing! Hers was a croissant filled with nutella and chocolate on top and mine was an apple turnover. I never did decide if it was better than Pedretti's bakery turnovers, but it was close! We then wandered into il campo which is where they hold the pallio every year. The pallio is a huge horse race that they have and it is a very large city tradition.
After walking around there we managed to find the duomo (it helped that there were signs everywhere!). We decided that we might as well by the E10 all-inclusive ticket so that we could see everything. It was really cool! We got to see all of the original sculptures that used to be on the outside of the the church but were brought in to be preserved from the elements. We also got to climb the tower and get a BEAUTIFUL view of the countryside. I took pictures that look like they're straight out of a travel book. It was simply gorgeous.
After we looked at some of the artwork and climbed the tower we took a break for lunch. We went back to the place we got the pastries and went upstairs to the pizzeria. Jessica had a HUGE calzone, Lori had a pizza, and I had mushroom stuffed tortellini with bits of ham in a cream sauce over it. Mine was amazing and I think the other girls liked theirs for the most part too.
After lunch we went back to il campo and laid down on the brick to rest for a while. Once we were rested up and had let our food digest for a while we finished our tour of the church. We went into the baptistery, the main cathedral and the crypts. The church there is HUGE and full of very detailed art. It was really spectacular. It was definitely worth the E10.
Once we were done with the church we wandered around the streets for a little while. We found a candy shop and I bought the most amazing chocolate bar I've ever had in my life (and I've had my fair share of good chocolate!). It was heavenly. Then we decided that we were all pretty tired so we headed back. We only ended up being in the town for 5-6 hours but we saw a lot and were satisfied with the trip. It was pretty cheap for the bus tickets too so it worked out.
Arrivederci!
Yesterday I traveled with two of my friends to Siena for a short day trip. We left in the morning at 8:50 on a bus that dropped us off right in the middle of Siena. We had no map or really any information on Siena except that we should visit the duomo there so we just wandered around. Our first stop was at a little shop that had a cafe downstairs and a pizzeria upstairs. Jessica and I both got pastries and they were amazing! Hers was a croissant filled with nutella and chocolate on top and mine was an apple turnover. I never did decide if it was better than Pedretti's bakery turnovers, but it was close! We then wandered into il campo which is where they hold the pallio every year. The pallio is a huge horse race that they have and it is a very large city tradition.
After walking around there we managed to find the duomo (it helped that there were signs everywhere!). We decided that we might as well by the E10 all-inclusive ticket so that we could see everything. It was really cool! We got to see all of the original sculptures that used to be on the outside of the the church but were brought in to be preserved from the elements. We also got to climb the tower and get a BEAUTIFUL view of the countryside. I took pictures that look like they're straight out of a travel book. It was simply gorgeous.
After we looked at some of the artwork and climbed the tower we took a break for lunch. We went back to the place we got the pastries and went upstairs to the pizzeria. Jessica had a HUGE calzone, Lori had a pizza, and I had mushroom stuffed tortellini with bits of ham in a cream sauce over it. Mine was amazing and I think the other girls liked theirs for the most part too.
After lunch we went back to il campo and laid down on the brick to rest for a while. Once we were rested up and had let our food digest for a while we finished our tour of the church. We went into the baptistery, the main cathedral and the crypts. The church there is HUGE and full of very detailed art. It was really spectacular. It was definitely worth the E10.
Once we were done with the church we wandered around the streets for a little while. We found a candy shop and I bought the most amazing chocolate bar I've ever had in my life (and I've had my fair share of good chocolate!). It was heavenly. Then we decided that we were all pretty tired so we headed back. We only ended up being in the town for 5-6 hours but we saw a lot and were satisfied with the trip. It was pretty cheap for the bus tickets too so it worked out.
Arrivederci!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
La Scuola (The School)
School has started! It seems like almost all of my classes will be very enjoyable. I say almost because the first day in one of my classes was not very promising. It is my class on the age of the heroes. We will read the Iliad and the Odyssey and parts of the Aeneid. The only problem is that the professor does not speak English very clearly and to make it even worse is his complete lack of organization. If that isn't enough, he reads directly off of typed sheets of paper. Woof! I'm sure I'll be able to get through it though, I do have a lot of letters to write home! Hopefully it will be much better next time!
I am in an Italian language class with 2 French girls, 3 Americans and 2 Mexicans. The non-americans speak VERY fast and I find it very difficult to understand their Italian with their accents. I'm sure that too will get better over time. I am also still learning very fast. I feel like I have an edge on everybody just because I live with Italians so I have free tutors available all the time!
My creative writing class is going to be FABULOUS! I love my teacher already and we did some really cool writing exercises today. I have to laugh because this teacher's last name is Bolton, and my mentor back at Iowa has the same last name. How strange is that?! We are also going to take a field trip to a supposedly very inspirational point sometime during the course. The point is the highest you can reach to look over Florence. I'm sure it will be breathtaking and inspirational.
Intercultural communication also seems like it will be a very successful class. I think we will learn a lot but have fun doing so. The teacher seems like a blast and we had a great "getting to know each other" exercise today. It wasn't even that cheesy!
Last but definitely not least is my class on the quarters of Florence. When the Roman's founded Florence they built it into a square and then divided it into quarters. For this class we will have lecture for the first half and then for the second half we get to go see everything we just discussed! I have never been very interested in history before, but now that it is surrounding me everywhere it seems more engaging.
I might go to Siena tomorrow. I haven't really decided yet but I am enjoying lavishing in the fact that if I feel like going tomorrow I can! It's only E 6,30 each direction for the train and E 10 for a hostel. Perfect! I will let you know what happens!
Love to all!
A Presto
I am in an Italian language class with 2 French girls, 3 Americans and 2 Mexicans. The non-americans speak VERY fast and I find it very difficult to understand their Italian with their accents. I'm sure that too will get better over time. I am also still learning very fast. I feel like I have an edge on everybody just because I live with Italians so I have free tutors available all the time!
My creative writing class is going to be FABULOUS! I love my teacher already and we did some really cool writing exercises today. I have to laugh because this teacher's last name is Bolton, and my mentor back at Iowa has the same last name. How strange is that?! We are also going to take a field trip to a supposedly very inspirational point sometime during the course. The point is the highest you can reach to look over Florence. I'm sure it will be breathtaking and inspirational.
Intercultural communication also seems like it will be a very successful class. I think we will learn a lot but have fun doing so. The teacher seems like a blast and we had a great "getting to know each other" exercise today. It wasn't even that cheesy!
Last but definitely not least is my class on the quarters of Florence. When the Roman's founded Florence they built it into a square and then divided it into quarters. For this class we will have lecture for the first half and then for the second half we get to go see everything we just discussed! I have never been very interested in history before, but now that it is surrounding me everywhere it seems more engaging.
I might go to Siena tomorrow. I haven't really decided yet but I am enjoying lavishing in the fact that if I feel like going tomorrow I can! It's only E 6,30 each direction for the train and E 10 for a hostel. Perfect! I will let you know what happens!
Love to all!
A Presto
Monday, September 6, 2010
New Online Photo Album!
Hi everyone! Sorry it's been a few days but I've been busy and haven't really felt like writing! Nothing too exciting has been happening (compared to the trip I just went on) so I figured everyone would handle a few days without a post. Last night I started an online photo album so you can all see some of the pictures I've taken. It would've been too much work to try to incorporate them into this blog so I found a different site. I will post on here when I have loaded new pictures so that you don't have to constantly check the other site to see if anything new is up (not that anyone who reads this would probably have time to do that anyway...but I can hope!) Copy and paste this link into your browser to see the awesome photos!
http://bridgetsitalypics.shutterfly.com/
http://bridgetsitalypics.shutterfly.com/
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Sono Ritornata! (I Returned!)
Today and yesterday were spent with my study abroad group in southern Tuscany. Talk about breathtaking! It was yesterday when I was walking around in Cortona by myself and I looked out to the countryside and said to myself, "Wow. I'm in Italy." That was when it really started to sink in.
We left yesterday morning and went first to the town of Arezzo where part of "Life is Beautiful" was filmed. It was an adorable town with many big churches that contain famous artwork (surprise!). We had a tour guide who was great; her name was Gianna (pronounced "Jenna"). At lunchtime I went by myself (because no one wanted to walk anymore) to a small restaurant and got an amazing panini. I don't really know what was on it because it was on of my last choices, everything else was sold out. However, EVERYTHING in Italy tastes AMAZING, so it was excellent.
Then we left Arezzo to go to Cortona, another beautiful Tuscan city. Cortona was very hilly but beautiful. When we got there we first checked into our hotel which used to be a convent. All of the other students took naps because they have been going out every night since we got here, but I have not so I wandered around the town by myself. It was very relaxing and I had a great time exploring the winding streets. This was also where I had the breathtaking view of the countryside (which everyone else only saw at night). Luca (our program director here in Florence) treated us to gelato. It was my first one of the trip and I got strawberry yogurt. Of course, it was fantastic! Then we explored the city. We visited a few more churches, and an awesome fortress of the Medici family. The hills were huge but it was a great way to work off the gelato! After our exploring we had a little time to change clothes at the hotel and then went next door to a fabulous restaurant. There we experience yet another amazing meal. The first course was appetizers. This consisted of four different little servings of food. It is hard to explain what they all were, so I'll just say they were all really good. The second dish was my favorite. It was rizzo (rice) but it was cheesy and had mushrooms in it! At the moment I really wished Knorr sides (a brand of easy pasta) could produce that flavor so I could have it in my microwave in a matter of minutes. I guess I'll keep dreaming. Then we had the main course which was cooked turkey (tasted like chicken! very moist) and a kabob of vegetables. For dessert we had hazelnut gelato. I really didn't like it that much because it was only hazelnut, no chocolate or other flavor.
After dinner I went with a couple of my friends and enjoyed the outdoors and had my first Italian beer. Normally I would say it was a bit too hoppy for my taste, but because I've only had wine so far, it tasted pretty good!
This morning we started by going to Paenza. Paenza is a very very small town that we only spent a short while in. However, outside of Paenza a short drive away was a farm where they produce Pecorino cheese. We got to see where they make and store the cheese, and learned about the process and the different ages of cheese. Then we got to taste cheeses and had bruschetta and wine with it. There were also a bunch of cats on the farm so I was excited to pet them! One was a kitten!
After the farm we headed to Montepuciano where we walked around the most hilly town of them all (Cortona was a very very close second). In Montepuciano I bought my first Italian candy. I was really craving some chocolate but they didn't have any bars of chocolate or anything, but I did find some hard caramels (kind of like Werthers) but filled with a delicious dark chocolate liquid! Then we went to a wine cellar and got to see the HUGE barrels they age the wine in. After that tour we, of course, had a wine tasting! However, since I'm not a huge fan of wine in the first place AND I had a mild stomach ache, I opted out of the wine. Then we got on the bus and headed back to Florence. As soon as I got back to my room I experience my first feeling of "being home" here. It was pretty nice. For supper we (Gabriella-host mom and Rachele-host sister) had omelets, potatoes, and salad. I also had a little Japanese treat that was like 2 tiny pancakes with some sweet jelly-type filling.
Now, I am exhausted and I will go to bed. I have already noticed that my English is starting to sound like how the Italians speak English, and also how you would form the sentences in Italian. Such as the first sentence in the paragraph! At least my Italian is improving!
Buona Notte! (Good Night!)
We left yesterday morning and went first to the town of Arezzo where part of "Life is Beautiful" was filmed. It was an adorable town with many big churches that contain famous artwork (surprise!). We had a tour guide who was great; her name was Gianna (pronounced "Jenna"). At lunchtime I went by myself (because no one wanted to walk anymore) to a small restaurant and got an amazing panini. I don't really know what was on it because it was on of my last choices, everything else was sold out. However, EVERYTHING in Italy tastes AMAZING, so it was excellent.
Then we left Arezzo to go to Cortona, another beautiful Tuscan city. Cortona was very hilly but beautiful. When we got there we first checked into our hotel which used to be a convent. All of the other students took naps because they have been going out every night since we got here, but I have not so I wandered around the town by myself. It was very relaxing and I had a great time exploring the winding streets. This was also where I had the breathtaking view of the countryside (which everyone else only saw at night). Luca (our program director here in Florence) treated us to gelato. It was my first one of the trip and I got strawberry yogurt. Of course, it was fantastic! Then we explored the city. We visited a few more churches, and an awesome fortress of the Medici family. The hills were huge but it was a great way to work off the gelato! After our exploring we had a little time to change clothes at the hotel and then went next door to a fabulous restaurant. There we experience yet another amazing meal. The first course was appetizers. This consisted of four different little servings of food. It is hard to explain what they all were, so I'll just say they were all really good. The second dish was my favorite. It was rizzo (rice) but it was cheesy and had mushrooms in it! At the moment I really wished Knorr sides (a brand of easy pasta) could produce that flavor so I could have it in my microwave in a matter of minutes. I guess I'll keep dreaming. Then we had the main course which was cooked turkey (tasted like chicken! very moist) and a kabob of vegetables. For dessert we had hazelnut gelato. I really didn't like it that much because it was only hazelnut, no chocolate or other flavor.
After dinner I went with a couple of my friends and enjoyed the outdoors and had my first Italian beer. Normally I would say it was a bit too hoppy for my taste, but because I've only had wine so far, it tasted pretty good!
This morning we started by going to Paenza. Paenza is a very very small town that we only spent a short while in. However, outside of Paenza a short drive away was a farm where they produce Pecorino cheese. We got to see where they make and store the cheese, and learned about the process and the different ages of cheese. Then we got to taste cheeses and had bruschetta and wine with it. There were also a bunch of cats on the farm so I was excited to pet them! One was a kitten!
After the farm we headed to Montepuciano where we walked around the most hilly town of them all (Cortona was a very very close second). In Montepuciano I bought my first Italian candy. I was really craving some chocolate but they didn't have any bars of chocolate or anything, but I did find some hard caramels (kind of like Werthers) but filled with a delicious dark chocolate liquid! Then we went to a wine cellar and got to see the HUGE barrels they age the wine in. After that tour we, of course, had a wine tasting! However, since I'm not a huge fan of wine in the first place AND I had a mild stomach ache, I opted out of the wine. Then we got on the bus and headed back to Florence. As soon as I got back to my room I experience my first feeling of "being home" here. It was pretty nice. For supper we (Gabriella-host mom and Rachele-host sister) had omelets, potatoes, and salad. I also had a little Japanese treat that was like 2 tiny pancakes with some sweet jelly-type filling.
Now, I am exhausted and I will go to bed. I have already noticed that my English is starting to sound like how the Italians speak English, and also how you would form the sentences in Italian. Such as the first sentence in the paragraph! At least my Italian is improving!
Buona Notte! (Good Night!)
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Bella Italia!
Today has been a GORGEOUS day! The day started a little chilly at 60 degrees but it has warmed up significantly to about 80. We began our day today with a tour of the local food market. All of the food was beautiful! It is amazing to see such fresh produce available every day! After we toured the market we went to our school to have our very own cooking class!
One of our coordinators, Milva, is also a cooking instructor at the university, so we got a sneak peak into what those classes are like. Oh, and when I say "we" I mean all of the students who came on the same program as I did. Fortunately, I chose the fall semester and there are only 16 of us where in the spring semester there are around 150!!!
We learned how to make gnocchi which is a boiled potato that is mashed and made into a type of pasta. It was mixed in with a beautiful tomato sauce. We also made cheese stuffed zucchini flowers that were battered and fried in oil. Then there was the bruschetta which is a toasted type of bread. Ours was rubbed with garlic and topped with tomatoes, salt, and basil. Finally for dessert was tiramisu. I helped with every single dish and it all tasted FABULOUS! I couldn't believe how simple it was. Good ingredients and a good teacher make all the difference in learning how to cook!
After lunch (we ate everything we made!) I went back with some of my friends to their apartment and we just sat for a while. Then we had a walking tour of Florence! Our guide was a teacher from our school and I think I have a class with him. He was really funny and gave us a great tour. We learned about the Medici family (the most important family in Florence's history) and he showed us many of the different buildings that are historically significant.
By the end of the tour we were all tired and I came back to my house to relax. Tonight my host mom is making dinner so it should be fabulous! Tomorrow we leave to go on a 2 day excursion to Southern Tuscany. I'm excited :D
My Italian is improving every day, mainly because my host mom (Gabriella) does not speak much English. I am pretty proud of how much I have already remembered, and all of my friends are impressed (none of them speak as much as I do).
Hopefully I can now figure out how to get pictures attached to this so you can all see the beautiful sights I am seeing!
Arrivederci!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Ho Arrivato! (I Arrived!)
This afternoon (Italy time) I arrived at my new home in Florence, Italy. My host mom and sister are AMAZING women who are going to take great care of me. I spent the afternoon unpacking and SHOWERING, and then took a quick stroll by myself to get a feel for the area. Tonight we have a nice orientation dinner and tomorrow we start seeing more of Florence. We are going to the market AND getting some cooking lessons.
A Presto!
A Presto!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Due Giorni!
I am finally really excited about leaving! I have everything that I need to pack, it's just a matter of getting clothes washed and making sure my suitcase stays under 50 lbs--a serious challenge! I said goodbye to my siblings and nieces yesterday and it was harder than I thought it would be. Never have I been the one leaving everyone else behind; it's pretty scary! Today I have to take care of some last minute money stuff and hopefully finish packing. Tomorrow I will have a leisurely day and visit my grandparents and then I'll be "Leavin' on a jet plane..." :)
A Presto da Firenze! (See you soon from Florence!)
A Presto da Firenze! (See you soon from Florence!)
Monday, August 23, 2010
Sei Giorni! (Six Days)
Whoa, where did the summer go? I got back home to Strawberry Point today from a week of camp and a couple days in Iowa City. I have nothing ready except for my credit cards opened so my charges don't get blocked. I'm not even unpacked from camp. Oh well! I'm excited, nervous, anxious, scared, stressed, and everything in between! I leave Sunday morning at 7:01 AM from Cedar Rapids. I will then fly to Chicago, then to Newark, NJ, then to Roma!
Arrivederci!
Arrivederci!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Diciannove Giorni! (19 Days!)
Ciao friends! Only 19 days until I leave the country! Today I booked a trip to Munich for Oktoberfest where I will meet up with Bekky, a foreign exchange student who came to my high school a few years ago. After a couple of days at Oktoberfest, we will go visit her house in Tapfheim, Germany. Today I got the last of my emails from my study abroad coordinator in New York so that means everything is almost ready! I, however, have a lot of loose ends to tie up before I can bust out of here.
A Presto! (See you soon)
A Presto! (See you soon)
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Ciao!
Hello everyone! Welcome to my new blog. This will be the place to go when you want to live vicariously through a young woman having a blast in Italy! Here I will tell all about my adventures, host family, school, and everything in between. I will also upload pictures frequently. Now for some things you might not know!
Where I'm going:
Firenze (Florence), Italy
My school:
Lorenzo De'Medici
My host family:
The Forcucci family
Departure date:
August 29th
Return date:
December 18th
Stay tuned for new information and exciting countdowns!
Where I'm going:
Firenze (Florence), Italy
My school:
Lorenzo De'Medici
My host family:
The Forcucci family
Departure date:
August 29th
Return date:
December 18th
Stay tuned for new information and exciting countdowns!
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