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!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
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!)
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