This is it.
I can't believe four months that I planned and waited a year for have come to an end.
I'm excited to come home and thrilled that, looking back on these past four months, I'm coming to realize that I have no regrets. No, I didn't go everywhere I wanted to go and I didn't check everything off my "bucket list," but I got damn close. And I did, saw, learned, changed, experienced, and LIVED more than I ever could have hoped this semester, so I'd say it was all a success.
Before I start crying, I'm going to have to move on from the sappy stuff and tell you a little more about how we're ending our week. Heads up, it involves a lot of good food and good wine.
It rained all day yesterday, so we stayed in. I did all of my packing, with the exception of a few items I still need this week and clothes I plan to wear. We had a lot of quality roommate time, then went to Kevin's apartment right before dinner to hang out with the group, then head out to eat.
We went to the Accademia restaurant in Piazza San Marco, right down the street from our's and Kevin's apartments. Kevin's dad is a chef and knows the owner of Accademia, so we got VIP treatment, with the best house wine and swordfish carpaccio antipasto to share. I ordered eggplant timbale for my main course and strawberry pistachio cheesecake for dessert, and both were unreal. This was definitely one of the best meals I have had all semester.
We had a great time doing what we love most - eating and drinking - then Bethany, Maria, Lauren, and I went back to Kevin and Glenn's to play Rummy. Obviously, it was a great evening.
Today we lucked out with gorgeous weather, so I met Lydia this morning at school and walked to San Lorenzo market to to souvenir shop. Our shopping date ended at 2 when I had to go to the last Comparative Media class. It was brief, as we just received our final grades (A), discussed the final exam, then said good-bye to Francesca.
After that, I hung out at home a bit, then went for a walk around the Arno before our group dinner with Petra, Gloria, and the business majors. We went to a great restaurant a few minutes from school, where they had a preplanned, many course meal prepared for us.
It started with penne and meatballs in gravy, followed by lamb ravioli. That was followed by gorgonzola and porcini risotto (my favorite part of the meal, not counting dessert). We had a pause after that before the brought out veal chops in a tomato and pea sauce, salad, bread, and roast beef. There was another pause before my favorite thing: dessert. And the dessert was SO GOOD. We had strawberry tiramisu, which I didn't even think was possible. It tasted like strawberry shortcake with lots of custard and brandy. Yuuuuummy!
Once we were all sufficiently stuffed, we posed for some group photos, then headed to a bar down the street, where we spent the rest of the evening watching the Fiorentina game (ended in a 2-2 tie), dancing, and just hanging out.
And now I'm about to cry again because we only have one more day of this. Then I have a day of three flights (one international, mind you) to cry my eyes out if need be. If it wasn't for the fact that I know I will be sitting next to Maria - since she and I are both going to Pittsburgh - I wouldn't be that much of a mess. But you need to understand that Maria cries all the time. Any time she experiences emotion, the tears start flowing. So I know she'll be crying, and I'll be next to her crying because she's crying. It's not going to be pretty.
But I still have one more day, so I don't need to think about our looming separation and expulsion from Europe just yet.
If I can help it.
Showing posts with label Firenze. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Firenze. Show all posts
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
White Night
Yesterday morning, I took my last final and officially finished my semester in Firenze. Then I tried really hard all day not to think about that.
Last night, to get my mind off things, I attended one of Firenze's wildest block parties. It was the second annual Notte Bianca, or "White Night" and the whole city was alive until early this morning.
Basically, White Night is an attempt to change Firenze's image from that of a "Renaissance postcard" to a young, vibrant, trendy city. The goal is to bring young Italians into Firenze from other areas of Italy in the hopes that they will stay here.
To do this, local shops, clubs, artists, and musicians teamed up to put on one whole-city party by and for Italians. Which meant we got an authentic glimpse of Italian culture without all the tourist traps.
And it was awesome.
As per our usual pre-party ritual, the CCI fam met at the six girls apartment to pre-game. An hour or so of CCI love and we were ready to take on the night.
The city was PACKED. As soon as we stepped out onto Ghibellina, we were sucked into a giant mass of loud, white-clad Italians sporting various light-up headgear. We elbowed our way through to Santa Croce, where men in white tuxedos were tangoing with women in white dresses. We watched this for a little while, then moved on to the Duomo, where we listened to several live bands.
By the time we decided to leave the Duomo, it was past 11, and the streets were more crowded than ever. We had to hold hands to keep from losing anyone as we picked our way through the mob to Piazza Signoria, where we danced to yet another live band.
We took a bathroom break at Cerchi around midnight, then tried to make our way back to the Duomo via back alleys and side streets, since people on Via Calzaiuoli (the main street running across town and right in front of the Duomo) were so tightly packed traffic was at a standstill.
This approach turned out not to be the best. We went way out of our way in an attempt to avoid the most crowded streets and got split into about five different groups in the process. I ended up with Bethany, Erika, Kevin, and the six girls back at the Duomo, but everyone else was nowhere to be found.
The main attraction at the Duomo was a band playing 70's and 80's American rock. They weren't very good, but they were energetic and the crowd was loving it, so we enjoyed ourselves anyway. Around 1:30, Caitlin, Jess, Kate, Brad, and Drew found us and we stayed listening to the cover band until their set ended.
Once again, we made the slow trip back to school and stopped in at "Meta Bar" (that's not really what it's called... it doesn't seem to have a name, so someone in the group called it after the grocery store across the street from it and the name stuck). Luckily for us, all but one of the missing groups had made it back to Meta Bar, so we were able to recollect and hang out there for a little while before it started raining.
We'd been sitting outside and, since there was really nowhere near by to take shelter, my apartment decided to call it a night. We said our good-byes and headed home, stopping for fantastic 3 a.m. kebabs on the way there.
So, you can probably tell it was a fun and crazy night. We failed in our mission of staying out until the city officially shut the party down (we needed to go three more hours), but we got a decent taste of what White Night is all about and we got to kick off our last week in style.
Last night, to get my mind off things, I attended one of Firenze's wildest block parties. It was the second annual Notte Bianca, or "White Night" and the whole city was alive until early this morning.
Basically, White Night is an attempt to change Firenze's image from that of a "Renaissance postcard" to a young, vibrant, trendy city. The goal is to bring young Italians into Firenze from other areas of Italy in the hopes that they will stay here.
To do this, local shops, clubs, artists, and musicians teamed up to put on one whole-city party by and for Italians. Which meant we got an authentic glimpse of Italian culture without all the tourist traps.
And it was awesome.
As per our usual pre-party ritual, the CCI fam met at the six girls apartment to pre-game. An hour or so of CCI love and we were ready to take on the night.
The city was PACKED. As soon as we stepped out onto Ghibellina, we were sucked into a giant mass of loud, white-clad Italians sporting various light-up headgear. We elbowed our way through to Santa Croce, where men in white tuxedos were tangoing with women in white dresses. We watched this for a little while, then moved on to the Duomo, where we listened to several live bands.
By the time we decided to leave the Duomo, it was past 11, and the streets were more crowded than ever. We had to hold hands to keep from losing anyone as we picked our way through the mob to Piazza Signoria, where we danced to yet another live band.
We took a bathroom break at Cerchi around midnight, then tried to make our way back to the Duomo via back alleys and side streets, since people on Via Calzaiuoli (the main street running across town and right in front of the Duomo) were so tightly packed traffic was at a standstill.
This approach turned out not to be the best. We went way out of our way in an attempt to avoid the most crowded streets and got split into about five different groups in the process. I ended up with Bethany, Erika, Kevin, and the six girls back at the Duomo, but everyone else was nowhere to be found.
The main attraction at the Duomo was a band playing 70's and 80's American rock. They weren't very good, but they were energetic and the crowd was loving it, so we enjoyed ourselves anyway. Around 1:30, Caitlin, Jess, Kate, Brad, and Drew found us and we stayed listening to the cover band until their set ended.
Once again, we made the slow trip back to school and stopped in at "Meta Bar" (that's not really what it's called... it doesn't seem to have a name, so someone in the group called it after the grocery store across the street from it and the name stuck). Luckily for us, all but one of the missing groups had made it back to Meta Bar, so we were able to recollect and hang out there for a little while before it started raining.
We'd been sitting outside and, since there was really nowhere near by to take shelter, my apartment decided to call it a night. We said our good-byes and headed home, stopping for fantastic 3 a.m. kebabs on the way there.
So, you can probably tell it was a fun and crazy night. We failed in our mission of staying out until the city officially shut the party down (we needed to go three more hours), but we got a decent taste of what White Night is all about and we got to kick off our last week in style.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Walk For Autism
Today is the Fourth of July.
And because it is Italian Independence Day, we didn't have classes. Instead, the CCI family plus a few friends teamed up with Paddock Chevrolet in Buffalo for the International Walk for Autism.
For each of us who participated in the walk, Paddock Chevrolet donated $150 to autism research. Lauren's dad sent us all "International Team" t-shirts to wear for the walk and we met Lauren and her apartment at Cerchi at noon to pick up our shirts and organize. After Lauren filmed her introduction to the video she's sending to Buffalo News, we made our way through Piazza Signoria and down to the Arno River. The whole walk didn't take very long, but it was fun. Since everything is closed for the holiday, the streets were more crowded than I've ever seen them (mind you, I haven't been in town for a weekend since the weather started getting nice) and they twenty-something of us got a lot of weird looks in our matching shirts with Glenn following along filming the whole thing.
We crossed the Arno near Gusta Pizza and made our way down Altra'Arno, dodging pedestrians and mugging for the camera every time we passed Glenn. When we reached Ponte Vecchio, we crossed back to our side of the river and went back to school.
Lauren isn't sure when our footage will be on the news, but I'll update this post when we're online. If you know anyone in the Buffalo, New York area, tell him or her to keep an eye out for CCI Florence on WKBW Eyewitness News.
So that's that. It's a brief post because tomorrow is our final for Italian Art and I will literally be spending the rest of today cramming six hundred years worth of fresco dates and sculpture patrons (Meh-DEH-cheeeee) into my brain. Wish me luck!
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Saturday Morning Shout Out
Ciao, amici!
I just wanted to say a quick hello as I'm currently busy making brunch and finishing a presentation for my Genius of Florence class Wednesday.
There hasn't been much to report on this week. April is certainly living up to it's name - it rained maybe two days in my first three months in Italy, but ever since April 1, it's been rain every single day.
The nice thing about a rainy day in Italy is that, like in Pa. and Ohio, the day rarely seems to fully commit to its weather. It's pouring one minute and sunny the next. But the general mood of April has been gray, gray, gray.
Because of this, we've kept inside most of the week, venturing out only for classes.
We did have one exciting bit of news Wednesday. Erika and I walked home together from Genius while Bethany went with Kevin to pick up some things she left at his apartment.
About twenty minutes after Erika and I got home, our front door opened and Bethany shouted, "Look who I brought home with me!"
When I heard her come in, I assumed she was with Kevin, but since he's often at our apartment, I realized that couldn't be it.
Turns out Bethany's parents flew in to surprise her. They had been planning to go on a cruise this summer for their anniversary and decided to come visit Bethany instead.
It was a shock for all of us except Kevin who has known for weeks that they were coming. He probably should have told me and Erika though, since he gave Bethany's parents our street name but not our apartment number. So her parents walked up and down our street for two hours while we were in class, looking for Bethany and asking every girl they saw who looked like an American college student if she knew Bethany. They also rang doorbells at all the apartments (although they either didn't ring our's or they rang while we were in class).
Anyhow, they're here now and they're staying until Monday. Bethany was booked to go to the Amalfi Coast this weekend, but she cancelled so that she could spend time with her parents and take them to Rome.
I haven't seen much of Bethany or her parents since they got here because they've been out sightseeing, so Erika and I have had the apartment to ourselves the past few days.
We watched "The Hunger Games" on Erika's laptop Thursday night (it was really good, but I would have appreciated it more in a theater... students in Italy can't be choosers). We've also been spending a lot of time dancing around the apartment, listening to "All American," which just dropped Tuesday, so I'm back on a Hoodie Allen kick. I've successfully gotten half our CCI family converted to the Hoodie Mob and it feels pretty good.
Last night we did spend some time with Bethany's parents. They were nice enough to take us to John Lennon's for dessert and pay for both Erika and me. Her parents are both very shy and quiet, so this was the first time I've actually talked to them besides a "Hey, how are you?"
Aside from that and classes, I've been catching up on all the homework I haven't done yet this semester. I did six journal entries for Fabrizio, eight for Fabio, a paper for Francesca, an article for Flo'N The Go magazine, a packet for Gloria, and a Prezi presentation for Fabrizio. The last one was fun to gather material for. I'm doing a presentation on the Dante Plaques, plaques placed around Firenze bearing quotes from Dante Alighieri's "The Divine Comedy." Since I love Dante, this was a really enjoyable project as I wandered around Firenze all day yesterday taking photos of the plaques and of the many other buildings, sculptures, inscriptions, street names, store names, restaurants, and other artifacts paying tribute to the poet they exiled 700 years ago.
BUT *drumroll*
Moving on from Italy, I am currently three hours away from meeting Eva at the train station for our trip to the Pisa Airport from which we will be taking a plane to LIVERPOOL.
That's right, I will be spending the next three days in Liverpool, hometown of my beloved Beatles (and also of the Titanic, but we'll hit that iceberg when we get to it). I'm so excited!!!! My level of emotion right now is so high that I've basically flatlined on the excitement front. I'm numb. I don't know what to do right now. I've just been flitting around the apartment listening to "Please Please Me" (the album, not just the song) and trying to accomplish random things. Like packing, eating, and finishing this Prezi show.
We'll be arriving around 8 p.m., then heading straight to a club where Eva's friend Kev's band is playing. So I'll be spending my first night in Liverpool, in a club, listening to live music by a Scouse band. I can't even.
And of course we booked a Beatles tour of Liverpool and we'll be spending plenty of time at the Cavern Club. And we're staying in a hotel in Merseyside, so Eva and I will literally be walking the very streets and hanging out in the same places the Beatles did when they were our age. I don't know what to do. There is so much emotion right now. I'll probably just cry like I did in Cinque Terre, but worse since I'll be sitting in Strawberry Field eating four of fish after visiting Mendips.
Okay, I'm going to go freak out some more. I'll catch you all Wednesday when I have a tan from standing in the English rain.
I just wanted to say a quick hello as I'm currently busy making brunch and finishing a presentation for my Genius of Florence class Wednesday.
There hasn't been much to report on this week. April is certainly living up to it's name - it rained maybe two days in my first three months in Italy, but ever since April 1, it's been rain every single day.
The nice thing about a rainy day in Italy is that, like in Pa. and Ohio, the day rarely seems to fully commit to its weather. It's pouring one minute and sunny the next. But the general mood of April has been gray, gray, gray.
Because of this, we've kept inside most of the week, venturing out only for classes.
We did have one exciting bit of news Wednesday. Erika and I walked home together from Genius while Bethany went with Kevin to pick up some things she left at his apartment.
About twenty minutes after Erika and I got home, our front door opened and Bethany shouted, "Look who I brought home with me!"
When I heard her come in, I assumed she was with Kevin, but since he's often at our apartment, I realized that couldn't be it.
Turns out Bethany's parents flew in to surprise her. They had been planning to go on a cruise this summer for their anniversary and decided to come visit Bethany instead.
It was a shock for all of us except Kevin who has known for weeks that they were coming. He probably should have told me and Erika though, since he gave Bethany's parents our street name but not our apartment number. So her parents walked up and down our street for two hours while we were in class, looking for Bethany and asking every girl they saw who looked like an American college student if she knew Bethany. They also rang doorbells at all the apartments (although they either didn't ring our's or they rang while we were in class).
Anyhow, they're here now and they're staying until Monday. Bethany was booked to go to the Amalfi Coast this weekend, but she cancelled so that she could spend time with her parents and take them to Rome.
I haven't seen much of Bethany or her parents since they got here because they've been out sightseeing, so Erika and I have had the apartment to ourselves the past few days.
We watched "The Hunger Games" on Erika's laptop Thursday night (it was really good, but I would have appreciated it more in a theater... students in Italy can't be choosers). We've also been spending a lot of time dancing around the apartment, listening to "All American," which just dropped Tuesday, so I'm back on a Hoodie Allen kick. I've successfully gotten half our CCI family converted to the Hoodie Mob and it feels pretty good.
Last night we did spend some time with Bethany's parents. They were nice enough to take us to John Lennon's for dessert and pay for both Erika and me. Her parents are both very shy and quiet, so this was the first time I've actually talked to them besides a "Hey, how are you?"
Aside from that and classes, I've been catching up on all the homework I haven't done yet this semester. I did six journal entries for Fabrizio, eight for Fabio, a paper for Francesca, an article for Flo'N The Go magazine, a packet for Gloria, and a Prezi presentation for Fabrizio. The last one was fun to gather material for. I'm doing a presentation on the Dante Plaques, plaques placed around Firenze bearing quotes from Dante Alighieri's "The Divine Comedy." Since I love Dante, this was a really enjoyable project as I wandered around Firenze all day yesterday taking photos of the plaques and of the many other buildings, sculptures, inscriptions, street names, store names, restaurants, and other artifacts paying tribute to the poet they exiled 700 years ago.
BUT *drumroll*
Moving on from Italy, I am currently three hours away from meeting Eva at the train station for our trip to the Pisa Airport from which we will be taking a plane to LIVERPOOL.
That's right, I will be spending the next three days in Liverpool, hometown of my beloved Beatles (and also of the Titanic, but we'll hit that iceberg when we get to it). I'm so excited!!!! My level of emotion right now is so high that I've basically flatlined on the excitement front. I'm numb. I don't know what to do right now. I've just been flitting around the apartment listening to "Please Please Me" (the album, not just the song) and trying to accomplish random things. Like packing, eating, and finishing this Prezi show.
We'll be arriving around 8 p.m., then heading straight to a club where Eva's friend Kev's band is playing. So I'll be spending my first night in Liverpool, in a club, listening to live music by a Scouse band. I can't even.
And of course we booked a Beatles tour of Liverpool and we'll be spending plenty of time at the Cavern Club. And we're staying in a hotel in Merseyside, so Eva and I will literally be walking the very streets and hanging out in the same places the Beatles did when they were our age. I don't know what to do. There is so much emotion right now. I'll probably just cry like I did in Cinque Terre, but worse since I'll be sitting in Strawberry Field eating four of fish after visiting Mendips.
Okay, I'm going to go freak out some more. I'll catch you all Wednesday when I have a tan from standing in the English rain.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Egli รจ risorto!
He is risen!
As I mentioned in my regular post from yesterday, I attended my first Easter Sunday Catholic mass yesterday. It was quite an experience, but I'm so glad I went.
Since it was raining and we were all tired from Saturday night, I ended up going to mass by myself. After my apartment bailed on me, I realized I would really regret not going to Easter mass in the Duomo (I mean, when will I ever get that chance again?), so I picked up my umbrella again and struck it out alone.
When I got to the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, I had a slight panic moment when I couldn't get into the cathedral. I thought maybe I had the wrong time and had missed the last service. I tried all three front doors and all three were locked, with no explanation.
The only people in sight were tourists, so I wandered around to the back door of the Duomo and found a crowd in their Easter best flooding into the cathedral.
I had to go through "security," which was basically two guards questioning everyone who didn't look Italian on why they were there and informing us that the Duomo was closed to anyone not attending mass.
I followed an Asian couple in front of me (since we got questioned at the door together) and sat as close to the front of the sanctuary as I could (about halfway up... it was already packed and I got there about twenty minutes early).
Since I had some time before the service began, I people watched for a little bit, then just admired how mind-numbingly gorgeous the Basilica is. Of all the crazy extravagant churches I've seen in Italy, the Duomo is still one of the most impressive by far.
The organ was playing some familiar hymns as I waited and this - more than anything else this semester - made me feel very homesick. I didn't wish I was home, but it did make me miss Easter at St. Paul's.
Once the service began, it went much like other masses I've attended. It was entirely in Italian, but I was still able to get the gist of things. I could recognize the cadence of the Lord's Prayer enough to recite it in English while listening to the words were recited around me in Italian.
When the priest told the story of the Resurrection, I focused on his words while Pastor Ron's telling of the Easter story played in the back of my mind.
When we stood up for the Passing of the Peace, I shook hands with those around me, answering the congregation's "La pace sia con voi" with my own "And also with you."
All in all, it was a very interesting experience, and I'm so glad I went. There was no way I was going to miss Easter mass in Italia.
I expected this experience to be very different than what I'm used to at St. Paul's and h2o, and it was. It was great though. The only things I really missed (other than being with my families), was the music (there wasn't any at this service, except for the organ before mass) and the congregation. My Catholic roommates laughed when I came home shocked by this, but everyone ran out after the service. I thought maybe it was because there could have been a lot of tourists at this mass, but Bethany and Erika laughed that idea off when I got home. The second mass ended, everyone sprinted for the door. I'm used to the "good-bye tour" lasting at least as long as the service, but I guess that's not the case here.
I did, however, end up talking for a little bit with the couple I sat next to during the service. They had been speaking a foreign language to each other during the service, so I assumed they wouldn't be speaking to me at any point. I was pleasantly surprised though when the wife turned around and said, "So you're American, right?"
I was taken aback and laughed, but we started talking and she and her husband are from San Diego and touring Europe for vacation. I told them about study abroad and we talked a little bit while we waited in line to get out the door.
By the time I got home, Bethany and Erika were just about ready to head to dinner. The plan was to meet Kevin and his family, Glenn, and the six-girl apartment for dinner at Gato. However, when we got there, we found that they had ordered without us and not saved us seats. Somewhere along the line, there was a miscommunication and they had thought we were not coming to dinner.
There was no room to sit at their table, so the three of us ended up sitting in another room. We had a good dinner anyhow (I had chicken parm and we all shared a bottle of the house wine) and headed home after.
Today, we didn't have class because of the national holiday. Instead, the three of us and Yelena visited Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens on the other side of the Arno. Bethany and I went to Pitti in the winter before the gardens were open, but this was the first time any of us saw the gardens. The gardens are eleven acres of statues, gardens, fountains, pools, paths, stairways, and more gardens. They are breathtakingly beautiful, overlooking the Duomo, but there is almost too much to see in one day. We spent the whole afternoon there, then got gelato at the Duomo.
Now I have homework to do... We're back to class tomorrow so I need to get back into the school mindset. But at least I had a great weekend and still have a few hours to hang out before I have to talk about communication again tomorrow. And really, I'll still be in Italia, so what is there to complain about?
As I mentioned in my regular post from yesterday, I attended my first Easter Sunday Catholic mass yesterday. It was quite an experience, but I'm so glad I went.
Since it was raining and we were all tired from Saturday night, I ended up going to mass by myself. After my apartment bailed on me, I realized I would really regret not going to Easter mass in the Duomo (I mean, when will I ever get that chance again?), so I picked up my umbrella again and struck it out alone.
When I got to the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, I had a slight panic moment when I couldn't get into the cathedral. I thought maybe I had the wrong time and had missed the last service. I tried all three front doors and all three were locked, with no explanation.
The only people in sight were tourists, so I wandered around to the back door of the Duomo and found a crowd in their Easter best flooding into the cathedral.
I had to go through "security," which was basically two guards questioning everyone who didn't look Italian on why they were there and informing us that the Duomo was closed to anyone not attending mass.
I followed an Asian couple in front of me (since we got questioned at the door together) and sat as close to the front of the sanctuary as I could (about halfway up... it was already packed and I got there about twenty minutes early).
Since I had some time before the service began, I people watched for a little bit, then just admired how mind-numbingly gorgeous the Basilica is. Of all the crazy extravagant churches I've seen in Italy, the Duomo is still one of the most impressive by far.
The organ was playing some familiar hymns as I waited and this - more than anything else this semester - made me feel very homesick. I didn't wish I was home, but it did make me miss Easter at St. Paul's.
Once the service began, it went much like other masses I've attended. It was entirely in Italian, but I was still able to get the gist of things. I could recognize the cadence of the Lord's Prayer enough to recite it in English while listening to the words were recited around me in Italian.
When the priest told the story of the Resurrection, I focused on his words while Pastor Ron's telling of the Easter story played in the back of my mind.
When we stood up for the Passing of the Peace, I shook hands with those around me, answering the congregation's "La pace sia con voi" with my own "And also with you."
All in all, it was a very interesting experience, and I'm so glad I went. There was no way I was going to miss Easter mass in Italia.
I expected this experience to be very different than what I'm used to at St. Paul's and h2o, and it was. It was great though. The only things I really missed (other than being with my families), was the music (there wasn't any at this service, except for the organ before mass) and the congregation. My Catholic roommates laughed when I came home shocked by this, but everyone ran out after the service. I thought maybe it was because there could have been a lot of tourists at this mass, but Bethany and Erika laughed that idea off when I got home. The second mass ended, everyone sprinted for the door. I'm used to the "good-bye tour" lasting at least as long as the service, but I guess that's not the case here.
I did, however, end up talking for a little bit with the couple I sat next to during the service. They had been speaking a foreign language to each other during the service, so I assumed they wouldn't be speaking to me at any point. I was pleasantly surprised though when the wife turned around and said, "So you're American, right?"
I was taken aback and laughed, but we started talking and she and her husband are from San Diego and touring Europe for vacation. I told them about study abroad and we talked a little bit while we waited in line to get out the door.
 |
| Crowd departing after mass. |
There was no room to sit at their table, so the three of us ended up sitting in another room. We had a good dinner anyhow (I had chicken parm and we all shared a bottle of the house wine) and headed home after.
Today, we didn't have class because of the national holiday. Instead, the three of us and Yelena visited Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens on the other side of the Arno. Bethany and I went to Pitti in the winter before the gardens were open, but this was the first time any of us saw the gardens. The gardens are eleven acres of statues, gardens, fountains, pools, paths, stairways, and more gardens. They are breathtakingly beautiful, overlooking the Duomo, but there is almost too much to see in one day. We spent the whole afternoon there, then got gelato at the Duomo.
 |
| Erika, Bethany, Yelena, and me in the Gardens. |
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Final Countdown
Three months down (January, February, March); one month to go. Check it.
- Go to Croatia. *Booked.
- Go to Germany. *In the undetermined, post-study abroad future.
- Go to Ireland. *Someday.
Go to any other country I can go to.*Greece, SpainGet a touristy photo of me holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa.Eat authentic Italian pasta.Drink authentic Italian wine.- Take a Beatles tour of Liverpool. *Booked.
- Get a photo of me crossing Abbey Road. *Too expensive. We had to cut this from the England itinerary.
- Take a Harry Potter tour of England. *Someday.
- Get a photo of me at Platform 9 3/4. *Someday.
Strike up a conversation with a local.Try to read an Italian newspaper.Spend a day just people watching.Follow a road just to see where it goes.- Visit all of the major Italian cities. *Not happening. There are more than I thought. But Florence, Rome, Assisi, Venice, Milan, Sienna, and Orvieto are checked off.
Visit Dante Alighieri's house.- Swim in the ocean. *I failed at this in Greece because the water was so cold. But Croatia is in three weeks, so I still have hope.
Actually see an ocean.Stay in a hostel.*Several.Attend an Italian youth group with Jess and Katy.Go to an Easter service in a church older than the United States.Crossed off as of TODAY!Appreciate the fact that I can be in anything older than the United States.Get lost without panicking.Do something 100% spur-of-the-moment.Grocery shop in an open-air market.Make one purely selfish and frivolous purchase.- Hang my laundry out to dry over the street. *Not legal in my neighborhood.
Watch the local news.Learn about international communications (duh).Learn at least enough Italian to get by.Learn about art.Live out of a backpack for a weekend.*Or for a lot of weekends.Go to a pub.*Oh boy.Take more photos than I know what to do with.*I took so many I broke my camera and had to get a new one. How's that for crossing that puppy off the list?- Blog every (?) day. *Like I said last month, I have failed at this. But at least I keep up with this blog.
- Remember to keep my feet off the frescoes. *I almost want to do this at this point.
Now that my next checklist post will be the final tally, I can say that I feel good about this list. Sure there are a few things that I've discovered just aren't feasible, but I've done so much that wasn't on this list, that my mind is blown by how insane these past three months have been. And I have almost another full month of it. I feel like I might be the luckiest person in the world right now.
Celebrating Easter today made me realize that there's one thing I never would have put on this list that has made all of the places I've been and experiences I've had so much more amazing than I could have hoped. And it's the simple fact that I really do have an honest-to-goodness family here.
I don't know how many of you in my study abroad family read this blog since you're living it with me, and I don't mean to get all Maria here, but I truly believe experiences are shaped almost entirely by who you share them with. It is a testament to how much I love these guys that I'm having as much fun, seeing as much, learning as much, trying as much, and doing as much as I am in Europe.
On this Resurrection Day, the first real holiday I've ever spent away from my family, it's nice to know that I'm still celebrating with loved ones.
... And that's my cheesy message for this blog. Enough of that. Goodnight, everyone. God bless, and blessed Pasqua to you and whomever you choose to share this day with.
Celebrating Easter today made me realize that there's one thing I never would have put on this list that has made all of the places I've been and experiences I've had so much more amazing than I could have hoped. And it's the simple fact that I really do have an honest-to-goodness family here.
I don't know how many of you in my study abroad family read this blog since you're living it with me, and I don't mean to get all Maria here, but I truly believe experiences are shaped almost entirely by who you share them with. It is a testament to how much I love these guys that I'm having as much fun, seeing as much, learning as much, trying as much, and doing as much as I am in Europe.
On this Resurrection Day, the first real holiday I've ever spent away from my family, it's nice to know that I'm still celebrating with loved ones.
... And that's my cheesy message for this blog. Enough of that. Goodnight, everyone. God bless, and blessed Pasqua to you and whomever you choose to share this day with.
Easter Weekend
Buona Pasqua, Regazzi!
Easter wishes to all of my wonderful friends and family! I hope you're all having a blessed day and enjoying quality time with whichever loved ones you have near.
Today is bittersweet since it's my first major holiday away from my family, but also because I'm celebrating Easter in a country that knows how to go all out for the day of our Lord and Savior, surrounded by my new friends and family here in Italia.
So I can't really say I'm missing out, but it's definitely light years away from ham and hairy broccoli at home with the fam.
This has been another relaxing weekend in Firenze (unfortunately also my last weekend here since I'll be travelling all the rest of my weekends). Friday we did some souvenir shopping (I'm still trying to find a leather jacket that I really like, but still no luck so far... I did find a pink one that looked great, but I can't decide yet how I feel about a pink leather jacket... I had my mind set on a more leathery color), ate lunch on the sidewalk seating of a little restaurant near the Duomo (Bethany and I shared penne al salmone and Tuscan bread and tomato soup), did some more shopping, then went home to change before dinner.
Bethany, Erika, Yelena, Kelsey, and I got dinner at Tijuana, one of only two local Mexican restaurants. We've heard rave reviews of Tijuana almost since we arrived in Firenze, but this was our first time testing it out. And it was SO GOOD. Maybe I wouldn't have been so impressed if this wasn't one of the first times in three months that I ate something that wasn't smothered in tomato sauce or olive oil, but the food was excellent. We all started the meal with margaritas (strawberry for me), then I had tostadas for the main course. They were delicious little corn shells filled with rice, beans, lettuce, spicy cheese, guacamole, and shredded pork. I can't remember the last time I was so full, but I know few times have topped the way I felt after those tostadas. We all ate way too much and waddled to the six-girl apartment to recoup before going to a jazz club Erika read about.
The jazz club was a perfect way to relax after our Mexican food babies. We sat on a comfy black couch right beside the stage and were able to just chill and enjoy the calming atmosphere and cool music for a few hours while our food digested. It was a super mellow evening - very different from most of our nights out - and I really enjoyed the change of pace.
Yesterday morning, Bethany and I crossed the Arno in search of an art exhibit called "Cake Thinking," which I'm supposed to review for Flo'n The Go magazine. Unfortunately, when I checked the website to be sure the exhibit was open Easter weekend, the site gave me the green light. But when we got there, it was a different story; the whole gallery was closed.
Instead, we went to La Cita Libreria Cafe, a cozy bookstore/coffee shop that was right up my alley. It had the feel of being in a friend's apartment, with shelves of books, comfy seating, coffee tables decorated with photos and vases, paintings on the walls, and potted plants strewn about. I'd call it Firenze's equivalent of Coffee Buddha, but larger and less secluded. We sipped an Americano (me) and tea (Bethany) while we people-watched (and there were a lot of people to watch).
Eventually, the cafe began getting really crowded, so we left in search of a bakery Bethany found near the Duomo earlier this week. On the way, we stopped in a bookstore and a few other specialty and clothing stores.
The bakery was filled with all kinds of tempting desserts. Bethany and I both ended up getting adorable (and gigantic) Easter Bunny cupcakes to eat in the bakery and peanut butter brownies to take home (PEANUT BUTTER. My first taste of PB since January 7, although I haven't actually eaten it yet; I'm saving it for the opportune moment).
Then last night, we went out. On the way to the six-girl apartment, we ran into an Easter Eve mass ending on the front steps of the Duomo. A giant bonfire burned at the base of the stairs and clergy stood around it reading prayers (or scripture...? Hard to say since it was all Italian.) We watched this for about ten or fifteen minutes before we realized everyone was waiting for us.
From the apartment, we went to Colle Bereto as a CCI group to dance, then from there to YAB (another nightclub) for more dancing. It was a long night, but tons of fun. Oh, and we finally rode the Piazza della Repubblica carousel, which is a very huge deal.
This morning we woke up to a downpour. We weren't sure if this would affect Easter celebrations at the Duomo, so we put up our umbrellas and braved the rain to make certain we wouldn't miss anything. And it's a good thing we went out because, if we hadn't, we probably would have been the only people in Firenze who stayed in. The Duomo was hopping and the crowd was enormous.
We could hear the fireworks blocks away, but couldn't even see the Duomo when we came around the corner because of all the smoke (we arrived a few minutes late). It took awhile to shove our way through the crowd to a decent vantage point because so many people were packed into the piazza.
By the time we got to the Duomo, we had missed the annual parade to the square, but we did catch the firework display and, with all of the people and the excitement, it was a great time. It was too crowded during the show for Erika, Bethany, and I to attempt to find the rest of the group, but we all met up to wish each other Buona Pasqua and do some serious people watching for a little bit after the crowd thinned out a bit.
Now we're split up for the afternoon and I'm home, but the tentative game plan for this evening is mass at the Duomo, then CCI family dinner at Gatto. Hopefully, it will stop raining before then.
Easter wishes to all of my wonderful friends and family! I hope you're all having a blessed day and enjoying quality time with whichever loved ones you have near.
Today is bittersweet since it's my first major holiday away from my family, but also because I'm celebrating Easter in a country that knows how to go all out for the day of our Lord and Savior, surrounded by my new friends and family here in Italia.
So I can't really say I'm missing out, but it's definitely light years away from ham and hairy broccoli at home with the fam.
This has been another relaxing weekend in Firenze (unfortunately also my last weekend here since I'll be travelling all the rest of my weekends). Friday we did some souvenir shopping (I'm still trying to find a leather jacket that I really like, but still no luck so far... I did find a pink one that looked great, but I can't decide yet how I feel about a pink leather jacket... I had my mind set on a more leathery color), ate lunch on the sidewalk seating of a little restaurant near the Duomo (Bethany and I shared penne al salmone and Tuscan bread and tomato soup), did some more shopping, then went home to change before dinner.
Bethany, Erika, Yelena, Kelsey, and I got dinner at Tijuana, one of only two local Mexican restaurants. We've heard rave reviews of Tijuana almost since we arrived in Firenze, but this was our first time testing it out. And it was SO GOOD. Maybe I wouldn't have been so impressed if this wasn't one of the first times in three months that I ate something that wasn't smothered in tomato sauce or olive oil, but the food was excellent. We all started the meal with margaritas (strawberry for me), then I had tostadas for the main course. They were delicious little corn shells filled with rice, beans, lettuce, spicy cheese, guacamole, and shredded pork. I can't remember the last time I was so full, but I know few times have topped the way I felt after those tostadas. We all ate way too much and waddled to the six-girl apartment to recoup before going to a jazz club Erika read about.
The jazz club was a perfect way to relax after our Mexican food babies. We sat on a comfy black couch right beside the stage and were able to just chill and enjoy the calming atmosphere and cool music for a few hours while our food digested. It was a super mellow evening - very different from most of our nights out - and I really enjoyed the change of pace.
Yesterday morning, Bethany and I crossed the Arno in search of an art exhibit called "Cake Thinking," which I'm supposed to review for Flo'n The Go magazine. Unfortunately, when I checked the website to be sure the exhibit was open Easter weekend, the site gave me the green light. But when we got there, it was a different story; the whole gallery was closed.
Instead, we went to La Cita Libreria Cafe, a cozy bookstore/coffee shop that was right up my alley. It had the feel of being in a friend's apartment, with shelves of books, comfy seating, coffee tables decorated with photos and vases, paintings on the walls, and potted plants strewn about. I'd call it Firenze's equivalent of Coffee Buddha, but larger and less secluded. We sipped an Americano (me) and tea (Bethany) while we people-watched (and there were a lot of people to watch).
Eventually, the cafe began getting really crowded, so we left in search of a bakery Bethany found near the Duomo earlier this week. On the way, we stopped in a bookstore and a few other specialty and clothing stores.
The bakery was filled with all kinds of tempting desserts. Bethany and I both ended up getting adorable (and gigantic) Easter Bunny cupcakes to eat in the bakery and peanut butter brownies to take home (PEANUT BUTTER. My first taste of PB since January 7, although I haven't actually eaten it yet; I'm saving it for the opportune moment).
Then last night, we went out. On the way to the six-girl apartment, we ran into an Easter Eve mass ending on the front steps of the Duomo. A giant bonfire burned at the base of the stairs and clergy stood around it reading prayers (or scripture...? Hard to say since it was all Italian.) We watched this for about ten or fifteen minutes before we realized everyone was waiting for us.
 |
| Just look at Lauren's face. |
We could hear the fireworks blocks away, but couldn't even see the Duomo when we came around the corner because of all the smoke (we arrived a few minutes late). It took awhile to shove our way through the crowd to a decent vantage point because so many people were packed into the piazza.
By the time we got to the Duomo, we had missed the annual parade to the square, but we did catch the firework display and, with all of the people and the excitement, it was a great time. It was too crowded during the show for Erika, Bethany, and I to attempt to find the rest of the group, but we all met up to wish each other Buona Pasqua and do some serious people watching for a little bit after the crowd thinned out a bit.
Now we're split up for the afternoon and I'm home, but the tentative game plan for this evening is mass at the Duomo, then CCI family dinner at Gatto. Hopefully, it will stop raining before then.
 |
| Easter crowd at the Duomo. |
 |
| And here's a dog wearing a rain suit. |
Friday, April 6, 2012
Food Coma
This week has been a great week for food.
It began Tuesday with my first trip to Mama's Bakery. Mama's is our newer newest group obsession, closely following our discovery of the secret bakeries (which I still need to find; it will happen this weekend). We're all homesick for American food. All we've talked about since spring break is chocolate croissants (not technically American, but it's a good pastry, which is all we want right now) and cupcakes, which Italians don't do.
I'm not sure who of our group first discovered Mama's on the far side of the Arno, but it has been a turning point in our study abroad experience.
After hearing tales of cupcakes that taste like the very soil of America (not really), Yelena and I decided that we needed to find these glorious sweets from heaven asap. So after Francesca's class Tuesday, Yelena and I set off with Lindsay and Kristy (adopted members of the CCI family) in search of this baked goodness.
It was a far greater challenge than anticipated. We followed Francesca's directions to cross the bridge to the left of Ponte Vecchio and hang a right, but we didn't come across any bakeries in that whole neighborhood. We stopped every Italian we could find and asked directions, but not a soul had ever even heard of Mama's Bakery.
Without any written directions by which to go, Yelena made the executive decision to call Kevin, who I'm pretty certain has gone to Mama's almost every day since it's discovery. And he pointed us in the wrong direction. It may have had something to do with the fact that Yelena woke him up to ask, or that we can't follow directions, or maybe Kevin just doesn't know his way around that well, but we still couldn't find that mystical bakery.
After about an hour of searching, Lindsay decided to find somewhere we could get wi-fi on her phone and we Google Mapped the bakery.
What should have been a fifteen minute walk from school, turned into over an hour-long adventure, but we made it, and it was worth it.
Since we arrived shortly before closing time, Mama's selection was somewhat pitiful. I had my heart set on red velvet cupcakes, but all that were left were vanilla, chocolate, and one carrot cupcake that Yelena had her hearts set on. Instead of a cupcake, I got chocolate pie with homemade whipped cream, and I didn't regret a bite of it. We were all in cupcake heaven.
I've decided that, not only does Mama's really have the best pastries in Firenze, but it also has one of the best atmospheres. In other shops in Firenze, you stand at the counter to drink your coffee or eat your snack, or you pay, then get out. But Mama's has comfy seating areas with artwork and bookshelves and a lovely back garden. It's like Coffee Buddha in Firenze. I love everything about it.
Then there was Wednesday. No, I did not go back to Mama's, but I did seriously consider it.
Instead, Bethany, Erika, and I went to Lydia's parents' apartment (they're visiting for the week and staying in a crazy luxurious apartment owned by friends) to make cake balls.
I know cake balls are popular, but this was my first time making them. We used red velvet cake brought from America by Lydia's parents (so I got it after all!) to make the little desserts for Lydia and Bethany's Italian class (their professor had never heard of red velvet).
All you do to make cake balls is bake a cake, let it cool, smash it into teeny tiny pieces, mix it in a bowl with frosting, then roll the now sticky cake/icing mixture into little balls, which you chill, dip in melted chocolate, chill again, then eat.
We had a lot of fun making these (it made me homesick for Brownie Nights with my church friends at Kent) and even more fun licking the bowl and eating all the crumbs and "reject" cake balls. I didn't get to eat any of the finished project (damn Italian 2 kids), but from the few tastes I had and the reviews from the lucky ducks who did get to eat all of our hard work, I know they turned out really well.
Then last night, we (my apartment, Kate, and Kristy) returned to Lydia's temporary apartment (it sleeps eight, has a real kitchen and a rooftop terrace) to make dinner for her parents.
We used the same recipes we learned in January when we took a cooking class at In Tavola. Eggplant towers, salad, tomato pasta, and tiramisu, cushioned in lots and lots of wine, olive oil, and bread.
The whole process took about three hours and was a huge production, but we had so much fun. It was also thrilling to be in a kitchen owned and stocked by wealthy Americans. We had a stove! A microwave! Lids for the pots! Knives that cut things! There was an actual strainer for the pasta, a real whisk, mixing bowls, salad tongs, cutting boards, and a number of other cooking aids which none of us had seen of used since leaving America. There was actually a moment when we stood in awed silence of a drawer full of Tupperware and Ziplock bags. How American.
Once everything came together, we set the table and called Lydia's parents to come eat with us. Dinner was delicious and I think Lydia's parents were very impressed by our cooking abilities. After the main course was complete, we cleared the table, then took our tiramisu to the terrace where we sat on the wall and enjoyed a warm April evening high above Firenze. It was a perfect meal and a perfect evening.
Dessert was followed by the arrival of Kelsey and Yelena, who brought face masks to try out while we watched The Godfather. We didn't get far in that though since we were all so full and tired. Halfway through, we called it quits and everyone went home. Better luck another night.
It began Tuesday with my first trip to Mama's Bakery. Mama's is our newer newest group obsession, closely following our discovery of the secret bakeries (which I still need to find; it will happen this weekend). We're all homesick for American food. All we've talked about since spring break is chocolate croissants (not technically American, but it's a good pastry, which is all we want right now) and cupcakes, which Italians don't do.
I'm not sure who of our group first discovered Mama's on the far side of the Arno, but it has been a turning point in our study abroad experience.
After hearing tales of cupcakes that taste like the very soil of America (not really), Yelena and I decided that we needed to find these glorious sweets from heaven asap. So after Francesca's class Tuesday, Yelena and I set off with Lindsay and Kristy (adopted members of the CCI family) in search of this baked goodness.
It was a far greater challenge than anticipated. We followed Francesca's directions to cross the bridge to the left of Ponte Vecchio and hang a right, but we didn't come across any bakeries in that whole neighborhood. We stopped every Italian we could find and asked directions, but not a soul had ever even heard of Mama's Bakery.
Without any written directions by which to go, Yelena made the executive decision to call Kevin, who I'm pretty certain has gone to Mama's almost every day since it's discovery. And he pointed us in the wrong direction. It may have had something to do with the fact that Yelena woke him up to ask, or that we can't follow directions, or maybe Kevin just doesn't know his way around that well, but we still couldn't find that mystical bakery.
After about an hour of searching, Lindsay decided to find somewhere we could get wi-fi on her phone and we Google Mapped the bakery.
What should have been a fifteen minute walk from school, turned into over an hour-long adventure, but we made it, and it was worth it.
Since we arrived shortly before closing time, Mama's selection was somewhat pitiful. I had my heart set on red velvet cupcakes, but all that were left were vanilla, chocolate, and one carrot cupcake that Yelena had her hearts set on. Instead of a cupcake, I got chocolate pie with homemade whipped cream, and I didn't regret a bite of it. We were all in cupcake heaven.
I've decided that, not only does Mama's really have the best pastries in Firenze, but it also has one of the best atmospheres. In other shops in Firenze, you stand at the counter to drink your coffee or eat your snack, or you pay, then get out. But Mama's has comfy seating areas with artwork and bookshelves and a lovely back garden. It's like Coffee Buddha in Firenze. I love everything about it.
Then there was Wednesday. No, I did not go back to Mama's, but I did seriously consider it.
Instead, Bethany, Erika, and I went to Lydia's parents' apartment (they're visiting for the week and staying in a crazy luxurious apartment owned by friends) to make cake balls.
I know cake balls are popular, but this was my first time making them. We used red velvet cake brought from America by Lydia's parents (so I got it after all!) to make the little desserts for Lydia and Bethany's Italian class (their professor had never heard of red velvet).
All you do to make cake balls is bake a cake, let it cool, smash it into teeny tiny pieces, mix it in a bowl with frosting, then roll the now sticky cake/icing mixture into little balls, which you chill, dip in melted chocolate, chill again, then eat.
We had a lot of fun making these (it made me homesick for Brownie Nights with my church friends at Kent) and even more fun licking the bowl and eating all the crumbs and "reject" cake balls. I didn't get to eat any of the finished project (damn Italian 2 kids), but from the few tastes I had and the reviews from the lucky ducks who did get to eat all of our hard work, I know they turned out really well.
Then last night, we (my apartment, Kate, and Kristy) returned to Lydia's temporary apartment (it sleeps eight, has a real kitchen and a rooftop terrace) to make dinner for her parents.
We used the same recipes we learned in January when we took a cooking class at In Tavola. Eggplant towers, salad, tomato pasta, and tiramisu, cushioned in lots and lots of wine, olive oil, and bread.
The whole process took about three hours and was a huge production, but we had so much fun. It was also thrilling to be in a kitchen owned and stocked by wealthy Americans. We had a stove! A microwave! Lids for the pots! Knives that cut things! There was an actual strainer for the pasta, a real whisk, mixing bowls, salad tongs, cutting boards, and a number of other cooking aids which none of us had seen of used since leaving America. There was actually a moment when we stood in awed silence of a drawer full of Tupperware and Ziplock bags. How American.
Once everything came together, we set the table and called Lydia's parents to come eat with us. Dinner was delicious and I think Lydia's parents were very impressed by our cooking abilities. After the main course was complete, we cleared the table, then took our tiramisu to the terrace where we sat on the wall and enjoyed a warm April evening high above Firenze. It was a perfect meal and a perfect evening.
Dessert was followed by the arrival of Kelsey and Yelena, who brought face masks to try out while we watched The Godfather. We didn't get far in that though since we were all so full and tired. Halfway through, we called it quits and everyone went home. Better luck another night.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
La Viola!
I won't keep you in suspense any longer: we lost.
It was a fun game though. Yelena, Jess, Kate, Kelsey, Megan, Kristy, Bethany, Erika, and I walked to the stadium around 1:00 this afternoon in order to have time to buy our tickets (it's an hour walk from Cerchi to the Fiorentina stadium).
Once at the stadium, it took us awhile to figure out where to go. Every time we tried a new entrance, we found out we had the wrong tickets and were sent elsewhere. We made it almost the entire way around the stadium before someone finally let us in.
Our prize for getting through the very tight security was that each of us received a chocolate Easter egg wrapped in Fiorentina foil. Inside each of our chocolate shells, was a purple plastic Easter egg, and inside that egg was a toy duck. Each of our ducks wore Fiorentina team colors (it's actually Fiorentina Club, by the way; they don't have teams, they have clubs) and was in a different soccer pose (mine is holding the ball over his head).
The game began without much introduction. The team was announced (not individually, but "Here's your Fiorentina team! Ecco il tuo club Fiorentina!"), then the rival team, Chievo, took the field without any fanfare, and the match began.
This was my first time seeing professional soccer, and I'm pretty sure the only other thing I've seen live that might be more intense than this game, is its fans. The Fiorentina fans were nuts. They were on their feet the whole game, no matter what was happening on the field, shouting and gesturing in a way only Italians can. I was surprised by the level of anger toward their own team; the fans would boo and hiss Fiorentina for every wrong move they made and every good move Chievo made. When Chievo scored the first goal of the game, the Fiorentina fans went wild with rage, yelling and even throwing things at the team.
We were down 0-1 going into halftime, and Fiorentina was booed off the field, running into the locker room with their faces covered - less from shame, I think, than as a means of protection from the furious "supporters."
Halftime at this game was much less a spectacle than it would be in America. I'm used to watching pierogi races during the seventh inning stretch at Pirates games and having mascots shoot t-shirts and hotdogs out of cannons at every sporting event I attend (although if you know me, you know I don't attend many). At Fiorentina, there was no entertainment and we all just sat waiting for the second half or went to get drinks and popcorn at the refreshment stands.
When the team took the field again at the start of the second half, Fiorentina was booed again. But they brought it back quickly, tying up the game within a few minutes of returning to the field. The Fiorentina fans went wild again, but this time in a good way, waving flags, clapping, cheering on their team, and singing La Viola!, the Fiorentina fight song.
I enjoyed the match a lot more in the second half, now that we were in the game and the fans weren't so enraged and threatening. Also, Fiorentina was shooting toward the fans (we sat in the Fiorentina fan section), so they spent a lot more time on our side of the field. We came close a few times to scoring a second goal and Artur Boruc, Fiorentina's goalie, managed to make a few great saves.
The next goal came with two minutes left in the game... but it was scored on us. The Fiorentina fans were so outraged that, instead of booing and throwing things like they did the first time Chievo scored, the simply got up and left. A sea of purple supporters simply stood up without a word and moved to the exits, leaving our CCI group setting completely alone on the bleachers in our Stevan Jovetic jerseys, while the real #8 attempted to rally his defeated team on the field.
Jovetic did manage one last near-goal, but Fiorentina failed to bring it back. The players ran off the field after their defeat, covering their heads once again and being shepherded into a quickly constructed tunnel form the field to the lockers in order to protect the team from any remaining fans.
It was upsetting that our team lost, but it was a good game and a great experience. I definitely had fun, even if none of the Fiorentines did.
It was a fun game though. Yelena, Jess, Kate, Kelsey, Megan, Kristy, Bethany, Erika, and I walked to the stadium around 1:00 this afternoon in order to have time to buy our tickets (it's an hour walk from Cerchi to the Fiorentina stadium).
Once at the stadium, it took us awhile to figure out where to go. Every time we tried a new entrance, we found out we had the wrong tickets and were sent elsewhere. We made it almost the entire way around the stadium before someone finally let us in.
Our prize for getting through the very tight security was that each of us received a chocolate Easter egg wrapped in Fiorentina foil. Inside each of our chocolate shells, was a purple plastic Easter egg, and inside that egg was a toy duck. Each of our ducks wore Fiorentina team colors (it's actually Fiorentina Club, by the way; they don't have teams, they have clubs) and was in a different soccer pose (mine is holding the ball over his head).
The game began without much introduction. The team was announced (not individually, but "Here's your Fiorentina team! Ecco il tuo club Fiorentina!"), then the rival team, Chievo, took the field without any fanfare, and the match began.
This was my first time seeing professional soccer, and I'm pretty sure the only other thing I've seen live that might be more intense than this game, is its fans. The Fiorentina fans were nuts. They were on their feet the whole game, no matter what was happening on the field, shouting and gesturing in a way only Italians can. I was surprised by the level of anger toward their own team; the fans would boo and hiss Fiorentina for every wrong move they made and every good move Chievo made. When Chievo scored the first goal of the game, the Fiorentina fans went wild with rage, yelling and even throwing things at the team.
We were down 0-1 going into halftime, and Fiorentina was booed off the field, running into the locker room with their faces covered - less from shame, I think, than as a means of protection from the furious "supporters."
Halftime at this game was much less a spectacle than it would be in America. I'm used to watching pierogi races during the seventh inning stretch at Pirates games and having mascots shoot t-shirts and hotdogs out of cannons at every sporting event I attend (although if you know me, you know I don't attend many). At Fiorentina, there was no entertainment and we all just sat waiting for the second half or went to get drinks and popcorn at the refreshment stands.
When the team took the field again at the start of the second half, Fiorentina was booed again. But they brought it back quickly, tying up the game within a few minutes of returning to the field. The Fiorentina fans went wild again, but this time in a good way, waving flags, clapping, cheering on their team, and singing La Viola!, the Fiorentina fight song.
I enjoyed the match a lot more in the second half, now that we were in the game and the fans weren't so enraged and threatening. Also, Fiorentina was shooting toward the fans (we sat in the Fiorentina fan section), so they spent a lot more time on our side of the field. We came close a few times to scoring a second goal and Artur Boruc, Fiorentina's goalie, managed to make a few great saves.
The next goal came with two minutes left in the game... but it was scored on us. The Fiorentina fans were so outraged that, instead of booing and throwing things like they did the first time Chievo scored, the simply got up and left. A sea of purple supporters simply stood up without a word and moved to the exits, leaving our CCI group setting completely alone on the bleachers in our Stevan Jovetic jerseys, while the real #8 attempted to rally his defeated team on the field.
Jovetic did manage one last near-goal, but Fiorentina failed to bring it back. The players ran off the field after their defeat, covering their heads once again and being shepherded into a quickly constructed tunnel form the field to the lockers in order to protect the team from any remaining fans.
It was upsetting that our team lost, but it was a good game and a great experience. I definitely had fun, even if none of the Fiorentines did.
 |
| Go team! CCI love at the Fiorentina match... plus some creeper. We can't avoid them. |
And A Nice Chianti
After traveling every weekend for the past month, I'm staying in Firenze until April 14. Which is great this time around because there is a lot to do in this area of Tuscany that I haven't gotten to yet (and of course it's cheaper and easier to be home than out in a foreign city or country).
This week, we had a lot of relatives in town. Maria's aunt and sister have been here all week, as well as Lauren's aunt, uncle, and grandma. We went to the Lion's Fountain pub Tuesday night to meet both families and out with them again Thursday night.
Friday was just a hanging around the house/doing some shopping/doing some homework/going to the park to read day. Yesterday, however, was perfect.
We woke up earlier than we normally would in my apartment to meet Megan, Kelsey, Michelle, Jess, and Kate at McDonald's, the rendezvous point for the tour group Fun In Tuscany. From there, we followed three guys and a little kid down an alley and into an unmarked van, then drove about forty-five minutes to a ranch in Chianti.
At the ranch, we were all fitted for helmets and horses, then given a few minutes to ride our horses around the paddock to be sure everyone was comfortable. Since I have "experience" riding (apparently a few lessons in elementary school counts), I got one of the less tame horses. He was pretty good, except he would toss his head and paw the ground and get really agitated any time another horse would stop, slow down, turn, or alter my horses stride and direction in any other way.
Our horseback tour lasted about an hour through vineyards, woods, and up and down hills in gorgeous Chianti wine country. It was a fun being on a horse and not a donkey and, despite not having ridden in about ten years, getting back in the saddle really is just like riding a bike.
After our ride, we got to sample some local wine, then got back in the van for a ride to Monteriggioni Castle, a walled town built high on a hill overlooking Chianti. Our driver, Issam, told us the total population of the town is "39 people and one dog," so that should give you some idea of how tiny this place is. Honestly, it looks like the set for a Renaissance fair; it's that small.
Here's an arial view I stole from Google :
We walked the perimeter of the town in about fifteen minutes to get an idea of just how tiny Monteriggioni is, then went inside for part two of our day trip : wine tasting.
The wine tasting was inside a little shop near the middle of town, owned by the guy who's family owns a vineyard and most of Monteriggioni. This was my first-ever wine tasting, so I can't compare it against any others, but I enjoyed it. We sampled about ten different local wines (red, white and dessert), as well as the shop's speciality local olive oil (probably the best olive oil I've had). The wine was all very good, and with each glass, the two instructor's told us about the flavor of the wine and what food to serve with it.
From wine tasting, we got back in the van and drove to a restaurant overlooking a small lake. Here we had the best meal I've had in Italy, which you know is really saying something because I've never eaten better in my life than I have the past three months. We started with bread and olive oil (good enough that I would have been content eating just that for lunch). Then we had cheese and prosciutto, followed by some sort of savory little puff pastries. These were followed by a potato, sausage and cheese casserole, which was followed by fried zucchini, followed by pasta. We were entertained throughout dinner by Issam, Filippo and Daniel telling stories about their worst experiences as tour guides and cracking jokes.
To top it all off, we celebrated Michelle's 20th birthday with a homemade cake (the first good cake I've had in Europe). It was yellow and (like all Italian cakes) filled with fruit, but it was so delicious.
But the best part of these birthday celebrations was Michelle uncorking a bottle of champagne with a machete.
I've seen this done on the Ellen show, but never in person. I think we were all worried that she wouldn't get it on her first try, but she did! It was really cool.
After we ran out of cake and champagne, we had about half an hour to just hang out by the lake and jump on the trampoline in the little park along the lake.
We thought all that was left of our tour after this was the hour-long ride home. And honestly, had that been the end, I would have walked away incredibly satisfied with what we got for our money. Issam blasted the radio as we drove and we all sang along, dancing in our seats (except Issam's five-year-old son, Joshua, who fell asleep across Bethany and Michelle's laps in the backseat - too much horseback riding, gelato and cake for him). Issam shouted more jokes over the radio (sometimes stopping or swerving in the middle of the road to help make a point in the story) and even pulled over once so that I (sitting in the open-window seat) could pick rosemary from bushes growing along the side of the road as we drove by.
Once we got into Firenze, we passed Parco delle Cascine (the Central Park), where a carnival is currently going on. Issam asked if we wanted to stop at Cascine for a little bit before we ended our tour. We all agreed because we thought he was kidding, but - after asking us several times - he turned the van around and took us to the little amusement park.
It's small like a church festival and has most of the same rides and attractions as you see at places like St. Ursula's or St. Sebastian's. Issam took us directly to the giant swing, which was like the swings you normally see, but with one exception. Next to the swing, was a flag clipped to a tall pole, and everyone being whipped in a circle on the swing was trying to catch it. After every few rotations, the flag gets a little lower. The ride lasts either until someone captures the flag or until the flag hits the ground.
Because these swings are a game in Italy rather than the simple carnival ride they are in the States, the Italians have capturing the flag down to an art. We watched them to get the idea of how best to approach the challenge, then the other girls (I didn't ride since those things make me sick) tested it out.
The best approach, is to go in pairs. The bigger person in the duo sits directly behind the smaller, holding onto the back of the smaller's chair. Once you get enough momentum and get to the flag, the bigger person kicks the smaller at the flag. If all goes well, the smaller person is launched at the flag, breaking rank in the swing, and catches the flag.
But most of the time, this did not go well, in which case the smaller person was yanked back into formation and spun around a few times until his or her partner managed to latch on again. The most successful pairs were big guys with tiny girls and high school guys who obviously spend time practicing this on the swings they built in their backyards.
Since this was such a novel way for we Americans to ride the swings, we spent at least half an hour on this ride alone. We followed it up by trying our hands (literally) at Tin Can Alley, where we managed to knock down a tin can pyramid (it was a group effort) and win a giant beach ball for Joshua. We kicked this all the way through the carnival and around the parking lot before heading back to Firenze. Issam dropped us off at the train station, where we said good-bye to him, Josh, Daniel, and Filippo (the later two joined us at the fair even though they drove home from lunch separately).
So it was a perfect day. My face still hurts from smiling and laughing so much. We got home around 6:30 and Bethany, Erika and I immediately went to our rooms to nap.
Once we were all awake, fed, and cleaned up, we went out to meet the rest of our CCI cohort at the Old Stove for Michelle's birthday party. Here we danced to a "70's and 80's cover band" (they played classic rock from about four different decades...) before heading to the Lion's Fountain for drinks. When the Lion's Fountain closed, we attempted to find a secret bakery (CCI's new obsession... a few of our members stumbled across one at four in the morning last weekend and got what they claim are the best chocolate croissants in Firenze).
We managed to locate one bakery (rumor has it there are several), but it was unfortunately closed (Glenn insists they don't open until at least 3 a.m. and it seems he's right). So that was a big disappointment for all of us, since we're collectively obsessed with secret bakeries right now and everyone loves chocolate croissants.
So that was our big day in Tuscany. This afternoon, we're headed to the Fiorentina soccer match, which I'm really looking forward to, even though Fiorentina plays soccer about as well as the Pirates play baseball. Who knows though? Maybe today will be our lucky day. :)
As they say in Italia, "In bocca al lupo!" And here we go, Viola!
This week, we had a lot of relatives in town. Maria's aunt and sister have been here all week, as well as Lauren's aunt, uncle, and grandma. We went to the Lion's Fountain pub Tuesday night to meet both families and out with them again Thursday night.
Friday was just a hanging around the house/doing some shopping/doing some homework/going to the park to read day. Yesterday, however, was perfect.
We woke up earlier than we normally would in my apartment to meet Megan, Kelsey, Michelle, Jess, and Kate at McDonald's, the rendezvous point for the tour group Fun In Tuscany. From there, we followed three guys and a little kid down an alley and into an unmarked van, then drove about forty-five minutes to a ranch in Chianti.
At the ranch, we were all fitted for helmets and horses, then given a few minutes to ride our horses around the paddock to be sure everyone was comfortable. Since I have "experience" riding (apparently a few lessons in elementary school counts), I got one of the less tame horses. He was pretty good, except he would toss his head and paw the ground and get really agitated any time another horse would stop, slow down, turn, or alter my horses stride and direction in any other way.
Our horseback tour lasted about an hour through vineyards, woods, and up and down hills in gorgeous Chianti wine country. It was a fun being on a horse and not a donkey and, despite not having ridden in about ten years, getting back in the saddle really is just like riding a bike.
 |
| Michelle, Erika, Bethany, Megan, Kelsey, Kate, me, and four new girls who also joined the tour. |
Here's an arial view I stole from Google :
The wine tasting was inside a little shop near the middle of town, owned by the guy who's family owns a vineyard and most of Monteriggioni. This was my first-ever wine tasting, so I can't compare it against any others, but I enjoyed it. We sampled about ten different local wines (red, white and dessert), as well as the shop's speciality local olive oil (probably the best olive oil I've had). The wine was all very good, and with each glass, the two instructor's told us about the flavor of the wine and what food to serve with it.
 |
| This guy teaching us how to drink wine. |
To top it all off, we celebrated Michelle's 20th birthday with a homemade cake (the first good cake I've had in Europe). It was yellow and (like all Italian cakes) filled with fruit, but it was so delicious.
 |
| Michelle and her cake. Check out the flame on top. |
After we ran out of cake and champagne, we had about half an hour to just hang out by the lake and jump on the trampoline in the little park along the lake.
We thought all that was left of our tour after this was the hour-long ride home. And honestly, had that been the end, I would have walked away incredibly satisfied with what we got for our money. Issam blasted the radio as we drove and we all sang along, dancing in our seats (except Issam's five-year-old son, Joshua, who fell asleep across Bethany and Michelle's laps in the backseat - too much horseback riding, gelato and cake for him). Issam shouted more jokes over the radio (sometimes stopping or swerving in the middle of the road to help make a point in the story) and even pulled over once so that I (sitting in the open-window seat) could pick rosemary from bushes growing along the side of the road as we drove by.
Once we got into Firenze, we passed Parco delle Cascine (the Central Park), where a carnival is currently going on. Issam asked if we wanted to stop at Cascine for a little bit before we ended our tour. We all agreed because we thought he was kidding, but - after asking us several times - he turned the van around and took us to the little amusement park.
It's small like a church festival and has most of the same rides and attractions as you see at places like St. Ursula's or St. Sebastian's. Issam took us directly to the giant swing, which was like the swings you normally see, but with one exception. Next to the swing, was a flag clipped to a tall pole, and everyone being whipped in a circle on the swing was trying to catch it. After every few rotations, the flag gets a little lower. The ride lasts either until someone captures the flag or until the flag hits the ground.
Because these swings are a game in Italy rather than the simple carnival ride they are in the States, the Italians have capturing the flag down to an art. We watched them to get the idea of how best to approach the challenge, then the other girls (I didn't ride since those things make me sick) tested it out.
The best approach, is to go in pairs. The bigger person in the duo sits directly behind the smaller, holding onto the back of the smaller's chair. Once you get enough momentum and get to the flag, the bigger person kicks the smaller at the flag. If all goes well, the smaller person is launched at the flag, breaking rank in the swing, and catches the flag.
But most of the time, this did not go well, in which case the smaller person was yanked back into formation and spun around a few times until his or her partner managed to latch on again. The most successful pairs were big guys with tiny girls and high school guys who obviously spend time practicing this on the swings they built in their backyards.
 |
| Bethany kicking Michelle at the flag. |
So it was a perfect day. My face still hurts from smiling and laughing so much. We got home around 6:30 and Bethany, Erika and I immediately went to our rooms to nap.
Once we were all awake, fed, and cleaned up, we went out to meet the rest of our CCI cohort at the Old Stove for Michelle's birthday party. Here we danced to a "70's and 80's cover band" (they played classic rock from about four different decades...) before heading to the Lion's Fountain for drinks. When the Lion's Fountain closed, we attempted to find a secret bakery (CCI's new obsession... a few of our members stumbled across one at four in the morning last weekend and got what they claim are the best chocolate croissants in Firenze).
We managed to locate one bakery (rumor has it there are several), but it was unfortunately closed (Glenn insists they don't open until at least 3 a.m. and it seems he's right). So that was a big disappointment for all of us, since we're collectively obsessed with secret bakeries right now and everyone loves chocolate croissants.
So that was our big day in Tuscany. This afternoon, we're headed to the Fiorentina soccer match, which I'm really looking forward to, even though Fiorentina plays soccer about as well as the Pirates play baseball. Who knows though? Maybe today will be our lucky day. :)
As they say in Italia, "In bocca al lupo!" And here we go, Viola!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Halfway Equals Sad Day
Another month over. Another month closer to that thing I've been trying hard not to think about lately...
As much as I hate to do it, here's my updated to-do list of what I've accomplished so far this semester and what I still have to do before I have to say good-bye to bella Italia in May.
The original list from December 16 can be found here and the first update from February 8 is right over here.
As much as I hate to do it, here's my updated to-do list of what I've accomplished so far this semester and what I still have to do before I have to say good-bye to bella Italia in May.
The original list from December 16 can be found here and the first update from February 8 is right over here.
- Go to Croatia. *Booked.
- Go to Germany. *I definitely don't have the time or money for this.
- Go to Ireland. *Again, it looks like I can't afford this.
- Go to any other country I can go to. *Greece and Madrid are booked.
Get a touristy photo of me holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa.Eat authentic Italian pasta.Drink authentic Italian wine.- Take a Beatles tour of Liverpool. *In the planning stages.
- Get a photo of me crossing Abbey Road. *Planning.
- Take a Harry Potter tour of England. *Part of the Liverpool trip.
- Get a photo of me at Platform 9 3/4. *THIS IS HAPPENING.
Strike up a conversation with a local.Try to read an Italian newspaper.Spend a day just people watching.Follow a road just to see where it goes.- Visit all of the major Italian cities. *Not happening. There are more than I thought. But Florence, Rome, Assisi, Venice, Milan, Sienna, and Orvieto are checked off.
Visit Dante Alighieri's house.- Swim in the ocean.
Actually see an ocean.*Hello, Cinque Terre.Stay in a hostel.*Doing it tonight in Madrid.Attend an Italian youth group with Jess and Katy.- Go to an Easter service in a church older than the United States.
Appreciate the fact that I can be in anything older than the United States.Get lost without panicking.Do something 100% spur-of-the-moment.Grocery shop in an open-air market.Make one purely selfish and frivolous purchase.*I'm going to call going to Madrid my frivolous/selfish purpose since it wasn't on my original list of places to go and the sales here are over, which means I can no longer afford a leather jacket.- Hang my laundry out to dry over the street. *Not legal in my neighborhood.
Watch the local news.Learn about international communications (duh).Learn at least enough Italian to get by.Learn about art.*"We call this an... en- ... tab- ... lature. Come on guys. You know this." Rocky is a trip.Live out of a backpack for a weekend.*Rome, Assisi, Orvieto, and Madrid!Go to a pub.Take more photos than I know what to do with.*For real.- Blog every (?) day. *Like I said last month, I have failed at this. But at least I keep up with this blog.
- Remember to keep my feet off the frescoes. *So far, so good.
Unfortunately, it seems I didn't dream very big with this list since it's basically all checked off. Also, from where I sit now, it seems my goals have changed quite a bit since I'm booking trips I never intended to take and skipping over places I had wanted to go. In the case of Germany, other opportunities have come up in the past two months that just seem more appealing to me. In the case of Ireland, I still really want to go, but it would be my most expensive weekend trip and I have no one to go with since no one can really afford it.
I'll have to go when I'm older and Mom can come with me.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Busy In A Good Way
This week has been busier than usual, but mostly in a good way. It's midterm week, so I had studying to do for Fabio's Intercultural Communications exam Tuesday and Francesca's Comparative Media exam Wednesday. Gloria's Italian midterm is next week since the business majors have been in Geneva, Switzerland all week for a conference. Rocky's Art midterm is also next week because he's Rocky and he's an internationally known art historian and he's starred in the History Channel's Engineering An Empire and he's from Rhode Island and married to a French model so he does whatever he wants.
"En-TAB-La-ture."
Just ignore that.
Monday evening the school hosted a screening of the movie La Vita รฉ Bella, starring Roberto Benigni. You may have heard of it because it won three Oscars in 1999, but I had never heard of it. And apparently no one else had because only four of us came to watch it. But I'm so glad I made the trip across town in the rain to see this movie because it is one of my new favorites. It is so, so good! I don't want to give anything away, but if you haven't seen it, do so. It's hilarious, it's super depressing and it's an all-around excellent movie. And I'm not being paid to say that.
Tuesday was another fun night out. The school offered a trip to St. Mark's Opera for a performance of La Boheme. That was interesting, but I loved it. First, it was an opera, which is not an artform with which I am particularly familiar. Secondly, it was in Italian, which is not a language with which I am particularly familiar. But it worked out. And English narrator explained each scene before they acted it out, so the story was easy to follow. Also, I've seen Rent, which was based on La Boheme, so that gave me another advantage. If you haven't seen this one, it too is super depressing, but not at all funny.
Today I went to lunch with Katy again between class and caught up with her since it's been a few weeks since we got together. After that, it was class with Fabrizio where we watched a History Channel special on the Medicis, starring our one-and-only Director Marcello Fantoni. We are surrounded by celebrities every day in Palazzo dei Cerchi.
After class, Lydia and I walked down to the Arno where we laid out until dusk, then got gelato.
That's about it for this week. I have to pack now for a weekend in Madrid with Caitlin and Bethany. We have a flight out of Pisa tomorrow at 1 p.m., so we'll have to leave home by 11. I'm really looking forward to this being my first trip outside Italy. It was a very spur of the moment decision (Bethany said, "Hey, me and Caitlin are going to Madrid next week. Want to come with?" And I immediately said, "Why not?"), but I've been getting more and more excited as this weekend approaches. I won't have my laptop with me, but there will be lots of photos on Facebook Sunday and you'll be able to read all about it right here by Monday or Tuesday. So check back soon and often!
Love you all and talk to you when I'm back in bella Italia. I hope my high school Spanish doesn't fail me this weekend... Puedo ir al baรฑo, por favor?
"En-TAB-La-ture."
Just ignore that.
Monday evening the school hosted a screening of the movie La Vita รฉ Bella, starring Roberto Benigni. You may have heard of it because it won three Oscars in 1999, but I had never heard of it. And apparently no one else had because only four of us came to watch it. But I'm so glad I made the trip across town in the rain to see this movie because it is one of my new favorites. It is so, so good! I don't want to give anything away, but if you haven't seen it, do so. It's hilarious, it's super depressing and it's an all-around excellent movie. And I'm not being paid to say that.
Tuesday was another fun night out. The school offered a trip to St. Mark's Opera for a performance of La Boheme. That was interesting, but I loved it. First, it was an opera, which is not an artform with which I am particularly familiar. Secondly, it was in Italian, which is not a language with which I am particularly familiar. But it worked out. And English narrator explained each scene before they acted it out, so the story was easy to follow. Also, I've seen Rent, which was based on La Boheme, so that gave me another advantage. If you haven't seen this one, it too is super depressing, but not at all funny.
Today I went to lunch with Katy again between class and caught up with her since it's been a few weeks since we got together. After that, it was class with Fabrizio where we watched a History Channel special on the Medicis, starring our one-and-only Director Marcello Fantoni. We are surrounded by celebrities every day in Palazzo dei Cerchi.
After class, Lydia and I walked down to the Arno where we laid out until dusk, then got gelato.
That's about it for this week. I have to pack now for a weekend in Madrid with Caitlin and Bethany. We have a flight out of Pisa tomorrow at 1 p.m., so we'll have to leave home by 11. I'm really looking forward to this being my first trip outside Italy. It was a very spur of the moment decision (Bethany said, "Hey, me and Caitlin are going to Madrid next week. Want to come with?" And I immediately said, "Why not?"), but I've been getting more and more excited as this weekend approaches. I won't have my laptop with me, but there will be lots of photos on Facebook Sunday and you'll be able to read all about it right here by Monday or Tuesday. So check back soon and often!
Love you all and talk to you when I'm back in bella Italia. I hope my high school Spanish doesn't fail me this weekend... Puedo ir al baรฑo, por favor?
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Beverly Hills and Gucci
This week is getting off to a fantastic start weather-wise. After rain Sunday that kept us from going out other than to shop, things cleared up and it's been 60's and sunny the past two days.
Yesterday after classes, Bethany and I took advantage of a lovely afternoon to explore the neighborhoods on the other side of the Arno. We didn't have any particular route or destination in mind, so we wandered across Ponte Vecchio, stopping to look at all of the gold and expensive jewelry (the bridge is known for being a jewelry capital), then up to Palazzo Pitti and checked out the shops around the palace. Without any clear route, we followed roads that looked interesting, trusting that eventually we would be able to make our way home, no matter how lost we got in the process.
To our surprise, we found many antique stores this side of the Arno, and spent about an hour going through those.
Eventually, we found ourselves in a residential area. We spent some time exploring a giant garden that we assumed was public, filled with fountains, palm trees, vines, ferns, and dormant flowers. The garden was just what we needed after living in concrete all day every day, but when we got to the back of it, we found ourselves standing on someone's patio. It turns out the garden was private, but we didn't see anyone around, so we were okay.
After that, we continued until we came to a giant stone wall with a massive iron gate leading into one of the nicest neighborhoods I have ever seen in my life. Bethany and I thought we had walked into Beverly Hills. Every house was a mansion, with sloping lawns, fancy cars, high-tech security systems. People kept looking at us as we walked by, clearly aware that we were not meant to be there.
It took awhile to get our fill of seeing these incredibly lavish houses, but once the sun began to set, we had to begin finding our way home. We passed a huge park with playgrounds and fields where people threw Frisbees for their dogs, played soccer and just enjoyed the weather. It was a really great park right in front of the Firenze School of Art, and we'll have to go back soon when Erika is with us.
When we finally found our way home (we were completely lost for a few hours, but we saw a lot), we stopped just long enough to relax a bit before going to Lydia and Caitlin's apartment for pasta dinner and to put the finished touches on our spring break plans. So now that's all finally sorted out, which is a huge relief.
Today, comparative media with Francesca was cancelled. Instead Marzio Fatucchi, a reporter from the "Corriere della Sera," Italy's most read newspaper, came to prepare us for our trip Friday to Milan. The "Corriere" is headquartered in Milan and we will be taking a tour of its offices Friday morning. I was glad he came to speak with us because I wish we were learning more about Italian media in our classes. All of our media classes focus on global media like Facebook and Twitter, which I already know about. I want to compare and contrast our media to European media, but it doesn't seem like we'll begin doing that until the end of the semester.
After that meeting, Erika and I went home to eat a late lunch before our evening field trip to the Gucci Museo in Piazza della Signoria. A group of about twenty of us met Petra at school, then walked to the museum only two or three minutes down the road from Cerchi.
The Gucci Museo was interesting. Not being anything resembling a fashionista myself, I wasn't sure how I would feel about it, but I did enjoy our tour. Our guide was very friendly and enthusiastic about what she showed us. You could tell she is extremely proud of her connection to the Gucci name, but it was kind of endearing rather than obnoxious.
Since it's a museum, we moved from room to room looking at various displays while our guide explained them (apologizing for her English every step of the way even though, like most of the Italians who constantly talk about how they can't speak English, she was just fine). We saw Gucci luggage in the "Travel" room, floral themed bags and dresses from the 60's and 70's in the "Flora" room, nine decades worth of Gucci handbags, gowns worn by starlets like Hilary Swank and Naomi Watts, jewelry, logo pendants and buckles, household items (picnic sets, lamps, guitars, ashtrays) in the "Lifestyle" room, and sports equipment (tennis, horseback riding, biking, snorkeling).
After the tour, we went to the gift shop, where our guide directed us to the handbags for sale in the museum. She had us pick out our favorites and guess how much they were. We WAY underestimated on many of the bags. Turns out, they ranged in price from a €950 clutch to a €18,000 purse. That's $1,278 to $24, 214. What could you possibly do with a purse that outrageously expensive? It made us all depressed thinking about our future journalist salaries and how many years worth of work one of those bags would cost. At least you could buy t-shirts at the museum for only €98. For real. They were t-shirts with the Gucci Museum logo screen-printed on them. For €98.
One nice thing that I didn't expect from Gucci is that they have a cafe inside the museum that is actually reasonably priced. They sold American coffee for only €2.50, which is average for Florence. But they also sold sugar cubes formed into the Gucci logo for €18 per fifty cubes... I think I'll stick to buying bags of sugar at the discount store.
We ended the evening with dinner at Il Gato e la Volpe, where I ordered salmon pasta and found - much to my distress - that I can't eat anymore carbs. About halfway through my bowl, I felt sick to my stomach and couldn't finish it. Now I'm craving salad even though I still feel sick. Pasta's so cheap and easy that I eat it every day and I feel gross thinking about it right now. I'm having fruit for breakfast tomorrow and getting a salad for lunch, because I am long overdue for some veggies.
So that's that. Sorry to end this post on a sour note, but I need someone to hold me to this vegetable thing. Right now, all I want to eat the rest of this week is salad. We'll see how that goes.
Yesterday after classes, Bethany and I took advantage of a lovely afternoon to explore the neighborhoods on the other side of the Arno. We didn't have any particular route or destination in mind, so we wandered across Ponte Vecchio, stopping to look at all of the gold and expensive jewelry (the bridge is known for being a jewelry capital), then up to Palazzo Pitti and checked out the shops around the palace. Without any clear route, we followed roads that looked interesting, trusting that eventually we would be able to make our way home, no matter how lost we got in the process.
To our surprise, we found many antique stores this side of the Arno, and spent about an hour going through those.
Eventually, we found ourselves in a residential area. We spent some time exploring a giant garden that we assumed was public, filled with fountains, palm trees, vines, ferns, and dormant flowers. The garden was just what we needed after living in concrete all day every day, but when we got to the back of it, we found ourselves standing on someone's patio. It turns out the garden was private, but we didn't see anyone around, so we were okay.
After that, we continued until we came to a giant stone wall with a massive iron gate leading into one of the nicest neighborhoods I have ever seen in my life. Bethany and I thought we had walked into Beverly Hills. Every house was a mansion, with sloping lawns, fancy cars, high-tech security systems. People kept looking at us as we walked by, clearly aware that we were not meant to be there.
It took awhile to get our fill of seeing these incredibly lavish houses, but once the sun began to set, we had to begin finding our way home. We passed a huge park with playgrounds and fields where people threw Frisbees for their dogs, played soccer and just enjoyed the weather. It was a really great park right in front of the Firenze School of Art, and we'll have to go back soon when Erika is with us.
When we finally found our way home (we were completely lost for a few hours, but we saw a lot), we stopped just long enough to relax a bit before going to Lydia and Caitlin's apartment for pasta dinner and to put the finished touches on our spring break plans. So now that's all finally sorted out, which is a huge relief.
Today, comparative media with Francesca was cancelled. Instead Marzio Fatucchi, a reporter from the "Corriere della Sera," Italy's most read newspaper, came to prepare us for our trip Friday to Milan. The "Corriere" is headquartered in Milan and we will be taking a tour of its offices Friday morning. I was glad he came to speak with us because I wish we were learning more about Italian media in our classes. All of our media classes focus on global media like Facebook and Twitter, which I already know about. I want to compare and contrast our media to European media, but it doesn't seem like we'll begin doing that until the end of the semester.
After that meeting, Erika and I went home to eat a late lunch before our evening field trip to the Gucci Museo in Piazza della Signoria. A group of about twenty of us met Petra at school, then walked to the museum only two or three minutes down the road from Cerchi.
The Gucci Museo was interesting. Not being anything resembling a fashionista myself, I wasn't sure how I would feel about it, but I did enjoy our tour. Our guide was very friendly and enthusiastic about what she showed us. You could tell she is extremely proud of her connection to the Gucci name, but it was kind of endearing rather than obnoxious.
Since it's a museum, we moved from room to room looking at various displays while our guide explained them (apologizing for her English every step of the way even though, like most of the Italians who constantly talk about how they can't speak English, she was just fine). We saw Gucci luggage in the "Travel" room, floral themed bags and dresses from the 60's and 70's in the "Flora" room, nine decades worth of Gucci handbags, gowns worn by starlets like Hilary Swank and Naomi Watts, jewelry, logo pendants and buckles, household items (picnic sets, lamps, guitars, ashtrays) in the "Lifestyle" room, and sports equipment (tennis, horseback riding, biking, snorkeling).
After the tour, we went to the gift shop, where our guide directed us to the handbags for sale in the museum. She had us pick out our favorites and guess how much they were. We WAY underestimated on many of the bags. Turns out, they ranged in price from a €950 clutch to a €18,000 purse. That's $1,278 to $24, 214. What could you possibly do with a purse that outrageously expensive? It made us all depressed thinking about our future journalist salaries and how many years worth of work one of those bags would cost. At least you could buy t-shirts at the museum for only €98. For real. They were t-shirts with the Gucci Museum logo screen-printed on them. For €98.
One nice thing that I didn't expect from Gucci is that they have a cafe inside the museum that is actually reasonably priced. They sold American coffee for only €2.50, which is average for Florence. But they also sold sugar cubes formed into the Gucci logo for €18 per fifty cubes... I think I'll stick to buying bags of sugar at the discount store.
We ended the evening with dinner at Il Gato e la Volpe, where I ordered salmon pasta and found - much to my distress - that I can't eat anymore carbs. About halfway through my bowl, I felt sick to my stomach and couldn't finish it. Now I'm craving salad even though I still feel sick. Pasta's so cheap and easy that I eat it every day and I feel gross thinking about it right now. I'm having fruit for breakfast tomorrow and getting a salad for lunch, because I am long overdue for some veggies.
So that's that. Sorry to end this post on a sour note, but I need someone to hold me to this vegetable thing. Right now, all I want to eat the rest of this week is salad. We'll see how that goes.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Lounging On the Arno
Today has been absolutely beautiful. It was easily the most gorgeous day I've seen in Italy and thankfully I'm feeling much better today, so I got to go out and enjoy it.
After sleeping in and eating a pasta lunch, Bethany and I met Maria, Megan, Lydia, and Kelsey down on the Arno River. Literally, on the Arno. There's a little spit of gravel that sticks out about halfway into the river that we laid out on. There were a lot of other people out there either having picnics, reading or just sitting around talking and enjoying the warm sunshine like we were.
When Bethany and I got there, the other girls were already laying out and they told us we had to jump down this retaining wall to get where they were. So we did. I lowered myself down the side of the wall and dropped the last six or seven feet while Bethany did the same and the girls laughed at us. Turns out there was a pathway hidden about twenty yards down the river that the other girls had walked down. But whatever. We made it in less time than they did.
We laid out until dinnertime, then went in search of a pizza place Lydia and her roommates had gone before and said was really good. I got a margherita pizza (as usual since it's always the cheapest) and it was pretty good, although not the best that I've had in Firenze. And the guy at the counter kept playing with my hair while I was reading the menu, then when I turned around, he looked away like he had no idea what was going on. Nice. Italians are so handsy. It's going to be weird going back to America and not having to worry about being groped everywhere we go.
After pizza, we wandered around the shops on that side of the Arno for awhile, then got gelato at a little place right by the river. I had pistachio and dark chocolate gelato and it was FANTASTIC. Pistachio is seriously my new absolute favorite ice cream flavor. Unfortunately, I don't think I've ever seen this in the States, so I may have to get my fill while I'm here.
Our group split up after the gelato (we ate it sitting on the edge of one of the bridges overlooking the water). Bethany and I went to Palazzo Piti while the other girls either went home or went shopping.
Bethany and I wanted to visit the famous Boboli Gardens attached to Palazzo Piti, but they were closed by the time we got there. The palace was still open though, so we went in there and got to see where the Medici family lived while everyone and their brother was trying to kill them (they were really unpopular since they controlled ALL the money in Firenze back in the day; as Erika once put it, they were bankers who lived underground until they had everyone's money, then they came up, announced "We run this shit" and proceded to treat Florence like their own personal playground while the rest of the population became peasants and died... For real. So you see why no one liked them very much).
The palace is ridiculously opulent, naturally. It's filled with the many of the most expensive paintings and sculptures in Italy, the walls are covered in gold and crushed velvet, there are gold/diamond chandeliers hanging in most of the rooms, it goes on forever, and I can't imagine how anyone could possibly live there. Except, that's not entirely true. The house holds multiple rooms for everyone in the family and all their friends, multiple chapels, ballrooms, dining rooms, billiard rooms, music rooms - essentially everything you need is in that house because it had to be. Many of the Medicis lived inside that palace and never left because of how dangerous Florence was for them. So they needed to be able to live their entire lives inside that one building.
When it started getting dark, Bethany and I made our way back across the Arno and back to our apartment, where we're just hanging out now. She, Erika and I are currently deciding whether to go out tonight since we have to get up early tomorrow for Siena.
This is shaping up to be another excellent weekend in bella Italia.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Sick Days
Happy Thursday, everyone.
I'm still sick, but I'm getting better. Since I've been sick all week, I don't have much to report on right now.
I told you I was sick all day Monday and stayed in after my classes were over. Tuesday I went to Italian class only to find that it was cancelled AGAIN. Gloria was sick (so am I, Gloria... a head's up would have been nice so I didn't have to drag my sick self all the way across town) and class was cancelled with no warning Monday and Tuesday. I made some loud, angry remark about being sick and Gloria not having the decency to send an email, and Simone, the secretary, heard me and started apologizing like I thought it was his fault or something, so I felt bad.
Erika and I didn't have time either Monday or Tuesday to go back home before our second class, so we hung out and did homework Monday, then Tuesday I used Petra's computer to write my article for Flo'n the Go, an online newsletter for American students in Italy.
Since Tuesday was Fat Tuesday, we saw a bunch of little kids dressed in Halloween costumes walking around town all day. It was pretty cute, although there were no bear kids that I saw. Most of our group went out Tuesday night to celebrate, but I stayed in to rest up some more. Erika and I watched "Under the Tuscan Sun," which I had never seen before. I really enjoyed it, but I think the best part was seeing how many places in the movie I have been to and comparing the portrayal of Italian life in the movie to our experiences with it (the movie was actually very accurate, you'll be happy to know).
Yesterday, Erika and I gave up on Gloria and decided to skip class, figuring it would probably be cancelled again anyhow. Wouldn't you know it, it wasn't, but we found out today that nearly everyone skipped, so we're not getting in trouble for it. That's good. Gloria didn't apologize, but she did try to explain the whole thing away by telling us that she has never used email. Really? Sometimes I wonder how she's a teacher...
I did go to my second class yesterday, which was Genius of Florence with Fabrizio. We visited the Basilica of San Lorenzo, about five minutes down the street from my apartment and learned more about the Medici family and the Protestant Reformation.
Last night I actually had a considerable amount of homework (journal entries for Fabio and Fabrizio, reading for Rocky, a packet for Gloria, and an analysis of Fahrenheit 451 for Francesca), so I spent most of the evening working on that.
Today, I'm feeling much better although I have a cough now and my nose is still running. But the weather is GORGEOUS, so I feel like that is going to have me on the mend more than anything else. It was in the mid 60's today in Firenze and the sun was shining brighter than I've seen it all semester. Rocky took our class to the Uffizi this afternoon (part two of our lesson; the first part was Tuesday) and that was fun. Among all the Michelangelos and Raphaels, we got to see Botticelli's famous The Birth of Venus painting, which I have to say really is quite lovely. Sometimes I see these famous paintings and wonder how they got so famous, but this one really is very beautiful. Rocky pointed out how Venus is rather oddly proportioned, with a super long neck, sloping shoulders, long arms, and a flat stomach (not considered beautiful at the time this was painted). The reason for this was not that Botticelli didn't know what women looked like nor that he was a bad painter, but rather he gave Venus strange proportions and exaggerated features to emphasize that she is not human. Kind of an interesting observation.
After seeing that, we spent a long time looking at a painting Leonardo da Vinci did when he was just 20 or 22 years old. It's truly mind-boggling to realize just how ahead of his time da Vinci was. Rocky compared da Vinci's The Annunciation to some of the other paintings in the gallery and it's unbelievable. The paintings surrounding this one are incredible in their own right, but they look kind of pitiful next to The Annunciation. The attention to detail is out of this world. You could honestly look at parts of this painting and believe it was a photograph. And the most amazing part is, da Vinci painted this one in 1481, long before other painters had figured out impressionist style and perspective. It's incredible.
After class, Erika and I opened the windows in our apartment after class in order to air the place out, but that didn't last long since we have no screens and leaves and bugs started blowing in. I took my book outside to the park at the end of our street and read on a bench until after sunset. It was wonderful.
I don't have any big plans for this evening (although I believe we will be going out later) or the rest of this weekend, other than a day trip to Sienna on Saturday. The weather looks great though and my whole apartment will be in Florence, so I'm sure it will be a fantastic few days.
So, that's it. Sorry this post is a little bland, but I didn't get out much this week. Up next on the agenda is our Sienna trip and a tour of the Gucci museum, so I should have more to report on next week.
Fino ad allora...
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Happy Anniversary
Today marks the one month anniversary of my leaving the United States for Italia. I can say with absolute certainty that this has been the fastest month of my entire life, and it's freaking me out. If this month went this fast - and it was so cold and snowy for most of it that we didn't get to enjoy everything we could have in nicer weather - how fast will the next three months go by? It makes me sick to even think of it.
Allora, I'm going to move on to something I have decided to do on the 8th of every month while I'm here; and that is, go through my original checklist of things to do in Europe and see how much I have accomplished this month and how much I have left to do.
I'm doing this mainly as a break from this massive Italian grammar/vocab packet I need to do for tomorrow, but it's something that should be done regardless (this applies to both subjects, so take it as you wish).
Here is the list, posted way back on December 16, but with a few accomplished items crossed off and annotation where necessary:
Allora, I'm going to move on to something I have decided to do on the 8th of every month while I'm here; and that is, go through my original checklist of things to do in Europe and see how much I have accomplished this month and how much I have left to do.
I'm doing this mainly as a break from this massive Italian grammar/vocab packet I need to do for tomorrow, but it's something that should be done regardless (this applies to both subjects, so take it as you wish).
Here is the list, posted way back on December 16, but with a few accomplished items crossed off and annotation where necessary:
- Go to Croatia. *Booking in progress.
- Go to Germany. *Probably won't be able to afford this.
- Go to Ireland. *In the early planning stages.
- Go to any other country I can go to. *Greece is booked.
Get a touristy photo of me holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa.Eat authentic Italian pasta.Drink authentic Italian wine.- Take a Beatles tour of England.
- Get a photo of me crossing Abbey Road.
- Take a Harry Potter tour of England.
- Get a photo of me at Platform 9 3/4.
Strike up a conversation with a local.Try to read an Italian newspaper.- Spend a day just people watching.
Follow a road just to see where it goes.- Visit all of the major Italian cities.
Visit Dante Alighieri's house.*This was a let-down. It's not so much a shrine to Dante as a house-turned-museum dedicated to everyday life in Italy at the time of Dante. But obviously they love Dante here, so I'm always happy to come around a corner and see a bust or sculpture of the poet looking at me or a quote from La Divina Commedia carved into a wall.- Swim in the ocean.
- Actually see an ocean.
- Stay in a hostel.
Attend an Italian youth group with Jess and Katy.- Go to an Easter service in a church older than the United States.
Appreciate the fact that I can be in anything older than the United States.Get lost without panicking.Do something 100% spur-of-the-moment.Grocery shop in an open-air market.- Make one purely selfish and frivolous purchase.
- Hang my laundry out to dry over the street. *This one I may have to axe from the list because it is illegal to do in our building. Perhaps I will get the chance somewhere else. But as you've probably seen from earlier posts, I do hang my laundry to dry over my bedroom.
- Not lose/ruin any laundry in the process. *So far, so good. But I won't check this off until I'm safely back in the States.
Watch the local news (I do this everywhere I go, but it will be particularly good in a foreign country).*We interrupt this news report to bring you porn. Have a great evening.Learn about international communications (duh).*If defining "media" six ways to Sunday counts, I'm golden.Learn at least enough Italian to get by.*Communicating with locals is easier than I thought. Communicating with Gloria... not so much.Learn about art.*This is a work in progress, but I have learned a great deal already, so I'll check it off.- Live out of a backpack for a weekend.
Go to a pub.*Checked off in several cities.Take more photos than I know what to do with.*Again, work in progress.- Blog every (?) day. *I have already failed in this, but I blog every week, so that's something.
- Remember to keep my feet off the frescoes.
- Spend Valentine's Day in Paris (I'm looking at you, Katy). *This wasn't a very serious idea, so I'm okay with letting it slide.
- Not lose or let anything bad happen to Katy Welch because I promised Sarah. *I tried. Sort of.
There you go. I feel semi-accomplished with this. And since this list is a lot more vague than I remembered, it shouldn't be difficult to finish. Which means I should probably start a new list...
To close, here's a picture of the most delicious strawberries I've ever eaten in my life. In the words of Jim Sturgess, "red, juicy, sexy" indeed.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Florence Gospel Fellowship International
I had the apartment to myself this weekend. Bethany left for Paris Thursday afternoon and is still travelling. Erika left for Interlaken Thursday night and is home now.
With most of our class going either to Paris or Interlaken (I decided to save my money since neither of those places is on my list of top destinations), that left me alone in the apartment with only Caitlin and Kate left from our group in Firenze.
Friday I slept in and spent the morning reading, doing dishes and updating Facebook. I met Cait and Kate in the afternoon to do some shopping at San Lorenzo, then go back to the girls' apartment to make chicken nugget parmesan. We tried to watch "Hannibal" on Netflix in honor of being in Firenze, but a slow internet connection meant it was taking hours to load. Instead we played more Dutch Blitz.
Saturday we had planned to spend the day museum hopping at the Uffizi, Palazzo Piti and the Accademia. But Caitlin called as I was heading out the door to meet the girls at the Uffizi at 10 to let me know she and Kate had slept in... We ended up not getting to the Uffizi until almost 3:00...
I don't want to talk about it.
The Uffizi was really cool though. Not as good as the museums we saw in Rome, but still pretty awesome.
The first floor of the Uffizi misleads you. There are only two display rooms and it takes no time at all to get through them. I thought, as we made our way to the second floor, that we could be out of the museum in two hours.
Boy was I wrong.
The second floor of the Uffizi is ENDLESS. We went from room to room to room. We figured out about three rooms in that there is a proper order to viewing the museum, but we were hopelessly out of order at that point. That combined with the fact that everything is written in Italian made it difficult for us to navigate or understand what was going on. Luckily, we're going back with Rocky in a few weeks so he can explain everything to us then.
Despite not understanding what any of the artwork was or what it meant, I enjoyed looking at everything. The Uffizi is home to the Medici family's personal collection of sculptures and paintings, including work from Michelangelo, Bernini, Caravaggio, Giotto, and Brunelleschi. I'm excited to go back and do it again with a guide because there was too much to see in the four hours we were there.
Today I again didn't do much because I was home alone still. Katy and Jess went to Genoa for the weekend, so I couldn't hang out with them, but they got home last night and the three of us plus their friend Grace went to an English speaking church for study abroad and foreign exchange students.
The church was interesting. It was in a real church, but of course it was all college students. It began like h2o in Kent, a live band, everyone singing praise songs off a projection on the wall. The songs weren't ones I knew, but the band was really into it. Things got a little strange though when the band leader asked if anyone wanted to come up and give a testimonial. Some guy in the back got up and took over the service. He sang a song, he told a story, he sang again, he read from the Bible, he sang again. I could see the band members exchanging glanses with the guy I assume had been scheduled to preach, but no one said anything.
When they guy from the back finally finished, another girl got up to read her favorite Bible verse, and then another to share a snapshot of her life in Florence and her challenges into adjusting to being in a new place with new people.
The pastor (I guess that's who he was) got up after that and did a five minute speed through of the sermon he had prepared, then the band closed us out.
After service, we were shepherded through a door, down the hall and up a flight of stairs into a lobby where they had a mismatched assortment of teacups sitting out for us to choose from on one table and cookies, chocolate wafers and Nutella pie on another. Katy, Jess, Grace, and I snacked and mingled a little bit with some of the other students (including a girl named Sarah who pulled me aside to tell me how much she loved my coat) before heading to our respective apartments.
Now Bethany and Erika are home and ready to tell me about their weekends, which sound decidedly more interesting than mine. I feel like I need to make up for this lazy weekend by booking a bunch of weekend trips asap. All I have officially booked as of now is Venice Carnival this Saturday. I feel like I need to step it up this week and start planning before another month is gone...
With most of our class going either to Paris or Interlaken (I decided to save my money since neither of those places is on my list of top destinations), that left me alone in the apartment with only Caitlin and Kate left from our group in Firenze.
Friday I slept in and spent the morning reading, doing dishes and updating Facebook. I met Cait and Kate in the afternoon to do some shopping at San Lorenzo, then go back to the girls' apartment to make chicken nugget parmesan. We tried to watch "Hannibal" on Netflix in honor of being in Firenze, but a slow internet connection meant it was taking hours to load. Instead we played more Dutch Blitz.
Saturday we had planned to spend the day museum hopping at the Uffizi, Palazzo Piti and the Accademia. But Caitlin called as I was heading out the door to meet the girls at the Uffizi at 10 to let me know she and Kate had slept in... We ended up not getting to the Uffizi until almost 3:00...
I don't want to talk about it.
The Uffizi was really cool though. Not as good as the museums we saw in Rome, but still pretty awesome.
The first floor of the Uffizi misleads you. There are only two display rooms and it takes no time at all to get through them. I thought, as we made our way to the second floor, that we could be out of the museum in two hours.
Boy was I wrong.
The second floor of the Uffizi is ENDLESS. We went from room to room to room. We figured out about three rooms in that there is a proper order to viewing the museum, but we were hopelessly out of order at that point. That combined with the fact that everything is written in Italian made it difficult for us to navigate or understand what was going on. Luckily, we're going back with Rocky in a few weeks so he can explain everything to us then.
Despite not understanding what any of the artwork was or what it meant, I enjoyed looking at everything. The Uffizi is home to the Medici family's personal collection of sculptures and paintings, including work from Michelangelo, Bernini, Caravaggio, Giotto, and Brunelleschi. I'm excited to go back and do it again with a guide because there was too much to see in the four hours we were there.
Today I again didn't do much because I was home alone still. Katy and Jess went to Genoa for the weekend, so I couldn't hang out with them, but they got home last night and the three of us plus their friend Grace went to an English speaking church for study abroad and foreign exchange students.
The church was interesting. It was in a real church, but of course it was all college students. It began like h2o in Kent, a live band, everyone singing praise songs off a projection on the wall. The songs weren't ones I knew, but the band was really into it. Things got a little strange though when the band leader asked if anyone wanted to come up and give a testimonial. Some guy in the back got up and took over the service. He sang a song, he told a story, he sang again, he read from the Bible, he sang again. I could see the band members exchanging glanses with the guy I assume had been scheduled to preach, but no one said anything.
When they guy from the back finally finished, another girl got up to read her favorite Bible verse, and then another to share a snapshot of her life in Florence and her challenges into adjusting to being in a new place with new people.
The pastor (I guess that's who he was) got up after that and did a five minute speed through of the sermon he had prepared, then the band closed us out.
After service, we were shepherded through a door, down the hall and up a flight of stairs into a lobby where they had a mismatched assortment of teacups sitting out for us to choose from on one table and cookies, chocolate wafers and Nutella pie on another. Katy, Jess, Grace, and I snacked and mingled a little bit with some of the other students (including a girl named Sarah who pulled me aside to tell me how much she loved my coat) before heading to our respective apartments.
Now Bethany and Erika are home and ready to tell me about their weekends, which sound decidedly more interesting than mine. I feel like I need to make up for this lazy weekend by booking a bunch of weekend trips asap. All I have officially booked as of now is Venice Carnival this Saturday. I feel like I need to step it up this week and start planning before another month is gone...
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Total. Widespread. Panic.
A word of warning : What you are about to view is very disturbing. Italy is on the verge of shutting down entirely because of this horrible sight.
Brace yourself...
Ready?
Some classes were actually cancelled today (none of mine, unfortunately). My Comparative Media professor was all of a dither about it. She hasn't seen this much snow in 20 years. This is a historic snowfall.
On an unrelated note: I went to an American diner with Katy Welch yesterday for lunch and cheated on Italy with a very delicious chicken wrap (chicken, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise) with waffle fries and broccoli cheddar soup. I felt so guilty, but it was so good.
On another unrelated note, I'm watching MTV Italia right now and there is a horrifying Italian rap about Kevin Spacey in existence. I will never understand this country's collective obsession with him. Instead of freaking out over the snow, Italy should be cowering in fear at the first note of this hot mess.
Not gonna lie, I will be having nightmares about this for the next week or so. And I hope you do, too.
You're welcome, America.
Brace yourself...
Ready?
 |
| SNOWMAGEDDON! |
 |
| I hope these drivers made it out alive. |
On an unrelated note: I went to an American diner with Katy Welch yesterday for lunch and cheated on Italy with a very delicious chicken wrap (chicken, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise) with waffle fries and broccoli cheddar soup. I felt so guilty, but it was so good.
On another unrelated note, I'm watching MTV Italia right now and there is a horrifying Italian rap about Kevin Spacey in existence. I will never understand this country's collective obsession with him. Instead of freaking out over the snow, Italy should be cowering in fear at the first note of this hot mess.
Not gonna lie, I will be having nightmares about this for the next week or so. And I hope you do, too.
You're welcome, America.
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