Monday, April 7, 2008
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Easter + George Clooney = Fun times in Lake Como
I’ve come to decide that waking up early just isn’t for me. I had to wake up at 5:45am to catch a 6:30am train. So, I left my house at quarter past six, giving me plenty of time to get to the train station by cutting through the grocery store parking lot. But by Murphy’s Law I show up at the gate and its locked! Time is ticking down, my friends are waiting, the train is coming and I can’t get to the station! I could go back the way I came and take the long way to the train station but that’s another 10 minutes at least- not going to happen. So I looked up towards the big fences contemplating how to shimmy up them with a bag strapped to my back. Crap- I then see that there is barbed wire on top of all the fences! Panicking I start to back track, hoping I can find some hill to run up and through myself over the fence… not even thinking how far the fall might be on the other side. But then I see the track- of course! I could just follow the tracks to the train station! I climbed up a slightly shorter fence and threw my bags over then threw myself over. I picked up my stuff and started to awkwardly run down the tracks whilst stumbling on the rocks.
Heaving and hoeing and completely out of breath I made it to the station in the nick of time. My friends (Megan R. and Megan T.) had just stood up to leave the station for the train when I came bounding in. “Perfect timing,” they exclaimed… if they only knew. We got to our seats and I shed my layers only to be sitting under a hot air vent. Oh bother.
A long train ride led us to Milan and then we took a short jaunt over to Lake Como. From the train station we couldn’t see the lake yet, but the mountains were absolutely unbelievable! It’s almost like Aspen, Colorado where you are just surrounded by mountains on all sides and feel microscopic when compared to how big they are. We found general directions to our hostel and knew that if we found the lake it would be around there. We took a few turns and then everything opened up and there it was- Lake Como; absolutely gorgeous and perfect in the picturesque daylight! The lake is much bigger than I thought it would be and has a large walkway that goes around it that led right to our hostel.
We couldn’t check in to our hostel until 4pm, so we stopped at a little café and had lunch. I had tortellini and the Megan’s had piadini’s. It was a much needed fill me up after a long train ride. After we were content we followed the cute walkway along the water’s edge to our hostel. Our hostel is located in Villa Olma, which is the oldest part of town. It’s right behind a large art gallery that is on the lake. The woman who checked us in is so sweet, like a substitute mother if you will. She explained everything about the town and the buses and trains that could take you to the other cities on the lake. We thanked her and made our way to our beds. The girls dorm is located on the 2nd floor and is basically just a big room with bunk beds. It reminded me of my days at camp. We made our beds and then decided that a siesta was definitely in order.
Three hours later we woke up with hungry bellies. We got ourselves together and headed for town in search of a pleasing dinner. We looked at a couple places but nothing was striking our interest. Then we walked by what looked like just a pizza place and thought that would be fine. So, we walk in and a waitress greets us, she asks if we want to eat out in the front room or “back there.” Not knowing what was “back there” we chose that option, only to be completely surprised and delighted that the pizzeria turned into a full out restaurant complete with dimmed lights and a candlelit dinner! It was so precious! We sat and looked over the menu, I decided on a lighter dinner- salad and minestrone soup, and the girls had pizza.
Everything was so nice, and the food was delicious. There were couples all around us enjoying their romantic dinner and we were just happy to have food in our stomachs, but still enjoyed the ambience. We decided on a desert too, a sort of chocolate custard with fresh berries and sauce. Ymmm.
Then we headed back to our hostel (had to make the midnight curfew!) and snuggled in our bunk beds. The next morning we woke up to a bright blue sky and shining sun. Down to breakfast we went and were greeted with cappuccinos and a loaf of bread with jelly. Just having a loaf of bread for breakfast isn’t exactly what I had in mind when they said they provided breakfast, but it was still filling. Then we got information on the lift that takes you up the mountain in Lake Como and set off for town.
The market was going on all weekend so we walked through all the stands and looked at the craziness some people were trying to sell. Most things were legit, but then we came across this one vendor that was trying to sell animals that looked like squirrels on crack. I’m not even exaggerating, this animals were in these little cages and were zooming around so fast they almost knocked the cages over… it was weird.
We located the lift up to the top of the mountain of Lake Como and boarded it. It was a pretty fast ride and once we were half way up we could already see the Swiss Alps beyond Lake Como! It was so amazing! Once we were to the top we looked around and saw the entire city below us the extraordinary view of the mountains. Our ears were even popping as we were ascending to the top. It quite literally was like being on top of the world because there was nothing that blocked our view as far as the eye could see. After taking a half a million pictures so that we would never forget this amazing view we hiked around the top a little bit to discover what other views there would be. Imagine jaw dropping sensations while looking at the Swiss Alps and that’s exactly how we were.
Once we had our fill of gittyness we took the lift back down to town. There are many different cities that are on Lake Como and there are buses that take you from Como to the other cities, so we bought a bus ticket for Bellaggio to spend the afternoon there. We got some lunch supplies from a grocery store and then boarded the bus. Quite a windy, curvy, and queasy road, but eventually we got to Bellaggio. It is a very quite city with many adorable hotels that are right on the water. We found a bench near the lake and took up to start our picnic. We had soft bread and cheese from the Como region and salami that went perfectly with a wine the meant guy had suggested. Watching the ferries cross the lake, shooing away the pigeons that wanted our crumbs and eating till our hearts content was the perfect way to have a picnic on Lake Como.
When we were finished we explored town, obviously stopping for some gelato along the way. It was nice to see a lot of other people had our same idea to spend Easter weekend in such a beautiful spot with their families. I definitely wished that mine could have been with me to experience this remarkable place! We wandered around different roads along cute shops and gorgeous houses. We had approached this one house that was rather enormous and had a perfect view of the lake. It was gated so we were trying to reach our arms through the gate with our cameras to take pictures when all of a sudden we see the family of the house rounded the bend to exit through the gate we were at. We were so started that we immediately ran away and started laughing uncontrollably. We tried to act natural, but it was too obvious that we were on the verge of peeing our pants with laughter.
After collecting ourselves we took a road away from the town. We had noticed a lot of people were coming back from that way so we decided to see what was down there. It was a nice road of cobblestone lined by magnificent houses when all of a sudden it opens up and has this incredible view of the lake as well as two other towns on the opposite side! It was a big open park of grass and a few trees and plenty of benches. Families were all over and having fun watching the mountains get dimmer as the sun began to sink. We found a little cove near the boat docks where we skipped stones and watched little kids dare to get close to the waters edge without getting wet. There was a restaurant there too which I am sure is probably the most ideal place to ever have the luxury of having a meal at. An incredible little hideaway from the rest of town!
Once we were all pictured out and rather tired from exploring two whole cities for the day, we headed back to catch the last bus back to Como. There was of course some weird Scottish man blabbering drunk and bashing America’s government, not as though I blame him, but still, get some fresh air man.
We were pretty hungry by the time we got back so we went in search of a to-go dinner so we could eat it back at our hostel. We found this great little piadini place with a woman who was very warm and welcoming to our questions about what each sandwich contained. I ended up getting a vegetarian one that was devoured in delight once we got back to our hostel. And with full stomachs and smiles we headed to bed.
Easter Sunday we woke up to find it drizzling and cloudy. A little bummed we got our warmest clothes on and headed to breakfast. It was rather cold and windy outside and was doing a little more than just drizzling. We drank our cappuccino’s and ate our loaves of bread then headed out for the train station. We bared the nasty weather and got to the train station in time for the 9am train for Lugano, Svizzera (Switzerland)! While we were waiting for the train at the platform we even got to experience some snow! I hadn’t seen any snow yet since being in Italy so I just took it as a little Easter gift.
Heading to Svizzera we were stopped at the boarder and had our passports checked. Once everyone was cleared we rode through the beautiful scenic rails along lakes and mountains until we reached adorable Lugano. We took a people mover down to town from the train station and were met with weather just as windy but without any rain. At least the sun was shining! All over town we saw people begin to set up tents for a market and found posters saying that the Easter events were to begin at 11am. Who knew that the Swiss had Easter bunnies too?! I was a little worried I wouldn’t get to see one for Easter, but my fears were dashed once I saw posters advertising a man in a big bunny outfit.
We found a nice café to hideaway in from the wind and ordered hot drinks while watching the Sunday mass at the Vatican being given by the Pope. It was nearing 11 so we went out in search of the bunny and to explore all the different things the market had to offer. It was a very nice market, not too crowded or expensive. It was sort of like the art fair we have in my home town. Almost everything they were selling was original and the sweet smells coming from those selling pastries were absolutely heavenly. We stopped to get one along the way and it tasted just like a cinnamon roll with pecans only it was completely different looking. Quite delicious though.
We walk around town and climbed to the top of a big hill to find a lovely church where we were able to stop in and give thanks for all we’ve been given. Then, we went back down to the waters edge to do some souvenir shopping and watching the waves crash on shore from the big gusts of wind. We found out that there was a bus that could take us to Menaggio, Italy right on the northern end of Lake Como. We walked along the lake’s edge and through a really beautiful natural park with tulips and daisies and big booming trees above us. While walking through the trials the sun began to come out and warmed the whole place up. We saw swans and ducks having the time of their lives playing in the water and got some really great pictures too.
After leaving the park we spent quite a while trying to find the bus to take us back to Italy only to get frustrated and hungry. We stopped at a Kepab place to purchase a much needed lunch. The Megan’s got a huuuge kepab which was bigger than one I’ve ever seen before, but I had to traditional wrapped one which was delicious. Then after trying to ask a bunch of people where the bus picked up and not finding any luck we finally saw the bus turn the corner and stop at this completely random unmarked street. We ran for it not wanting to miss our chance at a lift back only to realize we hadn’t purchased any tickets to get on. There weren’t even any open stores within sight so we were at a loss of what to do. The bus driver said just get on and we could get them later. Thank goodness.
It was another long and winding bus ride there, but very beautiful nonetheless. We were also able to use up the rest of our Francs purchasing the bus ticket. Oh yeah, I think I forgot the mention that. Switzerland doesn’t use the Euro, so we got to use the Swiss Franc which is soo much more colorful than plain dollars back in America. It was fun for a nice change of pace from the Euro.
We got to Menaggio and were very pleased at how charming it was. There were quaint little café’s outside with people just looking out at the water and enjoying their Sunday. We also went to a shop where they sold some magazines in English! I was so excited to hear about some news in English so I quickly bought a Time magazine. We each got a magazine/ newspaper of our choice and took it out to read in the sun by the water fountain. I think we started a trend too because it wasn’t long before others had stopped walking the streets and the fountain was filled with people sitting on its edge. A completely perfect relaxing Sunday!
The sun had begun to set though and we weren’t quite ready to head back so we got a seat in a café and continued filling our voracious need of information about the world. Finally the time had come to catch our ferry back to Como and we headed out. The ferry ride was nice and relaxing and much less sickening than a bus ride. And although it was dark out, we are 90% positive that we saw George Clooney’s house on the lake. He may or may not have been cooking Easter dinner and invited us in to have some, I don’t know, it’s totally possible.
We got back to Como and found that there was a little market of goods being sold. So, we thought we would buy our dinner there, but then we went to go check on something a few blocks down and when we came back they were all closed up! The only thing still open was a dried fruit vendor, which looked rather scrumptious so we bought some dried fruit and chocolate dipped raisins for the train ride back to Macerata the next day. That still left us with hungry bellies though.
Not keen on spending a fortune on dinner we looked for something less expensive but weren’t liking anything we were immediately finding. In need of sleep and food though we gave in to the quick alternative: McDonald’s. Yes, Mom and Dad, that’s right, I had McDonald’s for Easter dinner. I must say I am a little ashamed but it was tasty nonetheless. Perhaps you will just have to cook me a proper Easter dinner when I return home!
After having our fill of fast food we walked back to our hostel along the waters edge for the last time. Taking in the scenery of the magnificent lake and glowing stars I am still in wonder of what a glorious weekend I had! We all headed to bed for the last time in our camp-like bunk beds and said goodnight to wonderful Lake Como.
Heaving and hoeing and completely out of breath I made it to the station in the nick of time. My friends (Megan R. and Megan T.) had just stood up to leave the station for the train when I came bounding in. “Perfect timing,” they exclaimed… if they only knew. We got to our seats and I shed my layers only to be sitting under a hot air vent. Oh bother.
A long train ride led us to Milan and then we took a short jaunt over to Lake Como. From the train station we couldn’t see the lake yet, but the mountains were absolutely unbelievable! It’s almost like Aspen, Colorado where you are just surrounded by mountains on all sides and feel microscopic when compared to how big they are. We found general directions to our hostel and knew that if we found the lake it would be around there. We took a few turns and then everything opened up and there it was- Lake Como; absolutely gorgeous and perfect in the picturesque daylight! The lake is much bigger than I thought it would be and has a large walkway that goes around it that led right to our hostel.
We couldn’t check in to our hostel until 4pm, so we stopped at a little café and had lunch. I had tortellini and the Megan’s had piadini’s. It was a much needed fill me up after a long train ride. After we were content we followed the cute walkway along the water’s edge to our hostel. Our hostel is located in Villa Olma, which is the oldest part of town. It’s right behind a large art gallery that is on the lake. The woman who checked us in is so sweet, like a substitute mother if you will. She explained everything about the town and the buses and trains that could take you to the other cities on the lake. We thanked her and made our way to our beds. The girls dorm is located on the 2nd floor and is basically just a big room with bunk beds. It reminded me of my days at camp. We made our beds and then decided that a siesta was definitely in order.
Three hours later we woke up with hungry bellies. We got ourselves together and headed for town in search of a pleasing dinner. We looked at a couple places but nothing was striking our interest. Then we walked by what looked like just a pizza place and thought that would be fine. So, we walk in and a waitress greets us, she asks if we want to eat out in the front room or “back there.” Not knowing what was “back there” we chose that option, only to be completely surprised and delighted that the pizzeria turned into a full out restaurant complete with dimmed lights and a candlelit dinner! It was so precious! We sat and looked over the menu, I decided on a lighter dinner- salad and minestrone soup, and the girls had pizza.
Everything was so nice, and the food was delicious. There were couples all around us enjoying their romantic dinner and we were just happy to have food in our stomachs, but still enjoyed the ambience. We decided on a desert too, a sort of chocolate custard with fresh berries and sauce. Ymmm.
Then we headed back to our hostel (had to make the midnight curfew!) and snuggled in our bunk beds. The next morning we woke up to a bright blue sky and shining sun. Down to breakfast we went and were greeted with cappuccinos and a loaf of bread with jelly. Just having a loaf of bread for breakfast isn’t exactly what I had in mind when they said they provided breakfast, but it was still filling. Then we got information on the lift that takes you up the mountain in Lake Como and set off for town.
The market was going on all weekend so we walked through all the stands and looked at the craziness some people were trying to sell. Most things were legit, but then we came across this one vendor that was trying to sell animals that looked like squirrels on crack. I’m not even exaggerating, this animals were in these little cages and were zooming around so fast they almost knocked the cages over… it was weird.
We located the lift up to the top of the mountain of Lake Como and boarded it. It was a pretty fast ride and once we were half way up we could already see the Swiss Alps beyond Lake Como! It was so amazing! Once we were to the top we looked around and saw the entire city below us the extraordinary view of the mountains. Our ears were even popping as we were ascending to the top. It quite literally was like being on top of the world because there was nothing that blocked our view as far as the eye could see. After taking a half a million pictures so that we would never forget this amazing view we hiked around the top a little bit to discover what other views there would be. Imagine jaw dropping sensations while looking at the Swiss Alps and that’s exactly how we were.
Once we had our fill of gittyness we took the lift back down to town. There are many different cities that are on Lake Como and there are buses that take you from Como to the other cities, so we bought a bus ticket for Bellaggio to spend the afternoon there. We got some lunch supplies from a grocery store and then boarded the bus. Quite a windy, curvy, and queasy road, but eventually we got to Bellaggio. It is a very quite city with many adorable hotels that are right on the water. We found a bench near the lake and took up to start our picnic. We had soft bread and cheese from the Como region and salami that went perfectly with a wine the meant guy had suggested. Watching the ferries cross the lake, shooing away the pigeons that wanted our crumbs and eating till our hearts content was the perfect way to have a picnic on Lake Como.
When we were finished we explored town, obviously stopping for some gelato along the way. It was nice to see a lot of other people had our same idea to spend Easter weekend in such a beautiful spot with their families. I definitely wished that mine could have been with me to experience this remarkable place! We wandered around different roads along cute shops and gorgeous houses. We had approached this one house that was rather enormous and had a perfect view of the lake. It was gated so we were trying to reach our arms through the gate with our cameras to take pictures when all of a sudden we see the family of the house rounded the bend to exit through the gate we were at. We were so started that we immediately ran away and started laughing uncontrollably. We tried to act natural, but it was too obvious that we were on the verge of peeing our pants with laughter.
After collecting ourselves we took a road away from the town. We had noticed a lot of people were coming back from that way so we decided to see what was down there. It was a nice road of cobblestone lined by magnificent houses when all of a sudden it opens up and has this incredible view of the lake as well as two other towns on the opposite side! It was a big open park of grass and a few trees and plenty of benches. Families were all over and having fun watching the mountains get dimmer as the sun began to sink. We found a little cove near the boat docks where we skipped stones and watched little kids dare to get close to the waters edge without getting wet. There was a restaurant there too which I am sure is probably the most ideal place to ever have the luxury of having a meal at. An incredible little hideaway from the rest of town!
Once we were all pictured out and rather tired from exploring two whole cities for the day, we headed back to catch the last bus back to Como. There was of course some weird Scottish man blabbering drunk and bashing America’s government, not as though I blame him, but still, get some fresh air man.
We were pretty hungry by the time we got back so we went in search of a to-go dinner so we could eat it back at our hostel. We found this great little piadini place with a woman who was very warm and welcoming to our questions about what each sandwich contained. I ended up getting a vegetarian one that was devoured in delight once we got back to our hostel. And with full stomachs and smiles we headed to bed.
Easter Sunday we woke up to find it drizzling and cloudy. A little bummed we got our warmest clothes on and headed to breakfast. It was rather cold and windy outside and was doing a little more than just drizzling. We drank our cappuccino’s and ate our loaves of bread then headed out for the train station. We bared the nasty weather and got to the train station in time for the 9am train for Lugano, Svizzera (Switzerland)! While we were waiting for the train at the platform we even got to experience some snow! I hadn’t seen any snow yet since being in Italy so I just took it as a little Easter gift.
Heading to Svizzera we were stopped at the boarder and had our passports checked. Once everyone was cleared we rode through the beautiful scenic rails along lakes and mountains until we reached adorable Lugano. We took a people mover down to town from the train station and were met with weather just as windy but without any rain. At least the sun was shining! All over town we saw people begin to set up tents for a market and found posters saying that the Easter events were to begin at 11am. Who knew that the Swiss had Easter bunnies too?! I was a little worried I wouldn’t get to see one for Easter, but my fears were dashed once I saw posters advertising a man in a big bunny outfit.
We found a nice café to hideaway in from the wind and ordered hot drinks while watching the Sunday mass at the Vatican being given by the Pope. It was nearing 11 so we went out in search of the bunny and to explore all the different things the market had to offer. It was a very nice market, not too crowded or expensive. It was sort of like the art fair we have in my home town. Almost everything they were selling was original and the sweet smells coming from those selling pastries were absolutely heavenly. We stopped to get one along the way and it tasted just like a cinnamon roll with pecans only it was completely different looking. Quite delicious though.
We walk around town and climbed to the top of a big hill to find a lovely church where we were able to stop in and give thanks for all we’ve been given. Then, we went back down to the waters edge to do some souvenir shopping and watching the waves crash on shore from the big gusts of wind. We found out that there was a bus that could take us to Menaggio, Italy right on the northern end of Lake Como. We walked along the lake’s edge and through a really beautiful natural park with tulips and daisies and big booming trees above us. While walking through the trials the sun began to come out and warmed the whole place up. We saw swans and ducks having the time of their lives playing in the water and got some really great pictures too.
After leaving the park we spent quite a while trying to find the bus to take us back to Italy only to get frustrated and hungry. We stopped at a Kepab place to purchase a much needed lunch. The Megan’s got a huuuge kepab which was bigger than one I’ve ever seen before, but I had to traditional wrapped one which was delicious. Then after trying to ask a bunch of people where the bus picked up and not finding any luck we finally saw the bus turn the corner and stop at this completely random unmarked street. We ran for it not wanting to miss our chance at a lift back only to realize we hadn’t purchased any tickets to get on. There weren’t even any open stores within sight so we were at a loss of what to do. The bus driver said just get on and we could get them later. Thank goodness.
It was another long and winding bus ride there, but very beautiful nonetheless. We were also able to use up the rest of our Francs purchasing the bus ticket. Oh yeah, I think I forgot the mention that. Switzerland doesn’t use the Euro, so we got to use the Swiss Franc which is soo much more colorful than plain dollars back in America. It was fun for a nice change of pace from the Euro.
We got to Menaggio and were very pleased at how charming it was. There were quaint little café’s outside with people just looking out at the water and enjoying their Sunday. We also went to a shop where they sold some magazines in English! I was so excited to hear about some news in English so I quickly bought a Time magazine. We each got a magazine/ newspaper of our choice and took it out to read in the sun by the water fountain. I think we started a trend too because it wasn’t long before others had stopped walking the streets and the fountain was filled with people sitting on its edge. A completely perfect relaxing Sunday!
The sun had begun to set though and we weren’t quite ready to head back so we got a seat in a café and continued filling our voracious need of information about the world. Finally the time had come to catch our ferry back to Como and we headed out. The ferry ride was nice and relaxing and much less sickening than a bus ride. And although it was dark out, we are 90% positive that we saw George Clooney’s house on the lake. He may or may not have been cooking Easter dinner and invited us in to have some, I don’t know, it’s totally possible.
We got back to Como and found that there was a little market of goods being sold. So, we thought we would buy our dinner there, but then we went to go check on something a few blocks down and when we came back they were all closed up! The only thing still open was a dried fruit vendor, which looked rather scrumptious so we bought some dried fruit and chocolate dipped raisins for the train ride back to Macerata the next day. That still left us with hungry bellies though.
Not keen on spending a fortune on dinner we looked for something less expensive but weren’t liking anything we were immediately finding. In need of sleep and food though we gave in to the quick alternative: McDonald’s. Yes, Mom and Dad, that’s right, I had McDonald’s for Easter dinner. I must say I am a little ashamed but it was tasty nonetheless. Perhaps you will just have to cook me a proper Easter dinner when I return home!
After having our fill of fast food we walked back to our hostel along the waters edge for the last time. Taking in the scenery of the magnificent lake and glowing stars I am still in wonder of what a glorious weekend I had! We all headed to bed for the last time in our camp-like bunk beds and said goodnight to wonderful Lake Como.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Urbino and San Marino
March 19
Our first destination for the day was Urbino. This is where the famous Duke of Urbino resided. We had a chance to tour the inside of the Palazzo Ducale and the Galleria Nazionale della Marche. It was very interesting because it is located where the Duke used to live. We got to see many great works of art and where the Duke and his wife lived in many years ago. They each had their own living quarters and bedrooms. And their bedrooms were a room inside a room, basically to keep as warm as possible during the winter. The Duke also had an area to show off his interests such as books, authors and philosophers he admired and his armor. While touring the gallery we saw different areas of the palace that we gi-normous! There were amazing fireplaces all around to keep the palace warm, and all of the fireplaces we much larger than the ones we have in homes today. They were also all decorated with angels and vines and flowers, extreme decorations for a fireplace but beautiful nonetheless. There were also large tapestries that covered the walls… they kind of looked like huge rugs, but they used them to cover the walls in order to insulate the palace.
After touring the palace we split up and went to the restaurant of our choice for lunch. While trying to find a place we saw a bunch of students who had just graduated college. It was interesting to see them because in Italy it is traditional to wear a crown of ivy rather than a cap and gown. After following signs for restaurants all over town we finally decided on one and took a table. They woman there was so nice and when we asked her questions about different dishes she was more than happy to describe them in the simplest Italian she could. I settled for penne alla vodka with crab. It was most delicious! The others had a pizza and a sampler plate of three different pastas. Then we got dessert that was pretty much an ice cream sundae, yum! We were more than pleased with our choices!
Then we boarded the bus again to head to San Marino. In case you didn’t know, it has actually been a goal of mine to go to San Marino. My senior year of high school on the first day of my government class my teacher explained his trip to San Marino. He went on and on about how gorgeous it was and you have to take these narrow winding roads up the mountain to get there, but that it was completely worth it. So, three years ago I wrote in my government notebook, “Note to self: visit San Marino.” And wouldn’t you know it- I got to go!
My teacher was definitely right in saying the winding roads were worth it. There were times I could have sworn our tour bus was going to fall off the edge but alas, we made it just fine. San Marino is actually a country all its own, completely separate from Italy. But from atop La Prima Torre (medieval fortress of the city) you can see all of the surrounding Italian countryside. We were very fortunate to have a clear day because we were able to see the Appennine Moutains and the Adriatic Sea. It was spectacular!
After many pictures from the top of the fortress, we had free time. I took this opportunity to gift shop and found some perfect gifts for you guys back home! Feel free to get excited :) San Marino was so gorgeous and all the shopkeepers were very helpful, but it must be swamped with people during tourist season, so I’m glad I got a chance to see it without tons of people everywhere!
Our first destination for the day was Urbino. This is where the famous Duke of Urbino resided. We had a chance to tour the inside of the Palazzo Ducale and the Galleria Nazionale della Marche. It was very interesting because it is located where the Duke used to live. We got to see many great works of art and where the Duke and his wife lived in many years ago. They each had their own living quarters and bedrooms. And their bedrooms were a room inside a room, basically to keep as warm as possible during the winter. The Duke also had an area to show off his interests such as books, authors and philosophers he admired and his armor. While touring the gallery we saw different areas of the palace that we gi-normous! There were amazing fireplaces all around to keep the palace warm, and all of the fireplaces we much larger than the ones we have in homes today. They were also all decorated with angels and vines and flowers, extreme decorations for a fireplace but beautiful nonetheless. There were also large tapestries that covered the walls… they kind of looked like huge rugs, but they used them to cover the walls in order to insulate the palace.
After touring the palace we split up and went to the restaurant of our choice for lunch. While trying to find a place we saw a bunch of students who had just graduated college. It was interesting to see them because in Italy it is traditional to wear a crown of ivy rather than a cap and gown. After following signs for restaurants all over town we finally decided on one and took a table. They woman there was so nice and when we asked her questions about different dishes she was more than happy to describe them in the simplest Italian she could. I settled for penne alla vodka with crab. It was most delicious! The others had a pizza and a sampler plate of three different pastas. Then we got dessert that was pretty much an ice cream sundae, yum! We were more than pleased with our choices!
Then we boarded the bus again to head to San Marino. In case you didn’t know, it has actually been a goal of mine to go to San Marino. My senior year of high school on the first day of my government class my teacher explained his trip to San Marino. He went on and on about how gorgeous it was and you have to take these narrow winding roads up the mountain to get there, but that it was completely worth it. So, three years ago I wrote in my government notebook, “Note to self: visit San Marino.” And wouldn’t you know it- I got to go!My teacher was definitely right in saying the winding roads were worth it. There were times I could have sworn our tour bus was going to fall off the edge but alas, we made it just fine. San Marino is actually a country all its own, completely separate from Italy. But from atop La Prima Torre (medieval fortress of the city) you can see all of the surrounding Italian countryside. We were very fortunate to have a clear day because we were able to see the Appennine Moutains and the Adriatic Sea. It was spectacular!
After many pictures from the top of the fortress, we had free time. I took this opportunity to gift shop and found some perfect gifts for you guys back home! Feel free to get excited :) San Marino was so gorgeous and all the shopkeepers were very helpful, but it must be swamped with people during tourist season, so I’m glad I got a chance to see it without tons of people everywhere!Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Brussels: 3 languages in 1 country...the ending of the Spring Break chronicles
March 6th
Thursday morning we left for Brussels, which I didn't realize was so much more North so it was quite a bit chillier. Oh well. We found our way to our hostel all by ourselves this time and figured out the tram of Brussels, we were proud of ourselves. Our hostel was really cool, it was pretty mod and we had a private 2-bed room which was SO nice and had down comforters and a private bathroom! Much needed after a very exhausting week. We explored Brussels a bit and found that pretty much all of Europe has amazing shopping (don’t worry Mom, I didn’t get anything this time). We accidentally ended up in a shady part of town though, it was like porn central- uber creepy! So we diverted off that path and found a super great restaurant, Brussels Grill. We had a good dinner and then headed to bed. Where we had wireless internet and fell asleep to movies.
Thursday morning we left for Brussels, which I didn't realize was so much more North so it was quite a bit chillier. Oh well. We found our way to our hostel all by ourselves this time and figured out the tram of Brussels, we were proud of ourselves. Our hostel was really cool, it was pretty mod and we had a private 2-bed room which was SO nice and had down comforters and a private bathroom! Much needed after a very exhausting week. We explored Brussels a bit and found that pretty much all of Europe has amazing shopping (don’t worry Mom, I didn’t get anything this time). We accidentally ended up in a shady part of town though, it was like porn central- uber creepy! So we diverted off that path and found a super great restaurant, Brussels Grill. We had a good dinner and then headed to bed. Where we had wireless internet and fell asleep to movies.
The streets of Brussels
March 7th
The next day we explored Brussels and ate lots of waffles! We had too much though because then we really didn't feel good. The first one I ate was from a café and had banana’s on it. Then the second one I had was from a street vendor and had chocolate and strawberries on top. To put your questions to rest, Yes, Belgium waffles really are better in Belgium.
Chocolate and strawberries, so good I couldn't even finish it!
We wanted to do some site seeing so we walked over to where the Palace was, where the King lives, and we were standing outside of it looking at the monstrously huge building and all of a sudden we get a lighter chucked at us! We had no idea where it came from and were a little afraid because it was a seedier part of town so we just booked it.
Then we saw the famous Peeing Boy Fountain of Brussels! Oh yes, you read that correctly. Apparently Belgium created it to symbolize their sense of humor, but I guess it’s so famous that throughout history it has been stolen twice! Once by the English and another time by the French! The fountain now has a gate around it and security cameras, too funny. So we took lots of pictures of it. We then proceeded to buy 25 euros worth of Belgium chocolate. So get your bellies ready, I'm not even sure how I'm going to lug it all home.We ate a huge dinner the last night of our spring break; we got steak with béarnaise sauce, baked potatoes and creme brulee for dessert. It was so good I got sick because I haven't had steak in so long! But in my opinion it was totally worth it.
He just keeps peeing...
March 8th
Saturday morning we had to take a taxi at 4am to catch a bus to go to the airport to fly to Rome to take a train back to Macerata. Who knew that public transportation would be so hot? We finally got back home at about 6pm and did a TON of laundry. I would like to consider myself somewhat of a pro after all that traveling. Nothing like being home sweet home though.
Fish and Fairies in Barcelona... the Spring Break chronicles continue
March 3rd
We landed in Barcelona, yipppeee, and found our bus to take us into the center of Barcelona. During the 1.5 hour bus ride I got to know a fellow named Francesco. He grew up in Rome, goes to school in Perugia, but is studying abroad in Barcelona. He knows three languages fluently and I struggle with just one, ha. He then helped us navigate the metro (thank God he was there to help us) and we found our hostel. It is called Centric Point hostel and it’s right in the middle of the city. Perfect location! It’s seven stories high and has a common room for breakfast and a bar and internet and TV. It is so cool! We got our room, which we shared with 10 other guys. They were all from Scotland and we in town for the big football (soccer) game the next day. They slept in till like 3pm and smelled bad and slept in their boxers which was REAL awkward in the morning when we had to walk by them while they were sleeping. Ew. But anywho, Amanda and I settled in and then went out to roam the streets and get our first plate of paella. We found a great restaurant, Ba-ba-Reba, that had tables set outside and we got to sit beneath the city lights and eat dinner. We had our first plate of paella (a Spanish rice dish) which was so friggin good and an avocado and chicken salad- yum! After a long day of traveling we went back to our hostel and slept.
March 4th
The next day we walked down the main streets and found some really great shopping places. I got two new shirts, a sweater and hairclips, obvi all are adorable. Then, while looking around in a store we saw a woman had a Starbucks in her hand! We immediately freaked and dove outside in search of Starbucks. It wasn’t a block before we found it! So precious and tucked in between two other adorable clothing stores. We walked in only to be greeted by the heavenly smell of roasting coffee and Americanized merchandise. Don’t get me wrong, I love Italian café’s, but there’s just something about a to-go cup of Starbucks that just warms my heart! I got an extra shot vanilla latte and a blueberry muffin (I can’t remember the last time I had a muffin) and we sat down to enjoy our much deserved cup of coffee. That night we went to a Tapas restaurant and indulged in about 6 different dishes (fish, chicken, vegetables, potatoes, shrimp, etc.) and a cute little cup of chocolate mousse for dessert. Then we went back to Ba-ba-Reba to visit our waiter-friend and watch the soccer game on TV with a nice pitcher of sangria. Perfection.
We woke up to clanging beer bottles and smells of drunkenness at 5am when the Scottish boys finally stumbled in and flicked on the lights after drinking away their sorrows of losing the big game. I thought they smelled bad after just sleeping in the same room with them, but add on the intense liquor breath and you’ve entered into a whole other side of stink. I threw the blankets over my head and slept for another couple hours until Amanda woke me up for breakfast.
We landed in Barcelona, yipppeee, and found our bus to take us into the center of Barcelona. During the 1.5 hour bus ride I got to know a fellow named Francesco. He grew up in Rome, goes to school in Perugia, but is studying abroad in Barcelona. He knows three languages fluently and I struggle with just one, ha. He then helped us navigate the metro (thank God he was there to help us) and we found our hostel. It is called Centric Point hostel and it’s right in the middle of the city. Perfect location! It’s seven stories high and has a common room for breakfast and a bar and internet and TV. It is so cool! We got our room, which we shared with 10 other guys. They were all from Scotland and we in town for the big football (soccer) game the next day. They slept in till like 3pm and smelled bad and slept in their boxers which was REAL awkward in the morning when we had to walk by them while they were sleeping. Ew. But anywho, Amanda and I settled in and then went out to roam the streets and get our first plate of paella. We found a great restaurant, Ba-ba-Reba, that had tables set outside and we got to sit beneath the city lights and eat dinner. We had our first plate of paella (a Spanish rice dish) which was so friggin good and an avocado and chicken salad- yum! After a long day of traveling we went back to our hostel and slept.
March 4th
The next day we walked down the main streets and found some really great shopping places. I got two new shirts, a sweater and hairclips, obvi all are adorable. Then, while looking around in a store we saw a woman had a Starbucks in her hand! We immediately freaked and dove outside in search of Starbucks. It wasn’t a block before we found it! So precious and tucked in between two other adorable clothing stores. We walked in only to be greeted by the heavenly smell of roasting coffee and Americanized merchandise. Don’t get me wrong, I love Italian café’s, but there’s just something about a to-go cup of Starbucks that just warms my heart! I got an extra shot vanilla latte and a blueberry muffin (I can’t remember the last time I had a muffin) and we sat down to enjoy our much deserved cup of coffee. That night we went to a Tapas restaurant and indulged in about 6 different dishes (fish, chicken, vegetables, potatoes, shrimp, etc.) and a cute little cup of chocolate mousse for dessert. Then we went back to Ba-ba-Reba to visit our waiter-friend and watch the soccer game on TV with a nice pitcher of sangria. Perfection.
We woke up to clanging beer bottles and smells of drunkenness at 5am when the Scottish boys finally stumbled in and flicked on the lights after drinking away their sorrows of losing the big game. I thought they smelled bad after just sleeping in the same room with them, but add on the intense liquor breath and you’ve entered into a whole other side of stink. I threw the blankets over my head and slept for another couple hours until Amanda woke me up for breakfast.
The fairies on La Rambla
March 5th
After a hearty breakfast of cereal and tea, we made our way down La Rambla towards the sea. The streets were filled with gift shops for tourists and people dressing up in crazy costumes to make a few dimes. Then we arrived at the Christopher Columbus statue! It’s a big monument where he is actually pointing in the direction of America. Barcelona, according to the website, is home to Europe’s largest aquarium. So we just had to go! We saw lots of fish, penguins, sharks, octopi, eels, and sting rays. It was pretty fun, it’s been a while since I’ve been to an aquarium. It was also located right on the Mediterranean Sea and we had lunch at a nice Asian restaurant overlooking the pier.
My new pengium friend, Bubba.
Lots of fishies!
We made our way back towards our hostel and grabbed another cup from Starbucks and then headed back for a quick nap. Once rested we went to the Bones house, a building constructed by the famous architect Gaudi. It was interesting to see the house from the inside since his architecture is all over Barcelona. He focused on incorporating a lot of nature’s shapes into his designs. He is also famous for constructing the Sagrada Familia so we hiked across town to find it, but we too late because by the time we got there it was closed. Bummer. We found a really good restaurant though and had dinner there. We were sitting next to these girls who were speaking English and it was so weird! I haven’t been around people who speak English in public in such a long time that it caught me off guard! We had a delicious dinner though, I had corn on the cob and grilled chicken. Then we went to bed because we had to wake up early the next morning to catch our plane for Brussels!
I’ll write more for our stay in Brussels…
Thursday, March 20, 2008
A Roman Holiday... the beginning of the Spring Break chronicles
Saturday March 1st
We boarded the 7:30am train for Rome. The whistle sounded and we got as comfy as we could in the stiff seats to begin our journey to see not only Rome, but also my dad and brother! Filled with excitement and anticipation I didn’t make much use of the 4.5 hour train ride, except getting to know my iPod very well. We finally stopped at the Rome Termini station and exited the train station to see Rome in all its glory for the very first time. We immediately became enveloped in all the hustle and bustle of the big city that seems rather absent from Macerata. And not having the slightest idea where my Dad’s hotel could be we got a taxi and gave him the address. After weaving and bobbing between cars we made a stop and he pointed us down the street to the hotel. We thanked him, unloaded our green monster bag and started walking. We entered into the Best Western hotel and just as I was about to ask the front desk if my dad had checked in yet, there he was taking a little snooze on the couch! I yelled “Dad!” and ran over where he popped his head up and immediately smiled. “Hi Boo-boo!” he said with open arms. It sure felt good to have a warm hug from family in such a long time.
He explained that the room still wasn’t ready and might not be for a few hours. However, he did already stand in line at the Vatican Museum and got tickets for us. We handed over our luggage to the concierge and made the 5 minutes walk to the museum. The guards at the metal detectors were almost scarier than those at the airports, but we proceeded through with ease- only to get stopped by the ticket machine. Apparently when you buy a ticket its only good for 2 hours… which had long since passed. But after thoroughly confusing the ticket guy he just waved his hands and let us pass. Oh the joys of being a tourist.
The museum was really cool. It had a million+1 artifact’s and sculptures from anywhere you could possibly imagine. They also had an Ancient Egyptian exhibit which I thoroughly enjoyed! We took lots of random pictures and followed Dad who led us to the Sistine Chapel. If do say so myself, Wow! Although I had expected it to be a lot bigger, the faultless details in the paintings were anything but disappointing. To actually see in person what I have heard so much about in classes, books and television was stunning. There were no pictures allowed, but every once in a while you would see someone try to sneak one and then all the guards would seek out the person and yell “No photo!” Those poor guards probably have to deal with idiotic tourists all day.
We boarded the 7:30am train for Rome. The whistle sounded and we got as comfy as we could in the stiff seats to begin our journey to see not only Rome, but also my dad and brother! Filled with excitement and anticipation I didn’t make much use of the 4.5 hour train ride, except getting to know my iPod very well. We finally stopped at the Rome Termini station and exited the train station to see Rome in all its glory for the very first time. We immediately became enveloped in all the hustle and bustle of the big city that seems rather absent from Macerata. And not having the slightest idea where my Dad’s hotel could be we got a taxi and gave him the address. After weaving and bobbing between cars we made a stop and he pointed us down the street to the hotel. We thanked him, unloaded our green monster bag and started walking. We entered into the Best Western hotel and just as I was about to ask the front desk if my dad had checked in yet, there he was taking a little snooze on the couch! I yelled “Dad!” and ran over where he popped his head up and immediately smiled. “Hi Boo-boo!” he said with open arms. It sure felt good to have a warm hug from family in such a long time.
He explained that the room still wasn’t ready and might not be for a few hours. However, he did already stand in line at the Vatican Museum and got tickets for us. We handed over our luggage to the concierge and made the 5 minutes walk to the museum. The guards at the metal detectors were almost scarier than those at the airports, but we proceeded through with ease- only to get stopped by the ticket machine. Apparently when you buy a ticket its only good for 2 hours… which had long since passed. But after thoroughly confusing the ticket guy he just waved his hands and let us pass. Oh the joys of being a tourist.
The museum was really cool. It had a million+1 artifact’s and sculptures from anywhere you could possibly imagine. They also had an Ancient Egyptian exhibit which I thoroughly enjoyed! We took lots of random pictures and followed Dad who led us to the Sistine Chapel. If do say so myself, Wow! Although I had expected it to be a lot bigger, the faultless details in the paintings were anything but disappointing. To actually see in person what I have heard so much about in classes, books and television was stunning. There were no pictures allowed, but every once in a while you would see someone try to sneak one and then all the guards would seek out the person and yell “No photo!” Those poor guards probably have to deal with idiotic tourists all day.
My dad and I making a wish into the fountain at the Vatican Museum:
After that we headed back for a much needed nap. Amanda and I had been suffering from the cold all week and after traveling it hit us like a heard of elephants. My nose was literally running so much that I had a hard time catching it and the only way to stop it was to lie horizontal. Once we were rested and breathing a little better we got directions to a pharmacy and a great restaurant. Standing in line at the pharmacy we realized we had no idea how to say we need medicine or even what kind. So once it was our turn we started making coughing motions and blowing our nose. She got the point, probably because we have almost perfected the art of charades. We got this green syrupy medicine that she said to only take at night for three nights in a row. At least a healthy body was in sight.
The restaurant we ate at was Venerina al Mascherino Osteria. We got there right before the dinner rush, which was perfect so that we could get a nice table. I ordered a dish with a tomato based sauce and was very pleased with the meal. After that we went back to our hotel room and snuggled in the big bed of comfiness for a nice cough medicine induced slumber.
March 2nd
On Sunday we woke up and went down for a scrumdiliumptious breakfast with everything you could want for breakfast. After filling up our engines we got a phone call from Jeff (my brother) and they had just arrived in Rome! They needed some time to check in to their hostel, but then we were to meet at the Trevi Fountain. We caught a cab to the fountain and anxiously waited to spot my brother and his two friends, Reed and Danny. After being bombarded by gypsies to buy lame gifts and taking enough pictures to fill up a disposable camera, there he was! Jeff, wearing his red jacket, wasn’t too hard to spot in the sea of tourists. It was really nice seeing him and his friends, like a little slice of home and made its way overseas for me.
Amanda and I in front of the Trevi Fountain:
After catching up and taking more pictures of the fountain we went to go get some pizza for the starving young men. Then we went to the old city part of Rome where the Coliseum and arches are. We also saw the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and other huge monuments. It was such a nice day that we didn’t need jackets or anything. The boys wanted to go inside the Coliseum and we wanted to go to the Spanish Steps so we split up and said we would meet for dinner.
The Spanish Steps were so crowded we could barely even make out that they were there. We climbed to the top and had our pictures taken. Then, we strolled down to get gelato and eat it on the steps just like they did in “A Roman Holiday.” Since we had been walking almost all day we decided to head back to the hotel and freshen up/ rest before dinner.
My brother, Jeff, and dad with me in Rome!
We met up with the boys at square St Peter’s Basilica. It was a wonderful night, rather warm and clear skies. We had dinner on the Borga streets. I had a wonderful plate of pasta with clams, oh how I love that seafood! The boys wanted to go out to a bar after, but Amanda and I passed up that opportunity considering we were still sick, it was early and also a Sunday. I’m not sure what the guys were hoping to find open on a Sunday night!
March 3rd
Monday morning we woke up to have another filling breakfast. Then we walked to St. Peter’s Basilica to view the inside of the extremely large church. The inside was very ornately decorated with marble sculptures of St. Peter and other important Catholic disciples. I don’t even think I can imagine how much money it must have taken to complete the basilica, which is unfortunate to think what else the money could have been used for. We also toured the crypt below and got to see the tomb where the last Pope was buried. There were a lot of gifts/ flowers that people had left for him. Then we went outside to meet the guys before we had to take off for the airport. They were their silly selves and joked around before they went to wait in line to get into St. Peter’s Basilica. I said goodbye to Jeff and left him to his adventures. We grabbed a bite to eat (from a man who can rap Eminem better than Marshall Mathers himself) then headed to the airport. We dropped Dad off first at Fumincino airport and with a heavy heart I said my goodbyes. Then the taxi man dropped Amanda and I off at the Ciampino airport. Figuring out which ticket desk to use we got our tickets and prayed our bag wasn’t too heavy.
To find out about Barcelona stay tuned…
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Firenze has heavenly gelato
Wednesday February 20
Zoiks, I thought getting up early for other excursions was rough, but this time we had to be on the bus at 5:30am! I pretty much immediately made myself a bed and slept for a large duration of the ride to Firenze (Florence). Once we got there we went up to the Chiesa di San Miniato al Monte which overlooks all of Florence. It was an extremely large church and then we walked over to Piazzale Michelangelo. It’s this large tourist town square that has a great view of Florence and lots of vendors sell tourist junk there. We even saw a couple who had just gotten married getting their wedding pictures taken there.
Then we checked into our hotel, which was called Hotel Unicorno. Yes, they had unicorns everywhere, it was pretty funny. The rooms were slightly cramped, but it was a bed so I’m not complaining! For lunch we ventured over to this big market that is indoors. It literally had every food imaginable for sale there and all of it was very fresh. We located this guy who makes incredible sandwiches and so we ate those along with some pasta.
After that we bobbed up and down roads to meet everyone at the steps in front of the Santa Maria del Fiore, which is the famous Duomo of Florence. We viewed the inside and saw the mosaics of the dome and the beautiful doors of the Battistero first (just outside the church). Brunelleschi designed the dome of the Santa Maria and the inside of it was absolutely amazing! I’ve never seen such artwork before. Every crevasse had something different and no picture was repeated twice. The amount of time that had to go into that is unfathomable to me and I can only imagine that the men that had to work on it had the worst neck cramps ever.
Break time followed the viewing of the Duomo, so my hotel mates and I went back for a much needed nap. Then we got ready and went to dinner with the group at Ristorante Tirabaralla. We had our own little private room in the back. We were served red wine and a tomato based pasta, very delicious, which was followed by steak served with a salad. I had been craving some real meat and it definitely fulfilled my craving. We decided to go explore Florence’s nightlife after dinner so after calling my local friend, Kimmy, we got directions to the Lion’s Den pub. It is basically a pub where many Americans go. So we headed there and ended up having a good time, but I desperately wanted to sleep! So I lead the group back to our hotel, and to my amazement found myself already familiar with my surroundings and how to get to and from places around Florence.
Thursday February 21
Day 2 of our Firenze extravaganza led us straight to the very top of the Cupola (dome) of the Santa Maria del Fiore. It is over 450 winding steps to the top, but the sweating and shaky legs was totally worth it to see the view from the highest building in Florence. I had no idea how high I really was until I looked over the edge to see little humans running around that looked to be the size of ants. We spent time up there and took lots of pictures to be sure never to forget the amazing view! Then we climbed back down, but got to walk around the top of the duomo on the inside, right up against the paintings. It was awesome to see a close-up of the artwork that filled that place with such beauty. After finally making it back to the ground floor we gathered together and headed to the Galleria dell’ Accademia.
This gallery is home to the David! I mean there’s other artwork in there too, but quite honestly nothing can compare to seeing the David! I also had NO idea how gigantic the sculpture was. I mean, holy moly! He was also created with an extra large head and right hand in order to symbolize wisdom and strength. Pictures weren’t allowed, and the guards were definitely on top of everyone to make sure none were being taken… but we may or may not have been sneaky and gotten some. Although I am not trying to incriminate myself, I may be posting those pictures later… if they even exist of course.
After walking around the David in total awe we headed out to a Japanese restaurant for lunch. I was originally stoked because I thought they would have sushi, but alas, they did not. But we loaded up and rice, pork, and an exquisitely delicious form of Raman noodles. After lunch we went to the Piazza Santa Maria Novella and visited the exterior and interior of the church. It was very nice inside, but also very cold in contrast to the beautiful weather we’d been having outside. After getting a tour of the church we were then let out for free time.
Some of my friends and I decided it would be a perfect opportunity to go shopping! So we went to the street vendors and Zara (kind of like a Marshall Field’s) and some other shops. I got a really cute new black coat, love it! Then we went to the covered bridge and indulged ourselves with some heavenly waffles topped with gelato. They definitely know what they are doing with their gelato here in Firenze. I made quite a mess though, it sounds great in theory but once you try to eat it a mess inevitably follows!
We went back to our hotel and after a quick cat nap walked down the street for our dinner at La Borsa. We sat in three different tables and were given plates that had three different sections on it. It kind of looked like those dishes you’d have your microwaved dinners served in. Anywho, we had three different pasta’s served to us that night and each was given to us in a different section. The first was one good, but the others I didn’t really care for much. They had experimented with am asparagus sauce pasta that was creepily creamy and a mushroom sauced ravioli that was just alright. Then we were given huuuuuge amounts of meat. I was very excited because there was chicken! But upon biting into it I heard a loud CRACK and saw that there were bones in places of the chicken that normally aren’t supposed to be there. There were also lamb chops though that were hmm hmm good. It was one of the girls birthday’s too, Casey, so we all got these amazing balls covered in chocolate and she got a cake with candles!
After dinner we went our in search of some bars to buy Casey here birthday drinks. The streets were packed and especially in this one club we went to. You literally had to squeeze your way through people just to get to the dance floor. And even once you made it you still felt like a stinky sardine being smashed together with the rest of them. A rather eventful night!
Friday February 22
Our third and final day started with a delicious breakfast at the hotel and then us stuffing our bags to drop off into the lobby. We marched out together for our last jaunt around Firenze and walked to many of the sights, including; Pallazo Rucellai, Palazzo Strozzi, Piazza della Repubblica and to Piazza della Signoria.
After all that walking we end up at the Gelleria degli Uffizi! The Uffizi is a famous museum that holds some of history’s most famous paintings by artists such as Botichelli, Rembrant, Picasso and others. It is said that it is argued to be just as well known as the Louvre in Paris. It was so incredible to walk through the halls of this immensely amazing museum and see painting that were created soooo long ago! We saw many wonderful paintings, but those most well-known that we saw are The Duke of Umbria, Primavera and The Birth of Venus. We had an extensive tour given to us by Filiberto, but after a while I wandered a bit from the group and got to see rooms of art and just enjoy the view, rather than hear the whole group chit-chat.
By 1pm we were allowed to go by ourselves to lunch of leave Firenze to venture somewhere else. I went to lunch with Megan, Audrey and Casey and we ate a very simply but great lunch on top of a building that overlooked Florence. It was a beautiful day and we couldn’t have been happier to enjoy our meal while basking in the sun.
I said goodbye to the girls and gave Kimmy a call. For those of you who don’t know Kimmy, you are sadly missing out on one of the most genuinely great people of all time. Kimmy is in my sorority and although we didn’t know it before meeting a few years ago we also grew up in the same city! She graduated Grand Valley last year and is now working on her master’s degree in Florence. She has been there since September and I haven’t seen her since then, so it was very nice to catch up with her! She also just got engaged, yeah!!! Congrats Kimmy!! We met at the steps of the Duomo and I got to see her engagement ring and hear her oh-so-sweet tale of the proposal. Too cute. We headed back to here apartment that she shares with two other girls from California and where she has her own bedroom. She had some errands to run so I took a much needed nap… which turned into a 5 hour siesta. Haha, I can’t help it that her bed was so comfy!
I got some pizza from across the way once I woke up; it had mozzarella, tomato and eggplant parmesan on a ciabatta bread crust- outstanding! Then we watched a movie, the Chronicles of Narnia to be exact, not too shabby of a movie, and hit the hay.
Saturday February 23
The next day we went grocery shopping and then ate delicious burritos for lunch and then went shopping for a new pair of pants. Kimmy knows all the great finds and I found a really cute new pair of pants which are purple! Tehehe, not outrageously purple, but just enough where it feels fun to wear them.
That night was one of Kimmy’s friends birthday’s so she had a bunch of her friends over. It was nice to meet everyone that she goes to school with and hang out with people that I don’t see everyday in Macerata. We also played this amazing card game that’s called Terets. Simply amazing, ask me to teach you when I get back ;) Then we called it a night and headed to bed.
Sunday February 24
I had an early train Sunday morning and had to change trains twice to get back to Macerata. I felt like I was on trains all day, however, it was a very nice five days in Florence, and I definitely feel it’s someplace everyone should visit!
Zoiks, I thought getting up early for other excursions was rough, but this time we had to be on the bus at 5:30am! I pretty much immediately made myself a bed and slept for a large duration of the ride to Firenze (Florence). Once we got there we went up to the Chiesa di San Miniato al Monte which overlooks all of Florence. It was an extremely large church and then we walked over to Piazzale Michelangelo. It’s this large tourist town square that has a great view of Florence and lots of vendors sell tourist junk there. We even saw a couple who had just gotten married getting their wedding pictures taken there.
Then we checked into our hotel, which was called Hotel Unicorno. Yes, they had unicorns everywhere, it was pretty funny. The rooms were slightly cramped, but it was a bed so I’m not complaining! For lunch we ventured over to this big market that is indoors. It literally had every food imaginable for sale there and all of it was very fresh. We located this guy who makes incredible sandwiches and so we ate those along with some pasta.
After that we bobbed up and down roads to meet everyone at the steps in front of the Santa Maria del Fiore, which is the famous Duomo of Florence. We viewed the inside and saw the mosaics of the dome and the beautiful doors of the Battistero first (just outside the church). Brunelleschi designed the dome of the Santa Maria and the inside of it was absolutely amazing! I’ve never seen such artwork before. Every crevasse had something different and no picture was repeated twice. The amount of time that had to go into that is unfathomable to me and I can only imagine that the men that had to work on it had the worst neck cramps ever.
Break time followed the viewing of the Duomo, so my hotel mates and I went back for a much needed nap. Then we got ready and went to dinner with the group at Ristorante Tirabaralla. We had our own little private room in the back. We were served red wine and a tomato based pasta, very delicious, which was followed by steak served with a salad. I had been craving some real meat and it definitely fulfilled my craving. We decided to go explore Florence’s nightlife after dinner so after calling my local friend, Kimmy, we got directions to the Lion’s Den pub. It is basically a pub where many Americans go. So we headed there and ended up having a good time, but I desperately wanted to sleep! So I lead the group back to our hotel, and to my amazement found myself already familiar with my surroundings and how to get to and from places around Florence.
Thursday February 21
Day 2 of our Firenze extravaganza led us straight to the very top of the Cupola (dome) of the Santa Maria del Fiore. It is over 450 winding steps to the top, but the sweating and shaky legs was totally worth it to see the view from the highest building in Florence. I had no idea how high I really was until I looked over the edge to see little humans running around that looked to be the size of ants. We spent time up there and took lots of pictures to be sure never to forget the amazing view! Then we climbed back down, but got to walk around the top of the duomo on the inside, right up against the paintings. It was awesome to see a close-up of the artwork that filled that place with such beauty. After finally making it back to the ground floor we gathered together and headed to the Galleria dell’ Accademia.
This gallery is home to the David! I mean there’s other artwork in there too, but quite honestly nothing can compare to seeing the David! I also had NO idea how gigantic the sculpture was. I mean, holy moly! He was also created with an extra large head and right hand in order to symbolize wisdom and strength. Pictures weren’t allowed, and the guards were definitely on top of everyone to make sure none were being taken… but we may or may not have been sneaky and gotten some. Although I am not trying to incriminate myself, I may be posting those pictures later… if they even exist of course.
After walking around the David in total awe we headed out to a Japanese restaurant for lunch. I was originally stoked because I thought they would have sushi, but alas, they did not. But we loaded up and rice, pork, and an exquisitely delicious form of Raman noodles. After lunch we went to the Piazza Santa Maria Novella and visited the exterior and interior of the church. It was very nice inside, but also very cold in contrast to the beautiful weather we’d been having outside. After getting a tour of the church we were then let out for free time.
Some of my friends and I decided it would be a perfect opportunity to go shopping! So we went to the street vendors and Zara (kind of like a Marshall Field’s) and some other shops. I got a really cute new black coat, love it! Then we went to the covered bridge and indulged ourselves with some heavenly waffles topped with gelato. They definitely know what they are doing with their gelato here in Firenze. I made quite a mess though, it sounds great in theory but once you try to eat it a mess inevitably follows!
We went back to our hotel and after a quick cat nap walked down the street for our dinner at La Borsa. We sat in three different tables and were given plates that had three different sections on it. It kind of looked like those dishes you’d have your microwaved dinners served in. Anywho, we had three different pasta’s served to us that night and each was given to us in a different section. The first was one good, but the others I didn’t really care for much. They had experimented with am asparagus sauce pasta that was creepily creamy and a mushroom sauced ravioli that was just alright. Then we were given huuuuuge amounts of meat. I was very excited because there was chicken! But upon biting into it I heard a loud CRACK and saw that there were bones in places of the chicken that normally aren’t supposed to be there. There were also lamb chops though that were hmm hmm good. It was one of the girls birthday’s too, Casey, so we all got these amazing balls covered in chocolate and she got a cake with candles!
After dinner we went our in search of some bars to buy Casey here birthday drinks. The streets were packed and especially in this one club we went to. You literally had to squeeze your way through people just to get to the dance floor. And even once you made it you still felt like a stinky sardine being smashed together with the rest of them. A rather eventful night!
Friday February 22
Our third and final day started with a delicious breakfast at the hotel and then us stuffing our bags to drop off into the lobby. We marched out together for our last jaunt around Firenze and walked to many of the sights, including; Pallazo Rucellai, Palazzo Strozzi, Piazza della Repubblica and to Piazza della Signoria.
After all that walking we end up at the Gelleria degli Uffizi! The Uffizi is a famous museum that holds some of history’s most famous paintings by artists such as Botichelli, Rembrant, Picasso and others. It is said that it is argued to be just as well known as the Louvre in Paris. It was so incredible to walk through the halls of this immensely amazing museum and see painting that were created soooo long ago! We saw many wonderful paintings, but those most well-known that we saw are The Duke of Umbria, Primavera and The Birth of Venus. We had an extensive tour given to us by Filiberto, but after a while I wandered a bit from the group and got to see rooms of art and just enjoy the view, rather than hear the whole group chit-chat.
By 1pm we were allowed to go by ourselves to lunch of leave Firenze to venture somewhere else. I went to lunch with Megan, Audrey and Casey and we ate a very simply but great lunch on top of a building that overlooked Florence. It was a beautiful day and we couldn’t have been happier to enjoy our meal while basking in the sun.
I said goodbye to the girls and gave Kimmy a call. For those of you who don’t know Kimmy, you are sadly missing out on one of the most genuinely great people of all time. Kimmy is in my sorority and although we didn’t know it before meeting a few years ago we also grew up in the same city! She graduated Grand Valley last year and is now working on her master’s degree in Florence. She has been there since September and I haven’t seen her since then, so it was very nice to catch up with her! She also just got engaged, yeah!!! Congrats Kimmy!! We met at the steps of the Duomo and I got to see her engagement ring and hear her oh-so-sweet tale of the proposal. Too cute. We headed back to here apartment that she shares with two other girls from California and where she has her own bedroom. She had some errands to run so I took a much needed nap… which turned into a 5 hour siesta. Haha, I can’t help it that her bed was so comfy!
I got some pizza from across the way once I woke up; it had mozzarella, tomato and eggplant parmesan on a ciabatta bread crust- outstanding! Then we watched a movie, the Chronicles of Narnia to be exact, not too shabby of a movie, and hit the hay.
Saturday February 23
The next day we went grocery shopping and then ate delicious burritos for lunch and then went shopping for a new pair of pants. Kimmy knows all the great finds and I found a really cute new pair of pants which are purple! Tehehe, not outrageously purple, but just enough where it feels fun to wear them.
That night was one of Kimmy’s friends birthday’s so she had a bunch of her friends over. It was nice to meet everyone that she goes to school with and hang out with people that I don’t see everyday in Macerata. We also played this amazing card game that’s called Terets. Simply amazing, ask me to teach you when I get back ;) Then we called it a night and headed to bed.
Sunday February 24
I had an early train Sunday morning and had to change trains twice to get back to Macerata. I felt like I was on trains all day, however, it was a very nice five days in Florence, and I definitely feel it’s someplace everyone should visit!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Beach bums and cave explorers
February 15
We started off the day going to Loreto. Many people, including Mother Teresa, have made a pilgrimage there. I'm sure you are now thinking, well why would so many people come all that way? For starters, the Pope has an apartment there. It was used more often in past years, but is still pretty neat for the Pope to have somewhere to escape from the Vatican. Loreto is also home to one of the very few black Madonna's. It's basically a statue of a Madonna, but she's made from black stone instead of marble and there are very, very rare to find. But, the coolest part is that the black Madonna is housed in the house of Mary!!!! That's right, Loreto has within its cathedral the home that the Virgin Mary lived in. There are pictures of it on postcards I sent to some of you, but there is a huge marble house encasing the brick house of Mary. People from all around the world pilgrimage here and walk on their knees all the way around it while praying. As soon as you walk inside her house its like a breathe of fresh air just hits you and everything seems right again. Although I have never been one to fully believe or understand miracles, I truly think this place could do just that. It's very quiet inside, not eerily quiet, but just very peaceful. I could have stayed there for hours and sort out my brain if I didn't have to catch up with my group.
After visiting the gift shop we loaded the bus to go to Sirolo. It was SO amazing there! There were huge cliffs that dropped off into the Adriatic Sea and a beach that stretched for miles! The weather was perfect and we stripped down to our skivvies and dove right into the water. Okay... we didn't exactly go skinny dipping but we did shed our coats and I accidently let the water run over my feet... with my shoes still on. Whoops. Then we climbed up these rocks that jutted out into the sea and basked in the warm sunlight. It was sooo nice.
I was sitting on the rocks watching the waves crash and attempting to be a shade darker than Casper when all of a sudden I heard a big SPLASH! I looked over and saw that one of my classmates, Clarke, had slipped and fallen into the water! Others had to help him back on the rocks because it was so slippery and he was sopping wet. Poor guy, he took it like a trooper though! After taking loads of funny pictures and playing hopscotch on rocks we realized we had to climb back up the mountain to pick up the bus, ugh. Weaving up treacherous paths through trees and roots we heaved and hoed our way to the top of the cliff… and I had previously complained about walking uphill to class, ha!
After the workout of a lifetime we drove to Genga/ Frasassi and went to lunch at Ristorante da Francesco. Starving we plowed down on the bread before us and all of the water we could handle. Then the pasta came which was- heavenly! It was a linguini in a tomato sauce and come to find out, had wild boar in it. I had no idea what the meat was as I was shoveling it in my mouth, but it was quite tender and delicious. I would definitely recommend it to anyone with an adventurous appetite. That course was followed by a salad, and then dessert. It was marvelously presented, but then once we took a bite we realized it was soaked in rum, which wasn’t exactly a pleasant surprise. After our hike the last thing we wanted was something to upset our stomachs. But the rest of it was delicious.
After filling ourselves to the brim we took a short walk to the Grotte di Frasassi. It is this enormous natural cave that was first discovered by some rock climbers in the 80’s. There are 5 different chambers available for guided tours and they also offer cave exploration for extra money. In the cave exploration part they give you helmets, suits and rope to discover what’s off the beaten path of the tour. But with the group we got a tour guide and went inside. There were stalagmites and stalactites that were as old as 1.4 million years old. It was rather warm in there too, and the tour guide told us that it naturally remains the same temperature throughout the whole year. We saw mineral formations that looked like people, polar bears and castles. It was pretty neat to see a cave that has been around for so long.
After entering back into the land of inconsistent temperatures we went to a famous winery, Cantine Belisario, where they produce the renowned white wine “Verdicchio di Matelica.” We got a tour of the vats that they ferment the wine in and the barrels where it is stored. It is quite a long process that I hadn’t realized takes such perfection to get it right. Then we were brought inside to the store and had a wine tasting lesson. We each got a glass of wine and were taught the proper way to swish it to see how the wine runs down the inside of the glass. Then we learned the appropriate smelling techniques with wine and then finally how to taste it. We also got a discount on bottles of wine if we wanted to purchase any, so Mom and Dad, look for yours to come ;)
We started off the day going to Loreto. Many people, including Mother Teresa, have made a pilgrimage there. I'm sure you are now thinking, well why would so many people come all that way? For starters, the Pope has an apartment there. It was used more often in past years, but is still pretty neat for the Pope to have somewhere to escape from the Vatican. Loreto is also home to one of the very few black Madonna's. It's basically a statue of a Madonna, but she's made from black stone instead of marble and there are very, very rare to find. But, the coolest part is that the black Madonna is housed in the house of Mary!!!! That's right, Loreto has within its cathedral the home that the Virgin Mary lived in. There are pictures of it on postcards I sent to some of you, but there is a huge marble house encasing the brick house of Mary. People from all around the world pilgrimage here and walk on their knees all the way around it while praying. As soon as you walk inside her house its like a breathe of fresh air just hits you and everything seems right again. Although I have never been one to fully believe or understand miracles, I truly think this place could do just that. It's very quiet inside, not eerily quiet, but just very peaceful. I could have stayed there for hours and sort out my brain if I didn't have to catch up with my group.
After visiting the gift shop we loaded the bus to go to Sirolo. It was SO amazing there! There were huge cliffs that dropped off into the Adriatic Sea and a beach that stretched for miles! The weather was perfect and we stripped down to our skivvies and dove right into the water. Okay... we didn't exactly go skinny dipping but we did shed our coats and I accidently let the water run over my feet... with my shoes still on. Whoops. Then we climbed up these rocks that jutted out into the sea and basked in the warm sunlight. It was sooo nice.
I was sitting on the rocks watching the waves crash and attempting to be a shade darker than Casper when all of a sudden I heard a big SPLASH! I looked over and saw that one of my classmates, Clarke, had slipped and fallen into the water! Others had to help him back on the rocks because it was so slippery and he was sopping wet. Poor guy, he took it like a trooper though! After taking loads of funny pictures and playing hopscotch on rocks we realized we had to climb back up the mountain to pick up the bus, ugh. Weaving up treacherous paths through trees and roots we heaved and hoed our way to the top of the cliff… and I had previously complained about walking uphill to class, ha!
After the workout of a lifetime we drove to Genga/ Frasassi and went to lunch at Ristorante da Francesco. Starving we plowed down on the bread before us and all of the water we could handle. Then the pasta came which was- heavenly! It was a linguini in a tomato sauce and come to find out, had wild boar in it. I had no idea what the meat was as I was shoveling it in my mouth, but it was quite tender and delicious. I would definitely recommend it to anyone with an adventurous appetite. That course was followed by a salad, and then dessert. It was marvelously presented, but then once we took a bite we realized it was soaked in rum, which wasn’t exactly a pleasant surprise. After our hike the last thing we wanted was something to upset our stomachs. But the rest of it was delicious.
After filling ourselves to the brim we took a short walk to the Grotte di Frasassi. It is this enormous natural cave that was first discovered by some rock climbers in the 80’s. There are 5 different chambers available for guided tours and they also offer cave exploration for extra money. In the cave exploration part they give you helmets, suits and rope to discover what’s off the beaten path of the tour. But with the group we got a tour guide and went inside. There were stalagmites and stalactites that were as old as 1.4 million years old. It was rather warm in there too, and the tour guide told us that it naturally remains the same temperature throughout the whole year. We saw mineral formations that looked like people, polar bears and castles. It was pretty neat to see a cave that has been around for so long.
After entering back into the land of inconsistent temperatures we went to a famous winery, Cantine Belisario, where they produce the renowned white wine “Verdicchio di Matelica.” We got a tour of the vats that they ferment the wine in and the barrels where it is stored. It is quite a long process that I hadn’t realized takes such perfection to get it right. Then we were brought inside to the store and had a wine tasting lesson. We each got a glass of wine and were taught the proper way to swish it to see how the wine runs down the inside of the glass. Then we learned the appropriate smelling techniques with wine and then finally how to taste it. We also got a discount on bottles of wine if we wanted to purchase any, so Mom and Dad, look for yours to come ;)
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Contemplating Monk-hood
After prying our lifeless bodies out of bed at the butt-crack of dawn, we gathered ourselves together to board the bus and head to Assisi. Which, by the way, I learned is not pronounced Ah-sis-ee, but rather Ah-see-see. Assisi is the home to St. Francis, where he built his own church and started the Franciscan Monastery. He spoke about God and the bible to whoever would listen, including animals (there are a lot of fresco’s where he is talking to animals) and he gave up all his family had given him to live a life of poverty to be closer to God. He also vowed to a life of chastity and to display that shaved his head in the classic monk haircut- a big shaved circle on the top of his head.
So, anywho, we arrived in Assisi at about 9:30am and started in the Basilica di San Francesco. It is a monstrous church that could easily put a castle to shame. They started to build the basilica in honor of St. Francis after he died of pneumonia in 1263. We started in the Chiesa Inferiore (the lower level) and then descended to the Tomba di San Francesco. I saw where St. Francis’ remains are! It was incredible! He was originally buried in fresh dirt where he had asked to be buried when he died, but once the basilica was completed they moved his remains there. There were monks everywhere there (it’s a big tourist attraction) and so you couldn’t take any pictures, but I wanted to sooooo badly! His tomb is directly below the altar of the main church that is above. I mean, I am still insanely amazed that I saw where the remains of a saint are!
Then we walked upstairs to the Chiesa Superiore (main church) and looked at fresco’s that took up more area than my high school gymnasium. We’ve been studying paintings done by Cimabue and Pietro Lorenzetti in my Art History class, but all we really do is see slides of paintings. But then at the church we got to see the real thing!!!!! It was so incredible to see in person true works of art that have lasted for centuries.
When Napoleon conquered Italy he considered himself to be the anti-Christ and turned most of the churches throughout the country into something else. He had the basilica turned into a stable for horses… which would probably be a Ritz Carleton for those lucky horses that got to reside there. I mean, I can’t even properly give this place justice as to how huuuuge it is! Hopefully the picture at the beginning can give you an idea…
We also were able to view some of the remaining belongings of St. Francis. Although he didn’t have much, we got to see the robe he wore, as well as a robe of wool he wore underneath it during the winter. I wish I had a broader/ more descriptive vocabulary in order to explain the enormously sensational feeling of awe when seeing this. There were also handkerchiefs that had been used by him when he was sick with pneumonia to dab away his sweat, and a letter from the Pope declaring his brotherhood to be official in the eyes of the church, a rock where one of the monks used to lie his head at night, and a pair of boot/ moccasins St. Francis wore during the winter… which strangely resembled Uggs.
We then had lunch at this adorable restaurant, Ristorante Anfiteatro, which was within an old coliseum. The inside of the restaurant has pictures of Roman Gods painted all along the walls. This time we got a choice of what pasta and meat we wanted, I chose Spaghetti Carbonara and roast beef. The pasta was good, very filling, but a little too eggy for my taste. The pork roast was also pretty good, it came with a sort of carrot sauce and it reminded me of beef stew my mom used to make… except this beef was very thin and not at all chunky. Then we explored town a little and got some yummy gelato and saw decently priced shoes that I was going to buy, but of course the shop was closed. Probably best I suppose. Oh well.
We met as a group again and toured the Cattedrale di San Ruffino. After that we went to the Basilica di Santa Chiara. In English she is known as Saint Clare. She and St. Francis were in love before he devoted himself to God. She decided that she also wanted to follow that path and become a monk… or a nun… whatever a woman monk is called. And she started the women part of the Franciscan’s. We saw a wax outline of her body… kind of creepy, but there are a lot of wax outlines of body’s in churches. And we saw the cloak and robe that she wore… so old! There was also her wedding dress there that she had made before she decided to join Francis and God. And when she decided to devote herself to Jesus, they cut off all her hair (its part of the practice I suppose, just like the monk haircut, only they didn’t cut her hair quite that short or shave it). And they kept her hair in a box and it was there at the church, she had long beautiful locks of golden blonde hair- I saw hair that dates back to the 1200’s… holy moly!
After that we walked down a big hill through olive trees and came to the church that St. Francis and his brothers built by hand. It was quite a remarkable experience; to see the stones they laid by hand and smell the inscents burning and walk on the floors where they slept- absolutely amazing! After we looked at every nook and kraney of the church we searched the area high and low for a bathroom, but the best we could find was a big tree- which we decided to pass on. We labored up the steep hill that was so charming to go down, but felt intense leg pain when struggling to go back up it to catch the bus. Loading the bus and taking my seat I curled up for a relaxing, but curvy, ride home. Mmmm, nothing ends the day like complete physical exhaustion.
So, anywho, we arrived in Assisi at about 9:30am and started in the Basilica di San Francesco. It is a monstrous church that could easily put a castle to shame. They started to build the basilica in honor of St. Francis after he died of pneumonia in 1263. We started in the Chiesa Inferiore (the lower level) and then descended to the Tomba di San Francesco. I saw where St. Francis’ remains are! It was incredible! He was originally buried in fresh dirt where he had asked to be buried when he died, but once the basilica was completed they moved his remains there. There were monks everywhere there (it’s a big tourist attraction) and so you couldn’t take any pictures, but I wanted to sooooo badly! His tomb is directly below the altar of the main church that is above. I mean, I am still insanely amazed that I saw where the remains of a saint are!
Then we walked upstairs to the Chiesa Superiore (main church) and looked at fresco’s that took up more area than my high school gymnasium. We’ve been studying paintings done by Cimabue and Pietro Lorenzetti in my Art History class, but all we really do is see slides of paintings. But then at the church we got to see the real thing!!!!! It was so incredible to see in person true works of art that have lasted for centuries.
When Napoleon conquered Italy he considered himself to be the anti-Christ and turned most of the churches throughout the country into something else. He had the basilica turned into a stable for horses… which would probably be a Ritz Carleton for those lucky horses that got to reside there. I mean, I can’t even properly give this place justice as to how huuuuge it is! Hopefully the picture at the beginning can give you an idea…
We also were able to view some of the remaining belongings of St. Francis. Although he didn’t have much, we got to see the robe he wore, as well as a robe of wool he wore underneath it during the winter. I wish I had a broader/ more descriptive vocabulary in order to explain the enormously sensational feeling of awe when seeing this. There were also handkerchiefs that had been used by him when he was sick with pneumonia to dab away his sweat, and a letter from the Pope declaring his brotherhood to be official in the eyes of the church, a rock where one of the monks used to lie his head at night, and a pair of boot/ moccasins St. Francis wore during the winter… which strangely resembled Uggs.
We then had lunch at this adorable restaurant, Ristorante Anfiteatro, which was within an old coliseum. The inside of the restaurant has pictures of Roman Gods painted all along the walls. This time we got a choice of what pasta and meat we wanted, I chose Spaghetti Carbonara and roast beef. The pasta was good, very filling, but a little too eggy for my taste. The pork roast was also pretty good, it came with a sort of carrot sauce and it reminded me of beef stew my mom used to make… except this beef was very thin and not at all chunky. Then we explored town a little and got some yummy gelato and saw decently priced shoes that I was going to buy, but of course the shop was closed. Probably best I suppose. Oh well.
We met as a group again and toured the Cattedrale di San Ruffino. After that we went to the Basilica di Santa Chiara. In English she is known as Saint Clare. She and St. Francis were in love before he devoted himself to God. She decided that she also wanted to follow that path and become a monk… or a nun… whatever a woman monk is called. And she started the women part of the Franciscan’s. We saw a wax outline of her body… kind of creepy, but there are a lot of wax outlines of body’s in churches. And we saw the cloak and robe that she wore… so old! There was also her wedding dress there that she had made before she decided to join Francis and God. And when she decided to devote herself to Jesus, they cut off all her hair (its part of the practice I suppose, just like the monk haircut, only they didn’t cut her hair quite that short or shave it). And they kept her hair in a box and it was there at the church, she had long beautiful locks of golden blonde hair- I saw hair that dates back to the 1200’s… holy moly!
After that we walked down a big hill through olive trees and came to the church that St. Francis and his brothers built by hand. It was quite a remarkable experience; to see the stones they laid by hand and smell the inscents burning and walk on the floors where they slept- absolutely amazing! After we looked at every nook and kraney of the church we searched the area high and low for a bathroom, but the best we could find was a big tree- which we decided to pass on. We labored up the steep hill that was so charming to go down, but felt intense leg pain when struggling to go back up it to catch the bus. Loading the bus and taking my seat I curled up for a relaxing, but curvy, ride home. Mmmm, nothing ends the day like complete physical exhaustion.
My roommate, Amanda, and I with our director, Filiberto. He is quite possibly one of the coolest humans on earth.
A view of the rolling hills of Assisi from the Basilica.
A quaint little side street on our way to lunch.
I have confetti lodged in my lungs
January 31st
Thursday night we got tickets to go see what we thought was going to be a dance concert. We got there all excited and out of breath from the scalette and climbed to the 3rd floor to find our balcony seats. We had our own little box that had a lovely view of the whole theatre. The lights lowered and on came a little old lady, who spoke for a while in Italian, then the curtains parted and onstage there was a big screen in the back, a band on stage right and a row of people in chairs on stage left. To be quite honest, none of us knew what was going on. There was an old man that sang songs and then the people in the rows came up in turns and read from a script. Then there were clips shown on the screen in the back, some of it was silent and then other parts we fully equipped with audio. We think the first part of this little treat was about a woman, Carmella, who the old man loved but died. Then we put a little more of it together and we think that the old woman who spoke at the beginning was the wife of a famous director/writer/actor who recently passed away. We think what we saw was a sort of tribute to him. But quite honestly we are still trying to understand what we saw… it was definitely faaaar from normal. I would equate it to a bad acid trip. Very weird.
February 1st
Then we had Friday off, a much needed three day weekend with nothing to do! We took a trip for groceries and then decided to purchase our last jar of Nutella. Ohhhhh Nutella; I’m sure you’ve heard me mention this divine product numerous amounts of times. Well, since I’ve been in Italy I have consumed approximately 3 jars… clearly an obese amount. In the spirit of Lent we decided it was necessary to give up Nutella, just to make sure our hearts still pump when we return to America. But while I strive to live without it, I highly advise getting some for yourself. This way I can live vicariously through your delicious adventures, haha. Oi, I hope I make it 40 days!
February 3rd
Carnivale was also this weekend. I don’t know if you know what Carnivale is, but it’s a big celebration here the weekend before Fat Tuesday. Venice holds a huge celebration; it’s about the equivalent to Mardi Gras in the U.S. I went to the one in Macerata on Sunday with some friends. There were huge floats and people dressed in costumes all over the place. Kids were throwing confetti, silly string and shaving cream attacked from all directions and endless amounts of scrumptious food lined the streets. It was a fun way to wrap up the weekend.
February 5th
Tuesday we had an excursion to Ascoli Piceno. Tuesday was Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday when Lent starts. Today was a great day to go on an excursion, because there are so many fun celebrations that go on. We took the morning to tour some churches and look at some architecture in town, and then had lunch at this quaint little restaurant just off the beaten path. The pasta we were served had this amazing tomato sauce that when you ate it you just felt like home was running down your throat… soooo yummy.
Then we had the rest of the afternoon to do what we pleased. We took this opportunity to engage in a rather brutal confetti war. Oh yes, it was nearly fatal. Armed with bags of confetti and silly string, it was every man for himself. Once our bags ran out we took to scrapping the street to gather more confetti. We were in the town square and just annihilated each other with fists full of shreds of paper, aiming for unexpected participants and open mouths. I am pretty sure that even after coughing up a considerable amount of confetti, I still have some lodged in the deep valleys of my lungs. Quite amusing though, I think all the little kids were jealous of how much fun we were having.
After a truce between all, Amanda and I went around to see the different areas of the town piazza’s and the shows that we being put on. There were a lot of people in costume everywhere, and we observed that most men were dressed as women… weird? We saw one show where people were dressed in horse costumes (one person the head, the other the behind) and they were riding around in a carousel. Then there was a ring master that had to keep catching them when the horses would run away into the town. All the while men dressed as women pranced around inside of the ring and tried to get little kids to join the carousel for a ride. I took a video of it; my explanation hardly does it justice. I will try to post the video on YouTube soon.
Then, I waited in a pushy line for 12 minutes just to get pizza that scorched the roof of my mouth and left me still hungry. Once we were all thoroughly confused about this holiday and jealous we didn’t have sufficient costume, we slowly boarded the bus with the promise of a cozy bed waiting for us at home.
Thursday night we got tickets to go see what we thought was going to be a dance concert. We got there all excited and out of breath from the scalette and climbed to the 3rd floor to find our balcony seats. We had our own little box that had a lovely view of the whole theatre. The lights lowered and on came a little old lady, who spoke for a while in Italian, then the curtains parted and onstage there was a big screen in the back, a band on stage right and a row of people in chairs on stage left. To be quite honest, none of us knew what was going on. There was an old man that sang songs and then the people in the rows came up in turns and read from a script. Then there were clips shown on the screen in the back, some of it was silent and then other parts we fully equipped with audio. We think the first part of this little treat was about a woman, Carmella, who the old man loved but died. Then we put a little more of it together and we think that the old woman who spoke at the beginning was the wife of a famous director/writer/actor who recently passed away. We think what we saw was a sort of tribute to him. But quite honestly we are still trying to understand what we saw… it was definitely faaaar from normal. I would equate it to a bad acid trip. Very weird.
February 1st
Then we had Friday off, a much needed three day weekend with nothing to do! We took a trip for groceries and then decided to purchase our last jar of Nutella. Ohhhhh Nutella; I’m sure you’ve heard me mention this divine product numerous amounts of times. Well, since I’ve been in Italy I have consumed approximately 3 jars… clearly an obese amount. In the spirit of Lent we decided it was necessary to give up Nutella, just to make sure our hearts still pump when we return to America. But while I strive to live without it, I highly advise getting some for yourself. This way I can live vicariously through your delicious adventures, haha. Oi, I hope I make it 40 days!
February 3rd
Carnivale was also this weekend. I don’t know if you know what Carnivale is, but it’s a big celebration here the weekend before Fat Tuesday. Venice holds a huge celebration; it’s about the equivalent to Mardi Gras in the U.S. I went to the one in Macerata on Sunday with some friends. There were huge floats and people dressed in costumes all over the place. Kids were throwing confetti, silly string and shaving cream attacked from all directions and endless amounts of scrumptious food lined the streets. It was a fun way to wrap up the weekend.
February 5th
Tuesday we had an excursion to Ascoli Piceno. Tuesday was Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday when Lent starts. Today was a great day to go on an excursion, because there are so many fun celebrations that go on. We took the morning to tour some churches and look at some architecture in town, and then had lunch at this quaint little restaurant just off the beaten path. The pasta we were served had this amazing tomato sauce that when you ate it you just felt like home was running down your throat… soooo yummy.
Then we had the rest of the afternoon to do what we pleased. We took this opportunity to engage in a rather brutal confetti war. Oh yes, it was nearly fatal. Armed with bags of confetti and silly string, it was every man for himself. Once our bags ran out we took to scrapping the street to gather more confetti. We were in the town square and just annihilated each other with fists full of shreds of paper, aiming for unexpected participants and open mouths. I am pretty sure that even after coughing up a considerable amount of confetti, I still have some lodged in the deep valleys of my lungs. Quite amusing though, I think all the little kids were jealous of how much fun we were having.
After a truce between all, Amanda and I went around to see the different areas of the town piazza’s and the shows that we being put on. There were a lot of people in costume everywhere, and we observed that most men were dressed as women… weird? We saw one show where people were dressed in horse costumes (one person the head, the other the behind) and they were riding around in a carousel. Then there was a ring master that had to keep catching them when the horses would run away into the town. All the while men dressed as women pranced around inside of the ring and tried to get little kids to join the carousel for a ride. I took a video of it; my explanation hardly does it justice. I will try to post the video on YouTube soon.
Then, I waited in a pushy line for 12 minutes just to get pizza that scorched the roof of my mouth and left me still hungry. Once we were all thoroughly confused about this holiday and jealous we didn’t have sufficient costume, we slowly boarded the bus with the promise of a cozy bed waiting for us at home.
This is Megan, she got ambushed by a bunch of 12- year- olds... clearly she lost the war.
This is one of the floats in the parade in Macerata on Sunday... don't ask me why they had a Bin Laden float, I have not the slightest idea.
A little snapshot of men dressed as women- hotties.
One of my favorite little kids that was dressed up for Carnivale on Tuesday. They were cute at the beginning of the day, but as it got later I got just as whiney and tired as them.
A little snapshot of men dressed as women- hotties.
One of my favorite little kids that was dressed up for Carnivale on Tuesday. They were cute at the beginning of the day, but as it got later I got just as whiney and tired as them.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Castles, Conversations and Mohawks
The view from San Ginesio was superb. We got an amazing group shot with everyone together at the top of the city walls over looking the mountains. San Ginesio is higher (altitude) than Macerata, so it was a little colder there…we even got a glimpse of some frost! We toured the city which was similar to Macerata, but on a much smaller scale. We visited a church in San Ginesio too, and got to walk down below the church into the 
crypt. There were fresco’s discovered down there that had been painted before the plague… so quite some time ago. A fresco is basically a painting that is drawn on a wall. But here is a picture of one on the wall of the crypt.
crypt. There were fresco’s discovered down there that had been painted before the plague… so quite some time ago. A fresco is basically a painting that is drawn on a wall. But here is a picture of one on the wall of the crypt.
This is the Abbey. It’s a monastery just outside of Macerata. It used to house nearly 80 monks, but now only about 7 I think. The corridor on the second flooris where the monks sleeping quarters are located. Below it is the chapel where the pray. Then below that are all these tunnels that lead out of the Abbey, so in case soldiers were to attack the monks could get out. We made our way through them… it was kind of creepy.
We ate our lunch at the Abbey. I guess the monastery is a popular place for tourists, but since it was the off season there was really only about one restaurant open so our options were limited. The food was very good, but I felt like since there were so many of us, I didn’t get enough to eat. Lately, I have realized that’s how it is here: I am either starving or stuffed. There is never a nice medium. Oh well, not mad.
Our next stop that day was Castle de Rancia in Torentino. The castle was very nice, and had a 
long spread of rolling hills around it; very picturesque. In the castle occured a famous pact where Napolean and the Pope made an agreement for Napolean to occupy land in northern Italy in exchange for the Pope to rule the area of Le Marche. They were also setting up a wedding show while we were there, where different wedding planners can show off what they have to offer couples. Some very interesting things and lots of rushing people! We got to see the dungeon where people rotted and were beheaded, as well as the roof where you could see all the land and the moat that surrounded the castle.
long spread of rolling hills around it; very picturesque. In the castle occured a famous pact where Napolean and the Pope made an agreement for Napolean to occupy land in northern Italy in exchange for the Pope to rule the area of Le Marche. They were also setting up a wedding show while we were there, where different wedding planners can show off what they have to offer couples. Some very interesting things and lots of rushing people! We got to see the dungeon where people rotted and were beheaded, as well as the roof where you could see all the land and the moat that surrounded the castle. After the getting lost a bit in the castle, we found our group and boarded the bus to enter the city 
center of Tolentino. A very interesting clock gave information to people while in the town square: the time, date, phases of the moon and day of the week.
center of Tolentino. A very interesting clock gave information to people while in the town square: the time, date, phases of the moon and day of the week.Then we visited a church that is so far the biggest I have seen while in Italy. I think it was the church of Saint Nicholas.... but I'll have to double check that. The inside ceiling of the main church area, above the pews, had large figures of different saints and the Virgin Mary and Christ 
and the diciples. They were fairly large, human like almost, it was impressive. We also got to see more fresco's. The one pictures below is of Saint Nicholas. It tells of his life and how he was saint-like throughout his childhood and into his adulthood. If you look closely too you can see where people have put graffiti. Not destroying the picture- but this grafitti was from people back in the 1800's who would come to this church and write their wishes for Saint Nick on the walls of his fresco. I saw handwriting from people from England that came here to ask for help from Santa Clause, I mean... WOW! Talk about an impressive letter to Santa.
and the diciples. They were fairly large, human like almost, it was impressive. We also got to see more fresco's. The one pictures below is of Saint Nicholas. It tells of his life and how he was saint-like throughout his childhood and into his adulthood. If you look closely too you can see where people have put graffiti. Not destroying the picture- but this grafitti was from people back in the 1800's who would come to this church and write their wishes for Saint Nick on the walls of his fresco. I saw handwriting from people from England that came here to ask for help from Santa Clause, I mean... WOW! Talk about an impressive letter to Santa.After exploring the church more and realizing how tired I had become, we sat at a nice little cafe where I got some AMAZING hot chocolate and waited for our bus. Once home we fill our bellies with grilled cheese (with our favorite- gouda) and yummy nutella and fruit.
Saturday morning we woke and got ready to venture on the bus to Cityper- a mall just outside of town that has a large grocery store in it. While walking up the street to the bus stop, we came across an elderly lady. She asked (in Italian) if we were University of Macerata students. To our surprise we understood what she was saying and replied with a jovial, "Si!" Then we continued to talk to her and introduced ourselves and where we were from and then found out that she knows our director, Filiberto! We really only understood about every 3rd or 4th word, but it was so exciting to have a conversation with a local!! Her name is Yoanna, and lives just down the street from us and we think she's a landlord for some of the people in our group too.
Once we were at the grocery store we found mad discounts to which we were very excited about. We got a bunch of off brand products in order to save money, my favorite being Jovial Soda. Jill and I also found these great soup mixes that all you have to do is add water- finally directions we could understand! After filling our hand held baskets with as much as they could fill, we made our way to the cheese aisle, to obtain our gouda. But alas, after much searching we could not find it! Me on one end, and Jill on the other of the aisle, she asked, "Should we just try a new cheese?" A little white haired man next to her turned with a wide grin and whispered, "Go for it!" Clearly this man knew we needed to explore more than the world of gouda and gave us a little nudge. So we got some cheese that will be good fruit, some brie and some marscoponi... both of which we have found to be delicious.
Sunday we had decided that since nothing was open we would have a Gilmore Girls marathon and give me a mohawk... oh yes, you read correctly. During our time in Italy we have decided that we each are going to create a portfolio for America's Next Top Model. Although all of us involved in this endeavor are below 5'3", we knew it would prove to be good fun and keep us creative. Anywho- Sunday was my first photo shoot. My roommate, Jill, is a hairdresser and majoring in photography so she knew what she was doing. She started by giving me cornrows up the sides of my head to leadup to a row of long hair in the middle of my head where the mohawk would be. (Don't worry Mom, there was no shaving my head) With about 10 pounds of hair gel, and 2 million squirts of hairspray we were able to create a mound of hair that had height I never thought was possible. Although I don't have pictures on my computer yet, don't fret, I will soon post the outcome of our ridiculousness. Ciao bella!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Eventful dinner leads to missed trains
Last Thursday we were invited to our guest Professor’s house for dinner. Megan makes a mean lemon bar, so after getting the recipe from her we miraculously found all the ingredients in a local grocery store we hadn’t been to yet. So we baked the lemon bars and they came out delicious. We sliced them up, so that no one could tell we had a taste test already, and brought them over to the professor’s house. At half past seven we rang the doorbell and were greeted with a warm kitchen a delicious smells wafting down through the apartment. Dom, our professor, showed us around the apartment that the guest professor gets to live in all semester. We were of course jealous that they had a shower you didn’t have to hold up to use… lucky. Then we began dinner with some antipasta, a selection of cheese, pears and olives. Kim, Dom’s wife, shared with us her trying day of getting locked out of the apartment earlier that day and then having to put everything back at the grocery store because they didn’t accept credit cards. It was good to know that we weren’t the only ones who suffered from lack of communication skills.
Dinner was good and afterward we played a six hand euchre. Being from Michigan it was just assumed that I already knew how to play Euchre, but alas, people have neglected to teach me to play my entire life! So, I finally learned how to play. Although mostly confused at what I was doing, my team won :)
On our way home from dinner, I began getting this deep groan within my stomach. At first I thought, oh no, upset stomach. But upon finally reaching our humble abode, I was doubled up in cramping and felt like death was on its way. I tried a hot shower to loosen up my body (who knows why I thought this would work) but nothing helped and I just turned into a wrinkly raisin. I loaded up on tums and pepto and called it a night. We had another excursion of Macerata for the group the next day and I needed to be well rested.
The night was anything but restful. Getting up a million times during the night to rush to the bathroom only left me more confused and in pain as my body refused to do anything to rid myself of some poison I had digested. The alarm to wake up came quicker than I’d hoped and I struggled to put on clothing on stand up straight. Trying a few laps around our apartment to see if I could properly stand up only left me with a resounding, “Stay in bed!” Tearful that I would be missing out, my roommates assured me they would take many pictures so that I wouldn’t miss a thing. I crawled back into bed as they left and didn’t wake up again until 4pm.
I got up and slowly began to function as a human again. I was able to keep down some bread and boy oh boy did it taste good. By the time my roomates got back I was sitting upright and couldn't wait to see the pictures from their day. According to them, I didn't miss much. The only thing that would have been nice to see is the view from the clocktower, but they promised to take me up there the next time we have a weekend off.
Saturday morning rolled around and I felt 100% better, it's amazing what fluids, bread and a lot of sleep can do. Mmmmm, oh how I love sleep. We met everyone at the train station in the morning, which apparently is just down the road from our apartment, and took the train to Civitanova. Civitanova is a town right on the Adriatic Sea and has a great fish market. We got a private tour of the fishing boats, harbor and an inside look at the fish market that works like a miniature Wallstreet. Then Filiberto lead us to a restaurant right on the beach. We had lunch there that consisted of about 7 different courses- all of which were delicious! I've never tasted seafood so fresh. Some of the clams still had sand on it, but it was all so good! We were served clams, mussels, squid, gnocchi, salad, egg noodles, smoked tuna and french fries to top it all off. The meal was concluded by a cup of espresso and then a delicious cup of lemon sorbet to cleanse the palet.
After our tummy's were content we headed off to explore the shopping options. Time passed rather fast as we tried on ridiculous sequin tights and took pictures of our attempts at fitting in to the European fashion. Amanda and I went off to look for some more clothes. Once we were satisfied with our purchases we checked our schedule of the train times home and headed our way to the station to pick up the 6:30 train. But to our dismay, the train never arrived. Either it was very early, or just decided to never show up. Trying to read the train schedule posted was a disaster so we finally asked the help desk when the next train to Macerata was coming. (I clearly have no idea how I managed the train system by myself to get here, obviously it was a miracle) We were then told the next train was leaving at 8pm. Oh joy. With a tired body and soar feet we thanked the man and made our way over to the pizzeria across the street. Pizza- always a comfort food to make any situationi better. We downed a couple pieces and then sat there waiting for time to go by. We left the pizzeria 20 minutes before 8pm, just to be sure we would make it home. While waiting for the train this Italian woman came up to me and asked if this was the train to Macerata. Only understanding a few words I just nodded and smiled and replied with a generous, "Si." Clearly she was in the same situation as us. But then she asked another questions, to which I guessed at and once again replied with, "Si." .... I sure hope she got home okay, whoops.
We boarded the train, plopped down into seats and made our way home safely. What a good day, God bless the train system.
Dinner was good and afterward we played a six hand euchre. Being from Michigan it was just assumed that I already knew how to play Euchre, but alas, people have neglected to teach me to play my entire life! So, I finally learned how to play. Although mostly confused at what I was doing, my team won :)
On our way home from dinner, I began getting this deep groan within my stomach. At first I thought, oh no, upset stomach. But upon finally reaching our humble abode, I was doubled up in cramping and felt like death was on its way. I tried a hot shower to loosen up my body (who knows why I thought this would work) but nothing helped and I just turned into a wrinkly raisin. I loaded up on tums and pepto and called it a night. We had another excursion of Macerata for the group the next day and I needed to be well rested.
The night was anything but restful. Getting up a million times during the night to rush to the bathroom only left me more confused and in pain as my body refused to do anything to rid myself of some poison I had digested. The alarm to wake up came quicker than I’d hoped and I struggled to put on clothing on stand up straight. Trying a few laps around our apartment to see if I could properly stand up only left me with a resounding, “Stay in bed!” Tearful that I would be missing out, my roommates assured me they would take many pictures so that I wouldn’t miss a thing. I crawled back into bed as they left and didn’t wake up again until 4pm.
I got up and slowly began to function as a human again. I was able to keep down some bread and boy oh boy did it taste good. By the time my roomates got back I was sitting upright and couldn't wait to see the pictures from their day. According to them, I didn't miss much. The only thing that would have been nice to see is the view from the clocktower, but they promised to take me up there the next time we have a weekend off.
Saturday morning rolled around and I felt 100% better, it's amazing what fluids, bread and a lot of sleep can do. Mmmmm, oh how I love sleep. We met everyone at the train station in the morning, which apparently is just down the road from our apartment, and took the train to Civitanova. Civitanova is a town right on the Adriatic Sea and has a great fish market. We got a private tour of the fishing boats, harbor and an inside look at the fish market that works like a miniature Wallstreet. Then Filiberto lead us to a restaurant right on the beach. We had lunch there that consisted of about 7 different courses- all of which were delicious! I've never tasted seafood so fresh. Some of the clams still had sand on it, but it was all so good! We were served clams, mussels, squid, gnocchi, salad, egg noodles, smoked tuna and french fries to top it all off. The meal was concluded by a cup of espresso and then a delicious cup of lemon sorbet to cleanse the palet.
After our tummy's were content we headed off to explore the shopping options. Time passed rather fast as we tried on ridiculous sequin tights and took pictures of our attempts at fitting in to the European fashion. Amanda and I went off to look for some more clothes. Once we were satisfied with our purchases we checked our schedule of the train times home and headed our way to the station to pick up the 6:30 train. But to our dismay, the train never arrived. Either it was very early, or just decided to never show up. Trying to read the train schedule posted was a disaster so we finally asked the help desk when the next train to Macerata was coming. (I clearly have no idea how I managed the train system by myself to get here, obviously it was a miracle) We were then told the next train was leaving at 8pm. Oh joy. With a tired body and soar feet we thanked the man and made our way over to the pizzeria across the street. Pizza- always a comfort food to make any situationi better. We downed a couple pieces and then sat there waiting for time to go by. We left the pizzeria 20 minutes before 8pm, just to be sure we would make it home. While waiting for the train this Italian woman came up to me and asked if this was the train to Macerata. Only understanding a few words I just nodded and smiled and replied with a generous, "Si." Clearly she was in the same situation as us. But then she asked another questions, to which I guessed at and once again replied with, "Si." .... I sure hope she got home okay, whoops.
We boarded the train, plopped down into seats and made our way home safely. What a good day, God bless the train system.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
My 21st Birthday :)
As I write this now I am no longer a 20 year old youngin', but am instead an ancient age of 21. Oi vey, how did time fly so fast?
The day (Tuesday, Jan. 15th) started off nicely with a bounding happy birthday from my roommates at the stroke of midnight. After a peaceful sleep I woke to a warm shower and a hair dryer! School went well... and of course people wishing me a "happy birthday" made the day even better. Then we made plans to eat dinner at a chinese restaurant, something that many people said they craved. However, after attending La Maruglia I am pretty sure no one will be wanting Chinese food for the rest of their time here. Everyone showed up and we enjoyed great conversation and.... interesting food. We got fried rice, which wasn't fried, lemon chicken that tasted like pure lemon and fried chicken that tasted like rubber. Ymmm.
However, I do have to say that although this place knew nothing of what sweet and sour chicken is supposed to taste like, they sure do know how to do dessert. For my birthday dessert I got fried nutella. (Apparently they love frying things there) Although this may sound disgusting, it taste DEVINE! It's like the angels in heaven got bored one day and decided to invent something for humans to get a glimpse of heaven. If you have never had it, I can really only do it justice by attempting to describe its taste as an elephant ear with Nutella spread over it. So good!
Then we went back to our apartment and busted out some music. I also got to talk to my mom and dad, which was great! My dad called after dinner though while I was at my apartment, so I excused myself and went into my bedroom. When I finished the phone call and tried to get out of my room though I found myself unable to get out! (The door was being held shut by people) Finally I flung the door open to find the entire apartment dark and eerie. Seeing a faint glimmer from the kitchen I made my way down the hall and to my surpsie everyone was there holding a cake with candles glowing upon it! They all sang me happy birthday and I got to make a wish and blow the candles out. It was exactly what I need to make the night perfect. Nothing like friends and cake to complete a fabulous day.
Turns out my roommates had made the cake the day earlier and hid it in the fridge... obviously I was oblivious to this. But the night was fun, delicious wine, fantastic cake and hilarious attempts to recreate the Willenium CD. All in all I am pleased with life!
The day (Tuesday, Jan. 15th) started off nicely with a bounding happy birthday from my roommates at the stroke of midnight. After a peaceful sleep I woke to a warm shower and a hair dryer! School went well... and of course people wishing me a "happy birthday" made the day even better. Then we made plans to eat dinner at a chinese restaurant, something that many people said they craved. However, after attending La Maruglia I am pretty sure no one will be wanting Chinese food for the rest of their time here. Everyone showed up and we enjoyed great conversation and.... interesting food. We got fried rice, which wasn't fried, lemon chicken that tasted like pure lemon and fried chicken that tasted like rubber. Ymmm.
However, I do have to say that although this place knew nothing of what sweet and sour chicken is supposed to taste like, they sure do know how to do dessert. For my birthday dessert I got fried nutella. (Apparently they love frying things there) Although this may sound disgusting, it taste DEVINE! It's like the angels in heaven got bored one day and decided to invent something for humans to get a glimpse of heaven. If you have never had it, I can really only do it justice by attempting to describe its taste as an elephant ear with Nutella spread over it. So good!
Then we went back to our apartment and busted out some music. I also got to talk to my mom and dad, which was great! My dad called after dinner though while I was at my apartment, so I excused myself and went into my bedroom. When I finished the phone call and tried to get out of my room though I found myself unable to get out! (The door was being held shut by people) Finally I flung the door open to find the entire apartment dark and eerie. Seeing a faint glimmer from the kitchen I made my way down the hall and to my surpsie everyone was there holding a cake with candles glowing upon it! They all sang me happy birthday and I got to make a wish and blow the candles out. It was exactly what I need to make the night perfect. Nothing like friends and cake to complete a fabulous day.
Turns out my roommates had made the cake the day earlier and hid it in the fridge... obviously I was oblivious to this. But the night was fun, delicious wine, fantastic cake and hilarious attempts to recreate the Willenium CD. All in all I am pleased with life!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Our Apartment
Here is our living room. We have some good channels like MTV and movies, except everythings dubbed in Italian... so its pretty funny. We have hardwood floors in our bedroom as well as here in the living room, which is quite the luxury in Italy! It helps to keep the room warm. The rest of the place just has terracotta tiles, very cold! Oh, and although we have a washer in our apartment, we don't have a dryer... and pretty much no one in Italy has a dryer. But at least we have a sweet drying rack :)
Here is our bedroom. I share a room with Amanda, my bed is the one nearest the wall with a picture of NYC above it. We have a nice view from our window of the surrounding neighborhood and a basketball court below. We also each have a desk and a closet for our clothes.
(Below is a look at our bedroom desks and closets)
This is our bathroom. Soooooo much nicer than the hostel's "bathroom." We have a tub and a shower head, only the shower head isn't attached to the wall, it's hand held... so it makes for an interesting shower at times. The toilet is kind of awkward to go to the bathroom on though because the bidet is right across from it!
Here is our hallway. The front door is right behind me taking the picture. And on the right (not shown in picture) is our bedroom. On the left, across from our bedroom door (also not shown) is the living room. Then up ahead to the right is the bedroom door to our other roommates, Bridget and Jill. And straight ahead is our bathroom door. Then to the left of that is our cozy kitchen. And here in the hallway we have a nice little rack for our coats.... oh how cute!
And here is our kitchen. The fridge isn't shown, but it's about as big as I am. Unfortunately no dishwasher, but we do have an oven! We tried cooking a big dinner for a bunch of people Friday night, but as it turns out we are anything but chefs. I tried to make these instant mashed potatoes, but they turned out like babyfood...eww.
We're also just down the road from the supermarket. So, when we went to get some groceries for the dinner it was a little nerve racking, not knowing what to expect. They had most things that they do in America, only everything is in Italian so I just did a lot of guessing by pictures. I found Frosted Flakes though, so thank goodness! And then I found the fresh fruit, ymmmmm. So I had my banana's at the checkout line and was trying to fit in acting like I knew what was going on. Then she held up the banana's and said something to which I replied with a nervous, "Huh, what? Sorry?" Come to find out, you have to weigh your fruits and vegetables and print out a scanning sticker for the cashier. Dumb me failed to see that when I originally got the fruit. So then after some charades I figured it out and ran back to the scale, got the sticker and then ran back to the line. All the while Italians giving me glares and muttering things I hope to never find out. Needless to say, I am still summing up the courage to go back grocery shopping tonight, wish me luck!
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