I woke up this morning around ten. Walked out into the kitchen, and was greeted by Marinella. She threw out her arms and wrapped me up and gave me the greatest, longest good morning hug in the world. What on earth am I going to do when I go back to LA and Marinella doesnt come with me? Every single morning when I get up she is there to give me hugs and kisses and love on me. It is the greatest thing in the world.
The sun was shining, so I was dying to get outside. Midterms start tomorrow, so I told myself I needed to spend the day studying, but I wasnt about to spend it studying all cooped up inside. So I decided to find a park. I told Alexandra that I wanted to leave, and she thought it was a great idea and decided to join me, so did Jackie. The three of us headed out. We stopped for cappucinos along the way, and after a beautiful walk arrived at Santa Maria Novella. Its one of the few places in the city that we know of with huge patches of grass. We found a spot and sat. The sun was shining, the sky was blue. It was the greatest feeling. The three of us just sat there in awe of the lives we are living right now. "Is this real life" was said about ten times. We talked about how we are the luckiest people in the world, and got depressed with the realization that this is halfway over. We made a pact to never mention the amount of time we have left...
I put my ipod in and listened to Beethoven, Alexandra helped me with my Italian homework. After a bit the girls were hungry so got up to go to a pizza place, I stayed and people watched. Right next to us there was a little boy, no older than 10 playing with a soccer ball. He was unbelievably skilled in handling the ball. At one point a group of men walked up to him and he passed one the ball, the 5 of them sat there passing the ball to each other and showing off with different tricks for about ten minutes. It reminded me of the episode from Everybody Loves Raymond (shout out to grandma and grandpa verd because I know they probably know the episode) when Rays family goes to Italy and Ray finally falls in love with the trip when he runs into the kids playing soccer. After a bit the group of men left, and an older man walked up. He was easily 60 or 70, but stood there passing with the little boy and doing some tricks himself. He had a little dog that came and played and chased the ball around. I was dying with laughter and so enjoying the show in front of me. Two kids my age had walked up at one point and were also enjoying the view. It was a boy and a girl. The boy got up and one point and joined as well, and I called the other girl over. Alexandra and Jackie came back with their pizza, and the boy came back and sat down. The five of us introduced ourselves and got to talking. As I have said before, the world is small. The two students go to USC and know one of my oldest friends Aly Bullock, and her roommate Callen. The girl was visiting from Amsterdam and the boy is studying here in Florence, through Sarycuse University. We talked with them for a while, shared stories of traveling and gave one another suggestions. It was fun to sit and talk to complete strangers and find such common lines between our lives. They left and we did too, dark and ominous clouds were coming.
We ran over to Alexandras favorite gelatto spot, La Carria and got home just as it began to rain.
I took a nap, and have been studying ever since.
It was such a beautiful day. I am so in awe of the fact that I got to sit out in front of such a historical place on such a beautiful day and enjoy the company of strangers and the entertainment of Italy's favorite sport.
La vita e bella!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
I love that when I stay "home" for the weekend, I stay in Florence
Monday - in Philosophy, an engineer who thought she knew everything was running her mouth off about who knows what. I kindly raised my hand, explained correctly what she was trying to say, was complimented and thanked by the teacher, and then snapped at/yelled at by the girl. She is currently my least favorite person because I am finding that she is constantly angry and snapping at people. So for lent, I will be kind to her at all times. Lent didnt begin until wednesday though...
In music, she played Chopin's Prelude. All five of us girls in the class instantly recognized the song, and we are all in love with it. Its a song used in the movie, The Notebook....
Tuesday - Got our Italian tests back. I won with the highest grade in the class with a 77%. EEEKKSSS. After going through the test however, she realized there was an entire section she never taught us (we realized this last week and tried to explain, but she was confused). So we all got points added to our tests, i came out with an 88%. Not to shabby, still happy I got the highest grade :)
I continue to shock myself with my ability to paint. I somehow completed the angels face on my fresco and it actually looks good. My teacher is hoping to be able to strip the fresco so I can bring it home at the end of the semester for you all to see.
We all went out to celebrate Fat Tuesday. We had heard it was 'big' in Europe so we all decided to dress up. I like to shoot for comfort, so I threw on a large flannel and my leggings. Everyone was givin me crap for not dressing up. About ten minutes later my friend Brian walked down the hall in the same flannel, and I declared that I was Brian Russel for my costume, people got a ick out of it all night. We went out, everywhere was packed and tons of fun, but apparently the Italians dont dress up, so we were easy to pick out, haha. We threw confetti, danced and sang kareoke.
Wednesday - Had a conversation class with another class. It was hilarious and awkward because we all really cant speak that much. I had the entire afternoon off so I went back to paint more of my fresco. I had a lot of confidence going in after the day before, however, the second Giornada (section of a fresco) wasnt quite as successful. The shading on her hair is way off, but I had to accept what I had done and turn in. I have two more Giornadas to do before I am done, so Ill be spending some time on Sunday in the painting room.
After painting I went on a run through the city. It was pouring rain so it was even better. I love running in the rain. At one point on my run I got bored and decided to turn down a random street. It was fun being lost and just running around. Technically I can never really get lost here. As long as the Duomo is in sight (and it usually always is) I can get home. It is such a luxury to live so near to the Duomo. I ran for about 40 minutes and found my way back with no problems.
Thursday - After classes and lunch I went to the market with the girls. I got a cute zip up sweatshirt with a huge red Florence Fluer De Li on the front. I love it, and talked the guy down from 25euro to 11 euro, woo hoo!
THe other girls got scarves, purses, etc. We continued running errands. I had to get a book for class, and another girl needed new tights. We stopped for gelatto and roamed the city.
We were exhausted after, so Kiki and Chloe came over to my pensione and the three of us somehow fit into my twin sized bed and took a lovely nap.
That night we told Marinella and Giovani we were going to dinner. They suggested a place down the street owned by their friends. They called the restaurant for us while we were walking over there, so by the time we arrived there was a table for 9, ready and waiting. The meal was unbelievable. I had fresh pasta with eggplant and tomatoes. It was to die for. Definitely my favorite meal so far (outside of Marinella;s meals of course)
We went out to Lion's Fountain, the bar we usually go to, for a while but came home early.
Friday - the girls (Kiki and Chloe) and I got up early because we wanted to be productive! By 'early' we were out the door by 11 :) We went to the Oile Shoppe, a great lunch place, and then headed to the Uffizi Museum. We spent almost three hours there, and I still feel like we didnt see everything. The Birth of Venus, Primavera, and Medussa are all in this Museum. There is an entire room dedicated to just Botticelli works. We spent the most time in there just sitting on the chairs and soaking it in. The Birth of Venus has become one of my favorite paintings, ever.
After the museum we did what we usually do. Come home, crawl in bed, snuggle and chat. The three of us really just cant seem to get enough of each other. Im so lucky to have found two girls that I get along with so unbelievably well. Its remarkable how much we care about each other, get along so easily, never argue, etc. We can literally talk for hours about everything and nothing.
We stayed in last night. Went to the grocery store, got some food, and watched movies and hung out with the pensione.
Saturday - This morning we attempted waking up early. I did at least. I got up, read some of my new book for philosophy class, called Homo Faber, and waited for the girls to wake up. They finally did, made their way over here, and the three of us plus the other Annie headed out to see the Ferragamo museum. We stopped at a bagel shop along the way. It was so nice to have a bagel again. And walked and ate. The Ferragamo museum was amazing. Shoes everywhere. Beautiful shoes. You wouldnt think there would be so much history involved with shoes. There were receipts from people like Mariline Monroe and Audrey Hepburn, pictures, and shoes of famous actresses and actors. There were rooms full of display cases of beautiful shoes of all colors and styles. We were all drooling over them. The tour ends in the Salvatore Ferragamo store....of course. It was painful to walk past such beautiful shoes without trying them on. We all wanted to, but the 650euro and up price tags forced us to continue walking.
Back home now, blogging, putting up pictures, doing homework, and studying for a week full of midterms ahead of us.
ciao!
In music, she played Chopin's Prelude. All five of us girls in the class instantly recognized the song, and we are all in love with it. Its a song used in the movie, The Notebook....
Tuesday - Got our Italian tests back. I won with the highest grade in the class with a 77%. EEEKKSSS. After going through the test however, she realized there was an entire section she never taught us (we realized this last week and tried to explain, but she was confused). So we all got points added to our tests, i came out with an 88%. Not to shabby, still happy I got the highest grade :)
I continue to shock myself with my ability to paint. I somehow completed the angels face on my fresco and it actually looks good. My teacher is hoping to be able to strip the fresco so I can bring it home at the end of the semester for you all to see.
We all went out to celebrate Fat Tuesday. We had heard it was 'big' in Europe so we all decided to dress up. I like to shoot for comfort, so I threw on a large flannel and my leggings. Everyone was givin me crap for not dressing up. About ten minutes later my friend Brian walked down the hall in the same flannel, and I declared that I was Brian Russel for my costume, people got a ick out of it all night. We went out, everywhere was packed and tons of fun, but apparently the Italians dont dress up, so we were easy to pick out, haha. We threw confetti, danced and sang kareoke.
Wednesday - Had a conversation class with another class. It was hilarious and awkward because we all really cant speak that much. I had the entire afternoon off so I went back to paint more of my fresco. I had a lot of confidence going in after the day before, however, the second Giornada (section of a fresco) wasnt quite as successful. The shading on her hair is way off, but I had to accept what I had done and turn in. I have two more Giornadas to do before I am done, so Ill be spending some time on Sunday in the painting room.
After painting I went on a run through the city. It was pouring rain so it was even better. I love running in the rain. At one point on my run I got bored and decided to turn down a random street. It was fun being lost and just running around. Technically I can never really get lost here. As long as the Duomo is in sight (and it usually always is) I can get home. It is such a luxury to live so near to the Duomo. I ran for about 40 minutes and found my way back with no problems.
Thursday - After classes and lunch I went to the market with the girls. I got a cute zip up sweatshirt with a huge red Florence Fluer De Li on the front. I love it, and talked the guy down from 25euro to 11 euro, woo hoo!
THe other girls got scarves, purses, etc. We continued running errands. I had to get a book for class, and another girl needed new tights. We stopped for gelatto and roamed the city.
We were exhausted after, so Kiki and Chloe came over to my pensione and the three of us somehow fit into my twin sized bed and took a lovely nap.
That night we told Marinella and Giovani we were going to dinner. They suggested a place down the street owned by their friends. They called the restaurant for us while we were walking over there, so by the time we arrived there was a table for 9, ready and waiting. The meal was unbelievable. I had fresh pasta with eggplant and tomatoes. It was to die for. Definitely my favorite meal so far (outside of Marinella;s meals of course)
We went out to Lion's Fountain, the bar we usually go to, for a while but came home early.
Friday - the girls (Kiki and Chloe) and I got up early because we wanted to be productive! By 'early' we were out the door by 11 :) We went to the Oile Shoppe, a great lunch place, and then headed to the Uffizi Museum. We spent almost three hours there, and I still feel like we didnt see everything. The Birth of Venus, Primavera, and Medussa are all in this Museum. There is an entire room dedicated to just Botticelli works. We spent the most time in there just sitting on the chairs and soaking it in. The Birth of Venus has become one of my favorite paintings, ever.
After the museum we did what we usually do. Come home, crawl in bed, snuggle and chat. The three of us really just cant seem to get enough of each other. Im so lucky to have found two girls that I get along with so unbelievably well. Its remarkable how much we care about each other, get along so easily, never argue, etc. We can literally talk for hours about everything and nothing.
We stayed in last night. Went to the grocery store, got some food, and watched movies and hung out with the pensione.
Saturday - This morning we attempted waking up early. I did at least. I got up, read some of my new book for philosophy class, called Homo Faber, and waited for the girls to wake up. They finally did, made their way over here, and the three of us plus the other Annie headed out to see the Ferragamo museum. We stopped at a bagel shop along the way. It was so nice to have a bagel again. And walked and ate. The Ferragamo museum was amazing. Shoes everywhere. Beautiful shoes. You wouldnt think there would be so much history involved with shoes. There were receipts from people like Mariline Monroe and Audrey Hepburn, pictures, and shoes of famous actresses and actors. There were rooms full of display cases of beautiful shoes of all colors and styles. We were all drooling over them. The tour ends in the Salvatore Ferragamo store....of course. It was painful to walk past such beautiful shoes without trying them on. We all wanted to, but the 650euro and up price tags forced us to continue walking.
Back home now, blogging, putting up pictures, doing homework, and studying for a week full of midterms ahead of us.
ciao!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Carnivale!
The weekend was spent wearing masks, dancing in St Marcs square, gondola rides, costumes, water everywhere, and good friends.
We woke up early friday morning and were on our train at 8:30 am. We stopped in Bologna, switched trains in 4 minutes (sprinting) and made it on our second train to Venice. We brought breakfast scones, croissants, and some mimosas for the train ride and had a great few hours chatting and eating yummy food.
We didnt stay in the actual island of Venice, but on the mainland, in a part called Mestre. After a bit of confusion and wondering around, we found the bus stop and were able to get to our hotel easily enough. We stayed in a three star hotel for the same price as most hostels. I shared the entire top floor with 4 other girls. It had two rooms and a bathroom in it, it was lovely. Eight other people that we were traveling stayed in the same hotel with us, so we all got ready for the entire evening and headed out to Venice. The group got separated, but sometimes that is a blessing, and it was. Traveling with six of us was much easier than trying to travel with 12. I was with Kiki, Chloe, Laura, Sean and Keagan. We took the bus to the train station, and a one euro train ride from Mestre to Venice. When we arrived in Venice, we got on a water taxi which took us right to St. Marcs square. St. Marcs was PACKED. There were thousands of people there, everywhere. Most were people like us, looking fairly normal, but wearing masks or face paint. Every few steps however there would be people completely decked out in full blown costumes. Amazing dresses, face paint/make up, wigs and head pieces. The people there really do it big for the holiday and it was so fun for us to see. We made our way to a restaurant and got pizzas. They were delicious, of course. Its hard to go anywhere here and order a pizza and not be completely satisfied with it. We left there and went out for more exploring. It was easy to be entertained there. All we did was walk around and observe and there was so much to see. We met up with everyone else we had originally been traveling with, and walked around with them. Some shopped for masks, some got face paint, and some of us just sat there on a bench by the water marveling at the crazy sight in front of us. There were couples walking around everywhere that were completely dressed from head to toe in huge costumes. Even better, others who didnt dress in the classic Carnivale style wore costumes like it was Halloween. There were little kids everywhere dressed up. Even kids our age and adults dressed up in Halloween type costumes.
We went to a bar for a bit, then headed out to St. Marcs square, where all the main events were going on. There were about 5 or six stages, all with different things going on. There was music playing on loud speakers blasting over the entire square. After walking to each stage and checking them out a bit, the group found a spot to hang out. Its hard to keep me still with music playing, so after a few minutes I was dancing and playing around with Chloe. We were having a ball, when two men in Canon gear came up and asked if they could photograph us. We of course said, SURELY! We were just playing and had fun. They took pictures of us twirling and running around and said they had a blast filming us. They said what they took will be put into a commercial..we don't know if we believe them, but either way it was fun :)
One of my friends got a bit sick at the end of the night, so I ended up taking care of him and leaving a bit earlier than the rest of the crew. This turned out to be a blessing, because about thirty minutes after we left, the water started rising. Our friends came home with soaking wet feet, and Laura was completely drenched because she slipped in one of the puddles. It is crazy how much the water level rises at night!
The next morning when we got up and left, the city was still filled with water. We woke up early, had our delicious complimentary breakfast, and were out of the hotel and in Venice by 11 am. We decided to walk through the city to St. Marcs instead of taking a water taxi. This was fun because we got to see a lot more of the city. We walked down tiny allies, saw different squares, crossed bridges, and walked down canals. It took over an hour to get to the main square, but it was worth it. We people watched for a while, found more friends and hung out with them. We stopped for some pizza, got our face painted, and then met up with the other girls to go on a Gondola ride. They gave us a cheaper price since there were 5 girls and we could fit ourselves onto the boat so nicely. Our gondola man was very nice, he spoke english and thought we were quite funny. Every where we went in the gondola, people on the bridges or streets were taking pictures of us. So naturally, we smiled and waved at everyone :)
On the ride we saw the some churches that were hundreds of years old, but what we loved the most were the homes of Casanova and Marco Polo. The ride lasted about an hour, it was a blast and completely worth our 20 euro.
The sun was going down so we met up with everyone quickly after that. We roamed the square and a few shops one last time before heading back to the bus station. Traveling back to the bus took a bit longer than planned, and we were worried we wouldnt make our 8pm train in time, but thankfully, after lots of running and last minute jumping onto busses, we made it with about ten minutes to spare. We found the others who were on our tickets, and boarded the train with no problems. Unfortunately there were no seats, so we had to stand for about 20 minutes of the train ride. Eventually people got off and we sat, talked, and listened to music. In Bologna our second train was delayed. We had some problems figuring out which train was ours and which platform it left from because of the delay, but figured it out eventually. It was freezing outside so Alexandra and I changed out of our wet socks from the day and put on two pairs of dry ones. When we got on our second train, after it started moving, we found out it was the wrong one. Woops. We all spread out and found random seats to sit in and thankfully, no one came and asked for our tickets. We got to Florence in about an hour and were home in bed by 2 am.
Naturally we spent a majority of sunday sleeping, doing homework, and skyping with friends and family.
Kiki, Chloe, and I were each others Valentines. We did our laundry together and then, as we do every sunday, went down the street to Il Panda (chinese food) and got our 2 euro dinner - delish.
Carnivale was an event/experience unlike anything I have been to. I was so happy I got to go because I have seen pictures of it or seen it in movies before, but nothing can compare to being at the actual event.
It saddens me so much to see that the city is sinking. It is quite visible on the sides of the buildings and on the streets. I am so lucky that I have been blessed enough to visit the city twice in my lifetime while it is still there.
We woke up early friday morning and were on our train at 8:30 am. We stopped in Bologna, switched trains in 4 minutes (sprinting) and made it on our second train to Venice. We brought breakfast scones, croissants, and some mimosas for the train ride and had a great few hours chatting and eating yummy food.
We didnt stay in the actual island of Venice, but on the mainland, in a part called Mestre. After a bit of confusion and wondering around, we found the bus stop and were able to get to our hotel easily enough. We stayed in a three star hotel for the same price as most hostels. I shared the entire top floor with 4 other girls. It had two rooms and a bathroom in it, it was lovely. Eight other people that we were traveling stayed in the same hotel with us, so we all got ready for the entire evening and headed out to Venice. The group got separated, but sometimes that is a blessing, and it was. Traveling with six of us was much easier than trying to travel with 12. I was with Kiki, Chloe, Laura, Sean and Keagan. We took the bus to the train station, and a one euro train ride from Mestre to Venice. When we arrived in Venice, we got on a water taxi which took us right to St. Marcs square. St. Marcs was PACKED. There were thousands of people there, everywhere. Most were people like us, looking fairly normal, but wearing masks or face paint. Every few steps however there would be people completely decked out in full blown costumes. Amazing dresses, face paint/make up, wigs and head pieces. The people there really do it big for the holiday and it was so fun for us to see. We made our way to a restaurant and got pizzas. They were delicious, of course. Its hard to go anywhere here and order a pizza and not be completely satisfied with it. We left there and went out for more exploring. It was easy to be entertained there. All we did was walk around and observe and there was so much to see. We met up with everyone else we had originally been traveling with, and walked around with them. Some shopped for masks, some got face paint, and some of us just sat there on a bench by the water marveling at the crazy sight in front of us. There were couples walking around everywhere that were completely dressed from head to toe in huge costumes. Even better, others who didnt dress in the classic Carnivale style wore costumes like it was Halloween. There were little kids everywhere dressed up. Even kids our age and adults dressed up in Halloween type costumes.
We went to a bar for a bit, then headed out to St. Marcs square, where all the main events were going on. There were about 5 or six stages, all with different things going on. There was music playing on loud speakers blasting over the entire square. After walking to each stage and checking them out a bit, the group found a spot to hang out. Its hard to keep me still with music playing, so after a few minutes I was dancing and playing around with Chloe. We were having a ball, when two men in Canon gear came up and asked if they could photograph us. We of course said, SURELY! We were just playing and had fun. They took pictures of us twirling and running around and said they had a blast filming us. They said what they took will be put into a commercial..we don't know if we believe them, but either way it was fun :)
One of my friends got a bit sick at the end of the night, so I ended up taking care of him and leaving a bit earlier than the rest of the crew. This turned out to be a blessing, because about thirty minutes after we left, the water started rising. Our friends came home with soaking wet feet, and Laura was completely drenched because she slipped in one of the puddles. It is crazy how much the water level rises at night!
The next morning when we got up and left, the city was still filled with water. We woke up early, had our delicious complimentary breakfast, and were out of the hotel and in Venice by 11 am. We decided to walk through the city to St. Marcs instead of taking a water taxi. This was fun because we got to see a lot more of the city. We walked down tiny allies, saw different squares, crossed bridges, and walked down canals. It took over an hour to get to the main square, but it was worth it. We people watched for a while, found more friends and hung out with them. We stopped for some pizza, got our face painted, and then met up with the other girls to go on a Gondola ride. They gave us a cheaper price since there were 5 girls and we could fit ourselves onto the boat so nicely. Our gondola man was very nice, he spoke english and thought we were quite funny. Every where we went in the gondola, people on the bridges or streets were taking pictures of us. So naturally, we smiled and waved at everyone :)
On the ride we saw the some churches that were hundreds of years old, but what we loved the most were the homes of Casanova and Marco Polo. The ride lasted about an hour, it was a blast and completely worth our 20 euro.
The sun was going down so we met up with everyone quickly after that. We roamed the square and a few shops one last time before heading back to the bus station. Traveling back to the bus took a bit longer than planned, and we were worried we wouldnt make our 8pm train in time, but thankfully, after lots of running and last minute jumping onto busses, we made it with about ten minutes to spare. We found the others who were on our tickets, and boarded the train with no problems. Unfortunately there were no seats, so we had to stand for about 20 minutes of the train ride. Eventually people got off and we sat, talked, and listened to music. In Bologna our second train was delayed. We had some problems figuring out which train was ours and which platform it left from because of the delay, but figured it out eventually. It was freezing outside so Alexandra and I changed out of our wet socks from the day and put on two pairs of dry ones. When we got on our second train, after it started moving, we found out it was the wrong one. Woops. We all spread out and found random seats to sit in and thankfully, no one came and asked for our tickets. We got to Florence in about an hour and were home in bed by 2 am.
Naturally we spent a majority of sunday sleeping, doing homework, and skyping with friends and family.
Kiki, Chloe, and I were each others Valentines. We did our laundry together and then, as we do every sunday, went down the street to Il Panda (chinese food) and got our 2 euro dinner - delish.
Carnivale was an event/experience unlike anything I have been to. I was so happy I got to go because I have seen pictures of it or seen it in movies before, but nothing can compare to being at the actual event.
It saddens me so much to see that the city is sinking. It is quite visible on the sides of the buildings and on the streets. I am so lucky that I have been blessed enough to visit the city twice in my lifetime while it is still there.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Its pouring rain outside. Its tempting to just lay in bed and watch movies, but we're all determined to leave the pensione anyway.
Im waiting for the other girls to be ready and we're off for a day of errands.
This week in Philosophy was pretty intense. We debated/discussed issues such as gay marriage, the military, suicide, courage, and cowardice. The discussions got a little heated to say the least. It was so interesting. When at LMU, I kind of know the dynamic of the kids, or know the kids well enough in my class to know what might come from their mouths. Here however, we dont really discuss these issues outside of class, and there was really no way to know what might come of this discussion. It continues to amaze me what some people will say to a room of strangers. And while sometimes during the week I might have gotten really worked up, looking back on it now, it was a great week of classes. At this age its interesting to talk about these sorts of topics because it really shows us how different people truly are. And while no friendships were ruined, I did have a talk with my friend Ralph after class one day and we both got to know each other better. We left the classroom pretty unhappy with one another, and its still funny how completely we disagree with what the other believes socially/politically, but thankfully were still getting along just fine but with a new knowledge of the other. (and knowing what subjects NOT to bring up over a cocktail :) )
We begain fresco painting in art. Last week, our teacher took us on a free tour to Santa Maria Novella and one of the Medici palaces. We got to see amazing frescos up close and personal, with a full and detailed description from our extremely educated teacher. The experience we had in the Medici palace was really special because we got to go at a time when it was closed to the public. We literally had the palace to ourselves, and in a room where people are usually only allowed 7 minutes, we spent thirty. So this week we took our plastered tiles and began painting. Still, I remain pretty good at mixing and shading colors, but not so good at my straight lines. She made me draw straight lines for 10 minutes until she realized that I shake a bit and let me stop. haha thankfully she got over it quickly and said it will just be something unique about mine :)
Italian continues to be bi-polar. Russo is still adorable and so extremely difficult to hate and/or be mad at. If she wasnt a tiny, 80 year old woman who laughed at her own jokes and loved me, we would have a lot of problems. We had another quiz today. Less painful than last time, but Im not about to get my hopes up. The two fluent spanish speakers even had a tough time, so thats never good news.
The meals this week were fantastic. Elizabeth (roomie) said on Wednesday that she is on the verge of being a vegetarian. Jennie (the other vegetarian) and I had these items with our meals this week: eggplant parmesean, lemmon and pepper white fish, artichoke heart calzones, and rice balls. It was a fantastic. Marinella was so so happy because we were so so happy. Lots of kisses and exclamations of love for food and one another. Soon Ill figure out how to put pictures on here so you can all see how easy it is to be in love with nonna.
Sean and I went to the uffizi this week to get our Uffizi passes...finally. Its a pass that lasts the whole semester. It costs 40 euro, but it gets students into over 15 museums, 15% off of symphony performances, unlimited amounts of visits to any of the museums, and the ability to skip all lines ;) Im so happy I finally have my pass now. Sunday when we get back from Carnivale I am hoping to go see David!!
Ari and I walked all the way to the dance studio last night just to be told that the teacher is sick and class would be cancelled. We were so bummed, but they told us if we came back tonight class would be free. We couldnt complain obviously, and since neither of us are leaving the country today, tonight works perfectly. Its a modern class. I really am excited for it because it has been so so long since I have gotten to dance.
Valentine grams were available all week to be purchased and sent to friends. Elizabeth (who I call 'Roomie' at all times) sent me one and I sent her one as well. We both signed the cards, "Love, Roomie." Now we have lots of puppy chow in the room...cant complain :)Im all alone in the room tonight because she left for Poland this morning.
Im leaving for Venice tomorrow morning. Im going with a pretty large group of people, about 25 of us I believe. Were getting on the 8 am train and will be in Venice by noon. We all bought masks, but due to the extreme cold, wont be wearing costumes. Ill probably be wearing five shirts, two pants, a few pairs of socks, and my biggest jacket...its supposed to snow :(
But we cant complain, its Carnivale!! Its one of the biggest festivals in Europe in the winter, and i get to be there.
So excited,
Ciao
Im waiting for the other girls to be ready and we're off for a day of errands.
This week in Philosophy was pretty intense. We debated/discussed issues such as gay marriage, the military, suicide, courage, and cowardice. The discussions got a little heated to say the least. It was so interesting. When at LMU, I kind of know the dynamic of the kids, or know the kids well enough in my class to know what might come from their mouths. Here however, we dont really discuss these issues outside of class, and there was really no way to know what might come of this discussion. It continues to amaze me what some people will say to a room of strangers. And while sometimes during the week I might have gotten really worked up, looking back on it now, it was a great week of classes. At this age its interesting to talk about these sorts of topics because it really shows us how different people truly are. And while no friendships were ruined, I did have a talk with my friend Ralph after class one day and we both got to know each other better. We left the classroom pretty unhappy with one another, and its still funny how completely we disagree with what the other believes socially/politically, but thankfully were still getting along just fine but with a new knowledge of the other. (and knowing what subjects NOT to bring up over a cocktail :) )
We begain fresco painting in art. Last week, our teacher took us on a free tour to Santa Maria Novella and one of the Medici palaces. We got to see amazing frescos up close and personal, with a full and detailed description from our extremely educated teacher. The experience we had in the Medici palace was really special because we got to go at a time when it was closed to the public. We literally had the palace to ourselves, and in a room where people are usually only allowed 7 minutes, we spent thirty. So this week we took our plastered tiles and began painting. Still, I remain pretty good at mixing and shading colors, but not so good at my straight lines. She made me draw straight lines for 10 minutes until she realized that I shake a bit and let me stop. haha thankfully she got over it quickly and said it will just be something unique about mine :)
Italian continues to be bi-polar. Russo is still adorable and so extremely difficult to hate and/or be mad at. If she wasnt a tiny, 80 year old woman who laughed at her own jokes and loved me, we would have a lot of problems. We had another quiz today. Less painful than last time, but Im not about to get my hopes up. The two fluent spanish speakers even had a tough time, so thats never good news.
The meals this week were fantastic. Elizabeth (roomie) said on Wednesday that she is on the verge of being a vegetarian. Jennie (the other vegetarian) and I had these items with our meals this week: eggplant parmesean, lemmon and pepper white fish, artichoke heart calzones, and rice balls. It was a fantastic. Marinella was so so happy because we were so so happy. Lots of kisses and exclamations of love for food and one another. Soon Ill figure out how to put pictures on here so you can all see how easy it is to be in love with nonna.
Sean and I went to the uffizi this week to get our Uffizi passes...finally. Its a pass that lasts the whole semester. It costs 40 euro, but it gets students into over 15 museums, 15% off of symphony performances, unlimited amounts of visits to any of the museums, and the ability to skip all lines ;) Im so happy I finally have my pass now. Sunday when we get back from Carnivale I am hoping to go see David!!
Ari and I walked all the way to the dance studio last night just to be told that the teacher is sick and class would be cancelled. We were so bummed, but they told us if we came back tonight class would be free. We couldnt complain obviously, and since neither of us are leaving the country today, tonight works perfectly. Its a modern class. I really am excited for it because it has been so so long since I have gotten to dance.
Valentine grams were available all week to be purchased and sent to friends. Elizabeth (who I call 'Roomie' at all times) sent me one and I sent her one as well. We both signed the cards, "Love, Roomie." Now we have lots of puppy chow in the room...cant complain :)Im all alone in the room tonight because she left for Poland this morning.
Im leaving for Venice tomorrow morning. Im going with a pretty large group of people, about 25 of us I believe. Were getting on the 8 am train and will be in Venice by noon. We all bought masks, but due to the extreme cold, wont be wearing costumes. Ill probably be wearing five shirts, two pants, a few pairs of socks, and my biggest jacket...its supposed to snow :(
But we cant complain, its Carnivale!! Its one of the biggest festivals in Europe in the winter, and i get to be there.
So excited,
Ciao
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Amster, Amster, DAM DAM DAM
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles/(busses)
Getting to and from Amsterdam proved to be quite a task, but thankfully, we accomplished it successfully.
The outward venture began at 3:30 A.M. Friday morning (2-5-10). The group going to Amsterdam was 7 of us girls. Thankfully however, the group walking to the bus station included a group also going to Morocco, so there were about 18 of us walking to the station together at the obscene hour in the morning. We took a 1.5 hour bus ride to Pisa, (on which we all slept). Once at Pisa, the two groups had to split up to check in. We said our goodbyes and the Morocco group headed out first. The rest of us got some croissants and waited in the extremely small "international airport" for our check in time to begin. It finally did, we made it through security (even with liquids) and to our gate with no issues. We were worried because we had heard so many horror stories about the airline we were taking, Ryanair, but lucked out with absolutely no problems. The plane ride was quick and easy, only about an hour and a half, and again, we all slept the entire time.
Once in Eindhoven, we had to catch another bus to get to Amsterdam. At this point it was 8 am in the morning, but we had to wait until 9:30 for the bus. Again, we all slept the entire bus ride, and finally arrived at our destination in Amsterdam at about 11:30 AM.
We had heard there was a Starbucks there, so that was obviously our first stop. The coffee isnt as good as it is here in Italy, but getting to have cup to go was a dream. That is something that NEVER happens in Italy. Side note: I NEVER used to drink coffee. Cappucinos however are now one of my favorite drinks. Uh oh, haha.
We found the tram to our hostel. Once in the tram, the man who sells us the tickets was a doll. He let us all ride for free, gave us all booklets with coupons in it, and told us exactly how to get to our hostel once exiting the tram. We found the hostel perfectly. It is the only Christian Hostel in all of Amsterdam. We didnt necessarily want to stay there originally, but all else was booked, so we figured this was a safe bet. It was. The staff was great, very helpful, fun. The rooms were spotless, clean sheets, really clean bathrooms and showers. It was a great place for a great price at 22 euro a night.
After we checked in and settled in, we headed out to explore. We wound through canals, alley ways, etc. We passed famous places like the Bulldog and Barneys. We were getting hungry so asked a local for a suggestion on where to eat. Without hesitation we were told to go to The Pancake Bakery. So we did. We found it, and after much debate over whether to have sweet or savory pancakes, we all chose differently. I got an egg and cheese with tomatoes. Their pancakes are not to be confused with crepes - crepes are very thin, these pancakes, while huge like crepes, are much more thick.
The meal was delicious, those who got the sweet ones let us all have bites.
Next we headed to the Van Gough Museum. We all spent different amounts of time in different areas. Chloe and I were seriously bummed that Starry Night wasn't there, because we were so excited to see it. We got over it quickly though and enjoyed all the other pieces. The museum is set up in a really cool way; it follows the artistic life span (of only 10 years) that Van Gough had, starting from the bottom floor and moving up. It was really well organized, and helped us to learn/soak in everything we were seeing.
After Van Gough, we headed out for more exploring. We stopped for some coffee and to give our feet a little break from walking. We told one another stories from other trips, and from highschool, etc. While I was with Kiki and Chloe again, the other four girls were ones we hadnt traveled with yet, so it was fun getting to know more people on a different level.
For dinner we had Thai food. I think it has become a general knowledge that if there is Thai food, we will go. It was delicious. I got tofo vegetarian Pad Thai, and as always, it didnt disappoint. We filled our bellies with huge plates of food, and headed home early. We were all in bed and snoozing by 10 p.m. which I suppose isnt too surprising after the day of traveling and exploring we had.
We woke up early the next morning. Breakfast at the hostel was Delish! Most hostels dont give many options, but this one had many. One of which was French Toast. I couldnt have been happier, I haven't had a real breakfast since being in Europe (usually its cereal or oatmeal, or some sort of bread and cheese). After eating we headed straight to the Heineken Museum. The man at the ticket booth was awesome. He fell in love with us when he saw us walk in. I was at the front of the group, and explained to him that the seven of us girls needed tickets, but that we had coupons. The coupons were only supposed to be for 3 euro off the total, but he ended up giving 3 euro off to each of us :). I tried paying with a credit card. He looked at my name and said, "Ann THerese?" and i told him, "no, Therese, the H is silent" - he put the card up to his ear and told me it must be a crazy American thing. After we got our tickets he told us to find him at the end of the tour at the bar and he would give us tips on his favorite Amsterdam locations.
We went through the museum. I thought it was great. I learned a lot about the company, but also about how its all made. There were tutorials, plenty to read, pictures, and a 3D interactive, (disneyland like) moving ride. It was a blast. At the end of the museum was the bar. With each ticket they give you a bracelet with two plastic things on it. Each plastic thing gets you one beer. We each had our two beers, and Antonina, (another girl on the trip) is allergic to beer so allowed Kiki and I to have each of hers. We found Roel, our friend from the ticket booth, and he also gave Kiki, Chloe and I an extra beer. THe girls and I sat and talked and enjoyed our Heinekens. Some of the girls left for the gift shop, but Chloe and I stayed in our booth. Soon, a few older people came up and sat down with us. We were a bit confused, but figured we would let them sit. We asked them for a good place to eat, and they told us of another Pancake house. We took their word for it, and headed out. We got on the tram but didnt plan out our time well. Our appointment at Anne Frank was at 3:30, so we needed to start making our way there. We made a quick pit stop for french fries, (suggested to us by friends who had visited Amsterdam before us). The fries were warm and salty and delicious, and the perfect snack for the walk from Heineken to Anne Frank.
Anne Frank is an experience unlike anything else. The tour was self guided, with a booklet of info. We went slowly through because there were so many people, but it was nice to be able to spend so much time in every room and space of the annex the two families lived in. I wish I had read the book more recently than middle school. We decided that 6th grade is way to early to be reading that, and it should be required again. We all had trouble recalling all of her journal before the tour, but throughout it the story came back to us. Being in the annex was extremely moving an intense. People really didnt speak to one another. There were videos of Otto Frank, Annes father, and one of her best friend from after the war. We spent a good hour or two in the annex, then left to explore more of the city.
We ventured over to the Red Light District. Not exactly my favorite part. It was extremely surreal. I couldnt believe that what we were seeing was actually something that people did on a daily basis in their lives. I had heard rumors about it and had it described to me, but nothing i could have heard about it before hand could have prepared me for the actual experience. We walked around the alleys of the District for about 20 minutes, but had enough and left for some shopping. We got Amsterdam t-shirts and other artifacts.
For dinner we went to Sara's Pancake House. It was another place suggested to us by a lot of people. When we finally found it, it was very much worth the effort put forth to find it. I had a cheese and tomato pancake. Then, Kiki, Chloe and I split a banana, chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream and whipped cream pancake. It was to die for. We finished it in under a minute and a half. We know this because Kira took a before and after picture and the time of both is on her camera. It was gross how fast we ate it.
When we left the owner came out to talk to us. "I couldnt believe every plate was completely clean!" she loved how much we loved her food. We complimented her over and over and explained to her that we would be crazy to leave any food behind.
We walked back to the hostel, took showers and fell asleep.
In the morning, we woke up at 6 am. We got ready, were given breakfast to go by the hostel (prepared in advance for us, they were so nice) and headed to central station. There we were picked up by the bus, went to the airport, got on a plane, landed in Pisa, this time, took a train back because it was cheaper and quicker, and arrived back in Florence by 4 p.m.
We went to the Chinese food place down the street, exchanged stories with other friends who traveled to different locals, and did our homework.
Im sad I dont get to watch the Superbowl. Im used to being with family or friends and spending the day with them, so its funny not going through a huge production for the game. A bar down the street has it on, along with food and drink deals, but the game doesnt start here till midnight, and we are all exhausted from traveling the world :)
peace easy.
p.s. Russo (italian teacher) and I are back on good terms. I was one of only 2 people who came to class on Thursday and we had a BLAST. I learned a lot in that class period and did a lot better with speaking so we laughed and played and had a great time. Happy she loves me again and pumped Im the kind of student who gets nervous to miss class. :)
Getting to and from Amsterdam proved to be quite a task, but thankfully, we accomplished it successfully.
The outward venture began at 3:30 A.M. Friday morning (2-5-10). The group going to Amsterdam was 7 of us girls. Thankfully however, the group walking to the bus station included a group also going to Morocco, so there were about 18 of us walking to the station together at the obscene hour in the morning. We took a 1.5 hour bus ride to Pisa, (on which we all slept). Once at Pisa, the two groups had to split up to check in. We said our goodbyes and the Morocco group headed out first. The rest of us got some croissants and waited in the extremely small "international airport" for our check in time to begin. It finally did, we made it through security (even with liquids) and to our gate with no issues. We were worried because we had heard so many horror stories about the airline we were taking, Ryanair, but lucked out with absolutely no problems. The plane ride was quick and easy, only about an hour and a half, and again, we all slept the entire time.
Once in Eindhoven, we had to catch another bus to get to Amsterdam. At this point it was 8 am in the morning, but we had to wait until 9:30 for the bus. Again, we all slept the entire bus ride, and finally arrived at our destination in Amsterdam at about 11:30 AM.
We had heard there was a Starbucks there, so that was obviously our first stop. The coffee isnt as good as it is here in Italy, but getting to have cup to go was a dream. That is something that NEVER happens in Italy. Side note: I NEVER used to drink coffee. Cappucinos however are now one of my favorite drinks. Uh oh, haha.
We found the tram to our hostel. Once in the tram, the man who sells us the tickets was a doll. He let us all ride for free, gave us all booklets with coupons in it, and told us exactly how to get to our hostel once exiting the tram. We found the hostel perfectly. It is the only Christian Hostel in all of Amsterdam. We didnt necessarily want to stay there originally, but all else was booked, so we figured this was a safe bet. It was. The staff was great, very helpful, fun. The rooms were spotless, clean sheets, really clean bathrooms and showers. It was a great place for a great price at 22 euro a night.
After we checked in and settled in, we headed out to explore. We wound through canals, alley ways, etc. We passed famous places like the Bulldog and Barneys. We were getting hungry so asked a local for a suggestion on where to eat. Without hesitation we were told to go to The Pancake Bakery. So we did. We found it, and after much debate over whether to have sweet or savory pancakes, we all chose differently. I got an egg and cheese with tomatoes. Their pancakes are not to be confused with crepes - crepes are very thin, these pancakes, while huge like crepes, are much more thick.
The meal was delicious, those who got the sweet ones let us all have bites.
Next we headed to the Van Gough Museum. We all spent different amounts of time in different areas. Chloe and I were seriously bummed that Starry Night wasn't there, because we were so excited to see it. We got over it quickly though and enjoyed all the other pieces. The museum is set up in a really cool way; it follows the artistic life span (of only 10 years) that Van Gough had, starting from the bottom floor and moving up. It was really well organized, and helped us to learn/soak in everything we were seeing.
After Van Gough, we headed out for more exploring. We stopped for some coffee and to give our feet a little break from walking. We told one another stories from other trips, and from highschool, etc. While I was with Kiki and Chloe again, the other four girls were ones we hadnt traveled with yet, so it was fun getting to know more people on a different level.
For dinner we had Thai food. I think it has become a general knowledge that if there is Thai food, we will go. It was delicious. I got tofo vegetarian Pad Thai, and as always, it didnt disappoint. We filled our bellies with huge plates of food, and headed home early. We were all in bed and snoozing by 10 p.m. which I suppose isnt too surprising after the day of traveling and exploring we had.
We woke up early the next morning. Breakfast at the hostel was Delish! Most hostels dont give many options, but this one had many. One of which was French Toast. I couldnt have been happier, I haven't had a real breakfast since being in Europe (usually its cereal or oatmeal, or some sort of bread and cheese). After eating we headed straight to the Heineken Museum. The man at the ticket booth was awesome. He fell in love with us when he saw us walk in. I was at the front of the group, and explained to him that the seven of us girls needed tickets, but that we had coupons. The coupons were only supposed to be for 3 euro off the total, but he ended up giving 3 euro off to each of us :). I tried paying with a credit card. He looked at my name and said, "Ann THerese?" and i told him, "no, Therese, the H is silent" - he put the card up to his ear and told me it must be a crazy American thing. After we got our tickets he told us to find him at the end of the tour at the bar and he would give us tips on his favorite Amsterdam locations.
We went through the museum. I thought it was great. I learned a lot about the company, but also about how its all made. There were tutorials, plenty to read, pictures, and a 3D interactive, (disneyland like) moving ride. It was a blast. At the end of the museum was the bar. With each ticket they give you a bracelet with two plastic things on it. Each plastic thing gets you one beer. We each had our two beers, and Antonina, (another girl on the trip) is allergic to beer so allowed Kiki and I to have each of hers. We found Roel, our friend from the ticket booth, and he also gave Kiki, Chloe and I an extra beer. THe girls and I sat and talked and enjoyed our Heinekens. Some of the girls left for the gift shop, but Chloe and I stayed in our booth. Soon, a few older people came up and sat down with us. We were a bit confused, but figured we would let them sit. We asked them for a good place to eat, and they told us of another Pancake house. We took their word for it, and headed out. We got on the tram but didnt plan out our time well. Our appointment at Anne Frank was at 3:30, so we needed to start making our way there. We made a quick pit stop for french fries, (suggested to us by friends who had visited Amsterdam before us). The fries were warm and salty and delicious, and the perfect snack for the walk from Heineken to Anne Frank.
Anne Frank is an experience unlike anything else. The tour was self guided, with a booklet of info. We went slowly through because there were so many people, but it was nice to be able to spend so much time in every room and space of the annex the two families lived in. I wish I had read the book more recently than middle school. We decided that 6th grade is way to early to be reading that, and it should be required again. We all had trouble recalling all of her journal before the tour, but throughout it the story came back to us. Being in the annex was extremely moving an intense. People really didnt speak to one another. There were videos of Otto Frank, Annes father, and one of her best friend from after the war. We spent a good hour or two in the annex, then left to explore more of the city.
We ventured over to the Red Light District. Not exactly my favorite part. It was extremely surreal. I couldnt believe that what we were seeing was actually something that people did on a daily basis in their lives. I had heard rumors about it and had it described to me, but nothing i could have heard about it before hand could have prepared me for the actual experience. We walked around the alleys of the District for about 20 minutes, but had enough and left for some shopping. We got Amsterdam t-shirts and other artifacts.
For dinner we went to Sara's Pancake House. It was another place suggested to us by a lot of people. When we finally found it, it was very much worth the effort put forth to find it. I had a cheese and tomato pancake. Then, Kiki, Chloe and I split a banana, chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream and whipped cream pancake. It was to die for. We finished it in under a minute and a half. We know this because Kira took a before and after picture and the time of both is on her camera. It was gross how fast we ate it.
When we left the owner came out to talk to us. "I couldnt believe every plate was completely clean!" she loved how much we loved her food. We complimented her over and over and explained to her that we would be crazy to leave any food behind.
We walked back to the hostel, took showers and fell asleep.
In the morning, we woke up at 6 am. We got ready, were given breakfast to go by the hostel (prepared in advance for us, they were so nice) and headed to central station. There we were picked up by the bus, went to the airport, got on a plane, landed in Pisa, this time, took a train back because it was cheaper and quicker, and arrived back in Florence by 4 p.m.
We went to the Chinese food place down the street, exchanged stories with other friends who traveled to different locals, and did our homework.
Im sad I dont get to watch the Superbowl. Im used to being with family or friends and spending the day with them, so its funny not going through a huge production for the game. A bar down the street has it on, along with food and drink deals, but the game doesnt start here till midnight, and we are all exhausted from traveling the world :)
peace easy.
p.s. Russo (italian teacher) and I are back on good terms. I was one of only 2 people who came to class on Thursday and we had a BLAST. I learned a lot in that class period and did a lot better with speaking so we laughed and played and had a great time. Happy she loves me again and pumped Im the kind of student who gets nervous to miss class. :)
Monday, February 1, 2010
Mondays are amazing. After a weekend of finding and paying for our own food, we come back to the homemade delights that Marinella has to offer. Tonight for dinner I had spinach and cheese stuffed pasta shells with melted cheese on top. A lactate pill was more than necessary but it was worth it, they were delectable.
This weekend was a dream. We left early Friday morning. The boys, Carl and Tucker walked to the rental car place, picked up the car, and came to get us girls. They got a GPS (thank goodness) so that was extremely helpful, we named her Carmella and got on the road. We all made CDs for the ride so those entertained us and some good conversation. Kiki, Chloe and I all fell asleep at one point, but were sure the boys enjoyed their short time of silence to themselves.
The car ride took a little longer than expected because of the winding roads along the coast in Sorrento. When we found our hotel, it was locked. Kiki and Chloe had to call the number on the door, and the man drove over to let us in....not your usual hotel check in experience. We were a little worried we would be spending the night in the car at first, but the guy came and let us into our rooms. We got two rooms, each with king size beds. They were really nice, clean rooms, and we were the only people in the building. We roamed the city until dinner time and found a place called Sir Joes. A man named Joshua came out and greeted us and seemed like a fun guy so we went in. I ordered the Gnocci alla Sorrento, I felt that it made sense to be getting the dish with the city's name in it. It was delicious of course, Ive never had gnocci like it before. It was baked with melted mozzarella on top. Delishhh. We had a pretty traditional Italian meal. We sat there for hours, taking our time, eating slowly, and having great conversation. At one point Frank Sinatra began playing in the background and made my day. The boys got Italian beers and us girls finished off the meal with cappucinos. We spent about three hours at dinner, it was a great time. After dinner we walked down tot he docks and hung out there for a bit until it began to rain. We went back to our little hotel with just the five of us in it and got a good nights rest before an early morning on Saturday.
We woke up at 7am on Saturday, got ready, and were out the door by 8. Good thing, because it took a while to get to Pompeii. Thankfully, the majority of the climb up Mt. Vesuvius is a drive, which was good for us because it was cold outside. We went to the top of the mountain, back and forth up switchbacks. When we got to the top the trail was closed, but we played and ran around where we were allowed. We were literally in a cloud we were up so high, so the view from there was non existent. On our way back down, as we came out of the cloud, we stopped along the road to take a group picture and see the beautiful view of the entire city of Pompeii, most of Napoli, the ocean, and Sorrento.
From the mountain we went to the ruins. The drive was a bit hectic here because the streets of Pompeii are small, Italian drivers dont have any laws, and we got a bit confused. We found our way however, to the ruins, and by that time, the sun had come out to say hello. This made our visit through the ruins even more enjoyable because we had the sunshine. The ruins were awesome, it was really surreal to realize that the uncovered city we were walking through had existed in 79 A.D. We got a book guide and Kiki, Chloe and I took turns reading out loud to the group what each section/area/building we were passing. At the end of the ruins were the Casts. It was really intense, Kiki couldnt stay look at them. There were a few children, a baby, one man in a position looking like he was screaming and reaching for something, a person sleeping, etc. It was daunting and extremely moving. We then walked over to have lunch and each of us got and finished a full cheese pizza each.
After our late lunch we drove across the little peninsula to the Amalfi Coast. The drive there was really the most spectacular part. We were on the coast the entire time. The ocean there is a really clear, turquoise blue color. We stopped many times along the way to get pictures. We stopped at a little town on the beach, walked on the pier. We went into the town, saw a beautiful church, and went into a Bar for a snack. Carl and I got lemon gelatto, what the Amalfi coast is known for, and the other three got cappucinos. (I never used to drink coffee, this trip has begun my addiction to cappucinos...)
We drove back to Sorrento and walked around more there and stopped in a few shops to look around. We went back to the hotel to take a short break before dinner. Break ende dup being a few hours. The boys and Chloe took naps, but Kiki and I sat and talked the entire time. We talked about our families, friends, and pasts together. We both learned a lot about each other and got even closer than we already are.
We went to dinner, and once again I got gnocci. (Chloe got gnocci both nights too) It had the same title on the menu as the other place, so we decided we would taste test for the best gnocci in Sorrento. It was delicious of course. This restaurant was a little bit nicer than Sir Joes, so we werent as loud and silly and chatty as we had been the night before. It wasnt quite as fun but we had an amazing meal nonetheless. I voted Sir Joes the best, i loved that it was baked, but Chloe chose the second dish.
Kiki, Chloe and I shared a bed. This is normal for us. It was not only a money saving technique. We love all sleeping together. Kiki and Chloe are roomates and they pushed their two twin beds together for when I come sleep over. When we went to bed, Kiki was in the middle, when we woke up on Sunday though, I was in the middle. We laughed hiyterically at the situation and blamed it on Kikis tendency to roll around in her sleep and my tendency to sleep walk. We had french bread and nutella for breakfast (my new favorite meal) and went down to the ocean one last time before jumping in the car and heading back home.
The drive back was fun. We took turns telling funny stories, talking about what we wanted to do in our lives, fears, past relationships, the list goes on. We talked for hours. It was wonderful. I loved hearing them all open up and enjoyed getting to do the same.
The five of us got very close this weekend. We didnt do any bars or going out type of things, and we spent long meals together talking. We learned so much about one another, it was really refreshing. The weather was beautiful and the sun was shining so we rolled the windows down and sang along to our CDs and made it back to Florence safe and sound....thank goodness.
The girls and I unpacked, did our laundry, and had chinese for dinner. Then went home, did homework, and fell asleep.
It was such a unique and special trip. The fact that we were able to rent a car and do a road trip in a different country was so special and a once in a lifetime experience to say the least.
My thankfulness continues to grow. I still cant wrap my mind around the fact that I live here and that I am getting to have this experience.
Thankful and full of love,
Ciao
This weekend was a dream. We left early Friday morning. The boys, Carl and Tucker walked to the rental car place, picked up the car, and came to get us girls. They got a GPS (thank goodness) so that was extremely helpful, we named her Carmella and got on the road. We all made CDs for the ride so those entertained us and some good conversation. Kiki, Chloe and I all fell asleep at one point, but were sure the boys enjoyed their short time of silence to themselves.
The car ride took a little longer than expected because of the winding roads along the coast in Sorrento. When we found our hotel, it was locked. Kiki and Chloe had to call the number on the door, and the man drove over to let us in....not your usual hotel check in experience. We were a little worried we would be spending the night in the car at first, but the guy came and let us into our rooms. We got two rooms, each with king size beds. They were really nice, clean rooms, and we were the only people in the building. We roamed the city until dinner time and found a place called Sir Joes. A man named Joshua came out and greeted us and seemed like a fun guy so we went in. I ordered the Gnocci alla Sorrento, I felt that it made sense to be getting the dish with the city's name in it. It was delicious of course, Ive never had gnocci like it before. It was baked with melted mozzarella on top. Delishhh. We had a pretty traditional Italian meal. We sat there for hours, taking our time, eating slowly, and having great conversation. At one point Frank Sinatra began playing in the background and made my day. The boys got Italian beers and us girls finished off the meal with cappucinos. We spent about three hours at dinner, it was a great time. After dinner we walked down tot he docks and hung out there for a bit until it began to rain. We went back to our little hotel with just the five of us in it and got a good nights rest before an early morning on Saturday.
We woke up at 7am on Saturday, got ready, and were out the door by 8. Good thing, because it took a while to get to Pompeii. Thankfully, the majority of the climb up Mt. Vesuvius is a drive, which was good for us because it was cold outside. We went to the top of the mountain, back and forth up switchbacks. When we got to the top the trail was closed, but we played and ran around where we were allowed. We were literally in a cloud we were up so high, so the view from there was non existent. On our way back down, as we came out of the cloud, we stopped along the road to take a group picture and see the beautiful view of the entire city of Pompeii, most of Napoli, the ocean, and Sorrento.
From the mountain we went to the ruins. The drive was a bit hectic here because the streets of Pompeii are small, Italian drivers dont have any laws, and we got a bit confused. We found our way however, to the ruins, and by that time, the sun had come out to say hello. This made our visit through the ruins even more enjoyable because we had the sunshine. The ruins were awesome, it was really surreal to realize that the uncovered city we were walking through had existed in 79 A.D. We got a book guide and Kiki, Chloe and I took turns reading out loud to the group what each section/area/building we were passing. At the end of the ruins were the Casts. It was really intense, Kiki couldnt stay look at them. There were a few children, a baby, one man in a position looking like he was screaming and reaching for something, a person sleeping, etc. It was daunting and extremely moving. We then walked over to have lunch and each of us got and finished a full cheese pizza each.
After our late lunch we drove across the little peninsula to the Amalfi Coast. The drive there was really the most spectacular part. We were on the coast the entire time. The ocean there is a really clear, turquoise blue color. We stopped many times along the way to get pictures. We stopped at a little town on the beach, walked on the pier. We went into the town, saw a beautiful church, and went into a Bar for a snack. Carl and I got lemon gelatto, what the Amalfi coast is known for, and the other three got cappucinos. (I never used to drink coffee, this trip has begun my addiction to cappucinos...)
We drove back to Sorrento and walked around more there and stopped in a few shops to look around. We went back to the hotel to take a short break before dinner. Break ende dup being a few hours. The boys and Chloe took naps, but Kiki and I sat and talked the entire time. We talked about our families, friends, and pasts together. We both learned a lot about each other and got even closer than we already are.
We went to dinner, and once again I got gnocci. (Chloe got gnocci both nights too) It had the same title on the menu as the other place, so we decided we would taste test for the best gnocci in Sorrento. It was delicious of course. This restaurant was a little bit nicer than Sir Joes, so we werent as loud and silly and chatty as we had been the night before. It wasnt quite as fun but we had an amazing meal nonetheless. I voted Sir Joes the best, i loved that it was baked, but Chloe chose the second dish.
Kiki, Chloe and I shared a bed. This is normal for us. It was not only a money saving technique. We love all sleeping together. Kiki and Chloe are roomates and they pushed their two twin beds together for when I come sleep over. When we went to bed, Kiki was in the middle, when we woke up on Sunday though, I was in the middle. We laughed hiyterically at the situation and blamed it on Kikis tendency to roll around in her sleep and my tendency to sleep walk. We had french bread and nutella for breakfast (my new favorite meal) and went down to the ocean one last time before jumping in the car and heading back home.
The drive back was fun. We took turns telling funny stories, talking about what we wanted to do in our lives, fears, past relationships, the list goes on. We talked for hours. It was wonderful. I loved hearing them all open up and enjoyed getting to do the same.
The five of us got very close this weekend. We didnt do any bars or going out type of things, and we spent long meals together talking. We learned so much about one another, it was really refreshing. The weather was beautiful and the sun was shining so we rolled the windows down and sang along to our CDs and made it back to Florence safe and sound....thank goodness.
The girls and I unpacked, did our laundry, and had chinese for dinner. Then went home, did homework, and fell asleep.
It was such a unique and special trip. The fact that we were able to rent a car and do a road trip in a different country was so special and a once in a lifetime experience to say the least.
My thankfulness continues to grow. I still cant wrap my mind around the fact that I live here and that I am getting to have this experience.
Thankful and full of love,
Ciao
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