...as I write this before I head to my first class, IN AMERICA!
So london, right?
It's like the youngest child in a family, who all her brothers and sisters get help with moving into college, because lets face it, they are loved the best. Then that last child comes along and her parents kick her to the curb and say "No! We won't help you move your heavy belongings! Get out of our house, we are replacing you with a dog!!!" (COMPLETELY KIDDING)
London is like that. All your effort goes into the first five cities of your journey, so by the time you reach London, you are about ready to drop kick the next tourist you see, and all you want to do is get a pedicure.
But alas, I was in London, so the Queen in me was adamant that I must get out and see my kingdom! The first day I immediately went to St. Pauls Cathedral. I think we all know why....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VwU_oS2ErQ
Then I crossed the Millennium bridge. The one the death eaters DESTROY! Don't worry. They didn't show up.
The Tate Modern was on the other side of the river. I got to see a Matisse painting; I got to see two Jackson Pollacks; and I got to see a painting by Monet.
Sometimes I think modern artists are a little full of it. One of the works was a mirror hanging in the Portrait Gallery. The idea of the mirror...oh I mean, art, was that we are there to see paintings, and we are looking at windows into other people's lives, so what happens when we look into a window of our OWN life? hmmmmm
So then I set down the side of the river looking for my subway station to take me to the Big Ben area. I must have passed it, because I just kept walking, and all of the sudden there it is! I saw Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. I walked up and saw St. James Park, and the area where they train the horses of the Queen's brigade (or something). I wrote the name down, but I left it in Asheville, along with anything else useful, ever.
I saw Piccadilly Circus after that, and went into lots of little shops, but by that point I was completely worn out, so i decided to go see Harry Potter. The theater is worth a paragraph in and of itself.
So I bought my ticket on a self-service machine, and it asks me to pick my seat. Hmmmm, ok. First I have to pick between the stage or the circle. I went ahead and picked the circle for fun. Then just picked random letters because there was no diagram! When I walk into the theater, there is an usher who is preapred to tell me where to go. This theater. is. massive. And I by chance, picked the second to last row in the entire theater! I ended up moving up a few rows once the movie started, but it was funny of all the seats I could have picked, I picked THAT one.
The next day was museum day. I started out at the British museum. I saw a piece of the Rosetta Stone, and an Easter Island head, along with lots of other interesting things. I went to the National Portrait Gallery which was surprisingly cool. I went because it was on the list of top museums, and it was right beside the National Gallery. I wasn't expecting a whole lot, but it ended up being really cool. Then I headed to the National Gallery, and basically saw the rest of the pieces from the Ren. Art class along with some other pieces.
Next I headed to the Natural History Museum and the science museum. Not culturally significant to London, but I never say no to a fun science museum. After that I shopped a little bit, and ventured around oxford circus.
My last day in the central part of London consisted of getting up early and realizing nothing was open yet because it was a sunday. So I ended up doing a little bit of wandering. I wandered around covent garden, and eventually wandered over to Buckingham palace. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH the palace...it was MAHHHH-velous. On my way back up the mall after seeing my palace I hear the clippity cloppy of little horses behind me and I turn around, and there are all these guards on horseback, and behind them I see this marching band, not playing, but just walking with their instruments. Then in perfect silence, they march into a gated area. Never to be seen of again.
After the mysterious soldiers and marching band, I walked back to Covent Garden once things had opened, and walked through some lovely shops.
After this part of my day, I was already exhausted, so I decided to walk back to my hostel and head on to my hotel at the airport, like the cool kid that I am. Getting all of my bags to the airport, through the metro, and through some above ground trains, was quite a feat, but I got there. Once I got there and the hotel was lovely, and it was airconditioned, and I even had a bathtub, I knew that my adventure was officially over. But I did go to bed at 8 that night, so that might have been as good an indication as any that my adventure was REALLY over.
I had a grand time! And outside of all the marvelous things that I did and saw, I just feel extremely gratified and proud of myself that I did it! The whole "traveling by myself" idea was questioned at many junctures in my adventure, but mainly because you realize you miss having someone to talk to. But all in all, I loved it! I feel more independent, and because of my wonderful parents and their child rearing, I know what situations to enjoy whole heartedly, and what situations from which to "hooligan dash."
I loved my trip and I can't wait for another one, but until then I have not a little adventure called my senior year of college.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
What's gelato you ask?
Upon arriving home I have gotten some questions regarding gelato. What is it? How is it different from ice cream? Etc? And seeing as I have no good answer except..."umm...urhh...it's way better?"
Wikipedia saves the day!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Did you all know that Paris has the same letter as Pairs?
hahaha...Best title to my travel blog written from my house, ever!
After Strasbourg I went to Paris! I had a two day metro pass, so I rode the metro to my hotel to check-in, running over many a french toe with my suitcase along the way. It had been a long day, so I had every intention of taking a shower before I took over Paris. When I got to my hotel, my room wasn't ready, so...bummer.
Once I was showered and rested or as they saw in Paris...le rested, I headed out. I was originally going to go to the champs elysees first and sing this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAMuNfs89yE
At the top of my lungs.
After Strasbourg I went to Paris! I had a two day metro pass, so I rode the metro to my hotel to check-in, running over many a french toe with my suitcase along the way. It had been a long day, so I had every intention of taking a shower before I took over Paris. When I got to my hotel, my room wasn't ready, so...bummer.
Once I was showered and rested or as they saw in Paris...le rested, I headed out. I was originally going to go to the champs elysees first and sing this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAMuNfs89yE
At the top of my lungs.
BUT on the metro I saw the stop for the Notre Dame, and just got too excited so I hopped right off. I got there right as the bells were ringing. I then sang this song:
(not at the top of my lungs)
After that, I walked over to the champs Elysees and saw many fun things along the way. I saw Saint Chapelle, Place de la Concorde, Arc du Triomphe...
I also treated myself to a nutella and banana crepe.
The fashionista in me giddily walked down Avenue Montaigne where all the really huge names are. I even saw the headquarters of one of my favorite couture designers. I took pictures, but then scurried away when the stores guards glared at me.
Then, in the distance I saw it. I saw the eiffel tower! It was just so surreal. I don't think it hit me that I was in PARIS till I saw it. But I walked around the tower and ate dinner waiting for the light show.
It was then that I headed back to the hotel, but not before my metro pass stopped working. So I wondered if it was just a bad station (I know, its illogical). So I walked to the next station (2 minute walk), and I said "God, if you could help me get to my hotel." And I walked down the steps, and this station was having a computer problem, so all of the gates were open just to walk through. Thank you God.
The next day, I head to the louvre first off. Now, you may say that it is dumb that I just spent a month studying Renaissance art in the Birthplace of the Renaissance, why oh why would I head to the Renaissance paintings first? But it was just the perfect extension to my studies, because there were so many pieces that we studied, that I couldn't see because they were in Paris (or London, Ill get to that later). I did get to see the Mona Lisa, but there were other pieces that I was audibly giddy about seeing. I may have gotten some funny stares but I got to round off the pieces I have seen by Ghirlandaio (the man on whom i focused for my final paper in art class) who had five or six pieces at the louvre.
After the louvre I got together a picnic and enjoyed a lovely afternoon in the Tuileries. Annnnd I sang this song:
(Screaming at the top of my lungs...ok maybe not)
After my picnic, and singing time, I headed to the luxemborg gardens. On the way I saw lots of important things, one of the minor things being the headquarters for my glasses designer. I went in to maybe snag for serial numbers, or just to see how different their selection is in Europe. I found some frames that I really liked, and when I asked the woman if I could write the item number down to order them in America, she replied to me "Oh, these are our designs, you cannot get our designs in America."
umm...I think you can because they are resting ON MY FACE!
Anyway, I got the number and was on my way. But the gardens were Bee-a-yooo-tiful. Idiot that I am, left my camera in the hotel room. There was even a Medici fountain. The Medici family was the most powerful family in Florence Italy, and is the reason for a good portion of the Renaissance art. It was like one last little goodbye for Florence.
Afterwards I decided to walk back to the hotel, which ended up being a half hour walk. But it was a nice way to wind up the day, and subsequently, Paris. I got dinner in my hotel's neighborhood which was really cool. The hotel was surrounded by boulangeries (pastry shops), so every morning it was a task to figure out which place was making the street smell the best.
Paris was wonderful, but it was time to move on.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Strasbourg...oui (sp?)
So…I love Strasbourg. It is that perfect balance between smaller city charm (everyone rides bikes, and you can walk almost everywhere if you are ambitious- but you don’t have to because there is a really cool public transportation system- think subways above ground) but it still has the business of a bigger city. It reminds me a lot of Florence in the sense that is it small enough to walk everywhere, but you still find little pieces of history around every corner. ANYWHO!
As far as touristy things that I did….I paid a visit to some stunning cathedrals. I find it fascinating to compare these churches to the ones in Florence, because coming here I realized, “yeah, they may have their differences, but at the root of it, they are pretty much all the same…big pretty and intricate.” After my renaissance art class it is really cool to see the different fresco styles, the different architecture, and the different style of altar pieces. There really is a huge difference. At the second church I visited today they had a huge astronomical clock. I haven’t had a chance to put up my pictures yet, but it was a sight to behold! It was really cool! Unfortunately I wasn’t around to hear the chime go off signaling an hour, but the church was really stunning.
Afterwards I walked to le petite France. It. Was. Beautiful. I’m throwing that phrase around so much that it’s starting to lose meaning, but genuinely I just keep going from one beautiful city to another.
Afterwards I grabbed dinner (I am STILL trying to talk to people in Italian. This woman from whom I was ordering is speaking to me in French, and without thinking I am talking to her in muddled Italian and English…I don’t think she appreciates the “grazie” I accidentally sent her at the very end) and ate it on a bench beside the river. The sun was shining just so, and the weeping willow was blowing gracefully around me. Yeah, I may not have seen some alps because of some rain, but this was one of the most picturesque moments I have had on the entire trip.
Tomorrow I am going to Paris. I am nervous and excited all at the same time! I am nervous because a couple people, and by a couple I mean 25 people, told me to watch Taken so now any time a guy walks within 3 feet of me I have flashes of Liam Nieson (sp?) beating people up, and think about how fast I could get to my pepper spray. But its PARIS! How could I not be excited about PARIS! …Right?
As far as touristy things that I did….I paid a visit to some stunning cathedrals. I find it fascinating to compare these churches to the ones in Florence, because coming here I realized, “yeah, they may have their differences, but at the root of it, they are pretty much all the same…big pretty and intricate.” After my renaissance art class it is really cool to see the different fresco styles, the different architecture, and the different style of altar pieces. There really is a huge difference. At the second church I visited today they had a huge astronomical clock. I haven’t had a chance to put up my pictures yet, but it was a sight to behold! It was really cool! Unfortunately I wasn’t around to hear the chime go off signaling an hour, but the church was really stunning.
Afterwards I walked to le petite France. It. Was. Beautiful. I’m throwing that phrase around so much that it’s starting to lose meaning, but genuinely I just keep going from one beautiful city to another.
Afterwards I grabbed dinner (I am STILL trying to talk to people in Italian. This woman from whom I was ordering is speaking to me in French, and without thinking I am talking to her in muddled Italian and English…I don’t think she appreciates the “grazie” I accidentally sent her at the very end) and ate it on a bench beside the river. The sun was shining just so, and the weeping willow was blowing gracefully around me. Yeah, I may not have seen some alps because of some rain, but this was one of the most picturesque moments I have had on the entire trip.
Tomorrow I am going to Paris. I am nervous and excited all at the same time! I am nervous because a couple people, and by a couple I mean 25 people, told me to watch Taken so now any time a guy walks within 3 feet of me I have flashes of Liam Nieson (sp?) beating people up, and think about how fast I could get to my pepper spray. But its PARIS! How could I not be excited about PARIS! …Right?
Milan...then ciao Italy! Guten Tag Lucerne!
Sorry these are coming a few days late…inconsistent sources of internet, so I am writing these when they happen, but posting them when I can.
I didn’t realize when I was scheduling my little jaunt what I was really getting myself into. I’ll be ALONE for 9 ½ days!!! Not a single friendly face!! It’s not that I feel unsafe, its just that you realize the value of someone to talk to who you don’t have to do the different language sign language game. Pointing frantically at your ticket then pointing at the train means “is this the correct ticket that will take me my destination?” That’s just the first round. The lightning round consists of sound effects. “pfft” with your hands expanding, coming from the French girl in my hostel means “hello fellow young lady, seeing as you are typing in the dark, but I am about to leave the room, would you like me to turn on the light to ease the strain on your eyes.” THAT is how the game is played folks.
But anyway, I also didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I scheduled my first day in Milan, on August 1, 2009. During my month in Florence, I learned that Italians tend to go on vacation for the entire month of august. Therefore, everything I had PLANNED on, was closed. However, there were some awfully fortuitous moments in Milan! I was on my way to a designer outlet, but got turned around. Not only did I find Milan’s monument to the fashion industry (a giant threaded needle, with the knot of the needle coming out of the ground about 20 feet away, it looked like it was stitching the sidewalk), but I also found myself a CASTLE! They had changed it into a big park with a couple museums added as well. I also found an exhibit that displayed two pages of leonardo da vinci's sketches. I saw some cool things!
After that I was peacefully sitting in the shade to cool down, and a man comes up to me selling what I can only describe as those friendship bracelets you make at camp. He kind of ruined the moment.
After that I rode the subway back to Brera (the neighborhood I liked so much the first time around), and walked around, found a cool, CLOSED store. Next time I guess. Then I had my last Italian pizza. One of the restaurants that was still open, had the pizza that was made just for ME. It was thin crust, no cheese, olives, and anchovies. I got two pieces of that and some foccacia just to munch on. All the gelato places were closed, so I ended up waltzing my way back to the hotel.
The next morning I left for Lucerne. Milan had no direct trains to Lucerne, so I had to go from Milan to arth-goldau to Lucerne. It was a long travel day.
Once in Lucerne, I was just in awe. It was one of the prettiest cities I have ever seen. It also felt like the coldest city in existence. I even loged for that baking feeling I got as I was crossing in front of the santa croce. It was very rainy and windy, and I even got to wear the sweatshirt I have been dragging around this entire trip.
In Lucerne: day 1, I saw the Old Chapel Bridge, the water spiking, the lion monument, and a picnic by the lake. The lion Monument remembers the swiss soldiers that were defending Louis the XVI during the French revolution, but he had already left the building, they just weren’t informed yet. The monument is dedicated to the loyalty and bravery of the swiss.
Before you get any ideas, water spiking is when giant spikes are lowered into the water to raise the level, which in turns get it to flow faster (no flooding). Unfortunately, I missed out because they are trying to get it to flow as fast as possible at the moment, so the spikes are lowered into the water indefinitely.
Lucerne day 2: I had such grand plans for my second day of Lucerne. But what do they about people planning stuff and God crying cause he is laughing so hard? I don’t remember. But I do remember that I was going to climb to the top of a mountain (with the help of the worlds steepest cogwheel train), I was going to walk the Musseg wall, instead of just look at it. But When I woke up this morning, it was sprinkling. Still, no big downer. Then as I am buying my lunch, it starts to pour.
The funniest part about the whole thing is I looked at my umbrella this morning and said “nah.” Dumb. Dumb and stupid.
So I end up trying to find attractions that don’t involve me being outside, but ALAS, I only find a handful. I saw the inside of some really cool churches. I walked the Old Chapel Bridge about 5 times. But other than that, I just got soaked. Then I started hopping from store to store hoping and praying that the rain would let up so I could at least SEE the alps in the distance, to no avail. I finally grabbed dinner and headed back to my hostel with my tail between my soaked to the bone legs. Dang. Or as the royalty in me will say in a few days “snippety snoppet!”
I struggled with the german. No matter how many times I accidentally said things to them in Italian, for SOME reason it did not ease the language barrier! Go figure! And for some ungodly reason, this was the only german running through my head AT ALL....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72_icHFx7ys&feature=related
I leave for Strasbourg tomorrow. I swear, if it rains, the clouds and I are having words.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Swiss Miss
Im in switzerland and Im alive! leaving Italy was hard, but it is gorgeous here! Im inLucerne....google it, then come here, youll thank me. Much like I need to thank graandmamma!!!! She suggested lucerne, and it is just breathtaking.
Internet it running low, so must run!!!
Love all of you...Hoo
Internet it running low, so must run!!!
Love all of you...Hoo
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Months of work and Research brings me to this point...
It is time ladies and gentleman to get ready to embark on my 9 day journey. Im getting really really excited! It is hard to imagine how anything could compare to Florence, but I have heard magical things about each and every city that I am going to. I will probably have one more blog post before I leave Florence, but I figured I could go ahead and write my itenerary for my adventure!
AUGUST 1
Saturday I leave Florence for Milan
AUGUST 2
Sunday I travel from Milan to Lucerne Switzerland
AUGUST 3
Monday I kick it up swiss style and stay in Lucerne
AUGUST 4
Tuesday I travel from Lucerne to Strasbourg, France
AUGUST 5
I keep getting Frenchy and travel from Strasbourg to Paris.
AUGUST 6
I am getting my meals cooked by Remy (not really but bonus points if you tell me what movie I am referencing in the comments)
AUGUST 7
AUREVOIR (did NOT spell that correctly) Paris! PIP PIP CHEERIO OOOOOOHHHH- the
r-hoooooooo-yal HOOOOOOOOOO hits london!
AUGUST 8
Tea with the Queen!
August 9
Seriously, I might be so beside myself in london that they kick me out for being too hooey (is there such a thing?) OR they will kick me out because they are offended at my royal accent. (The must just be jealous they are not as royal as I)
But alas- that night I check into a hotel at the gatwick airport
AUGUST 10- I arrive in Charlotte NC!!!!
This hooey has class, so till next time....
Arr-hoooooooo-viderci
Bella Busey
AUGUST 1
Saturday I leave Florence for Milan
AUGUST 2
Sunday I travel from Milan to Lucerne Switzerland
AUGUST 3
Monday I kick it up swiss style and stay in Lucerne
AUGUST 4
Tuesday I travel from Lucerne to Strasbourg, France
AUGUST 5
I keep getting Frenchy and travel from Strasbourg to Paris.
AUGUST 6
I am getting my meals cooked by Remy (not really but bonus points if you tell me what movie I am referencing in the comments)
AUGUST 7
AUREVOIR (did NOT spell that correctly) Paris! PIP PIP CHEERIO OOOOOOHHHH- the
r-hoooooooo-yal HOOOOOOOOOO hits london!
AUGUST 8
Tea with the Queen!
August 9
Seriously, I might be so beside myself in london that they kick me out for being too hooey (is there such a thing?) OR they will kick me out because they are offended at my royal accent. (The must just be jealous they are not as royal as I)
But alas- that night I check into a hotel at the gatwick airport
AUGUST 10- I arrive in Charlotte NC!!!!
This hooey has class, so till next time....
Arr-hoooooooo-viderci
Bella Busey
Monday, July 27, 2009
CRISIS MODE
I’VE REACHED QUITE THE PARADOX!!!
It’s time for me to leave Florence. I’ve accepted as much. There is just too much stuff I miss at home, and one too many things here that make me go “stupefy!” as I’m walking down the streets while holding out my liter of water (that I now carry with me everywhere, a habit that I hope I will keep up when I come home) pretending it is a magic wand, still hoping that the next time I say that, something real will happen instead of just in my head. Crazy gypsy lady painted in white that makes kissy noises at everyone who walks by thinking “This is surely the way for me to get you to give me your Euros”….STUPEFY! Italian woman who yells at me for trying to squeeze behind her while she is in a conversation with someone taking up the whole sidewalk with her bike….WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA! NOW you’re out of my way! And YOU! You know who you are! You sales associates who look at me like I am covered in fruta di bosco gelato and am going to proceed to touch every little thing in your store making your 900 dollar pair of shoes too sticky for your real customers to enjoy! EXPELLIARMUS! I’ve had enough!
But at the same time, I was thinking yesterday, as I was returning from my weekend trip to Milan and Bologna (really fun by the way…more on that later), the next time I see the Santa Maria Novella Train Station, I’ll be leaving Florence. And I got a little teary as I was making my way back to my apartment. I have less than a week of strolls by the riverside, church bells being the backtrack of my life as I’m on my way to class, the old woman who lives beneath us, who on the first day yelling at me something that I still don’t know what it was (fairly, she may have thought I was trying to break into her apartment), greets me with a “Ciao Bella” now as we cross in the stairwell. I love sitting on the church steps after class in the afternoon, trying to figure out which dog would talk to me, and their owner WOULDN’T glare at me. I love being able to get up early, before the tourists are out and go for a morning walk, seeing things that some only see on postcards. I think I even love the tourists. I may sigh, and get aggravated when the tour groups take up the entire sidewalk, but I know that if they asked me for help, I would realize, I was once in their position, and I would try and point them in the right direction. I love the smiles I get when shop workers know I am American, but can tell I am really trying to speak Italian. Maybe they are secretly laughing at me, but I don’t think so. I love the smell of leather as I walk through the market. I love knowing that I have walked on the same streets as some of the art world’s greatest minds! I really really, wholeheartedly and completely love Florence.
So if I am so anti-Florence that I am depending on will-induced Harry Potter powers to bring everyone down, why do I get so sad when I think about leaving? I keep telling myself there is far too much to be done here for me to never return, but it just seems so far away.
So this is my last six days in Florence ( and technically my last week in Italy because this time next week, I will be winding down for bed in Switzerland…WHAAAA???). I’m trying to fit it all in, but its hard considering I have a project presentation and two finals this week, AND I have to finish three papers for a cultural study I had to do for Meredith. I still have the David to see, the Galileo exhibit to visit, the Santa Maria Novella farmacia*, I want to go to the market one more time, I want to try Fiesole one more time (I figured it out…take the BUS not the TRAIN), I found a jewelry store that makes me salivate every time I walk by the window. Seriously, if I was a worse person, I would resort to thievery. There is another jewelry store that Cailin says has the cutest/cheapest stuff of all the stores ON the Ponte Vecchio (not a hard task to be the cheapest). The Boboli Gardens are calling my name. Its too much stuff!
*Santa Maria Novella Farmacia: It is a pharmacy (more of an apothecary) set up by the monks of the Santa Maria Novella centuries ago. All the recipes to make their products are completely secret. Not even the workers know the whole process to make a single bottle of hand cream, for example. There are about five or six people who work on each item, so each person only knows a certain part of the process, and they are sworn to secrecy, keeping anyone from being able to replicate the items.
I feel like I was here long enough for me to realize all the stuff I just couldn’t do in the time I was here. Don’t get me wrong. I did a lot. More than most, and for that I am could not be more grateful to mamma and daddy for supporting me and sending me across the ocean, no matter how much I may have cried! I guess I just have to be happy with what I did with my time, and move on to my next adventures. Who knows, maybe God will send me back here sooner rather than later. It’s kind of exciting….let’s wait and see.
Ok, so my weekend update will be short-ish since I rambled on for a loooooong time.
Milan was really cool. I’ve decided to write a Hoo-tique fashion update about Fashion in Europe in the next few days, so I’ll talk about Milan fashion there. If you are interested, go to my profile and my other blog is called “The Hoo-tique.” I haven’t updated it in awhile, but Europe has really inspired me, so I’ve got some stuff to say! But anyway- Milan. I went there for a fashion marketing field trip. During the day we had some time to walk around one of the shopping districts which was located near the duomo. So she told us if we had time, to go see the duomo. It was cool. It was really gorgeous. I’ve grown a little partial to the duomo in Florence, but it was really really pretty. We headed to another district of Milan called Brera. At first I didn’t really love Milan. VERY business-y and VERY super high fashion. Business and super High fashion does not a happy hooey make. But I really really really loved Brera. It was much more laid back, and we went to the coolest store I have ever been to in my life (not an exaggeration…the truth), called 10 Corso Como. After we visited that store we were free to go our separate ways (some went back to Florence, some went on to other destinations, I stayed in Milan). I did, however, have to go back to the train station to get my backpack, so I had to figure out the subway system. A little frustrating but I think I’ve got it now. I got checked in, and all was honky-dory. I even have this little gadget that slips into the crack of the door, and if anyone opens the door to your hotel room, a loud alarm goes off. Just out of curiosity, I tested it out, ready to turn off the alarm. IT. WAS. LOUD. I was not anticipating it to be that loud. So as I was going to bed, I kept falling asleep, then jerking back awake, fearing for some reason the alarm would go off accidentally, then everyone in the hotel would be mad at me. The next day I went to the science museum because they had a big Leonardo da vinci exhibit advertised. I didn’t realize however that you needed to be signed up for a tour group to be allowed into the exhibit. They had no groups for me to join that day. Bummer. The rest of the day was pretty mundane. I went back to brera (I REALLY liked it). Then I hopped on my train to Bologna.
Bologna was really cool. It has the oldest college in the world (not an exaggeration…the truth AGAIN), so it is a college town, but so much cooler. The food there was the best I have ever had. I even had a pasta course, and a meat course at dinner, because I had heard that Bologna was the place to get the best Italian food, and I wanted to experience as much of that as I could in the one night that I was there. I was not disappointed. The pasta was freshly made tortelloni and zucchini flowers, and the meat dish was a steak with a balsamic vinegar sauce. Now, considering this had been the first taste of red meat that I had had since the first week (when I grew violently tired of prosciutto), I might be a little biased, but it was the best steak I have ever had. Now considering I had bread, prosecco (a sparkling white wine), an antipasto platter, pasta, and the best steak of my life for 35 Euro, I think that is a good deal. The next day I played it a little more low key. I woke up and watched ten minutes of star trek dubbed in Italian (the Italian voice for William Shatner’s Captain Kirk was hysterical). I walked into town and had breakfast by Neptune’s fountain.
Next I walked around a little bit more and finished getting the atmosphere of Bologna, but I bought a picnic lunch at their market. I had lunch in the park, what a lovely way to spend a day
The other statue was of two mermaids wrestling with each other. Hmmmm…
My journey brought me back to Florence, and conversely, the mental anguish present at the beginning of this blog.
So now that I have rambled on, for what really has been forever….
Bella Busey: signing out
Or should I say long-winded-hot-frizzy-but-trying-to-make-every-last-moment-in-Florence-count-despite-people-and-their-stinky-attitudes-and-the-time-she-loses-when-she-is-chugging-water-to-keep-from-fainting-but-never-the-less-Bella Busey: Ciao!
It’s time for me to leave Florence. I’ve accepted as much. There is just too much stuff I miss at home, and one too many things here that make me go “stupefy!” as I’m walking down the streets while holding out my liter of water (that I now carry with me everywhere, a habit that I hope I will keep up when I come home) pretending it is a magic wand, still hoping that the next time I say that, something real will happen instead of just in my head. Crazy gypsy lady painted in white that makes kissy noises at everyone who walks by thinking “This is surely the way for me to get you to give me your Euros”….STUPEFY! Italian woman who yells at me for trying to squeeze behind her while she is in a conversation with someone taking up the whole sidewalk with her bike….WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA! NOW you’re out of my way! And YOU! You know who you are! You sales associates who look at me like I am covered in fruta di bosco gelato and am going to proceed to touch every little thing in your store making your 900 dollar pair of shoes too sticky for your real customers to enjoy! EXPELLIARMUS! I’ve had enough!
But at the same time, I was thinking yesterday, as I was returning from my weekend trip to Milan and Bologna (really fun by the way…more on that later), the next time I see the Santa Maria Novella Train Station, I’ll be leaving Florence. And I got a little teary as I was making my way back to my apartment. I have less than a week of strolls by the riverside, church bells being the backtrack of my life as I’m on my way to class, the old woman who lives beneath us, who on the first day yelling at me something that I still don’t know what it was (fairly, she may have thought I was trying to break into her apartment), greets me with a “Ciao Bella” now as we cross in the stairwell. I love sitting on the church steps after class in the afternoon, trying to figure out which dog would talk to me, and their owner WOULDN’T glare at me. I love being able to get up early, before the tourists are out and go for a morning walk, seeing things that some only see on postcards. I think I even love the tourists. I may sigh, and get aggravated when the tour groups take up the entire sidewalk, but I know that if they asked me for help, I would realize, I was once in their position, and I would try and point them in the right direction. I love the smiles I get when shop workers know I am American, but can tell I am really trying to speak Italian. Maybe they are secretly laughing at me, but I don’t think so. I love the smell of leather as I walk through the market. I love knowing that I have walked on the same streets as some of the art world’s greatest minds! I really really, wholeheartedly and completely love Florence.
So if I am so anti-Florence that I am depending on will-induced Harry Potter powers to bring everyone down, why do I get so sad when I think about leaving? I keep telling myself there is far too much to be done here for me to never return, but it just seems so far away.
So this is my last six days in Florence ( and technically my last week in Italy because this time next week, I will be winding down for bed in Switzerland…WHAAAA???). I’m trying to fit it all in, but its hard considering I have a project presentation and two finals this week, AND I have to finish three papers for a cultural study I had to do for Meredith. I still have the David to see, the Galileo exhibit to visit, the Santa Maria Novella farmacia*, I want to go to the market one more time, I want to try Fiesole one more time (I figured it out…take the BUS not the TRAIN), I found a jewelry store that makes me salivate every time I walk by the window. Seriously, if I was a worse person, I would resort to thievery. There is another jewelry store that Cailin says has the cutest/cheapest stuff of all the stores ON the Ponte Vecchio (not a hard task to be the cheapest). The Boboli Gardens are calling my name. Its too much stuff!
*Santa Maria Novella Farmacia: It is a pharmacy (more of an apothecary) set up by the monks of the Santa Maria Novella centuries ago. All the recipes to make their products are completely secret. Not even the workers know the whole process to make a single bottle of hand cream, for example. There are about five or six people who work on each item, so each person only knows a certain part of the process, and they are sworn to secrecy, keeping anyone from being able to replicate the items.
I feel like I was here long enough for me to realize all the stuff I just couldn’t do in the time I was here. Don’t get me wrong. I did a lot. More than most, and for that I am could not be more grateful to mamma and daddy for supporting me and sending me across the ocean, no matter how much I may have cried! I guess I just have to be happy with what I did with my time, and move on to my next adventures. Who knows, maybe God will send me back here sooner rather than later. It’s kind of exciting….let’s wait and see.
Ok, so my weekend update will be short-ish since I rambled on for a loooooong time.
Milan was really cool. I’ve decided to write a Hoo-tique fashion update about Fashion in Europe in the next few days, so I’ll talk about Milan fashion there. If you are interested, go to my profile and my other blog is called “The Hoo-tique.” I haven’t updated it in awhile, but Europe has really inspired me, so I’ve got some stuff to say! But anyway- Milan. I went there for a fashion marketing field trip. During the day we had some time to walk around one of the shopping districts which was located near the duomo. So she told us if we had time, to go see the duomo. It was cool. It was really gorgeous. I’ve grown a little partial to the duomo in Florence, but it was really really pretty. We headed to another district of Milan called Brera. At first I didn’t really love Milan. VERY business-y and VERY super high fashion. Business and super High fashion does not a happy hooey make. But I really really really loved Brera. It was much more laid back, and we went to the coolest store I have ever been to in my life (not an exaggeration…the truth), called 10 Corso Como. After we visited that store we were free to go our separate ways (some went back to Florence, some went on to other destinations, I stayed in Milan). I did, however, have to go back to the train station to get my backpack, so I had to figure out the subway system. A little frustrating but I think I’ve got it now. I got checked in, and all was honky-dory. I even have this little gadget that slips into the crack of the door, and if anyone opens the door to your hotel room, a loud alarm goes off. Just out of curiosity, I tested it out, ready to turn off the alarm. IT. WAS. LOUD. I was not anticipating it to be that loud. So as I was going to bed, I kept falling asleep, then jerking back awake, fearing for some reason the alarm would go off accidentally, then everyone in the hotel would be mad at me. The next day I went to the science museum because they had a big Leonardo da vinci exhibit advertised. I didn’t realize however that you needed to be signed up for a tour group to be allowed into the exhibit. They had no groups for me to join that day. Bummer. The rest of the day was pretty mundane. I went back to brera (I REALLY liked it). Then I hopped on my train to Bologna.
Bologna was really cool. It has the oldest college in the world (not an exaggeration…the truth AGAIN), so it is a college town, but so much cooler. The food there was the best I have ever had. I even had a pasta course, and a meat course at dinner, because I had heard that Bologna was the place to get the best Italian food, and I wanted to experience as much of that as I could in the one night that I was there. I was not disappointed. The pasta was freshly made tortelloni and zucchini flowers, and the meat dish was a steak with a balsamic vinegar sauce. Now, considering this had been the first taste of red meat that I had had since the first week (when I grew violently tired of prosciutto), I might be a little biased, but it was the best steak I have ever had. Now considering I had bread, prosecco (a sparkling white wine), an antipasto platter, pasta, and the best steak of my life for 35 Euro, I think that is a good deal. The next day I played it a little more low key. I woke up and watched ten minutes of star trek dubbed in Italian (the Italian voice for William Shatner’s Captain Kirk was hysterical). I walked into town and had breakfast by Neptune’s fountain.
Next I walked around a little bit more and finished getting the atmosphere of Bologna, but I bought a picnic lunch at their market. I had lunch in the park, what a lovely way to spend a day
The other statue was of two mermaids wrestling with each other. Hmmmm…
My journey brought me back to Florence, and conversely, the mental anguish present at the beginning of this blog.
So now that I have rambled on, for what really has been forever….
Bella Busey: signing out
Or should I say long-winded-hot-frizzy-but-trying-to-make-every-last-moment-in-Florence-count-despite-people-and-their-stinky-attitudes-and-the-time-she-loses-when-she-is-chugging-water-to-keep-from-fainting-but-never-the-less-Bella Busey: Ciao!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
So today we planned on traveling to Fiesole. It is just a small town in the hills that overlooks Florence. It is cooler. It is quieter. It sounds perfect.
Right?
So Brittney and I board our train, and head out. 12 minutes later we arrive in Fiesole-Caldine. We are in, what I would call, an Italian suburb. But I figure, hey, we’ll find it. Problem number 1: the train station was so small that they didn’t sell maps like Brittney and I both thought they would. Problem 2: We were officially out of Florence, so people no longer have a basic working knowledge of the English language because of the tourists. (expected, but annoying, I am in ITALY after all). Problem 3: we were definitely not where we needed to be. So I asked a man “Dove piazza mino da Fiesole?” (meaning: where is this piazza?) He starts explaining it to me. On a whim I ask “parla inglese?” seeing if he spoke English. “NO” and continues to explain it to me in Italian. I saw him point one way, so we set off that way. About half an hour later, we see no sign of a town at all, just apartment buildings, and decide to cut our losses and head back to Florence.
We head back to the train station, and we are still in pretty good spirits. We pop on the train, and as we sit down, we see another train pull up right beside it, and both of us say “are we sure that this is our train?” It wasn’t. We ride to the first stop. NO DOOR WILL OPEN. We go to the next stop. NO DOOR WILL OPEN. We go to the next stop and finally the doors open. By now we have every single person on that train gawking at us. Thanks, guys. So we get off.
Another train was coming in half an hour so we decided just to wait and hop on that one for we were sure that we read everything correctly. We waited, and we were still in good spirits. We were taking pictures because we really were in Italian countryside by this point. We get on the train, and as we get on they read off the list of stops, and one is the Santa Maria Novella (the Florence train station). So we both think, ok good, we are in good shape. WRONG. About 3 stops later the whole train stops and shuts down, and we infer that this man just told us that this train is done. Dang.
We look at the schedule again, and there is another train going to santa maria novella arriving at the station in 20 minutes. So, we wait. In the mean time, all the Italians on the platform are staring at us. Again.
The train comes, and it is packed. I, along with about 10 others are forced to stand. This is my favorite part of the story. The train was so cramped, and it was so stuffy from overcrowding, that I knew I may have an issue. At the third to last stop on the train, my skin gets clammy, my stomach clenches up, and I can feel myself getting dizzy. I see no other option than to sit down on the floor of the train. Otherwise, I would end up in someone’s lap. So I sit down, and that helps, but as we were nearing the Florence train station, I tell Brittney to get off this train as fast as she can because I was either going to faint or be sick, and I know nobody wanted that. And guess what all of the people on the train did. THEY STARED AT ME. THEY ONLY STARED AT ME. If I was feeling better I thought about making faces back at them, but at the moment it was not my top priority.
Bless Brittney, she later told me that she knew something was wrong when I was turning unnatural colors, but she had no water, and spoke no Italian, so she had no idea what to do. I ended up shoving my way off the train, sitting down on the ground while she ran and got us both drinks. Not my proudest moment. Especially because I had done so well up until now. I had heard from so many sources about how hot Florence was, so I had almost constantly been drinking water. Today was my pitfall.
We ended up going straight to dinner because both of us were starving, but because there were three smokers at the next table we ended up finishing quickly and taking the leftovers back to our apartment.
So that was today. It also appears that men have gotten more brazen in the past day. I have been here longer than two weeks without any incidents of the “obnoxious flirty Italian men.” Today everything changed. On the way back from the train station, the sleaze balls were out in force. Brittney and I are taking another easy night. We are going out for gelato later, but it was quite an adventurous day.
Positive points of the day:
- I saw cities of which I had never heard.
- I got a lot of practice with the train system, which I will need come my hoo-xpedition.
- I got to see more landscape than I would have normally.
Negative points for the day:
- Almost fainted on a train
- Never really saw Fiesole in all its glory. Personally, I am calling it my Ivars of Italy.
Right?
So Brittney and I board our train, and head out. 12 minutes later we arrive in Fiesole-Caldine. We are in, what I would call, an Italian suburb. But I figure, hey, we’ll find it. Problem number 1: the train station was so small that they didn’t sell maps like Brittney and I both thought they would. Problem 2: We were officially out of Florence, so people no longer have a basic working knowledge of the English language because of the tourists. (expected, but annoying, I am in ITALY after all). Problem 3: we were definitely not where we needed to be. So I asked a man “Dove piazza mino da Fiesole?” (meaning: where is this piazza?) He starts explaining it to me. On a whim I ask “parla inglese?” seeing if he spoke English. “NO” and continues to explain it to me in Italian. I saw him point one way, so we set off that way. About half an hour later, we see no sign of a town at all, just apartment buildings, and decide to cut our losses and head back to Florence.
We head back to the train station, and we are still in pretty good spirits. We pop on the train, and as we sit down, we see another train pull up right beside it, and both of us say “are we sure that this is our train?” It wasn’t. We ride to the first stop. NO DOOR WILL OPEN. We go to the next stop. NO DOOR WILL OPEN. We go to the next stop and finally the doors open. By now we have every single person on that train gawking at us. Thanks, guys. So we get off.
Another train was coming in half an hour so we decided just to wait and hop on that one for we were sure that we read everything correctly. We waited, and we were still in good spirits. We were taking pictures because we really were in Italian countryside by this point. We get on the train, and as we get on they read off the list of stops, and one is the Santa Maria Novella (the Florence train station). So we both think, ok good, we are in good shape. WRONG. About 3 stops later the whole train stops and shuts down, and we infer that this man just told us that this train is done. Dang.
We look at the schedule again, and there is another train going to santa maria novella arriving at the station in 20 minutes. So, we wait. In the mean time, all the Italians on the platform are staring at us. Again.
The train comes, and it is packed. I, along with about 10 others are forced to stand. This is my favorite part of the story. The train was so cramped, and it was so stuffy from overcrowding, that I knew I may have an issue. At the third to last stop on the train, my skin gets clammy, my stomach clenches up, and I can feel myself getting dizzy. I see no other option than to sit down on the floor of the train. Otherwise, I would end up in someone’s lap. So I sit down, and that helps, but as we were nearing the Florence train station, I tell Brittney to get off this train as fast as she can because I was either going to faint or be sick, and I know nobody wanted that. And guess what all of the people on the train did. THEY STARED AT ME. THEY ONLY STARED AT ME. If I was feeling better I thought about making faces back at them, but at the moment it was not my top priority.
Bless Brittney, she later told me that she knew something was wrong when I was turning unnatural colors, but she had no water, and spoke no Italian, so she had no idea what to do. I ended up shoving my way off the train, sitting down on the ground while she ran and got us both drinks. Not my proudest moment. Especially because I had done so well up until now. I had heard from so many sources about how hot Florence was, so I had almost constantly been drinking water. Today was my pitfall.
We ended up going straight to dinner because both of us were starving, but because there were three smokers at the next table we ended up finishing quickly and taking the leftovers back to our apartment.
So that was today. It also appears that men have gotten more brazen in the past day. I have been here longer than two weeks without any incidents of the “obnoxious flirty Italian men.” Today everything changed. On the way back from the train station, the sleaze balls were out in force. Brittney and I are taking another easy night. We are going out for gelato later, but it was quite an adventurous day.
Positive points of the day:
- I saw cities of which I had never heard.
- I got a lot of practice with the train system, which I will need come my hoo-xpedition.
- I got to see more landscape than I would have normally.
Negative points for the day:
- Almost fainted on a train
- Never really saw Fiesole in all its glory. Personally, I am calling it my Ivars of Italy.
Friday, July 17, 2009
When in Rome, you go somewhere else....
Or technically before you go to Rome, you decide to go somewhere else. This weekend, we had every intention to go to Rome, but because of the heat wave that hit the city this week (oh my gosh, I am a melted puddle of hoo as I am typing this) and the waves and waves of tourists that have been mulling around on the sidewalks, Brittney and I decided it might be better to go somewhere a little more low key this weekend. Not to mention, I am having museum overload because of my renaissance art class.
Speaking of, we had our midterm this week. It went all right. The “class” had a study session at the school’s restaurant the night before and I met my new friend Paul. Before anyone thinks anything, he is thirty and has a wife. He is getting his masters, and the school he is attending is giving him credit for spending the summer in Florence. As he said “Why not go to Florence if I get credit for it?” In a class of a lot of people who get really disrespectful in these museums, it was nice to find a person who just genuinely enjoys soaking it all in. I enjoy soaking it all in, it is just a lot to soak in. Even sponges start dripping eventually. Did that make sense? It’s really hot so I might be delirious.
But alas, Paul and I studied for a couple hours. Then I did some studying on my own. The stuff I studied I knew really well. When we were taking the test, it appeared as if there were some things that I SHOULD have studied but didn’t.
As a reward for finishing my midterm, and Lily finishing her paper, we went out last night to my favorite restaurant in Florence. It may be dumb not to try something new considering I have only two more weeks, but I got the pear ravioli that I mentioned about a week ago. Seriously, so good. Afterwards we went to Grom, which is a gelateria I hadn’t tried yet. I got two flavors in my little cup. One was salted caramel (oh my good gosh DEEEE-lish), but then in an attempt to say “I at least took a little pity on my stomach,” I got raspberry sorbet (dairy-free). Also delicious, but the caramel is above and beyond my favorite flavor that I have tried in Florence. We sat next to the duomo and watched the people selling flying light up toys. It was a good night.
Which brings me to Friday. Cailin went to sicily for the weekend, so Brittney and I had free reign over the apartment. We both decided that we wanted to sleep in. She has class at 9 every morning across town, and this week I have taken to automatically waking up at 6 for a couple hours. Once we woke up, we both walked to the central market.
I got some peaches, and some parmesan. Now, remember that time I said I’m not a huge fan of cheese?
I lied.
I bought a hunk of cheese about the size of my fist, and within an hour and a half of being back at the apartment, it was reduced to the size of a bouncy ball.
Afterwards Brittney showed me a pastry shop that her class had tried one morning. I haven’t tried my pastry yet, but it is enticing me from the fridge as we speak. It looked a little like tiramisu. I know it wasn’t, but I couldn’t read the sign, so it will be a surprise! Hooray!
At this point in the day, the sky was at its peak, the tourists were out in force, and Brittney and I were officially HOT. We headed back to our apartment.
We also had one of the program coordinators coming to show off our apartment, so we had to be there when that took place. A representative from Baylor was visiting the school to see if she should recommend this program to her students. She seemed appalled that the apartments don’t have air conditioning. Welcome to Florence.
We asked our teacher in Art class why no apartments have air conditioning, and she said that the majority of people believe it to be unhealthy… unhealthy? Are you serious? I don’t have enough fingers and toes to count how many people I see smoking every day. Unhealthy…psh.
I’m not that bitter, It’s just that hot.
After lounging around, waiting for it to cool off, Brittney and I treated ourselves to…wait for it…Mcdonalds. Yeah. I was slightly ashamed, but I have been craving American food. Saturday it was back to pasta, but that night, we ate like queens, American, commercialized Queens.
Leaving mcdonalds, it was starting to cool off. The sky became overcast, and the rain was on its way. HOORAY AGAIN! We walked down some streets and window shopped for a bit, picking out things we knew we could never afford, but wanted to try on anyway.
Just by chance, maybe, we would try on a pair of truly inspired heels. A heel just chunky enough to protect our foot, and subsequently our knee’s integrity, but a heel slender enough to make us feel fabulous. Heels that would make your legs look 10 miles long, but classic enough that you could keep them forever. Heels that perfectly soundtrack your life as they clickety-clack over the cobblestone streets of Florence, but mysteriously never falter on the many uneven stones. Once you return home, heels that when asked by a frantically jealous passerby “Ohmygosh, wheredidyougetthoseshoes?” you are forced to respond “oh I’m so sorry, I got them in Florence, Italy,” and smirk as you walk away, remembering the balmy nights of Florence with a gelato in hand, waltzing over the Ponte Vecchio, your feet perfectly graced with your perfect, serendipitous, Florentine heels. Just by chance, if we find them, we will have to buy them.
(seriously, don’t judge me, its hot, I don’t know what I am typing/whining)
ANYWAY, the rain clouds came closer and closer, so we decided to head home and plan for the weekend. The program administrators, and the travel guide Daddy gave me, had recommended a day trip to a local town Fiesole, and to Fiesole we went!
To be continued!
Speaking of, we had our midterm this week. It went all right. The “class” had a study session at the school’s restaurant the night before and I met my new friend Paul. Before anyone thinks anything, he is thirty and has a wife. He is getting his masters, and the school he is attending is giving him credit for spending the summer in Florence. As he said “Why not go to Florence if I get credit for it?” In a class of a lot of people who get really disrespectful in these museums, it was nice to find a person who just genuinely enjoys soaking it all in. I enjoy soaking it all in, it is just a lot to soak in. Even sponges start dripping eventually. Did that make sense? It’s really hot so I might be delirious.
But alas, Paul and I studied for a couple hours. Then I did some studying on my own. The stuff I studied I knew really well. When we were taking the test, it appeared as if there were some things that I SHOULD have studied but didn’t.
As a reward for finishing my midterm, and Lily finishing her paper, we went out last night to my favorite restaurant in Florence. It may be dumb not to try something new considering I have only two more weeks, but I got the pear ravioli that I mentioned about a week ago. Seriously, so good. Afterwards we went to Grom, which is a gelateria I hadn’t tried yet. I got two flavors in my little cup. One was salted caramel (oh my good gosh DEEEE-lish), but then in an attempt to say “I at least took a little pity on my stomach,” I got raspberry sorbet (dairy-free). Also delicious, but the caramel is above and beyond my favorite flavor that I have tried in Florence. We sat next to the duomo and watched the people selling flying light up toys. It was a good night.
Which brings me to Friday. Cailin went to sicily for the weekend, so Brittney and I had free reign over the apartment. We both decided that we wanted to sleep in. She has class at 9 every morning across town, and this week I have taken to automatically waking up at 6 for a couple hours. Once we woke up, we both walked to the central market.
I got some peaches, and some parmesan. Now, remember that time I said I’m not a huge fan of cheese?
I lied.
I bought a hunk of cheese about the size of my fist, and within an hour and a half of being back at the apartment, it was reduced to the size of a bouncy ball.
Afterwards Brittney showed me a pastry shop that her class had tried one morning. I haven’t tried my pastry yet, but it is enticing me from the fridge as we speak. It looked a little like tiramisu. I know it wasn’t, but I couldn’t read the sign, so it will be a surprise! Hooray!
At this point in the day, the sky was at its peak, the tourists were out in force, and Brittney and I were officially HOT. We headed back to our apartment.
We also had one of the program coordinators coming to show off our apartment, so we had to be there when that took place. A representative from Baylor was visiting the school to see if she should recommend this program to her students. She seemed appalled that the apartments don’t have air conditioning. Welcome to Florence.
We asked our teacher in Art class why no apartments have air conditioning, and she said that the majority of people believe it to be unhealthy… unhealthy? Are you serious? I don’t have enough fingers and toes to count how many people I see smoking every day. Unhealthy…psh.
I’m not that bitter, It’s just that hot.
After lounging around, waiting for it to cool off, Brittney and I treated ourselves to…wait for it…Mcdonalds. Yeah. I was slightly ashamed, but I have been craving American food. Saturday it was back to pasta, but that night, we ate like queens, American, commercialized Queens.
Leaving mcdonalds, it was starting to cool off. The sky became overcast, and the rain was on its way. HOORAY AGAIN! We walked down some streets and window shopped for a bit, picking out things we knew we could never afford, but wanted to try on anyway.
Just by chance, maybe, we would try on a pair of truly inspired heels. A heel just chunky enough to protect our foot, and subsequently our knee’s integrity, but a heel slender enough to make us feel fabulous. Heels that would make your legs look 10 miles long, but classic enough that you could keep them forever. Heels that perfectly soundtrack your life as they clickety-clack over the cobblestone streets of Florence, but mysteriously never falter on the many uneven stones. Once you return home, heels that when asked by a frantically jealous passerby “Ohmygosh, wheredidyougetthoseshoes?” you are forced to respond “oh I’m so sorry, I got them in Florence, Italy,” and smirk as you walk away, remembering the balmy nights of Florence with a gelato in hand, waltzing over the Ponte Vecchio, your feet perfectly graced with your perfect, serendipitous, Florentine heels. Just by chance, if we find them, we will have to buy them.
(seriously, don’t judge me, its hot, I don’t know what I am typing/whining)
ANYWAY, the rain clouds came closer and closer, so we decided to head home and plan for the weekend. The program administrators, and the travel guide Daddy gave me, had recommended a day trip to a local town Fiesole, and to Fiesole we went!
To be continued!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
If a few days late....
First and foremost, I know it is a few days late, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY BURAH!
There are so many dogs here. I keep imagining what Beulah would do if she got to talk to all the puppies on the street, or got to chase down the pigeons. I have my suspicions that Beulah is not nearly as behaved as the dogs here. There is a pug that walks with an old man almost every day as I am on my way to class. This dog walks right beside him no matter how quickly or slowly he may be going. There are some dogs here that don’t even need leashes but just stay near their mamma or daddy. Beulah should learn that trick.
But alas,
Happy Birthday Beulah! Sorry I missed the party.
As for this weekend...
Friday the three of us hopped on a train to Siena and it was quite delightful! We started off our adventure with bruschetta in the piazza aka my new favorite, or if we are being serious…. ANYTHING in a piazza is my new favorite. Perfect people watching, I tell you. Afterwards we walked to the Sienese duomo. It’s really pretty, but the Florentine duomo would knock its socks off. Of that, I am sure.
Next, we strolled on over to a market where we discovered this cute little man’s sauce stand. I could have loaded up right then and there, but my wallet had something to say about it. Serendipitously, the market had a lookout over the hills of Siena, so we had ourselves a little photo shoot. There was a perfect brick wall on which a person could sit and have their picture taken with the rolling hills. I had different plans. True to form, I tried to get up on the wall but just wasn’t coordinated enough. DON’T BE SO SHOCKED RIGHT NOW!!! I know what you are saying “Meredith, WHAT! YOU! UNCOORDINATED!?!?!? Have you uncharacteristically fallen on your head dancing in a piazza and lost your mind???” Calm yourself. The answer is no, I am in fact quite clumsy. SO, I settled for standing next to the brick wall. Bummer.
Then, we were getting pretty hungry, so after lots of uphill walking, we found a place Cailin’s travel guide recommended. It was very much a hole in the wall, but the little Italian man who worked there looked like the actor Bob Hoskins, so I knew we would be ok. The food was out of this world! I had something that I don’t remember the name of. Sorry guys. But Cailin had risotto with basil and mint. It was as if she had seen the second coming. The restaurant was really good, and the prices were not terrible, so PLUS!
Afterwards, we waltzed back to the piazza and found ourselves eating gelato and watching the world go by. When we reached the point where we were all pondering how weird it would be to lie down and take a nap in the square, we realized it might be time to go back.
We called a taxi, and it whisked us off to the train station. When we arrived, we were able to hop right on the train. Perfect timing.
Not so much with Venice.
Venice was a lesson learning experience. We got to the train station, ready to go, and the first two trains of the day were full. We ended up finding a café near by and waiting for two hours. Bummer #1
Once we got in the area we got off the train at Venice Mestre station. Even though we had to wait and get off at the St Lucia train station. Bummer #2
We got to Venice, and it was beautiful. The vaporetto (water bus) ride went off semi-hitchless. And checking into our hotel was pretty easy too.
We got to St. Mark’s square, and that place was just magical. It made me feel like dancing.
Then came dinner time. All the restaurants on the square were too expensive, and we have a vegetarian in our midst, so that made things difficult too. We ended up eating at a restaurant that cost 95 Euro for three people. Admittedly, my share was only 20 Euro, but still Bummer #3
After dinner we strolled around town, and I did a lot of wistful sighing. It’s such a wonderful place. I kept imagining mamma and daddy eating on the square, and wishing that they could be on this wonderful adventure to share it with me.
The night ended with a gelato in the square to feed the pigeons our cones. Wonderful.
The next morning, we were off to the Rialto Bridge. I officially hate tourists, and I AM one! WHAAA? But the rialto bridge was lovely if a little bit crowded. On our way to find a spot for lunch, we got to wander through a Thai festival. It was a random thing for Venice, but it was cool to see!
Lunch time! We found a restaurant in the square that has what we thought were reasonable prices, but upon closer examination, we would b paying 6 Euro for the orchestra to play. We promptly found another restaurant. After lunchtime we tracked down the Biennale Art Exhibit on recommendation of Emily. I thought it was really cool. They had little exhibits spread throughout the city, but we found one of the main ones in the Arsenale on the island. It was a modern art exhibit, so it was interesting seeing all these pieces that were so contemporary compared to the pieces I have been seeing for art class. Good job Emily!
Afterwards, seeing as we were taking the last train of the day, headed out two hours in advance as to save us from missing the train and being forced to stay another night.
Weekend Summary:
-Italy is so beautiful that I feel like more people should break out into song than already do. (A man started singing opera into his cell phone as I walked by him on the way to class).
-I’m very tired. We have walked a lot. My feet are sore, but considering I have only worn my Tevas on this entire trip, my feet are still doing well!
-Siena reminds me of Asheville, except, you know, in Italy.
-I miss you guys! Have fun in Seattle/Alaska!
There are so many dogs here. I keep imagining what Beulah would do if she got to talk to all the puppies on the street, or got to chase down the pigeons. I have my suspicions that Beulah is not nearly as behaved as the dogs here. There is a pug that walks with an old man almost every day as I am on my way to class. This dog walks right beside him no matter how quickly or slowly he may be going. There are some dogs here that don’t even need leashes but just stay near their mamma or daddy. Beulah should learn that trick.
But alas,
Happy Birthday Beulah! Sorry I missed the party.
As for this weekend...
Friday the three of us hopped on a train to Siena and it was quite delightful! We started off our adventure with bruschetta in the piazza aka my new favorite, or if we are being serious…. ANYTHING in a piazza is my new favorite. Perfect people watching, I tell you. Afterwards we walked to the Sienese duomo. It’s really pretty, but the Florentine duomo would knock its socks off. Of that, I am sure.
Next, we strolled on over to a market where we discovered this cute little man’s sauce stand. I could have loaded up right then and there, but my wallet had something to say about it. Serendipitously, the market had a lookout over the hills of Siena, so we had ourselves a little photo shoot. There was a perfect brick wall on which a person could sit and have their picture taken with the rolling hills. I had different plans. True to form, I tried to get up on the wall but just wasn’t coordinated enough. DON’T BE SO SHOCKED RIGHT NOW!!! I know what you are saying “Meredith, WHAT! YOU! UNCOORDINATED!?!?!? Have you uncharacteristically fallen on your head dancing in a piazza and lost your mind???” Calm yourself. The answer is no, I am in fact quite clumsy. SO, I settled for standing next to the brick wall. Bummer.
Then, we were getting pretty hungry, so after lots of uphill walking, we found a place Cailin’s travel guide recommended. It was very much a hole in the wall, but the little Italian man who worked there looked like the actor Bob Hoskins, so I knew we would be ok. The food was out of this world! I had something that I don’t remember the name of. Sorry guys. But Cailin had risotto with basil and mint. It was as if she had seen the second coming. The restaurant was really good, and the prices were not terrible, so PLUS!
Afterwards, we waltzed back to the piazza and found ourselves eating gelato and watching the world go by. When we reached the point where we were all pondering how weird it would be to lie down and take a nap in the square, we realized it might be time to go back.
We called a taxi, and it whisked us off to the train station. When we arrived, we were able to hop right on the train. Perfect timing.
Not so much with Venice.
Venice was a lesson learning experience. We got to the train station, ready to go, and the first two trains of the day were full. We ended up finding a café near by and waiting for two hours. Bummer #1
Once we got in the area we got off the train at Venice Mestre station. Even though we had to wait and get off at the St Lucia train station. Bummer #2
We got to Venice, and it was beautiful. The vaporetto (water bus) ride went off semi-hitchless. And checking into our hotel was pretty easy too.
We got to St. Mark’s square, and that place was just magical. It made me feel like dancing.
Then came dinner time. All the restaurants on the square were too expensive, and we have a vegetarian in our midst, so that made things difficult too. We ended up eating at a restaurant that cost 95 Euro for three people. Admittedly, my share was only 20 Euro, but still Bummer #3
After dinner we strolled around town, and I did a lot of wistful sighing. It’s such a wonderful place. I kept imagining mamma and daddy eating on the square, and wishing that they could be on this wonderful adventure to share it with me.
The night ended with a gelato in the square to feed the pigeons our cones. Wonderful.
The next morning, we were off to the Rialto Bridge. I officially hate tourists, and I AM one! WHAAA? But the rialto bridge was lovely if a little bit crowded. On our way to find a spot for lunch, we got to wander through a Thai festival. It was a random thing for Venice, but it was cool to see!
Lunch time! We found a restaurant in the square that has what we thought were reasonable prices, but upon closer examination, we would b paying 6 Euro for the orchestra to play. We promptly found another restaurant. After lunchtime we tracked down the Biennale Art Exhibit on recommendation of Emily. I thought it was really cool. They had little exhibits spread throughout the city, but we found one of the main ones in the Arsenale on the island. It was a modern art exhibit, so it was interesting seeing all these pieces that were so contemporary compared to the pieces I have been seeing for art class. Good job Emily!
Afterwards, seeing as we were taking the last train of the day, headed out two hours in advance as to save us from missing the train and being forced to stay another night.
Weekend Summary:
-Italy is so beautiful that I feel like more people should break out into song than already do. (A man started singing opera into his cell phone as I walked by him on the way to class).
-I’m very tired. We have walked a lot. My feet are sore, but considering I have only worn my Tevas on this entire trip, my feet are still doing well!
-Siena reminds me of Asheville, except, you know, in Italy.
-I miss you guys! Have fun in Seattle/Alaska!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Quick little morning update....
So guys! Fun discovery of the morning is: THE PIAZZA IS FINALLY OPEN!
Because I am writing this in the schools lab, I had to find a picture of the whole piazza online. This picture was the best I could do. HOWEVER, the whole time I have been here, the piazza has been closed off because of evening concerts. Leaving only the steps on which to sit, and the vista consists of the back of a stage. THIS MORNING! This morning I planned on eating my lunch on the steps to the side of the santa croce, but as I round the corner, something catches my eye. What's this? No towering metal stands? No gates piled on the sidewalk only to block the entire street later on? YES! The piazza is open!
The story ends with me sitting beside a street musician sipping on a diet coke and savoring a panini. I had my heart set on my new favorite drink, pelligrino aranciata, but they were out. But no matter, because the piazza was open! Hooray!
Because I am writing this in the schools lab, I had to find a picture of the whole piazza online. This picture was the best I could do. HOWEVER, the whole time I have been here, the piazza has been closed off because of evening concerts. Leaving only the steps on which to sit, and the vista consists of the back of a stage. THIS MORNING! This morning I planned on eating my lunch on the steps to the side of the santa croce, but as I round the corner, something catches my eye. What's this? No towering metal stands? No gates piled on the sidewalk only to block the entire street later on? YES! The piazza is open!
The story ends with me sitting beside a street musician sipping on a diet coke and savoring a panini. I had my heart set on my new favorite drink, pelligrino aranciata, but they were out. But no matter, because the piazza was open! Hooray!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
This is Just too Surreal
I was thinking about it today. There are moments when I am here that I think this city is just too cool to be real. There is something on every corner that is gorgeous and significant and historical, and it may just be too much for my brain to accept as real. It's just too cool. But anyway...
I greeted the morning with a nutella and banana sandwich. Then I was off to the San Lorenzo for my art class. It is quite the church, because it was never actually finished on the outside. There is no ornamentation or anything like that, just stones. The inside is quite the opposite. Brunelleschi, the architect, was very adamant that the inside should focus on mathematical proportions instead of paintings and flourishes, so there are lots of columns and arches. There are paintings in the church but we were informed that Brunelleschi (aka bruno in my notes because his name is so long)was really angry about this. The church was commissioned by the medicis, the most powerful family in Florence, so Bruno really had no choice in the matter.
Afterwards I was walking to my next class which was meeting at the Ferregamo museum, but I stopped for lunch first and had a slice of pizza. (Florence really makes it hard for people who are trying to reduce the dairy in their diet) Alas, the pizza was just what I needed to get the energy to fight the tourists.
There was some kind of miscommunication, and I missed my class entering the museum, but after a certain point, I just went on in to tour the museum myself, and there they were! WHHAAAA!
The museum was incredible though. I ended up staying there for half an hour longer than anyone else in my class, and I was getting some curious stares from another tour group because I was taking pictures and making sketches and getting really into it. I guess to them they were shoes, but to me they were SHOES! The museum was arranged by color, and I finished off the tour with a maze they set up and in the middle of the maze was a giant color wheel made out of shoes. The picture, on facebook does it more justice than I am doing right now, but it was really cool. (once again I say, if you are not friends with me on facebook, and cannot see them at this link...
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=2045944&id=47302243
let me know and I will work something out.)
After, don't freak out mamma, I went to a wine tasting. It was an event I signed up for when I first got here because I thought it would be a good way to meet people. I did meet people, however Julie was there! It wasn't a huge deal, she just sent us all the stink eye. I tasted some INCREDIBLE....balsamic vinegar. HAHAha...ha..hmmm. It really was incredible. It was aged 12 years. I may have to find a way to bring some home.
The night had a pretty slow ending because we were planning our travels for the weekend. It's official, I'm leaving Florence for the first time since I have been here. Tomorrow we are taking a day trip to Siena, then Saturday we are going to spend a night in Venice. Pretty pumped, guys, not gonna lie.
I greeted the morning with a nutella and banana sandwich. Then I was off to the San Lorenzo for my art class. It is quite the church, because it was never actually finished on the outside. There is no ornamentation or anything like that, just stones. The inside is quite the opposite. Brunelleschi, the architect, was very adamant that the inside should focus on mathematical proportions instead of paintings and flourishes, so there are lots of columns and arches. There are paintings in the church but we were informed that Brunelleschi (aka bruno in my notes because his name is so long)was really angry about this. The church was commissioned by the medicis, the most powerful family in Florence, so Bruno really had no choice in the matter.
Afterwards I was walking to my next class which was meeting at the Ferregamo museum, but I stopped for lunch first and had a slice of pizza. (Florence really makes it hard for people who are trying to reduce the dairy in their diet) Alas, the pizza was just what I needed to get the energy to fight the tourists.
There was some kind of miscommunication, and I missed my class entering the museum, but after a certain point, I just went on in to tour the museum myself, and there they were! WHHAAAA!
The museum was incredible though. I ended up staying there for half an hour longer than anyone else in my class, and I was getting some curious stares from another tour group because I was taking pictures and making sketches and getting really into it. I guess to them they were shoes, but to me they were SHOES! The museum was arranged by color, and I finished off the tour with a maze they set up and in the middle of the maze was a giant color wheel made out of shoes. The picture, on facebook does it more justice than I am doing right now, but it was really cool. (once again I say, if you are not friends with me on facebook, and cannot see them at this link...
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=2045944&id=47302243
let me know and I will work something out.)
After, don't freak out mamma, I went to a wine tasting. It was an event I signed up for when I first got here because I thought it would be a good way to meet people. I did meet people, however Julie was there! It wasn't a huge deal, she just sent us all the stink eye. I tasted some INCREDIBLE....balsamic vinegar. HAHAha...ha..hmmm. It really was incredible. It was aged 12 years. I may have to find a way to bring some home.
The night had a pretty slow ending because we were planning our travels for the weekend. It's official, I'm leaving Florence for the first time since I have been here. Tomorrow we are taking a day trip to Siena, then Saturday we are going to spend a night in Venice. Pretty pumped, guys, not gonna lie.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
GLORY GLORY!
I’m gonna save the best for later. Let’s start at the very beginning. I was awoken by Julie’s alarm clock at 6 this morning. I ended up going back to sleep, but still frustrating. But alas, I did my morning routine (I’m out of Florentine peaches, so off to the market tomorrow). My art class was meeting at the duomo so I had to leave a little bit earlier than I usually would. Good thing to, because no matter how many times I have walked through the Piazza dei duomo, I got lost on the way.
Typical.
But I got there in time, and I am so glad I did. No matter how many times I walked through the Piazza dei duomo, I did not notice everything that was pointed out to me today. For example on the bell tower, there are three levels of marble reliefs carved on the side. The first level is reliefs of humans in their different guilds of the time. Adam and Eve also had a relief because they were the world’s first workers. Once they were forced to leave Eden humans were forced to work. The next level is the female representations of the church. The next level is reliefs of the prophets, and finally the last level is the sky, which is God in all his glory. It creates quite a hierarchy that I had not noticed even once.
Next we looked at the doors to the Baptistery. FUN FACT! Most cathedrals have separate baptisteries because people were not allowed to enter unless they were baptized. The doors are a piece of carved bronze, and gilded with gold. The doors are divided into 28 square sections. 20 of these are old testament stories, and 8 are symbols indicating the vices of the church.
Next we headed to the Museum of the duomo. It was so sooo cool. It held all the original statues that adorned the outside of the duomo. Some of the carving is so real that you just feel overwhelmed with emotion when you see it.
My favorite was the wooden statue of Mary Magdalene. She sat in the baptistery because she was the ultimate example of redemption and God’s forgiveness.
After my class that left me stunned, LAUNDRY TIME! I used the washer for the first time AND hung them on a clothes line. I felt like Cinderella. It was fun!
Now, I was getting so riled up about this apartment drama, that I took a walk. A long walk! 2 hour walk! We had a meeting scheduled with the administrators at 6 if Julie decided she didn’t want to move. Julie got out of class at 5:30, and I ended up on a bench outside of the office building at 5:30, so I was basically prepared to go talk to them one on one if I needed to. (I was EXTREMELY anti-non-moving-Julie). AAANNNNND SHE MOVED!
She is out of my everyday life! HOORAY!
I met Brittney on the steps of the Santa Croce and we ended up people watching and talking for almost 2 hours. It was so relaxing! I felt so much better! Eventually we faced the facts that I had to go hang up my laundry, and Brittney had to grab some stuff. Julie was there. I ended up helping her carry a load to her new apartment. This is going to be best for everyone I hope.
Tonight Brittney and I met our friend Lily for dinner at a new restaurant. We got some pear ravioli for the table because we were all curious. DEEEE-LISH! SO GOOD! Sadly my entrée wasn’t quite as good. It was gnocchi with fish and vegetables. Sounds good in conception, right? Right. There first two bites were outstanding, then it just saltier and saltier with each passing bite. We will definitely be going back there because the restaurant was adorable! The menus has onion peels modgepodged (sp?) onto a board in the shape of a flower on the cover. Everything was so cool about it! Just a little happy with the salt. Everyone elses food was good, so I think its just not their strongest meal.
We finished off the night with Lily and Brittney getting gelato, and I finished the night with a Pelligrino con arranciata (orange) in hand.
Any travel suggestions for this weekend? I’ll take votes A) Siena, B) Rome, C) Cinque Terre, D) orrrr something else?
Typical.
But I got there in time, and I am so glad I did. No matter how many times I walked through the Piazza dei duomo, I did not notice everything that was pointed out to me today. For example on the bell tower, there are three levels of marble reliefs carved on the side. The first level is reliefs of humans in their different guilds of the time. Adam and Eve also had a relief because they were the world’s first workers. Once they were forced to leave Eden humans were forced to work. The next level is the female representations of the church. The next level is reliefs of the prophets, and finally the last level is the sky, which is God in all his glory. It creates quite a hierarchy that I had not noticed even once.
Next we looked at the doors to the Baptistery. FUN FACT! Most cathedrals have separate baptisteries because people were not allowed to enter unless they were baptized. The doors are a piece of carved bronze, and gilded with gold. The doors are divided into 28 square sections. 20 of these are old testament stories, and 8 are symbols indicating the vices of the church.
Next we headed to the Museum of the duomo. It was so sooo cool. It held all the original statues that adorned the outside of the duomo. Some of the carving is so real that you just feel overwhelmed with emotion when you see it.
My favorite was the wooden statue of Mary Magdalene. She sat in the baptistery because she was the ultimate example of redemption and God’s forgiveness.
After my class that left me stunned, LAUNDRY TIME! I used the washer for the first time AND hung them on a clothes line. I felt like Cinderella. It was fun!
Now, I was getting so riled up about this apartment drama, that I took a walk. A long walk! 2 hour walk! We had a meeting scheduled with the administrators at 6 if Julie decided she didn’t want to move. Julie got out of class at 5:30, and I ended up on a bench outside of the office building at 5:30, so I was basically prepared to go talk to them one on one if I needed to. (I was EXTREMELY anti-non-moving-Julie). AAANNNNND SHE MOVED!
She is out of my everyday life! HOORAY!
I met Brittney on the steps of the Santa Croce and we ended up people watching and talking for almost 2 hours. It was so relaxing! I felt so much better! Eventually we faced the facts that I had to go hang up my laundry, and Brittney had to grab some stuff. Julie was there. I ended up helping her carry a load to her new apartment. This is going to be best for everyone I hope.
Tonight Brittney and I met our friend Lily for dinner at a new restaurant. We got some pear ravioli for the table because we were all curious. DEEEE-LISH! SO GOOD! Sadly my entrée wasn’t quite as good. It was gnocchi with fish and vegetables. Sounds good in conception, right? Right. There first two bites were outstanding, then it just saltier and saltier with each passing bite. We will definitely be going back there because the restaurant was adorable! The menus has onion peels modgepodged (sp?) onto a board in the shape of a flower on the cover. Everything was so cool about it! Just a little happy with the salt. Everyone elses food was good, so I think its just not their strongest meal.
We finished off the night with Lily and Brittney getting gelato, and I finished the night with a Pelligrino con arranciata (orange) in hand.
Any travel suggestions for this weekend? I’ll take votes A) Siena, B) Rome, C) Cinque Terre, D) orrrr something else?
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Beauty and the Beast: THE SEQUEL!
Ohhhhh today…The morning started out with a wonderful breeze coming in through the window, and a Florentine peach on the couch. I got dressed to go to class, and I ran into Brittney on the way to class. I asked her how things went with her roommate last night (the source of the drama). Evidently there were some pretty severe threats against Brittney. One threat involving a lamp. Yikes.
SOOOO, there was a visit paid to the powers that be in the program later, but before that I had class time! In renaissance art we paid a visit to the santa croce. I saw Michelangelo’s, Da Vinci’s, and Galileo’s tomb, and the works of Giotti. Giotti was one of the first painters to work in three dimensions. Everything was gorgeous, but it was painful to see the damage that the Arno river did when it flooded up to six feet of the santa croce and the surrounding buildings.
In fashion marketing we watched a video about Viktor & Rolfe and their launch of their perfume flowerbomb. The video included one of the coolest fashion shows I have ever seen. Youtube it! (viktor & rolfe flowerbomb fashion show---that will probably work).
Next came the meeting about the rooming situation. Oi. We thought we conveyed our concerns about the matter, but Julie appeared to manipulate the whole situation when an hour and a half after our meeting, Brittney and I get a call about meeting as a group to work it out. At which point I called mamma in tears because basically, I want this girl out. I don’t feel safe and I am going to convey that.
It doesn’t help her case that she ended up taking all her aggression out on me over the phone this afternoon. She asked if Cailin or I would sleep in Brittney’s bed from here on out. A) no way jose and B) NOOOOOO. I’m not going to put myself in that situation, and it’s not fair to put Cailin in that situation. I ended up having to say to her “I don’t feel comfortable sleeping in the same room as you at the moment.” Three minutes later, me, shaking with anger, and Julie, still yelling at me (she even called me bipolar at one point and said I couldn’t handle things like an adult…..um, HELLO!?!?!?!?! They have these new fangled inventions called MIRRORS! USE ONE!) I finally hung up the phone. This is not how I want to spend my time in Florence. The only solution I see is to send her home or get her another apartment.
The one bit of good news is if there is any sign of aggression or ANYTHING from here on out, we report it, and she is evicted.
The night was really cool despite the drama. Brittney’s family friend lives in Florence so they took us out to eat. I had risotto with zucchini flowers. It was delicioussss! And I did my first Italian double cheek kiss. I was wayyyy excited . I’ve been seeing other people do it, and since they know I am American they always insist on shaking my hand!
But guys, I need some prayers. Pray that this situation be resolved quickly and safely! None of us want to deal with this any longer than we have to!
SOOOO, there was a visit paid to the powers that be in the program later, but before that I had class time! In renaissance art we paid a visit to the santa croce. I saw Michelangelo’s, Da Vinci’s, and Galileo’s tomb, and the works of Giotti. Giotti was one of the first painters to work in three dimensions. Everything was gorgeous, but it was painful to see the damage that the Arno river did when it flooded up to six feet of the santa croce and the surrounding buildings.
In fashion marketing we watched a video about Viktor & Rolfe and their launch of their perfume flowerbomb. The video included one of the coolest fashion shows I have ever seen. Youtube it! (viktor & rolfe flowerbomb fashion show---that will probably work).
Next came the meeting about the rooming situation. Oi. We thought we conveyed our concerns about the matter, but Julie appeared to manipulate the whole situation when an hour and a half after our meeting, Brittney and I get a call about meeting as a group to work it out. At which point I called mamma in tears because basically, I want this girl out. I don’t feel safe and I am going to convey that.
It doesn’t help her case that she ended up taking all her aggression out on me over the phone this afternoon. She asked if Cailin or I would sleep in Brittney’s bed from here on out. A) no way jose and B) NOOOOOO. I’m not going to put myself in that situation, and it’s not fair to put Cailin in that situation. I ended up having to say to her “I don’t feel comfortable sleeping in the same room as you at the moment.” Three minutes later, me, shaking with anger, and Julie, still yelling at me (she even called me bipolar at one point and said I couldn’t handle things like an adult…..um, HELLO!?!?!?!?! They have these new fangled inventions called MIRRORS! USE ONE!) I finally hung up the phone. This is not how I want to spend my time in Florence. The only solution I see is to send her home or get her another apartment.
The one bit of good news is if there is any sign of aggression or ANYTHING from here on out, we report it, and she is evicted.
The night was really cool despite the drama. Brittney’s family friend lives in Florence so they took us out to eat. I had risotto with zucchini flowers. It was delicioussss! And I did my first Italian double cheek kiss. I was wayyyy excited . I’ve been seeing other people do it, and since they know I am American they always insist on shaking my hand!
But guys, I need some prayers. Pray that this situation be resolved quickly and safely! None of us want to deal with this any longer than we have to!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Beauty and the Beast....
Oh goodness. Today was something else. Today was the first day of classes, which is very exciting! My renaissance art class is going to be incredible! Every day we go to a different museum or site around Florence. Sometimes we meet first to have a lecture, and sometimes we meet directly at a tourist site. Tomorrow we are touring the Santa Croce, and Wednesday we are touring the duomo.
My fashion marketing class will be an excellent experience, but it might be a lot of information I have already learned. There will be a lot of cool class exercises. I have a six page paper due Monday about the marketing employed by an Italian brand in the city. Also we get to go to the Ferregamo museum as a class, and we will take a trip to Milan.
After class I wasn’t feeling too great, so I ended up just sitting on the couch for awhile, but we had dinner at Ganzo. Ganzo is the place where the people who graduate from this schools culinary program work. It was all right. It was very strange. VERY STRANGE. I ended up having penne pomodoro (typical), and quiche (maybe not so typical). Afterwards we walked back to our apartment, and Brittney was craving gelato so we went and found a place we hadn’t tried yet. I ended up finding sparkling orange water (?). It was Pellegrino with orange in it. I think I found my new “on the way to class” drink.
We saw that there was something going on in the piazza di santa croce, so we decided to sit on the steps of the church and see what was going on. Turns out it was an Italian performance of peter and the wolf. It was so cool! As the sun was setting and the orchestra was playing I thought to myself…this is just a good day.
Boy, was I wrong.
Some dramatics occurred in the apartment tonight. This time tomorrow, I may not have a fourth flat mate.
I’ll keep you posted.
My fashion marketing class will be an excellent experience, but it might be a lot of information I have already learned. There will be a lot of cool class exercises. I have a six page paper due Monday about the marketing employed by an Italian brand in the city. Also we get to go to the Ferregamo museum as a class, and we will take a trip to Milan.
After class I wasn’t feeling too great, so I ended up just sitting on the couch for awhile, but we had dinner at Ganzo. Ganzo is the place where the people who graduate from this schools culinary program work. It was all right. It was very strange. VERY STRANGE. I ended up having penne pomodoro (typical), and quiche (maybe not so typical). Afterwards we walked back to our apartment, and Brittney was craving gelato so we went and found a place we hadn’t tried yet. I ended up finding sparkling orange water (?). It was Pellegrino with orange in it. I think I found my new “on the way to class” drink.
We saw that there was something going on in the piazza di santa croce, so we decided to sit on the steps of the church and see what was going on. Turns out it was an Italian performance of peter and the wolf. It was so cool! As the sun was setting and the orchestra was playing I thought to myself…this is just a good day.
Boy, was I wrong.
Some dramatics occurred in the apartment tonight. This time tomorrow, I may not have a fourth flat mate.
I’ll keep you posted.
the delay
ok guys- my mysterious source of wireless disappeared this weekend, so these blogs are a couple days late. Heads up!
Here I go a'wandering
Oh goodness. I walked a lot today.
I started off this morning with a trip to the grocery store to get breakfast food because CLASS starts tomorrow, and I need to start the day with a meal unlike I have been doing. Brittney and I agreed that Nutella, bananas, and bread would be the way to go. I also got some blood orange juice to make it a complete breakfast. I broke in mamma and daddies “surprise” rei tote bag that I got for my birthday to carry my groceries.
Next I spotted an H&M (a clothing store). And since it has become apparent that I was VERY sparse in packing, I bought a few things to round out my Italy wardrobe.
Now, this is where the walking gets TERRIBLE. My next mission was to find an internet café because my mysterious source of free wi-fi disappeared! (thus the reason the posts are a few days late). I found the café, but I misread the sign. I thought it opened at 1, but alas, I later discovered that it opened at 3. So I decide that I can wander around for two hours. Maybe even find some school supplies. I walk around for two hours. In the mean time, I pass the hospital. Maybe its more modern on the inside. I don’t know, just here’s hoping that I don’t need it. Knock on wood.
Anyway, I went back to the café at 3. And I knew it was three because church bells were ringing all across the city, and they were still closed. I even circled the block a few times, but they were still closed. I decided to let it go.
Good news about my little foray: two people asked me for directions today! I don’t know if I am starting to give off the Italian vibe or if they are just that desperately lost. BUT THEY ASKED ME. AND I WAS ABLE TO HELP. Kind of.
When I came back I had a roommate. Her name is Cailin, and she packed everything that I wish I had brought with me. She was unpacking and just pulled out cute outfit after cute outfit. But alas, when I step in gum (for what wil be the fifth time) I can just scrap off my black tevas and keep going. Not so much with some peep toe pumps. She sounds like more of a partier than I. I hope it won’t be an issue, but seeing as it is only a month, I don’t see it being a huge huge problem.
We introduced her to the cute little restaurants on our street and we decided to try one that we had not gone to before (I must explain about the one we have been to). They must have been smitten with us for they brought out a free dish of ravioli for the table, plus two free desserts (after we had paid). I had penne arriabata (or something to that effect). But in their English translation menu it was called “penne of the angry one.” Oh, was it angry. It was so spicy! It was delicious, but so insanely spicy. The first dessert they brought out was lemon biscotti, then after we paid and were getting up to leave, they brought out chocolate cake with whipped cream. I don’t like chocolate but this was yummy.
It was right then two accoridan players started up behind us. It was realy magical. Then they asked for money which wasn’t so magical, but it was cool.
SPEAKING OF PEOPLE ASKING FOR MONEY. I’m assuming she was a gypsy, but today I was walking through the piazza dei duomo. There was this woman, dressed all in white with her face painted white as well. She was carrying around three fake flowers and a basket and when she would approach a person she would make this bizarre kissing sound. I really don’t know what it was about, but I do know that I quickly veered off to the right when I saw her coming my way.
I started off this morning with a trip to the grocery store to get breakfast food because CLASS starts tomorrow, and I need to start the day with a meal unlike I have been doing. Brittney and I agreed that Nutella, bananas, and bread would be the way to go. I also got some blood orange juice to make it a complete breakfast. I broke in mamma and daddies “surprise” rei tote bag that I got for my birthday to carry my groceries.
Next I spotted an H&M (a clothing store). And since it has become apparent that I was VERY sparse in packing, I bought a few things to round out my Italy wardrobe.
Now, this is where the walking gets TERRIBLE. My next mission was to find an internet café because my mysterious source of free wi-fi disappeared! (thus the reason the posts are a few days late). I found the café, but I misread the sign. I thought it opened at 1, but alas, I later discovered that it opened at 3. So I decide that I can wander around for two hours. Maybe even find some school supplies. I walk around for two hours. In the mean time, I pass the hospital. Maybe its more modern on the inside. I don’t know, just here’s hoping that I don’t need it. Knock on wood.
Anyway, I went back to the café at 3. And I knew it was three because church bells were ringing all across the city, and they were still closed. I even circled the block a few times, but they were still closed. I decided to let it go.
Good news about my little foray: two people asked me for directions today! I don’t know if I am starting to give off the Italian vibe or if they are just that desperately lost. BUT THEY ASKED ME. AND I WAS ABLE TO HELP. Kind of.
When I came back I had a roommate. Her name is Cailin, and she packed everything that I wish I had brought with me. She was unpacking and just pulled out cute outfit after cute outfit. But alas, when I step in gum (for what wil be the fifth time) I can just scrap off my black tevas and keep going. Not so much with some peep toe pumps. She sounds like more of a partier than I. I hope it won’t be an issue, but seeing as it is only a month, I don’t see it being a huge huge problem.
We introduced her to the cute little restaurants on our street and we decided to try one that we had not gone to before (I must explain about the one we have been to). They must have been smitten with us for they brought out a free dish of ravioli for the table, plus two free desserts (after we had paid). I had penne arriabata (or something to that effect). But in their English translation menu it was called “penne of the angry one.” Oh, was it angry. It was so spicy! It was delicious, but so insanely spicy. The first dessert they brought out was lemon biscotti, then after we paid and were getting up to leave, they brought out chocolate cake with whipped cream. I don’t like chocolate but this was yummy.
It was right then two accoridan players started up behind us. It was realy magical. Then they asked for money which wasn’t so magical, but it was cool.
SPEAKING OF PEOPLE ASKING FOR MONEY. I’m assuming she was a gypsy, but today I was walking through the piazza dei duomo. There was this woman, dressed all in white with her face painted white as well. She was carrying around three fake flowers and a basket and when she would approach a person she would make this bizarre kissing sound. I really don’t know what it was about, but I do know that I quickly veered off to the right when I saw her coming my way.
Feeling hot Hot HOT
So, news flash….it’s hot here. But It is far hotter winding up 462 steps, with the walls closing in on you, and the steps getting steeper with each one passed. This was the experience climbing to the top of the duomo this morning. It was hot, sticky, miserable, and claustrophobic. HOWEVER, the view from the top of the dome was well worth it.
We had all warned each other that we were claustrophobic, and, in my case, sometimes don’t do well in oppressive heat (aka I black out and fall over). This was a concern of mine when we made it past the first flight of stairs and Julie was in tears and I was getting dizzy. Although, I was going to be mad at myself if I didn’t see the top, so I got air when I could out of the little peep holes in the wall periodically, and soldiered on! It was a climb! And by the top everyone was sweating buckets and barking at each other because we all just wanted to get outside. This story sounds very dramatic, but it really was something that I would advise anyone to do if they come to Florence (except mamma maybe). You get to see the entire city, in the shadows of the rolling hills of Tuscany. Plus, we had been trying to find our way around these few days, so we got to play the game “lets find where we live” from the top of the dome.
Afterwards, we wound our way down (ALMOST all spiral staircases), and got water because everyone was feeling a little shaky. Our next adventure took us to the mercato centrale. I made my first Italian purchase. It’s a purple leather purse. It’s pretty small by my standards, but very handy because I am getting tired of lugging this big bag around. I ordered my first Panini in broken Italian. I’m getting better. I can say ciao and grazie with more gusto now. Plus I know how to order my gelato. Stick to short sentences. That’s the key.
When I was buying my purse, I asked her “Quanto costa?” for how much does it cost, so she assumed that I spoke Italian, I guess. She starts on a big long rant, and I start smiling cause I have a vague idea of what she is saying (she was explaining that she doesn’t haggle), but she finally understood that I speak English. However, she continued to talk to me in Italian with a few English words thrown in there. I thought that was fair because that is what I was doing to her, basically.
Anyway, turns out she DOES haggle. I only got it down by 9 Euro but it’s a start. I’m not very bold in regards to that kind of thing.
After that I got some fruit. It was good.
Nap time hit with a vengeance. I may still be jetlagged I guess, but I still want to fall asleep at 4:00 in the afternoon. But I can’t get to sleep till 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning. Luckily it was a pretty short nap, so it didn’t throw me off too much.
After my nap, the three of us and our new friend Lily hiked to the palazzo dei michelangiolo. It is on top of a hill facing the historic center of Florence. Once we had all grabbed a Panini for dinner we sat and attempted to watch the sun set behind the Ponte Vecchio. It was cloudy, so we decided to cut our losses and go grab a gelato. The hike was worth it though. It brought the day full circle, indeed. Because this morning we hiked to the top of the duomo, and tonight we hiked to the palazzo and historic Florence in all its glory, the duomo dominating the vista.
We topped off the night with gelato from Vivoli. A place I have heard, from numerous sources is the best gelato in Florence. So far my gelato flavors include: strawberry, tiramisu, and mousse café. Mousse café has BY FAR been my favorite. I thought about buying the 10 euro cup and sticking some in the fridge. (a usual cup for me is anywhere from 1.50 to 2.50 euros).
Marvelous day….hmmmmm
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