Back in Italy! Sorry for the delay in updates, but it's hard to sit and blog when you're on the go in Spain.
FRIDAY
We woke up and got a taxi to the airport. When we are standing in line to check in, Matt realizes he had left his passport back at the apartment. Our flight was taking off in less than an hour. Miraculously, he was able to grab another taxi, tell the driver to speed as fast as possible (which Italian drivers are very capable of doing), and get there and back just in time. That pretty much set the tone for the rest of our trip. We arrived in Madrid, checked in to our hostels, and explored the city.
SATURDAY
We took a free walking tour of Madrid. It was organized by our hostel, so we weren't expecting too much...and for good reason. Our tour guide showed up drunk, likely high, and affected by "the chemicals" as he called them. He informed us that he does the pub crawls at night, then the free tours the next morning--poor combination by my estimation. Aside from a rocky start, I was pleased with the tour. He was comical and more-or-less informative. He was empassioned and enthralling. Free tour guides expect tips at the end, however, I only tipped a few euro. Sorry, Adam. After learning from our tour guide how crazy Madrid nightlife could be, we had to see for ourselves. We went to a 7-STORY discoteca! It was insane! Brooke and I ended up on the main dance floor just in time to feel the cold frost shoot down from a compressor in the ceiling. Without air conditioning, I guess that is the only way to cool the club down. After a few blasts of frost, confetti came down! I got home with confetti still in my hair! In most of Spain, lunch is served around 2 p.m., then dinner around 9 p.m. or so. In Madrid, bars and pubs don't open until after midnight--so you know you're going to be out late. The metro closes at 1 a.m. and reopens at 5 a.m. So you're expected to stay out until the metro reopens! I don't know how they do it.
SUNDAY
We visited the famous Prado and Reina Sofia museums. We saw some classics by Velazquez, Picasso, Dali, and others. Spanish artists are awesome! By far, Spain has the coolest art I have seen. We visited those museums during their "free" times. College students will do anything to save a buck! We also went to Retiro Park, a beautiful public area complete with manmade lake (with rowboats!) and recreation areas.
MONDAY
We woke up Monday, checked out, and caught a train to Seville. After checking in to our hostel, I met up with Mike and other TCU students studying in Seville. It was so good to see a familiar face! It was fun to compare experiences (homestay vs. apartment, Spanish vs. Italian cultures and languages, social norms, etc.). Seville was very laid back. It was as though you could literally feel the country of Spain when you walked its streets. I liked it a lot! We went out for tapas that night. When we got back to the hostel, I wasn't feeling well and ended up throwing up. Abby also threw up. And so did Lauren. We had all eaten the same pork at dinner, so we concluded it was undercooked or something. Once in the night, I threw up again. That wasn't so fun. And I felt bad for my hostel mates (sorry!). Now I have a literal and figurative bad taste in my mouth for tapas and sangria.
TUESDAY
I didn't let the rocky night get me down. I met Mike for lunch, then he showed me his house. I met his senora as she was cooking lunch. She doesn't speak any English and I don't speak much Spanish at all (I get bits since I study Italian), so that exchange was translated for us. Later that night, I ate dinner there, but we should have planned that in advance. Mike asked her only an hour or so before dinner and she was not too happy about the last minute request. She obliged nonetheless, so I cannot complain. Later that night, I decided to take a "quicker" way home. FYI, that isn't the best idea when you have no phone or map. I stubbornly wandered for about an hour and a half, until at 3:30 a.m. I decided to snag a cab. Four euro later, I had made it back and went to bed.
(Matt and Abby left for Morocco instead of staying with us--that's a saga I'll discuss in a little bit)
WEDNESDAY
We flew to Valencia as an intermediary to Barcelona. The flight was only 40 euro and then train to Barcelona was only going to be 17 euro. There is an AMAZING aquarium in Valencia, but we couldn't stomach the 20+ euro prices. We shopped around, found a TON of barber shops and hair salons--if you every need a new doo, you know where to go.
THURSDAY
Our train to Barcelona wasn't until 3 p.m., so we headed to the beach in Valencia. We ate vegetable paella on the boardwalk and enjoyed the beautful sunshine and gorgeous view. It was slightly chilly with the wind so there weren't a ton of people out and about, but we enjoyed the glimpse nonetheless. We had to hurry back to the hostel to grab our bags and get to the train station. We barely made it!
(We were expecting to meet Matt and Abby in Barcelona, but got emails and facebook messages from Abby. She said that their excursion to Morocco didn't happen, but they were determined to take it, so they would be a day late. They wouldn't be taking their scheduled train, but a flight the next night instead).
We get to Barcelona and take the metro to our hostel! In all of Spain, but especially Barcelona, we were being extra cautious with our belongings in public. It is the worst city for tourists since their pickpockets are so good. But it is the best city for tourists with its beauty and abundance of things to do! That night, I met Jillian and her roommate (whose wallet I promptly returned after she lost it in Florence!) for dinner. They took us to a great tapas place, then a few bars. We ended the night at the beachside discotecas. INSANE.
FRIDAY
(Matt and Abby are nowhere to be found. Their excursion to Morocco got back late, so they missed their flight and were forced to stay another day in Malaga. They found another flight and finally made it late that afternoon. I felt bad for all their antics!)
Park Guell was INCREDIBLE. It is my favorite park in the world. Gaudi was commissioned to design the space as a housing development for the privileged classes. The city of Barcelona scrapped the project and made the park a public space. The common areas, fountains, subtle details, and quirky features are astounding. I love Gaudi's architecture! I don't find it goddy at all! It was a beautiful day, so Lauren and I left the group for the beach.
SATURDAY
Our last day. A group of us went to Starbucks to start the day and map our plans. I sat my bag down next me. When we got up to go, it was nowhere to be seen! Immediately, I knew it had been stolen. I checked the streets, but didn't see anyone with anything. My camera, cell phone, and passport were in it! I had put my valuable things in my bag for the day because we had to switch hostel rooms, but our new one wasn't yet ready. Fortunately, I had JUST put my wallet in my pocket, so the theif didn't get my debit card or cash. I kept a cool head, though. I called Accent, our program in Florence. Then I went to the tourist information office to ask where the U.S. Consulate was located. Well, it's Saturday. I need to travel the next day. They give me an emergency number...that only works Monday through Friday, 9-5--what?! Some sort of emergency number, America. They instructed me to go to the police station to file a report, which I did. The police officer was nice enough to call the airline, too, and ask if it was okay to just travel with the police report in lieu of a passport. So everything was taken care of rather quickly! I am just mad that I have to go through all the motions of getting new everything (except a camera--I'll just have to make mental notes). I'm also mad because we were being so careful! Professionals, I tell you. It was another beautiful day, so we hit the beach again after all that.
SUNDAY
Time to go home. We made it to the airport and checked in...well, most of us at least. Matt, the poor kid, messed up another reservation. He booked his return flight for the Sunday before, so he didn't have a seat on our sold out flight. He was forced to stay in Barcelona another night, buy another flight, and get home the next day. His spring break got real expensive real fast!
It is so nice to be home in Florence, though. Not only is it familiar, but it's Italian. I appreciate the culture so much more after having been deprived of it for over a week! The food is so much better here, too! Every meal isn't pork and potatoes. Grazie, Italia!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
La fine settimana scorsa e gli esami intermedi
Midterms have arrived. I don't want to say I haven't been studious this semester, but I had planned this semester to be somewhat of a break from the usual rigor. Besides, I'm definitely doing my homework in my cooking and wine tasting courses! In all my classes for that matter, I feel like I supplement my time in class with my time outside of class. How can you not review for an art history exam when your rooftop overlooks the Duomo? And Italian language? Come on. That's a no brainer. My point is that I hadn't really studied...at all...until this past weekend before midterms approached. I had my cooking practical yesterday. I made homemade fresh egg pasta and my other group members perfected the tomato, mushroom, and zucchini sauce. My professor said our dish was perfect and reminded hiim of his grandmother's cooking--really?? I guess it doesn't hurt that I also purchased a homemade pasta maker. I went to a kitchen supply store near school to buy it. When I was looking for the cheapest one, the older store owner approached me and she started speaking Italian--awesome! I love being put in situations where I actually HAVE to use my Italian. She tried to tell me to buy the more expensive ones because they were better and more Italian. I appreciated her attempts, but of course I opted for the 30 euro machine. I also had my wine tasting midterm yesterday.
Today, I had my art history and political science midterms. They were considerably more difficult than my tests yesterday, but I think I did well on them.
Since we have midterms this week, I stayed in Florence (for the most part) this past weekend. We decided somewhat last minute to do a day trip to San Gimignano, a medieval town south of Florence in the Tuscan countryside that is famous for its Vernaccia white wine. On the bus ride there, however, we neglected to familiarize ourselves with the route, so we missed the stop that we were supposed to get off at and ended up in Siena. If you recall from previous posts, I have already been to Siena! But we had an hour to kill there before another bus could take us to San Gimignano, so we grabbed some gelato and walked around. And it was sunny then (compared to last time when it was cold and rainy), so we weren't altogether mad at ourselves! But San Gimignano was BEAUTIFUL! By far it was the prettiest town I have visited yet. We visited a torture museum--grotesque. And we also stopped in an enoteca to taste some local wines and manj a little bit.
My last midterm is tomorrow morning in Italian. I am not terribly worried about. So as of 9 A.M. tomorrow morning, I will be on spring break 2010!! Watch out, Spain!!
Today, I had my art history and political science midterms. They were considerably more difficult than my tests yesterday, but I think I did well on them.
Since we have midterms this week, I stayed in Florence (for the most part) this past weekend. We decided somewhat last minute to do a day trip to San Gimignano, a medieval town south of Florence in the Tuscan countryside that is famous for its Vernaccia white wine. On the bus ride there, however, we neglected to familiarize ourselves with the route, so we missed the stop that we were supposed to get off at and ended up in Siena. If you recall from previous posts, I have already been to Siena! But we had an hour to kill there before another bus could take us to San Gimignano, so we grabbed some gelato and walked around. And it was sunny then (compared to last time when it was cold and rainy), so we weren't altogether mad at ourselves! But San Gimignano was BEAUTIFUL! By far it was the prettiest town I have visited yet. We visited a torture museum--grotesque. And we also stopped in an enoteca to taste some local wines and manj a little bit.
My last midterm is tomorrow morning in Italian. I am not terribly worried about. So as of 9 A.M. tomorrow morning, I will be on spring break 2010!! Watch out, Spain!!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Il weekend a Roma e due compleanni
Our program that TCU works with here in Florence, ACCENT, took us to Rome this past weekend! We left early Friday morning from the train station. It was quite fun since the last time I took a train it was set up compartment style whereas the fast train to Rome looked more like an airplane--except the train was actually very spacious!
We arrived in Rome mid-morning. After somehow mananaging to squeeze more than 30 students onto a city bus with regular Romans, we made it to the hotel, checked in, and began the day. Freya, our tour guide who is a native Australian, but Florentine by choice, took us on a historical walking tour of Rome. It included churches, piazze, the Pantheon, and the Trevi Fountain. For dinner, we took her suggestion and tried an all-inclusive restaurant. We simply sat down and the food started coming! 5 courses and 10 caraffes of wine later, we needed to leave. It was so much fun, though! We had yet to experience a hearty Italian (let alone Roman) meal, so it was nice to have that experience. That night, we managed to get a table in a packed pub in Campo dei Fiori, a square not far from our hotel that many young students go to.
The next day, Freya greeted us early in the lobby for breakfast. We set our sights on the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica. We were done with organized events for lunch. We went to La Isola della Pizza--that's right! Needless to say it was quite good. I also had pizza today for lunch, which made me think how I will feel about pizza in the States upon my return. The pizza here is so thin and (sounds weird) liquidy. A hungry person can easily have his or her own pizza. But college students on budgets always share! That night, we saw the Trevi Fountain once again (I hope that didn't count as my return) and the Spanish Steps.
Sunday was reserved for ancient Rome: theatres, the Colosseum, and the Roman Forum. Since I can remember, I've heard "the 7 hills of Rome." Well, let me just say, in my imagination, they were much larger and much more spread out. Ancient Rome (more or less, the "downtown" of the day) is smaller than I had imagined for a city that ruled the world for centuries. After touring, of course we had to take in some gelato in front of the Pantheon. I had one of those, "You guys, we're eating gelato in Rome, Italy in front of the PANTHEON" moments. But that's just about every day, so I guess you could call that normal. It amazes me how seemlessly Italians blend modern needs and luxuries with antiquity. Not only that, but how they think nothing of it! Structures here are built to last. It seems like no one ever even considers tearing a building down (hence why my apartment sometimes resembles an office space). But I admire that in Europeans. They do not waste. In Prague, they save the beer phoam, let it settle, and let an unsuspecting patron guzzle down what so many Americans would consider less than water. Here, the 4th stomach of cows is served with salsa verde on a kaiser. And nowhere in Europe do you let your plate go uncleaned! I think we can all take a lesson from their small, but conscious efforts. (Sorry for the slight tangent)
We arrived back in Florence exhausted! But Monday and Tuesday, we had birthdays to celebrate! Monday, we went to dinner at Il gatto e la Volpe for Sarah's 20th and Tuesday, we all met at Kylie's apartment to ring in her 21st! Well, that happened the night before at midnight, too! Midterms are next week, so I am staying in Florence to try to keep my mind focused. Perhaps a day trip somewhere like Perugia, Pisa, or Assisi wouldn't hurt though. I'll let you know next time!
We arrived in Rome mid-morning. After somehow mananaging to squeeze more than 30 students onto a city bus with regular Romans, we made it to the hotel, checked in, and began the day. Freya, our tour guide who is a native Australian, but Florentine by choice, took us on a historical walking tour of Rome. It included churches, piazze, the Pantheon, and the Trevi Fountain. For dinner, we took her suggestion and tried an all-inclusive restaurant. We simply sat down and the food started coming! 5 courses and 10 caraffes of wine later, we needed to leave. It was so much fun, though! We had yet to experience a hearty Italian (let alone Roman) meal, so it was nice to have that experience. That night, we managed to get a table in a packed pub in Campo dei Fiori, a square not far from our hotel that many young students go to.
The next day, Freya greeted us early in the lobby for breakfast. We set our sights on the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica. We were done with organized events for lunch. We went to La Isola della Pizza--that's right! Needless to say it was quite good. I also had pizza today for lunch, which made me think how I will feel about pizza in the States upon my return. The pizza here is so thin and (sounds weird) liquidy. A hungry person can easily have his or her own pizza. But college students on budgets always share! That night, we saw the Trevi Fountain once again (I hope that didn't count as my return) and the Spanish Steps.
Sunday was reserved for ancient Rome: theatres, the Colosseum, and the Roman Forum. Since I can remember, I've heard "the 7 hills of Rome." Well, let me just say, in my imagination, they were much larger and much more spread out. Ancient Rome (more or less, the "downtown" of the day) is smaller than I had imagined for a city that ruled the world for centuries. After touring, of course we had to take in some gelato in front of the Pantheon. I had one of those, "You guys, we're eating gelato in Rome, Italy in front of the PANTHEON" moments. But that's just about every day, so I guess you could call that normal. It amazes me how seemlessly Italians blend modern needs and luxuries with antiquity. Not only that, but how they think nothing of it! Structures here are built to last. It seems like no one ever even considers tearing a building down (hence why my apartment sometimes resembles an office space). But I admire that in Europeans. They do not waste. In Prague, they save the beer phoam, let it settle, and let an unsuspecting patron guzzle down what so many Americans would consider less than water. Here, the 4th stomach of cows is served with salsa verde on a kaiser. And nowhere in Europe do you let your plate go uncleaned! I think we can all take a lesson from their small, but conscious efforts. (Sorry for the slight tangent)
We arrived back in Florence exhausted! But Monday and Tuesday, we had birthdays to celebrate! Monday, we went to dinner at Il gatto e la Volpe for Sarah's 20th and Tuesday, we all met at Kylie's apartment to ring in her 21st! Well, that happened the night before at midnight, too! Midterms are next week, so I am staying in Florence to try to keep my mind focused. Perhaps a day trip somewhere like Perugia, Pisa, or Assisi wouldn't hurt though. I'll let you know next time!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Una nuova scoperta
What a week! Since last time, so much has happened I will probably miss some of the highlights!
Since the last post was about Spain, I guess it is only fitting that friends from Spain came to Florence this past weekend. Marcy and McKenzie from Seville and Jillian and her roommate, Ashley, from Barcelona became Florentines with us. Crazy enough, when I was meeting Jillian and Ashley at the Duomo, I hear, "Ross!" I turn to see a friend from high school! On the steps of the Duomo in Florence! AND, today I was walking near school when the same thing happened! Madison, who is studying in Paris, was walking around Florence and randomly bumped in to me! What a small world it is at times!
The weekend consisted of so much walking! We walk everywhere as is, but when you're touring all the sites all day, you really get a work out. Marcy was able to use Lauren's Amici degli Uffizi pass to get in to L'Accademia for free! The others, unfortunately, had to pay admission. We saw David at L'Accademia, the Royal Apartments and Gardens at Palazzo dei Pitti, and the sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo--the best view in the city. Earlier in the weekend, we had stopped in a small wine and oil shop where I had been with my Wines of Tuscany class. We brought the chianti we bought to the hill with us. It was a beautiful day!
Of course karma had to rear its head during the weekend. It seems like something bad happened to almost everyone. McKenzie was pickpocketed in Madrid and left her "navy peacoat" in Rome. Ashley lost her jacket, camera, and wallet in one day! Luckily, her jacket and wallet were recovered. A nice girl picked up her wallet and emailed her. I am meeting the girl tomorrow to get the wallet and bring to Ashley in Barcelona over spring break (how coincidental!). Lauren and Sarah both lost their wallets, too. Kylie and Hilliary were struck with a menacing 24-hour stomach bug. And Marcy brought new shoes that weren't broken in....remember all the walking? Yeah.
On Sunday, a group went to Pisa for a few hours. I have been before, so I decided to take advantage of a morning to sleep in and be lazy! So often I cannot bring myself to stay still. You don't live in Florence forever! But a day of rest was much needed.
This exchange rate is killing our bank accounts. One of the American-style pubs here actually takes US dollars on Monday nights, so Kylie, Lauren, and I decided to "save" some money and go there. The night turned out to be pretty fun despite our hesitations to frequent American-oriented pubs.
I need a haircut. So today I asked our friends at ACCENT for some suggestions. They recommended a place not too far from my apartment. I stopped in and they said it would be about a 45 minute wait. I guess I should mention they only spoke Italian. And I do not know how to say "haircut" so that was interesting. I decided to try back after the wait. So 45 minutes later, I pop in and the wait is even longer! But I didn't know that and I couldn't understand their fast utterances, so I sat. And I sat. And I sat. Finalmente, ho detto "Ritorno domani! Ciao!" Che palle.
But, our program is taking us to Rome this weekend! I love Rome! I have been before and was amazed at its size and grandeur. We will be touring the Vatican Museums, the Coloseum, the Forum, the Spanish Steps, lots of fountains, and much much more. Fortunately, lots of our classmates have been to Rome over the past few weekends and have passed along their "I wish I knew this then" information.
Until next time...
Since the last post was about Spain, I guess it is only fitting that friends from Spain came to Florence this past weekend. Marcy and McKenzie from Seville and Jillian and her roommate, Ashley, from Barcelona became Florentines with us. Crazy enough, when I was meeting Jillian and Ashley at the Duomo, I hear, "Ross!" I turn to see a friend from high school! On the steps of the Duomo in Florence! AND, today I was walking near school when the same thing happened! Madison, who is studying in Paris, was walking around Florence and randomly bumped in to me! What a small world it is at times!
The weekend consisted of so much walking! We walk everywhere as is, but when you're touring all the sites all day, you really get a work out. Marcy was able to use Lauren's Amici degli Uffizi pass to get in to L'Accademia for free! The others, unfortunately, had to pay admission. We saw David at L'Accademia, the Royal Apartments and Gardens at Palazzo dei Pitti, and the sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo--the best view in the city. Earlier in the weekend, we had stopped in a small wine and oil shop where I had been with my Wines of Tuscany class. We brought the chianti we bought to the hill with us. It was a beautiful day!
Of course karma had to rear its head during the weekend. It seems like something bad happened to almost everyone. McKenzie was pickpocketed in Madrid and left her "navy peacoat" in Rome. Ashley lost her jacket, camera, and wallet in one day! Luckily, her jacket and wallet were recovered. A nice girl picked up her wallet and emailed her. I am meeting the girl tomorrow to get the wallet and bring to Ashley in Barcelona over spring break (how coincidental!). Lauren and Sarah both lost their wallets, too. Kylie and Hilliary were struck with a menacing 24-hour stomach bug. And Marcy brought new shoes that weren't broken in....remember all the walking? Yeah.
On Sunday, a group went to Pisa for a few hours. I have been before, so I decided to take advantage of a morning to sleep in and be lazy! So often I cannot bring myself to stay still. You don't live in Florence forever! But a day of rest was much needed.
This exchange rate is killing our bank accounts. One of the American-style pubs here actually takes US dollars on Monday nights, so Kylie, Lauren, and I decided to "save" some money and go there. The night turned out to be pretty fun despite our hesitations to frequent American-oriented pubs.
I need a haircut. So today I asked our friends at ACCENT for some suggestions. They recommended a place not too far from my apartment. I stopped in and they said it would be about a 45 minute wait. I guess I should mention they only spoke Italian. And I do not know how to say "haircut" so that was interesting. I decided to try back after the wait. So 45 minutes later, I pop in and the wait is even longer! But I didn't know that and I couldn't understand their fast utterances, so I sat. And I sat. And I sat. Finalmente, ho detto "Ritorno domani! Ciao!" Che palle.
But, our program is taking us to Rome this weekend! I love Rome! I have been before and was amazed at its size and grandeur. We will be touring the Vatican Museums, the Coloseum, the Forum, the Spanish Steps, lots of fountains, and much much more. Fortunately, lots of our classmates have been to Rome over the past few weekends and have passed along their "I wish I knew this then" information.
Until next time...
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