trips galore

hey guys. sorry about the lack of blog/picture updates. we had a midterm in western civ, right after venice..then went Cinque Terre, then to Rome. its been hectic. i'll take this chance to fill you in on the trips then i will post pictures later...there are WAY to many to sift through, im tired. 

Venice!! it seems like forever ago but it was just 2 weeks ago. we went as a class to a town about an hour away from Venice called Revenna which is known for its mosaics.  We got a tour of a freezing cold church then saw the mosaics but we were too excited for Venice to focus. Then there was a series of trains to get us all to Venice. What an adventure.  We were so excited to be on a train, in Europe that we were taking pics being roady, etc. About 10 minutes later we were all asleep. Thanks to Matt our trusty professor we made it to Venice late Friday night. After the water bus down the grand cannel we got off at our stop with Matt in the lead with his red umbrella guiding us through the night. A few wrong turns later, and right behind the Burger King, we found our 4 start HOTEL!! nice. Saturday a few of us got a personal tour of Venice from Tom, our Euro Culture and Society teacher. We saw 2 art museums, one being the Peggy Guggenheim museum with Picassos, and Pollacks and tons more modern artists. Then we were super touristy and rode a gondola!! We ate a super fancy dinner and shopped. That was Venice in a nutshell. pictures coming soon!

Cinque Terre!! it means 5 cities, they are all on the water and most are beach towns, and they are all fishing towns. in the summer they are full of tourists because its the italian riviera. but in the winter its DEAD! all the hiking paths were closed due to the rain and rock fall so we went from town to town and explored. we rented an apartment which was built right into the mountain side and had a view of the whole city and the ocean. our first night there we went to the one restaurant open in our city and were welcomed in like family.  the waiter hovered and brought us everything we wanted and more. it was the italian mom and pop place you see in movies but it was a blast! we met the whole family and came back for 2 breakfasts and another dinner! we had a relaxing weekend strolling on the beach, eating sea food and drinking the local wine. it was just what we needed before our western civ midterm. we also met some lovely couples at the bar, next to our favorite restaurant, all americans. we drank some wine and told stories about where we were from and one couple, in their 30s came back to our balcony to see our crazy amazing  view.  they reminisced about their college days and we took silly group pictures. what a night. the next day we went to the only hike open which was the lovers walk...through a bunch of graffiti covered tunnels, not so romantic. but the views were amazing. sadly, we had to catch our train and leave paradise. i'm kinda glad we went in the off season, because we got to explore with out the loud tourists and everything seemed much more intimate and relaxed. it was a great weekend trip.

ok Rome..im really tired. ill tell you about Rome when i post all the pics. to sum it up. it was sweeet! saw the vatican, sistine chapel,  climbed the dome, saw the forum and the colloseum etc! it rained...all weekend. yuk. 

tomorrow: SOCCER GAME!!

again, sorry about the lack of posts! ill try to be better :)

just a quickie

last weekend:

revenna=saw some sweet mosaics in a church.

Venice=rode a freaking GONDOLA! saw Saint Marks Square flood at night. took a water bus down the grand canal. enjoyed the Venetian night life. stayed at a 4 star hotel. had the fanciest dinner of my life. 

Tonight=cooking class. made ravioli with spinach and ricotta, pork loin with garlic and rosemary and chocolate cake for dessert

Tomorrow=western civ midterm

Tomorrow-Saturday=Chinque Terre with the roomies plus awesome honorary roomies (rae and collin) 

i promise to post more and post pictures when i get back!! off to studying!! 

ciao

eating my way through Florence!

this post is food-centric! my european culture class was talking about this 'slow food culture' and i saw it all first hand this week. food should be local and be prepared slowly and with great care. the end product will be tasty and rewarding. so true. the italians really know their food. all in one week i saw the market, took a cooking class and went to the chocolate festival! i think these events are best described in pictures. 

there is a long street of venders selling leather goods and such on the way to the market.

this was our first encounter as we entered the market. you enter a door and its 2 floors. Meat and cheese on the ground level and produce on the top floor. this is apparently the proscuitto king! (proscuitto is cured ham) the meat floor was not for the faint of heart. lets just say, you could tell what most of the meat was...and was not cut up and packaged like in the states. 

 the produce floor, much prettier. everything was so fresh and cheap! 

cute little bananas! 

it was a big market! lots to see. 

cooking classmates! and our professor Tom.

prepping the parmesan cheese for the risotto!

Emily helped make the chicken florentine!

Chef Max. our wonderful..pretty...Italian cooking instructor. 

Finally enjoying our made from scratch authentic Italian meal!! BEST MEAL I HAVE EVER EATEN!!! We cooked artichoke risotto, chicken florentine with spinach, pine nuts and parmesan and for dessert, almond biscotti and of course, WINE!

first glimpse of heaven. 

rows and rows of venders. each had samples!!! all the chocolate was different. i even had a peice that had hot peppers! yuk

classic italian culture, coffee sculptures made of chocolate. what's not to love?

some of the truffles and chocolates were really intricate! i just wanted to eat them. yum

of course... a chocolate pig..or wild bore. the Italians also LOVE pig. 

So we have been doing things besides eating. my roomies and i cooked dinner and watched the inauguration from our apartment. it was surreal. when Obama was making his speech i got goosebumps. It was amazing to watch history in the making and to experience it in such a unique setting. i will remember that night forever. I am so excited for the next 4 years and I hope Obama gets this country back on track.  I won't get on a soap box..sorry back to Italy. 

So this week we saw some more churches learned about the Piazzas, or plazas, and saw the Piaza della Signoria. Also we learned about the political center in Florence and saw the Orsanmichele which was a monastery, turned grain market turned church. and we saw the old palace of the Medici family who pretty much ran Florence. 

This weekend is Ravenna and VENICE!!! we are staying at a 4 star hotel! its called Hotel Al Codega Venice. google it. its freaking sweet! i can't wait. more on venice later!

 ciao

Siena and San Gimignano

Friday was our first group day trip! We took a bus to Siena which is about an hour and half away.  We stopped just outside the city for some coffee and pastries.  It was a truck stop, but not a grungy store with slushies and stale coffee and donuts like on the interstate in the US. This cafe was separate from the gas station and was just like any other nice cafe...except it was on the side of a highway.  I wish i had pictures.  Ok so the trip...

Siena is a really cute little town.  If anyone as seen the new Bond movie, the first 7 minutes were filmed in the city center where the have the famous horse race, the Palio.  The different neighborhoods compete for power and status. In the winter, the town is pretty quiet. The views were amazing and we got to climb up the facade of a wall that was going to be an extension of the cathedral to see the whole city.

Then we drove half an hour to San Gimignano which seemed like a ghost town.  I’m sure during the summer its packed with people but the one old main street was so quiet and peaceful.  I got some 50 euro cent coffee from a machine and took in the sites.  This machine amazed me! I got a wonderful cappuccino that tasted like it would in any café but it came at the push of a button! I want this machine in my apartment. After that excitement, we climbed up an abandoned fortress to get some amazing views of the city. 

Me and Siena

Amazing little town..with a ton of steps

View of the tower in Siena

Siena is divided into neighborhoods and they compete in the Palio, the horse race. this is goose territory. 

Old curvy roads with modern motor bikes!

The Duomo in SIena. It is very gothic and inside every surface was painted and the marble was black and white stripes. But my pics didn't turn out without the flash. 

ceiling in the library room in the Duomo that was very well preserved because it was never used as a library

View of Siena after climbing the facade of the cathedral. 

More views of Siena 

The Plazza in Siena where they hold the horse race and where the first few minutes of the new Bond movie is filmed :)

View of San Gimignano from afar.

I FOUND SOMETHING CHEAP!! my amazing 50 eurocent espresso machine. 

Not a soul in this town but our group it seemed. 

View of the old fortress we climbed. 

Our roommate family dinner! we made a 4 course meal!! i made the eggplant parmesan, there was capresse salad, brusecceta and paninis!! YUM oh dont forget the home made sangria. 

*Sunday my roommates and went to lunch with the family that Rae nannys for. (Rae is Molly, my roommates, friend from Kansas.)  We arrived around 1pm and the feast began. The husband is Italian and the wife is Venezuelan. They are so funny and so welcoming.  The husband made us a 4 course meal all made from scratch and all delicious! After wine, dinner, dessert and dessert wine and coffee we just hung out with their cute kids...for a few hours! we got back to our apartment at around 7pm. That is what I call lunch! I love the Italians and their laid back lifestyle. 

*Tuesday-ITS INAUGURATION DAY!!!!!!!!! at 6pm Florence time OBAMA WILL BE OUR NEW PRESIDENT!!! People here seem to be pretty excited but its strange not having the news on the TV 24/7 like at home. Our TV doesnt work so i have no clue whats going on. Most American websites dont work either so i've been relying on BBC news. I will celebrate Obama's exciting presidency Italian style...more on this later because we don't have set plans yet 

perspective on coca light and going green

CORRECTION: i have led you astray. 'Duomo' does not in fact mean Dome. it means Cathedral. my bad. The Dome is the most intricate part and most decorated of the Cathedral. 

so we have established that living in Florence is very expensive. i have learned the hard way just how expensive some things are that i take advantage of in the states. at a restaurant a bottomless giant glass of pop and ICE is usally under 2 bucks and you can drink as much as you want. here, there is no ice and a small can can be any where from 3 to 5 euros even more. thats almost 7 bucks!!!! i can buy a whole meal...or 2 in Lawrence, ks for 7 bucks. at the cafe i went to tonight the price for coca light (diet coke) was not on the menu so i just assumed it was the usually 3 euros. i will NEVER buy pop again. im bringing my trusty water bottle everywhere...even to dinner! 

enough complaining about money. lets talk culture differences. italians in some ways are very old fashion and traditional. the old apartments, and narrow streets and shop make the city feel very old. but driving on those old narrow stone streets are tiny electric cars and mopeds. no one drives SUVs and most people ride bikes or walk.  they are eco friendly because they have to be, importing gas is so expensive. but italians don't stop with green cars.  the government regulates how many hours you have have the heat on in your house and at what temperature. genius! saves gas and money. you just have to get used to a few more blankets and a sweater at night, no biggie. but how can a country so advanced in some ways be so behind in others? the city is not set up for the internet lines we have in the states. you have to pay to get wifi in most cafes and the older land lords are hesitant to install it. and sometimes its very expensive and doesn't work at all!

random-we had a culture lesson today from one of the program directres of Accent who hosts our classes and plans trips for us. we learned that the 'hookem horns' or the 'rock out sign' is very bad. something like "F#*K off" or "your wife is sleeping with another man!" haha crazy italians. 

tiny cars. they park every which way on the side of the street. 

ROBOT CAR!! people here plug their cars in. way cool!

near the open air market
flowers and cacti in the market

a store front window. its kids clothes..very well dressed kids. all those things are tiny cocktail umbrellas! tight!!

DAY TRIP TO SIENA, ITALY TOMORROW! 

getting to know the Duomo

It finally rained, all day. Before i left everyone said winter was rainy season i see can see why. it is supposed to rain tomorrow as well. i didn't really mind because in the morning the city was quiet and peaceful. I could see the Duomo from the window of our classroom with a slight drizzle of rain and i probably zone out for most of it.  we were talking about the Hebrew Bible in western civ and it just felt like a sunday school lesson, i think it will be more interesting when we start discussion rather than just listen to our teacher Matt.   

So the Duomo, the Dome. history lesson!! it is the biggest church in florence and the city is built around it, and right next door is the baptistry dedicated to Jean the Baptist and in between the two is the most holy place for Florentines. Both were very well funded and pretty ornate. the Duomo is the 4th largest cathedral in all of the Christians. we went inside both today with our art history teacher which was really neat. we got our own personal guided tour through history. random people even tagged along, freeloaders. 

view from inside the Duomo.

looking up at the Duomo.  it was built in 2 layers with space in between and you can walk in between them and see the art up close!! 

Outside of the Duomo. so pretty. 

This is how we travel around the city. Teacher, huuge group of girls, the boys are somewhere, and cameras galore. we are such tourists. 
The campanile, bell tower. 

after class i decided today would be a good time to go shopping in a real department store, not just a lil street shop. Zarra is big here, and i guess they have them in the states. Shopping gave me a good sense of how the Florentines, and i guess Italians act. They do not care about you.  They cut in line if you look away for a SECOND! every time i tried to walk up the stairs there were large groups congregating and talking and i couldn't get them to pay attention to me to move. eek. but somehow we managed because we were determined!! i heart sale month. i got a sweater for 12 euro (thats good considering how freaking expensive things are here)!! yay. that was enough for me. after shopping in a four story Zarra with crazy italians trying to get the last good buys before the month was over i needed some fresh air. phew. 

not only do the people not care if they are in your way, but the pigeons care even less. they flew in the lil tent next the our cafe and SAT on the tables!! GROSS. then the flew around and landed on the drink cart where the glasses were. SICK! they are fat and you can walk up to them, stare them in the eye, and they walk closer.

well my sleep schedule is really messed up and i slept through dinner and woke up to an empty apt and Emily ringing the phone, doorbell thingy. you would think after being here a week i would be over jet lag...but somehow i just cant seem to get it down.  time to catch up on hw and try to actually sleep through the night!

ciao!

Science Museum and my apt

So we started our first week of classes. Oh right, we here to learn too i guess. We have Western Civ every day, Then European History and Art History every other day.  Sometimes in addition to class we have site visits. In Western CIv we are learning about Galilieo so we went to a science museum and learned about astronomy and saw things he actually used. After class i was worn out from the weekend, jet lag and wandering around the night before and finding yet another Irish pub.  I have come to realize that if you are home sick and want to meet some Americans, go find the nearest Irish pub. They are full of every ethnicity, but i've only met one Irishmen at an Irish pub, interesting.  

Yesterday  I went shopping with some of the girls.  January is sale month in Italy and every store has things half price or more. I am overwhelmed.  There are so many shops and they are so concentrated.  When you walk in the look small but they are always 2 or more stories high.  Apartments are the same way, so people bring their dogs everywhere to get exercise. even in the high rise shops. Most of them are local leather stores with boots and purses and tons of scarf stores but there are also alot of high end popular retail stores.  We walked by Valentino and decided to look around.  It was so quiet, no one else was shopping and there were men in suits following us just steps behind watching like hawks making sure we didn't do something wrong. It was like walking into fashion heaven.  The dresses and shoes and bags were amazing and the prices blew me away. I looked at a scarf...780 euro. the dollar is pretty bad here so thats over 1000 dollars. i didn't even look to see how much a dress was. 

We have to go to the store almost every day to get food for dinner because our fridge is small and we have no microwave so we have to actually cook with fresh food. we have made some yummy meals like pesto pasta with artichokes and pasta with tomato sauce, red wine and zucchini. i can't wait for our gourmet cooking class so i can make italian dessert and anti pasta. 

ok i stayed in tonight to read and do homework so i better get to it (thats for you mom. yes i do go to class every day and yes i do my homework and NO im not spending tons of money :) haha )

its supposed to rain the next 2 days. walking everywhere on cobble stone, in the rain with crazy vespas and cars everywhere should be interesting, ill let you know how that goes.

huge telescope used back in the day.  (at the science museum in Florence) 
Galileos middle finger, persevered. He will forever flip off his admirers. 

Allie and Molly waiting for Tory and I to finish cooking dinner. 

Getting ready for Beatles night at Bee Bop..dancing around the apt after dinner. 

The aftermath of dinner. And the one euro bottle of wine..which turned out to be sparking wine. 

**Here is the tour of my apt!!!
Gross couch that is half broken. 

little kitchen and washing machine..no dryer :(

Library/Storage area? 
Kitchen again with no one cooking...
my messy bed...we have huge cabinets and the bed is tucked away in a nook. its cozy
my roomies, mollys, bed
ceilings here are really high so this is are gigantic window 

yes..we have a bidet...we havent used it..yuk.