It Has Been Awhile

It has been awhile since I have blogged. But it also has been awhile since a lot of things. It has been awhile since I have spent a weekend in Florence, since I have eaten steak (man do I want steak), since I have seen my family in person (not just via IPhone), since I have completely relaxed, since I have worked out on a regular basis and more.

But none of these are really bad things. Yes I have not been in Florence for a whole weekend in a long time, but that means I have been traveling and seeing amazing things. And I can always eat a nice juicy steak at home. Maybe I haven't physically seen my family, but thanks to technology I can still "see" them in real time. As for relaxing, there is always time for that, and this trip is dedicated to being on the go and doing as much as I can take advantage of. And working out? Well I walk an average of about two hours a day around the city and believe me, it counts! And for all these things I have to be thankful.

On March 1st I left for my spring break with two friends. The first city I went to was Paris, then a few days later I was off to Amsterdam, and finally ended the break in Dublin. I know, I am one lucky girl to have the opportunity to travel and see so many incredible places! Instead of giving you all the details of everything I saw and did, I will talk about one particular thing I did in each city. There is a company called New Europe, look them up on their website (neweurope.com). The goal they look to achieve is to give every traveler the opportunity to learn about the city they are visiting, and on a travelers budget (aka for free). Yes, these three and a half hour tours are FREE. Then at the end of the tour you can decide if you want to tip the tour guide or not. And most of the guides are young-just-out-of-grad-school adults. And they are fantastic at what they do. I mean you get history, funny stories, you learn about the best places to see and eat, you can ask questions about anything to do with the city and you get to see a majority of the attractions. It is well worth it. After each tour the guide will bring anyone who wants to go to a restaurant of authentic and relatively inexpensive food from that city. They also advertise for other tours being offered, which have a small fee, that anyone can sign up for. Truly it is an amazing company. And thanks to them I now have a tiny background knowledge of Paris, Amsterdam and Dublin. I would recommend taking advantage of these tours to anyone.

Paris

Notre Dame

Eiffel Tower

Me at the Louvre! That is the Mona Lisa!

An Adorable Market in Paris

Amsterdam

I Amsterdam sign

Authentic Dutch food

A Canal in Amsterdam, look how cute the buildings are!

Bikes Bikes Bikes

Dublin

Enjoying a Guinness at the Guinness Brewing Factory

Oh, Ireland!

My friend Lauren and I

This lake is nicknamed "Guinness Lake". How the Irish love their beer!

Cliffs of Mohr, it was very foggy but still cool!

The second I got home, aka back to Florence, from spring break, I quickly went to one of the hotels near my apartment where my boyfriend was staying for the week! That's right, Adam came to visit me in Italy for his spring break! We had a fantastic week together. After the go go go of my spring break, it was so relaxing to spend time with him. And so easy too. We knew what we wanted to do and were able to accomplish all of it. We even traveled to Venice on Thursday, one city he had always wanted to see. I was glad to share that with him. The things we did around Florence were also fantastic, especially because some of them I hadn't done yet either. I knew he was coming this week and made sure to save specific things to do together, such as visit well known gorgeous gardens in Florence. It really was like an extended vacation for me having hi there with me in Florence. I loved being about to show him all around the city I have been calling home for several months now. But I must say, the timing of his trip here was perfect because it was just the taste of my real home that I needed.

Rome-in' Around Italy

As you can probably tell from the title of this post, I visited the magnificent city of Rome! But first things first, Verona.

A random Friday a few weekends ago I went on my first solo trip in Italy, to beautiful Verona. I was so excited to be doing this trip independently. I think it is important to do things on your own that way you can grow as a person and have new experiences all to yourself. Don't get me wrong, I love being with other people, but I needed to travel alone in order to prove to myself that I could do it. I can take care of myself (even for just a day!).

On my way!

I left in the morning and walked from my apartment in Firenze to the train station, figured out what track I needed to board at, and hopped on! I can't describe the excitement I felt. It was pure freedom, no one to tell me what to do or see. I loved it. Of course when I arrived, I'll admit, I was a little nervous. I had researched Verona and knew where I wanted to go but had no idea where I was. So I walked around and soon found a gas station. Here I bought a map, which proved to be extremely useful, and there was a nice police man who pointed me in the right direction (and I even asked him for help in Italian!). So I was on my way! I quickly found the main piazza with the third largest amphitheater in the world. It was so amazing! Just boom out of nowhere came this huge structure. The piazza was beautiful too, with a fountain in the middle and grand buildings all around. I walked around a bit and found the Duomo and some other churches I had marked on my map. Obviously I went to go visit Juliet's house. I felt like a little girl in a fairytale there. I was so mesmerized by seeing her balcony and at the same time overwhelmed by the amount of tourists crammed in that little area. I snapped a bunch of pictures, and had a nice lady take a picture of my with the statue of Juliet. I remember reading Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet play in 9th grade and absolutely loving it. For some reason, his writing just always made sense to me. I really enjoyed learning about the details of the story, such as Juliet's name and all her family member's names ending with a consonant, just like their last name, Capulet. On the other hand, Romeo and all of his family members has names that end with a vowel like their last name, Montague. I always thought this play was cool, and was excited to visit this spot. Before visiting Verona I had written a letter to Juliet, the extreme girly tourist thing to do! So I paid a student discount price to go inside of Juliet's house and drop my letter off. I defiantly romanticized the whole thing and was envisioning placing my letter into a stone wall, much like in the movie Letters to Juliet. Unfortunately this was not the case. There was a little box in one of the rooms where you placed your letter. It was kind of a disappointment, but the novelty of it all was still awesome.

The amphitheater

Juliet's Balcony!

Tourist pic! Notice the map in my pocket


My letter

Letters to Juliet

After my Juliet experience, I went across the river that cuts through Verona to see the theater that was built into a hillside. Wow. This theater was gorgeous! I felt like a little kid running up and down the steps and exploring each and every room to see the ancient artifacts. It was a beautiful day so I spend a few minutes basking in the sun on one of the steps of the theater. It was a perfect moment.

Bridge to the other side of Verona

Gorgeous Theater

When I finally got myself up and crossed back over the river, I was met by crowds of people. And I mean crowds. It was Carnivale! Carnivale is a series of two weekends in Italy that celebrates the time before Lent starts. And it is insane! Carnivale is most well known in Venice, but apparently is pretty big in Verona too! It was a huge party! It was really cool to experience because I totally wasn't expecting it. All of a sudden parades broke out, people were drinking, face-painted, dressed in awesome costumes and there was confetti everywhere. I watched the parades for a big, then decided to walk back to the train station. By this time it was 5:30 and my train home left at 7. But my feet hurt so badly and I was exhausted from walking around all day! Finally around 8:40 I was home and made sure to get to bed early because I had to wake up at 6 the next morning to go t Rome!

Carnivale!

The Rome trip was through the school, which was great because that means we have TA's to take us around and we don't have to pay for a majority of it (and after traveling around Verona by myself I realized just how expensive it all can be). We met at the main train station in Firenze at 7:30 and were off on the 8 am train! The first stop in Rome was the Vatican Museum. It was surreal. I am not anywhere near being an art expert, and usually don't know the full importance of what I am looking at, but I can still appreciate the significance of where I am. Especially seeing the Sistine Chapel. It truly is a masterpiece of Michelangelo. I will admit it wasn't exactly what i was expecting, but beautiful all the same. Next we went into St. Peter's church. Peter was the first Pope and allegedly the one Christ gave the keys of heaven to. This church is gigantic beyond words. I cannot describe the enormity of the place. It was mind-blowing. And the day we happen to be visiting new cardinals were being induced, so it was extremely crowded. But it was kinda neat to see the cardinals walking around the piazza outside.

Inside the Vatican

Apollo

Unfortunately you can't take pictures inside, so you'll just have to go to Rome and see it yourself!

St. Peter's Church

After a delicious lunch, with some red wine of course, we were brought to our hotel. It was actually a really nice hotel! Everyone needed to rest and get situated, then after a few friends and I went to explore the city of Rome! Firenze is amazing and I love the city I am studying in, I may also be a bit partial to it because this is where I am studying. But it is stuck in the medieval/ Renaissance time period. Rome on the other hand, has so much more history in it. You can see the ancient Greek ruins and there are fountains everywhere and the earliest of the Roman settlements. It is very majestic. You feel like you are time traveling while walking throughout Rome. My friends and I first went to visit the Trevi Fountain. I think this was my favorite site I saw in Rome. It took my breath away. The combination of the carved stone mixed with the natural, organic stones around it and the water falling from all sides into the inviting blue lit up water below. It was simply marvelous. I could stare at it for hours. The only draw back was that it was crowed with hundreds of people, and apparently it always is. But I don't blame them, I would stay there all night if I could.

Trevi Fountain

My friend Rachel and I making our wishes!

After that we were on our way to see the Spanish Steps, but stopped at a McDonald's to get a snack. I know, I know, I ate at McDonald's in Rome. Stop judging me. But seriously, this McDonald's was different from every other McDonald's in the states, because it was made of marble inside. Only in Rome. It was so cool! the only embarrassing thing was that the workers wore shirts and hats that said "The Great Food of America". Uh what an awful reputation. But the food was decent, those salty chicken nuggets hit the spot. Finally we were on our way to the Spanish Steps. Like I was expecting, there were a TON of them. We climbed to the top, turned around, and enjoyed the view of Rome all lit up at night. After taking that in for a bit, we decided to head back to the hotel. Tomorrow was another long day and we were all exhausted. First we made another quick stop by the Trevi, which I was thankful for.

The next day was the grand visit to the Colosseum. It truly is as grand as people say. And just pops up out of nowhere! You go from being surrounded by contemporary streets, to all of a sudden being thrown back into the early AD time period. Again, I really don't have the words to do it justice. Knowing what happened there with the combination of the awe of the structure and the disbelief that I was actually there were all feelings running through me. The group of us then were toured around the ancient Roman Forum, which was amazing. I can't believe things this old, built way before America was even a thought, still exist! After the Forum we visited the Pantheon, a temple of worship. The center of the roof is cut out allowing the sun light to come in, but in our case allowing the light rain that had started to fall inside. It was really beautiful to see. When we were done walking around the Panteon we had free time until the train home!

There it is!!!!

Ancient ruins

A few girls and I got some lunch, walked around, shopped, and before we knew it it was time to get back on the train! As much as I loved Rome and for sure want to go back sometime, I was ready to go home. It had been an extremely long and tiring weekend.

This was all two weekends ago, and then this past weekend I was in Venice with one of my classes! I know, such a hard life. Rome one weekend, Venice the next. But seriously, I loved Venice. I won't go into all the details of the churches we saw and the piazza's we visited, but I will say that Venice is a one of a kind city. There is literally nothing like it, because no other city is floating on water. I adored that the only way to get around was by boat, it reminded me of home in way, having grown up by the water. All the bridges across the canals and buildings on the water and smell of being near the water and the shops all come together for a romantic atmosphere. I just wanted to walk around and get lost, that would be my perfect day in Venice. And of course having my family there with me would be the icing on the cake. But I'll let the pictures below speak for themselves:









All of this travel around Italy makes me wish my whole family was here with me! Especially my parents, because they have visited the country multiple times and have those memories from years back. I want them to see it now, and more than that I want them to show me where they went the last time. I think it would be so cool to see it all through each others eyes. I feel confident that this will happen soon!

So now I have talked about my past two weekends, and it is time to look ahead. Tomorrow is the beginning of spring break and I leave for Paris with two of my girlfriends here! After Paris for a few days we will be going to Amsterdam, and finally end our spring break in Dublin! I literally cannot believe I am lucky enough to be visiting all of these beautiful cities! There is much to do still, such as pack, but I really excited! In the meantime, this week is midterms. Today I had my Italian oral exam, which I feel went well. It is different having these exams now in Italy, as apposed to last semester in Syracuse. The speaking comes more naturally, which is of course a result of being surrounded by the language. I also took my Italian Renaissance history test (this one was in English and was a written test). I also think it went pretty well! Tomorrow I have my written Italian test. Then after that I am off for my tour of Europe!

Un Mese Dopo

It has officially been one month since I landed in Italy! How crazy is that? An entire month has already gone by! And you know what? I am not home sick. But I am people sick. What I mean by this is that I love physically being here in Firenze, but I wish I could bring some people here with me. I want them to share in the same exciting experiences I am having. My best friend studied abroad last semester and she said she felt the same. It is nice having her to talk to and relate to the feelings I have, such as being people sick.

Overall impressions thus far are mixed, though mostly positive. I can't separate that feeling deep inside me that I had the first week I was here. The overwhelming emotion of awe and wonder at being in Italy, which I think has to do with the connection I feel to the country. Of course I know this sounds a bit silly. My grandparents were born here and that is the closest connection I have. Other than that, I had never studied Italy extensively, never visited it, I don't speak the language very well, and I don't know too much about its history. But I still feel like it is a part of me, probably because it was such a huge part of my Grandma and Nonno. And I love that I am finally getting in touch with that connection.

The city is still beautiful to me, cold right now, but beautiful. I really do enjoy being surrounded by the Renaissance buildings and finding new little shops everyday. I was talking with one of my professors the other day and saying how the longer I am here, the more I realize I know nothing about Firenze. And even more, how little I have seen. He agreed with me whole-heartily, and being a native Florentine he must know best. Firenze has so much history and so much to offer. I know this may sound corny, but it is the best comparison I can make in my head. Firenze reminds me of Hogwarts, how there are so many secrets and so much to discover and I want to know it all! But I still have time and places on my map marked to check out.

I have come across several frustrations while here. Little things I wasn't expecting, such as running a small errand taking anywhere from 1-4 hours. Seriously. It is because I walk EVERYWHERE. Which is great, but also can be annoying if I just need to do something quick and it will never be quick. I also do not like how there is dog poop all over the sidewalks. It is gross. This means instead of being able to look up at my surroundings, I am constantly checking where I am stepping. There are a few other frustrations I have encountered, but it is all part of getting to know the culture and learning about different people in various parts of the world.

One of the best parts, still, is living with Teresa, my host mom. I really do feel like I am at home in her apartment. I love being able to come here after school and unwind. The space is very comfortable and she is amazing. Because of her, my Italian is improving, my belly is full, and I am content living in Firenze. It really makes all the difference, having a wonderful home to come back to. Here are some pictures:

Teresa's door with an adorable welcome mat!

Living Room

If you walk straight back, there is the Kitchen! My seat is the one
closest to the refrigerator.



My roommate's and my bathroom



My roommate's and my room! Can you guess which
bed is mine? Hint: It has Vinny on it.



Close up of my bed

My desk and closet behind it

Journeying Through Italy

There are so many things one can see and do in Italy in such a short amount of time. This is for two reasons. 1. Everything is wicked close. I mean the whole country is roughly the size of Florida. 2. There is a TON to see and do here. I mean, of course the USA has a lot of history to it and there is plenty to see (and I have not yet done that all), but Italy has been developing for centuries compared to America. That means everything here is much older, and has a deep rich history.

I have been thoroughly enjoying learning about this magnificent country. I have officially been to Carrara, Ravenna, Assisi, and Perugia. Carrara is a white marble city. Many famous sculptures visited to get the best of the best marble, including Michelangelo. It was an awesome day. We toured the caves where marble is still taken from today, then went and saw people actually sculpt! It is incredible what people can do with a block of marble.



Next was Ravenna. Again this was a beautiful city. We visited many churches and saw the most gorgeous mosaics. The way these have been made are by people carefully hand selecting the tiny piece of glass to created the perfect image. And I mean perfect, right down the the skin tones and shadowing of the figures. On this trip, we had a tour guide. The trips set up for us by the school for everyone to attend always have a tour guide. I love this because then I actually can learn about what I am looking at. Most of the churches had images of Christ and his followers. To be honest, I really don't know too much about religion. It is so dense, but super interesting. I kind of wish I had a bit more of a background because seeing these types of things would be easier to understand. But then again, that is what the guide is for. And they do an excellent job. So it was really cool to see and learn about; but at the same time it was freezing inside these churches! Almost colder than outside because of the high ceilings and everything was marble. After we had visited three sites and were finished, it was time for a nice warm lunch. Pasta and red wine did the trick! I was warmed right up!


Those two trips happened two weekends ago. This past weekend was Assisi and Perugia. Assisi has been my favorite trip so far. I was absolutly enchanted by this little town! I would love nothing more than to move there. It was so cute and quaint with its cobbled stoned streets and picturesque buildings. I absolutely fell in love there. Assisi is know as the town for Saint Frances. We visited his baptistry and learned about his life. How he one day had an awakening and decided to devote his life to Christ and give up everything he owned. These churches were more medieval in their nature and everything was painted not mosaics. Again, after the tour some friends and I went to find a place to eat. The food, of course, was delicious! We strolled around a bit and went in and out of the adorable shops. The guides had told us about a climb up the hill that Assisi was built on where one can see magnificent views. I am so happy I took their advice and saw it. I will let the pictures speak for themselves here.


My friend Lauren and I had decided to continue our journey onto Perugia, a town nearby to Assisi. We had a hostle booked there for one night and were excited to check out a new place by ourselves. Of course when we were trying to figure out how we would get there from Assisi, we were informed that all the buses and trains were on strike until 9 pm that night! This actually happens pretty frequently in Italy, and is rather annoying. We end up finding a nice taxi driver who gave us a great rate. It all worked out! I was really excited to go on my first independent adventure. We spend the rest of the afternoon checking out the shops around the area and then went out to a nice dinner at a little restaurant next to our hostle. I had my first bowl of soup in Italy, and it was freaking amazing! Both Lauren and I were pretty tired so we had a low key night and were in bed at a good time. This was perfect because we woke up and had the rest of the day to be tourists in Perugia. We had done some research and found out that there was a fortress built under Perugia, so that was a must see! It was really cool to be walking around in a huge underground area. There were streets and Plazza's and everything. It was crazy. Then is was time to get some chocolate, which is what this town is known for. Yum!! It was such a lovely day, but we were lugging our bags around the whole time and decided to head back. We jumped on a direct train back to Florence. I was pleased to feel like I was home when we reached the city. I truly am starting to feel a little less like a tourist, and a bit more accustom to Florence.