Gaudi had a life-long fear of tram cars...

The last city on my European adventure was Barcelona. I would say that I loved the city.
On the first day we visited the Picasso Museum, which was great...and the Chocolate Museum, where Alli and I drank liquid chocolate bars.
The one thing that I would have changed would have been the weather...it rained quite a bit and it was colder than I had expected, but the city was vibrant, interesting and diverse. I enjoyed walking around the pedestrian streets and seeing the fabulous and bizarre architecture of Gaudi's city.
One of the first great things that we did was we took a tour of the Palau de Musica Catalina. This concert hall was stunningly beautiful on the inside. The architect designed each of the many sculptures on the walls and the stained glass. I couldn't stop looking at the "sun" of the room which was the stained glass sky light in the center, the orange and yellow glass bent in an upside-down bell shape over the audience and I can just imagine what that must look like on a very sunny day of when they use electricity to light it at night. I liked that tour very much.
We also took cable cars along the coast to view the city from above, which was nice. Once again, the weather could have been better, but the fog over the mountains created cool effects and the pictures came out well.
I loved the Park Guell, which was the park that Gaudi designed for his friend...everything in the park is colorful, vibrant, and interesting to look at. I loved seeing the city from this park. Off in the distance we saw what we thought was a creepy old castle but we later found out that it was an amusement park, which is less cool, so we didn't go to see it.
We were reading about Gaudi and his work while we sat in the park waiting for it to get dark and we found out that Gaudi was killed by a tram car. The next day we took a gothic tour in which we found out that Gaudi had a life-long fear of tram cars...which is horribly ironic.
We took a gothic tour the next day which was alright and the we signed up to take a Spanish cooking class the following day.
We met up with Scott's friend from Budapest, Salma, who lives in Barcelona. She was great and she took us to this wax museum/bar/jungle where we had sangria and talked for a while. It was a really fun night.
The next day, which was our last day, went to various Gaudi projects. We saw three that were particularly impressive. The Sagrada Familia (Gaudi's unfinished temple) which was mesmerizing. It is enormous and so so so unique. It was unlike anything I have ever seen and I love that.
I also loved his Casa Mila and Casa Batlla. After we saw those sights, we went to the outdoor market for some fresh fruit etc and then made our way to the cooking class.
We made sangria and tapas while the instructor explained the technique of cooking paella. It was good and interesting.
So early today I left Barcelona and now I'm here in New York again, more or less unpacked and I am happy that I already got to see Jeanette and her boyfriend Brad, Carly and Laura.
Now I'm going to go to sleep because to me it feels like 6 AM and I have been awake for 24 hours, eek.
It's nice to be home <3
Ciao.

PS...I don't really know what I'm going to write about in this blog now...and it seems to need a new title.

Parigi

My mom and I left London on my birthday on the train to Paris. The train only took a couple of hours and then we were in Paris. It was so nice to see Josh and to be in Paris again. This time I didn't feel as rushed or stressed because there were only a couple of things that I missed in March that I wanted to accomplish this time.
We did a few things with my mom before Scott and Alli arrived from Brussels. Later that night we went out to dinner at Hippo and then to a fun club where the guys served us drinks in their underwear.
The next night we cooked in Josh's building, which was good, I really missed cooking since leaving Florence. We were so used to cooking for ourselves every night.
We went to Orsay to see impressionist art. I was standing on line while I was waiting for Scott and Alli to get to the museum and I had been waiting for about twenty minutes when they arrived. I told them to come join me on the line and then a French man got all upset saying that everyone had seen us cut the line etc etc etc. It was ridiculous. At one point the man even said, "I am French and I have been waiting for a long time." I was like, really? Then the man continued to bad-talk us to other people in line and he asked Scott, "Do you feel good, in your mind?" Scott responded by saying, "Yes, and in my heart." The man was terrible but we finally got into the museum soon after. I liked the building that held the works- it used to be the main train station in Paris and I loved the high arched ceilings. Normally they would bring the much needed light to illuminate the paintings, but we went on kind of a gray day, so that wasn't so good. I enjoyed the collection very much.
We spent some time sunbathing in the Luxembourg gardens and we took a boat along the Seine. One of the highlights of this trip to Paris was going to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. I didn't know that one could go to the top of it but the view of the city at night was absolutely spectacular and I was so happy that we did that.
We went to the Pompidou Center (cool modern art museum) and the Picasso Museum, which were both very cool.
The last night Alli, Scott, my mom and I went up to Mont Martre to see Sacre Ceour and have fondue. The church was gorgeous and dinner was great. Alli and Scott got some really nice pieces of art up there and then we proceeded to check out the Moulin Rouge.
When we went to the Palais de Tokyo earlier that day, we were told to come back between 6-12 for the opening of a new exhibit. So after dinner we went back and there was this incredible party going on between the two buildings of the museum. The music was cool and funky and all of the Europeans were dancing and flailing around. We could see the Eiffel Tower flickering behind us...This was one of the coolest experiences I have had this semester. I felt like I was part of something cool and genuine, not to mention it was SUPER FUN.
The artist that was opening the exhibit was really great also, I liked most of his collection and even though you could tell he was influenced by Gauguin, he wasn't horribly boring like Gauguin.
On the last day we went to the top of the Pantheon, another terrific view of the city and then we were on our way to Barcelona.
My mom unfortunately decided that it was the most practical for her to cut her trip a bit short and go back to New York from Paris. Scott Alli and I left for Barcelona on the train and got there the next morning.

Circuses and Squares

Cheerio from foggy Londontown!
So we got to London yesterday morning around 10 and we had a full day of sight seeing! We took a tour bus around the city which I usually frown upon but it really is a great way to save money on transportation to major sights, especially when dealing with the pound...so we rode the bus around for a while and got to hear great commentary from this cute old man named Phil- he was a great guide, very funny and smart. We went to Harrod's and to Hyde Park- I found the statue of Peter Pan that I wanted to see- learned about that from Winning London lol.
Our hotel is awesome by the way! It has so many complimentary services- laundry, free spring water and printing! Love it! And the location is great too, right across the street from St. Paul's Cathedral.
Last night we ate Indian food for dinner which is apparently the national dish of England, according to our cab driver. Apparently when India was a colony the British people liked the flavors of the food they made so they later adapted it to their tastes (probably meaning making it more mild). I thought it was great! It tasted light- it wasn't as filling as it is in the states, or perhaps it was because I hadn't eaten all day. To save money (and Cals of course!), I suggested to my mom that we eat one meal a day- so far so good! I pump myself up with Starbucks and I'm good to go! They are everywhere, within a 30 second walk from the hotel lol. It's like New York.
London is actually pretty similar to NYC...except it is much richer in terms of history and I find it to be cleaner and more esthetically pleasing. Not that I don't love New York, I do and I can't wait to go back! But, London is awesome and incredibly gorgeous.
So this morning I walked over the AWESOME Millennium Bridge to the Tate Modern (without Mom because she hates modern art and would have said things along the lines of, "I can make that!" so, she skipped it and went to see the Queen's Gallery, which was apparently quite impressive).
The Tate Modern was UNREAL! I loved it so much that when I finished I asked about possibly interning there next summer- I want to be in there all the time! It was so cool. Apparently to intern there, you don't have to be studying Art or Art History, they choose people based on interest, which is good for me. While I was walking through the halls, a group of kids started walking around in the same pattern, they were doing a performance art routine. It was fun and unexpected.
In terms of quality of works and organization, I would say that Tate is my favorite museum. Alli and Scott- you're going to LOVE IT. Tons of stuff from Aruna's class and there are games and stuff- it's such a cool environment.
Scott, you know how you said that you don't like MoMA as much as you could because you think it feels a little bit cold- this museum is the opposite- it's inviting and great!
One thing that I found particularly cool was DuChamp's glass panels. We studied it in class but I thought it was so cool to see it in person. It looks completely different because you can actually see it as it was meant to be seen, transparently.
Something cute, there was a British woman in the museum with her 4-year -old daughter and she asked the little if she thought DuChamp's ready-made Bicycle Wheel was art and the little girl said, "No! It's a bicycle wheel!" Maybe you had to be there, her voice was cute...
There were a number of awesome installations and videos that were evocative.
Over all, awesome place- definitely up there with my favorite things here in London.
Then I tried to get into Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, but it was closed...Next I headed over to the National Gallery- also impressive, but I didn't spend long there- my mom adored it and she spent much more time. I think she's going to LOVE the Louvre, so I'm excited for her to see that.
Next I headed to Westminster Abbey, which was also closed, then to Parliament, yup, that was closed too- they are on holiday until June 2. Three things I wanted to see were closed today (Royal Court of Justice too). But I was so pleased with Tate that it was alright. I did stop at a cute antique market near Piccadilly Circus- called Piccadilly Market and I got Alli a little something and then just browsed a bit.
I spent most of the day wandering the city, I didn't have a map until I met up with my mom so I had no idea how much walking I had done- I walked all over the city today and it was great.
Tomorrow we are planning to see the Tower of London and then we'll spend the rest of the day relaxing and shopping on Oxford Street (Looks like a lot of fun- Top Shop, Urban, 2 H & M's etc etc!!)- We deserve a break because I think we each saw everything that was important to us.

Dublin

Before discussing Dublin, I wanted to reference some quick notes about Italy. First of all, leaving the apartment last was so hard. I looked onto the table to see our three sets of keys in the empty apartment and I closed the door knowing that I would never walk into that apartment again. It made me cry because I am going to miss my life in Florence so much, my friends, my apartment and everything else that makes Florence special (too many things to possibly name).
As I took my last train I realized that my last train was the same as my first, the Fiumicino Airport shuttle to Rome Termini. This time when I got out the Airport, I recognized the ticket machines and understood the signs, things which made me nervous when I first saw them.
This must be pretty depressing so far, but I am honestly am having a hard time accepting that this experience is nearly over. I have been trying hard not to think about my experience in these negative terms because I should be thinking, wow, look at all of the amazing things I have had the chance to see.
On a lighter note- the Trenitalia Business class section is called "T-Biz"

So anyway, (something I have noticed that I say a lot in this blog of mine...can't help it)
We got to Dublin late at night on May 21 and we ended up having just one day to sight see. This made me nervous because I didn't think that I would be able to do everything. This is something that I have realized, it is better to do a few things and get a feel for the city than it is to run around stressed all day and ruin it.
So I focused on a few things that were important to me and I spent the rest of the time walking around the city and getting a feel for it. I went to Trinity College (1592 Established by Queen Elizabeth I) first and took a tour of the campus. The tour was given by an ADORABLE second year student named Kiernan Gellaher. He was so knowledgeable and well, cute. He told us all about life on the campus and the history of various buildings and notable alumni. I liked the tour a lot and at the end I went to see the Book of Kells, the most interesting thing about that was that the ink comes from all around the world, the red was made from the blood of a pregnant beetle. Interesting. After that I went and saw the old library called the Long Room, that library was fantastic and it smelled like old books, which is a smell that I adore.
Next I went to the Kilmainhem Jail. That was one of the cooler things that I saw in Dublin. The tour of the jail took an hour and the tour guide told us all about the history of the jail and the famous inmates including Eamon de Valera (who opposed Michael Collins when it came to the adoption of a treaty with Britain that would have given Britain the rights to Northern Ireland and the people essentially saw this as half a victory and therefore not good enough due to the amount of people that had died for the cause).
What I found really interesting about the jail was Jeremy Bantham's Panopticon theory at work. The idea was that the prisoners never knew when they were being monitored and they were therefore always on their best behavior. Theoretically, this would continue when they were outside the walls of the prison and they would be truly reformed. It is an interesting idea and it made for a very cool room. The use that wing of the prison to film many movies because the perfect horse shoe makes for great acoustics and the production staff also doesn’t have to worry about moving the prisoners because the prison has been closed to felons for many years and now serves as a center for learning and a social history museum.
Something else that was interesting was a story the tour guide told us about the youngest prisoner- she was an eight-year-old girl who was imprisoned for stealing a coat during the Irish Potato Famine. She and her family were starving and freezing to death and she was arrested for this act. She served for a few years performing manual labor.
My last sight seeing stop was at the National Gallery. I knew that there was a lot to see in Dublin and I didn't want to miss out on it, so I went into the museum thinking that I could take a quick look, but I loved it too much, I couldn't convince myself to leave. The collection was amazing and I was so happy to have chosen the National Gallery as one of my stops!
Then I wanted to meet up with my mom for a pint so I walked from the Gallery to where she was near the big modern needle on O'Connell Street. I liked that I was getting to know the streets and I liked feeling the rain as I walked through the streets of Dublin. I thought it made it feel like authentic Ireland.
My mom and I went to a famous pub on Temple Bar and had some traditional Irish food and Guinness. I learned that I hate Guinness- it was thick and dark and I thought it tasted like crap- but I thought that it was a good thing to try Guinness in Ireland. The food was better than I expected and the live music was really nice.
There were a few things that I wish I had done, but in the end I was happy with the three things that I chose to do and I spent the day strolling and smiling instead of running around unhappy. That would not have been very Irish of me anyway. It was a great day.

The next morning at 4 AM we left for London and that's where I am now...but I want to make that a second entry!

Ciao Italia!

I'm here in the Hotel Bellevue in Amalfi, in the south of Italy. Tonight is my last night in Italy and it's definitely bittersweet. 

I met my mom in Rome on Saturday and then we come here to Amalfi for 3 days. We went to Capri yesterday and that was really beautiful. I was excited to see the Blue Grotto after hearing so many amazing things about it, but it was closed due to high waters, which was sad. But we did take an amazing 2 hour boat ride around the whole island and the captain took us into a few other grottos. It was a really gorgeous island with tall cliffs covered in moss. 

We went to Anacapri to take a chair lift to the top of a mountain. It was really cool to see the island from above.

The only thing that I will complain about briefly is that things in the south take about 8 hours longer than they should. The boat that took us to the island only came back once, and it was much later than we wanted to leave. I guess I should just accept it and go with the flow, but I'm sort of not a go with the flow person :(

Anyway, Amalfi is incredibly beautiful. I don't know how people drive here. The roads are so narrow and the cars just speed past each other. For the girls who were in Sicily with me, it's like Erice lol.

So today we went to Vesuvio and Pompeii. We took a 2.5 hour bus to Vesuvio which put me right to sleep. Something about buses really puts me out. We got there and we climbed to the top. It was windy and foggy up there. Apparently is is snowy in top of the mountain until about May. It took 20 minutes to reach the top. It was very cool to be on top of Mt. Vesuvius but I honestly couldn't see inside the crater because of the fog situation. 

We had lunch and met a really nice couple and then we went to the ancient city. The ticket booth didn't take credit and my mom and I were both completely out of money, so we wasted about 30 minutes trying to find a Bancomat, which made me upset, because we were only allowed 2 hours to begin with. I was worried that we wouldn't be able to see everything, but I think that we ended up seeing quite a bit. I learned some cool facts while I was there so that made me happy.

Just a side note, there are tons of wild dogs in the ancient city. I thought they were cute and friendly and one of them looked like Maggie :)

So I guess that's about it for now. I am heading to Dublin tomorrow and then London and Paris. I think Josh and I are going to take a day trip to Brussels- which would be so fun. Also, I think that my mom and I have decided to do Barcelona for the last four days, which will be terrific! The city of the future!

Wow, I can't believe I am leaving Italy...strange.

Okay, Ciao! <3

Quick Post

So, as of about 4 PM today I am a certified expert of Tuscan wine!! :)

Also, I shipped stuff home today, gifts etc and it was 7.5 kilos, which is about 16 lbs- it cost 116 Euros- wow! I was okay with it because my mom said it was okay but then Josh called and said that a package that size would cost about 35 Euros to ship from Paris, so that sucks. But, whatever, I think that it was money well spent, now I don't have to worry about those items while I travel around with my mom-

Have a safe flight, Mom, I will see you in Roma on Saturday at around 2:45!!

We're cooking dinner here tonight- girls night and then we're going out to a club or two.

Doing Florence things tomorrow obviously because it's our last day, :(

This has been the best semester ever. 

:)

La Ultima Fine Settimana a Firenze

So, as the probably incorrect blog title above states- This past weekend was the last weekend in Florence. It was pretty sad to think about it all ending but it was really nice to spend it with the people I really care about here. Kel missed her flight to Sardinia so she got to stay in Florence for the weekend. I know that she was disappointed to miss out on Sardinia but we were all glad that she was in Florence for the last weekend. 

So we had productive days this weekend- I was finishing up my list of sights etc that has been looming for a while. We went to the Pitti Palace and saw the costume gallery (very very impressive) It had all of the trends throughout the past few centuries which we found very interesting. Then I went and checked out the Modern Art Museum in the Pitti Palace which was actually really disappointing. It wasn't what we would consider modern art- it was a lot of war depictions and portraiture. 

Next we went to Hemingway's, a gelateria from Let's Go Europe! I had been wanting to go there for a while but it's really far away. It was absolutely incredible. I ordered a chocolate, banana and strawberry shake and a piece of carrot cake (necessary...) and then when I saw Alli's banana/chocolate crepe and Kel's strawberry/chocolate crepe come out I simply had to get one. I got one with banana/strawberry/chocolate- so amazing. We took pictures of them haha, they're on Fb.

So that night we wanted to go to a pub called Michael Collins (also the title of a film that we watched in Venice Film Festival with Liam Neeson and Julia Roberts about the Irish Independence movement and its leader, Michael Collins). But we ended up going to the wrong piazza so we went to Central Park instead. Central Park is a club that is kind of far away so we took a taxi- they recently re-did the outside and it's quite nice. The drinks were super expensive though- 10 euros! That's about $16. Nuts. So anyway we got home around 4 and ate McDonald's (shameful...).

The next day we did more Florence things, such as eating falafels. We also went to this caffe called, "Chiara Scurro" which is an art term from Aruna's class...that's meaning escapes me. But anyway, they make this amazing cappuccino freddo which was awesome. 

If, at this point, you think it sounds like all we do is eat here in Italy, you're right.

However, the highlight of the day for me was that I finally got to go into the Badia (a church where monks in white robes chant...and it was believed to be where Dante first gazed upon Beatrice. I love stuff that involves Dante.) Their voices were incredible and so relaxing. I loved that I didn't understand what they were saying and I just got to hear their perfect voices.

Saturday night was the LdM fashion show- all of the fashion students showed off their work on the runway outside San Lorenzo church. It was so impressive- there were tons of people there. The models had their hair and makeup done and there was a runway and a spotlight. Betty's outfit was awesome and Alessandra did a great job modeling it. I was really impressed by the quality of work that everyone turned out. There were some really cool things that I would totally wear.

Yesterday I went to visit Santa Maria Novella church during mass (to avoid paying 3 euros). It was really beautiful- I particularly liked the stained glass behind the alter, it was in one-point perspective, which is something you don't see very often. 

This morning finals week began with Italian at 9AM...Betty helped me out big-time by giving me her review sheet, which made the final go pretty smoothly. Thank goodness.

So this is the last week here in Florence. Kel started packing last night, a big orange bag is almost full and it's really getting weird. We have been cleaning the apartment and taking down pictures. We have our inspection tomorrow and we all really want our $300 deposit back.

I got my train ticket to Rome yesterday. I'll be meeting my mom there and then we will head to the Amalfi Coast, Dublin, London, Paris, Brussels, and hopefully Munich.

I am obviously excited for all of the experiences to come but I will be very sad to leave the life I have made for myself here in Florence. 

That's all for now, 

Love you all so much and see you soon!

Ciao <3

Meg

The French Riviera

This weekend was the perfect weekend for all of us to relax- it was so different than the traveling I had been doing. I always feel like I need to see everything in a given city. So it's hard when you only have a few days and I end up rushing around and exhausting myself. The good thing about Nice, Cannes and Monaco was that there wasn't a ton of sightseeing to do, so I didn't feel guilty lying on the beach for most of the time. 

So the only drawback (which was semi-major) was that we all spent SO MUCH money on food and drinks. France is so expensive. And all I could think of was that Josh said that he found Nice less expensive than Paris...eek.

We weren't able to have a meal that cost less than 20 euros as a general rule. But the beach there was gorgeous. The first day was a little bit windy, so we only laid out for a couple of hours, which was enough for me and Kel to get sunburned and Alli to turn black.

That night we went to Monaco to see the Monte Carlo Casino etc. It was pretty much the most gorgeous place ever (I feel like I say that a lot...but I have seen some pretty amazing places). The architecture was so ornate and intricate. Most of the buildings were white or pink and when set against the blue sky they looked spectacular. The casino was beautiful inside. I was surprised that we were allowed to go in because we certainly aren't high rollers. We were allowed to go into the first part of the casino but if you wanted to go in to where people actually gamble, it cost 10 euros, so we just used their bathroom and left. We ended up going back to Nice for dinner because Monaco was insanely expensive (obv.)

We ate at a place called Pelican something and then Alli, Kel and I went to Thor's Pub and had some drinks. It was nice to sit and chat with them about how we were feeling about the end of study abroad and how it is coming up so soon. It was sad to talk about that, I can't believe that the program ends in 13 days- we have to start packing soon and that really freaks me out. I feel like I just went to Rome yesterday and that was my second weekend here.

The day after that we spent the day in Nice and we had dinner at a Tapas Bar and then we went to Wayne's which was the place that Alli and Josh went to in Senior year where people dance on tables. I have to say I was a little disappointed because, A, it was too crowded to dance on the table and B. the drinks were very expensive glasses of sugar water...I don't know, I guess I just had more fun the night before at Thor's. 

Anyway, the next day Betty, Alli, Kel and I had a plan to go to Eze to the perfume factory and then to Cannes to lay on the beach. The problem is that the train station in Nice was terrible! The ticket machines only take special French credit cards with chips in them and they don't take cash, only change and there are no change machines. So the only thing to do is to wait on line to go to a ticket window. There were only three people working in the whole train station so the line was so long that we almost missed our train to Eze. When we got there we couldn't even go to the perfumerie because you had to take a 25 minute bus and it was already so late in the day and we wanted to go to Cannes. We went to the beach in Cannes for the day and I bought really expensive sunscreen because nothing is cheap in France. I think I spent 12 euros in the sunscreen, which is roughly 18 US dollars :( But the funny thing is I didn't get burned at all! And in the US I always get burned, even when I wear a high SPF and re-apply. So, once again, the Farmacias (Farmacie in this case) in Europe are great and sell products that actually work. 

Another dramatic train situation happened when we were coming back from Cannes to Nice and we had to catch our night train. 

The train to Nice was 35 minutes late! That never happens in Italy...the latest a train will be is 10 minutes and that is a rare occurrence, so we were so nervous that we were going to miss our night train and have to stay over again in Nice which would have been incredibly expensive.

We ended up making in by like 1 second and only because Betty's cousins were able to get all of our bags onto the platform for us (thank you so much!). 

Kel, Alli and I watched some Friends and then slept for about 4 hours.

It was a great weekend because when we weren't dealing with the train system, it was very relaxing. 

The beaches were absolutely amazing.

-One strange note- I don't think we were on a nude beach but there were a few women with no tops on. I found it very strange to see a mother playing with her child in the sand with her boobs hanging in the kid's face- not so good.

But I guess it's just different from what I am used to seeing at the Jersey Shore...

So, overall, great weekend because I was with my best friends here and we always have fun no matter what, and I'm not spending a cent for the next two weeks (I wish).

<3

Florence and Venice

Josh and his friends came to Venice last weekend and Kel, Alli and I met them there. I was excited to be in Venice again and finish up some of the sites that I hadn't gotten a chance to in my past visits. The first day Kel, Alli and I hung out with Scott and didn't do many touristy things- I think we might have gone into one church, but that was basically it. We went to a grocery store to buy supplies for dinner and waited on line for about 40 minutes, which was ridic. Then we made dinner in Scott's apartment. It was so delicious, we made a salad, sautéed veggies and Scott made an awesome pasta with sauce and tons of ricotta cheese and pecorino that he grated the day before.

So dinner was a great success and I liked the wine that my professor suggested so that was good.

The hostel we stayed in that night had a curfew which was terrible because we almost got locked out but we made it and overall, not such a good hostel experience. They didn't have paper towels in the bathroom, how bizarre? 

Okay so the next day we went to a cool modern art exhibit on an island off of Venice. I really liked the work and it was nice to take a break from the Renaissance art in Florence. Then we met Josh and his friends at the train station and we had some lunch. 

We went to the Peggy Gugenheim which made me really happy- I was surprised that it was so tiny but I thought that the collection was very impressive and once again, I loved seeing modern art, I really missed it lol.

So after that we went into a couple more churches- I was particularly happy with the last church that we squeezed in- the Jesuita? (right Scott?) I thought that the marble inlay was really interesting and I am so glad that we made it in there.

What I like about Venice is that Venetian history and Italian history are so different. There are so many unique churches that look nothing like the ones in Florence or anywhere else for that matter- I really love Venice. I am so glad that Scott studied there this semester because for one thing- he knows so much about it and that makes him a great tour guide, and another thing is I probably wouldn't have gone there four times this semester if he wasn't studying there. 

So we went back home on Saturday night to Florence because we wanted to go out and we had tons of work to do on Sunday- but we ended up deciding that it would be a better idea to watch Friends all night and eat two falafels. Very nice...

So on Sunday we went to Moyo and used their free internet after we ate lunch. I was pissed because I ordered this chicken fajita thing and the chicken looked really bad, it was ground meat chicken...so I took one bite and asked the waitress if I could have a salad instead and she said yes and then charged me for both...Didn't really want to spend 25 euros on lunch, but you know. I know that in the US, that probably wouldn't have happened. So little things like that are making me excited to go home...the use of a dryer, not getting eaten alive by mosquitos every night while I sleep (on my face...non va bene). And overall customer service and respect here just sucks. 

Anyway, we picked Josh and his friends up from the station on Monday afternoon and they put there stuff down in my apartment and then we had lunch in Palazzo Signoria where we went with Shannon (the place with the awesome pizza...) and then we went into the duomo and later that afternoon we went to Piazzale Michelangelo which has the greatest view of the city of Florence in my opinion. We had some nice white wine and walked back over the Ponte Vecchio. I love the way the Arno looks at night with all of the lights reflecting off of it. I really love that. 

Alli, Kel and I did that last week, we went to Piazzale Michelangelo and then we walked along the river and ate dinner at this great restaurant on the water which was surprisingly cheap and amazing. It's called the Goldenview...if you're interested.

So Monday night we cooked in the apartment and it was very delicious. The next day we went to see the David in the morning, my Amici degli Uffizi pass allowed us to all cut the line which was incredible because the line was so long and they would have wasted so much of their time in Florence. So we did that and then we tried to make an appointment at the Uffizi but the next one was on Saturday, which didn't work. I was upset that they didn't get to go in, but they seemed alright with it and hopefully they will have a chance later on in life to go in.

We went to have lunch at Moyo after that, the Moyo Salad is so good.

After that we went to Santa Croce, which is always lovely and Alli had lots of information becuase she has been there many times with her classes, so that was cool.

After that Alli and I were fat and got falafels about 40 minutes after eating lunch.

That night we went to dinner at Il Gatto e la Volpe. So delicious. We shared pizza and I got ribolitta which is vegetable soup with bread in it. It's a Tuscan specialty and it's delicious.

Then we went to Shot Cafe and to Beatles Night. The Beatles were really good and they played some songs that they haven't done before. 

Overall, I think that Josh and his friends got a nice taste of Florence. We did a good amount of touristy things but we didn't feel rushed and I think they appreciated that. I finally feel like I was a good tour guide of my city because the night before they got here I brushed up on some facts...I hope that they loved it because I love it so much here.

It's a strange feeling- I love this city so much and I get upset when I think about leaving, but at some points I feel excited about going home and I feel like in a month I will be ready to see my friends and family at home. I will also be ready for the following: making unlimited Verizon to Verizon calls, unlimited texting, a proper washer that fits more than a t shirt and two bras, a dryer so that I don't have to wait a week to wear my clothes, waiters and waitresses who are friendly and accommodating, THE DOLLAR, screens in the windows so insects don't attack my skin while I sleep, working for money, and I am slightly excited for my internship.

But other than that- I don't want to leave my apartment, the amazing people that I have met and can safely call them best friends, the food, this beautiful city and everything it has to offer, Beatles Night, traveling... etc etc etc.

So anyway, I think it's clear that I'm torn, and I know that going home is going to be a rough transition, but I can't help but way that I'm looking forward to going home just the slightest bit.

Anyway, 

Kel, Alli, Betty, her two cousins and I are leaving for Nice, Monaco and Cannes tonight around 11! The train ride takes 9 hours and we get there around 8 AM. I am really excited to see Nice, so many people from the program have gone there and they have said how gorgeous and relaxing it is. I think that this is going to be the perfect vacation for us. It will be relaxing and fun and we will definitely entertain each other. 

Love and miss you all!

CIAO <3

Mini-rant

Okay, so I just needed to vent about something- and what better forum than this public blog.

Alright, so this morning in Italian, we had to take down someone's biografia (ask them questions about themselves etc...) So I was paired with a guy from Orlando. We asked each other questions from the handout my teacher gave us but then we had to make up two additional questions, so I asked him if he was traveling at the end of the program.

He said that he was going on a cruise so naturally I asked him where-to and he said that he didn't remember the destinations of the cruise but he knew that he was leaving from Venice.

Okay, so...wow...

I told him about how the single cause of abnormally high waters in Venice was the decision to dig out the lagoon. And he said to me, "It's going to be under water before they know it." And then he asks my teacher if it's true and she said yes and that it is unstoppable. I said, it is entirely preventable if they stop allowing these cruise ships to come in and they do something to help the city other than building 35 million euro bridges that are horrible looking and incongruous with the city. 

Then someone in my class said that he thinks that the bridge is a good thing and that it will bring more tourism. First of all, it wouldn't 'bring' tourism...I would make it easier for tourists to get around but it wouldn't bring people to the city...so anyway...I said that he was wrong because there wont be much tourism if the city is under water and that people have been traveling to Venice forever and that the lack of this one stupid bridge wouldn't stop them and neither would stopping cruise ships from coming in. He then added that he would be going on this same cruise that leaves from Venice...

They were being so ignorant! It made me so mad to think that a person studying in Italy, who has been to Venice could accept that they are doing something wrong and justify it by saying that there is nothing that anyone can do, so the government might as well spend the money on things that will increase tourism. I really couldn't believe what I was hearing. I was also disappointed that my professor said that it was inevitable. That could have been a good opportunity for her, as an Italian, to tell these people what they are doing wrong and how they are destroying this beautiful city so completely carelessly!

I feel a bit better now, but wow, that was a whole lot of arguing for 9 AM...

The Latest

So this weekend Alli and I were in Florence because the train tickets to Naples were absurdly expensive and we're really poor. We went on a wine tasting trip to Chianti with LdM. It was really cool to see where the grapes are harvested and the barracks that the wine is kept in while it ages. We explored the castle grounds and then we went in and tasted 3 wines and a vin santo (fortified wine...with liquor added) I hate vin santo but it's decent to dip biscotti in. So they served us these wines with bread and pecorino cheese (heavenly). They didn't give us much time to drink each bottle so we all ended up drinking about 6 glasses of wine in under an hour- no va bene.

When Alli and I got home we napped for a few hours and then we cooked fajitas. Then we pulled out the bed and watched a whole disk of Friends. The next day we went to Lucca. Lucca is about an hour and a half away by train- we had heard that it was a nice place to see. So when we got off the train, we exited on the wrong side and ended up wandering around for an hour and a half trying to find the city center, which we later discovered was right outside the other entrance of the station. We're very silly. So the city is adorable- it's contained in ancient city walls. We walked around a bit and then we had pizza and drinks...then we walked around some more. There was a nice path that went around the city and it was really beautiful. We found a pretty church and we went in and checked it out. I bought some Murano glass earrings that I adore. Probably could have waited a week to buy Murano glass from Murano...but whatever, they're gorgeous. 

We cooked again- I made shredded balsamic chicken and Alli made a delicious salad with fruit and toasted almonds. Then we watched more Friends, we finished 3 disks this weekend lol.

Yesterday we did Florence things finally. We tried to to into Santa Maria Novella but it was closed. Then we went to Rivoire (the oldest cafe in Florence) and we had delicious Asti Spumante- the perfect choice for a nice sunny afternoon in Italy. The rest of the day was spent shopping. We went to Coin and I got a bangle and a new camera case because I left mine in Prague. Then we bought gifts for people in the market- I felt very productive and I'm happy with what I found for people.

The only thing that sucked was that I found Scott this awesome belt and I thought it was too long so I had the man in the market cut it and then I brought it home and I was like, wow this looks small...and then it didn't fit me. So I ruined his present, which sucks a lot, because apparently it was one of a kind. But I'll give it to someone else, like a ten year old or something.

So anyway, the weather in Florence has been quite lovely up until today, it rained. But it was in the mid-70s this weekend which was awesome. I hope it's nice when Josh and his friends come to visit so we can go to Fiesole- that would be really great.

So this weekend Kel, Alli and I are going to Venice (I'm sad because it's going to be my last time there and I really love it).

It's going to be a terrific weekend though, I think we're going to go to the Peggy Gugenheim, which I have been wanting to do for a while, Murano, Burano, and I would like to go into the Basilica again. I think we're going to go to a fun, tacky restaurant too. Always exciting.

I guess that's it for now, I should really be editing my law paper right now, it's due in less than 24 hours-ahh. Okay ciao, love you!

Prague!

So I tried to come up with a cool "czech this or czech that" title, but none of them were good so this post is called Prague!!

So this weekend Scott and I went to Prague! It was so beautiful and entertaining. It seemed like there was always a lot going on- including lots of rollerblading. So, to start, the first day we got to Prague, we took the metro to the hostel, which was outside of the city center. I was glad that we stayed there because Vera, the owner was very nice and we had the room to ourselves. The hostel was called the Boathouse Hostel and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is thinking of going to Prague.

So here’s my taste of the city- the architecture (always fun to talk about) is gorgeous and mostly baroque, art nouveau, and sometimes gothic. It was nice to step away from high-Renaissance Florence for a weekend and experience something with a different flavor. Which was exactly what Istanbul was last weekend and Prague was this weekend.

The first day we took it pretty easy, we saw the massive St. Vitus Cathedral. The stained glass in there were especially brilliant and the light that they cast on the inside of the cathedral was marvelous. We also climbed and saw the miniature Eiffel Tower that is on the top of a mountain, which overlooks the city. We also walked over the Charles Bridge, named after Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor responsible for re-vamping Prague, adding stone bridges etc.

Saturday we did a ton! We did some of the Prague Castle, we did the old town and the new town. Okay, so funny thing, we went to a place called Bohemia Bagels and we both ate a lot so Scott was all worn out and saw these two old fashioned cars offering tours of the city. And then he asked if I thought we should do it! (For anyone who doesn’t know Scott…he hates spending money, period.) So, we ended up doing it- I couldn’t stop laughing the whole time at the thought of us breezing through the city in this car taking pictures like terrible tourists. Scott said that he was embarrassed to be seen taking this tour, but all in all, it was hysterical.

So we finished out our sightseeing with Frank Gehry’s “Dancing House” which is a very cool building that Gehry designed in 1996. It made me want to get more of his stuff from Tiffany’s, which then reminded me that I am poor because, well, I was looking at the building and saying, I’m in Prague, I am going to have zero dollars when I get home. But anyway, I hope he comes out with new designs soon because I am in love with my earrings.

We went to see Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew” that night, which despite it being in Slovakian, was amazing and entertaining. People kept telling us, “It’s in Czech, and there are no over titles.” But it was totally fine because we had both read the play. I was very impressed by the show. One thing I didn’t like, that Scott and I already discussed was that at the end of the show, the audience clapped in unison. Which I abhor. Seriously, it’s the worst. I hate it at concerts, when the artist asks everyone to clap together; it makes me feel weird and silly. But anyway, we had a great dinner where we got homemade pasta and delicious wine. It was nice to sit and chat with Scott, I felt like we hadn’t in a while.

After dinner we went to a place called Bar and Books, which is apparently in both New York and Prague. Scott had been to one of the two in New York and it was a cool place. One of the bartenders looked exactly like Bill Ransik, winner of The Apprentice, season one. It was unreal.

Overall I would say that the city was beautiful and colorful. I wish I could have stayed longer but I have classes and the work is starting to pile up, in fact, after I write this I will get started on one of three papers due within this month.

This coming weekend I am going on a school trip to Chianti for wine tasting and a tour of some vineyards. It should be very fun. I really enjoy learning about wine here in Italy so I know that I will enjoy the trip. Then Alli and I are off on our honeymoon to the Amalfi Coast! Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, Naples. I think we will have tons of fun, apparently it is a must see. We are staying in a hostel that Betty found which is like 20 euros a night and the hostel has a balcony that overlooks the ocean! How awesome.

I am excited for all of the fun that is to come this month but I am getting really exhausted from traveling every weekend. It feels like a lot because I only have class four times a week and then I have been leaving either Thursday night or early Friday morning for weekend trips. I feel like I haven’t had a chance to rest in a while, but I know what you’re thinking, poor you Megan, traveling Europe every weekend. And it’s sort of true, I have nothing in the world to complain about- I am truly having the time of my life.

I am so glad that I get to say that and mean it with my whole heart, this really is the best time of my life and I feel it more and more with each day, whether it is in Florence or in another city.

I love the friends that I have made and I can confidently say that they are not just “study abroad friends”, they are friends that I will always have because we all went through this life-changing experience together. It is as simple and as complicated as this: I have experienced too much to be the same. Which I love and I think that what I read about study abroad is true, you learn more about yourself than you do about the city you live in.

I have learned that I am a person who must travel. I can’t imagine my life any other way now. I feel that I have been so blessed with the chance and I am so happy with the entire thing.

It scares me though because I know that reverse culture shock (returning home after being abroad) is supposed to be very bad. I think that I am going to have a very hard time adjusting to life at home. Just because I have a routine here, a life, friends and to just remove those things because the semester is over seems jolting. I know that I will love being with people that I have missed and I know that living in the house in Binghamton is going to be fun. It is just very hard to imagine leaving this perfect scenario.

I think that we are all feeling the same way. This makes it easier because at least we will all be able to be there for each other.

Okay, Enough already! I still have another month to enjoy and thinking about going home might ruin that month. So I am going to focus on the amazing things to come!

This weekend- Chianti, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, Naples

Next weekend- Venice with Josh and his friends from France, Scott, Alli and Kel

Weekend After that- Nice! With Alli, Betty and her two cousins and Kel (9 hour train- eek. But I know that is group can make that fun)

Weekend after that- last weekend in Florence, doing undetermined Florentine things!!

 

Love and Miss you all!!

Ciao, Meg

Istanbul!

I stayed over the night before in Milan because my flight left from Malpensa. Milan is a really beautiful city. The Piazza del Duomo is particularly beautiful. The duomo in Milan is the third largest in the world and it was definitely stunning to see. I went inside on Friday morning before going to the airport. It feels massive inside with thick stone columns and archways. 

I ended up getting stuck in Milan when I got back from Istanbul so I got to go on the roof of the duomo on Monday morning before going back to Florence. The view of the city and the Alps is dazzling and I am glad that I got to do that.

So I got to Istanbul around 6 on Friday and got a Turkish visa and cool stamps in my passport! The flight was nice and short and I met two nice Italian women from Milan. One of them was a journalist and the other was a photographer. We were talking about our favorite cities in Italy and around Europe. I spoke to the flight attendant in Italian when I ordered my drink and dolce and they giggled so I asked them if my Italian was bad and Anna, the photographer, said that she could understand me. That made me happy. Anna gave me her e-mail address and said that I should tell her if I come back to Milan. I love meeting people on flights.

I met Josh and Jess in Ataturk Airport outside the passport control station. It was so nice to see them and we ended up getting a free shuttle to our hotel, Star Holiday Hotel. The hotel was in a perfect location. It was on a busy street that was so close to both the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia. That night we went to dinner where we sat on a rooftop which overlooked the Blue Mosque. I can safely say that the Blue Mosque is the most stunning thing I have ever seen. The entire city of Istanbul was so different and interesting. I wish I had more time there but we were very productive in our weekend there. One interesting thing I noticed about Istanbul is that the prayer leaders announce the prayers over speakers to the city, letting the people know that it is time to pray. They pray five times per day toward Mecca as part of the pillars of Islam. The prayers woke Josh up but Jess and I slept through it.

The next morning we woke up early and took a boat ride up and down the Bosporus! It was so incredible. I was between the Asian and the European continents which was very cool. We also went to the Egyptian Spice Market and the Grand Bazaar. Everything was so incredibly beautiful and colorful and the Turkish people were so kind to us. I had read/heard that women should not smile or make eye contact with men in Istanbul but I did not find this to be true. I had no problem interacting with the Turkish people. It was also great to have a venti nonfat caramel macchiato- they have Starbucks in Turkey lol.

Josh and Jess both got beautiful hand-made Turkish lamps to take home. I thought that this was a great idea because they are great representations of Turkey. They are beautiful and bright and those particular lamps could be found all over in the markets that we went to so I am glad that they got them. I got myself and Alli ceramic bowls to put jewelry in because they were...well...smaller than a lamp and still pretty.

I hope that I can go back to Istanbul one day and bring home a huge lamp. 

We also went and visited the underground cisterns which were beautiful and fascinating. 

My favorite thing by far was visiting the Blue Mosque. That was the single most miraculous structure I have seen. We took off our shoes and went inside and honestly, pictures cannot possible do it justice. I was glad that it was the first mosque I have ever been in because I can't imagine one more stunning.

Our next stop was the Hagia Sophia, which my ninth grade global history teacher once told me, "If you ever have the opportunity to see it, you must." She was right. I have to say that I was much more impressed with the Blue Mosque, but I do understand the importance of the Hagia Sophia. It was very great to see that for historical reasons. We had a nice dinner and went to sleep early.

The next day we went to Topkapi Palace which was beautiful and I got to learn a lot about the sultans and the people around them such as their wives, children and servants. It was so cool to think about sultans walking through the halls that we were walking through.

Overall the trip was amazing, I feel so incredibly lucky to have gone to Istanbul and it was so great to experience it with Josh and Jess.  It is a trip that I will never forget.

Fun in Florence

On Saturday we went out for Betty's 18th! We went to a cool dance show called "Firenze Danza" which was basically a recital for all of the dance schools in Florence. It was funny that they did some dances to Andrea Boccelli and some to Mika and Missy Elliott. We went to see Billy from the hair salon perform and he did really great. I will tell him that when I go in to have him wash my hair for like 30 minutes. It's the most glorious thing in the world and definitely worth £10. After the dance show we hopped on the bus and chatted as Betty counted down the minutes to her birthday- we were hoping that we wouldn't be on the bus when it was 12 and we weren't.
We were however in the midst of baking yet another chocolate cake with powedered sugar on top. We devoured it between the three of us and then got ready to go out to Space Electronica...known as Space. It was very entertaining so see people dancing in cages and I finally understood what people meant when they said that going there was both an 'experience' and an 'event'.
When Alli, Betty and I got out onto the dance floor, about 8 men crowded around us and tried to dance with us. So we left the dance floor quickly and went to see what things were like downstairs. It was more calm...no cages etc. And we decided that a good way to disuade the men would be to start a crazy dance- similar to Scott's crazy walk. It didn't help because a man came over and took my hand, it looked like he was going to kiss it but then he kissed my elbow, which is beyond strange.
The next morning Kelly got back to Florence around 10:30 and she came in and yelled "Buongiorno!" We were so thrilled that she was back!
Scott got to Florence around 6. We went out to dinner for Betty's birthday to a place called Il Gato e something...it means fox. The resaurant was named after the cat and the fox that Pinocchio meets on his way to school. It was amazingly delicious and the pizza tasted like the pizza in Sicily, which was literally the most delicious thing I have ever had.
If you want it: Go to Palermo, then go to the sketchiest of possible parts of town, and eat the most delicious thing ever- it's so worth it!
So anyway, the next day Scott and I went to the Synogogue which is very beautiful and we walked around the city a bit- we found awesome Birkenstocks for so so cheap which was a terrific purchase. On Monday night we cooked in the apartment and Scott made is ricotta cheese cake. It was so delicious! And he made it without an electric mixer.
Tuesday Scott and I went to Assisi and Perugia. Assisi was beautiful but the churches were only okay compared to ones that I have seen in the past. I thought that the view from Rocca Maggiore was very beautiful. Perugia was a lot better. We got there and we only had about two hours to see things. We tried to find the city center and ended up walking for a while, but it ended up being fine and the city center was very clean and lovely. We walked down the oldest street in the city and saw an Etruscan Arch. We also say an Etruscan Well which was about 35 meters deep. The Duomo and the central piazza were very nice. We made it to our train in time thanks to a crazy cab driver zipping around the streets and Scott and I were shocked the see how much we had walked on the way up.
When we got back we went out to dinner at a Acquedotte (I believe) which is near the Synogogue and Scott's uncle Rich once cooked there. The food was very delicious. Then we went to the main event which was of course Bealtes Night at Be-Bop. They were so good, the only thing that was sad was that we found out that Paul McCartney was married and expecting a baby...which stinks because I have a crush lol...but anyway, we went to Shot Cafe during intermission and met a cute bartender from Liverpool named Ben. When we went back to Beatles Night it was even more crowded. They put on a terrific show and Scott said, "I want them to play my favorite song- 'Something'." and then right after he said that, they started playing it- which was awesome.
Florence has been so amazing and fun and it feels like I fall more in love with it every day.

Tomorrow I am going to Milan for the night because my flight to Istanbul leaves from Malpensa. I am going to do some sights in the morning before my flight such as the Duomo (the third largest in the world) and I would like to see "The Last Supper".
Istanbul is going to be so amazing and then the week after that is Prague! I foudn out that there is a Frank Gehry building there called the Dancing House. It looks incredibly cool.
So many amazing experiences to come!
We also booked Nice for the first weekend in May- we are taking an overnight train (9 hours) and we were able to save £30 by getting a seat instead of a bed, so we did that. It should be interesting if nothing else haha.
Nice is going to be incredible though, I really can't wait!

Love and miss you all,
I will have pictures up soon, my computer hasn't been picking up the connection in the student center so I haven't had an oppertunity.
Ciao <3!

Shannon's Visit

So, we ate pretty much the whole time.
Okay, so Shannon got to Florence on Easter and it was very nice to see her. We did some Florence sights and walked around outside because it was gorgeous. We took Shannon to my the best gelato place in Florence (in my opinion, and yes, I have probably had enough gelato to make that kind of statement). She got Frutti di Bosco which she refered to as "berry shit" and we all loved it so much that we went back again that day...so it began.
Important revelation: I was under the impression that Florence did not have good pizza (not bad, just not as good as Rome or Sicily). But when Shannon came we tried so much pizza and we actually found a place that was terrific. It's called Caffe Castelvecchi and it's in Palazzo Vecchio. It was so delicious and it was the nicest, sunniest day in Florence while we sat outside and ate. Perfect.
So we went to Fiesole that evening- I think that Fiesole offers the most beautiful view of the city because you can see the whole city, the Tuscan countryside and the mountains off in the distance blend into the sky- it's unreal.
We also took a trip so Siena whichwas pretty much a bust becuase it started raining and there really didn't appear to be a ton to do. I might go back to check out the Duomo there, but other than that it seems like a lot of cities in Italy. We did find a really fun escalator in the mall which didn't have steps, so it was like the moving sidewalks in the airport only on an incline...I know, it doesn't sound that amazing haha.
So we had a lot of fun, it was a very relaxing Spring Break for me. We watched Enchanted twice, went to the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens and we ate tons of pizza and cake. It was a very fat few days.

Mom and Wendy

Alright well Wednesday Mom and Wendy got to Florence!
I still had some midterms left so we did quick sightseeing and then we cooked dinner for them in the apartment. We went to Venice on Friday and Scott met us at the station- he had done research and made plans for us which was so thoughtful. I can tell that he is learning a lot about the city when he walks around with his professors one on one. Listening to him tell us all about Venice made me think that I probably should have taken a class about Florentine history. My classes are teaching me things about Italian culture and the media. I also like learning about Italian wine culture and appreciation. I feel that it is very important to maintain the integrity of Italian wine families and I am upset to learn about American and Asian companies pressuring local winemakers to sell their companies. I feel that this sort of abandonment is a slippery slope on the way to homogenization. Not good. When I drink a glass of wine, I like to know who made it and how they did it. I enjoy it much more when I know that it was made with tradition and historical imtegrity in mind.
But anyway, enough about globalization for now.
One of my favorite things we did was when we went into the Basilica San Marco, which I missed out on the first time I went to Venice because it was so crowded during Carnevale. It is one of the most spectacular churches I have ever seen, and I have been in a ton of them. The ceiling and surrounding walls are covered in gold and there are scenes and saints depicted. Scott knew all about the exterior and how the all of the marble was stolen from other areas of the world, which accounts for the fact that no single marble column is the same as another.
We went to Murano the next day where we went to the glass museum. I enjoyed that very much and it made me want to take some kind of glass throwing class. I don't think that Binghamton would offer such a thing but perhaps there is some other way to learn about it.
Overall, Venice was amazing and dream-like as always and I look forward to going back again soon when Josh goes. Kel, Alli and I are all going to go to Venice and it will be so much fun.
I still really want to see the Peggy Gugenheim museum, Burano and a church that Scott tried to take us into but it was unfortunately closed...
Mom and Wendy went home on Monday which was sad but I know that they both had a great time and it made them want to travel more- which I fully support and I hope we can plan a fun place to go!

Sicilia!

I'm going to attempt to sum up this weekend-

Alright so on Thursday Kelly's roommate Kerri's (who I love- so sad she went home today) cousin and his girlfriend came to visit Florence for the weekend so we went out to Trattoria Za-Za, which is always delicious. Then we went to Shot Bar and had some more fun and then we had falafel across the street from Be-Bop. The thing was none of us were packed for the trip and we went to bed around 2:00 when we had to catch the bus at 3:35...it was not good. So Betty woke us up and we quickly threw things into our bags and magically didn't forget anything. 

We sprinted (the most exercise any of us have done since getting here) to Santa Maria Novella and Kelly saw that the bus was about to leave so she stood in front of it with her hands out lol.

We bought bus tickets from a man who appeared out of no where and I can't believe it but we actually made it.

So the flight there was fine, I couldn't sleep because RyanAir seats don't recline and I was sitting between two big men. So anyway, we got to Trapani at around 9 and took a bus to the center of the city. Then we decided to take another bus up to Erice which is a tiny town on top of a mountain- it was the most surreal thing in the world- we were literally above the clouds- it was the highest I have ever been while not in a plane. We could see the countryside and the coast of Sicily and it was truly breathtaking. Then we wanted to go inside the castle at the top and it turned out that it was a restaurant and hotel so we had a great (and surprisingly cheap) lunch where I tried risotto for the first time- it was fab.

So then it was time to take a bus to Palermo where our hotel was- we spent some time finding it and once we realized where it was we all got a little bit freaked out. First of all, there were severely sketchy characters all around saying things in Italian and following us, which was obviously not fun because it was night time. So we got to the hostel and it didn't have a name outside. I looked inside and it was nice so I started to feel better. We went to our room and put our stuff down and then went to get some pizza around the corner. It was awesome- the 7 of us got 4 pies and devoured them...you know, because we're thin.

The next day we went to Cefalu which is a seaside town- we saw GORGEOUS men lying on the beach, which was a definite highlight, I wanted to take a picture of them but I felt sketchy, so I was glad that Kelly did lol.

Quick note: Everyone in Sicily is SO nice and the men are all...tutto incredibly attractive. 

So we ate some more food and did a bit of shopping then we headed back to Palermo. Once again, supremely sketched out by the area we were staying in...for example, we believe that a man threw a bottle/change/bottle cap...(something that made that kind of noise) at us, another character followed us on his bike and yelled things at us. Yeah, it was not so good. I sort of felt like someone was going to grab me and steal me. Anyway, we went back to the same pizza place again and loved it so much...

Okay so here's where it gets interesting/very very had to adequately describe.

We woke up at 5:30 to get back to Trapani to go home (you know, good idea to get back early so that we could study for midterms...would be a good idea).

We got to the airport with no problem but then Ryan Air (aka never again) cancelled our flight and I asked someone what that meant to us and she was like, "I don't know." So we figured it would be better to get back to central Trapani so that we would have access to train schedules and access to an airport that didn't suck.

Betty (thank god someone spoke Italian) called the Palermo airport and found us a flight to Florence airport that left at 6:55 and we made reservations. The flight was supposed to cost 137 euros. Ew. So we really needed to relax so we went and had pasta, bread, beer...good healthy things. We got on the train to Palermo and we had a change over so we got off and I realized, as the train was leaving, that my bag was on the train...OMG.

So I ran and grabbed the handle of the train and screamed, "ASPETTA!!!!!!" (wait...)

Kerri was waving wildly and screaming (thanks :)) and they stopped...I got on and retrieved my bag while Italians laughed at me.

So we got to the airport and tried to pay for our tickets and they told us that they cancelled our reservation after 5...which they NEVER told us. So the ticket price went up to 150 euros. I was pretty much in disbelief at this point.

Anyway, we took the late flight...got back to Florence around 10 and studied.

Betty had downloaded American Idol top 10 men and women so that was fun to watch.

I guess that sums up the weekend- although I don't think it is comprehendible. 

Love you all and see mom and wendy in 2 days! Shannon in 5ish!

Ciao

Wonderful Weekend in Paris!

So, I just realized that I haven't written in this blog since Rome, not good...

Well, I've been super-busy! It's awesome here- I am literally in love and the thought of leaving makes me so upset. So, I wont think or write about it. So the weekend after Rome Scott came to visit- Which was terrific: we did Santa Croce and saw the tombs of many famous Italians. We also went up to Fiesole finally which was incredible. The tuscan countryside was gorgeous on the bus ride up and then you can see the whole city. It was so amazing. Then we did Piazzale Michelangelo, which is another great view of Florence. 

Okay so I'll recap Verona too...went there with Alli and Scott the weekend before last and it was a gorgeous little city. We saw the Roman Arena, the House of Capulet, The Basilica San Zeno, etc. We also went to Bardolino which is on Lake Garda- the largest lake in Italy. It was incredibly beautiful. So other than some major travel mishaps, that weekend was great.

PARIS

This weekend was so so so much fun. I got to see Josh! And Laura, Callie, Seth and Norah!

It was terrific- Josh made us really fat all weekend with pastries, crepes, etc etc etc.

We saw a LOT in two days so I will recap my favorites- The Eiffel Tower- even more incredible and huge than I imagined...The Louvre- probably the most impressive place I have ever been. But that's tough because I live in Florence, which amazes me everyday. 

We saw Sacre-Ceour, the Arc de Triomph, Notre Dame, Champs Elysee, the Pantheon, Pont Alexandre III...

Josh was a terrific tour guide- he had historical facts written on note cards so he could tell us about what we were seeing. One sweet thing was that he loved to surprise us (or at least me because this was my first time in Paris) He would be like, "Go look around that corner" and there would be a view of the whole city. It was so so beautiful. 

I feel like I rushed this entry but I have to make a presentation in Int'l Law tomorrow about genocide- so I should really get to that.

Mom and Wendy Countdown- 9 DAYS!

Shannon countdown- 12 DAYS!

Istanbul- 25 Days! 

I'm going to Sicily next weekend with a bunch of people and it's going to be so fun and so hot!

I can't believe midterms are a week from today...not good.

Anyway, I'm having the time of my life- love you all!

Ciao!

Roma!

First, a little bit about Thursday- we went to Dublin Pub for a bit and I had cider. Cider is incredible; it’s sweet bubbly beer. Love it. Then, since it was Valentine’s Day, we decided to go to a club on Faenza called Maracana. There was a lovely man in drag with his face painted white singing sappy Italian love songs. He was fabulous and it was so surreal in there…the club felt like some sort of strange Eyes Wide Shut-esque, weird situation. Then another singer came and sang- I think she was famous or something because there was paparazzi taking pictures of her. She had this crazy black lace number on and she was sitting on people serenading them. Awesome…but Maracana usually had a 20 Euro cover, which is ridic so I don’t know if I’ll be going back…that night was enough of a memory for me I think.
The next morning we hopped on a nice cheap train to Rome! We got to the Yellow Youth Hostel, which is apparently a British chain. It was great- everything was clean and safe and at night the front desk staff partied with us at the bar next door (Yellow Bar) it was very convenient. We didn’t want to go anywhere too far because Rome is a huge city and we didn’t want to be lost at night. But anyway, we went around and did touristy things all day- we walked so so much. We saw the Colosseum and the ancient city. That night, like I said we went to the Yellow Bar because our feet were killing us and we didn’t want to walk all over Rome at night. The drinks were kind of steep so I wanted to see if I could find someone to buy me a drink. That was when I met Ben, a nice guy from New Jersey…he was taking a one-month survey of Europe because he just graduated. He was nice enough to ask me if I wanted a drink and he ended up coming to Vatican City with us the next day. Emily also made a nice friend from the British Army… “Bennie” aka Steven was very interested in her and very married…anyway, I don’t think I can adequately describe him with words.
We woke up early to avoid the lines and we ended up getting into the Basilica right away and there was a woman giving a complimentary tour so we went on that. She was terrific and so knowledgeable. She asked us if we wanted to do the 25 Euro tour of the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. At first we thought it was too expensive but we tracked her down and said that we wanted to do it because we knew that she would teach s a lot and we wanted to do the Vatican right. I am glad I did it well because it was so massive that I think that it was a once in a lifetime experience. Everything was so beautiful (pictures will be on snapfish). After the three-hour Vatican tour we went to have some lunch (second pizza lunch of the day- Rome has the best pizza!) and of course a nice big gelato. Then we walked to the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps. It was a long day! We were all very cold and exhausted. We went to Yellow Bar again and hung out with Ben and some German guys...one of them hated Kelly and kept sticking his tongue out at her, which was funny.
Sunday morning we checked out of the hostel and went back to the Colosseum because we couldn’t go in on Friday- it was very amazing inside. We got to meet up with Kelly’s cousin who lives in Rome and she was telling us about the cool neighborhood she lives in. I wish we could have had time to see things like that but it really was a busy tourist weekend because it was the first time any of us had been to Rome…We went to the Forum and looked around for a bit before catching our train. That’s where I am right now...just reflecting on the weekend.
*A cool thing about Rome is the mixture of old and new. We (Kelly- the navigator) were looking at the map and trying to find the Colosseum and we turned a corner and there it was! These massive historical buildings are mixed in with the modernity of the city. I thought that made it very cool- I have heard that about Paris, but Emily says that makes Paris feel disorganized and strange. I didn’t think that Rome felt disorganized. It just felt really big. Everything there made me feel small, especially standing in the Sistine Chapel, I felt about one inch tall because thinking about the fact that one man could create something so staggering is overwhelming. It actually took them longer to restore his work (with Q-tips and club soda) than it did for his to create it. I loved learning about all of the different scenes before going in and seeing it.
I have a ton of great pictures- Rome is very beautiful and historically rich. This weekend just helped me realize that I prefer Florence. It’s smaller ad there aren’t as many cars. I also like that if I get lost I can just go to the Duomo and figure it out from there. I loved seeing everything this weekend but I am glad that I didn’t choose to study abroad in Rome. Florence just seems to fit really well. I love the quaint little streets and the beautiful bridges.
My Italian is coming along! I find myself using it well and I attribute that to hearing it all around me. So happy about that!
I hope to go to DUBLIN this coming weekend! Connect with my roots a bit- and I think the flight on Ryanair would be cheap to fly into Dublin. We’ll see…
And other exciting news- Mom and Wendy are coming to Florence on March 19! Can’t wait to show you this beautiful place!

You're Asking Me Will My Love Grow...

Quick post about Beatles night!

Every Tuesday at a club called Be Bop there's an INCREDIBLE Beatles cover band.

And it's Free!

We went last night and they started at 10:45 and played for about two and a half hours- They were terrific. 

I will be going there every Tuesday!! It blows my mind that it's a free show.

When people come and visit we have to go :)

Fabulous Weekend

So I wanted to recap the great weekend I had-

These 3 day weekends  feel so long! I think that will be good when I travel and stuff but this weekend it was great to get to know Florence. Thursday night Kelly cooked dinner in the apartment- listen to this deliciousness- salad with grilled chicken and peppers, pesto tortelini, penne with tomatoes, olive oil and fresh garlic, bread with seasoned olive oil and brie cheese, and of course lots of wine. I got hungry while recalling that dinner. It was so much fun- I loved having a ton of people in my apartment, it made it feel like home :) 

The night after that we went to a club called Astor Place which was pretty nice, Emily and I sang Rufus Wainwright and Death Cab For Cutie in the streets...and Alli and I walked home together and witnessed a car accident- a woman was driving her little car and hit a bunch of mopeds and a guard rail and then just hopped out and had this "oops" expression on her face...and I walked home barefoot because cobble stones and high heels just were not working for me.

The next day we walked around and shopped all day- everyone was looking for boots etc...

and at night we walked to the Ponte Vecchio which was so incredibly beautiful!! And we got 4 euro gelato...the best ever- I tried a new flavor "panna rossa" it tasted like a caramel explosion and I'm in love.

This weekend was so amazing and there was so much that I loved about it but I would have to say that the highlight of my weekend was going to Tiffany's and getting my Frank Gehry earrings! They are so beautiful and they make me feel like a million bucks! :) :) thank you so so much mom!! <3

Another cool thing we did- Saturday evening mass at the Duomo! I was staring at the fresco on the ceiling the whole time so it might has well have been in Italian...But the experience was very fun. I wish that there would have been music but I'm sure that Easter mass will have music. 

Yesterday we went to an antique market and walked around for a while- they had some really cool pieces and I am excited to go again- every Sunday it's in a different piazza so that should be very fun...

So I think I'll be going to Rome this weekend with a ton of people, I'm very excited for that and then the following weekend we were thinking about possibly going to Croatia! I didn't think anyone would be interested in going there but surprisingly people were, I just think it would be something cool and different.

March is going to be really busy with Paris and visitors so I would like to travel these next few weekends...so yeah.

I think that's all for now- loving this city so much more with each day- I have been soaking it in and I am starting to really feel at home.

Love and miss you all!

p.s. the food here is totally out of this world :)

Happy Post!

Well I am happy to announce that I am no longer going through extreme culture shock :) The first few days were very hard but it helps to know that tons of people felt the same way. I am getting to know more and more each day and it has helped me to feel comfortable. For example, I figured out how to do my laundry with the crazy Italian machine. That was a big triumph, now I only have to wait a day or two for everything to dry on the rack.
Last night was the FREE welcome dinner for LdM and it was great. We had wine and talked the whole time. It reminded me of the first week at Binghamton when everyone wanted to make new friends and people are so nice. So that was fun and then Alli, my roommate Kelly and I went to Dublin Pub which is right down the street from my apartment. It was a cute little place where we were able to sit and have girl talk for for couple of hours. I love girl talks and getting to know people well. It makes the whole idea of being far away so much easier.
I got a good night sleep last night and I am excited to go shopping in the market today and cook dinner in my apartment tonight. I also have Wines of Tuscany today so that should be very fun.
The classes here are great so far! I am really impressed. I think that my Italian class is going to really help me. My professoressa speaks Italian almost exclusively which is scary but great at the same time. I think that these classes are going to be semi challenging but definitely useful. I loved The Venice Film Festival (class) yesterday. We are going to be watching many popular Italian films that have been screened at the Festival since its inception in 1932.
We are also taking a field trip to the cinema soon to see Atonement! Which is awesome. I think that being in class really helps me set up a routine and today walking around is going to be great. I think that we are going to go to Ponte Vecchio tomorrow and check out Tiffany's! so cool.
In a few weeks Kelly and a few of her friends are going to Rome and I think Alli and I will go with them. It will be very fun becuase Kelly's cousin's cousin (I think) has been living in Rome for five years teaching English to school children so she will probably know of good places to eat and go out.
There is a Beatles cover band that performs here in Florence on Tuesdays and I have been hearing great things about it so I think we will check that out :)
Overall, much better/happier!
Much love to everyone and I will have some pictures soon, probably after the trip to Ponte Vecchio and I also want to go to the top of the Duomo! I heard that the view of the city from there is absolutely incredible.

Ciao Ciao!

Weekend in Venice

Alli, Betty and I went to Venice this weekend- we got there on Friday and stayed until Sunday. It was so so nice to see Scott and his apartment. When I got out of the train station I couldn't stop smiling- it was literally the most beautiful place I have ever seen. So anyway, we mostly walked around and explored Venice. Nothing is more than an hour walk, which is great. We went to an outdoor show the first night near Scott's apartment and it was so cool to see old people and young people all dressed crazily and dancing around together. The second night we went to Piazza San Marco to a Sensation show. Sensation was the theme to Carnevale this year. Each region had their own sense- like sight, sound etc. San Marco is incredibly beutiful. We didn't go into the basilica yet but I definitely plan on going back to Venice and it will be a shorter line when the tourists have left. The population of Venice doubles during Carnevale. So anway it was very cool that there were no cars anywhere and taking the vaporetto (water taxi) was different.
I liked that the city felt very safe and small. Scott said that there are not a lot of young people in Venice.
Here in Florence, there are a lot of young people and I have to say that I don't feel as safe, but I think that once I learn how to navigate and speak a little bit of the language, I will feel more comfortable. I want to be in love with Florence like I was with Venice. I think that I just need to find a good comfort zone and routine. Having Alli here is great for that and I just had my first class so that will help too. I look forward to getting into the swing of classes and clubs. I want to join the Cinema Club and the Wine Tasting Club. I think that watching Italian films will be great and I can put my knowledge of wine tasting that I learn in my class to use.
I just had Italian 101 this morning at 9 and I have Media Ethics later on today.
A note about the internet- I am in the library right now becuase I don't have wireless in my apartment. I want it so badly but the plan is not very economical. It's like 150 euros to start and then 30 euros a month for only 3 hours per day...I might get it to use those three hours for social purposes. I want to skype and ichat with people. I really miss everyone and I am more homesick than I would like to be. It helped to travel and have things to do so I think that I should kepp doing that.
I hope to speak to you soon!

Here!

Quick entry because the center closes soon :( I got to Florence yesterday and it's so beautiful. The buildings don't even look real. So I was feeling sick yesterday and slept most of the day away, but I feel so much better now after showering. Something funny, an Italian man on the train yesterday said "Mamma Mia". I thought that was a stereotype like, "It'sa Me Mario" etc...haha. But anyway- I miss you all and I hope that everyone is having fun! I am going to Venice (hopefully) tomorrow with Alli, Betty and Alli's roommates. I am so excited for Carnivale and to see Scott's apartment. I can't lie, I'm pretty excited for Italian on Monday, I feel like it will be easy to learn here with everyone speaking around me. I have to go now, Alli and I are getting dinner and then I'll finish unpacking :) CIAO!

<3

First Post

Hello Everyone!

This post wont be too interesting, just introducing you to my blog. Like many bloggers, I will be posting thoughts, pictures, funny stories...etc while I'm abroad. I hope that this is an effective way of keeping in touch with people at home and friends abroad! Feel free to leave me messages and comments (you too Mom!) 

I can't wait to tell you interesting things about Florence, my apartment, new friends, classes, nightlife, and anything else that would be of interest. 

I hope that this can act as a journal and photo album so that I can remember everything about this trip. 

Thanks for reading- I'll write again soon!