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!