This past weekend we took our group trip to Roma. Unfortunately, our tour didn't really take us to any sites I hadn't seen 3 or so weeks before with my parents. They did provide us with a tour guide to tell us more information about all the sites though. Her name was Rita and she was a hilarious tour guide. She took us to the Colloseum and the Roman Forum, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps and the Pantheon the first day. Some of my friends from high school are studying in Rome for the semester so a few of us met up with them for dinner that night. Jeff took us to Rome's best pizza place. The crowds and the pizza definitely proved that the pizzeria lived up to its name. I got a pizza with mozzerlla cheese and all kinds of vegetables. It was probably the best pizza I've had in Italy! Jeff also took us to his favorite gelateria. That was also some of the best gelato I've had in Italy. The gelateria made up all of its own unique flavors and everything was so creamy and delicious. I got carmel gelato with little chocolate cookies. They also dipped our gelato in chocolate like they do with soft-serve ice cream in the States. It was great!
The next day we had to get up at 7am to go on our tour of the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica. We didn't get to see nearly as much of the Vatican Museums as I would have liked to, but we did get to go down into the catacombs and see the tombs of old popes. That was interesting because I hadn't seen it before. Down in the catacombs we also got to see ruins from the original St. Peter's Basilica built in the 4th century. Since we were with a tour guide we also got to walk through Vatican City a bit and enter into the Basilica from a special enterance. She took us through the Vatican and explained some interesting facts and tid-bits. It was interesting, but not as impressive as it was seeing it for the first time.
That night our director, Lorenzo, made reservations for us to eat an authentic Roman style dinner. We had so much food and wine we could barely move after we were done eating.
We had also made reservations for that night at an ice bar. This was a vodka bar made entirely out of ice. It was so cool. They dressed us up in these space age parkas and gloves and sent us through this air-tight door into this room made entirely out of ice. The air was so cold, but it was such a next experience we didn't even notice. They had little igloo like rooms carved out of the walls for us to sit in and they served us drinks in glasses made entirely of ice. It was so cool, but we couldn't stay for too long because it was -5 degrees in the bar.
On Sunday we were so exhusted we decided to sleep in late. Once we got up we went to St. Peter's Basilica to see the Pope address the crowd as he does every Sunday. It was a cool event to see, but I was shocked at how empty the square was. I was expecting to see so many more people there than we saw. Soon after that we had to head back to meet up with the rest of the group and head back to Florence.
Tomorrow I am off to London to spend the weekend with my roommate, Jordan, who is studying there for the semester. It was so nice to see faces from home last weekend in Rome, I can't wait to see another this weekend!!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Cinque Terre
Yesterday we took a day trip to Cinque Terre. It is a region right along the coast north of Tuscany where 5 towns are connected by bridges and hiking trails. Our goal for the day was to hike from the first town all the way to the fifth town.
The day started out great. We were up bright and early, got to Cinque Terre by 10:30am, and were set to go. The hike started out very nice and easy. The first trail we walked down was called Lover's Lane. It had beautiful views and it was full of locks placed there by couples. In Italy a lock symbolized the strength and impermeability of a relationship. We see couples places them all over. This path was full!
We couldn't walk from the second town to the third town because a landslide had blocked it. For this one we took the train. It was a bit of a bummer because the train runs through tunnels so we couldn't even see the landscape we were missing. The beauty of the third town certainly made up for it. This town seemed to be located out on a part of the coast that jetted into the sea more than the rest. We were able to climb up to the top of a tower and look out over the ocean. It was one of the best views of the trip! After doing that we decided to head on to the next town. We had heard the hikes got harder as you went so we didn't want to waste too much time on the easy ones.
We started on out what we thought was the trail to the 4th town. After hiking straight up hill for about an hour we started to think we may not have been going the right way. The hike was only supposed to take an hour and at that point we were still walking up. Also, we had only seen people on their way down this path, never up like us. Eventually, we stopped to ask an Australian family what direction the path lead to. Of course, they told us we had just hiked an hour and a half in the wrong direction on the most difficult path in the region! At that point it was closer for us to continue on and head back to the second town. After about another hour of hiking and a lot of getting lost we made it back to our original starting point.
We were so exhausted we had to sit down and have lunch for a very long time. After we recovered a bit of our energy we hopped back on the train. This time we weren't taking any chances and we rode right to the fourth town. From here we hiking the final (correct) trial from the fourth to the fifth city. This was my absolute favorite part of the whole hike. The hike was quite hard, very steep and very narrow paths, but the views were amazing. The fourth town was probably the prettiest and the coastline was breath-taking. We also saw a lot of vineyards and waterfalls along our hike. Connor was also quite the gentleman and offered to carry our bags for us during this part of the hike. He looked so funny with my backpack, his backpack, and Lindsay's purse on. I really appreciated him helping me out like that.
We were so excited when we finally reached the fifth town and the beach. Even though it was almost 7pm and getting quite cold, we all put our feet in the water. We got to the beach just time for the sunset! It was a great end to the hike!
I can't decide which place I liked better. The Amalfi Coast or Cinque Terre. They are similar in that they are both beautiful coastal towns nestled in between the cliffs and the bright blue-green ocean. This is where the similarities stop. The ability to walk along the entire coast and see so many different views was one you could only get in Cinque Terre. Capri and Positano seemed to be much more about the shopping and attracting the wealthy for vacations. Here we hiked 15km up and down mountains in order to see the beautiful views. I loved the experience and we all decided that was one of our best days in Italy so far.
pictures
The day started out great. We were up bright and early, got to Cinque Terre by 10:30am, and were set to go. The hike started out very nice and easy. The first trail we walked down was called Lover's Lane. It had beautiful views and it was full of locks placed there by couples. In Italy a lock symbolized the strength and impermeability of a relationship. We see couples places them all over. This path was full!
We couldn't walk from the second town to the third town because a landslide had blocked it. For this one we took the train. It was a bit of a bummer because the train runs through tunnels so we couldn't even see the landscape we were missing. The beauty of the third town certainly made up for it. This town seemed to be located out on a part of the coast that jetted into the sea more than the rest. We were able to climb up to the top of a tower and look out over the ocean. It was one of the best views of the trip! After doing that we decided to head on to the next town. We had heard the hikes got harder as you went so we didn't want to waste too much time on the easy ones.
We started on out what we thought was the trail to the 4th town. After hiking straight up hill for about an hour we started to think we may not have been going the right way. The hike was only supposed to take an hour and at that point we were still walking up. Also, we had only seen people on their way down this path, never up like us. Eventually, we stopped to ask an Australian family what direction the path lead to. Of course, they told us we had just hiked an hour and a half in the wrong direction on the most difficult path in the region! At that point it was closer for us to continue on and head back to the second town. After about another hour of hiking and a lot of getting lost we made it back to our original starting point.
We were so exhausted we had to sit down and have lunch for a very long time. After we recovered a bit of our energy we hopped back on the train. This time we weren't taking any chances and we rode right to the fourth town. From here we hiking the final (correct) trial from the fourth to the fifth city. This was my absolute favorite part of the whole hike. The hike was quite hard, very steep and very narrow paths, but the views were amazing. The fourth town was probably the prettiest and the coastline was breath-taking. We also saw a lot of vineyards and waterfalls along our hike. Connor was also quite the gentleman and offered to carry our bags for us during this part of the hike. He looked so funny with my backpack, his backpack, and Lindsay's purse on. I really appreciated him helping me out like that.
We were so excited when we finally reached the fifth town and the beach. Even though it was almost 7pm and getting quite cold, we all put our feet in the water. We got to the beach just time for the sunset! It was a great end to the hike!
I can't decide which place I liked better. The Amalfi Coast or Cinque Terre. They are similar in that they are both beautiful coastal towns nestled in between the cliffs and the bright blue-green ocean. This is where the similarities stop. The ability to walk along the entire coast and see so many different views was one you could only get in Cinque Terre. Capri and Positano seemed to be much more about the shopping and attracting the wealthy for vacations. Here we hiked 15km up and down mountains in order to see the beautiful views. I loved the experience and we all decided that was one of our best days in Italy so far.
pictures
Sunday, October 24, 2010
It's been a long time
Well, its been a very long time since I've had enough time and energy to sit down and write here. My parents had been here for the past 9 days and the week before that I had mid-terms. Fortunately things are going to slow down for a bit now.
I had a great time with my parents. We spent about 5 days in Florence. We did all of the typical touristy things as well as a few not so touristy things. I did make my mother ride a really crowded public transportation bus. We saw the Duomo and the Uffizi (my dad still can't pronounce it right). We also went to a wine tasting. That was one of my favorite parts. It was just the three of us and the owner of the wine store. He let us try about 8 different wines and really took the time to educate us on wine. It was a great experience! We also saw the David, Dante's house, and climbed (though my mom a bit begrudgingly) all the way to the San Minato al Monte to hear the monks chant. Of course we also did a lot of shopping and eating and wine drinking. My dad took full advantage of the free flowing wine and had it at every lunch and every dinner!
We also spent a day in Pisa. It's impossible to describe the Leaning Tower. The pictures really do not show just how much the building is leaning. It doesn't seem physically possible for it to still be standing, but it is. We climbed all the way to the top. We even got my mom to climb up!
We also spent 2 days in Rome. That was really great! We got to see St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museum, and the Sistine Chapel. The Sistine Chapel is breathing taking and St. Peter's is beautiful. The Vatican museum was a bit too large for me. We spent almost 3.5 hours in there and didn't see nearly everything! We also saw the Spanish steps and the Trevi Fountain. We also had a great dinner at a local causal restaurant. The waiters were so fun and joked around with us the whole night. A very drunk couple asked my father if he was my boyfriend! The food was also extremely delicious! On our second day we saw the Colosseum and some Roman ruins and the Pantheon. We also met up with my friend from high school who is studying in Rome and had lunch with him. I liked Rome, but it was too big of a city for me. I was really happy to get back to Florence and my comfort zone.
Now its back to school for the second half of my time here.
I had a great time with my parents. We spent about 5 days in Florence. We did all of the typical touristy things as well as a few not so touristy things. I did make my mother ride a really crowded public transportation bus. We saw the Duomo and the Uffizi (my dad still can't pronounce it right). We also went to a wine tasting. That was one of my favorite parts. It was just the three of us and the owner of the wine store. He let us try about 8 different wines and really took the time to educate us on wine. It was a great experience! We also saw the David, Dante's house, and climbed (though my mom a bit begrudgingly) all the way to the San Minato al Monte to hear the monks chant. Of course we also did a lot of shopping and eating and wine drinking. My dad took full advantage of the free flowing wine and had it at every lunch and every dinner!
We also spent a day in Pisa. It's impossible to describe the Leaning Tower. The pictures really do not show just how much the building is leaning. It doesn't seem physically possible for it to still be standing, but it is. We climbed all the way to the top. We even got my mom to climb up!
We also spent 2 days in Rome. That was really great! We got to see St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museum, and the Sistine Chapel. The Sistine Chapel is breathing taking and St. Peter's is beautiful. The Vatican museum was a bit too large for me. We spent almost 3.5 hours in there and didn't see nearly everything! We also saw the Spanish steps and the Trevi Fountain. We also had a great dinner at a local causal restaurant. The waiters were so fun and joked around with us the whole night. A very drunk couple asked my father if he was my boyfriend! The food was also extremely delicious! On our second day we saw the Colosseum and some Roman ruins and the Pantheon. We also met up with my friend from high school who is studying in Rome and had lunch with him. I liked Rome, but it was too big of a city for me. I was really happy to get back to Florence and my comfort zone.
Now its back to school for the second half of my time here.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Florence Week 4
This past weekend we took a day trip to Siena and San Gimignano with our school. The towns were beautiful but it was really cold and rainy, which detracted from our experience. I did not enjoy Siena as much as San Gimignano. San Gimignano is one of the oldest towns left standing in Italy. Its original medieval walls are still intact around the city. It also sits up on a hill overlooking vineyards on every side. You could not find a bad view in the city. We also had gelato from the gelateria voted best in Italy. I tried cinnamon gelato and it was amazing! We didn't have too much time in either city, so we walked around a bit, but really didn't get to see many sites.
On Saturday we climbed up to the Piazza Michaelanglo and visited the San Miniato al Monte. This is the oldest church in Florence and it is one of the few monasteries still holding services. We listened to the monks chant in Latin. It was absolutely beautiful, just like what you hear in old movies sometimes. Only it was even more breathtaking to hear the chanting echo and reverberate off the many arches within the church.
On Sunday we went to see a Fiorentina soccer game. It was quite an event. We saw at least 3 armored cars packed full of swat team members armed and ready to control any situations that many have broken out. Fortunately, there were no issues at this game, but it was so crowded that we weren't able to sit in our seats. We had to stand in the back of our section and just watch the game from there. It was still very fun, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had been able to sit in my seat. Hearing all of the chants and seeing the enthusiasm of these fans (of a team that is not particularly good or successful) was an experience I'm really glad I had.
On Saturday we climbed up to the Piazza Michaelanglo and visited the San Miniato al Monte. This is the oldest church in Florence and it is one of the few monasteries still holding services. We listened to the monks chant in Latin. It was absolutely beautiful, just like what you hear in old movies sometimes. Only it was even more breathtaking to hear the chanting echo and reverberate off the many arches within the church.
On Sunday we went to see a Fiorentina soccer game. It was quite an event. We saw at least 3 armored cars packed full of swat team members armed and ready to control any situations that many have broken out. Fortunately, there were no issues at this game, but it was so crowded that we weren't able to sit in our seats. We had to stand in the back of our section and just watch the game from there. It was still very fun, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had been able to sit in my seat. Hearing all of the chants and seeing the enthusiasm of these fans (of a team that is not particularly good or successful) was an experience I'm really glad I had.
Friday, September 24, 2010
This Week in Florence
Well this week has been pretty busy. I have classes all day Monday through Wednesday and I was in dire need of catching up on all the work I had put off in my travels the past two weekends. My classes aren't hard, they are simply long and boring. The Italian style of teaching is based around lecture, rather than discussion like in America. Its a bit difficult to get used to.
On Thursday I don't have any classes. Regardless, I still went to school to meet up with everyone for lunch. We found this restaurant that serves American style hamburgers and french fries. We've become weekly customers. It's always nice to have a taste of home every so often. We also did a little bit of shopping on Thursday. While we were in Italy's main department store, Coin, our shopping was interrupted by a male underwear fashion show. Only in Italy would you see male models walking around a department store to loud music in skin tight boxer-briefs. Needless to say, it was a surprise, but it wasn't the worst surprise we could have seen. Thursday night they had a mini-Oktoberfest/ beer tasting festival in the Piazza Santa Croce. We all decided to meet up and head over to the event. Unfortunately we didn't pay attention to the times of the event, and we got there right as it was closing. I had time to taste one beer (which was very good) but then the event shut down. So for the rest of the night we just walked around Florence, hung out, and stopped in a few bars. We're still exhausted from the past few weekends that we didn't try to do too much.
No one in our school has classes on Fridays so this is when CAPA takes us on mini field trips. Today we climbed up Mt. Cerceri which is the mountain where da Vinci's assistant attempted, and failed, the fly with their first flying machine. It was a very challenging hike, but we eventually made it up and got to see the beautiful view of Florence down below in the valley. On our way down the mountain (where Lorenzo our CAPA director chose a much easier route) we walked through Fiesole, a village of Florence. It was a beautiful site to see, but a whole lot of walking up and down very steep hills. Our hike ended at a very delicious pizza place, where we all ate far more pizza than any one person should ever consume. But it was so delicious and we were starving.
I forgot to charge my camera battery last night so I didn't have a camera to take pictures today, but Lindsay took a lot. So as soon as she puts her pictures up online I will have some to post here.
On Thursday I don't have any classes. Regardless, I still went to school to meet up with everyone for lunch. We found this restaurant that serves American style hamburgers and french fries. We've become weekly customers. It's always nice to have a taste of home every so often. We also did a little bit of shopping on Thursday. While we were in Italy's main department store, Coin, our shopping was interrupted by a male underwear fashion show. Only in Italy would you see male models walking around a department store to loud music in skin tight boxer-briefs. Needless to say, it was a surprise, but it wasn't the worst surprise we could have seen. Thursday night they had a mini-Oktoberfest/ beer tasting festival in the Piazza Santa Croce. We all decided to meet up and head over to the event. Unfortunately we didn't pay attention to the times of the event, and we got there right as it was closing. I had time to taste one beer (which was very good) but then the event shut down. So for the rest of the night we just walked around Florence, hung out, and stopped in a few bars. We're still exhausted from the past few weekends that we didn't try to do too much.
No one in our school has classes on Fridays so this is when CAPA takes us on mini field trips. Today we climbed up Mt. Cerceri which is the mountain where da Vinci's assistant attempted, and failed, the fly with their first flying machine. It was a very challenging hike, but we eventually made it up and got to see the beautiful view of Florence down below in the valley. On our way down the mountain (where Lorenzo our CAPA director chose a much easier route) we walked through Fiesole, a village of Florence. It was a beautiful site to see, but a whole lot of walking up and down very steep hills. Our hike ended at a very delicious pizza place, where we all ate far more pizza than any one person should ever consume. But it was so delicious and we were starving.
I forgot to charge my camera battery last night so I didn't have a camera to take pictures today, but Lindsay took a lot. So as soon as she puts her pictures up online I will have some to post here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)