I can't believe I forgot my list of fun "facts" about Crete!
1. The people of Crete use mopeds the way we use our feet and/or bicycles. They ride them helmet-less in short sleeves while conversing with passengers and passerby's alike, parking anywhere they feel and hopping on and off said mopeds as if they were skateboards and not motorized vehicles.
2. They cannot/will not express themselves through dance, despite bumping party music at any and all clubs/bars/cafes (this was pointed out to us by a Latvian traveler staying in our hostel). They are however pretty efficient with car horns (this we noticed- I've never received so many good natured honks in my life).
3. They may not be able to dance so well, but man can the people of Crete parade.
4. "Chips" ie french fries, should be considered a food group in Rethymno. Everything and anything comes with a side of chips.
5. You cannot flush toilet paper on the island.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Buona Pasqua e Buon Giorno Firenze!
Ciao a tutti e Buona Pasqua! Such an eventful weekend I barely know where to start. Probably the beginning....
Getting to Greece took planes, trains and automobiles. By this I mean we took TWO planes, TWO trains and TWO automobiles (not in that order- it was actually trains, planes and then automobiles). It was quite the adventure but when we finally rolled into Rethymno 14 hours after we left Florence, it was all worth it. Crete was absolutely gorgeous and so different from anywhere else I've ever been. It's such a laid back place. Old men sit in cafes sipping coffee at all hours of the day. Young people sit in shockingly hip and chic outdoor lounges that line the streets drinking frappe (essentially iced coffee but it's made with nescaf and is whipped) or beer while chatting and smoking. Always smoking, that was the one thing I didn't love. But the outdoor lounges were amazing- one day we ate lunch in padded, cozy patio recliners! Oh, and the food. Delicious. I ate chicken souvlaki 3 times because it was so amazing! I also tried lamb on Easter (the traditional easter dish) and had grilled octopus that was practically an entire octopus minus the head grilled and thrown on a plate. It may have been the best octopus I have ever tasted. I even had eggs and toast Greek style for breakfast on Easter which was such a treat- veggie omelet packed with tomatoes, onions, peppers and mushrooms with a freshly grilled pita. Started that day off right! And we needed to be eating great food to keep our energy up for the serious beaching we did. I am currently a delicious golden brown thanks to the 2 full afternoons I spent on the beach, basking in the sunshine and occasionally cooling off in the sea. Everyone said the Mediterranean is too cold this time of year to swim, and it was a bit chilly, but swim we did! I only got in half way and didn't fully submerge, but still- it was a great way to spend Easter if I couldn't be home.
And here you're thinking that this was the end of the adventure. However, this is where you would be wrong. Nobody mentioned to us before we left that Easter Monday is the busiest travel day of the year. And that the trains back to Florence might be full. Funny story because they were! We rolled into Rome at 8:30 pm after traveling since 9 am only to find there was no possible way to get back to Florence before 5 am. So, after some deep breathing, we bought tickets for a 6:50 fast train, grabbed our bags and started walking. We stopped at a hotel, convinced the guy that 6 of us could sleep in enough beds meant for 5 (a moot point really, since the 3 of us who slept sideways on one queen sized bed only got 3 hours of sleep anyway) and got us some dinner and drinks. I fortunately had a class this morning that I could skip so I got to come home and eat breakfast and chill for a bit before going to class. But Sam went straight to her site visit, rolling suitcase and all. The wolf pack is pretty hard core is all I'm saying :)
This actually is where this particular adventure ends. No worries- there will be more to come. There's still Kelsey's birthday and Cinque Terre coming up in the next week. But for now I'm pretty content to just be back in Florence finally and have a little time to chill....I have to steal these moments of solitude because there are just too many adventures to go on to have these moments often.
Arrivederci!
Getting to Greece took planes, trains and automobiles. By this I mean we took TWO planes, TWO trains and TWO automobiles (not in that order- it was actually trains, planes and then automobiles). It was quite the adventure but when we finally rolled into Rethymno 14 hours after we left Florence, it was all worth it. Crete was absolutely gorgeous and so different from anywhere else I've ever been. It's such a laid back place. Old men sit in cafes sipping coffee at all hours of the day. Young people sit in shockingly hip and chic outdoor lounges that line the streets drinking frappe (essentially iced coffee but it's made with nescaf and is whipped) or beer while chatting and smoking. Always smoking, that was the one thing I didn't love. But the outdoor lounges were amazing- one day we ate lunch in padded, cozy patio recliners! Oh, and the food. Delicious. I ate chicken souvlaki 3 times because it was so amazing! I also tried lamb on Easter (the traditional easter dish) and had grilled octopus that was practically an entire octopus minus the head grilled and thrown on a plate. It may have been the best octopus I have ever tasted. I even had eggs and toast Greek style for breakfast on Easter which was such a treat- veggie omelet packed with tomatoes, onions, peppers and mushrooms with a freshly grilled pita. Started that day off right! And we needed to be eating great food to keep our energy up for the serious beaching we did. I am currently a delicious golden brown thanks to the 2 full afternoons I spent on the beach, basking in the sunshine and occasionally cooling off in the sea. Everyone said the Mediterranean is too cold this time of year to swim, and it was a bit chilly, but swim we did! I only got in half way and didn't fully submerge, but still- it was a great way to spend Easter if I couldn't be home.
And here you're thinking that this was the end of the adventure. However, this is where you would be wrong. Nobody mentioned to us before we left that Easter Monday is the busiest travel day of the year. And that the trains back to Florence might be full. Funny story because they were! We rolled into Rome at 8:30 pm after traveling since 9 am only to find there was no possible way to get back to Florence before 5 am. So, after some deep breathing, we bought tickets for a 6:50 fast train, grabbed our bags and started walking. We stopped at a hotel, convinced the guy that 6 of us could sleep in enough beds meant for 5 (a moot point really, since the 3 of us who slept sideways on one queen sized bed only got 3 hours of sleep anyway) and got us some dinner and drinks. I fortunately had a class this morning that I could skip so I got to come home and eat breakfast and chill for a bit before going to class. But Sam went straight to her site visit, rolling suitcase and all. The wolf pack is pretty hard core is all I'm saying :)
This actually is where this particular adventure ends. No worries- there will be more to come. There's still Kelsey's birthday and Cinque Terre coming up in the next week. But for now I'm pretty content to just be back in Florence finally and have a little time to chill....I have to steal these moments of solitude because there are just too many adventures to go on to have these moments often.
Arrivederci!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Vado a Creta!
Tomorrow morning, in my first venture out of the country since arriving in Italy, I am going to Crete with my wolf pack of ladies. It should be fabulous. It's also the first time I've gotten on a plane since getting here, so it hasn't quite hit me yet. I think it will though when I'm at the train station at 5:30 am tomorrow with a backpack and smile and nothing else. The to do list consists of the following: eat lots of Greek food, make friends with the crazy hostel owners, go to Knossos, sun tan on the beach for copious hours, visit produce markets and explore Rethymno (where we're staying), and drink raki (the Mediterranean/Turkish version of grappa flavored with anise). We're boxing it, we're checking it, and it will hopefully be a weekend we'll never forget. I will most certainly update everyone on how it was upon my return to Florence. For my last 3 weeks....we're not talking about that. Focusing on Crete...
In other news, I had the greatest gelato of my life today at a place called Cavini- they had soy coffee gelato which was fluffy and wonderful and cioccolata fondente senza latte (milk free dark chocolate) that was basically frozen fudge. The combination was epic and I may have found a new favorite hang out spot. Heavenly!
In other news, I had the greatest gelato of my life today at a place called Cavini- they had soy coffee gelato which was fluffy and wonderful and cioccolata fondente senza latte (milk free dark chocolate) that was basically frozen fudge. The combination was epic and I may have found a new favorite hang out spot. Heavenly!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
La finesettimana prima della pasqua
Ciao a tutti!
This weekend is the weekend before Easter- obviously. Not so obvious however is all the fuss that occurs here due to that. I was in a piazza on thursday night and suddenly a procession of 300 people complete with monks, nuns, candles and a giant wooden cross came processing through singing and praying at various points. It was quite the sight. It had to do with a traditional procession where you visit 7 churches in one night and also Annunciation Day. Annunciation Day being the most under appreciated holiday ever. There was a big festival in a piazza on Annunciation Day and there was special food- brown sugared toasted nuts and these little wafer cookie-esque things that taste like pizelle (the licorice wafers you eat at christmas) but are super thin. vendors make and bag them right there and hand you ones to taste as they come off the iron. soooo delicious! also porchetta which is this giant wrapped pig that is roasted with the head still on.
Friday I had a trip with the art classes to Bologna- such an awesome city! We saw a Morandi exhibit which was an excellent change of pace (he's an Italian artist who worked from the 1910-s through the 60's) after all the Renaissance stuff we look at. And the city itself if young and hip and known for it's great food- including but certainly not limited to bologna and bolognese sauce. we walked through the open air markets and it was like nothing i've ever seen. huge slabs of meat and giant salamies. buckets of fresh fish ranging from tiny anchovies to 4 ft swordfish. fruits and vegetables of ever color. i love the way food is such an integral part of culture here. amazing.
Yesterday I walked up to Fiesole with some lovely people and spent a fabulous afternoon having a picnic on a grassy hill overlooking the Arno River Valley. We chatted, napped and snacked for nearly 3 hours before walking through the town to visit my favorite bakery to get treats for the long walk back down. That little hill town is one of my favorite places here. It's just so beautiful and peaceful and so different from Florence. It was nice to pass such a relaxing weekend since next weekend is Easter and the ladies and I are spending the long weekend in Crete. It's a whole lot of traveling and a whole lot of ladies and should be a whole lot of fun!
This weekend is the weekend before Easter- obviously. Not so obvious however is all the fuss that occurs here due to that. I was in a piazza on thursday night and suddenly a procession of 300 people complete with monks, nuns, candles and a giant wooden cross came processing through singing and praying at various points. It was quite the sight. It had to do with a traditional procession where you visit 7 churches in one night and also Annunciation Day. Annunciation Day being the most under appreciated holiday ever. There was a big festival in a piazza on Annunciation Day and there was special food- brown sugared toasted nuts and these little wafer cookie-esque things that taste like pizelle (the licorice wafers you eat at christmas) but are super thin. vendors make and bag them right there and hand you ones to taste as they come off the iron. soooo delicious! also porchetta which is this giant wrapped pig that is roasted with the head still on.
Friday I had a trip with the art classes to Bologna- such an awesome city! We saw a Morandi exhibit which was an excellent change of pace (he's an Italian artist who worked from the 1910-s through the 60's) after all the Renaissance stuff we look at. And the city itself if young and hip and known for it's great food- including but certainly not limited to bologna and bolognese sauce. we walked through the open air markets and it was like nothing i've ever seen. huge slabs of meat and giant salamies. buckets of fresh fish ranging from tiny anchovies to 4 ft swordfish. fruits and vegetables of ever color. i love the way food is such an integral part of culture here. amazing.
Yesterday I walked up to Fiesole with some lovely people and spent a fabulous afternoon having a picnic on a grassy hill overlooking the Arno River Valley. We chatted, napped and snacked for nearly 3 hours before walking through the town to visit my favorite bakery to get treats for the long walk back down. That little hill town is one of my favorite places here. It's just so beautiful and peaceful and so different from Florence. It was nice to pass such a relaxing weekend since next weekend is Easter and the ladies and I are spending the long weekend in Crete. It's a whole lot of traveling and a whole lot of ladies and should be a whole lot of fun!
Monday, March 22, 2010
La settimana scorsa, ho viaggiato molto
Ciao a tutti!
This past weekend I traveled. Boy did I travel. Friday my Black Death class (sunny, I know) took a trip to Pisa and Lucca. Pisa was....Pisa- once you've taken pictures with the Leaning Tower (which is absolutely fabulous) there's not actually anything to do. Lucca however was incredibly adorable. It's a tiny town that is still surrounded by the original walls- these walls, unlike many, were constructed after the invention of gunpowder and thus are about 20 feet wide. So, what did the people of Lucca do? They paved a bike path on it and now you can rent bikes and bike around the city! Bellissima! The views are incredible because you get interesting glimpses into the town and also gorgeous vistas of the surrounding countryside. It was amazing to get on a bike again and just ride.
Saturday, also with my Black Death class, I went to Siena and San Gimignano. Possibly my favorite places ever. They're medieval hill towns with winding, twisting, narrow streets that go up and down and around really steep hills. All amidst original tower houses that are beyond impressive. Siena has an incredible main square that is circular and slanted towards the center. Every year, 10 of the 17 neighborhoods of Siena (a crazy institution similar to gangs but with more chanting and mudslinging and no knife fighting) enter horses into a race that occurs in this piazza. It's legendary for it's rowdiness and people come from all around the world to see it. The horses race 3 times around the square- and I do mean the horses. The jockey is entirely inconsequential- if a jockey falls off (which is quite common since whipping, pushing and kicking other jockey's is allowed and encouraged) a horse can still win without it's rider! Crazy! Also, very excellent pasta in Siena, which was quite nice after a surprising encounter with Luccan pasta the day before- Lucca is known for its pasta because it's very yellow. Yellow pasta indicates wealth because it means you have more egg yolks to spare. I however, am not a big fan. I will take my white peasant pasta any day thank you! As for San Gimignano, what can I say? It was incredible. Siena on a tiny scale with even more fabulous wine. The only negative thing was how little time we had to spend in such a beautiful town.
Saturday night, my friend Sam and I took a train into the country to go back to Figline to visit Charlie and her family. It was so nice to see nono and Luda again- they're incredible people- and Charlie's dad was also there. We had Tuscan grill like last time, and I ate amazing tortellini con proscuito...I'm still amazed that pork is so delicious here. After the real food part of dinner we moved on to liquor sampling. Va bene! So much fun. I tasted 3 different kinds of grappa- let me explain grappa for a second. Grappa is the traditional peasant drink (the institution of a peasant class was abolished in Italy in the 1970's) made from any compostable material. It is a liquor that is, by itself, resembles vodka because it's colorless and odorless. It certainly isn't tasteless however because it retains the flavors of what it is distilled from. In the country, people to this day sometimes drink it with breakfast. Intense. So, first I tried blueberry infused and then honey infused grappa. These are grappas that have had blueberries and honey added to them respectively, and thus pick up the color and flavor of the added ingredients. Delicious but very sweet. I then had raspberry distilled grappa which is grappa made from raspberries therefore it is colorless and contains no actual raspberry fruit or juice, but maintains the flavor. This was my favorite because it wasn't sweet at all. It was a little weird sipping a liquor that's got such a high alcohol content (imagine sipping vodka!) but it was definitely a Tuscan experience! Sunday we had a Tuscan adventure through Chianti, and drove along the Chianti road to a little place called Montegrosse where we explored an abandoned medieval castle. The entire region is dotted with these castles, many of which have been refurnished into homes, but many which stand in ruins. It was incredible. We then drove back along the Chianti road, which goes straight through the heart of wine country. Everywhere you look is just vineyard upon vineyard for miles. We stopped in Radda in Chianti for lunch and had fantastic Ribollita, which is a hearty Tuscan soup with vegetables and bread, and wine. It was the most delicious Ribollita I've had, which I'm told is because of the black cabbage they use in that region, as well as the best house wine, which is because we were in the heart of Chianti so even the vino della casa is good quality. Utter bliss can be used to describe my state after that fantastic meal. It was at this meal that I also tried my first hot liver pate bruschetta- I was a little weirded out but was even more terrified by how much I liked it. I might just become a carnivore after all! Now I just need to try some chingiale (wild boar).....
This past weekend I traveled. Boy did I travel. Friday my Black Death class (sunny, I know) took a trip to Pisa and Lucca. Pisa was....Pisa- once you've taken pictures with the Leaning Tower (which is absolutely fabulous) there's not actually anything to do. Lucca however was incredibly adorable. It's a tiny town that is still surrounded by the original walls- these walls, unlike many, were constructed after the invention of gunpowder and thus are about 20 feet wide. So, what did the people of Lucca do? They paved a bike path on it and now you can rent bikes and bike around the city! Bellissima! The views are incredible because you get interesting glimpses into the town and also gorgeous vistas of the surrounding countryside. It was amazing to get on a bike again and just ride.
Saturday, also with my Black Death class, I went to Siena and San Gimignano. Possibly my favorite places ever. They're medieval hill towns with winding, twisting, narrow streets that go up and down and around really steep hills. All amidst original tower houses that are beyond impressive. Siena has an incredible main square that is circular and slanted towards the center. Every year, 10 of the 17 neighborhoods of Siena (a crazy institution similar to gangs but with more chanting and mudslinging and no knife fighting) enter horses into a race that occurs in this piazza. It's legendary for it's rowdiness and people come from all around the world to see it. The horses race 3 times around the square- and I do mean the horses. The jockey is entirely inconsequential- if a jockey falls off (which is quite common since whipping, pushing and kicking other jockey's is allowed and encouraged) a horse can still win without it's rider! Crazy! Also, very excellent pasta in Siena, which was quite nice after a surprising encounter with Luccan pasta the day before- Lucca is known for its pasta because it's very yellow. Yellow pasta indicates wealth because it means you have more egg yolks to spare. I however, am not a big fan. I will take my white peasant pasta any day thank you! As for San Gimignano, what can I say? It was incredible. Siena on a tiny scale with even more fabulous wine. The only negative thing was how little time we had to spend in such a beautiful town.
Saturday night, my friend Sam and I took a train into the country to go back to Figline to visit Charlie and her family. It was so nice to see nono and Luda again- they're incredible people- and Charlie's dad was also there. We had Tuscan grill like last time, and I ate amazing tortellini con proscuito...I'm still amazed that pork is so delicious here. After the real food part of dinner we moved on to liquor sampling. Va bene! So much fun. I tasted 3 different kinds of grappa- let me explain grappa for a second. Grappa is the traditional peasant drink (the institution of a peasant class was abolished in Italy in the 1970's) made from any compostable material. It is a liquor that is, by itself, resembles vodka because it's colorless and odorless. It certainly isn't tasteless however because it retains the flavors of what it is distilled from. In the country, people to this day sometimes drink it with breakfast. Intense. So, first I tried blueberry infused and then honey infused grappa. These are grappas that have had blueberries and honey added to them respectively, and thus pick up the color and flavor of the added ingredients. Delicious but very sweet. I then had raspberry distilled grappa which is grappa made from raspberries therefore it is colorless and contains no actual raspberry fruit or juice, but maintains the flavor. This was my favorite because it wasn't sweet at all. It was a little weird sipping a liquor that's got such a high alcohol content (imagine sipping vodka!) but it was definitely a Tuscan experience! Sunday we had a Tuscan adventure through Chianti, and drove along the Chianti road to a little place called Montegrosse where we explored an abandoned medieval castle. The entire region is dotted with these castles, many of which have been refurnished into homes, but many which stand in ruins. It was incredible. We then drove back along the Chianti road, which goes straight through the heart of wine country. Everywhere you look is just vineyard upon vineyard for miles. We stopped in Radda in Chianti for lunch and had fantastic Ribollita, which is a hearty Tuscan soup with vegetables and bread, and wine. It was the most delicious Ribollita I've had, which I'm told is because of the black cabbage they use in that region, as well as the best house wine, which is because we were in the heart of Chianti so even the vino della casa is good quality. Utter bliss can be used to describe my state after that fantastic meal. It was at this meal that I also tried my first hot liver pate bruschetta- I was a little weirded out but was even more terrified by how much I liked it. I might just become a carnivore after all! Now I just need to try some chingiale (wild boar).....
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Back in Firenze!
Ciao a tutti!
I'm back from break safe and sound. It was a wonderful break to say the least and now I think I need another break just to recuperate. To my eternal relief and gratitude, I met up with Mike in the train station with minimal issues. We made it to Sorrento on a gorgeous, if chilly day and had dinner at a pizzeria. It then proceeded to rain. And rain. basically, the whole week it rained with minor intervals of cloudiness and an afternoon of sun. So keep that in mind. The pizza in Sorrento was AMAZING. Very different, most definitely, but delicious. It was thicker than the super thin crust of Florence, but still thinner and crispier than American. The pasta in all of Amalfi was second rate compared to Florence, but I guess you get spoiled living in Tuscany. I'm quite excited to get some high quality pasta now that I'm back in Florence because to my everlasting surprise, I missed it.
On Tuesday Mike and I explored Pompeii which was really, really cool. It was the coldest/rainiest day, so I don't have as much to say about it as I wish I did, but it was definitely a crazy experience. It seems surreal to think that you're walking through a town that was just minding is own business, and then an hour later was completely decimated by a volcano. The degree of preservation is definitely eery. Wednesday we had a sunny afternoon so we took a boat to Capri and hiked around. We found a trail to the Arco Naturale (Natural Arch) which is this amazing rock formation that Capri is known for. It's a gigantic rock arch, as the name suggests, and depending on which side you're standing on you can either see the sea and the rest of Capri, or the sea and the Amalfi Coast. The sights were unreal- I'm so thankful that we had some sun so we could really appreciate the beauty of the island and the water. The sunset over the water that followed was also one of the most beautiful I've ever seen.
Rome was pretty jam packed. Our first evening there we saw the Colossuem, the Forum ruins and a bunch of monuments to kings and rulers of Rome/Italy. Then yesterday we walked across town past the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, across the Arno, past the Castelo Sant'Angelo, and to the Vatican. Whoa. We spent the afternoon in the museums and saw the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's. It was beautiful, and the Pieta lost nothing on second sight. That evening we hit up my favorite pizza place in Rome and saw the Trevi Fountain at night. The Trevi Fountain is a beautiful monument during the day but is pure magic at night. I'm speechless every time at how beautiful it is. Today was a travel day, well sort of. I only had an hour and a half train ride and then spent the afternoon hanging out in Piazza Signoria (the piazza outside the Uffizi) and soaking up the sun that decided to come out minutes after Mike left the country. Typical.
I'm exhausted so I think I may go take a nap, or at least rest a little. I'm crashing at a friend's tonight, so I've still got one more night of couch surfing before I move back into my homestay tomorrow. I'm not really excited for classes to start again, because who ever is, but it will be nice to be back in a place that's sort of mine and to return to a more regular schedule. A regular schedule which is only going to be my norm for another 6 weeks. Wow. Talk about how time flies when you're (finally) having fun!
I'm back from break safe and sound. It was a wonderful break to say the least and now I think I need another break just to recuperate. To my eternal relief and gratitude, I met up with Mike in the train station with minimal issues. We made it to Sorrento on a gorgeous, if chilly day and had dinner at a pizzeria. It then proceeded to rain. And rain. basically, the whole week it rained with minor intervals of cloudiness and an afternoon of sun. So keep that in mind. The pizza in Sorrento was AMAZING. Very different, most definitely, but delicious. It was thicker than the super thin crust of Florence, but still thinner and crispier than American. The pasta in all of Amalfi was second rate compared to Florence, but I guess you get spoiled living in Tuscany. I'm quite excited to get some high quality pasta now that I'm back in Florence because to my everlasting surprise, I missed it.
On Tuesday Mike and I explored Pompeii which was really, really cool. It was the coldest/rainiest day, so I don't have as much to say about it as I wish I did, but it was definitely a crazy experience. It seems surreal to think that you're walking through a town that was just minding is own business, and then an hour later was completely decimated by a volcano. The degree of preservation is definitely eery. Wednesday we had a sunny afternoon so we took a boat to Capri and hiked around. We found a trail to the Arco Naturale (Natural Arch) which is this amazing rock formation that Capri is known for. It's a gigantic rock arch, as the name suggests, and depending on which side you're standing on you can either see the sea and the rest of Capri, or the sea and the Amalfi Coast. The sights were unreal- I'm so thankful that we had some sun so we could really appreciate the beauty of the island and the water. The sunset over the water that followed was also one of the most beautiful I've ever seen.
Rome was pretty jam packed. Our first evening there we saw the Colossuem, the Forum ruins and a bunch of monuments to kings and rulers of Rome/Italy. Then yesterday we walked across town past the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, across the Arno, past the Castelo Sant'Angelo, and to the Vatican. Whoa. We spent the afternoon in the museums and saw the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's. It was beautiful, and the Pieta lost nothing on second sight. That evening we hit up my favorite pizza place in Rome and saw the Trevi Fountain at night. The Trevi Fountain is a beautiful monument during the day but is pure magic at night. I'm speechless every time at how beautiful it is. Today was a travel day, well sort of. I only had an hour and a half train ride and then spent the afternoon hanging out in Piazza Signoria (the piazza outside the Uffizi) and soaking up the sun that decided to come out minutes after Mike left the country. Typical.
I'm exhausted so I think I may go take a nap, or at least rest a little. I'm crashing at a friend's tonight, so I've still got one more night of couch surfing before I move back into my homestay tomorrow. I'm not really excited for classes to start again, because who ever is, but it will be nice to be back in a place that's sort of mine and to return to a more regular schedule. A regular schedule which is only going to be my norm for another 6 weeks. Wow. Talk about how time flies when you're (finally) having fun!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Spring Break!
Ciao a tutti!
It's spring break here for us SUF kids- WOOHOO!
I am currently hanging out in a friend Allie O's apt in Rome. It is day 2 of couch surfing (last night was a friend in Florence's apt) and I'm feeling great. I just went out for some AMAZING (and by that I mean probably pretty decent but nothing special except when you've been surrounded by Italian food for 2 months) chinese food. It was so worth the trek all the way to Rome lol. A bit different than the states, but I feel like that should just be my mantra- it was really good but really different. Like gnocchi. Which I had for dinner last night. Except gnocchi is like amazingly awesome and nothing like in the states. Regardless, Mike is arriving in Rome tomorrow. I'm quite excited. We're off to Sorrento- I can't wait to see the Amalfi Coast. We also happen to be going to the pizza capital of Italy. I'll be sure to let you all know how Napoli's pizza compares to Florence. Word of the street is it's amazing because it has fluffier crust- I've become a fan of the thin crust though. It should be an epic showdown. And quite delicious, as is everything in Italy.
The past week was midterms, hence my lack of posting on this blog, but I think my exams went pretty well. Black Death was about as awesome as the name sounds, but Italian was pretty good. Apparently my Italian is pretty decent- the cafe by my school asked me to translate a flier they had printed up in Italian into English so that they could advertise at school. It felt really awesome to actually be able to do it for them, with minimal help from a dictionary. And if it means that me and my friends get free coffee and apple donut holes when we go there, I don't hate that either. DELISH!
I miss you all and send my love. Time to go further enjoy this crazy spring break on which I've found myself!
It's spring break here for us SUF kids- WOOHOO!
I am currently hanging out in a friend Allie O's apt in Rome. It is day 2 of couch surfing (last night was a friend in Florence's apt) and I'm feeling great. I just went out for some AMAZING (and by that I mean probably pretty decent but nothing special except when you've been surrounded by Italian food for 2 months) chinese food. It was so worth the trek all the way to Rome lol. A bit different than the states, but I feel like that should just be my mantra- it was really good but really different. Like gnocchi. Which I had for dinner last night. Except gnocchi is like amazingly awesome and nothing like in the states. Regardless, Mike is arriving in Rome tomorrow. I'm quite excited. We're off to Sorrento- I can't wait to see the Amalfi Coast. We also happen to be going to the pizza capital of Italy. I'll be sure to let you all know how Napoli's pizza compares to Florence. Word of the street is it's amazing because it has fluffier crust- I've become a fan of the thin crust though. It should be an epic showdown. And quite delicious, as is everything in Italy.
The past week was midterms, hence my lack of posting on this blog, but I think my exams went pretty well. Black Death was about as awesome as the name sounds, but Italian was pretty good. Apparently my Italian is pretty decent- the cafe by my school asked me to translate a flier they had printed up in Italian into English so that they could advertise at school. It felt really awesome to actually be able to do it for them, with minimal help from a dictionary. And if it means that me and my friends get free coffee and apple donut holes when we go there, I don't hate that either. DELISH!
I miss you all and send my love. Time to go further enjoy this crazy spring break on which I've found myself!
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