32: And Onward!

For those who followed my Florence Blog, thank you so much for sharing in my adventures abroad. A special thanks to Angela Hu and Jamie Kapili who shared links to my blog on theres!

For more Peter-isms, follow my regular blog: www.seoul-o.blogspot.com

Many good memories and warm wishes!

31: This is it

I just said goodbye to my new friends I made here in Florence; Carolyn and Katelyn. On top of that I just said goodbye to my snazzy-dressed roommate, Kevin before he went out for the night. And now it's just me packing, wondering if the weight limit for Lufthansa applies to the heavy mixed emotions I feel about departing tomorrow afternoon.

I can't say I'm one to handle many feelings at once. I prefer my emotions to be simple, straight forward, and one noted. I'm excited to be going home, which feels like a big sigh of relief. Not that I was holding my breath this entire semester, but I think I'm just glad to be going back to something familiar where it's okay to let my guard down. But on the other hand, I'm sad to be leaving because I have grown attached to Florence. And while I may have not undergone an Eat, Pray, Love transformation, I do think I grew a little and I'm almost sure I found myself again (at least a small part of the self I was before). I'm also dreading the airport security, which will be heightened no doubt... but I also feel good and secure about the hypothetical and assumed heightened security. I'm just feeling all over the place!

So this is it. My semester of self-discovery and food is coming to a close. I leave Florence a little heavier than I once was (thank you pasta), a bit more linguistically versed (thanks to my Italian teacher, Catia), definitely with a better fashion sense (mostly thanks to the Italian style), and a little bit more complete.

30: Uff-you!

Finally went to the Uffizi Gallery today-beautiful!

Yesterday I had the famous cheesecake at 4 Leoni. And I visited the Pitti Palace again, making sure to stop this time at La Sala Bianca So, it was a pretty successful day I think.

Things Still Left To Do:
1. Buy a Ponte Vecchio jewelry piece
2. Get me some gladiator sandals
3. Pashminas for everybody!
4. Biscotti for the family

29: Felice Cumpleanno!

Happy Birthday to me! Another year, another birthday I suppose. 22 sounds quite substantial, though...I'm old.

Tonight I went to dinner with Nina to The Diner. So that means.....

Things I Still Have to Do in Florence:
1. Uffizzi Gallery
2. Revisit the Pitti Palace Costume Gallery
3. Pitti Palace
4. One more trek up to Piazzale Michelangelo
5. Buy gladiator sandals per me
6. Buy gifts for others
7. Go inside Santa Croce
8. Academia one more time to see David

Ciao!

Days until I'm in the USA: 5

28: the beginning of the end

Today is Mother's Day (Happy Mother's Day, mom!). It's also the last Sunday in Firenze. I'll take in a few seconds to let that statement settle...

I won't go into details, but after a rowdy Friday night out I found myself sleeping most of Saturday away only to wake up on the other side of this weekend on Sunday morning. And thus marks the beginning of my last week in Florence. I spent the day lazily wandering around with Carolyn and Caitlyn, ending up at a public park north of the city center. We sat and pretended to study before heading to San Spirito for an early dinner at Gusta Osteria. So good. After many nights of Gusta Pizza, I'm glad I finally went to their restaurant; I've heard many good things about it and was very satisfied.

So this is my last week here in Florence, which at times feels like home and other times feels like not-home. I've had a really complete experience both of the culture and place, but also a personal one. I think, well, I'd like to think I've done some growing. If anything this semester abroad was necessary in the overall spectrum of my life, what I came from and what I'm moving towards.

Days until I leave for home: 6

27: Whatchoosayyy?

Happy May!

That sounds so freaking weird. That means literally 2 weeks left until I leave, just 14 days. Yes, I am feeling a little sad about that...hmm.

It's funny how I spent much of my time here missing home and missing the things I'm used to and when confronted with the very close end of the program I'm kind of sad to go. That being said I don't think I'd want to stay longer. 14 Days is enough time to get to do the things around Florence I want to do, the main one visiting the Uffizi Gallery at least twice. Considering it's in the back of my apartment building and I have a student pass that gets me in infront of the line and for free I should have gone a while ago. Oops.

This weekend has been filled with a lot of work. Projects, papers, and presentations are due this coming week and finals exams are the next. Yes, I have exams and papers/projects in all my classes :( So I opted to stay in Florence this weekend and work through the tremendous pile of work I have to get done. I've finished a very large Italian Fashion History project, and I'm trying to make headway on my Wine Tasting paper and presentation, which is due tomorrow...I might be in trouble for that one. I blame the lack of information online about Giacomo Tachis. Who is that? Yeah, exactly...

The fashion show is also this coming week and thank God my dress is done-zo! Well, mostly done. I have to put a hook and eye in, then it's done. The studios aren't open on the weekends though, which is complete bullshit if you ask me, and they are only open until 8:30PM on weekdays, so I hope everybody gets their stuff done! I'm hoping that after the professor and fashion department head sees my dress they will give me credit for the Apparel Design class, ergo I won't have to take Draping II senior spring...that's just a hope. I'd feel weird asking for credit so if they want to give it to me I'll gladly accept :)

My birthday is soon, too. I'll be 22. Enough said :(

26: 5 Days in Germany

So I went to Frankfurt and Munich last weekend (I know, good timing with Springfest happening THIS weekend...).

Thursday: I landed in Frankfurt Hahn Airport really confused. They say that English is Germanic, so I had assumed I'd be able to understand at least the gist of what someone was saying. False. My first impression of the German written language was somebody got frustrated and slammed their fist on a keyboard. So, I asked a lady working at the airport where I need to go to get to Frankfurt. It's around 2:30PM. Oh, what now? I have to take a 2 hour bus ride into the city. So I get on the bus, which cost 13 Euro. A sweltering coach bus, so hot that the fuzzy seats stuck to the backs of my calves. The sun beaming brightly through the wide windows added to the heat; I understood what green-housed plants must feel like...

The bus drops me off by the train station, Houfbanouf....I think I spelled that wrong. My hotel is on the other side of the train station but do I know that? Not really, no, mainly because I'm just fried and an idiot at this point. I grab a schnitzel sandwhich (yeah!) and then realize where I am and where I need to go. The Adler hotel is in a shifty part of town, across the street from the train station and near the financial district (you have to walk through the strip clubs and casinos, though), so I'm assuming the digs won't be that great. I am surprised by a few things:
1. The receptionist and reception area is spotless.
2. There is a bowl of free candy.
3. The minibar (which only has water, but still in theory this is awesome) is free.
4. Our room is adorable.

So then I settled in and walked around the area, exploring the modern architecture in Frankfurt's outer area before Annie and Nicole arrives at midnight.

Friday: We walked a lot. We walked into the center of the city where most of the touristy things are. There are a few cool beer gardens and shops. We almost got hit by the tram. Nicole got so tired she was laughing at everything. We sat at a beer garden on the south side of the river and drank apfelwein (apple wine), which was okay, but not terrific. What else....

Bess and Laura came in the late afternoon and we saw them! Happy Birthday Laura!

Saturday: We go to the Frankfurt Modern Museum, which is fucking weird. The theme was photography and I've never seen so many pictures of naked people. That's what modern art is, I guess, photographs of naked people... and portraits of girls, piles of candy, and hanging lights... Afterwards the trio, Annie-Nicole-Peter, trained it to Munich. Annie then went to Venice while Nicole and I stayed in Munich.

Sunday: Munich is amazing. I love Munich. Our hotels was funky and modern, but that wasn't the best part. The best part was that we were right across the street from a family bakery (Bäkerei in German). We were near the English Garden an the Hofgarten, at the bottom of one of the universities there.

We ventured into Marienplatz, the center, which had some choice Bavarian architecture. There were people walking around in leiderhosen! Did I spell that right? We had lunch at Hofbrauhaus, a touristy beer house, but still really great. I'm not the biggest beer-drinker, but the beer I had in Munich was quite yummy.

Speaking of beer, Nicole and I went to a solid German food place for dinner and got delicious pints there. And then Nicole had the great idea to walk around and find a bar, which we did. We found a beer garden near our hotel and sat down outside. We ordered just two beers, "what most people get," we told the server. Enter two gigantic liter mugs of beer. My tolerance is not what it used to be back in freshmen year, I'm actually an old woman when it comes to alcohol. In my wine tasting class I'm sleepy after one third-glass... So needless to day this was a lot of beer.

On the way home Nicole and I laughed about a store called, "Futon Futon."

Monday: If you asked me what I expected about Germany I would not have said gardens. In fact, there's a cold and industrial depiction I get when I think about Germany, which I guess is what Berlin is like (says Nicole and Annie), and then there's a whole Bavarian Germany that comes to mind too. I think of gardens as being French or English. That being said, Nicole and I walked around the English Garden and I was really surprised at how cool it is. There are beer gardens, statues, rivers, a pond to paddleboat in! There's even a spot near the end of the garden where surfers practice their moves in the river!

After the garden, we went to a Japanese Fashion exhibit at the contemporary art museum. It's kind of mind-blowing to think that we were so close to some of the greatest and most iconic pieces by Yoji Yamamoto, Juniya Watanabe, Rei Kawabuko, and Issei Miyaki!

At our hotel we got free pastries and then went to take a night train from Munich to Florence.

Tuesday: 6:30AM we arrived in Florence Santa Maria Novella Station. I am exhausted and hungry. But the night train was totally worth it. We even had a stowaway in our room. Some German girl who didn't know where she was going and didn't want to tell anybody where she was from. But the other people in our room didn't seem worried by her. Yeah, it was an experience that I'm glad I had.

25: Paris

So I went to Paris last weekend. That comes off cavalier sounding, but I really don't have the adequate adjectives to describe how FREAKING AMAZING PARIS IS.

My mom essentially said to me countless times that I wasn't allowed to come home unless I went to Paris, which wasn't really on my list before I left. I called her, or rather she called me, while I was in the city waiting to meet up with a friend from high school by Notre-Dame. "Aren't you glad you took my advice and went?" She asked.

Yes, mom. I am glad I took your advice (Mom-1, Peter-0).

In the way that London felt so globally-connected, Paris did too. But what London lacked in a sense of culture, Paris had. This is, Paris feels like a cosmopolitan metropolis that is distinctively French. I ate crepes and drank a dark and tangy Bordeaux red. I walked through the city without hesitation by the little French I know. I ate macaroons...well I devoured them. Haesung took me to the best falafel place in the city. I spent a solid 6 hours at the Louvre (Dear Mona Lisa, you are not that great...). Haesung and I went to the touristy places, Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysee, etc.

Then I went to Versailles. Despite the crowds of people in the chateau, I got some excellent views of all the royal and incredibly lavish bits from French history. I walked all around the gardens. My favorite place, though, was Le Petit Trianon, Marie Antoinette's escape from the court. The style is more French countryside and there is more consideration to motifs of natural elements like flowers and leaves. The farm area is very cool to be in, although I thought I was in a mini-golf course for a hot-second. I also fed a goat...and then was yelled at in French by someone who works there.

And all the while in my head I was playing scenes from Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, which kind of lessens the historical significance of one of the most important political locations in Europe, but entertained me immensely.

Paris, I will definitely come back.

24: Cortona

Dear Frances Mayes,

If you are reading this, hello, I'm Peter. Your book, Under the Tuscan Sun, (and movie...) drove me to place Cortona on the top of my list of places to visit in Italy. I was not disappointed. So, thanks.

P.S. Sorry for the angry shout out in Post 22...or 21, I forget.

Cortona is a little jewel nestled into a typical Tuscan hillside. It's much smaller than Siena, but still has that same feeling that if you wander down the winding small streets you're probably going to end up finding something magical, like a great view or a perfect restaurant (both things Carolyn and I found). There's a lot of quiet-living that happens in Cortona that I loved instantly; nothing like in Florence where there's a clear city-sense.

Cortona's main attraction is a steep walk up the hill that takes you past 15 futurism mosaics by Servini that depict something about Jesus (I don't really know what it is though, I'm jewish). Oh, by the way, Happy Passover! So after Carolyn and I dragged ourselves up the walk to find a beautiful church (and a nun. I love nuns), we took in the view.

Cortona shouldn't be missed! Also, I took a photograph of a bunch of the places they filmed Under the Tuscan Sun so I was a pretty happy camper even without the amazing lunch, spectacular views, and iced coffee.

23: So Dramatic

I apologize for the semi-melodramatic previous post; I was in one of those moods. A good friend of mine reminded me the other day of what I had initially planned to accomplish with this semester abroad, and she did this by showing me the description of this blog. I am but one person trying to figure out who I am, what I want to do, who I want to be, where I'm supposed to go. Who's to say I wouldn't feel this way back at school in the States? Who's to say that this is all part of the bigger picture, that this semester is the very thing I needed. And yes, I do still feel homesick (and I say that as somebody who has never been fully one to be homesick), but that's part of this, too.

I've tried to figure this out in my head for some time now, and I think I may have come to some sort of sense. Last semester I think I lost myself, or I lost my drive as a student who prides himself on being on top of his game; I lost that entirely and I stumbled through all of my academics trying to get back on track, to find my footing again. Coming to Italy, while I initially would thought would inspire me to snap back into the usual driven me, has actually opened my eyes to a greater understanding of how I function and how I work best. To say that I've found my footing fully is jumping the gun; to say that I've found that spark that made me that driven person is just (although, I've yet to implement said spark...watch out for an explosive me next semester, though).

So, my apologies for that and for being a generally bad blogger. Be forewarned of the onslaught of new posts...

P.S. Mom and Dad, if you're reading this I might have to ship some stuff home...hope that's okay :)

22: Ugh

Dear Blog,

I am homesick.

I registered for classes for next year today, which prompted me to think about school and then I thought about home and now I'm homesick. It's not that I'm not enjoying Florence, but rather that I miss all the things that constituted "my life" before coming to Italy. And most of my friends that are on other abroad programs are going home in the next week or so; their programs operate on a different time schedule than mine. So, I've got another month really...

On the upside, I'm going to Paris this weekend. That should be fun. I plan on spending a day at The Louvre, a day at Versailles, and a lot of food in between :)

21: ...I have no clever title for this entry...

I'm eating the strangest pasta right now...

I slept in today, a treat to myself for working so hard these past few days, and as a result my eating schedule was all thrown out of whack. I had a really good jam and ricotta sandwich for breakfast (at 1:30), then salad with sauteed mushrooms for lunch (at 5:00) and now I'm eating this funky pasta I bought from a take-away cafe. I'm not sure what's in it...it smells fishy, but there is no sign of fish in it. Whatever, I'll eat it.

Yesterday I went on a stroll around my apartment and found that down one of the side streets there is a Korean Mart!!! I bought a bunch of junk food and ate it all. And now I can't find it. That's Florence, a bunch of side streets with wonderful surprises that you can never find again...

Happy Sunday :)

20: Under the Tuscan Sun

The other day in my Italian class (which is full of characters summing up to never a dull moment), a few students asked our teacher if the weather would get warmer. Our teacher took a moment to compose herself, trying to find the right English words spoken in her hybrid English-Australian accent, the product of living in Sydney for several years.

"I don't understand why so many students think Italy is warm; Italy is not a warm country. Well, yes we have summer and it gets warm in June, July. August is the hottest, and September. But Italy isn't warm."

So thank you Frances Mayes for making me think the Tuscan Sun was an everyday occurrence...

In all honesty, it IS sunny out today and it has been for a few days. There's that Tuscan Sun I've been hoping for. And I'm quite surprised at how few tourists there are. Living right in the middle of the Uffizi Gallery and Ponte Vecchio, I'm used to a certain level of tourists meandering along in my way while I try to get to class, stopping to take pictures, being generally loud...most of them are Asian with those creepy medical masks on...*shudder* But today and yesterday, actually, it has been relatively not so touristy, mi piace questo.

Yesterday I went to the market and bought zucchini flowers; zucchini has become my new favorite vegetable. With the warm weather shining through my open window, and the added wafting smell of waffles from below (a perk of living on via Roma, the street that connects the Ponte Vecchio and Piazza del Duomo), I decided that today I'd try my hand at something more advanced than salad-making. In fact, I've been eating too much salad. I think I average at least 3 Caprese salads a week... Anyway, I thought I'd try to make fried stuffed zucchini flowers. So, I mixed up a ricotta-based filling with lots of spices and pepper. Then I stuffed the flowers, which are more delicate than rice paper or a baby, I'm assuming. And then into the frying pan... To say that I was successful is a stretch, so let's just say; fried stuffed zucchini flowers-1, Peter-0.

I'll get you next round zucchini flowers...

19: Spring Break in Review

Athens: Not my most favorite place I've visited so far, but not my least either. Athens definitely falls somewhere in the bottom 3 however (see my previous blog entry). Some helpful tips for people going to or planning on going to Athens. 1) Pay a little extra and stay in Plaka, the historic center. Not only are you right near all the action (The Acropolis, Stadium, etc.), but the twisting and narrow quaint streets that every so often lead you to a bustling plaza, or stellar view of The Parthenon, are a side of Athens every traveler should know about. Also, the food is great!

Santorini: First thing's first, I went in the off-season. That was the first mistake. Santorini doesn't have much going on during the off season and the best place to stay, by far, is Fira or Thira (depending on how you pronounce it). Laura and I made the mistake of staying in Perissa, which had zilch going on and our hotel, while would be the perfect place to stay in the summer or even late-spring, was empty. In fact, we were the first guests of the season. Greek hospitality rivals that of any perceived "friendly" country, and was something I didn't know about. When Laura and I asked to cancel our reservation in Perissa, the woman was so disappointed that we were unhappy; we told her it wasn't her fault at all and that we loved the hotel (we actually did!), but we came at the wrong time in the year and we'd gladly pay for our full reservation. She put a softly tanned hand to her cheek, looking at our priceline print-out and said, "Is no good for you to pay so much money. You pay be 60 Euro for everything. That's better for you, yes?" The sweetest woman to think of us in that moment, rather than her own needs. If I went back to Santorini, I'd go during the summer and stay at Villa Clio in Perissa.

It wasn't so much that I didn't like Santorini, but rather it was cold and very low-energy, which makes me wonder what it would be like in the high-season. I ate some really good salads on the island, and even got free wine and dessert one night. Cheers!

London: I love London. Let me repeat that for emphasis: I Love London. I wish I bought one of those t-shirts that says that. Not only is it refreshing to hear English spoken (and with cute British accents, it's not bad either), but there was a really cool urban culture in London that I didn't expect to love. It was much needed to see my friends from school, especially in their abroad habitat. I even didn't mind sleeping on the couch!

The first day in London we did the touristy things: Big Bed, Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, London Bridge, London Tower, Tower Bridge, London Eye, and the Tate Modern. We also when to the Boroughs Market, which was unlike an Italian market. This one had food stalls set up, with artisan cheese crafters and oil sellers. You could taste everything, and when not considering the exchange rate, things were cheap (in the pound sense). The night life is pretty fun, too, although I don't think I'd go back to London for it. Actually, the dinner/pub scene was my favorite. One night Nicole and I split monkfish with roasted tomatoes.

The second day was more low-key. We met some friends in Hyde Park then walked down Oxford Street to pick up Nicole from class. Then we got cupcakes :) That night we went to a gay club, where after Nicole, Annie, and Laura left around midnight, Wei and I danced our butts off to a set of fantastic tunes (especially Duck Sauce's "Barbara Streisand"). And I was even cruised by some creep that followed me from room to room. Gross, but still it's some sort of small accomplishment.

The third day I got my Korean food fix in Chinatown with Wei. We saw the spending cuts protestors, then the anarchist protestors. Actually, we got stuck in the latter's protest and sought refuge in Starbucks (which I went to every day...) and then Liberty. Yes, Liberty, as in Liberty Print...heaven.

So all in all, the break was necessary for me to recharge my batteries, and also it helped me appreciate Florence a little bit more. Speaking of liking Florence more, today was 65 and sunny. Tomorrow will be warmer. Do I sense my jorts making an appearance soon?

18: Via Athens Airport

Thank god for free wifi...

Spring break started on Friday for me with Laura and I taking a very long train to Rome. We were flying out of Rome to Athens the following morning. Now, I am a big fan of airports because of the natural order and flow that comes with transportation of that magnitude. Terminal 2 of Rome's airport is not like this at all. So instead of a relaxing 10-hour wait in the airport, which I was a big supporter of, we found that to stay in the terminal all night would be a really dumb idea. Oops. We checked into a Hilton for the night, which wasn't as expensive as I thought it was going to be.

Flash forward to Athens. I've long been told to not expect anything from Athens, the modern city. In fact, most travel guides suggest staying at a hotel in Plaka, the downtown historic area, despite high costs. We stayed at a cheap (25 Euro per each) Best Western for the night a little ways outside of the center. We were by the National Archeological Museum, which boasts the title of best museum in Athens (mind you we walked through a homeless ridden, poop-filled, and generally shifty park to get to it). And the museum is rather extensive, although we were ushered out promptly at 3 because it was closing. I took some photographs of bronze work, so that was neat.

Dinner in Plaka, a 5 minute metro ride away, was delicious. I had lamb and rice pilaf; Laura had an exceptional Greek salad: we split a side of roasted potatoes. Plus baklavah and authentic Greek wine (which I absolutely love). We then strolled around the area for a bit.

This morning we went to the ruins. If Athens has any redeeming quality, it's the ruins. The walk up is gorgeous, and once at the top there are the Parthenon, a temple devoted to Athena and Poseidon, and some other things that I can't remember the names of. And it's free. And it was great weather. And we saw after that the Temple of Zeus, Hadrian's Arch, the stadium, and ancient Agora! So that was pretty neat.

Now we're in the airport waiting for our flight to... Santorini! Time for some relaxing pool/beach time (weather premitting), long island walks, and lots of good food! Will I transform into an old lady on a holiday to the Greek isles? You freaking betcha' I'm putting on my straw sun hat as I type...

17: Being a Jew, Rain, David, and Wine

My parents arrived yesterday for the week to visit! And while I am ecstatic that I get to show Florence to them, I'm overwhelmed by the stress of the situation; not only are they here, but it's midterms week and I find that I have a lot of studying to do (something I'm not used to being a design major and consequently having project due at the midterm rather than examinations). But this is a one-time deal, I think, and I'm going to make the most of it :)

Today the rain started off soft and sparse only to collect heavier around noon, then it kind of lingered for a bit. During this time we walked to the Great Synagog of Florence, something I'd been meaning to see but never got around to beforehand. For starters, the synagog is impressive and a description plaque outside explains that instead of hiding that the building is a place for Jewish worship, the architect, designer, and commissioner wanted to showcase the Judaism of it. It's also pink and white striped, which is always dig-able in my book. Inside there is moorish geometric painted walls, with Stars of David placed in the windows and floors. Once inside the place of worship men have to wear a kippah. My brother looks ridiculous in his yellow leather one, while I looked pretty snazzy in my crimson checkered one. I hadn't been in a synagog in a very long time, not since middle school when I stopped attending Sunday School at Temple Shalom. With the constant and ever present Jesus and the Virgin, Christian art on top of more Christian art, it was kind of a relief to find some notable place that wasn't devoted to the Cross.

We then lunched at Ruth's Kosher and Vegetarian Restaurant. This is the place to go for the best falafel in Florence!

Afterwards I got us a little lost and over-shot my way to the Galleria d'Academia, where there are so many astounding paintings and sculptures, but the only real reason anybody visits this gallery is because of Michaelangelo's David. He's a big guy and a sculptural triumph. While most people were trying to sneak photographs or staring intently at his well-formed musculature (especially his incredibly executed legs), I was captivated by the realism of his hands. There are indications of tendons working to grasp the strap he is holding, the veining is sublet and controlled, the composition of both hands is anatomically flooring. And I got in for free with my student museum pass.

So after all that fun, I returned home to my apartment to study for my Exploration of Wine Culture in Italy, which I will do not so well on. 13 short answers, 2 essays, 1 wine-tasting. We have to know all facts and dates about Valle d'Aosta, Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli Venezia Giulia, and Tuscany. Not to mention the general history of Italian viticulture.

Just thinking about it makes me need a glass!

16: Rome if you want to

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do," is a common phrase I've heard here in Italy. Actually it's been a shortened phrase in today's fast-and-loose vernacular to "When in Rome," and the rest is implied. I'm not sure what this means, really.
If Romans walk a lot, then I did as they did. If Romans take a lot of pictures of things, then I did as they did, too. When you're in Rome, I think, it's best to do as you'd do.
Things I like about Rome:
1. Everything
2. The metro system
3. The abundance of food places
4. Our hotel5. The way that the city is built

Things I dislike about Rome:
1. It's too big.
The city is a pretty spectacular thing to behold. Driving in you get a sense that this place is pretty cosmopolitan and connected to the rest of the world. There aren't a whole lot of, "oh, that's quaint" thoughts like you'd have when visiting places around Tuscany. In fact, Rome is sprawling. And not just an expanse of the once-empire-capital, the modern city sprouts up around all the ruins. At night, they are lit and there's some sort of Italian magic that works its way through you. So much, in fact, that even though you scoffed and mocked the numerous tourists throwing their coins into the Trevi Fountain during the day, passing by this illuminated wonder at night compels you to just give in.


As we were driving down one of the main streets, someone in the back of the bus gasped. I turned to see a partial view of The Colosseum lit in green at the end of the road.

Before the weekend trip I'd been warned countless times about the various schemes and pickpockets that lurk the streets, but I was surprised and relived to find that there were little to none of these characters about. It was possibly due to the rather blah weather, though. Walking around, and there was a lot of that, I never felt unsafe or targeted. There's a shyness about Rome that I didn't expect; as if the city knows of the various places and things that would make you gasp but doesn't want you to outright see them; you have to find your own "Rome" I think. Sort of a kin to the way that the Trevi Fountain isn't in a main piazza, but rather you navigate through a set of twisting side-streets to get to it (although there are signs that clearly mark the way). I liked Rome, a lot.
This brings me to Vatican City, which is part of Rome but not really...it's confusing to me, ergo not that important. Being a non-religious person I wanted to see the Vatican for the artistic reason; the architecture, the paintings, The Sistine Chapel. There were a lot of people packed into the chapel space, but even then I felt like I had enough room. Most people stare at the Creation of Adam panel, which I stood directly under, straining my neck upwards to see and feeling completely overwhelmed by how close those two fingertips are. But while the Creation of Adam panel brought a swell of tears to my eyes (yeah, I'm a nerd), it was the Cimmerian Sibyl that I stared at for a solid fifteen minutes. She was the part of the ceiling I'd waited to see.

Other sites I saw were The Pantheon, which would have been mind-blowing (considering Donatello's casket is there), but it was raining and cold and dark. The Roman Forum proved to have some really cool ruins. The Colosseum was pretty grand, despite it's shabby shape. The Capuchin Crypt/Bone Church was a really awesome idea, and then we got to it and I'll be honest, I was a little hungover, and looking at bones that are arranged into decorative patterns, with mummified remains propped into positions...it was fun in theory and maybe without the personal context.

We also went to Tivoli, which is carved into the side of a mountain. There is a villa there, Villa D'Este, which used to belong to a very prominent family. And in that villa is a garden that has over 800 natural fountains, springs, waterfalls, etc. Yeah, there's a lot of water in Rome and the surrounding areas. Arguably the best drinking-tap water I've had.

15: so I'm in class...

I'm not sure where it comes from or how I even developed this trait, but I am so glad I am the way I am. Ha!

I'm sure this trait of mine comes from a mix of dad's reason and reliability and mom's will-power and timeliness. I'm sitting in class right now and we had one of our first projects due today; just a powerpoint presentation of a handbag design inspired by a country. Our presentation had to include our initial sketches and notes, an inspiration board, technical drawings of the handbag, a mock-up advertisement, information about a target market, and other material variations of the bag. I was assigned Scandinavia. Here's my inspiration board:



Anyway we were given more than a week to complete the project and because it was due today, I red-flagged that date. Why wouldn't you finish an assignment when it's due? The option to half-complete an assignment is, well, not an option for me. That goes against my rationale. Granted there have been times when a project hasn't been completed to the best of my ability or how I had envisioned it, but I got it done.

Nobody in my class was finished, except me. And consequently because people weren't finished, we spent our lecture time finishing the projects and now continuing onto our hat assignment, which means that during our lab hour time when we are supposed to work on the new projects and assignments, people continued to work on their handbag projects. Being done with it, I've been on my computer for 2.5 hours, enjoying the school's speedy wifi and wasting a lot of time....I could be doing laundry, or packing for Rome.

So, thank you, Mom and Dad, for instilling me with a combination-feeling of dread, regret, terror, and satisfaction which has driven me to always finish projects on-time.

I swear, some people....

Side note: Rome this weekend! So. Freaking. Pumped.

14: Venezia

I've been lead to believe that Venice is an extraordinary city, that the water is a mist light blue-green that laps against the buildings that disappear right into the lagoon; that the city is a sprawling example of Italian opulence, and each twisty and narrow street holds an incredible find.

Venice during Carnivale is not like that though.

I'm sure that if I were to return to Venice (and actually stay in the city, not outside of it) Saint Marks Square would be breathtaking, similarly I'm positive that the Rialto would be exciting and beautiful. When there are thousands of people crowded onto the islands that make up Venice, it's not so fun. At one point we were gridlocked in a crowd for an hour. Imagine traffic but without the cars and instead of honking there were people screaming. Also, I discovered I have a weird shaped face that's not suited for masks...

There were some high point, though, that made me possibly return (I'd sooner go back to Milan or Siena, though). We saw a glass blowing factory, even though our itinerary said we'd be visiting the Island of Morano where the glass blowing production really takes place. I had the best lasagna since being here at a restaurant one night.

So in conclusion: for those who want to see Venice, don't go during Carnivale. If you go during the weekend of The Oscars, stay home for The Oscars...

Photographs in the next post!

13: Excursion: Milan

Oh hey, Milan, did you know that you're the most amazing place in the world?

Superlatives aside, Milan was like no other city I've ever been to. Where most of the historically rich cities and towns I've been to have a very upfront attitude and appearance about their history as if to say, "here is who we are and what we did, and it's right in front of you," Milan is a more cosmopolitan metropolis that seems aware of its past but instead of making history it's catch-phrase Milan says, "we have old buildings here, you can go look at them if you'd like." First, Milan has a subway system! If there's one thing that I love about any given city it's the public subway transportation system. Florence has none; frowns all around. But Milan has an easy to navigate metro that we (Laura, Bess, Lydia, and I) utilized; I think my 2-day metro pass was starting to wear by the last day. Milan's history is one of industry and production, so it's no surprise that most of the city we went to had a sense of industrialization. Unlike Florence or Siena that "feel" Italian (in that Francis Mayes way), Milan feels connected to the rest of the world, that is, the city feels like it's turned outwards toward.

Milan Duomo is my favorite so far (see the picture above!). We exited the metro stop called "Duomo" only to find that once you surface the Duomo smacks you in the face with its splendor and glory. I gasped, and grabbed Bess' arm. It was immense and colossal, with gothic motifs and the sprawling white marble made this Duomo feel unworldly and unreal. The interior does not exactly match the exterior's amazement, but it was marvelous nonetheless.

To exit the Duomo's piazza, you must go through the grand Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. On our first day we walked through in awe of it all. The second day they were setting up for Fashion Week. Marvelous. Incredible. Other sites we saw:

Teatro alla Scala - This opera theater is really the first opera house that has given me shivers. The accompanying museum houses the old costumes and playbills from past shows as well as other opera-related art that, honestly, was lost on me.
Castello Sforzesco - A monumental castle with all the bells and whistles of other castles.
Pinacoteca di Brera - This art gallery has a lot of Jesus art. In fact, they have a whole room full of various paintings of the Virgin and Baby J. My highlight was the two Umberto Boccioni paintings on display. This Futurism artists was insane, but a color genius.
Museo Poldi Pezzoli - This was my museum highlight of the trip. There was an ongoing Botticelli exhibit of a few pieces, including his The Lamentation, which literally made me tear-up. And the rest of the museum boasts a super eclectic collection of paintings, jewelry, religious items, clocks, etc.

Flash-forward to the best bits of my Milan experience. We ate dinner at Acquasala, a southern Italian cuisine ristorante. I ate horse. Yes, I ate horse. It was delicious. Throughout the meal we kept a mental list of the different animals we were eating, morbid yes, but really funny. Cow, octopus, squid, shrimp, pork, codfish, and horse. Hah! We then went to a bar called Il Elefante, which Lydia's guidebook said had a mix of chairs and fruity drinks, and it was gay-friendly. Turns out "gay-friendly" means the clientele is predominantly, if not exclusively, gay. But that's not all the gay fun we had because the club, Plastic, we were headed to is also gay-ish. The crowd outside was large and spilling carelessly into the street. Smokers drunkenly sashayed out of the club to a specific area to congregate. Their rectangular club-stamps unfaded and their unlimited pass to fun that our guidebook said was not to miss.
Pushing through the crowd we made it to the front, within earshot of the bouncer who lacked muscles, but compensated with sass. When he looked my direction I locked eye contact with him, signaled "four" with my fingers, pointing to Laura, Lydia, and a squished Bess. He nodded and gave me a quick smile. I was unsure if this was a polite, please wait smile, or an invitation to showcase my amazing flirting skills (note: I have none). When he looked my direction again, I winked at him, smiling coyly and what do you know? He pointed to us and we soon found ourselves getting through the crowd fast-tracked. When I passed him I said a polite, grazie, to which he replied, prego, China paired with the quintessential and in this case, necessary double-cheek-kiss. As if that weren't outrageous and memorable enough, there were a host of pseudo-drag dancers with amazing dance moves.

So yeah, Milan, you were great. Thanks