Anna and I took the morning train from Florence to Rome in time to meet her family. We walked for a while through the China Town of Rome until finding their hotel. We said our hello's and such before heading to lunch. they all ordered pizza's which looked delicious but I just got some bruschetta since I was meeting my family later in the day. After lunch, the Gleason's headed to the Vatican for a tour and I made my way toward my parent's hotel. As luck would have it, I was walking into the entrance of the hotel just as they were getting out of their taxi from the airport!
They were staying at the Hotel Bristol Barnini which was massive and luxurious! We settled in for a few minutes but were all starving so we headed out to find some lunch. Mom ordered pizza, I got a caprese salad, and Joe also ordered a salad. Everything was delicious and filling so we walked around to explore for a while. We went to the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain before heading to get gelato and then to the hotel for a nap before dinner. For dinner I wanted to take them to a restaurant with a set menu that I had been at back in January. Unfortunately the restaurant didn't have any available tables so we moved onto the next restaurant which also had a set menu and was just as good!
Saturday we started the morning a little later than expected by taking the Hop on, Hop off bus tour. The bus showed us all the major points around Rome without us having to walk too much and the sunshine was perfect for sitting on the top deck! We hopped off near the Vatican and walked to a fort. Inside the fort there was paintings and facts about Rome. The top of the fort gave the perfect view of Rome! After the fort, we walked to Piazza Nuova and got lunch. After lunch we went to the Pantheon and then the National Monument.
After the National Monument we planned to walk around the Collossum since Mom was feeling tired. Outside the Colosseum there were crowds of people and we debated going inside until a guide came up to us and asked if we wanted to join his tour group. The group was leaving in about 10 minutes and included a tour of the Colosseum, a tour of the Roman Ruins, and a tour of the gardens beside the Ruins. The tour guide was funny and the group was small but it was a little difficult to understand him since he was Italian. Once we finished at the Colosseum and walked to the garden next to the Roman Ruins where we met up with another tour guide. The second tour guide was really informative and easy to understand since he was from Ohio! It was getting late and we were all tired of walking so we headed back to the National Monument to get back onto the bus. We waited for almost half an hour for the bus and then the bus stopped at evey single stopped before bringing us to our stop which was the last stop. The bus also decided that for that day, they weren't going to be stopping at our hotel and were going to be stopping at the Trevi Fountain instead. So instead of walking the 15 minutes to the Trevi Fountain and then 10 minutes home, we waited 30 minutes, rode the bus for another 30 minutes, then had to walk 10 minutes back to the hotel. Talk about a waste of time!
We all got ready and headed out toward a place Joe picked out from his guide book. It was supposed to take 10 minutes walking but 40 minutes later and hungrier, we were no where near finding a place to eat. The restaurant Joe picked didn't exist at the address provided so we ended up improvising and had a mediocre dinner. Back at the hotel, I slept like a baby in the luxurious hotel bed.
Monday, April 25, 2011
The week the weather changed!
The week we got home from spring break, the weather changed and it was suddenly spring time! It was sunny and 70-75 degrees everyday! We all had school work to dive back into after the break but we couldn't help ourselves from wanting to be outside and soak up the sun that we had missed for the past few months!
Wednesday, I barely made it through class before heading to the open air market, getting lunch to go from Ganzo, and then meeting Anna at the train station! Wednesday was the final day to use our Eurorail pass so we decided to head to a beach town in Italy, Viareggio. Viareggio is known for its outlandish floats and parades during Carnivale each year but we headed to the town simply to enjoy the sun and the smell of the ocean. Once we got onto the train, we were both hungry so we opened out lunches and of course I had the wrong one. There were several poeple waiting for salads while I was at Ganzo and I was given the wrong one. I was hungry so I tried eating it even thought I had no idea what was on it and I found out that I like feta cheese!
The train was a double decker and was basically empty leaving Florence but at the next stop, a school field trip of boys filled the entire cabin. In fact, there wasn't even enough room for all of them so Anna and I moved our stuff in order to make room. The boys were young and Italian. Anna and I kept eating and chatting while they played "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt from their phone. After a while one finally worked up the courage to try and talk to us asking how old we were. At first they guessed 17, do we really look that young?! They ended up being only 16 and couldn't speak much English at all.
After getting off the train, we didn't have a map or any sort of directions we just headed in the general direction that we thought the beach was in. We wandered down suburb like streets for about half an hour before reaching the beach. We got gelato, took off our shoes, and headed toward the water. The sand was more like dirt and the water was freezing but it was a beautiful day so we enjoyed ourselves. After the beach we walked down the pier where there were tons of people fishing and cleaning off their boats in preparation for the summer. We were wandering through the shops and streets when we saw a giant cartoon churro. We followed the cartoon to a little churro hut where the worker made us a cup of fresh churro's covered in sugar. They were amazing and so filling! We made our way back to the train station and I was actually a little sun burnt!
Thursday during my wine class we took a field trip to a wine bar. I had never been to one so it was quite the experience and totally different than I was imagining. The entrance led into a food store and the hall brought us into a liquor store. Our teacher explained that where were were was the largest liquor store with the widest variety of wine and liquor in all of Florence. I was a little confused since, yeah they had a lot of bottles but nothing compared to even tiny liquor stores in the United States. They had bottles of wine in every price range starting from 5 Euro all the way up to 2,000 Euro. Who could afford 2,00 Euro on a bottle of champagne? I have no idea. After our brief introduction we headed downstairs and that's when I understood; there were wine bottles covering every square inch of wall in four rooms and there were stands all over each room with even more wine!
We looked around and then sat down at a giant table and were brought a sample of prosecco, a sample of white wine, and a Chianti. In addition to the three amazing samples, we were also served bruschetta, chicken liver(YUCK), and pecorino cheese with honey and pears (YUM). We talked about wine, Florence, and travelling for the remainder of class getting to know one another. It was an amazing experience, and just think; I'm getting college credit for it! Even thought it was a short week, I watched the minutes tick by until I was released from my Italian class that afternoon. After class I met the girls in Piazza San Marco where we shared a bottle of prosecco as a the sun set, it was so relaxing and I was completely happy. For dinner we headed to our favorite pizza place near Piazza Santa Croce.
The next morning, we all slept in and then Anna, April, and myself headed to Boboli Gardens to enjoy the day. We chatted, listened to music, and read for hours before being kicked out at closing time around 6pm. Anna and I headed to Ganzo for dinner when we both realized that we were definitely sun burnt! We went home to pack and get ready for our trip to Rome on Saturday!
Wednesday, I barely made it through class before heading to the open air market, getting lunch to go from Ganzo, and then meeting Anna at the train station! Wednesday was the final day to use our Eurorail pass so we decided to head to a beach town in Italy, Viareggio. Viareggio is known for its outlandish floats and parades during Carnivale each year but we headed to the town simply to enjoy the sun and the smell of the ocean. Once we got onto the train, we were both hungry so we opened out lunches and of course I had the wrong one. There were several poeple waiting for salads while I was at Ganzo and I was given the wrong one. I was hungry so I tried eating it even thought I had no idea what was on it and I found out that I like feta cheese!
The train was a double decker and was basically empty leaving Florence but at the next stop, a school field trip of boys filled the entire cabin. In fact, there wasn't even enough room for all of them so Anna and I moved our stuff in order to make room. The boys were young and Italian. Anna and I kept eating and chatting while they played "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt from their phone. After a while one finally worked up the courage to try and talk to us asking how old we were. At first they guessed 17, do we really look that young?! They ended up being only 16 and couldn't speak much English at all.
After getting off the train, we didn't have a map or any sort of directions we just headed in the general direction that we thought the beach was in. We wandered down suburb like streets for about half an hour before reaching the beach. We got gelato, took off our shoes, and headed toward the water. The sand was more like dirt and the water was freezing but it was a beautiful day so we enjoyed ourselves. After the beach we walked down the pier where there were tons of people fishing and cleaning off their boats in preparation for the summer. We were wandering through the shops and streets when we saw a giant cartoon churro. We followed the cartoon to a little churro hut where the worker made us a cup of fresh churro's covered in sugar. They were amazing and so filling! We made our way back to the train station and I was actually a little sun burnt!
Thursday during my wine class we took a field trip to a wine bar. I had never been to one so it was quite the experience and totally different than I was imagining. The entrance led into a food store and the hall brought us into a liquor store. Our teacher explained that where were were was the largest liquor store with the widest variety of wine and liquor in all of Florence. I was a little confused since, yeah they had a lot of bottles but nothing compared to even tiny liquor stores in the United States. They had bottles of wine in every price range starting from 5 Euro all the way up to 2,000 Euro. Who could afford 2,00 Euro on a bottle of champagne? I have no idea. After our brief introduction we headed downstairs and that's when I understood; there were wine bottles covering every square inch of wall in four rooms and there were stands all over each room with even more wine!
We looked around and then sat down at a giant table and were brought a sample of prosecco, a sample of white wine, and a Chianti. In addition to the three amazing samples, we were also served bruschetta, chicken liver(YUCK), and pecorino cheese with honey and pears (YUM). We talked about wine, Florence, and travelling for the remainder of class getting to know one another. It was an amazing experience, and just think; I'm getting college credit for it! Even thought it was a short week, I watched the minutes tick by until I was released from my Italian class that afternoon. After class I met the girls in Piazza San Marco where we shared a bottle of prosecco as a the sun set, it was so relaxing and I was completely happy. For dinner we headed to our favorite pizza place near Piazza Santa Croce.
The next morning, we all slept in and then Anna, April, and myself headed to Boboli Gardens to enjoy the day. We chatted, listened to music, and read for hours before being kicked out at closing time around 6pm. Anna and I headed to Ganzo for dinner when we both realized that we were definitely sun burnt! We went home to pack and get ready for our trip to Rome on Saturday!
Spring Break, Day 11 - Home!
We were woken up at 6am by the other guests being insanely loud (they were from South Africa...weird!) This morning I woke up feeling terrible; stuffed up nose, sore throat, headache, and tired. The breakfast was minimal with strange corn flakes and toast made by the B&B owner's friend or something? We yet again walked in the rain to the train station. We were in another Harry Potter train which I half read/slept through the entire time. We made it to Pisa at the perfect time since a transfer train was supposed to be departing for Florence but it ws delayed 5 minutes making it a perfect ride for us! We made it onto the regional Florence train so it only took an hour before we were home safe and sound!
The trip was the perfect mix of relaxation and excitement! I wish things had gone more smoothly but I still enjoyed myself and wouldn't have changed anything since it all worked out in the end! In the future, I still would like to travel to Paris, Barcelona, Berlin, and Greece.
The trip was the perfect mix of relaxation and excitement! I wish things had gone more smoothly but I still enjoyed myself and wouldn't have changed anything since it all worked out in the end! In the future, I still would like to travel to Paris, Barcelona, Berlin, and Greece.
Spring Break, Day 10
Before going to bed we all reset our clocks for the time change and quickly fell asleep. I woke up and looked at my clock only to realize that it was 7:20 and my alarm was supposed to sound at 6:40. When I had changed the time, I some how switched the time from AM to PM so my alarm was seriously wrong. We started to rush to get ready but realized it was a lost cause and went downstairs to enjoy breakfast. The breakfast was by-far the best breakfast we had on the trip. There were criossants, muffins, donuts, eggs, cereal, fresh fruits, cakes, and a tons of different juices! We all ate until we were stuffed then we checked out and went to catch the 10am train.
We went straight to the ticket office who told us tht we needed to buy new tickets then go up to customer service to try and get our money back from missing our train the night before. We went up to customer service, they were not happy to hear that we already had new tickets and so they sent us back down to the ticketing office to get a refund on the tickets we had just purchased. Such a mess. On top of all this running around, we are told that the train leaves every hour on the hour for Genova, EXCEPT 10am since theis is when they clean the train.
We shopped and sat around in the station until getting on the 11am train. The train was just like the Harry Potter trains since there are all cabins with six seats in each cabin. We didn't have seat reservations so we just sat in 2nd class and hoped no one would ask us to move. I was still nervous about checking into the B&B since we were supposed to check in by 11am and now we wouldn't be arriving until around 1pm. We had a little trouble finding the B&B since everything was closed on all the streets and there were no signs. We walked down the street a lot further than we thought we were supposed to so we had to turn around. We went into the only open store on the block, a rotissery chicken restuarant. The women working inside didn't speak any English but were able to point us in the right direction of the B&B. We were still aimlessly walking when a man asked us if we needed help. We told him the address and he kindly walked us right to the B&B which didn't look like a B&B AT ALL.
The outside and the walk up to the 2nd floor was creepy but the inside was really cute and homey. There were three beds and a view of the sea port from our room. There were also two large bathrooms with towels and sheets included. We put our stuff down and headed into town to look for some lunch. Since nothing was really open, this task seemed nearly impossible. We walked off the main path toward where we saw lights but everything was still closed and about 10 times more creepy. Genova is basically the Italian version of Newark, NJ. All the men hang out on street corners starring at you and making comments under their breath. While walking, I saw a family and said, "Quick, follow the white people!". This may seem really ignorant of me, but it also explains the gravity of the situation we were in. The family ended up being a lost cause anyway since they were slow walkers and just wandering without a destination. We finally saw a little open shop with what looked like pizza so we went inside are ordered 3 slices of cheese pizza and a hot dog in a croissant. What we got ended up being the exact opposite of pizza; it was cold, basically uncooked bread, with rough and crumbling bad cheese. I ate less than half before I couldn't eat anymore and moved onto my hot dog. It was good except it was barely cooked and the little it was cooked, tasted like it had been done hours ago.
We walked over to the aquarium on the harbor since it is the largest one in Europe. We didn't go inside though since it was 18 Euro per person which didn't even include the entire experience. We then walked around the rest of the harbor and got gelato. It was pretty good but I think we thought that since we hadn't had any gelato in over a week! I got chocolate and cookies plus I got an entire cookie and it was in a cone cup! I was a happy camper. We shopped for a little but there wasn't much to do so we took a boat tour of the harbor for 6 Euro. TOo bad when they sold us the tickets they didn't warn us that the whole tour was in Italian. The ride was chilly, foregin, and boring since all we looked at was giant running cargo frieghts. After the unsuccessful boat tour we went into the city center. On the way, we finally passed some pretty buildings and fancy churches which gave us hope for the rest of the day. The center ws an enourmous fountain with smaller fountains all around it. Very pretty! We kept walking and saw a partial castle, a garden, and more pretty architecture. The main strip of the town had a ton of shopping but since it was 4pm and raining on a Sunday, everything was either closed or in the process of closing. I did manage to get into H&M and bought a shirt since I can't go into that store without buying st least one thing!
'
We planned to go out for a long, relazing dinner but we again couldn't find anything open. We settled on a bar/cafe that served food which was a plus. I ordered a Bloody Mary but the Chinese worker only spoke Italian and had no idea what I was ordering even thought it was on a the menu so I ordered a margarita. For dinner the girls got pizza (which they watched be pulled out of a freezer) and I got one giant chicken finger and salad. It wasn't bad, but not the dinner I was expecting in Italy. We went to the market to buy some snacks and some wine to enjoy at the B&B for the rest of the night.
We walked back to the B&B in the pouring rain without umbrellas. If my flats weren't already ruined, they were after that rain storm! Back at the B&B we got comfy and turned on the TV which didn't have many working channels and none of them were in English. The B&B also didn't have a wine key so while I channel surfed, Anna used a pen to force the cork INSIDE the bottle. It was hard and she ended up covered in wine but it was successfully opened! Too bad that after all that hard work, the wine was so awful it, it was basically undrinkable. We drank it anyway, ate Pringles and filled in our own dialogue for Italian TV shows. After a while I showered and was immediately exhausted and ready for bed.
We went straight to the ticket office who told us tht we needed to buy new tickets then go up to customer service to try and get our money back from missing our train the night before. We went up to customer service, they were not happy to hear that we already had new tickets and so they sent us back down to the ticketing office to get a refund on the tickets we had just purchased. Such a mess. On top of all this running around, we are told that the train leaves every hour on the hour for Genova, EXCEPT 10am since theis is when they clean the train.
We shopped and sat around in the station until getting on the 11am train. The train was just like the Harry Potter trains since there are all cabins with six seats in each cabin. We didn't have seat reservations so we just sat in 2nd class and hoped no one would ask us to move. I was still nervous about checking into the B&B since we were supposed to check in by 11am and now we wouldn't be arriving until around 1pm. We had a little trouble finding the B&B since everything was closed on all the streets and there were no signs. We walked down the street a lot further than we thought we were supposed to so we had to turn around. We went into the only open store on the block, a rotissery chicken restuarant. The women working inside didn't speak any English but were able to point us in the right direction of the B&B. We were still aimlessly walking when a man asked us if we needed help. We told him the address and he kindly walked us right to the B&B which didn't look like a B&B AT ALL.
The outside and the walk up to the 2nd floor was creepy but the inside was really cute and homey. There were three beds and a view of the sea port from our room. There were also two large bathrooms with towels and sheets included. We put our stuff down and headed into town to look for some lunch. Since nothing was really open, this task seemed nearly impossible. We walked off the main path toward where we saw lights but everything was still closed and about 10 times more creepy. Genova is basically the Italian version of Newark, NJ. All the men hang out on street corners starring at you and making comments under their breath. While walking, I saw a family and said, "Quick, follow the white people!". This may seem really ignorant of me, but it also explains the gravity of the situation we were in. The family ended up being a lost cause anyway since they were slow walkers and just wandering without a destination. We finally saw a little open shop with what looked like pizza so we went inside are ordered 3 slices of cheese pizza and a hot dog in a croissant. What we got ended up being the exact opposite of pizza; it was cold, basically uncooked bread, with rough and crumbling bad cheese. I ate less than half before I couldn't eat anymore and moved onto my hot dog. It was good except it was barely cooked and the little it was cooked, tasted like it had been done hours ago.
We walked over to the aquarium on the harbor since it is the largest one in Europe. We didn't go inside though since it was 18 Euro per person which didn't even include the entire experience. We then walked around the rest of the harbor and got gelato. It was pretty good but I think we thought that since we hadn't had any gelato in over a week! I got chocolate and cookies plus I got an entire cookie and it was in a cone cup! I was a happy camper. We shopped for a little but there wasn't much to do so we took a boat tour of the harbor for 6 Euro. TOo bad when they sold us the tickets they didn't warn us that the whole tour was in Italian. The ride was chilly, foregin, and boring since all we looked at was giant running cargo frieghts. After the unsuccessful boat tour we went into the city center. On the way, we finally passed some pretty buildings and fancy churches which gave us hope for the rest of the day. The center ws an enourmous fountain with smaller fountains all around it. Very pretty! We kept walking and saw a partial castle, a garden, and more pretty architecture. The main strip of the town had a ton of shopping but since it was 4pm and raining on a Sunday, everything was either closed or in the process of closing. I did manage to get into H&M and bought a shirt since I can't go into that store without buying st least one thing!
'
We planned to go out for a long, relazing dinner but we again couldn't find anything open. We settled on a bar/cafe that served food which was a plus. I ordered a Bloody Mary but the Chinese worker only spoke Italian and had no idea what I was ordering even thought it was on a the menu so I ordered a margarita. For dinner the girls got pizza (which they watched be pulled out of a freezer) and I got one giant chicken finger and salad. It wasn't bad, but not the dinner I was expecting in Italy. We went to the market to buy some snacks and some wine to enjoy at the B&B for the rest of the night.
We walked back to the B&B in the pouring rain without umbrellas. If my flats weren't already ruined, they were after that rain storm! Back at the B&B we got comfy and turned on the TV which didn't have many working channels and none of them were in English. The B&B also didn't have a wine key so while I channel surfed, Anna used a pen to force the cork INSIDE the bottle. It was hard and she ended up covered in wine but it was successfully opened! Too bad that after all that hard work, the wine was so awful it, it was basically undrinkable. We drank it anyway, ate Pringles and filled in our own dialogue for Italian TV shows. After a while I showered and was immediately exhausted and ready for bed.
Spring Break, Day 9
We had to wake up at 6am this morning in order to make our 7:45am train to Genova. Before we boarded the train we bought snacks since we wouldn't be arriving into Genova until around 10:30 pm. I tried to buy a criossant, a blueberry muffin, anda sandwhich with my debit card but for some reaso nthey wouldn't let me so I had to borrow money from Anna. Our first train went from Amsterdam to Koln, Germany. From Koln, we hada 10 minute time frame to make it to our next train which would bring us to Zurich. From Zurich we were headed to Milan and everything was fine until the train stopped and announced that they were making the final stop and everyone needed to exit the train. The problem was that we were stopped in Chiasso (NOT MILAN) and teh announcments were all in Italian so we had no idea what to do. Luckily, an Italian woman saw how confused we looked and explained to us that we had to get on the train next door as a transfer and then transfer again which would bring us to Milan. We had to choice but to trust her and board the train.
The train was basically a subway car and took half an hour to get to our transfer stop. The second transfer station was on a five minute delay and wasn't scheduled to arrive for another 30 minutes. We clearly weren't going to make the train to Milan in time for our train to Genova so we called the bed and breakfast we were staying at and explained that we wouldnt be checking in until the next morning. Once we got into Milan basically everything was closed since it was so late. We walked outside the station and started our search for a hotel room for the night. The first few we went to were either too expensive or fully booked but we finally found a room for 120 Euro a night. The room was massive with a king bed and a twin bed. The shower was heavenly with towel warmers and slippers! After putting all of our stuff down, we walked to the nearest pizzeria and got three margarhita pizza's to go.
We watched an ENGLISH version of the Jersey Shore while eating our delicious pizza. This may not seem too exciting but it's the first English television I had watched in two months! For anyone that knows me, this is probably the longest time I have ever gone without TV!
The train was basically a subway car and took half an hour to get to our transfer stop. The second transfer station was on a five minute delay and wasn't scheduled to arrive for another 30 minutes. We clearly weren't going to make the train to Milan in time for our train to Genova so we called the bed and breakfast we were staying at and explained that we wouldnt be checking in until the next morning. Once we got into Milan basically everything was closed since it was so late. We walked outside the station and started our search for a hotel room for the night. The first few we went to were either too expensive or fully booked but we finally found a room for 120 Euro a night. The room was massive with a king bed and a twin bed. The shower was heavenly with towel warmers and slippers! After putting all of our stuff down, we walked to the nearest pizzeria and got three margarhita pizza's to go.
We watched an ENGLISH version of the Jersey Shore while eating our delicious pizza. This may not seem too exciting but it's the first English television I had watched in two months! For anyone that knows me, this is probably the longest time I have ever gone without TV!
Spring Break, Day 8
We only had a few hours a sleep before getting up to get ready for our walking tour! We missed the meeting time for the tour at the hostel so we had to take the trolley into town and search for the meeting point. The meeting point was a monument in the center of town which was covered with people when we arrived. Everyone waiting at the monument was waiting to go on the tour since it was a free tour; we were all put into groups of about 25 which was the perfect size. Our guide was Julian who was from Australia and had been living in Amsterdam for the past two years with his girlfriend. We were on the tour for a few hours before breaking for lunch. We were all starving and craving french fries we had seen earlier. We walked and found the stand again which served cups of fries with a sauce. The menu of sauces was in Dutch so we had no idea what to order; we saw alot of people walking away with white sauce but I played it safe and ordered cheese. We met back up with the group and asked Julian what the sauce was, it was MAYO!
We continued our tour onto the canals of the city. I knew Amsterdam was on the ocean but I had no idea it was also covered in canals. Another unique part of the city, is that the houses were all built on swamps, so to prevent sinking, buildiners layed down large trees for the foundation. This method worked for a whie but now the houses are all starting to slant into eachother and to the side. Also, on top of the houses are ledges that were used as pulleys to lift things such as furniture inot the apartments since Dutch stairs are notoriously skinny and steep. The walking tour ended in front of the Anne Frank house so we decided to go inside since it was only 8 Euro. The tour took about two hours and I was surprised at how big the house was. When I read the book years ago, I some how imagined the house to be small and cramped but the building as well as the Annex were large and mildly spacious. Inside we walked into the rooms of the house which were covered in quotes from the book as well as photographs and televisions showing clips from a documentary about the Anne Frank story. We also walked into the Annex with crazy steep stairs and were in the actual rooms that Anne Frank and her family hid in for nearly two years. By the end of the tour, my feet were throbbing and I was ready for a nap.
We all layed down at the hostel for a while before getting ready for our dinner cruise which started at 8pm. The cruise met at the main train station, it was 70 Euro and included a four course meal (appetizer, soup, main course, and dessert), plus prosecco, unlimited wine and water, bread, and tea/coffee. The cruise was on the canals and toured the city for two hours. Before being served the first course, we were given the 'Chef's Specialty' which was a spoon full of goat cheese. I didn't like the cheese but I tried it anyway. The appetizer was shrimp over avocado and watermelon salad. I was nervous for the combination but it ended up being really good. Next came out the soups but since they were from the summer menu, they were served cold and in baby shot glasses. The first soup was cucumber and the other was gazpacho. I didn't like either one but I think it was because of the coldness. Next came the main course which was herb crusted salmon over mashed potatoes and mashed carrots. Everything was amazing, I basically licked my plate clean. Finally came the dessert which was creme caramel and strawberry soup. The texture of the creme caramel was strange but it tasted similar to creme brulee so I liked it. The strawberry soup was sweet and I really liked it. After the cruise we went back to the hostel and passed out. Unfortunately I spent the night tossing and turning and hadn't had much sleep the rest of the week either so I woke up with the beginnings of a cold.
We continued our tour onto the canals of the city. I knew Amsterdam was on the ocean but I had no idea it was also covered in canals. Another unique part of the city, is that the houses were all built on swamps, so to prevent sinking, buildiners layed down large trees for the foundation. This method worked for a whie but now the houses are all starting to slant into eachother and to the side. Also, on top of the houses are ledges that were used as pulleys to lift things such as furniture inot the apartments since Dutch stairs are notoriously skinny and steep. The walking tour ended in front of the Anne Frank house so we decided to go inside since it was only 8 Euro. The tour took about two hours and I was surprised at how big the house was. When I read the book years ago, I some how imagined the house to be small and cramped but the building as well as the Annex were large and mildly spacious. Inside we walked into the rooms of the house which were covered in quotes from the book as well as photographs and televisions showing clips from a documentary about the Anne Frank story. We also walked into the Annex with crazy steep stairs and were in the actual rooms that Anne Frank and her family hid in for nearly two years. By the end of the tour, my feet were throbbing and I was ready for a nap.
We all layed down at the hostel for a while before getting ready for our dinner cruise which started at 8pm. The cruise met at the main train station, it was 70 Euro and included a four course meal (appetizer, soup, main course, and dessert), plus prosecco, unlimited wine and water, bread, and tea/coffee. The cruise was on the canals and toured the city for two hours. Before being served the first course, we were given the 'Chef's Specialty' which was a spoon full of goat cheese. I didn't like the cheese but I tried it anyway. The appetizer was shrimp over avocado and watermelon salad. I was nervous for the combination but it ended up being really good. Next came out the soups but since they were from the summer menu, they were served cold and in baby shot glasses. The first soup was cucumber and the other was gazpacho. I didn't like either one but I think it was because of the coldness. Next came the main course which was herb crusted salmon over mashed potatoes and mashed carrots. Everything was amazing, I basically licked my plate clean. Finally came the dessert which was creme caramel and strawberry soup. The texture of the creme caramel was strange but it tasted similar to creme brulee so I liked it. The strawberry soup was sweet and I really liked it. After the cruise we went back to the hostel and passed out. Unfortunately I spent the night tossing and turning and hadn't had much sleep the rest of the week either so I woke up with the beginnings of a cold.
Spring Break, Day 7
We got a few hours of sleep before we had to get ready for our train to Amsterdam. We got on the train at 9:55am and transferred in Frankfurt before arriving in Amsterdam at 5:30pm. We took our first trolley ride which landed us in the middle of Liedensplein which is a square filled with shops, restaurants, cafes, and bars. We walked around lost for a while before finding a sign that directed us to the hostel. The hostel (Stay Okay Vondel Park) was incredibly nice and modern. There were giant red and orange arm chairs all over, a few foosball tables, a bunch of computers, and a bar/cafe.
We were on the top floor since were stayed in a 20 person room! The room was situated alot differently than we expected since there were nooks with two bunk beds and lockers. There were two toilets and three showers but no blow dryers! Luckily, the beds were super comfy! We made our beds then went down stairs to look at all the information we had collected about things to do. We decided to do a pub crawl of the Red Light District and the crawl started at 8 so we didn't have any time to get ready or get dinner!
The crawl only cost 15 Euro and included a t-shirt, free shots from 8-8:30, a shot at each pub, entrance into 4 pubs, and entrance into 1 club. At the first bar we were all hungry so I got a hot dog (AMAZING) and the girls split chips and dip. Some how Anna and I were convinced to try guacamole; not all bad but I still don't like it. Two guys came to sit with us who were from Canada, Brian and Ryan (holy confusing!). They had been traveling for the past six months and seemed like great people. We ordered some run and cokes and chatted until moving onto the other pubs. Walking through the Red Light District I was amazed at all the girls in their booths. There was every type of girl you could image, most of them were actually really attractive and clean looking. We made tons of friends with all the people on the Pub Crawl who were from all over the world; Australia, the UK, Canada, Brazil, and the US. The pub crawl was definitely a good choice, I had an amazing night!
We were on the top floor since were stayed in a 20 person room! The room was situated alot differently than we expected since there were nooks with two bunk beds and lockers. There were two toilets and three showers but no blow dryers! Luckily, the beds were super comfy! We made our beds then went down stairs to look at all the information we had collected about things to do. We decided to do a pub crawl of the Red Light District and the crawl started at 8 so we didn't have any time to get ready or get dinner!
The crawl only cost 15 Euro and included a t-shirt, free shots from 8-8:30, a shot at each pub, entrance into 4 pubs, and entrance into 1 club. At the first bar we were all hungry so I got a hot dog (AMAZING) and the girls split chips and dip. Some how Anna and I were convinced to try guacamole; not all bad but I still don't like it. Two guys came to sit with us who were from Canada, Brian and Ryan (holy confusing!). They had been traveling for the past six months and seemed like great people. We ordered some run and cokes and chatted until moving onto the other pubs. Walking through the Red Light District I was amazed at all the girls in their booths. There was every type of girl you could image, most of them were actually really attractive and clean looking. We made tons of friends with all the people on the Pub Crawl who were from all over the world; Australia, the UK, Canada, Brazil, and the US. The pub crawl was definitely a good choice, I had an amazing night!
Spring Break, Day 6
This morning we woke up, got ready, and went down for breafast. After breakfast we rode our bikes into town to return them but hte shop didn't open until 11am so we went down the street for some coffee at Coffee Fellows. Since I still can't stand coffee, I ordered "Fruity Diva" tea which tasted exactly like normal berry tea. The bike rental place ended up not even opening until 11:15am so we had to bascially run to the train station in order to catch a train to Chimsee. Unfortunately we got lost and ran out of time so we missed the train. We didn't know where else to go so we asked the ticket booth who suggested Augsberg which was an hour ride into an 'old town'. The fare was cheap and we didn't really have any other options so we took the train.
We got into town and had no map and no idea where to go so we just wandered. At one shop I bought a new scarf for just 2 Euro! We kept walking throug ht town in the sunshine until we all got hungry. As we were looking for lunch, we went down another street which was filled with adorable shops! We planned to get lunch then go gback to shoppping. It turned out to be alot more difficult to find somewhere to eat than we thoguht but we finally decided on a little cafe with outdoor seating. I got prosecco and pepperoni pizza and the 3 of us split a snack platter of mozzarella sticks, chips, french fries, chicken, and jalepeno poppers. We didn't have much time after lunch but we went into a little store called Pimkie which I loveddd. I bought 2 skirts, a long sleeve shirt, and a tee shirt; all for under 65 Euro! By the time we left Pimkie, we only had a few minutes to catch the train so Jen and I went into a book store where I bought 2 new books.
We jumped on the first train back to Munich and it was especially nice. We went to get on a train marked with a 2 ( symbolizes 2nd class) but I walked off because it seemed too fancy inside. We all got back on and it wasn't until we were almost back in Munich that a ticket checker looked at our tickets and told us that we didn't have the right tickets for that particular train! OOPS! She was sweet and just told us to be more careful the next time we boarded a train. Since we took such a nice train, we got back to Munich with some extra time so we went into H&M. As we were walking down the stairs onto the main floor, I slipped and fell banging my ankle and foot! I walked it off but it still killed! Even in pain, I ended up buying a pair of flower keds.
We headed to Marzinplatz to meet the rest of the group for our beer tasting tour! The group was small consisting of 2 guys from NY, 2 girls from the UK, 1 guy from Australia, and a couple from Stockholm. First , our guide walked us to a near by beer garden to give us a history lesson about Munich, beer, and beer gardens. Next, we walked to Schneider Wiessie, which was a former brewery turned into a restaurant. It has been family owned and operated for 6 generations! There were 3 different types of beer being offered, a wheat, a dark, and a strong beer so the three of us each ordered a different one to mix! Surprisingly, my favorite was the dark. I didn't like the wheat and the strong was too strong to taste like beer. Next, we got on the underground and headed toward Paulaner, which is a brewery that has been open since 1634. I was pretty surprised at how small the brewery was and how small all the tanks were. After our tour, we headed back upstairs to the restuarant where we were given 3 little samples of beer which was all produced in house. My favorite was the classic. After everyone finished thier beers and food we went back to the underground and walked to the Hofbrauhas again. This time there, we got a classic beer which is a full liter and came in a giant mug costing 7 Euro! I also got a pretzel which was huge and delicious for Jen and I to share.
One of the girls from the UK challenged one of the guys from NY to chug a full liter of beer. The girl ended up winning but then also promptly ran into the bathroom to throw it all up. After we finished we tried asking our tour guide how to go to the underground to go out for drinks but instead we walked us to a cocktail bar. It was pretty expensive but we all ordered drink anyway; I got a Scarlett O'Hara which was Southern Comfort and a whole bunch of juices! Since the drinks were pricey, we left after the first drink and got onto the underground to go out in a known bar area. The girls from the UK were tired and scared to take the underground and he boys from NY didn't want to leave them alone so they all left. This left Anna, Jenn, myself, and the guy from Australia (Daniel). Daniel was on a full expense paid account for work so he bought us some drinks which was nice. Everyone was leaving as we were walking into the nearly empty bar. We asked a guy where everyone was going and he told us of another bar near by. We went to the next bar which was down a dark alley and had a rickety old door. Inside it was insanely crowded and full of Germans, we were the only non-locals in the whole place. We got some beers and grabbed a table. We sat chatting and meeting locals for a while. Jen and I went to the bathroom and Jen went into the men's room and was yelled at by a guy inside! When we got back, somehow Daniel ended up being really drunk and sat for a while with his head down on the table. The waitress came over with some water but he was too lethargic to drink it. We were getting ready to leave so we tried to wake Daniel up when all of a sudden he picked up his glass and threw it full force at the guy I was sitting next to, causing the glasses to shatter. We took this as our que to leave. We just got Daniel outside when he crossed the street and started throwing up all over. We basically had to carry him to the line of cabs waiting to take us home. What an eventful evening!
We got into town and had no map and no idea where to go so we just wandered. At one shop I bought a new scarf for just 2 Euro! We kept walking throug ht town in the sunshine until we all got hungry. As we were looking for lunch, we went down another street which was filled with adorable shops! We planned to get lunch then go gback to shoppping. It turned out to be alot more difficult to find somewhere to eat than we thoguht but we finally decided on a little cafe with outdoor seating. I got prosecco and pepperoni pizza and the 3 of us split a snack platter of mozzarella sticks, chips, french fries, chicken, and jalepeno poppers. We didn't have much time after lunch but we went into a little store called Pimkie which I loveddd. I bought 2 skirts, a long sleeve shirt, and a tee shirt; all for under 65 Euro! By the time we left Pimkie, we only had a few minutes to catch the train so Jen and I went into a book store where I bought 2 new books.
We jumped on the first train back to Munich and it was especially nice. We went to get on a train marked with a 2 ( symbolizes 2nd class) but I walked off because it seemed too fancy inside. We all got back on and it wasn't until we were almost back in Munich that a ticket checker looked at our tickets and told us that we didn't have the right tickets for that particular train! OOPS! She was sweet and just told us to be more careful the next time we boarded a train. Since we took such a nice train, we got back to Munich with some extra time so we went into H&M. As we were walking down the stairs onto the main floor, I slipped and fell banging my ankle and foot! I walked it off but it still killed! Even in pain, I ended up buying a pair of flower keds.
We headed to Marzinplatz to meet the rest of the group for our beer tasting tour! The group was small consisting of 2 guys from NY, 2 girls from the UK, 1 guy from Australia, and a couple from Stockholm. First , our guide walked us to a near by beer garden to give us a history lesson about Munich, beer, and beer gardens. Next, we walked to Schneider Wiessie, which was a former brewery turned into a restaurant. It has been family owned and operated for 6 generations! There were 3 different types of beer being offered, a wheat, a dark, and a strong beer so the three of us each ordered a different one to mix! Surprisingly, my favorite was the dark. I didn't like the wheat and the strong was too strong to taste like beer. Next, we got on the underground and headed toward Paulaner, which is a brewery that has been open since 1634. I was pretty surprised at how small the brewery was and how small all the tanks were. After our tour, we headed back upstairs to the restuarant where we were given 3 little samples of beer which was all produced in house. My favorite was the classic. After everyone finished thier beers and food we went back to the underground and walked to the Hofbrauhas again. This time there, we got a classic beer which is a full liter and came in a giant mug costing 7 Euro! I also got a pretzel which was huge and delicious for Jen and I to share.
One of the girls from the UK challenged one of the guys from NY to chug a full liter of beer. The girl ended up winning but then also promptly ran into the bathroom to throw it all up. After we finished we tried asking our tour guide how to go to the underground to go out for drinks but instead we walked us to a cocktail bar. It was pretty expensive but we all ordered drink anyway; I got a Scarlett O'Hara which was Southern Comfort and a whole bunch of juices! Since the drinks were pricey, we left after the first drink and got onto the underground to go out in a known bar area. The girls from the UK were tired and scared to take the underground and he boys from NY didn't want to leave them alone so they all left. This left Anna, Jenn, myself, and the guy from Australia (Daniel). Daniel was on a full expense paid account for work so he bought us some drinks which was nice. Everyone was leaving as we were walking into the nearly empty bar. We asked a guy where everyone was going and he told us of another bar near by. We went to the next bar which was down a dark alley and had a rickety old door. Inside it was insanely crowded and full of Germans, we were the only non-locals in the whole place. We got some beers and grabbed a table. We sat chatting and meeting locals for a while. Jen and I went to the bathroom and Jen went into the men's room and was yelled at by a guy inside! When we got back, somehow Daniel ended up being really drunk and sat for a while with his head down on the table. The waitress came over with some water but he was too lethargic to drink it. We were getting ready to leave so we tried to wake Daniel up when all of a sudden he picked up his glass and threw it full force at the guy I was sitting next to, causing the glasses to shatter. We took this as our que to leave. We just got Daniel outside when he crossed the street and started throwing up all over. We basically had to carry him to the line of cabs waiting to take us home. What an eventful evening!
Spring Break, Day 5
I ended up getting creative and squatting beneath the hand dryer in the bathroom to blow dry my hair which turned out surprisingly well. The breakfast at the hostel was basically identical to Munich's but the room was completely empty. After breakfast we bought an underground ticket from the hostel which worked for all 3 of us and only cost 9.80 Euro. The underground was really simple so we made it to the bike rental shop easily. The owner of the shop was about 10 minutes late but when he did show up, he convinced us to rent the bikes for 24 hours for 15 Euros. We also bought our tickets for the Brewery Tour but were told that the Haunted Ghost Tour wasn't currently running. Eric (the owner) gave us a map and suggested a few sights to see.
First we went to the English Garden which were massive. We found a beer garden inside next to a giant Asian structure so we stopped for a beer. We weren't sure what to order so the bartender suggested a beer that was mixed with lemonade. It was pretty tasty but what I really liked was the sunshine. Next we rode to the Olympic Park which was even bigger and beautiful. The structures within the park were so modern that it was difficult to image the Olympics being held there in the 70's, it looked more like the 00's! Next we decided to ride into the city's central square, Marinplatz. On the way we stopped at most of Munich's major sights and monuments.
For lunch we were lame and went to Pizza Hut. We shared brushetta and mozzarella garlic bread, a pepperoni pizza with fun stuffed crust, a cookie dessert, and beer. Of course everything was DELICIOUS. We got lucky and got into Marinplatz at 5:00pm just in time to see the clock tower ring and all the figureens dance! We also went to the open air market which had the most bizarre fruit, the most crowded beer garden, and adorable Easter themed toys and decorations. Next we went to the Hofbrouhouse since its one of the most famous pubs in the world since 1619.
We were surprised when we walked in since it asn't a pub at all but was actually a giant cafeteria! We joined an elderly German couple at a table and told the waiter to bring us 3 of any beer he prefered since we yet again had no idea what to order. Sadly, he brought us 1/2 liters of wheat beer which was the kind I don't like. I drank as much as I could but just couldn't finish it. Around the time we were getting ready to leave the band started playing which was fun since they play traditional Bavarian music.
It was getting cold and dark around 6:30 so we headed back to the hostel to rest before dinner and going out! We all climbed into bed and then before we knew it, it was 8:45! We took the subway to Lowenbrau, which was another restuarant suggested by the hostel except this one was supposed to be more traditional. I asked the waitress about the color of the bratwurst and she said they had the red and the white; Jen and I ordered the red. Of course it comes out and its the white kind. Jen tried it first and said it was good so I went for it. It tasted exactly like sausage, YUCK. Then I tried to saurkraut and it was nothing like the kind in the States, it was weak and had an odd after taste. Luckily, I wasn't that hungry and the meal also came with delcious mashed potatos and I of course had my beer!
After eating, we were all too full and tired that we decided not to go out and to just go back to the hostel for an early night.
First we went to the English Garden which were massive. We found a beer garden inside next to a giant Asian structure so we stopped for a beer. We weren't sure what to order so the bartender suggested a beer that was mixed with lemonade. It was pretty tasty but what I really liked was the sunshine. Next we rode to the Olympic Park which was even bigger and beautiful. The structures within the park were so modern that it was difficult to image the Olympics being held there in the 70's, it looked more like the 00's! Next we decided to ride into the city's central square, Marinplatz. On the way we stopped at most of Munich's major sights and monuments.
For lunch we were lame and went to Pizza Hut. We shared brushetta and mozzarella garlic bread, a pepperoni pizza with fun stuffed crust, a cookie dessert, and beer. Of course everything was DELICIOUS. We got lucky and got into Marinplatz at 5:00pm just in time to see the clock tower ring and all the figureens dance! We also went to the open air market which had the most bizarre fruit, the most crowded beer garden, and adorable Easter themed toys and decorations. Next we went to the Hofbrouhouse since its one of the most famous pubs in the world since 1619.
We were surprised when we walked in since it asn't a pub at all but was actually a giant cafeteria! We joined an elderly German couple at a table and told the waiter to bring us 3 of any beer he prefered since we yet again had no idea what to order. Sadly, he brought us 1/2 liters of wheat beer which was the kind I don't like. I drank as much as I could but just couldn't finish it. Around the time we were getting ready to leave the band started playing which was fun since they play traditional Bavarian music.
It was getting cold and dark around 6:30 so we headed back to the hostel to rest before dinner and going out! We all climbed into bed and then before we knew it, it was 8:45! We took the subway to Lowenbrau, which was another restuarant suggested by the hostel except this one was supposed to be more traditional. I asked the waitress about the color of the bratwurst and she said they had the red and the white; Jen and I ordered the red. Of course it comes out and its the white kind. Jen tried it first and said it was good so I went for it. It tasted exactly like sausage, YUCK. Then I tried to saurkraut and it was nothing like the kind in the States, it was weak and had an odd after taste. Luckily, I wasn't that hungry and the meal also came with delcious mashed potatos and I of course had my beer!
After eating, we were all too full and tired that we decided not to go out and to just go back to the hostel for an early night.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Spring Break, Day 4
We boarded our train to Munich and luckily we were seated together! For the ride, I finished my book, ate my Swiss Chocolate ( :( which was dark!), listened to my ipod and updated my journal. The Munich train station was alot more modern than the Zurich station; it reminded me of Newark Airport except with cuter shops! We easily found the information center which directed us in the direction of our hostel. The walk to the hostel was simple except it took about 40 minutes. The hostel was a large, easily identifable building. We checked in and lukcily we were able to fix the dates and number of nights we were staying since we had screwed up in Zurich. We made our beds, checked out the hostel, and then headed out to a recomended lunch spot. The place was pretty empty but I was able to order a cheap burger and beer so I was happy.
After lunch we walked to the Nymphemburg Palace which was a cluster of large buildings and gardens. In front of the palace there was a giant lake with a crazy amount of perfect looking swans. We wanted to go to the beir garden that was near by according to the map but we weren't able to find it so we walked home.
The hostel recomended for us to go down the street for some authentic German food. All of the waiters wore silly German costumes. I wanted to order bratwurst but they were out so I asked to order what a man sitting near us was eating. It was called something insanely German but was basically roast beef and a moist bread ball on the side. I asked another waiter what the ball was made of and he described it as a hot dog bun smushed together. We all were laughing hysterically, still not having any idea what I was eating. Anna and Jen had ordered Schnitzel which tasted pretty good but I'm not the biggest fan of fried food. After dinner we planned to grab a beer at a bar across the street from our hostel. We walked up to the bar but the door wouldn't open so we rang the belll. The door opened and we went inside but were greeted by curious, staring eyes. The bartender asked me something in German but Anna was desperately trying to tell me about how Jen had fallen into the door on her way inside. Next thing I know, an old man runs over to us yelling in German then asks if we have a membership card. We obviously didn't even know what he was talking about so he said," You must leave at once, PLEASE!" While pushing us out the door and slamming it shut behind us. Confused we walked to another beer garden we had seen earlier in the day and went inside but it was completely empty so we left.
Once back at the hostel, Jen and I showered and got ready for bed. We didn't think ahead to bring a different converter for Germany so Jen's blowdryer couldn't work. Air dry my hair it is!
After lunch we walked to the Nymphemburg Palace which was a cluster of large buildings and gardens. In front of the palace there was a giant lake with a crazy amount of perfect looking swans. We wanted to go to the beir garden that was near by according to the map but we weren't able to find it so we walked home.
The hostel recomended for us to go down the street for some authentic German food. All of the waiters wore silly German costumes. I wanted to order bratwurst but they were out so I asked to order what a man sitting near us was eating. It was called something insanely German but was basically roast beef and a moist bread ball on the side. I asked another waiter what the ball was made of and he described it as a hot dog bun smushed together. We all were laughing hysterically, still not having any idea what I was eating. Anna and Jen had ordered Schnitzel which tasted pretty good but I'm not the biggest fan of fried food. After dinner we planned to grab a beer at a bar across the street from our hostel. We walked up to the bar but the door wouldn't open so we rang the belll. The door opened and we went inside but were greeted by curious, staring eyes. The bartender asked me something in German but Anna was desperately trying to tell me about how Jen had fallen into the door on her way inside. Next thing I know, an old man runs over to us yelling in German then asks if we have a membership card. We obviously didn't even know what he was talking about so he said," You must leave at once, PLEASE!" While pushing us out the door and slamming it shut behind us. Confused we walked to another beer garden we had seen earlier in the day and went inside but it was completely empty so we left.
Once back at the hostel, Jen and I showered and got ready for bed. We didn't think ahead to bring a different converter for Germany so Jen's blowdryer couldn't work. Air dry my hair it is!
Spring Break, Day 2 and 3
I'm skipping to most of day 2 since if you read my last post, I was in bed most of the day. The other girls went out for the day exploring the little towns between Zurich and Ritcherswill while I recovered. By the time they got home, we were all ready for dinner. We found the other restaurant we were supposed to go to the night before where I ordered a Sprite to settle my stomach and tomato soup for a light dinner. After dinner I was still feeling sick but not terrible so we called it yet another early night with plans to explore Zurich the next morning.
By the next morning I was feeling much better so we headed down to breakfast and filled ourselves to the brim with plans on skipping lunch and its expense. While sitting at breakfast I was being blinded by light so I looked up only to find an old man with 2 teeth using a mirror to shine sunlight into my eyes. He laughed and said he thought I needed a little more light in my life. Welcome to hostel living.
We got ready and took the S-Bahn into Zurich and then from there we walked entirely uphill to the Zurich Zoo. The zoo had a long line of parents and children outside but inside it was pretty spaced out. All the animals were beautiful, well cared for, and barely in cages so they were basically out in the open. THe penguins made crazy noises that I have never heard made by any animal before but were still adorable. The monkies were extremely active by fighting and playing with each other and swinging around the cage. The gorillas had a fresh baby that didn't even have any hair yet, being held by the mother. The zoo was so cool since it had slides and parks all over for kids to play on. We went by the bamboons which were ugly and saw them cleaning eachother and eating it. One of them even took poop off of anothers butt and ate it, of course the kids had a field day with that. Lastly, we went into the garden which was literally 90 degrees and pure humidity.
After leaving the zoo, we began walking to the Dolder. On one of the back roads we just happened to see a man walking a camel on a leash. Strange! We walked to the Dodler with the thought that we could walk around inside and take pictures but it was actually just a hotel and a restuarant. Instead we sat on a near by park bench which overlooked the city. We walked entirely downhill through the suburbs of Zurich to the botanical gardens. The gardens werent anything too exciting but it was free so we walked around for a while and then sat on another bench overlooking the city. We left the botanical gardens in search of the Chinese Gardens and a cove with a pretty view of Lake Zurich.
When we reached the water, we were greeted with swarms of people. There were couples walking the promenade, children playing soccer and riding scooters and groups of young adults just lounging around talking. Sadly, the Chinese Garden was closed since through the windowwe were able to see it and it was gorgeous! We walked around instead and found the cove on the lake which had a dock so we sat on it talking for a while. As we were leaving we found a pond with cute stones making a walking path. We also passed a guy just picking up random rocks on the shore and somehow using balance to stack one on top of another. We also passed a guy set up doing magic and juggeling flaming batons while balancing on a free standing ladder.
We walked through the center of town to a place with a purple cow outside on display. We ordered 2 pots of fondue (one traditional, one bacon) and garlic bread and wine. The fondue was simply delicious and we finished every last piece of bread. We walked back to the train station and have some time so we went exploring and ended up finding a chocolate store which we had been looking for. I bought a little bar for myself and a little bunny for Nicole. On the train ride back, Anna just happened to look at her hostel receipt and noticed that we only paid for 2 nights, not 3 nights. We walked back to the hostel and we re immediately confronted by the reservation desk about why we hadn't returned our keys and why all of our things were still in the room. Embarrassed by our mistake, we paid for another night, showered, and went to bed. In the morning we got ready and had breakfast. The timing seemed to be perfect until we realized that the trains left at 8:15 and 8:45 while it was currently 8:01. We booked it to the station and luckily the train hadn't left yet but we also hadn't bought our tickets. We made a split second decision to jump on the train without tickets since if we had wasted time buying them, we would have missed it! The whole train ride we sat with knots in our stomach until we saw a uniform climb the steps. I just about fainted when I realized it was just a train cleaner. As soon as we reached the central train station we ran out onto the platform and breathed a giant sign of relief!
By the next morning I was feeling much better so we headed down to breakfast and filled ourselves to the brim with plans on skipping lunch and its expense. While sitting at breakfast I was being blinded by light so I looked up only to find an old man with 2 teeth using a mirror to shine sunlight into my eyes. He laughed and said he thought I needed a little more light in my life. Welcome to hostel living.
We got ready and took the S-Bahn into Zurich and then from there we walked entirely uphill to the Zurich Zoo. The zoo had a long line of parents and children outside but inside it was pretty spaced out. All the animals were beautiful, well cared for, and barely in cages so they were basically out in the open. THe penguins made crazy noises that I have never heard made by any animal before but were still adorable. The monkies were extremely active by fighting and playing with each other and swinging around the cage. The gorillas had a fresh baby that didn't even have any hair yet, being held by the mother. The zoo was so cool since it had slides and parks all over for kids to play on. We went by the bamboons which were ugly and saw them cleaning eachother and eating it. One of them even took poop off of anothers butt and ate it, of course the kids had a field day with that. Lastly, we went into the garden which was literally 90 degrees and pure humidity.
After leaving the zoo, we began walking to the Dolder. On one of the back roads we just happened to see a man walking a camel on a leash. Strange! We walked to the Dodler with the thought that we could walk around inside and take pictures but it was actually just a hotel and a restuarant. Instead we sat on a near by park bench which overlooked the city. We walked entirely downhill through the suburbs of Zurich to the botanical gardens. The gardens werent anything too exciting but it was free so we walked around for a while and then sat on another bench overlooking the city. We left the botanical gardens in search of the Chinese Gardens and a cove with a pretty view of Lake Zurich.
When we reached the water, we were greeted with swarms of people. There were couples walking the promenade, children playing soccer and riding scooters and groups of young adults just lounging around talking. Sadly, the Chinese Garden was closed since through the windowwe were able to see it and it was gorgeous! We walked around instead and found the cove on the lake which had a dock so we sat on it talking for a while. As we were leaving we found a pond with cute stones making a walking path. We also passed a guy just picking up random rocks on the shore and somehow using balance to stack one on top of another. We also passed a guy set up doing magic and juggeling flaming batons while balancing on a free standing ladder.
We walked through the center of town to a place with a purple cow outside on display. We ordered 2 pots of fondue (one traditional, one bacon) and garlic bread and wine. The fondue was simply delicious and we finished every last piece of bread. We walked back to the train station and have some time so we went exploring and ended up finding a chocolate store which we had been looking for. I bought a little bar for myself and a little bunny for Nicole. On the train ride back, Anna just happened to look at her hostel receipt and noticed that we only paid for 2 nights, not 3 nights. We walked back to the hostel and we re immediately confronted by the reservation desk about why we hadn't returned our keys and why all of our things were still in the room. Embarrassed by our mistake, we paid for another night, showered, and went to bed. In the morning we got ready and had breakfast. The timing seemed to be perfect until we realized that the trains left at 8:15 and 8:45 while it was currently 8:01. We booked it to the station and luckily the train hadn't left yet but we also hadn't bought our tickets. We made a split second decision to jump on the train without tickets since if we had wasted time buying them, we would have missed it! The whole train ride we sat with knots in our stomach until we saw a uniform climb the steps. I just about fainted when I realized it was just a train cleaner. As soon as we reached the central train station we ran out onto the platform and breathed a giant sign of relief!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Spring Break, Day 1
So everyone, it's been a while since I've posted but I'm sure most of your know that it's because I've been on an escapade through Europe for the past 10 days! After my torturous mid term exams I was more than happy to get away from Florence for a few days. Lucky for you, I brought a journal with me to document the trip as it was happening and now all I have to do is type it up!
Our trip, (Anna, Jen, and Myself) began on Friday March 18th bright and early by taking the 7am train from Santa Maria Novella to Milan. The ride itself was uneventful but Milan's train station is about double the size of Florence's and is about triple as crowded! Luckily as soon as we stepped off the train we were able to find the departures board and found our platform so with some time to kill we went in search of some breakfast. I settled on a chocolate criossant but when I got onto the train it was really a nutella criosssant (no complaints). We boarded the 9:10am train to Zurich with an ETA of 12:54pm. So far we only made stop in a beautiful water front city called Lugano. We arrived on time in Zurich and began looking for the tourist center so we could get some maps of the city and figure out how to get to our hostel. Next, we walked along the river to Lake Zurich. After taking pictures and sight seeing, we walked through the city center looking for somewhere to eat lunch. There was Thai, Chinese, and Kebab places everywhere. Every other place we looked at was insanely expensive; one place's menu listed a chicken sandwich on the lunch menu for 30 Franks! We finally were so hungry that we settled on a little cafe since we saw people outside eating pizza. We looked at the menu and couldn't find the pizza section so we asked out waiter, who explained that what we had seen wasn't pizza but was actually a swiss type of flat bread. They still looked good but cost almost 30 Franks so Anna and I decided to split one that had a cheese spread, bacon, potatos, onions, and another type of cheese on top. I was really nervous when it came out since the cheese spread resembled cream cheese which did not seem appetizing but I sucked it up and tried it and I loved it! Anna didn't really like it since the bacon in Europe is just plain different then bacon in the States and she doesn't like onions.
After lunch we continued to walk around but this time we went north of the river instead of south toward the lake. We were about to cross the river when we saw the bridge was being blocked off by a police van. There were about 10 police officers and one man being frisked so of course we continued to stop and stare at the spectical. We stood on the bridge watching the scene and pretending to take pictures of each other as the man was handcuffed! The police noticed us watching and gave us a stern look so we left to explore the park and the river. It was so pretty since everything was green and all the flowers were blossoming. The park bordered The Swiss National Museum which had a unique and beautiful facade. We made our way back to the train station and took the S-Bahn train to our hostel (public transportation!) The train was a doubledecker so of course we ran like children to sit up top! The ride took about 30 minutes and ran along Lake Zurich so it was a pretty view. We walked to our hostel and checked in easily. The three of us were in a 4 person room with 2 sets of bunk beds. At the end of the hall was the girls shower and a co-ed bathroom. The hostel was new and clean and offered free wi-fi which was great. We unpacked then walked around the little town of Ritcherswil. There wasn't much to see but it was a cute little town. We went into a bar for dinner but the bartender told us to go across the street for some cheap good eats and then to come back to the bar later for a drink. We walked next door but it led to a dumpster so we walked the opposite direction and went into a restaurant. It was really nice inside and filled with families so we sat down. We ordered beers, I got a calzone with some foreign ingredients and the girls ordered pizzas. The calzone was delicious even though I had to pick out most of the ham and when I was almost done I found a raw egg. Well a portion of a raw egg but an egg nonetheless. We finished up and headed back to the bar to order a round of beers.
The bar was pretty empty and had a strange set up of all little rooms with velour couches. The music was pretty hard core but we enjoyed ourselves anyway. Most of the other people in the bar were taking shots of baby bottles of Jager and then lining them up on a ledge surrounding the bar. We were getting ready to leave when an old, bald man came over and offered to buy us another round. Of course we accepted and he began talking to us in broken English. Jen spoke to him the most but didn't understand most of what he was saying. He babbled about being from Berlin and how we sucked since we are from America and we shouldn't be going to Munich since Berlin is SO MUCH better. He loved rocking out to the Offspring playing throughout the bar so he would stop mid sentence to have a jam session then jump back into his conversation. After he finished his beer he left and the bartender was talking to another person about how the guy was crazy and that even when he spoke German to them, they had no idea what he was talking about. The boy sitting next to us asked us why we were in Ritcherswill and then told us that we were currently "In the asshole of Europe". Lovely. We finished our beers and went back to the hostel. Of course I managed to loose my key in the 10 minutes we were in the hostel but luckily after tearing the room apart we found the key. We all went to bed for an early night but I woke up in the middle of the night feeling like I was going to die. Gory details aside, I had food poisoning and was in bed the rest of the night and the whole next day.
Our trip, (Anna, Jen, and Myself) began on Friday March 18th bright and early by taking the 7am train from Santa Maria Novella to Milan. The ride itself was uneventful but Milan's train station is about double the size of Florence's and is about triple as crowded! Luckily as soon as we stepped off the train we were able to find the departures board and found our platform so with some time to kill we went in search of some breakfast. I settled on a chocolate criossant but when I got onto the train it was really a nutella criosssant (no complaints). We boarded the 9:10am train to Zurich with an ETA of 12:54pm. So far we only made stop in a beautiful water front city called Lugano. We arrived on time in Zurich and began looking for the tourist center so we could get some maps of the city and figure out how to get to our hostel. Next, we walked along the river to Lake Zurich. After taking pictures and sight seeing, we walked through the city center looking for somewhere to eat lunch. There was Thai, Chinese, and Kebab places everywhere. Every other place we looked at was insanely expensive; one place's menu listed a chicken sandwich on the lunch menu for 30 Franks! We finally were so hungry that we settled on a little cafe since we saw people outside eating pizza. We looked at the menu and couldn't find the pizza section so we asked out waiter, who explained that what we had seen wasn't pizza but was actually a swiss type of flat bread. They still looked good but cost almost 30 Franks so Anna and I decided to split one that had a cheese spread, bacon, potatos, onions, and another type of cheese on top. I was really nervous when it came out since the cheese spread resembled cream cheese which did not seem appetizing but I sucked it up and tried it and I loved it! Anna didn't really like it since the bacon in Europe is just plain different then bacon in the States and she doesn't like onions.
After lunch we continued to walk around but this time we went north of the river instead of south toward the lake. We were about to cross the river when we saw the bridge was being blocked off by a police van. There were about 10 police officers and one man being frisked so of course we continued to stop and stare at the spectical. We stood on the bridge watching the scene and pretending to take pictures of each other as the man was handcuffed! The police noticed us watching and gave us a stern look so we left to explore the park and the river. It was so pretty since everything was green and all the flowers were blossoming. The park bordered The Swiss National Museum which had a unique and beautiful facade. We made our way back to the train station and took the S-Bahn train to our hostel (public transportation!) The train was a doubledecker so of course we ran like children to sit up top! The ride took about 30 minutes and ran along Lake Zurich so it was a pretty view. We walked to our hostel and checked in easily. The three of us were in a 4 person room with 2 sets of bunk beds. At the end of the hall was the girls shower and a co-ed bathroom. The hostel was new and clean and offered free wi-fi which was great. We unpacked then walked around the little town of Ritcherswil. There wasn't much to see but it was a cute little town. We went into a bar for dinner but the bartender told us to go across the street for some cheap good eats and then to come back to the bar later for a drink. We walked next door but it led to a dumpster so we walked the opposite direction and went into a restaurant. It was really nice inside and filled with families so we sat down. We ordered beers, I got a calzone with some foreign ingredients and the girls ordered pizzas. The calzone was delicious even though I had to pick out most of the ham and when I was almost done I found a raw egg. Well a portion of a raw egg but an egg nonetheless. We finished up and headed back to the bar to order a round of beers.
The bar was pretty empty and had a strange set up of all little rooms with velour couches. The music was pretty hard core but we enjoyed ourselves anyway. Most of the other people in the bar were taking shots of baby bottles of Jager and then lining them up on a ledge surrounding the bar. We were getting ready to leave when an old, bald man came over and offered to buy us another round. Of course we accepted and he began talking to us in broken English. Jen spoke to him the most but didn't understand most of what he was saying. He babbled about being from Berlin and how we sucked since we are from America and we shouldn't be going to Munich since Berlin is SO MUCH better. He loved rocking out to the Offspring playing throughout the bar so he would stop mid sentence to have a jam session then jump back into his conversation. After he finished his beer he left and the bartender was talking to another person about how the guy was crazy and that even when he spoke German to them, they had no idea what he was talking about. The boy sitting next to us asked us why we were in Ritcherswill and then told us that we were currently "In the asshole of Europe". Lovely. We finished our beers and went back to the hostel. Of course I managed to loose my key in the 10 minutes we were in the hostel but luckily after tearing the room apart we found the key. We all went to bed for an early night but I woke up in the middle of the night feeling like I was going to die. Gory details aside, I had food poisoning and was in bed the rest of the night and the whole next day.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
My first bus ride!
Friday afternoon, Anna, Chelsea and myself decided since it was such a nice day out, to take a trip to Fiesole. Fiesole is a little town outside of Florence that sits on a hilltop. Many towns in Italy sit on hilltops so this many not seem all that interesting but, Fiesole's hilltop over looks the entire city of Florence and is known to offer some of the best views of the city. The best part about this town is that its only a 30 minute bus ride away and it only costs 1 Euro and 20 cents!
I looked up where to catch the bus and discovered that it leaves from Piazza San Marco which is literally a block from my apartment, and it leaves every hour! We walked to the piazza and discovered that not only the Fiesole #7 bus leaves from there, but so does basically every other bus. We walked around the entire piazza looking for the right sign for our bus and of course it was the last one. We stood there in the sunshine excited for the bus ride until we realised we didn't have any tickets...and we didn't know how to get tickets. Luckily, a kind Indian man over heard us discussing this little problem and pointed us in the right direction to buy a ticket. Of course we walk to the little stand and everything on it is written in Italian and everyone is speaking Italian. Again luckily, a man working for the transportation system asked us where we were trying to go in broken Italian. I somehow managed to properly pronouce Fiesole and bought a round trip ticket! He tried to explain to us how to validate our ticket but we just couldn't understand him so we went back to our bus stop and waited. The bus came and filled up quickly but we grabbed some seats and tried to look around at how the other people were validating their tickets. NO ONE DID ANYTHING. We were all nervous becuase there is a law in Italy that says if you have a ticket but its not validated you will get a fine. I don't think I want to risk Italian court.
We patiently sat through the pretty bus ride to the top of Fiesole and we lucked out since there wasn't anyone checking tickets on the bus. When we got off the bus, I had directions on how to get the tourist office since they offer free maps of the city and tips for walking tours. We grabbed the maps and set out on our journey. Somehow we got terribly lost and the map made absolutely no sense. We walked around narrow streets and tried to look for Florence on the horizon with no prevail. By chance we made it back to the city center where the bus had dropped us off and decided to walk toward the skyline. Too bad the road to the skyline just went down the hill the bus had brought us up. We finally made it to a clearing on the hill only to see that the city was covered in smoke. (Side note: Apparently people in Italy burn the center of trees on their property to get rid of the dead bark and allow room for the new growth.) Not understanding how it was so difficult to find the location we were looking for in the teeny town, we trekked back up the hill. We stood in the city center defeated for a few minutes wondering if we should just head home when we saw some signs in an area we hadn't been to yet.
We started up yet another hill and actually started seeing people which was a major improvement. We heard people laughing so we followed the path into a clearing of woods that reminded me of Syllus Park. It was very pretty but STILL not the view we were searching for. We ventured into the deeper woods and at the top found a pretty yet small church. After looking around in the church, I turned around and discovered a path that looked like it lead to the view of Florence! We walked DOWN a hill and TA-DAAA a park with a breathtaking view of the city. There were people sitting on the ledge talking, tourists taking pictures, and a group of young adults sharing lunch and a few bottles of wine. The birds were singing, everything was green, and the sun was shining; in short it was springtime and it was beautiful and refreshing. We sat for a while, then took pictures, then explored the gardens and of course took even more pictures. The bus ride home was uneventful but we were thankful for that.
For dinner, Anna and I planned to get 5 Euro amazing pizza at a pizzeria near Santa Croce. Too bad we got there and were told that they don't open until 7 and it was only 4:45. Early dinner would be an understatement since Italians don't typically eat dinner until 8 or more likely 9 o'clock. With out stomach's deeply upset, we walked in search of somewhere else to get pizza at such an early hour. This tasks proved to be difficult since lunch is usually served from 12-3 and dinner from 6-11. We were right in the middle so not many places besides cafe's were open. We finally found a place offering pizza and wine for 8 Euro, sold. Inside this pizzeria was so cute, it was decorated as if it was someones birthday party complete with balloons, but it wasn't! We decided to split some bruschetta and ordered our wine and pizza. I was daring and ordered some red wine; it was a good thing since Anna's white wine tasted like pennies! The bruschetta was simply strange but my pizza hit the spot!
I looked up where to catch the bus and discovered that it leaves from Piazza San Marco which is literally a block from my apartment, and it leaves every hour! We walked to the piazza and discovered that not only the Fiesole #7 bus leaves from there, but so does basically every other bus. We walked around the entire piazza looking for the right sign for our bus and of course it was the last one. We stood there in the sunshine excited for the bus ride until we realised we didn't have any tickets...and we didn't know how to get tickets. Luckily, a kind Indian man over heard us discussing this little problem and pointed us in the right direction to buy a ticket. Of course we walk to the little stand and everything on it is written in Italian and everyone is speaking Italian. Again luckily, a man working for the transportation system asked us where we were trying to go in broken Italian. I somehow managed to properly pronouce Fiesole and bought a round trip ticket! He tried to explain to us how to validate our ticket but we just couldn't understand him so we went back to our bus stop and waited. The bus came and filled up quickly but we grabbed some seats and tried to look around at how the other people were validating their tickets. NO ONE DID ANYTHING. We were all nervous becuase there is a law in Italy that says if you have a ticket but its not validated you will get a fine. I don't think I want to risk Italian court.
We started up yet another hill and actually started seeing people which was a major improvement. We heard people laughing so we followed the path into a clearing of woods that reminded me of Syllus Park. It was very pretty but STILL not the view we were searching for. We ventured into the deeper woods and at the top found a pretty yet small church. After looking around in the church, I turned around and discovered a path that looked like it lead to the view of Florence! We walked DOWN a hill and TA-DAAA a park with a breathtaking view of the city. There were people sitting on the ledge talking, tourists taking pictures, and a group of young adults sharing lunch and a few bottles of wine. The birds were singing, everything was green, and the sun was shining; in short it was springtime and it was beautiful and refreshing. We sat for a while, then took pictures, then explored the gardens and of course took even more pictures. The bus ride home was uneventful but we were thankful for that.
For dinner, Anna and I planned to get 5 Euro amazing pizza at a pizzeria near Santa Croce. Too bad we got there and were told that they don't open until 7 and it was only 4:45. Early dinner would be an understatement since Italians don't typically eat dinner until 8 or more likely 9 o'clock. With out stomach's deeply upset, we walked in search of somewhere else to get pizza at such an early hour. This tasks proved to be difficult since lunch is usually served from 12-3 and dinner from 6-11. We were right in the middle so not many places besides cafe's were open. We finally found a place offering pizza and wine for 8 Euro, sold. Inside this pizzeria was so cute, it was decorated as if it was someones birthday party complete with balloons, but it wasn't! We decided to split some bruschetta and ordered our wine and pizza. I was daring and ordered some red wine; it was a good thing since Anna's white wine tasted like pennies! The bruschetta was simply strange but my pizza hit the spot!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Adventure Wednesday!
Yesterday was a very important day in Italy, Women's Day! Or should I say, Festa Fella Donna! Each class I went into the professor greeted us by saying happy women's day and asking us if we had received any flowers and even though my classes at 90% girls, no one had received any. My Italian professor took it one step furthur by explaining the origin of the yellow flowers that were being carried and sold all over the city. She brought in the bouquet that she had been given and explained that the yellow flower looked and seemed delicate but it was actually very strong, LIKE A WOMAN! Yesterday was also important in Florence because Fat Tuesday is celebrated all throughout the streets and in bars and cafes. While walking to aperitivo, Anna and I witnessed women dressed up was witches, clowns, and just wearing crazy mix-matched clothing and wigs! We also saw several children dressed up in Halloween costumes since Fat Tuesday marks the final day of the celebration of Carnivale in Italy.
Aperitivo wasn't nearly as crowded as it was last week but Anna and I still weren't able to find a table. We made our way over to the bar but neither of us was sure what to order. We had the bartender (who also doubles as our waiter at Ganzo every day for lunch) make what ever he wanted. He made Anna a mojito and he made me a fruity concoction. When I asked him what the drink was called he replied, "Whats your name?" and then he exclaimed, "AHHH MELLLIIIIIISSSSAAAA!" (with grand hand gestures pointing to the drink) So apparently I had a drink named after me! Too bad I have no idea what he put in it! The food for aperitivo was pretty good but more or less the same food we have been getting every time.
Today is my dreaded day of class. I only have one class and its at 9am so you would think I would go to class and then be happy to have the entire rest of the day in front of me when I get out at 11:30; unfortunately that's not the case, it makes me hate the entire rest of the day. This Wednesday I was planning on being extra difficult since Monday my professor emailed the class and explained that he would not be making it to class on Wednesday and that there would be a sub-professor. As I said in my other post, I don't like the idea of this subbing business, but this news was exciting since the syllabus says that when he is absent we watch Almost Famous. AKA one of my favorite movies of all time. Too bad the rest of his email entailed reminding the class that Wednesday was going to be a field trip to a publishing house. (Field trip with a sub, REALLY?!) So I pull myself out of bed and head to the wind tunnel, oops I mean meeting point of the Duomo and wait for the rest of the class. Almost everyone is present so we begin our walk which we are told is around the corner, yet we walk up and down the same four blocks, four times before the sub-professor decides to call the publishers. They give her directions so we actually find the building but surprise, she doesn't know the number of the suit so we begin our guessing game up four flights of stairs to finding the right suite. We finally find it and its a room the size of my kitchen crammed with books, computers, and stuffy Italian women. The class crowded into an even smaller room with the owner and editor in chief of the publishing company which would normally be a dream come true for me, but they only spoke Italian. The class stood around for an hour listening to the publisher speak then my sub translate; it was like living in a bad documentary. Finally the "field trip" ended and we were all released from class early(HORRAY) so I ran home and crawled back into bed to sooth my bad mood.
I got out of bed an hour later and showered instantly feeling better. Anna and I decided to walk to Ganzo for a late lunch and then went to Museo Zoologicalo. The museum was on the other side of the river so it was a little bit of a hike but we had the whole day ahead of us so we decided to try it! The entrance to the museum was really strange since it was all in Italian and the signs said the ticket office was on the second floor but there was nothing there. We continued up the stairs another two flights until we finally found the ticket office and the entrance. The tour started with sea creatures like squid, jellyfish, etc. The next room was bugs, spiders, and butterflies. Then we moved onto mammals which was so cool. They literally had every animal I've ever seen and a ton that I had never seen. The only bad thing was that I didn't know what all the animals were since all of their titles were in Italian. Anna and I walked around taking pictures and laughing at all the crazy faces the animals were frozen in. The creepy part of the museum came when we walked into the organ section. Each room in the section had different parts of the body and broke down the insides and outsides of everything, PLUS there where human bodies in the center of the room being ripped open. Everything looked pretty fake so it wasn't a big deal, that is until we couldn't seem to find a way out so we were trapped in a maze of body parts. Finally we found another living being and followed him to the exit.
After leaving the stuffed animal exhibit we walked through the Oltarno section of Florence, since we have never been there before, on our way to the 'graffiti bridge'. Three bridges down from the Ponte Vecchio is the last bridge in Florence which has a slight water fall and an open area which is concrete and open for Florentine's to express themselves with graffiti. It was such a nice day, we were hoping to see someone in the act but we were the only ones down there.
The sun starting setting so we walked back down past the Ponte Vecchio toward Piazza Michelangelo. The piazza on top of a hill so we had quite the journey ahead of us. The steps seemed to go on forever but we finally reached the top and the walk was well worth it. We had seem the view from the piazza before but seeing it as sunset was just so much more beautiful. There were people lounging all over the steps and the piazza just chatting, laughing, sketching the view, and listening to the live music. We enjoyed the view for a while until it started getting chilly and the crowds started thinning out.
For dinner, I cooked gnocchi in a four cheese sauce and sauteed zucchini. Everything came out great and we enjoyed the meal with some Santa Cristina wine and some whole wheat bread. We all lounged around and just chatted for a while after dinner, letting our lovely dinner settle. After cleaning up, Anna and I settled into bed and watched Mulan! Such a great day in a fabulous city!
Aperitivo wasn't nearly as crowded as it was last week but Anna and I still weren't able to find a table. We made our way over to the bar but neither of us was sure what to order. We had the bartender (who also doubles as our waiter at Ganzo every day for lunch) make what ever he wanted. He made Anna a mojito and he made me a fruity concoction. When I asked him what the drink was called he replied, "Whats your name?" and then he exclaimed, "AHHH MELLLIIIIIISSSSAAAA!" (with grand hand gestures pointing to the drink) So apparently I had a drink named after me! Too bad I have no idea what he put in it! The food for aperitivo was pretty good but more or less the same food we have been getting every time.
Today is my dreaded day of class. I only have one class and its at 9am so you would think I would go to class and then be happy to have the entire rest of the day in front of me when I get out at 11:30; unfortunately that's not the case, it makes me hate the entire rest of the day. This Wednesday I was planning on being extra difficult since Monday my professor emailed the class and explained that he would not be making it to class on Wednesday and that there would be a sub-professor. As I said in my other post, I don't like the idea of this subbing business, but this news was exciting since the syllabus says that when he is absent we watch Almost Famous. AKA one of my favorite movies of all time. Too bad the rest of his email entailed reminding the class that Wednesday was going to be a field trip to a publishing house. (Field trip with a sub, REALLY?!) So I pull myself out of bed and head to the wind tunnel, oops I mean meeting point of the Duomo and wait for the rest of the class. Almost everyone is present so we begin our walk which we are told is around the corner, yet we walk up and down the same four blocks, four times before the sub-professor decides to call the publishers. They give her directions so we actually find the building but surprise, she doesn't know the number of the suit so we begin our guessing game up four flights of stairs to finding the right suite. We finally find it and its a room the size of my kitchen crammed with books, computers, and stuffy Italian women. The class crowded into an even smaller room with the owner and editor in chief of the publishing company which would normally be a dream come true for me, but they only spoke Italian. The class stood around for an hour listening to the publisher speak then my sub translate; it was like living in a bad documentary. Finally the "field trip" ended and we were all released from class early(HORRAY) so I ran home and crawled back into bed to sooth my bad mood.
I got out of bed an hour later and showered instantly feeling better. Anna and I decided to walk to Ganzo for a late lunch and then went to Museo Zoologicalo. The museum was on the other side of the river so it was a little bit of a hike but we had the whole day ahead of us so we decided to try it! The entrance to the museum was really strange since it was all in Italian and the signs said the ticket office was on the second floor but there was nothing there. We continued up the stairs another two flights until we finally found the ticket office and the entrance. The tour started with sea creatures like squid, jellyfish, etc. The next room was bugs, spiders, and butterflies. Then we moved onto mammals which was so cool. They literally had every animal I've ever seen and a ton that I had never seen. The only bad thing was that I didn't know what all the animals were since all of their titles were in Italian. Anna and I walked around taking pictures and laughing at all the crazy faces the animals were frozen in. The creepy part of the museum came when we walked into the organ section. Each room in the section had different parts of the body and broke down the insides and outsides of everything, PLUS there where human bodies in the center of the room being ripped open. Everything looked pretty fake so it wasn't a big deal, that is until we couldn't seem to find a way out so we were trapped in a maze of body parts. Finally we found another living being and followed him to the exit.
After leaving the stuffed animal exhibit we walked through the Oltarno section of Florence, since we have never been there before, on our way to the 'graffiti bridge'. Three bridges down from the Ponte Vecchio is the last bridge in Florence which has a slight water fall and an open area which is concrete and open for Florentine's to express themselves with graffiti. It was such a nice day, we were hoping to see someone in the act but we were the only ones down there.
The sun starting setting so we walked back down past the Ponte Vecchio toward Piazza Michelangelo. The piazza on top of a hill so we had quite the journey ahead of us. The steps seemed to go on forever but we finally reached the top and the walk was well worth it. We had seem the view from the piazza before but seeing it as sunset was just so much more beautiful. There were people lounging all over the steps and the piazza just chatting, laughing, sketching the view, and listening to the live music. We enjoyed the view for a while until it started getting chilly and the crowds started thinning out.
For dinner, I cooked gnocchi in a four cheese sauce and sauteed zucchini. Everything came out great and we enjoyed the meal with some Santa Cristina wine and some whole wheat bread. We all lounged around and just chatted for a while after dinner, letting our lovely dinner settle. After cleaning up, Anna and I settled into bed and watched Mulan! Such a great day in a fabulous city!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Last Week in Short....Kind of :)
Last week was a little bit of blur since I did so much in such a short amount of time!
Tuesday night was Taco Night at a pub/bar near Santa Croce called Red Garter. Anna was still feeling sick so Jenn, April, Shelbi and I went. When ordering the taco's, I asked our waitress what came on the taco's and she literally said what? She didn't understand that I wanted to know what came ontop of the taco. I was like What comes on top, lettuce, tomatos,...? She goes oh yeah thats it. So I order them thinking they are going to be plain beef tacos. WRONG. They came with beef, then lettuce, then guacamole, then cheese, then salsa. For anyone that knows me, gaucamole and salsa are NOT OKAY. Because of all the toppings, I was forced to scrap everything off and just eat the beef leaving me starving. The other girls were happily munching on thier tacos while I just sat there hungry and sipping my beer. Not a good meal. Fortunately some friends of our showed up so Jenn and I ordered some more drinks just as happy hour was ending and we enjoyed the rest of the night giggling and chatting.
Wednesday I had my terrible class then went shopping to make up for the bad previous days. First Jenn, Shelbi, and I headed to the San Lorenzo market to get scarves in preperation for Sunday's Soccer Game! The first stand we saw had the perfect color purple scarf and it was only 7 euro so I snagged it! The other girls wandered the market and eventually found scarves too then we headed into the shopping district. Sadly, I was having trouble finding any clothes that I liked, fit, and were decently priced. Finally we left the small shops and headed to my safe haven, H&M. Fortunately the store had restocked since my last visit and I ended up spending almost 100 euro but left a very happy and well dressed girl. After shopping I headed to apretivo with April at Ganzo. We had an assignement to taste wine and had been told by our professor that Ganzo was selling glasses of the wine for only 4 euro, perfect! Apretivo ended up being packed but we got our glass of wine, did the analysis then grabbed some food which was much better than last time and enjoyed the music and company of our classmates.
Thursday, my wine professor played hooky but also scheduled for another professor to teach his lecture. For everyone that is no longer is college, this is not a common thing in the States for a professor to bring in a "subsititue teacher" so I was already less than thrilled. Then the professor began teaching and I was even less happy since he had such a different teaching method and went through slides so fast, I have absolutely no idea what he taught. The wines were good and he was able to give us some hints as to how to analyze the wines but I got nothing out of the lecture. I finished the day with lunch and class then got ready to go out for the night with Jenn and April. We decided to go to a few new places we had never been before and had alot of fun.
Friday I was in a lazy mood so I slept in, got lunch, did homework, then read and layed around all day. It was a good thing I was so lazy because on Saturday Anna and I had an adventure day! We began the day by getting brunch for the first time at Ganzo. The experience was very interesting since the brunch was nothing like the States or how Ganzo had described it. There was an appetizer and dessert bar which had cold cuts, mini sandwiches, tomato and cheese, yogurt, and some other little desserts. I ate a little and tried some things but nothing was considered good food. Then we were asked to give our order of either eggs or pancakes. We both ordered pancakes since the website had said either eggs or pancakes with bacon, sausage, and hash browns. Of course when our plates come from the kitchen it was literally just one pancake with nothing else on the plate. Apparently the only way to get the side dishes is when you order eggs, so not fair since I don't eat eggs. The pancake was delicious since it was cooked perfectly and tasted like apples, cinnamon, and pure heaven, too bad we were still hungry. I filled up on juice and bread before we left for our adventure. We had planned to go to the Boboli Gardens, then the graffiti bridge, then Fiesole, then dinner.
The Boboli Gardens were absolutely huge and beautiful. Anna and I walked around for hours taking pictures and just exploring since they don't give you maps and there are just little passage ways all over the place. The weather was really working in our favor since it was partly sunny and warm enough to just wear a sweater. After we had walked around for a while we decided to leave in search of the graffiti bridge. We found the bridge just as it was starting to rain so we went to get shelter from the rain in where else? A gelato shop. Luckily they had my favorite, cookie! The flavor was good but it was so sweet that half way through I was getting a stomachache. The rain was ending but the sky was still dark and the wind was picking up so Anna and I decided to postpone our trip to Fiesole. We went back to the apartment and got ready for dinner. For dinner we ventured to a little Trattoria near Santa Maria Novella with a set menu. For my first course I had Tortellini in a cream sauce, for my second course I had grilled beef, for my side dish I had boiled potatos, and we had white wine. The tortellini was good an the steak was really good but the potatos were gross since they were cold. The night was interesting since the restuarant staff barely spoke English and we were the only American's in the whole place. It was a nice evening and the sky was full of stars as we headed back to the apartment to get ready for an evening out.
We didn't end up staying out too late since we had to be out pretty early for the soccer game. We met up with ISA and began the 40 minute walk through the other side of Florence to the stadium. One the walk there, the guides explained to us how soccer can be a dangerous game since many Italians are extremely passionate about their teams and fights often break out. We were lucky though since ISA planned our soccer trip on a day where the teams didn't have much of a rival and Florence was favored to win by a long shot. Out side the stadium everything was decked out in purple, Florence, and Florence's symbol(the iris). Also outside the stadium was Redbull, giving out unlimited free samples which was pretty cool. Our seats were just past the center of the field but where the first section and we were allowed to sit anywhere we wanted within the section. We picked seats together which were about half way between the top and the bottom making for a great view of the whole field. To the right of us was the Florence fan section which was insanely packed with people, most of whom were wearing purple and waving giant flags. During the entire game, the section would be chanting and singing songs then booing and screaming at the ref's when the penalties weren't called in thier favor. The stand literally went insane when Florence scored the first goal of the game about half way through the first half. We all really enjoyed the game and plan to go back for another game one weekend in April.
After the game, Anna and I planned to walk across town and then to the top of Piazza Michaelangelo to see the city and watch the sun set. By the time we made it to the base of the Piazza the sun was already half way setting and we still had about a 30 minute hike up to the top. We decided to postpone our trip to another night when we could take our time walking and really enjoy the whole sunset. For dinner Anna, Jenn, Chelsea, and I went to the Osteria della Gatto e Volpe. The bread on the table was literally amazingggg and the gnocchi quattro formaggio was good and extremely filling. We wobbled home and spent the night relaxing and discussing our weekends.
Today I went to a travel agency and bought my train tickets to visit Mom and Joe while they are in Rome which made me so excited for when they come! After, April, Anna and I went for lunch at Ganzo. Lunch was good but I'm getting sick of having to order the same sandwich everytime since they haven't changed the menu in almost a month! After lunch, April and I went to search for a place for her to get a hair cut. We ended up at a salon that was recommened by some of the girls from ISA but we waited for such a long time before they even recognized that we were there! Finally April got her hair shampooed and the guy who was doing her cut was really nice and tried to understand how she wanted her hair in a mix of broken English and Italian. He brushed out her hair then whipped out a razor and went to town on her hair. We both looked at eachother for half a second until April was like UGH WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! He tried as best as he could to explain that it was the salons specialty to cut hair with a razor and they had been doing it that way for the past 40 years. She decided to trust him and let him continue with the razor; it ended up fantastic! April now has bangs and lots of layers! On the walk home we both walked past a gelato place on Piazza Duomo before looking at eachother and deciding that we both desperately needed some. I got a cone of course cookies and then chocolate and it was amazingggg. To bad it was freezing out and the wind was basically blowing us away. Tonight Anna and I are finishing up some homework and then heading to Ganzo for hopefully a good dinner!
Hope everyone had a good weekend and are having a great week! Miss and love all of you! xo
Tuesday night was Taco Night at a pub/bar near Santa Croce called Red Garter. Anna was still feeling sick so Jenn, April, Shelbi and I went. When ordering the taco's, I asked our waitress what came on the taco's and she literally said what? She didn't understand that I wanted to know what came ontop of the taco. I was like What comes on top, lettuce, tomatos,...? She goes oh yeah thats it. So I order them thinking they are going to be plain beef tacos. WRONG. They came with beef, then lettuce, then guacamole, then cheese, then salsa. For anyone that knows me, gaucamole and salsa are NOT OKAY. Because of all the toppings, I was forced to scrap everything off and just eat the beef leaving me starving. The other girls were happily munching on thier tacos while I just sat there hungry and sipping my beer. Not a good meal. Fortunately some friends of our showed up so Jenn and I ordered some more drinks just as happy hour was ending and we enjoyed the rest of the night giggling and chatting.
Wednesday I had my terrible class then went shopping to make up for the bad previous days. First Jenn, Shelbi, and I headed to the San Lorenzo market to get scarves in preperation for Sunday's Soccer Game! The first stand we saw had the perfect color purple scarf and it was only 7 euro so I snagged it! The other girls wandered the market and eventually found scarves too then we headed into the shopping district. Sadly, I was having trouble finding any clothes that I liked, fit, and were decently priced. Finally we left the small shops and headed to my safe haven, H&M. Fortunately the store had restocked since my last visit and I ended up spending almost 100 euro but left a very happy and well dressed girl. After shopping I headed to apretivo with April at Ganzo. We had an assignement to taste wine and had been told by our professor that Ganzo was selling glasses of the wine for only 4 euro, perfect! Apretivo ended up being packed but we got our glass of wine, did the analysis then grabbed some food which was much better than last time and enjoyed the music and company of our classmates.
Thursday, my wine professor played hooky but also scheduled for another professor to teach his lecture. For everyone that is no longer is college, this is not a common thing in the States for a professor to bring in a "subsititue teacher" so I was already less than thrilled. Then the professor began teaching and I was even less happy since he had such a different teaching method and went through slides so fast, I have absolutely no idea what he taught. The wines were good and he was able to give us some hints as to how to analyze the wines but I got nothing out of the lecture. I finished the day with lunch and class then got ready to go out for the night with Jenn and April. We decided to go to a few new places we had never been before and had alot of fun.
Friday I was in a lazy mood so I slept in, got lunch, did homework, then read and layed around all day. It was a good thing I was so lazy because on Saturday Anna and I had an adventure day! We began the day by getting brunch for the first time at Ganzo. The experience was very interesting since the brunch was nothing like the States or how Ganzo had described it. There was an appetizer and dessert bar which had cold cuts, mini sandwiches, tomato and cheese, yogurt, and some other little desserts. I ate a little and tried some things but nothing was considered good food. Then we were asked to give our order of either eggs or pancakes. We both ordered pancakes since the website had said either eggs or pancakes with bacon, sausage, and hash browns. Of course when our plates come from the kitchen it was literally just one pancake with nothing else on the plate. Apparently the only way to get the side dishes is when you order eggs, so not fair since I don't eat eggs. The pancake was delicious since it was cooked perfectly and tasted like apples, cinnamon, and pure heaven, too bad we were still hungry. I filled up on juice and bread before we left for our adventure. We had planned to go to the Boboli Gardens, then the graffiti bridge, then Fiesole, then dinner.
The Boboli Gardens were absolutely huge and beautiful. Anna and I walked around for hours taking pictures and just exploring since they don't give you maps and there are just little passage ways all over the place. The weather was really working in our favor since it was partly sunny and warm enough to just wear a sweater. After we had walked around for a while we decided to leave in search of the graffiti bridge. We found the bridge just as it was starting to rain so we went to get shelter from the rain in where else? A gelato shop. Luckily they had my favorite, cookie! The flavor was good but it was so sweet that half way through I was getting a stomachache. The rain was ending but the sky was still dark and the wind was picking up so Anna and I decided to postpone our trip to Fiesole. We went back to the apartment and got ready for dinner. For dinner we ventured to a little Trattoria near Santa Maria Novella with a set menu. For my first course I had Tortellini in a cream sauce, for my second course I had grilled beef, for my side dish I had boiled potatos, and we had white wine. The tortellini was good an the steak was really good but the potatos were gross since they were cold. The night was interesting since the restuarant staff barely spoke English and we were the only American's in the whole place. It was a nice evening and the sky was full of stars as we headed back to the apartment to get ready for an evening out.
We didn't end up staying out too late since we had to be out pretty early for the soccer game. We met up with ISA and began the 40 minute walk through the other side of Florence to the stadium. One the walk there, the guides explained to us how soccer can be a dangerous game since many Italians are extremely passionate about their teams and fights often break out. We were lucky though since ISA planned our soccer trip on a day where the teams didn't have much of a rival and Florence was favored to win by a long shot. Out side the stadium everything was decked out in purple, Florence, and Florence's symbol(the iris). Also outside the stadium was Redbull, giving out unlimited free samples which was pretty cool. Our seats were just past the center of the field but where the first section and we were allowed to sit anywhere we wanted within the section. We picked seats together which were about half way between the top and the bottom making for a great view of the whole field. To the right of us was the Florence fan section which was insanely packed with people, most of whom were wearing purple and waving giant flags. During the entire game, the section would be chanting and singing songs then booing and screaming at the ref's when the penalties weren't called in thier favor. The stand literally went insane when Florence scored the first goal of the game about half way through the first half. We all really enjoyed the game and plan to go back for another game one weekend in April.
After the game, Anna and I planned to walk across town and then to the top of Piazza Michaelangelo to see the city and watch the sun set. By the time we made it to the base of the Piazza the sun was already half way setting and we still had about a 30 minute hike up to the top. We decided to postpone our trip to another night when we could take our time walking and really enjoy the whole sunset. For dinner Anna, Jenn, Chelsea, and I went to the Osteria della Gatto e Volpe. The bread on the table was literally amazingggg and the gnocchi quattro formaggio was good and extremely filling. We wobbled home and spent the night relaxing and discussing our weekends.
Today I went to a travel agency and bought my train tickets to visit Mom and Joe while they are in Rome which made me so excited for when they come! After, April, Anna and I went for lunch at Ganzo. Lunch was good but I'm getting sick of having to order the same sandwich everytime since they haven't changed the menu in almost a month! After lunch, April and I went to search for a place for her to get a hair cut. We ended up at a salon that was recommened by some of the girls from ISA but we waited for such a long time before they even recognized that we were there! Finally April got her hair shampooed and the guy who was doing her cut was really nice and tried to understand how she wanted her hair in a mix of broken English and Italian. He brushed out her hair then whipped out a razor and went to town on her hair. We both looked at eachother for half a second until April was like UGH WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! He tried as best as he could to explain that it was the salons specialty to cut hair with a razor and they had been doing it that way for the past 40 years. She decided to trust him and let him continue with the razor; it ended up fantastic! April now has bangs and lots of layers! On the walk home we both walked past a gelato place on Piazza Duomo before looking at eachother and deciding that we both desperately needed some. I got a cone of course cookies and then chocolate and it was amazingggg. To bad it was freezing out and the wind was basically blowing us away. Tonight Anna and I are finishing up some homework and then heading to Ganzo for hopefully a good dinner!
Hope everyone had a good weekend and are having a great week! Miss and love all of you! xo
Sunday, March 6, 2011
All the Craziness that is Carnivale!
I'm a little bit behind yet again since I was supposed to write about Venice Monday and I just never got around to it!
Venice is my new favorite city in Italy! The morning started off with the sun rising as I got ready to load the bus at 7:30 am. The ride took about 3 and a half hours so they played the movie Casanova but I was so tired that I fell asleep about half way through the movie. Just as the movie was ending I woke up and was greeted by rain and snow falling as we entered Venice. The city center isn't accessible by bus so we all unloaded and waited at the dock for a boat to ferry us over. The ferry ride took about half an hour and was freezing but we were all too excited to mind much.
As soon as we got off the ferry it was chaos. There were people literally covering every square inch of space visible and everyone was either wearing a mask, a costume, or both. Some how we managed to hear our tour leader shout to follow him to the glass blowing demonstration but following him seemed to be nearly impossible. The crowds made it difficult to see our tour guide and follow him while trying to soak in the atmosphere of Venice. At one point we were standing in a narrow road (even narrow as far as Italy is concerned) and we stood still for a good 5 minutes since there were so many people, no one could move. We finally made our way through the crowds and over the bridges to the Murano Glass Factory. The demonstration lasted all of 2 minutes but it was still cool.
After the demonstration we were escorted by our glass blowing guide into another room covered from floor to cieling with hand blown glass items. I was scared to move in fear of hitting something or hitting into someone else who would hit something since it was so crowded. After a brief explanation of the different types and colors of glass available at the store, our guide said that there is a special going on for students! I was so excited when he pulled beautiful drinking glasses and flower vases from the shelves, that is until he said that each glass was over 100 euro and the vases were over 150 euro. No thanks. After that disappointment we walked around the museum/shop looking at all the beautiful glass until I decided to buy a pair of earrings for 25 euro. They are a beautiful aqua glass set inside cubic zirconium stones.
After the glass blowing tour we were free to roam the city but of course my first priority was food! It was almost 2 o'clock by then and I was starving. We tried walking around to find somewhere to sit and eat but unfortunately everything was either pack or insanely over priced. The group of 10 decided to split up so it would be easier to eat and since half of the girls weren't that hungry. Anna, Ashely, Nina, Nicole, and I continued our hunt for food when we finally settled on a little restaurant near the main piazza, San Marco. The restaurant was of course over priced but they had Bellini's and I was tired of searching. I settled on just ordering some spaghetti in a meat sauce and a Bellini. The pasta was okay but the Bellini was delicious! (They are a Venician specialty!) After lunch we strolled to Piazza San Marco to check out the Carnivale!
The carnivale was huge but very different then American carnivale. First of all there are no clowns or animals in a ring. They do however have a theme each year and this year the theme was 19th Century Women so a lot of the costumes were designed from the 19th Century which was amazing! The main attraction is the people dressed up walking around but also there is a main stage that displays comedy shows, musical performances, and skits. Anna and I stopped to watch for a little but we had no idea what was going on since it was all in Italian.
It started to rain so the other girls went to look for shelter but Anna and I were unfazed by the drizzling and continued to walk around people watching. A few times poeple even asked us if they could take pictures of us since they liked our masks so much! It was strange at first but everyone was taking pictures of everyone so we got used to it! As we were walking around I continued to look for another mask since I wanted one with feathers. I ended up finding the most perfect mask that was purple, had feathers, and glitter! We continued to prance around the city taking in the sites until we happened to find April, Jenn, and Chelsea! Together we went in search of somewhere for Anna to get tiramisu since its her favorite dessert and it was first created in Venice! It was surprisingly difficult to find a place that served tiramisu but once we did we sat down and since I don't like tiramisu, I ordered another Bellini!
After our little snack we walked around and into the different shops looking at glass, food, and most of all masks! Mask making is considered a serious profession in Venice and it takes years to develop the skills to produce a quality mask. Some of the masks were so ornate, I would be afraid to wear them without breaking it! The most expensive price tag I could locate was 11,500 euro!
Of course as we were getting ready to meet back up with the tour bus to head home, we bought some gelato. I saw cookie and immediately had to have it, good choice since it was delicioussss. I tried to savor it, but it was just so delicious that I finished it before we even got back to the ferry! We found our way back to the ferry and checked in with our tour guide and then patiently waited to load the ferry while it started to rain again. We waited from 6:30pm until 8pm....IN. THE. RAIN. Tired and wet, we loaded onto the ferry and then onto the bus. Thankfully, they played the Italian Job on the bus ride home since it the beginning of the movie is filmed there.
I crawled into bed just before midnight and as the rain began to pour.
Venice is my new favorite city in Italy! The morning started off with the sun rising as I got ready to load the bus at 7:30 am. The ride took about 3 and a half hours so they played the movie Casanova but I was so tired that I fell asleep about half way through the movie. Just as the movie was ending I woke up and was greeted by rain and snow falling as we entered Venice. The city center isn't accessible by bus so we all unloaded and waited at the dock for a boat to ferry us over. The ferry ride took about half an hour and was freezing but we were all too excited to mind much.
As soon as we got off the ferry it was chaos. There were people literally covering every square inch of space visible and everyone was either wearing a mask, a costume, or both. Some how we managed to hear our tour leader shout to follow him to the glass blowing demonstration but following him seemed to be nearly impossible. The crowds made it difficult to see our tour guide and follow him while trying to soak in the atmosphere of Venice. At one point we were standing in a narrow road (even narrow as far as Italy is concerned) and we stood still for a good 5 minutes since there were so many people, no one could move. We finally made our way through the crowds and over the bridges to the Murano Glass Factory. The demonstration lasted all of 2 minutes but it was still cool.
After the demonstration we were escorted by our glass blowing guide into another room covered from floor to cieling with hand blown glass items. I was scared to move in fear of hitting something or hitting into someone else who would hit something since it was so crowded. After a brief explanation of the different types and colors of glass available at the store, our guide said that there is a special going on for students! I was so excited when he pulled beautiful drinking glasses and flower vases from the shelves, that is until he said that each glass was over 100 euro and the vases were over 150 euro. No thanks. After that disappointment we walked around the museum/shop looking at all the beautiful glass until I decided to buy a pair of earrings for 25 euro. They are a beautiful aqua glass set inside cubic zirconium stones.
After the glass blowing tour we were free to roam the city but of course my first priority was food! It was almost 2 o'clock by then and I was starving. We tried walking around to find somewhere to sit and eat but unfortunately everything was either pack or insanely over priced. The group of 10 decided to split up so it would be easier to eat and since half of the girls weren't that hungry. Anna, Ashely, Nina, Nicole, and I continued our hunt for food when we finally settled on a little restaurant near the main piazza, San Marco. The restaurant was of course over priced but they had Bellini's and I was tired of searching. I settled on just ordering some spaghetti in a meat sauce and a Bellini. The pasta was okay but the Bellini was delicious! (They are a Venician specialty!) After lunch we strolled to Piazza San Marco to check out the Carnivale!
The carnivale was huge but very different then American carnivale. First of all there are no clowns or animals in a ring. They do however have a theme each year and this year the theme was 19th Century Women so a lot of the costumes were designed from the 19th Century which was amazing! The main attraction is the people dressed up walking around but also there is a main stage that displays comedy shows, musical performances, and skits. Anna and I stopped to watch for a little but we had no idea what was going on since it was all in Italian.
It started to rain so the other girls went to look for shelter but Anna and I were unfazed by the drizzling and continued to walk around people watching. A few times poeple even asked us if they could take pictures of us since they liked our masks so much! It was strange at first but everyone was taking pictures of everyone so we got used to it! As we were walking around I continued to look for another mask since I wanted one with feathers. I ended up finding the most perfect mask that was purple, had feathers, and glitter! We continued to prance around the city taking in the sites until we happened to find April, Jenn, and Chelsea! Together we went in search of somewhere for Anna to get tiramisu since its her favorite dessert and it was first created in Venice! It was surprisingly difficult to find a place that served tiramisu but once we did we sat down and since I don't like tiramisu, I ordered another Bellini!
After our little snack we walked around and into the different shops looking at glass, food, and most of all masks! Mask making is considered a serious profession in Venice and it takes years to develop the skills to produce a quality mask. Some of the masks were so ornate, I would be afraid to wear them without breaking it! The most expensive price tag I could locate was 11,500 euro!
Of course as we were getting ready to meet back up with the tour bus to head home, we bought some gelato. I saw cookie and immediately had to have it, good choice since it was delicioussss. I tried to savor it, but it was just so delicious that I finished it before we even got back to the ferry! We found our way back to the ferry and checked in with our tour guide and then patiently waited to load the ferry while it started to rain again. We waited from 6:30pm until 8pm....IN. THE. RAIN. Tired and wet, we loaded onto the ferry and then onto the bus. Thankfully, they played the Italian Job on the bus ride home since it the beginning of the movie is filmed there.
I crawled into bed just before midnight and as the rain began to pour.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Cave Crawlin' in Orvieto!
Getting to the bus at 8am for Orvieto was not fun. We got on the bus and I immediately fell asleep but it was an uncomfortable and restless sleep since hello, I'm sitting with my head dropped on a bus. We got to Orvieto and then had to take a trolley car up the side of the mountain. Once ontop of the mountain we walked in through the gates of the former fortress. Orvieto used to be a secret location for Popes when they were forced to flee the Vatican thousands of years ago. The views overlooking the valley were stunning and would have been even better if it were May and everything was in bloom. Next we went to St. Peter's Well which is where the Pope used to ride his donkey and hide making sure to never run out of water. The well is interesting since it is almost 200 feet deep and 40 feet wide and there are two sets of stairs (one for up, one for down) that never intersect. We walked all the way to the bottom, saw the dirty water, and began our climb back to the top (248 steps each way!)
After the well we walked through the town and went to the Duomo. The Duomo in Orvieto is my new favorite, its facade is beyond beautiful. The entire sides are done in green and white marble, and the front is covered in sculptures that depict in detail the stories of the Bible. I was in owe at the detail put into the front of the church which was completed during the 14th century. Unfortunately the tour guide told us that the inside of the cathedral wasn't nearly as beautiful since they had put so much effort into the outside of the church, they neglected to do anything special on the inside. After the Duomo we walked towards the entrance to the underground city, or the CAVES.
The caves were really cool since they we had dug out centuries ago to create a secret city and a safe passage out of the city in case of siege. We only went in a little to see the basics but it was still really cool. Apparently the caves go from the entrance where we went in to clear across the city and outside of the city boundaries which I thought was really intense. We also went into another cave that was really steep to climb in and out of which was basically a palace for pigeons? I was only half listening to the tour guide at this point but she went on the entire time we were down there (15 minutesish) about homes for pigeons, water for pigeons, eating pigeons, pigeon rolatly nests, etc beyond strange. Thank God pigeons don't live there anymore, it would have been so dirty!
After the caves we walked to Piazza of the People which was supposed to be a big open air market but unfortunately we got there late in the day and everything was either cleaned up or in the process of being cleaned up. On the outside of the piazza was the Albornoz Fortress which was of course built by a timid Pope in case of siege upon the city. After this piazza we kept walking to the main piazza of the town which was cute but teeny. Anna and I didn't even stay for the rest of the tour or listen to the guide about the piazza because we were of course hungry and smelt pizza. We ventured away from the crowd to a little pizza place. We sat and ordered quickly since the menu little had 10 pizzas and a calzone. I had been dying to try an Italian calzone so I ordered a mozzarella and tomato one and Anna ordered the quatro formaggio pizza (4 cheese). They came out quickly since we were the only ones in the place and everything was delicious! The calzone tasted absolutely NOTHING like calzones in America but it was still really good and I forced myself to finish every inch of the huge thing. We finished lunch and went to the counter to pay where of course I spotted a PIE! I tried to ask the worker what flavors the pies were but he barely spoke English so I just picked the red one and hoped for the best. Turns out it was a fantastic choice because I loved every second of it!
After lunch, Anna and I walked around for a little before decided to get some gelato. I got a small cone of mint chocolate chip and chocolate. The chocolate was SO GOOD but the mint had a strange texture...I finished the cone regardless. After gelato we walked to the restaurant that the other girls were having lunch at and joined them at their table for some brief banter before heading back to the meeting location. Thank God we took a bus down to the trolley because I was starting to feel sick from eating so much and I don't think I would have finished the walk! I felt sick the whole bus ride home unfortunately but I went right home and into bed to sleep it off. I had a peaceful sleep before waking up at 6:30am for Venice on Sunday!
After the well we walked through the town and went to the Duomo. The Duomo in Orvieto is my new favorite, its facade is beyond beautiful. The entire sides are done in green and white marble, and the front is covered in sculptures that depict in detail the stories of the Bible. I was in owe at the detail put into the front of the church which was completed during the 14th century. Unfortunately the tour guide told us that the inside of the cathedral wasn't nearly as beautiful since they had put so much effort into the outside of the church, they neglected to do anything special on the inside. After the Duomo we walked towards the entrance to the underground city, or the CAVES.
The caves were really cool since they we had dug out centuries ago to create a secret city and a safe passage out of the city in case of siege. We only went in a little to see the basics but it was still really cool. Apparently the caves go from the entrance where we went in to clear across the city and outside of the city boundaries which I thought was really intense. We also went into another cave that was really steep to climb in and out of which was basically a palace for pigeons? I was only half listening to the tour guide at this point but she went on the entire time we were down there (15 minutesish) about homes for pigeons, water for pigeons, eating pigeons, pigeon rolatly nests, etc beyond strange. Thank God pigeons don't live there anymore, it would have been so dirty!
After the caves we walked to Piazza of the People which was supposed to be a big open air market but unfortunately we got there late in the day and everything was either cleaned up or in the process of being cleaned up. On the outside of the piazza was the Albornoz Fortress which was of course built by a timid Pope in case of siege upon the city. After this piazza we kept walking to the main piazza of the town which was cute but teeny. Anna and I didn't even stay for the rest of the tour or listen to the guide about the piazza because we were of course hungry and smelt pizza. We ventured away from the crowd to a little pizza place. We sat and ordered quickly since the menu little had 10 pizzas and a calzone. I had been dying to try an Italian calzone so I ordered a mozzarella and tomato one and Anna ordered the quatro formaggio pizza (4 cheese). They came out quickly since we were the only ones in the place and everything was delicious! The calzone tasted absolutely NOTHING like calzones in America but it was still really good and I forced myself to finish every inch of the huge thing. We finished lunch and went to the counter to pay where of course I spotted a PIE! I tried to ask the worker what flavors the pies were but he barely spoke English so I just picked the red one and hoped for the best. Turns out it was a fantastic choice because I loved every second of it!
After lunch, Anna and I walked around for a little before decided to get some gelato. I got a small cone of mint chocolate chip and chocolate. The chocolate was SO GOOD but the mint had a strange texture...I finished the cone regardless. After gelato we walked to the restaurant that the other girls were having lunch at and joined them at their table for some brief banter before heading back to the meeting location. Thank God we took a bus down to the trolley because I was starting to feel sick from eating so much and I don't think I would have finished the walk! I felt sick the whole bus ride home unfortunately but I went right home and into bed to sleep it off. I had a peaceful sleep before waking up at 6:30am for Venice on Sunday!
Buon Appetito!
Friday started off a little rocky since we were all supposed to meet ISA at 9am for a guided tour of the Uffizi, the first museum ever opened. Anna got up and showered but I was entirely too tired and grumpy to get up so I slept through the museum tour before getting up and getting ready for the cooking class. While walking to meet my cooking class, I met up with Jen and we walked together to make it to the meeting point just in time. We followed the ISA staff across the Ponte Vecchio to the strange alley that houses the cooking class. We walked in an were instructed to hang up our belongings, put on a plastic apron, and wash our hands. April, Anna, Chelsea, Jenn and I were separated as the class was starting, so Anna and I were asked to go into the back room. We got insanely lucky since the back room was private, huge, and instructed by the owner.
We started off my making Tiramisu. Anna and I were instructed to crack and separate the eggs and add them to sugar. Anna began hand whipping the yolk of the egg into sugar while another girl machine beat the white of the eggs into sugar. Once the eggs were properly beaten, we added in masacapone cheese (a massive block of cream cheese) to the yolk/sugar and hand beat that again. Once that was properly mixed, we added both egg/sugar mixes together to create the cream. Next we all dipped our cut up lady finger cookies into a mixture of brandy and espresso. With all the ingredients ready, we layered cream and cookies until the little dishes were full and then topped them off with a sprinkling of cocoa powder. Who would have thought Tiramisu was so simple to make?
Next we moved onto creating our appetizer, Vegetable Millefoglie. First we washed our vegetables, the zucchini, the eggplant and then we taught how to properly cut and dice them. The zucchini was cut in half, then 4 times length wise, then the middle (the seeds and light green part basically) were sliced out and thrown away. Then we chopped the 4 slices into about 2 centimeter slices then turned them the other direction and diced them into teeny pieces. This process took a while even though all 5 of us were working on it, slicing and dicing was hard work! Next we took the already pre-boiled potato's and sent them through the masher which transformed them into little noddles of potatoes and added them in with the diced zucchini. Next we cut up the eggplant into thin yet equal slices and folded the slices of Fontina cheese. With all of the ingredients prepared, we began to stack everything together. We first drizzled olive oil into the bottom of the pan, then put a slice of eggplant, a scoop of potato/zucchini mixture, a slice of eggplant, a scoop of mixture, 2 slices of cheese, and then a slice of eggplant all kept together with a tooth pick. Finally we lightly drizzled everything with olive oil then put it in the oven to bake for 25 minutes.
While the appetizers were cooking we started preparing our pasta! First we were given a mound of flour and told to create a hole in the center to make it look like a volcano. Then we were given 2 eggs and cracked them into the center and slowly mixed the eggs into the flour, adding a pinch of salt every so often. As we mixed, the mixture became less watery and thicker as more flour was incorporated. When it wasn't runny at all, we began to work the dough with our hands, folding it inward from the outside and sprinkling flour every so often and flipping it over. Next we wrapped the dough in plastic and let it sit for 30 minutes. During this time we began creating our sauce, but since it was on the burner, the chef did most of the work and just explained what he was doing. We also made the filling for our ravioli while we waited which was made out of spinach and ricotta cheese. I held back during the making of the filling since I'm not a fan of spinach but the other girls sliced and diced the spinach until it was small then mixed it into a bowl with the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, an egg, salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg. The filling was put into a pointed bag and placed in the refrigerator to chill.
The dough came out 30 minutes later a lot softer so we were told to roll the dough into a rectangle then fold it into a burrito and roll it, then fold it in half and roll it and then repeat this process 3 times until you are left with another rectangle. Once it was properly rolled, we put the dough through the pasta roller. We put it through the roller several times at different settings making it thinner and thinner until it was about 3 1/2 feet long and pretty thin. The really long piece was put onto the work station and cut in half. Since Anna and I's dough was one of the last to be put through the machine we made linguine instead of the ravioli that everyone else had made. The linguine was made by putting a special slicer onto the pasta roller and just grinding it up. The ravioli was made by laying out the dough and places a small sized squirt of spinach two inches apart and in the center of the dough. The dough was then rolled in half and lightly pressed all around the spinach to insure it stuck to the pasta. Next we were given a jagged slicer and cut the edges and then in the center between each blob of spinach until we had neat little squares of ravioli.
The sauce for the ravioli was just butter, olive oil, rosemary, basil, and salt and pepper sauteed. For the linguine we had a spicy tomato sauce. The chef mushed up a bunch of tomatoes with his bare hands then then added them, salt, pepper, olive oil, and dry crushed chili peppers into the suace pan to saute for a few minutes. While the sauces were heating up we cooked the pasta which took all of about 3 minutes. By the time all of this was done, we gathered up all of our food and headed downstairs where we were surprised to find a full dining room. We sat down with our fellow cookers and ate our delicious meals. I was even brave enough to try to eggplant appetizer and ended up LOVING IT! Who would have known I actually liked eggplant?! I ate a lot of linguine since I'm not a fan of the ravioli and tried the tiramisu we created and the cream was delicious even though I still didn't like the espresso taste. On the way out we said our goodbyes and were given a little recipe guide so we could make everything again in at home! We also picked up a pamphlet so we could try to go to the cooking class again, I loved it!
The rest of the day was pretty lazy, I got a few things from the market and watched The Little Mermaid with Anna. Later we went to Ganzo for dinner where we had to wait for almost 20 minutes since we didn't have a reservation and then when I tried to order, my first 3 choices were already sold out. Dinner ended up being alright then we headed home to sleep for an early morning in Orvieto!
We started off my making Tiramisu. Anna and I were instructed to crack and separate the eggs and add them to sugar. Anna began hand whipping the yolk of the egg into sugar while another girl machine beat the white of the eggs into sugar. Once the eggs were properly beaten, we added in masacapone cheese (a massive block of cream cheese) to the yolk/sugar and hand beat that again. Once that was properly mixed, we added both egg/sugar mixes together to create the cream. Next we all dipped our cut up lady finger cookies into a mixture of brandy and espresso. With all the ingredients ready, we layered cream and cookies until the little dishes were full and then topped them off with a sprinkling of cocoa powder. Who would have thought Tiramisu was so simple to make?
Next we moved onto creating our appetizer, Vegetable Millefoglie. First we washed our vegetables, the zucchini, the eggplant and then we taught how to properly cut and dice them. The zucchini was cut in half, then 4 times length wise, then the middle (the seeds and light green part basically) were sliced out and thrown away. Then we chopped the 4 slices into about 2 centimeter slices then turned them the other direction and diced them into teeny pieces. This process took a while even though all 5 of us were working on it, slicing and dicing was hard work! Next we took the already pre-boiled potato's and sent them through the masher which transformed them into little noddles of potatoes and added them in with the diced zucchini. Next we cut up the eggplant into thin yet equal slices and folded the slices of Fontina cheese. With all of the ingredients prepared, we began to stack everything together. We first drizzled olive oil into the bottom of the pan, then put a slice of eggplant, a scoop of potato/zucchini mixture, a slice of eggplant, a scoop of mixture, 2 slices of cheese, and then a slice of eggplant all kept together with a tooth pick. Finally we lightly drizzled everything with olive oil then put it in the oven to bake for 25 minutes.
While the appetizers were cooking we started preparing our pasta! First we were given a mound of flour and told to create a hole in the center to make it look like a volcano. Then we were given 2 eggs and cracked them into the center and slowly mixed the eggs into the flour, adding a pinch of salt every so often. As we mixed, the mixture became less watery and thicker as more flour was incorporated. When it wasn't runny at all, we began to work the dough with our hands, folding it inward from the outside and sprinkling flour every so often and flipping it over. Next we wrapped the dough in plastic and let it sit for 30 minutes. During this time we began creating our sauce, but since it was on the burner, the chef did most of the work and just explained what he was doing. We also made the filling for our ravioli while we waited which was made out of spinach and ricotta cheese. I held back during the making of the filling since I'm not a fan of spinach but the other girls sliced and diced the spinach until it was small then mixed it into a bowl with the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, an egg, salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg. The filling was put into a pointed bag and placed in the refrigerator to chill.
The dough came out 30 minutes later a lot softer so we were told to roll the dough into a rectangle then fold it into a burrito and roll it, then fold it in half and roll it and then repeat this process 3 times until you are left with another rectangle. Once it was properly rolled, we put the dough through the pasta roller. We put it through the roller several times at different settings making it thinner and thinner until it was about 3 1/2 feet long and pretty thin. The really long piece was put onto the work station and cut in half. Since Anna and I's dough was one of the last to be put through the machine we made linguine instead of the ravioli that everyone else had made. The linguine was made by putting a special slicer onto the pasta roller and just grinding it up. The ravioli was made by laying out the dough and places a small sized squirt of spinach two inches apart and in the center of the dough. The dough was then rolled in half and lightly pressed all around the spinach to insure it stuck to the pasta. Next we were given a jagged slicer and cut the edges and then in the center between each blob of spinach until we had neat little squares of ravioli.
The sauce for the ravioli was just butter, olive oil, rosemary, basil, and salt and pepper sauteed. For the linguine we had a spicy tomato sauce. The chef mushed up a bunch of tomatoes with his bare hands then then added them, salt, pepper, olive oil, and dry crushed chili peppers into the suace pan to saute for a few minutes. While the sauces were heating up we cooked the pasta which took all of about 3 minutes. By the time all of this was done, we gathered up all of our food and headed downstairs where we were surprised to find a full dining room. We sat down with our fellow cookers and ate our delicious meals. I was even brave enough to try to eggplant appetizer and ended up LOVING IT! Who would have known I actually liked eggplant?! I ate a lot of linguine since I'm not a fan of the ravioli and tried the tiramisu we created and the cream was delicious even though I still didn't like the espresso taste. On the way out we said our goodbyes and were given a little recipe guide so we could make everything again in at home! We also picked up a pamphlet so we could try to go to the cooking class again, I loved it!
The rest of the day was pretty lazy, I got a few things from the market and watched The Little Mermaid with Anna. Later we went to Ganzo for dinner where we had to wait for almost 20 minutes since we didn't have a reservation and then when I tried to order, my first 3 choices were already sold out. Dinner ended up being alright then we headed home to sleep for an early morning in Orvieto!
Florentine Royalty Treatment
I really can't believe it's been a week since my last post, time is absolutely flying by!
Since the beginning of this week wasn't anything out of the ordinary, I'll start with Thursday, the beginning of my best weekend yet. Thursday started off well as always in my wine class. I'm learning so much and tasting wines at the same time! At the end of class, April and I stayed behind to have a chat with our professor and a student who is studying to get this wine certificate when they invited us to go wine tasting with them that evening. They didn't give much detail about exactly what we were going to be doing or even where we were going but we were excited regardless and agreed to meet them at a restaurant at 6:30. After wine class, I did a little shopping and then went home to make myself lunch. Then I had my first Italian quiz which I was beyond nervous for. The nerves ended up being pointless since the quiz was like 20 questions and beyond simple, I'm almost positive I aced it. The positive vibes we flowing as I walked home from class early and was able to enjoy an episode of this weeks Glee with Anna (I LOVED IT) before having to get ready.
April and I arrived at Ganzo at exactly 6:30 to meet our Professor. We began walking to what we thought would be a wine bar but ended up being his car. I was hesitant at first but we crammed into his teeny mini cooper and were off to our unknown destination. I was a little nervous since it was my first time in a car in Italy but it was fine, just a little bumpy thanks to all the cobblestone. We crossed the Ponte Vecchio to the other side of Florence and ended up at a beyond beautiful hotel set on a hilltop, surrounded by spotlights, and a well-kept garden. Our professor, Massimo, explained that the hotel, owned by famous Italian designer, Ferragamo, had just re-opened in January after being closed for the summer for renovations. We stepped into the hotel and I had to stop myself from letting my jaw drop, it was magnificent. The inside of the hotel was like nothing I've ever seen before, everyone was luxurious and decorated from head to toe; the floors were marble, the drapes were silk, and the ceilings covered in hand blow Murano glass chandeliers. I couldn't help but feeling under-dressed as one of the staff asked to take my coat while we entered the lounge. The lounge was a large rectangular table made out of glass with changing colors shinning from below and surrounded by vintage velour chairs. April and I declined anything to drink fearing the prices of the menu but Massiso insisted on getting us an authentic Italian cocktail since I had been curious about them earlier. He ended up agreeing to let us share a cocktail named Negroni. Just a heads up to anyone who doesn't want a strong drink of Christmas tree, AVOID THIS DRINK! The Negroni is made out of Gin, Campari (Orange Italian Liquor, and Sweet Vermouth) but April and I had to force ourselves to finish the terrible concoction in fear of being rude. We were almost finished with the first round of cocktails when Chase (the wine certificate student) introduced us to his friend, the manager of food and beverage at the hotel. He took us fora tour of the sitting area, the conference room, the card room, the ladies parlor, the restaurant, and the wine cellar. Everything was all so beautiful, April and I had no idea where to look to soak in everything the decor of the hotel had to offer. After the tour, we were going to taste the wine Chase had brought but unfortunately Massimo declared that it was 8:20 and his wife had been expecting him at 8:00. (Italians are literally NEVER on time) So we gathered our things and squeezed back into Massimo's teeny car for the ride back into the center of Florence. As April and I walked back to the apartment we were both in a daze from what we had just witnessed and felt so privileged to have been invited AND invited back for another time when we would actually get to taste the wine!
It was getting late and we were both a little hungry but not starving so we stopped down the street at OK Bar for a quick bite. I ordered the lasagna and was not disappointed, it was huge and the epitome of what you think of when you think Italian homemade lasagna. We went back to the apartment and got ready to go out and celebrate Shelbi's 21st birthday! The celebration was a success and we headed back home to sleep for a few hours before we had our cooking class the next day!
Since the beginning of this week wasn't anything out of the ordinary, I'll start with Thursday, the beginning of my best weekend yet. Thursday started off well as always in my wine class. I'm learning so much and tasting wines at the same time! At the end of class, April and I stayed behind to have a chat with our professor and a student who is studying to get this wine certificate when they invited us to go wine tasting with them that evening. They didn't give much detail about exactly what we were going to be doing or even where we were going but we were excited regardless and agreed to meet them at a restaurant at 6:30. After wine class, I did a little shopping and then went home to make myself lunch. Then I had my first Italian quiz which I was beyond nervous for. The nerves ended up being pointless since the quiz was like 20 questions and beyond simple, I'm almost positive I aced it. The positive vibes we flowing as I walked home from class early and was able to enjoy an episode of this weeks Glee with Anna (I LOVED IT) before having to get ready.
April and I arrived at Ganzo at exactly 6:30 to meet our Professor. We began walking to what we thought would be a wine bar but ended up being his car. I was hesitant at first but we crammed into his teeny mini cooper and were off to our unknown destination. I was a little nervous since it was my first time in a car in Italy but it was fine, just a little bumpy thanks to all the cobblestone. We crossed the Ponte Vecchio to the other side of Florence and ended up at a beyond beautiful hotel set on a hilltop, surrounded by spotlights, and a well-kept garden. Our professor, Massimo, explained that the hotel, owned by famous Italian designer, Ferragamo, had just re-opened in January after being closed for the summer for renovations. We stepped into the hotel and I had to stop myself from letting my jaw drop, it was magnificent. The inside of the hotel was like nothing I've ever seen before, everyone was luxurious and decorated from head to toe; the floors were marble, the drapes were silk, and the ceilings covered in hand blow Murano glass chandeliers. I couldn't help but feeling under-dressed as one of the staff asked to take my coat while we entered the lounge. The lounge was a large rectangular table made out of glass with changing colors shinning from below and surrounded by vintage velour chairs. April and I declined anything to drink fearing the prices of the menu but Massiso insisted on getting us an authentic Italian cocktail since I had been curious about them earlier. He ended up agreeing to let us share a cocktail named Negroni. Just a heads up to anyone who doesn't want a strong drink of Christmas tree, AVOID THIS DRINK! The Negroni is made out of Gin, Campari (Orange Italian Liquor, and Sweet Vermouth) but April and I had to force ourselves to finish the terrible concoction in fear of being rude. We were almost finished with the first round of cocktails when Chase (the wine certificate student) introduced us to his friend, the manager of food and beverage at the hotel. He took us fora tour of the sitting area, the conference room, the card room, the ladies parlor, the restaurant, and the wine cellar. Everything was all so beautiful, April and I had no idea where to look to soak in everything the decor of the hotel had to offer. After the tour, we were going to taste the wine Chase had brought but unfortunately Massimo declared that it was 8:20 and his wife had been expecting him at 8:00. (Italians are literally NEVER on time) So we gathered our things and squeezed back into Massimo's teeny car for the ride back into the center of Florence. As April and I walked back to the apartment we were both in a daze from what we had just witnessed and felt so privileged to have been invited AND invited back for another time when we would actually get to taste the wine!
It was getting late and we were both a little hungry but not starving so we stopped down the street at OK Bar for a quick bite. I ordered the lasagna and was not disappointed, it was huge and the epitome of what you think of when you think Italian homemade lasagna. We went back to the apartment and got ready to go out and celebrate Shelbi's 21st birthday! The celebration was a success and we headed back home to sleep for a few hours before we had our cooking class the next day!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Assisi, Siena, and San Gimigano Adventure!
The trip to Assisi with ISA started bright and early at 8:00am in front of the train station. We promptly loaded the bus and awaited departure which was able 45 minutes later since other people who were on the list decided to show up a half an hour late. The bus ride was smooth and about two hours so I was able to get in a little shut eye before we arrived. Assisi is a town that is on top of a mountain so we drove up quite a bit to park the bus and get a quick snack and then followed our tour guide up two sets of escalators into Assisi. The tour guide brought us to a bunch of churchs and town landmarks but I was unable to take my eyes off of all the beautiful homes. Every inch of every building was created with such detail it was amazing; they all had cute sets leading up to their ornate door and the building was covered in irory and the windows were decorated with colorful shutters and fresh potted flowers.
After our tour we were dropped off the main church and alotted 2 hours for lunch and to wander the city. Of course it was 2pm by then and we were all famished. We went to a trattoria that had good reviews but it was swamped so we wandered around looking for somewhere else. Every place we came across was either a to-go pizzeria with pizza that had been sitting out all day or an expensive ristorante. Finally we settled on an Osteria (A set up from a pizzeria but below a trattoria and ristorante). Everything on the menu was decently priced and the decor was cute sowe figured we were making out well. I ordered the lasanga and then wanted to cry when it was served to me. It was literally a piece of 2x2x2 overcooked, burnt on top, sauceless, cheeseless, and meatless piece of what I guess you could call lasagna. I tried to cut it with must difficulty and then proceeded to eat it in about 3 bites. Meanwhile Jen and Anna both got about 11 inch pizzas each. They of course offered slices of their pizza since I was still so hungry but I felt bad eating their food when I knew they were just as hungry as I was. So I sat there patiently sipping my wine until the waiter came over and took our plates away. I was going to tell him about my terrible meal but of course he ran away and then didnt show up again for about 25 minutes. By this time I'm angry so he comes over smiling and I was just like "We never got bread" he of course was Italian and had no idea what he said so I began to frantically point to another table's bread and kept repeating myself. I know this sounds a bit obnoxious but by this time its 3:30 and all I've had to eat all day is a bowl of cherrios and cardboard pasta, I was on edge to say the least. About 10 minutes later we get our bread and I scarf down the entire basket before signaling for the check (A major Italian faux pas by the way) Of course my luck after the terrible meal was the realization that there is a 2 euro cover charge per person. Not a happy camper. After lunch I was in a grumpy mood but we still had time before we needed to meet the group to leave so we wandered the city exploring. In the beginging I loved Assisi for being on a mountain and having cute little stair ways to get everywhere but after lunch it was just plain annoying to have to hike to get anywhere on an empty stomach. I slept the bus ride home and hopped for a better day on Saturday in Siena and San Gimigano.
After a good nights sleep, I was feeling positive about our trip for the day and it was even better since we didn't have to meet up for the bus until 10 am. The bus ride was pretty short, only an hour and a half, so I took in the rolling hills and read my book before arriving. We made it to Siena and begin to worry since the dark clouds were rolling in and it was yet again another city ontop of a mountain. We met up the tour guide but everyone needed a bathroom break so I made a run for the nearest bar and grabbed a criossant so I wouldn't be ravished by lunch time. The tour started and it was dead boring. Our tour guide tried to keep us interested but a church is a church is a church on the inside, plus it doesn't help that its usually colder inside than it is outside. The rest of Siena was surprisingly not that pretty compared to all the other cities since Siena was in a war-of-architecture with Florence while they were both being built so many years ago. Siena wanted to be different than Florence so instead of going the renissance route, they went medievel. Everything is dark and for some reason under construction.
The most interesting part of Siena is thier city center since its a giant brick oval. The oval is used twice during the summer for thier horse races where everyone in the entire city gathers along with the rich and famous to cheer on their horse. The other interesting part of Siena was thier Duomo. I know this sounds terrible but I think Siena's duomo is prettier yet smaller than Florence's Duomo. After the Duomo, the tour concluded and we set out on own to eat and explore! For lunch we walked around for a while but apparently its the cities off season so barely anything was open except for the places on the city center which were way over priced. We finally found a place and settled in where I got gnocchi of course and it was delicious. Following with our tradition we went for gelato. I ordered a cone of mint and hazelnut thinking it would be a terrific combination. Unfortunately the hazelnut tasted more like an actual nut than nutella like I had anticipated and had nuts mixed in (YUCK) but I still enjoyed it since the mint was SO GOOD. I scoped off the hazelnut and enjoyed my mint cone while wandering the city looking for a bakery that sold Siena's famous pasty/cookie. Of course with my luck I wasn't able to find any open bakery that sold single cookies of the one I wanted to try, it was all over priced giant packages. Normally I would just get the package and bring it home but I've never tried the cookie so what happens if I didn't like them? We all pulled out our umbrellas as it started to drizzle on our walk back to the bus.
We got on the bus briefly before arriving with the rain in San Gimigano. The landscape that overlooks below San Gimingano was breathtaking since it over looks a ton of vineyards. Of course there were no grapes and barely anything was green but it was still gorgeous. As our tour guide brought us toward the city center, we started noticing a strange pattern; children in Halloween costumes. It wasn't until we reached the arched entrace of the city did the tour guide announce that they were celebrating Carnavale! All the children were dressed up to throw confetti, spray silly string, and dance in the parade through the city. We made it to the city center just in time to see the floats begin to take off and confetti to fly everywhere. It was a magical moment that I truly wished I was participating in. Our tour guide pulled us away all too quickly to bring us furthur into the city for more sight seeing and fact learning. The entire time we were trying to listen to our ear pieces for inforamtion abotu the family crests painted on the walls of the city we were distracted by the sounds of the parade in the distance. The tour ended shortly after this but the parade was long gone so we went back through the city looking for shelter from the increasing rain. Of course Anna and I were lured down the street all the way to the heavenly smell of fresh oven brick pizza. I couldn't resist a freshly made slice of 2 euro margarhita pizza, and I was absolutely exstatic that I did since it was the best pizza I've had while being in Italy. I enjoyed every last memorable bite. We walked back up the street with more time to kill and found friends from our tour. We sat in envy listening to how they six of them had been separated from the group during the beginning of the parade and were dragged into it as it drove away. The danced, sang, were covered in confetti, and given free bottles of wine by shop keepers and Italians enjoying the parade. I couldnt believe I walked to a arch with foregin family crests instead of dancing to Italian Cher and drinking free wine!
Sulkingly we gather ourselves to walk back to the bus. By this time the weather had decreased along with my mood and it was pouring. I was the brilliant one in the group to wear flats so my feet were soaked to the core. We made it bac kto the bus but I was far to uncomfortable to do anything but listen to my ipod and stare out the darkened windows. We got back to Florence as it continued to pour and I had to walk home in the soaking wet shoes thorugh puddles. Not the best situation. We made it back to the apartment where I peeled off my flats and washed my feet since they were just plain gross.
I pulled on my rainboots, feeling infinately better and headed to Tijuana for dinner. Tijuana is one of the only Meixan establishments and you need to make a reservation anytime you want to eat there so we were all excited for it by the time we got there. Anna and I ordered giant margarhitas, queso dip, and chicken quesadillas andate ourselves into bliss. The food was overpriced but oh-so-delicious and it hit the spot after my rainy day.
Today April and I woke up relatively early for our day off, put in a load of wash, and then headed to the cooking school building to sign up for a wine tasting trip we wanted to take with our class. Afterwards we picked up Jen and headed to Ganzo for lunch where we met Shelbi. For lunch I had a fresh turkey and some special cheese sandwhich with fresh tomatos and roasted potatos on the side. I was pleasantly full before walking to check my mailbox where I was greeted with an adorable card from Aunt Lisa, such a mood booster! I came home about 4 hours later to my laundry finally being finished. Loads at our washing machine in our apartment listeraly take 3 hours and then everything has to be hung up to dry since Italian's don't believe in dryers. I put in my second load and then headed to a mandatory meeting with ISA.
After the meeting, Shelbi and I went to meet up with a boy she had met out earlier in the week for coffee. The whole tete-e-tete was awkward since it was just the three of us and Alex (the Italian) didn't speak more than two words in English (Hello/Goodbye) We did our best and had a few laughs at our ability and inability to translate. We headed home and relaxed before just cooking up some pasta and pecorino sauce for dinner.
This week I am literally going to Ganzo everyday for lunch and some nights for dinner since my vouchers for the month expire next Monday! I have my first Italian quiz Thursday and I'm nervous about it to say the least so I might go to tutoring Wednesday to try to comprehend more and get a different perspective. The rest of the weeks forcast is going to be sunny and mid-fifties so I'm going to try to be outside as much as possible soaking up the sunshine after all this rain! Hope you all are enjoying the surprise snow storm!
Love and Miss Everyone! xoxo
After our tour we were dropped off the main church and alotted 2 hours for lunch and to wander the city. Of course it was 2pm by then and we were all famished. We went to a trattoria that had good reviews but it was swamped so we wandered around looking for somewhere else. Every place we came across was either a to-go pizzeria with pizza that had been sitting out all day or an expensive ristorante. Finally we settled on an Osteria (A set up from a pizzeria but below a trattoria and ristorante). Everything on the menu was decently priced and the decor was cute sowe figured we were making out well. I ordered the lasanga and then wanted to cry when it was served to me. It was literally a piece of 2x2x2 overcooked, burnt on top, sauceless, cheeseless, and meatless piece of what I guess you could call lasagna. I tried to cut it with must difficulty and then proceeded to eat it in about 3 bites. Meanwhile Jen and Anna both got about 11 inch pizzas each. They of course offered slices of their pizza since I was still so hungry but I felt bad eating their food when I knew they were just as hungry as I was. So I sat there patiently sipping my wine until the waiter came over and took our plates away. I was going to tell him about my terrible meal but of course he ran away and then didnt show up again for about 25 minutes. By this time I'm angry so he comes over smiling and I was just like "We never got bread" he of course was Italian and had no idea what he said so I began to frantically point to another table's bread and kept repeating myself. I know this sounds a bit obnoxious but by this time its 3:30 and all I've had to eat all day is a bowl of cherrios and cardboard pasta, I was on edge to say the least. About 10 minutes later we get our bread and I scarf down the entire basket before signaling for the check (A major Italian faux pas by the way) Of course my luck after the terrible meal was the realization that there is a 2 euro cover charge per person. Not a happy camper. After lunch I was in a grumpy mood but we still had time before we needed to meet the group to leave so we wandered the city exploring. In the beginging I loved Assisi for being on a mountain and having cute little stair ways to get everywhere but after lunch it was just plain annoying to have to hike to get anywhere on an empty stomach. I slept the bus ride home and hopped for a better day on Saturday in Siena and San Gimigano.
After a good nights sleep, I was feeling positive about our trip for the day and it was even better since we didn't have to meet up for the bus until 10 am. The bus ride was pretty short, only an hour and a half, so I took in the rolling hills and read my book before arriving. We made it to Siena and begin to worry since the dark clouds were rolling in and it was yet again another city ontop of a mountain. We met up the tour guide but everyone needed a bathroom break so I made a run for the nearest bar and grabbed a criossant so I wouldn't be ravished by lunch time. The tour started and it was dead boring. Our tour guide tried to keep us interested but a church is a church is a church on the inside, plus it doesn't help that its usually colder inside than it is outside. The rest of Siena was surprisingly not that pretty compared to all the other cities since Siena was in a war-of-architecture with Florence while they were both being built so many years ago. Siena wanted to be different than Florence so instead of going the renissance route, they went medievel. Everything is dark and for some reason under construction.
The most interesting part of Siena is thier city center since its a giant brick oval. The oval is used twice during the summer for thier horse races where everyone in the entire city gathers along with the rich and famous to cheer on their horse. The other interesting part of Siena was thier Duomo. I know this sounds terrible but I think Siena's duomo is prettier yet smaller than Florence's Duomo. After the Duomo, the tour concluded and we set out on own to eat and explore! For lunch we walked around for a while but apparently its the cities off season so barely anything was open except for the places on the city center which were way over priced. We finally found a place and settled in where I got gnocchi of course and it was delicious. Following with our tradition we went for gelato. I ordered a cone of mint and hazelnut thinking it would be a terrific combination. Unfortunately the hazelnut tasted more like an actual nut than nutella like I had anticipated and had nuts mixed in (YUCK) but I still enjoyed it since the mint was SO GOOD. I scoped off the hazelnut and enjoyed my mint cone while wandering the city looking for a bakery that sold Siena's famous pasty/cookie. Of course with my luck I wasn't able to find any open bakery that sold single cookies of the one I wanted to try, it was all over priced giant packages. Normally I would just get the package and bring it home but I've never tried the cookie so what happens if I didn't like them? We all pulled out our umbrellas as it started to drizzle on our walk back to the bus.
We got on the bus briefly before arriving with the rain in San Gimigano. The landscape that overlooks below San Gimingano was breathtaking since it over looks a ton of vineyards. Of course there were no grapes and barely anything was green but it was still gorgeous. As our tour guide brought us toward the city center, we started noticing a strange pattern; children in Halloween costumes. It wasn't until we reached the arched entrace of the city did the tour guide announce that they were celebrating Carnavale! All the children were dressed up to throw confetti, spray silly string, and dance in the parade through the city. We made it to the city center just in time to see the floats begin to take off and confetti to fly everywhere. It was a magical moment that I truly wished I was participating in. Our tour guide pulled us away all too quickly to bring us furthur into the city for more sight seeing and fact learning. The entire time we were trying to listen to our ear pieces for inforamtion abotu the family crests painted on the walls of the city we were distracted by the sounds of the parade in the distance. The tour ended shortly after this but the parade was long gone so we went back through the city looking for shelter from the increasing rain. Of course Anna and I were lured down the street all the way to the heavenly smell of fresh oven brick pizza. I couldn't resist a freshly made slice of 2 euro margarhita pizza, and I was absolutely exstatic that I did since it was the best pizza I've had while being in Italy. I enjoyed every last memorable bite. We walked back up the street with more time to kill and found friends from our tour. We sat in envy listening to how they six of them had been separated from the group during the beginning of the parade and were dragged into it as it drove away. The danced, sang, were covered in confetti, and given free bottles of wine by shop keepers and Italians enjoying the parade. I couldnt believe I walked to a arch with foregin family crests instead of dancing to Italian Cher and drinking free wine!
Sulkingly we gather ourselves to walk back to the bus. By this time the weather had decreased along with my mood and it was pouring. I was the brilliant one in the group to wear flats so my feet were soaked to the core. We made it bac kto the bus but I was far to uncomfortable to do anything but listen to my ipod and stare out the darkened windows. We got back to Florence as it continued to pour and I had to walk home in the soaking wet shoes thorugh puddles. Not the best situation. We made it back to the apartment where I peeled off my flats and washed my feet since they were just plain gross.
I pulled on my rainboots, feeling infinately better and headed to Tijuana for dinner. Tijuana is one of the only Meixan establishments and you need to make a reservation anytime you want to eat there so we were all excited for it by the time we got there. Anna and I ordered giant margarhitas, queso dip, and chicken quesadillas andate ourselves into bliss. The food was overpriced but oh-so-delicious and it hit the spot after my rainy day.
Today April and I woke up relatively early for our day off, put in a load of wash, and then headed to the cooking school building to sign up for a wine tasting trip we wanted to take with our class. Afterwards we picked up Jen and headed to Ganzo for lunch where we met Shelbi. For lunch I had a fresh turkey and some special cheese sandwhich with fresh tomatos and roasted potatos on the side. I was pleasantly full before walking to check my mailbox where I was greeted with an adorable card from Aunt Lisa, such a mood booster! I came home about 4 hours later to my laundry finally being finished. Loads at our washing machine in our apartment listeraly take 3 hours and then everything has to be hung up to dry since Italian's don't believe in dryers. I put in my second load and then headed to a mandatory meeting with ISA.
After the meeting, Shelbi and I went to meet up with a boy she had met out earlier in the week for coffee. The whole tete-e-tete was awkward since it was just the three of us and Alex (the Italian) didn't speak more than two words in English (Hello/Goodbye) We did our best and had a few laughs at our ability and inability to translate. We headed home and relaxed before just cooking up some pasta and pecorino sauce for dinner.
This week I am literally going to Ganzo everyday for lunch and some nights for dinner since my vouchers for the month expire next Monday! I have my first Italian quiz Thursday and I'm nervous about it to say the least so I might go to tutoring Wednesday to try to comprehend more and get a different perspective. The rest of the weeks forcast is going to be sunny and mid-fifties so I'm going to try to be outside as much as possible soaking up the sunshine after all this rain! Hope you all are enjoying the surprise snow storm!
Love and Miss Everyone! xoxo
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