Ciao or should I say Hola!
I last left off when I was leaving for Ibiza! It was in my top 3 trips here so far on my studying abroad adventure. It was relaxing and just a good time all around.
I left on thursday after my class and took a bus from the Florence train station, with the other people on the trip that I went with, to the Pisa airport. There we hopped on a plane over to the island of Ibiza. It was the strangest airplane right that I have ever been on. Well, I probably shouldn't use the word strange because that can sound bad, the flight was actually fine and so was the plane it was a normal boeing 737 or whatever (it had 3 seats on each side of the plane). So what I mean by this flight is more that it was wild! It was so loud the whole flight, there were constant announcements going off on the overhead and the people on the flight as soon as the seat-belt light went off would just roam around the cabin and sit backwards on their chairs so that they can talk to their friends behind them. The girls (Alyssa and Jess who I stayed in the hotel with) and I were just shocked by the way that the people acted on the plane ride. Then when the plane had landed they played some mexican music saying that we are one of the 90% of "ryanair" (which was our company) flights that landed on time and then everyone clapped and cheered, it was very interesting to say the least. So we landed safely in Ibiza, got off the plane, OH and to get on and off these planes there were no gates so we had to walk to and from the plane to the actual airports. So we grabbed a cab and us 3 made our way to the hotel. There were a group of 12 of us from my program in total that went this weekend. We all took the same flights there and back but we were separated throughout Ibiza in 3 different groups, my group of 3, one group of 4, and another group of 5.
When we got to the hotel it was very clean and nice, we had a 4th floor room overlooking the pool and beach. My group of girls knew that we wanted a hotel that was on the beach so we were so happy to get there and have the beach literally be a foot outside our hotel. So that night we just got some dinner at a restaurant that was across the street from the hotel and started to get ready to go out for the night. That night we had gotten special club tickets so that we could go to Pacha, which is a world famous club, and see a famous DJ David Guetta. We first went to a bar around our hotel and met the bartender there, he was really nice to us and gave us a great deal so we were loving it haha. Then we took a cab to meet the other people from our program in whats called the West End. There it is what I expect New Orleans looks like for Margi Gras it was crazy! There were just people dressed up everywhere and it just went on for what looked like days and days of bar and club one right after another. There were so many promoters on the street trying to sell you deals like I will give you 2 for 1 and this and that on the side for 5 euros! So we went into some of these fun little places and then met up with everyone else. From there we took another taxi to Pacha, we were able to get in right away which was nice, but once we walked in there was no moving anywhereeee. It was soo over packed it was crazy I felt like a sardine. So we went into the mash-pit of people for just a little bit so that we could snap some pictures of David Guetta, but resorted to the sides of the dance floor so we could actually dance. It was such an experience to be in a club like that but I think that it would of definitely been a much better time if there weren't SO many people in the place. Every person that we talked to after that night and we told them that we had gone there all had the same first reaction of oh wow how did you like feeling like a sardine? or about how they fill the club too much.
We woke up Friday morning around 10ish and got some breakfast and went to work on our tans at the beach. This was the best beach that I have been to here so far, it reminded me of the Caribbean/Florida. The water was crystal clear even really far out where i couldnt stand and there were fish swimming all around us. After soaking in the sun and going into the ocean about 4 times, we took showers and got ready for some dinner. We again just ate around the hotel at an Irish bar/pub. Then we went back to our favorite bartender and off again to the west end. This night we just stuck around the bars there and didnt go into a warehouse type of club in a different part of the island. It was again so amazing the way that people dressed there in all of these cool and strange outfits. The promoter girls would be wearing really cool outfits with the names of the clubs "tattooed" on their bodies. I would definitely love to go back again just to go to the West End.
On Saturday again we slept in a little, got some breakfast, and then laid out on the beach all day long. The beach here was nice that there were people but you were not laying on top of each other. And like all of the other beaches that I have been to here there were topless women and men in speedos. We also noticed that at all of these beaches in Europe it doesn't matter what size or what age you are all of the women wear bikinis. It is not always the best look for these women, nor is it fun to look at an old women topless too. But the men here in Ibiza were different, I guess because most of the people in Ibiza were like us, tourists/travelers, and were not like our usual italian men, but they were more into working out. The guys in all of the previous beaches or should I also say in day to day life in Italy do not work out or have visible muscles. But their were a bunch of "meatheads" in Ibiza. Also most of the people or really all of the people there spoke English, and not because of American tourists, actually there were not too many American tourists, like you find in Florence. But everywhere you turned there were people from England, Ireland, Whales, etc. The whole time I did not feel like I was in Spain, instead I felt like it was an island off of the UK. So anyway, this night we again had dinner around the hotel and we had to wake up early the next morning so we just went to the bars around our hotel too. We called it a pretty early night and just went back to the hotel and us 3 girls chatted and shared stories for awhile about our friends, family, and just home in general.
We woke up early to get to the airport for our flight back to Pisa. This flight was not as rowdy as the first one, which was nice, I guess everyone just gets so excited to go to Ibiza. We again took a bus back from Pisa to Florence and I was back at my apartment at around 4 pm. I just relaxed the rest of the day, watched the sunset with Nicole on the roof of my apartment and went out to dinner with Nicole and my other roommate Carrie. At dinner we met these 4 Americans from Boston and they were so nice they paid for our wine with dinner. We talked to them the whole time (since there were not that many people in the restaurant and we were sitting at the table next to them we were not too obnoxious!) and they were just in Florence for a couple of days doing a European trip. We hung out with them that night and brought them to one of the bars in Florence called The Red Garter where they have a karaoke bar. We unfortunately were too late by the time that we tried to do karaoke but it was still a lot of fun to hang out with new people.
Monday was the start of my last week of class, and I was drained from the traveling and going out that Nicole and I took Monday as a day of rest. And I went out to dinner with Alyssa before calling it a night. Tuesday I went to class had a great lunch at this placed called the oil shop that makes the best and cheap sandwiches and went back to Alyssas apartment to study for our final (which was today Wed). Last night (tuesday) I just stayed in and made dinner with Nicole and studied. Today I had my last Art History class and final. After class we went to the ONLY diner in Florence and got breakfast it was nice to have semi-American food. Then Nicole and I went shopping a little bit and were SWEATING soo bad. It was 95 degrees here and we were walking around the city, I came back and took an ice shower and now sitting here writing this blog I am again sweating!
I am going out to dinner tonight with Alyssa and Jess the two girls I went to Ibiza with and Nicole. Then we are going out for our last night out all together here =( Tomorrow I have my last class here in Florence and have to give a presentation in my management class about Facebook. And then la mia familia will be here!!! I cant wait to see them! I can just picture my mom crying when she sees me now!
I just want to say from this trip it has really made me appreciate the friends and family that I have. All of the people that support and love me. Being here without my friends have made me appreciate them and made me realize how important they are to me and how special I am to have them in my life. If I can explain this correctly, this trip has made me realize how/why I am friends with my friends and how our relationships work. Not everyone gets along with everyone else for extended periods of time and being without my closest friends it has made me realize that they are in my life for a reason. As for family, well you have to love me =) I mean who doesnt! haha
Talk to you soon! Love you all!
Michele
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Milan & Cinque Terra & Viareggio
So its been awhile since I last blogged, I have been really busy enjoying my last few weeks here in Florence, especially this is my last weekend with my program! So I will try to recap everything to the best of my ability =)
I left off when I had come back from a great weekend at the French Rivera, and I was not feeling too good. I went to the doctors on Monday and got the medicine and it made me immediately feel so much better my throat was less swollen and I no longer had a fever. That Monday all I really did was sleep in, go to the doctors, and hang out all day. Then I had class Tuesday and I don't think anything to special went on. Wednesday I again had class and again nothing too out of the ordinary, I believe I laid out on the roof of my building because its a greatttt view of Florence and its perfect for tanning. Then Thursday class again but then it was the weekend! It was the first time/night that I knew that the next morning I didnt have to get up at a certain time to be anywhere and I was going to take full advantage of sleeping in. Alyssa and our friends went out that night to a club called Central and Alyssa and I were dancing having suchhhhhh a good time until a moment where she looks at me with completely frightened and shocked. Both her Blackberry phone and her wallet had been stolen while she was dancing. As I'm sure all of you know Europe is famous for pit-pocketing and its really bad in the clubs. They have perfected unzipping your purses and grabbing important things like your phone and wallet. Alyssa had a cross-body bag on and had it zipped the whole time and had her hand on the purse for almost the whole night. All it took was one time for her hand to come off of her purse and her stuff was gone. So I pulled Alyssa off the dance floor we went into an area that wasnt crowed or as loud and I gave her my phone to call her mom immediately and tell her what happened and to cancel both her phone and her credit cards. The guy ended up only getting away with the memory card from her phone (because once you report your phone stolen it can no longer be connected to a number even if they put an italian sim card in it, the phone will "lock up" and you have to call the phone company to "unlock it") so the memory card from her phone, 40 euros, and her apartment key which has no indication of where she lives so thats useless too and a wallet which im sure the guy who stole it probably threw out anyway. So we left the club right after and it was so unfortunate that not only was her stuff stolen but we were both having one of the best nights we had had here in Florence.
So I went to bed at a fairly decent time since we left the club when Alyssas stuff was stolen and if that had not happened we would of stayed later. Nicole was leaving for Paris in the morning so she hadn't gone out and was sleeping when I got home. I went to bed and woke up when Nicole was getting her stuff together to leave in the morning which was around 7 or 8 I guess. I fell back to sleep to wake up again at 10ish and saw that Nicole had left, I decided to go back to sleep for a little since I had no where to be, and I typically wake up at 7:45 everyday. So I go back to sleep and I wake up again and I before I looked at the clock I still was unsure whether I wanted to keep sleeping or wake up for the day. I checked the clock to see what time it was and it was 4 in the AFTERNOON! I was SHOCKED so I immediately hopped out of bed and got into the shower. Alyssa had gone on a field trip for one of her classes that day and by the time I had gotten out of the shower she was back from her day trip haha. So instead of going shopping around Florence like I had planned I just went food shopping and then Alyssa and I had a great dinner together. We went out again that night but didnt stay out terribly late because we were leaving for Milan in the morning.
We took the train to Milan and went there to simply explore and shop. It was Alyssa, her two roommates Jess and Monica, and myself and not one of us had looked into where anything in the city was. So when we got off the train we started walking in what we thought looked like the center of the city and we literally were walking around for a good couple of hours. We had asked people where the good shopping was and I have to say 1 out of the 6 people we asked had given us the right answer. So we finally found a strip of stores and I was able to get a pair of shorts and a anchor shirt for DG. In all it was a pretty good day but it would of been nice if we actually did some research before just hopping on a train and winging it. That night Alyssa slept over in my apartment and we just watched a movie and went to bed. All of my roommates were out traveling (Nicole and my one roommate Erin were in Paris and then my other two were staying the night over in Cinque Terra) so Alyssa offered to stay with me so I didnt have to stay in my apartment alone and we had to wake up at like 6 the next morning anyway to get the bus to the beach. We took Bus2alps which is the tour company that we took to Amalfi coast and the tour guide Amanda, who is actually a DG also, was our tour guide again and a whole group that we met and loved on the Amalfi trip were on this one also, so Alyssa and I were really excited to do another trip with all of them. Cinque Terra for those who don't know are 5 different beach towns that are all next to each other and the whole point of going to Cinque Terra is that you are supposed to hike in between all of the towns. However, Alyssa is a beach girl like me and we did only the first I wouldnt even call it a hike more of like a stroll to the first beach town and then took the bus to the 4th to have lunch and then the 5th to lay out. It was very beautiful and the pictures from the people who hiked are crazy but the beach was SO SO SO crowded. Literally we were laying on top of the people next to us it was crazy, in fact in the beginning Alyssa and I didnt even have a place to put our towels down thats how crowded and how small the beach there was. We had to jump on top of these people who were leaving and quickly grab their spot. But it was beautiful weather and I was just happy to be at the beach.
Then Monday I had class and after class we made arrangements to go to the beach again, now this time to Viareggio. It is one of, or the closest beach to Florence and it was so pretty and such a nice beach. It is all resort style where you have to rent beach chairs and umbrellas for the day and they each have snack bar type places. So after class we hopped on a train and took it there and the beach is just a couple blocks down. We stayed on the beach til around 6 and then went to find a place for dinner. There none of the restaurants would serve us dinner until closer to 7 so we had to wait and walk around but there were some really cute shops so Alyssa, Monica (alyssas roommate), Eddie (Alyssas friend whos on the program and goes to Penn State) and I wasted some time shopping until we were able to eat and then we had to literally run to the train station to grab the train or we would of had to wait another 45 minutes for the next one. I was so wiped out from all of the traveling I didnt go out on Monday and I also had a paper to write for my Art History class. I got most of the paper done and went to bed early.
Tuesday I had class and then had lunch with some of my friends after and then did some shopping for my family gifts. I came back to finish my paper and get ready to go out for the night. I went out with my roommates and my friend Cassie and her roommates. It was a ton of fun and was definitely one of my most favorite nights being here.
Today I had class and we went to the Accademia to see the David, it is really a beautiful statue. Its 17 ft tall so its really really big compared to most of the statues here which are more like say are half the size of it typically. After class we went and had lunch at the oil shop which is this greatttttt sandwich shop thats really cheap. Then Nicole and I were so tired we took a little nap and then got up for dinner, we went to this Mexican restaurant that has great margaritas and happy hour from 7-8. But I am not going out tonight because I am still really tired and I had to pack for my upcoming weekend.
I leave tomorrow for Ibiza! I am so so so excited! I am taking a bus to Pisa and then taking a airplane to Ibiza, Spain. I will be there til Sunday staying at a hotel on the beach. I really hope that its a nice hotel haha this is the first time that I will be taking a weekend trip and had to book my own place to stay. All of the other weekends the tour companies picked the places. I cant wait to lay out on the beach all weekend and Ibiza has some of the best clubs in the world! I promise that I am going to try to take as many pictures as I can this weekend!
And then when I come back it will be my last week in my program. I have my art history final on Wed and then my final project for my management class on Thursday and then I'm done. I can't wait for my family to come out its going to be so much fun to show them around Florence and then be able to explore Venice and Rome together. I miss them so much and I am just so so so excited to give them all a hug!
Hope that everything is good at home! Miss you all!
xoxo
your favorite beach bum <3
I left off when I had come back from a great weekend at the French Rivera, and I was not feeling too good. I went to the doctors on Monday and got the medicine and it made me immediately feel so much better my throat was less swollen and I no longer had a fever. That Monday all I really did was sleep in, go to the doctors, and hang out all day. Then I had class Tuesday and I don't think anything to special went on. Wednesday I again had class and again nothing too out of the ordinary, I believe I laid out on the roof of my building because its a greatttt view of Florence and its perfect for tanning. Then Thursday class again but then it was the weekend! It was the first time/night that I knew that the next morning I didnt have to get up at a certain time to be anywhere and I was going to take full advantage of sleeping in. Alyssa and our friends went out that night to a club called Central and Alyssa and I were dancing having suchhhhhh a good time until a moment where she looks at me with completely frightened and shocked. Both her Blackberry phone and her wallet had been stolen while she was dancing. As I'm sure all of you know Europe is famous for pit-pocketing and its really bad in the clubs. They have perfected unzipping your purses and grabbing important things like your phone and wallet. Alyssa had a cross-body bag on and had it zipped the whole time and had her hand on the purse for almost the whole night. All it took was one time for her hand to come off of her purse and her stuff was gone. So I pulled Alyssa off the dance floor we went into an area that wasnt crowed or as loud and I gave her my phone to call her mom immediately and tell her what happened and to cancel both her phone and her credit cards. The guy ended up only getting away with the memory card from her phone (because once you report your phone stolen it can no longer be connected to a number even if they put an italian sim card in it, the phone will "lock up" and you have to call the phone company to "unlock it") so the memory card from her phone, 40 euros, and her apartment key which has no indication of where she lives so thats useless too and a wallet which im sure the guy who stole it probably threw out anyway. So we left the club right after and it was so unfortunate that not only was her stuff stolen but we were both having one of the best nights we had had here in Florence.
So I went to bed at a fairly decent time since we left the club when Alyssas stuff was stolen and if that had not happened we would of stayed later. Nicole was leaving for Paris in the morning so she hadn't gone out and was sleeping when I got home. I went to bed and woke up when Nicole was getting her stuff together to leave in the morning which was around 7 or 8 I guess. I fell back to sleep to wake up again at 10ish and saw that Nicole had left, I decided to go back to sleep for a little since I had no where to be, and I typically wake up at 7:45 everyday. So I go back to sleep and I wake up again and I before I looked at the clock I still was unsure whether I wanted to keep sleeping or wake up for the day. I checked the clock to see what time it was and it was 4 in the AFTERNOON! I was SHOCKED so I immediately hopped out of bed and got into the shower. Alyssa had gone on a field trip for one of her classes that day and by the time I had gotten out of the shower she was back from her day trip haha. So instead of going shopping around Florence like I had planned I just went food shopping and then Alyssa and I had a great dinner together. We went out again that night but didnt stay out terribly late because we were leaving for Milan in the morning.
We took the train to Milan and went there to simply explore and shop. It was Alyssa, her two roommates Jess and Monica, and myself and not one of us had looked into where anything in the city was. So when we got off the train we started walking in what we thought looked like the center of the city and we literally were walking around for a good couple of hours. We had asked people where the good shopping was and I have to say 1 out of the 6 people we asked had given us the right answer. So we finally found a strip of stores and I was able to get a pair of shorts and a anchor shirt for DG. In all it was a pretty good day but it would of been nice if we actually did some research before just hopping on a train and winging it. That night Alyssa slept over in my apartment and we just watched a movie and went to bed. All of my roommates were out traveling (Nicole and my one roommate Erin were in Paris and then my other two were staying the night over in Cinque Terra) so Alyssa offered to stay with me so I didnt have to stay in my apartment alone and we had to wake up at like 6 the next morning anyway to get the bus to the beach. We took Bus2alps which is the tour company that we took to Amalfi coast and the tour guide Amanda, who is actually a DG also, was our tour guide again and a whole group that we met and loved on the Amalfi trip were on this one also, so Alyssa and I were really excited to do another trip with all of them. Cinque Terra for those who don't know are 5 different beach towns that are all next to each other and the whole point of going to Cinque Terra is that you are supposed to hike in between all of the towns. However, Alyssa is a beach girl like me and we did only the first I wouldnt even call it a hike more of like a stroll to the first beach town and then took the bus to the 4th to have lunch and then the 5th to lay out. It was very beautiful and the pictures from the people who hiked are crazy but the beach was SO SO SO crowded. Literally we were laying on top of the people next to us it was crazy, in fact in the beginning Alyssa and I didnt even have a place to put our towels down thats how crowded and how small the beach there was. We had to jump on top of these people who were leaving and quickly grab their spot. But it was beautiful weather and I was just happy to be at the beach.
Then Monday I had class and after class we made arrangements to go to the beach again, now this time to Viareggio. It is one of, or the closest beach to Florence and it was so pretty and such a nice beach. It is all resort style where you have to rent beach chairs and umbrellas for the day and they each have snack bar type places. So after class we hopped on a train and took it there and the beach is just a couple blocks down. We stayed on the beach til around 6 and then went to find a place for dinner. There none of the restaurants would serve us dinner until closer to 7 so we had to wait and walk around but there were some really cute shops so Alyssa, Monica (alyssas roommate), Eddie (Alyssas friend whos on the program and goes to Penn State) and I wasted some time shopping until we were able to eat and then we had to literally run to the train station to grab the train or we would of had to wait another 45 minutes for the next one. I was so wiped out from all of the traveling I didnt go out on Monday and I also had a paper to write for my Art History class. I got most of the paper done and went to bed early.
Tuesday I had class and then had lunch with some of my friends after and then did some shopping for my family gifts. I came back to finish my paper and get ready to go out for the night. I went out with my roommates and my friend Cassie and her roommates. It was a ton of fun and was definitely one of my most favorite nights being here.
Today I had class and we went to the Accademia to see the David, it is really a beautiful statue. Its 17 ft tall so its really really big compared to most of the statues here which are more like say are half the size of it typically. After class we went and had lunch at the oil shop which is this greatttttt sandwich shop thats really cheap. Then Nicole and I were so tired we took a little nap and then got up for dinner, we went to this Mexican restaurant that has great margaritas and happy hour from 7-8. But I am not going out tonight because I am still really tired and I had to pack for my upcoming weekend.
I leave tomorrow for Ibiza! I am so so so excited! I am taking a bus to Pisa and then taking a airplane to Ibiza, Spain. I will be there til Sunday staying at a hotel on the beach. I really hope that its a nice hotel haha this is the first time that I will be taking a weekend trip and had to book my own place to stay. All of the other weekends the tour companies picked the places. I cant wait to lay out on the beach all weekend and Ibiza has some of the best clubs in the world! I promise that I am going to try to take as many pictures as I can this weekend!
And then when I come back it will be my last week in my program. I have my art history final on Wed and then my final project for my management class on Thursday and then I'm done. I can't wait for my family to come out its going to be so much fun to show them around Florence and then be able to explore Venice and Rome together. I miss them so much and I am just so so so excited to give them all a hug!
Hope that everything is good at home! Miss you all!
xoxo
your favorite beach bum <3
Monday, June 13, 2011
Pretending to be an A-lister in the French Riv
Ciao Bellas,
So I just got back from my French Rivera trip last night. It was a world-wind of a weekend!
To start off for those who don't or do know I have strep =( I started to feel my throat becoming a little weird on Thursday before I left but I thought it was just something that would go away the next day. However, after each day went on my throat kept getting worse and worse, 'til Sunday was the last day that I could take anymore. I went to the doctors today (after fighting with my mom Sunday night about going to the hospital right when I got home from my trip which was about 12 in the morning) and the doctor gave me Augmentin. He didn't even have to do a strep test he could tell by just looking at my throat. I was in so much pain on Sunday night that I could barely eat, drink, or swallow in general. I did not go to class today (Monday) and was able to sleep in, go to the doctors, and today I am feeling A LOT better then yesterday. My throat doesn't hurt to swallow anymore and my neck is not as swollen. So I am on the track to getting better thankfully.
SO on to the good stuff =)
I left on Thursday in the afternoon to catch the bus with my tour group to leave for the French Riv. We got into Nice, where our hotel was around 1 and Alyssa and I were roomed together. Originally, Alyssa had e-mailed the company and had asked for Nicole, Alyssa, and me to be in the same room because the rooms were supposed to be doubles and triples (much better then the 11 girls to a room hostel) but they had separated us and Nicole was with a girl that she didn't know. She was a little upset in the beginning which I totally understand and I was very happy that I was not separated from the two of them. Alyssa and I assured her that the girl was on the same tour as us and that she was here with friends also and probably felt the same way that she did of having to share a room with a stranger and not being with her friends. The girl ended up being so nice, she was from Penn State and there were no problems. So we went to bed and woke up on Saturday to go to Cannes.
The tour that we went on is called Florence for Fun and the co-owner of the company is a man called Fabio. We met Fabio the first night out here because he is a club/bar promoter (hes a good guy to know here in Florence because he literally owns/manages/promotes anything and everything, he is constantly getting us into places for free and getting us free drinks also). So why I am telling you this is that Fabio went on this trip. The French Rivera trip is only done twice in the Summer by his company and he loves it, so it was very exciting to have him be one of our tour guides since he knows everything so well and previously knew of the 3 of us (and many other girls on the trip). Also this trip was all girls, the only boys were Fabio who is around 36 but thinks that hes still 21 and his "friend" Andrew who is 21. Why I put friend is because I think its funny that a 36 year old is hanging out with college kids. Anyway, so Fabio was on our trip and Nicole, Alyssa, and I knew that we were going to be following what he did the whole weekend and that we were going to have a great time.
So in Cannes we went to a private beach and rented out lounge chairs or what they call "beds" for the day. There actually were beds on this beach that were on piers over the water it was amazing but I can only imagine how expensive they were. So we soaked up some sun, had some lunch that was pretty good, and laid out for most of the day. In Cannes for people who don't know that's where the film festival is held so we walked past that and took a pic as a group on the "red carpet." The water was really nice, not too cold but not too hot, it was very refreshing because of how hot it was out that day. Also I have to say before I get into anymore talk about food, Italian food is DELICIOUS I didn't even want to get pasta or pizza when I was in France because I figured why waste calories on pasta and pizza in France when I "live" in Italy. However! France's bread is sooo much better then Italy's for the fact that Italy's bread is typically hard (which to me means that its old), and the bread in France was so soft. Also while in the French Riv I was like why am I not going to get seafood the ocean is 50 ft away from me it has to be so fresh!
So after the beach we got back around 8, took showers got ready and headed over to a restaurant for a group dinner. After dinner people Fabio took some of us to a bar that had special prices and after the bar we went to the "only good club" in Cannes to see a famous DJ, DJ Alex Gaudino. The club was not too big but it was really cool because they did this thing with fog where for like 3 seconds you cant see anything because the fog is over you and then it goes just as quick as it comes, its amazing. Us 3 girls went to the upper level with the boys and there were like these drag queens dressed up it was the funniest thing and so we were like lets take a picture with them! And so we had the one boy on the trip take a picture of us with the man/woman and as soon as the picture was done the he/she was like now i want a picture with him! Us girls didn't stay up there for that much longer but then we saw the guys like 20 minutes later and they told us that it was a gay lounge up there, that's why there are people dressed up like that hahaha. They were like they probably thought the 2 of us were a couple hanging out together up there it was hysterical. Anyway all of the foreign men in the club were LOVING Alyssa, shes a very pretty girl and we think that they especially were flocking to her because the French men are not used to girls being blonde hair and green eyes so they thought she was GORGEOUS!
So we had a great first night out in France and went to bed to wake up the next morning to go to St. Tropez. We stopped in the middle of town first to get some lunch and Alyssa and I stopped in this adorable little restaurant to get some salads and the lady who owned the place was so nice, she had another customer translate for her and they were both so nice. The lady who could speak English asked me whether it was my first time there, how long I was staying, where I was going next, and whether I would be coming back. From all the things that I heard about the French I expected them to all be so rude, in fact they were the total opposite in my opinion. Its tough to say how Europeans act because they even admit that there are big differences between men and women, and I find it the same for American's too. From what I have heard and gathered from my experiences is that Italian women DO NOT like American women, they are very cold to everyone in general. Italian men on the other hand are a little too warm and friendly. An Italian student here told my roommate that the difference between an Italian and American man is that when having to choose between a girl/women and a beer that the Italian man will always choose the girl over the beer and that the American will always choose the beer over the girl. All Italians and even the French man who worked at the hotel said that American women/girls are so sweet, nice, friendly, and outgoing. So my point here is that Italian women are cold, Italian men are aggressive, French men- hmm I really didnt get a vibe from them they are just like Italian men in the fact that they do not care about having "good bodies" like working out/lifting weights, and American men only care about their bodies, lifting weights, beer, etc. and American women are just the best =) haha
Anyway so after lunch we went to the beach where we again had the choice between public or private, or even more private like a country club- Nikki Beach. They told us that it was 26 for a bed and this time it was an actual bed but it had a canopy so we declined because we wanted to get our tan on. So we just went onto the public beach and the 2 guys got a private bed. We were able to go over there and sit and eat and drink with them so it was "worth" not paying and almost getting the same thing =). Then we went back onto the bus to go back to the hotel and do the same thing over again. By this time in the weekend my throat was in full throttle and I didn't know how much worse it was going to get over the rest of the weekend. We showered, got ready, and headed over to the same bar place from the night before to get some dinner and drinks. There were a lot of people there that night because they were having a special Latin night or something so after hanging out there for awhile, we decided to leave. Originally we were supposed to go back to the club but some people decided to go to the casino. Nicole had sunburn on her legs, and with my throat starting to really become an issue I didn't try to sway people into going to the club and I had no desire to go to the casino so Alyssa, Nicole and I went back to the hotel to get a good nights sleep.
We woke up the next morning and had to have our things packed and ready to go at breakfast. I woke up with what I think was a fever but I couldn't tell if it was just from being in the sun the past 2 days. We first stopped in Monaco and did a little train cart tour, we got to see the Palace and Montecarlo and all of the special things in the little country. After the train ride we got some lunch and I had some delicious scallop risotto. It was also something really good to eat with my throat since it was becoming harder and harder to swallow. Within the whole weekend I had 2 teas and gargled twice on Saturday and then had 3 teas and gargled twice on Sunday. Anyway, after lunch we went to the Montecarlo Casino, it was really cool to be inside thinking of how many billionaires and famous people never mind 007 had been in there but I was actually surprised to see how small it was and how non Las Vegas it was too. It was not really glitzy or flashy, don't get me wrong it was very nice inside (I couldn't take any pictures to show you) but it just wasn't very "hopping" but then again we went at like 2 in the afternoon, so that could be why too. Monaco is one of the most wealthy countries in the world so there were some amazing cars and yachts. After Monaco we went back into France to go to Eze to the perfume-making factory. It was pretty cool to see all that they make and the smells were crazy coming from that place. After our short stop there we started our trek back to Florence.
Overall, it was a very relaxing weekend other than the fact of my throat. I never really imagined myself going to France, like I have always wanted to go to Italy and I really want to go to Greece, but France was not a country that I said I need to go there at least once in my life. I would of loved to see Paris, I sometimes think of Paris as not being France, but now I can say that I have been to not only France but Monaco too.
So far on my Italian journey I have been to Germany (my layover), Italy, France, and Monaco. Before I leave I will be able to say that I have also been to Spain and the Vatican (because like Monaco it is considered a sovereign state, the Vatican being the smallest and Monaco the second).
My plans so far for this upcoming week is to go to class obviously (mom and dad I know your glad to hear that one), then on Saturday I am planning on going to Milan and Sunday to Cinque Terra. I plan on taking my medicine and getting better for the weekend and the rest of my stay here in Italy. I was looking at my calendar that I brought from home earlier and it is bitter sweet to look at the time that I have left here. I have this week and weekend, then next week and next weekend I plan on going to Spain, and then that's my last week of class and my family will be here that Thursday. I can't wait to see my parents and Anthony and I have so many things that I want to show them here. I miss home and my favorite line in one of my favorite songs is "home, let me come home. home is whenever I am with you"so I know that when my family gets here my real vacation is going to set in, I will no longer have class, and I will be "home."
xox miss you all
Michele
Me, Nicole, Alyssa, and Jess and Brit (two girls we hung out with on the trip from FSU)
In the gay lounge
DG
The fresh strawberry drink
our beds in Cannes
The casual yachts in St. Tropez
Our tour group aka 27 girls and Andrew
The Montecarlo Casino
So I just got back from my French Rivera trip last night. It was a world-wind of a weekend!
To start off for those who don't or do know I have strep =( I started to feel my throat becoming a little weird on Thursday before I left but I thought it was just something that would go away the next day. However, after each day went on my throat kept getting worse and worse, 'til Sunday was the last day that I could take anymore. I went to the doctors today (after fighting with my mom Sunday night about going to the hospital right when I got home from my trip which was about 12 in the morning) and the doctor gave me Augmentin. He didn't even have to do a strep test he could tell by just looking at my throat. I was in so much pain on Sunday night that I could barely eat, drink, or swallow in general. I did not go to class today (Monday) and was able to sleep in, go to the doctors, and today I am feeling A LOT better then yesterday. My throat doesn't hurt to swallow anymore and my neck is not as swollen. So I am on the track to getting better thankfully.
SO on to the good stuff =)
I left on Thursday in the afternoon to catch the bus with my tour group to leave for the French Riv. We got into Nice, where our hotel was around 1 and Alyssa and I were roomed together. Originally, Alyssa had e-mailed the company and had asked for Nicole, Alyssa, and me to be in the same room because the rooms were supposed to be doubles and triples (much better then the 11 girls to a room hostel) but they had separated us and Nicole was with a girl that she didn't know. She was a little upset in the beginning which I totally understand and I was very happy that I was not separated from the two of them. Alyssa and I assured her that the girl was on the same tour as us and that she was here with friends also and probably felt the same way that she did of having to share a room with a stranger and not being with her friends. The girl ended up being so nice, she was from Penn State and there were no problems. So we went to bed and woke up on Saturday to go to Cannes.
The tour that we went on is called Florence for Fun and the co-owner of the company is a man called Fabio. We met Fabio the first night out here because he is a club/bar promoter (hes a good guy to know here in Florence because he literally owns/manages/promotes anything and everything, he is constantly getting us into places for free and getting us free drinks also). So why I am telling you this is that Fabio went on this trip. The French Rivera trip is only done twice in the Summer by his company and he loves it, so it was very exciting to have him be one of our tour guides since he knows everything so well and previously knew of the 3 of us (and many other girls on the trip). Also this trip was all girls, the only boys were Fabio who is around 36 but thinks that hes still 21 and his "friend" Andrew who is 21. Why I put friend is because I think its funny that a 36 year old is hanging out with college kids. Anyway, so Fabio was on our trip and Nicole, Alyssa, and I knew that we were going to be following what he did the whole weekend and that we were going to have a great time.
So in Cannes we went to a private beach and rented out lounge chairs or what they call "beds" for the day. There actually were beds on this beach that were on piers over the water it was amazing but I can only imagine how expensive they were. So we soaked up some sun, had some lunch that was pretty good, and laid out for most of the day. In Cannes for people who don't know that's where the film festival is held so we walked past that and took a pic as a group on the "red carpet." The water was really nice, not too cold but not too hot, it was very refreshing because of how hot it was out that day. Also I have to say before I get into anymore talk about food, Italian food is DELICIOUS I didn't even want to get pasta or pizza when I was in France because I figured why waste calories on pasta and pizza in France when I "live" in Italy. However! France's bread is sooo much better then Italy's for the fact that Italy's bread is typically hard (which to me means that its old), and the bread in France was so soft. Also while in the French Riv I was like why am I not going to get seafood the ocean is 50 ft away from me it has to be so fresh!
So after the beach we got back around 8, took showers got ready and headed over to a restaurant for a group dinner. After dinner people Fabio took some of us to a bar that had special prices and after the bar we went to the "only good club" in Cannes to see a famous DJ, DJ Alex Gaudino. The club was not too big but it was really cool because they did this thing with fog where for like 3 seconds you cant see anything because the fog is over you and then it goes just as quick as it comes, its amazing. Us 3 girls went to the upper level with the boys and there were like these drag queens dressed up it was the funniest thing and so we were like lets take a picture with them! And so we had the one boy on the trip take a picture of us with the man/woman and as soon as the picture was done the he/she was like now i want a picture with him! Us girls didn't stay up there for that much longer but then we saw the guys like 20 minutes later and they told us that it was a gay lounge up there, that's why there are people dressed up like that hahaha. They were like they probably thought the 2 of us were a couple hanging out together up there it was hysterical. Anyway all of the foreign men in the club were LOVING Alyssa, shes a very pretty girl and we think that they especially were flocking to her because the French men are not used to girls being blonde hair and green eyes so they thought she was GORGEOUS!
So we had a great first night out in France and went to bed to wake up the next morning to go to St. Tropez. We stopped in the middle of town first to get some lunch and Alyssa and I stopped in this adorable little restaurant to get some salads and the lady who owned the place was so nice, she had another customer translate for her and they were both so nice. The lady who could speak English asked me whether it was my first time there, how long I was staying, where I was going next, and whether I would be coming back. From all the things that I heard about the French I expected them to all be so rude, in fact they were the total opposite in my opinion. Its tough to say how Europeans act because they even admit that there are big differences between men and women, and I find it the same for American's too. From what I have heard and gathered from my experiences is that Italian women DO NOT like American women, they are very cold to everyone in general. Italian men on the other hand are a little too warm and friendly. An Italian student here told my roommate that the difference between an Italian and American man is that when having to choose between a girl/women and a beer that the Italian man will always choose the girl over the beer and that the American will always choose the beer over the girl. All Italians and even the French man who worked at the hotel said that American women/girls are so sweet, nice, friendly, and outgoing. So my point here is that Italian women are cold, Italian men are aggressive, French men- hmm I really didnt get a vibe from them they are just like Italian men in the fact that they do not care about having "good bodies" like working out/lifting weights, and American men only care about their bodies, lifting weights, beer, etc. and American women are just the best =) haha
Anyway so after lunch we went to the beach where we again had the choice between public or private, or even more private like a country club- Nikki Beach. They told us that it was 26 for a bed and this time it was an actual bed but it had a canopy so we declined because we wanted to get our tan on. So we just went onto the public beach and the 2 guys got a private bed. We were able to go over there and sit and eat and drink with them so it was "worth" not paying and almost getting the same thing =). Then we went back onto the bus to go back to the hotel and do the same thing over again. By this time in the weekend my throat was in full throttle and I didn't know how much worse it was going to get over the rest of the weekend. We showered, got ready, and headed over to the same bar place from the night before to get some dinner and drinks. There were a lot of people there that night because they were having a special Latin night or something so after hanging out there for awhile, we decided to leave. Originally we were supposed to go back to the club but some people decided to go to the casino. Nicole had sunburn on her legs, and with my throat starting to really become an issue I didn't try to sway people into going to the club and I had no desire to go to the casino so Alyssa, Nicole and I went back to the hotel to get a good nights sleep.
We woke up the next morning and had to have our things packed and ready to go at breakfast. I woke up with what I think was a fever but I couldn't tell if it was just from being in the sun the past 2 days. We first stopped in Monaco and did a little train cart tour, we got to see the Palace and Montecarlo and all of the special things in the little country. After the train ride we got some lunch and I had some delicious scallop risotto. It was also something really good to eat with my throat since it was becoming harder and harder to swallow. Within the whole weekend I had 2 teas and gargled twice on Saturday and then had 3 teas and gargled twice on Sunday. Anyway, after lunch we went to the Montecarlo Casino, it was really cool to be inside thinking of how many billionaires and famous people never mind 007 had been in there but I was actually surprised to see how small it was and how non Las Vegas it was too. It was not really glitzy or flashy, don't get me wrong it was very nice inside (I couldn't take any pictures to show you) but it just wasn't very "hopping" but then again we went at like 2 in the afternoon, so that could be why too. Monaco is one of the most wealthy countries in the world so there were some amazing cars and yachts. After Monaco we went back into France to go to Eze to the perfume-making factory. It was pretty cool to see all that they make and the smells were crazy coming from that place. After our short stop there we started our trek back to Florence.
Overall, it was a very relaxing weekend other than the fact of my throat. I never really imagined myself going to France, like I have always wanted to go to Italy and I really want to go to Greece, but France was not a country that I said I need to go there at least once in my life. I would of loved to see Paris, I sometimes think of Paris as not being France, but now I can say that I have been to not only France but Monaco too.
So far on my Italian journey I have been to Germany (my layover), Italy, France, and Monaco. Before I leave I will be able to say that I have also been to Spain and the Vatican (because like Monaco it is considered a sovereign state, the Vatican being the smallest and Monaco the second).
My plans so far for this upcoming week is to go to class obviously (mom and dad I know your glad to hear that one), then on Saturday I am planning on going to Milan and Sunday to Cinque Terra. I plan on taking my medicine and getting better for the weekend and the rest of my stay here in Italy. I was looking at my calendar that I brought from home earlier and it is bitter sweet to look at the time that I have left here. I have this week and weekend, then next week and next weekend I plan on going to Spain, and then that's my last week of class and my family will be here that Thursday. I can't wait to see my parents and Anthony and I have so many things that I want to show them here. I miss home and my favorite line in one of my favorite songs is "home, let me come home. home is whenever I am with you"so I know that when my family gets here my real vacation is going to set in, I will no longer have class, and I will be "home."
xox miss you all
Michele
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Rain, Rain Go Away
Ciao a Tutti,
It has been very rainy here this week so far. When we got back on Sunday from our trip it was DOWN POURING! All the other times that it had "rained" in Florence they were little showers that lasted like 10 minutes if even that long and even sometimes they wouldn't cover the whole city. However, Sunday was a full afternoon of rain. The rainy days continued Monday, Tuesday and Today. It is not constantly raining, in fact, it is usually nice and then all of a sudden a down pour. Then it becomes nice again and in 20 minutes, yet again another down pour. The weather is crazy here! It is also a little annoying because I want to go out shopping but to walk in the streets with this rain and go in and out of stores does not sound like a good time. So today is a rest day and I am going to catch up on things that I want to do like pack for this weekend, clean the apartment, etc. Tonight I hope to go out to dinner with my group of friends. I have always loved going out to dinner, sorry Mom I know you get offended by that. But I just like being out and having different foods, but here its even better. The food is always so good and I love to sit outside. Almost every restaurant here has a place for you to sit outside or at least they have huge open windows. The restaurants set out little "decks" on the street and/or sidewalk and have tables set up, its so much fun.
I really didn't do that much this week so far, Monday was another relaxing day because of the weekend. I went out to dinner with some people from the tour group that I went on my first trip with. Its called Bus2Alps and they do different trips every weekend and our tour guide Amanda was great she is a Senior at Virgina Tech and she's also a Delta Gamma =)! She invited us to go out to dinner with other people from our trip and from the trip last weekend (that trip went to Croatia). It was nice to get to meet people from other programs that I had never talked to before. And we went to one of my favorite restaurants here, its the one that we went to our first night in Florence. Where you get a ton of food and unlimited wine for 16 euro. Then Tuesday, I had my first day of class with my new management teacher because Gus had to go home. Robert is very nice, but he is no Gus. Gus is just this loud Italian New Yorker who is so outgoing and Robert is more of a nerd. He is very nice and he likes to go off and talk on tangents which can be fun in class, but I wish Gus could of stayed longer. After class, I went out to lunch with my roommate, Erin. And then met up with Alyssa to study for our Art History of Florence class. We had a midterm test today, so yesterday and last night we were just studying for it as an apartment. (Nicole, Erin, my other roommate Abbey, and myself take the same exactly class, so its nice that we get to walk together everyday and when we have quizzes we get to study together). So I took the test today and it wasn't horrible, I would say A- work. I hope that the final is going to be very similar to it.
So nothing crazy going on here right now, I leave tomorrow for the French Rivera. I am very excited to see what everything there looks like, I imagined what my first two trips were going to be like, but for this I am not quite sure what to expect. I might or might not be surprised with what I have envisioned so far. I know that I can look it up online to see what it looks like, but I would rather have the awe and surprise of the new towns when I get there.
love and miss everyone
xoxo
Michele
Heres a pic of some of us that go out together. (jess, me, brianna, monica, andrew, matt, hailey, ian, kassy, alyssa, and olivia)
It has been very rainy here this week so far. When we got back on Sunday from our trip it was DOWN POURING! All the other times that it had "rained" in Florence they were little showers that lasted like 10 minutes if even that long and even sometimes they wouldn't cover the whole city. However, Sunday was a full afternoon of rain. The rainy days continued Monday, Tuesday and Today. It is not constantly raining, in fact, it is usually nice and then all of a sudden a down pour. Then it becomes nice again and in 20 minutes, yet again another down pour. The weather is crazy here! It is also a little annoying because I want to go out shopping but to walk in the streets with this rain and go in and out of stores does not sound like a good time. So today is a rest day and I am going to catch up on things that I want to do like pack for this weekend, clean the apartment, etc. Tonight I hope to go out to dinner with my group of friends. I have always loved going out to dinner, sorry Mom I know you get offended by that. But I just like being out and having different foods, but here its even better. The food is always so good and I love to sit outside. Almost every restaurant here has a place for you to sit outside or at least they have huge open windows. The restaurants set out little "decks" on the street and/or sidewalk and have tables set up, its so much fun.
I really didn't do that much this week so far, Monday was another relaxing day because of the weekend. I went out to dinner with some people from the tour group that I went on my first trip with. Its called Bus2Alps and they do different trips every weekend and our tour guide Amanda was great she is a Senior at Virgina Tech and she's also a Delta Gamma =)! She invited us to go out to dinner with other people from our trip and from the trip last weekend (that trip went to Croatia). It was nice to get to meet people from other programs that I had never talked to before. And we went to one of my favorite restaurants here, its the one that we went to our first night in Florence. Where you get a ton of food and unlimited wine for 16 euro. Then Tuesday, I had my first day of class with my new management teacher because Gus had to go home. Robert is very nice, but he is no Gus. Gus is just this loud Italian New Yorker who is so outgoing and Robert is more of a nerd. He is very nice and he likes to go off and talk on tangents which can be fun in class, but I wish Gus could of stayed longer. After class, I went out to lunch with my roommate, Erin. And then met up with Alyssa to study for our Art History of Florence class. We had a midterm test today, so yesterday and last night we were just studying for it as an apartment. (Nicole, Erin, my other roommate Abbey, and myself take the same exactly class, so its nice that we get to walk together everyday and when we have quizzes we get to study together). So I took the test today and it wasn't horrible, I would say A- work. I hope that the final is going to be very similar to it.
So nothing crazy going on here right now, I leave tomorrow for the French Rivera. I am very excited to see what everything there looks like, I imagined what my first two trips were going to be like, but for this I am not quite sure what to expect. I might or might not be surprised with what I have envisioned so far. I know that I can look it up online to see what it looks like, but I would rather have the awe and surprise of the new towns when I get there.
love and miss everyone
xoxo
Michele
Monday, June 6, 2011
The best weekend in Italia so far
Ciao!
I just got back yesterday from the best weekend that I have had in Italy so far or for even for awhile since being away from Penn State. Alyssa, Nicole and myself left Thursday right after our class to go visit her family. They live in a small town outside of Venice called Noventa di Piave.
The whole trip was about 2/3 hours long, we took a train from Florence to Venice and then a smaller train that only took like 20 minutes to the train station in their town. When we arrived at the train station Alyssa's cousins were there to pick us up.
Now to explain the family situation is a little complicated and I don't want to confuse anyone. There are 2 houses right next to each other that is the whole family. There is a "grandma" which is really Alyssa's mother's sister, so Alyssa's mom's aunt or Alyssa's great aunt. And then there are her 2 children- Anna and Franchesco they are the two who own the houses, so they are her mom's cousins, but more like Aunts and Uncles to Alyssa and us. And then they both have 2 children who are like the "cousins." Technically they are all her cousins and then a great aunt but that's confusing.
So the cousins came and got us at the train station, Marco and Paolo who are 27 and 21. They took us back to the house where we met Anna and her husband, which was the house that we stayed at. They greeted us with wine, and cookies, and very warm welcomes. I could tell right from the beginning that it was going to be a great weekend. Then the rest of the family came over for us to meet and we were then taken by Marco and Paolo to a beach called Jesolo which is a built up shore town kind of like Point Pleasant or Seaside. There are a bunch of hotels and stores and bars. So they took us onto the beach where they have a little bar on the beach and the bartender is friends of Marco so we sat there and got to know each other. Then we went back to the house and had a WONDERFUL dinner that Anna made with the whole family. It was sooo fresh and it was so delicious I had to hold back from taking more. Then we went out with Marco and Paolo again to Jesolo and met up with some of his friends. They were all so nice to us and the boys (Marco and Paolo) would not let any of us pay for anything! They were so nice the whole weekend to us, treating us to everything, and then getting mad if we tried to pay for anything! We even tried several times to trick them, sneak it in their pockets, and sneak it into a tissue bag and be like oh you forgot this! But no, they would not take the money and proceeded to get pissed off by our actions. Opps!
Anyway we had a great first night and woke up the next morning to go to the beach. It was not so nice in the morning so we weren't in a complete rush to leave the house, and Anna set up a cute little breakfast. (In Italy they don't really eat breakfast, their breakfast consists of a croissant and coffee.) So we then were shown their land/animals. They have a ton of cherry trees (the cherries were sooo good), they have chickens, roosters, rabbits, bees (they make their own honey), a vineyard, and a small corn field. So then we were off to the beach, it was pretty cloudy when we first got there but then by the afternoon the sun started to shine through and the clouds went away. When we got back the other "aunt" made us dinner. This dinner was even MORE delicious then the first one. This one we had a couple slices of meat like cold cuts to start with and bread. Then they came out with pasta, then chicken and pork that both were wrapped/stuffed with salami/prosciutto. And then we had salad and really cool desserts that looked like cookies but it was ice cream. After dinner we went out again with Marco and Paolo, we hopped from place to place and eventually ended up going to this Marina Club that was gorgeous! It was a really big club with a bunch of bars and areas to sit and chat and then dancing, and the best part of all was that it was pretty much all outside. It was so fancy and almost I want to say elegant, it was fashionable just like how all the Italians dress here. We ended up dancing the night away til 5 in the morning, we didn't even realize how the time had flied until Marco got a phone call from his mom asking where we were! Opps! The club was still bumping when we left around 5 and the sky was beautiful because the sun was coming up. We got back to the house and immediately fell asleep because we had promised Anna that we would go to the outlet shopping with her tomorrow at 10!
I don't know how we did it but we got up and dressed and ready (and we did not look like slobs or zombies) and were ready for Anna to go shopping. We were told that Italy only has like 3 other outlet malls and it was special that we were able to go to this one because it literally is 3 minutes away from their house. They had all of the designers; Burberry, Prada, Versace, etc. It was a lot of fun looking in the stores, I did not get anything so don't worry Dad =). So after shopping it was a beautiful sunny day so we went back to the house and Marco and Paolo took us to what we thought was going to be the beach again. But they had surprised us and we went to a marina where their uncle and aunt were waiting for us to have a little lunch and go on their boat. I had the best pizza for lunch that day since being here it was soo good and then we took out the boat. They have a good/normal size boat that fit the 6 of us. Nicole, Alyssa, and myself layed on the front of the boat the whole time and we drove out along the coast and then we stopped in the middle of the ocean to go swimming. It was so much fun and then we got back on the boat and they took us to a little restaurant on the water to get some ice cream. Then we again got on the boat and went back to the dock, so that we would be back in time for dinner.
Dinner on Saturday night was at Anna's house, her husband Graziano cooked and they invited several couples over for a BBQ. We sat outside on their front "porch" and it was yet again another delicious dinner. After mingling and dessert we again went out with Marco and Paolo for our last night there. We went back to Jesolo to meet up with some of their friends, and then party hopped again til we got back to the Marina Club. We danced all night long again til the morning hours and had a blast! The club/bars here were so different then in Florence. We were the only Americans at these places, instead of it being the other way around and the Americans outshining the Italians. Here the men were not as "creepy" because of the fact that they aren't expecting for there to be American girls to hit on. It was a totally different experience and Nicole, Alyssa, and I loved every moment of it.
On Sunday we had our last breakfast together and it was very very sad saying goodbye to her family. Nobody wanted to say bye, we didn't want to leave, and they didn't want us to either. We reluctantly said our goodbyes and thank yous and Marco and Paolo drove us to the train station to send us on our way home.
It was such a good weekend for so many reasons. Being there I for the first time really felt like I was on vacation. It is not that Florence is so stressful, it is just that I feel like I am just living day by day and time is just passing by. This past weekend I was truly relaxing and enjoying myself. I was in the company of wonderful people and I did not want it to end. We had such a good time just laying on the beach, being on the boat, eating their delicious and such fresh meals, and of course dancing til all hours of the night. It was so nice to be around a big family, but it is sweet and sour experience. It makes you feel comfortable, and feel like you are at home with them. But then you realize that you aren't, it makes you think of your own family and how much you miss them. Alyssa had a really tough time saying goodbye and I understand why. She not only was feeling the way that Nicole and I did by not wanting to leave this wonderful vacation, but she was with her extended family that she only gets to see every once in awhile. Being with her mom's cousins, makes her think of her own cousins, and uncles, and parents. She was so excited to get to see them but it is so hard to have to leave them and the feelings that you get when you have to say goodbye and be on your own again.
I cannot wait for my family to get in Italy. It is again bitter/sweet that I want to count down the days til I get to see them because then that means that I am done with my studying abroad, it means that Nicole and Alyssa and everyone are going home or going to travel somewhere else. But then again, I cant wait to see my family and show them Florence and explore Venice and Rome with them. I also at times think about my friends at home and wish that I could be there and here at the same time. I wish that I could hug Ned and sleep in my own bed in my house. I wish that I could give my Grandma her daily hug and kiss. But I don't want to count down the days because I am not done exploring here, I am not ready to go home and have people ask me about my experience, I still need to make more memories and stories of my time over here.
So here it is .. I have about only 24 more days til I see my parents and I have about 32 more long days to make my memories and stories that I will treasure for the rest of my life.
It wont let me upload pictures in this one right now so I will have to make another post for them.
Marco, Me, Nicole, Alyssa, and Paolo on the boat
Again Me, Nicole, Marco, Alyssa, and Paolo
The outside of the house that we stayed in
a part of their garden/cherry trees
the vineyard
Graziano, Paolo, Marco, and Anna
Her other cousin Elenora, Franchesco, Antoinette
I just got back yesterday from the best weekend that I have had in Italy so far or for even for awhile since being away from Penn State. Alyssa, Nicole and myself left Thursday right after our class to go visit her family. They live in a small town outside of Venice called Noventa di Piave.
The whole trip was about 2/3 hours long, we took a train from Florence to Venice and then a smaller train that only took like 20 minutes to the train station in their town. When we arrived at the train station Alyssa's cousins were there to pick us up.
Now to explain the family situation is a little complicated and I don't want to confuse anyone. There are 2 houses right next to each other that is the whole family. There is a "grandma" which is really Alyssa's mother's sister, so Alyssa's mom's aunt or Alyssa's great aunt. And then there are her 2 children- Anna and Franchesco they are the two who own the houses, so they are her mom's cousins, but more like Aunts and Uncles to Alyssa and us. And then they both have 2 children who are like the "cousins." Technically they are all her cousins and then a great aunt but that's confusing.
So the cousins came and got us at the train station, Marco and Paolo who are 27 and 21. They took us back to the house where we met Anna and her husband, which was the house that we stayed at. They greeted us with wine, and cookies, and very warm welcomes. I could tell right from the beginning that it was going to be a great weekend. Then the rest of the family came over for us to meet and we were then taken by Marco and Paolo to a beach called Jesolo which is a built up shore town kind of like Point Pleasant or Seaside. There are a bunch of hotels and stores and bars. So they took us onto the beach where they have a little bar on the beach and the bartender is friends of Marco so we sat there and got to know each other. Then we went back to the house and had a WONDERFUL dinner that Anna made with the whole family. It was sooo fresh and it was so delicious I had to hold back from taking more. Then we went out with Marco and Paolo again to Jesolo and met up with some of his friends. They were all so nice to us and the boys (Marco and Paolo) would not let any of us pay for anything! They were so nice the whole weekend to us, treating us to everything, and then getting mad if we tried to pay for anything! We even tried several times to trick them, sneak it in their pockets, and sneak it into a tissue bag and be like oh you forgot this! But no, they would not take the money and proceeded to get pissed off by our actions. Opps!
Anyway we had a great first night and woke up the next morning to go to the beach. It was not so nice in the morning so we weren't in a complete rush to leave the house, and Anna set up a cute little breakfast. (In Italy they don't really eat breakfast, their breakfast consists of a croissant and coffee.) So we then were shown their land/animals. They have a ton of cherry trees (the cherries were sooo good), they have chickens, roosters, rabbits, bees (they make their own honey), a vineyard, and a small corn field. So then we were off to the beach, it was pretty cloudy when we first got there but then by the afternoon the sun started to shine through and the clouds went away. When we got back the other "aunt" made us dinner. This dinner was even MORE delicious then the first one. This one we had a couple slices of meat like cold cuts to start with and bread. Then they came out with pasta, then chicken and pork that both were wrapped/stuffed with salami/prosciutto. And then we had salad and really cool desserts that looked like cookies but it was ice cream. After dinner we went out again with Marco and Paolo, we hopped from place to place and eventually ended up going to this Marina Club that was gorgeous! It was a really big club with a bunch of bars and areas to sit and chat and then dancing, and the best part of all was that it was pretty much all outside. It was so fancy and almost I want to say elegant, it was fashionable just like how all the Italians dress here. We ended up dancing the night away til 5 in the morning, we didn't even realize how the time had flied until Marco got a phone call from his mom asking where we were! Opps! The club was still bumping when we left around 5 and the sky was beautiful because the sun was coming up. We got back to the house and immediately fell asleep because we had promised Anna that we would go to the outlet shopping with her tomorrow at 10!
I don't know how we did it but we got up and dressed and ready (and we did not look like slobs or zombies) and were ready for Anna to go shopping. We were told that Italy only has like 3 other outlet malls and it was special that we were able to go to this one because it literally is 3 minutes away from their house. They had all of the designers; Burberry, Prada, Versace, etc. It was a lot of fun looking in the stores, I did not get anything so don't worry Dad =). So after shopping it was a beautiful sunny day so we went back to the house and Marco and Paolo took us to what we thought was going to be the beach again. But they had surprised us and we went to a marina where their uncle and aunt were waiting for us to have a little lunch and go on their boat. I had the best pizza for lunch that day since being here it was soo good and then we took out the boat. They have a good/normal size boat that fit the 6 of us. Nicole, Alyssa, and myself layed on the front of the boat the whole time and we drove out along the coast and then we stopped in the middle of the ocean to go swimming. It was so much fun and then we got back on the boat and they took us to a little restaurant on the water to get some ice cream. Then we again got on the boat and went back to the dock, so that we would be back in time for dinner.
Dinner on Saturday night was at Anna's house, her husband Graziano cooked and they invited several couples over for a BBQ. We sat outside on their front "porch" and it was yet again another delicious dinner. After mingling and dessert we again went out with Marco and Paolo for our last night there. We went back to Jesolo to meet up with some of their friends, and then party hopped again til we got back to the Marina Club. We danced all night long again til the morning hours and had a blast! The club/bars here were so different then in Florence. We were the only Americans at these places, instead of it being the other way around and the Americans outshining the Italians. Here the men were not as "creepy" because of the fact that they aren't expecting for there to be American girls to hit on. It was a totally different experience and Nicole, Alyssa, and I loved every moment of it.
On Sunday we had our last breakfast together and it was very very sad saying goodbye to her family. Nobody wanted to say bye, we didn't want to leave, and they didn't want us to either. We reluctantly said our goodbyes and thank yous and Marco and Paolo drove us to the train station to send us on our way home.
It was such a good weekend for so many reasons. Being there I for the first time really felt like I was on vacation. It is not that Florence is so stressful, it is just that I feel like I am just living day by day and time is just passing by. This past weekend I was truly relaxing and enjoying myself. I was in the company of wonderful people and I did not want it to end. We had such a good time just laying on the beach, being on the boat, eating their delicious and such fresh meals, and of course dancing til all hours of the night. It was so nice to be around a big family, but it is sweet and sour experience. It makes you feel comfortable, and feel like you are at home with them. But then you realize that you aren't, it makes you think of your own family and how much you miss them. Alyssa had a really tough time saying goodbye and I understand why. She not only was feeling the way that Nicole and I did by not wanting to leave this wonderful vacation, but she was with her extended family that she only gets to see every once in awhile. Being with her mom's cousins, makes her think of her own cousins, and uncles, and parents. She was so excited to get to see them but it is so hard to have to leave them and the feelings that you get when you have to say goodbye and be on your own again.
I cannot wait for my family to get in Italy. It is again bitter/sweet that I want to count down the days til I get to see them because then that means that I am done with my studying abroad, it means that Nicole and Alyssa and everyone are going home or going to travel somewhere else. But then again, I cant wait to see my family and show them Florence and explore Venice and Rome with them. I also at times think about my friends at home and wish that I could be there and here at the same time. I wish that I could hug Ned and sleep in my own bed in my house. I wish that I could give my Grandma her daily hug and kiss. But I don't want to count down the days because I am not done exploring here, I am not ready to go home and have people ask me about my experience, I still need to make more memories and stories of my time over here.
So here it is .. I have about only 24 more days til I see my parents and I have about 32 more long days to make my memories and stories that I will treasure for the rest of my life.
It wont let me upload pictures in this one right now so I will have to make another post for them.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Just a little catch up
Hi everyone,
So there is not much to talk about for this week so far. I went out with the group on Monday and Tuesday night for a little bit and had the usual classes. Tomorrow is the last day of class with my professor Gus, he has to go back to the states with his wife and another Penn State professor will be taking his place for the last 4 weeks. I wanted to get something to bring for his last day for him and the class but Nicole and I are having trouble deciding what to do and making sure that it doesnt cost an arm and a leg.
Right after class tomorrow I will be leaving with Alyssa and Nicole to go visit Alyssa's family. We are taking a train to Venice and then a smaller one to their town. I can't wait to see what these houses are going to look like and where we are going to be staying.
Italy has been amazing so far, I cant believe that I am living in such a beautiful place that has always just been a dream of mine. It doesn't feel like reality that I am here in Europe so far away from home. With technology I can talk to all of you everyday (which is a great thing because I would be going crazy missing you even more then I do now) but it makes me feel like I am really not on the other side of the world. I want to enjoy every minute here and I don't like to spend my days or nights in my apartment. I want to make friends with locals and not just hang out with Americans. Nicole and I were talking the other day about the things that we now miss and appreciate in America that if coming here we wouldn't have a second thought about. We came up with things like real pavement, all the streets here are cobblestone. Their sirens for police and ambulances are OBNOXIOUS, I will never be bothered by the sirens at home again. Air conditioning aka not sweating every night when sleeping. "Unlimited" electricity and water always being at our disposal. And the list can go on.. I feel that I should take the moment to think of these things that I am grateful in my life at home, to be an American and live the lives that we do. At the same time, I do not want to spend my time constantly negatively comparing here to home. I want to have the mind-frame when I am here of just how beautiful everything is and also appreciate everything (well almost everything) that is here for its differences. I need to think that each day is the first day that I am here how excited I was to explore and see all of the sites. I cannot think that I will be here for 6 weeks (now almost 4) and think that that is so much time I can just sit back and do that "tomorrow." I cannot I need to go out as much as my body and mind can take and take advantage of my SHORT time here. I hope that I will be able to come back to Florence and Italy and other European countries when I am older but life is short and I am not going to use any sort of "back-up plan" to see anything "later." I am also here to not judge their culture but to try to learn and become apart of it and hopefully bring parts of it back home with me. I definitely think that I am going to blog when I even get home to talk about what I miss in Italy and what the trip has a whole has meant to me and how it has changed me.
So I wont be blogging again til after the weekend. I am going to the Ponte Vecchio now to do some more shopping and then I am supposed to be having dinner with Alyssa, her roommates, Nicole, and Alyssa's friend, and his roommates (a big crowd). And then Nicole, Alyssa, and I are going to be getting ready for Venice!
xoxo
Michele
So there is not much to talk about for this week so far. I went out with the group on Monday and Tuesday night for a little bit and had the usual classes. Tomorrow is the last day of class with my professor Gus, he has to go back to the states with his wife and another Penn State professor will be taking his place for the last 4 weeks. I wanted to get something to bring for his last day for him and the class but Nicole and I are having trouble deciding what to do and making sure that it doesnt cost an arm and a leg.
Right after class tomorrow I will be leaving with Alyssa and Nicole to go visit Alyssa's family. We are taking a train to Venice and then a smaller one to their town. I can't wait to see what these houses are going to look like and where we are going to be staying.
Italy has been amazing so far, I cant believe that I am living in such a beautiful place that has always just been a dream of mine. It doesn't feel like reality that I am here in Europe so far away from home. With technology I can talk to all of you everyday (which is a great thing because I would be going crazy missing you even more then I do now) but it makes me feel like I am really not on the other side of the world. I want to enjoy every minute here and I don't like to spend my days or nights in my apartment. I want to make friends with locals and not just hang out with Americans. Nicole and I were talking the other day about the things that we now miss and appreciate in America that if coming here we wouldn't have a second thought about. We came up with things like real pavement, all the streets here are cobblestone. Their sirens for police and ambulances are OBNOXIOUS, I will never be bothered by the sirens at home again. Air conditioning aka not sweating every night when sleeping. "Unlimited" electricity and water always being at our disposal. And the list can go on.. I feel that I should take the moment to think of these things that I am grateful in my life at home, to be an American and live the lives that we do. At the same time, I do not want to spend my time constantly negatively comparing here to home. I want to have the mind-frame when I am here of just how beautiful everything is and also appreciate everything (well almost everything) that is here for its differences. I need to think that each day is the first day that I am here how excited I was to explore and see all of the sites. I cannot think that I will be here for 6 weeks (now almost 4) and think that that is so much time I can just sit back and do that "tomorrow." I cannot I need to go out as much as my body and mind can take and take advantage of my SHORT time here. I hope that I will be able to come back to Florence and Italy and other European countries when I am older but life is short and I am not going to use any sort of "back-up plan" to see anything "later." I am also here to not judge their culture but to try to learn and become apart of it and hopefully bring parts of it back home with me. I definitely think that I am going to blog when I even get home to talk about what I miss in Italy and what the trip has a whole has meant to me and how it has changed me.
So I wont be blogging again til after the weekend. I am going to the Ponte Vecchio now to do some more shopping and then I am supposed to be having dinner with Alyssa, her roommates, Nicole, and Alyssa's friend, and his roommates (a big crowd). And then Nicole, Alyssa, and I are going to be getting ready for Venice!
xoxo
Michele
Monday, May 30, 2011
Amalfi Coast- Blue Grottos, Cliff Jumping, Boat Rides, Pompei and More
Hi Everyone!
So I got back from my very own special MDW from Amalfi Coast, it was beautiful! We left on Thursday around 6 on a bus towards Rome to pick up more students to head down to Amalfi. We got to Rome in about 3 hours and then took a short stop to get some food and such. Then when we almost got to where we were staying there was a car accident that was blocking the whole road so we got a police escort to our hostel. Yes, I stayed in a hostel! It was actually very clean and is rated as one of the best hostels in Europe. Anyway, so we got to the hostel pretty late like 2:30 in the morning and we had to wake up at 7:30 the next morning to be up and out on the ferry. So when we got to the hostel we went right to bed; we meaning myself and the 10 other girls that I had to share the room with. It was a lot of people in one room there were 5 bunks and 1 single but we were all from the Bus2Alps tour and it was all girls (they do put boys and girls in the same rooms). So the next morning we took the ferry to Capri and we took a little boat tour of the island and the grottos. They were amazing! The blue grotto was so pretty but scary to go in and out of. We had to get into these very tiny boats and pretty much lay on top of each other, and our guide had to time our entering with the water shifting to pass under the tiny opening. After the boat ride we got a bus ride to the top of Capri aka Anna Capri. We had lunch there and did some shopping. Then we took a convertible top taxi down to the bottom and hung out by the water until we took the taxi back to Sorrento where we were staying with the hostel. Then we showered and hung out until we had dinner in the middle of town with the whole tour group. After many people went to an English Pub, but my friends and I were very tired and just went back to the hostel to hang out on the roof where they had their own bar. So Alyssa and I hung out up there which was beautiful scenery with a bunch of Italian locals and hit the hay early to be rested for Saturday.
On Saturday we went to Positano and laid out on the beach and again took a boat tour. This time on the boat tour we went to a beach right next to the public one but that you could only access from the water and we went cliff jumping. So the boat got as close to the shore as it could and we hopped off and climbed up the cliff to a 10 ft jump and a 40 ft jump! I was nervous to do the 40 ft one at first and just did the 10 a couple of times and a bunch of people from my tour did the 40 including 2 of the girls that I went on the trip on, Alyssa and her friend from home (west essex) Nicole. (Yes there are 2 different Nicoles) Anyway so they told me that it wasn't bad at all the worst part is just climbing up the cliff. So I decided when in Rome I mean Positano! So I gradually climbed up the cliff holding onto the side of the mountain to the 40 ft jump and made the leap of faith... it was so much fun! But I would not do it twice haha. So then the "captain" of our boat took us on a little tour of the island and allowed us to swim in a sorta grotto it was this natural arc that we got to swim though. It was beautiful! My camera is water proof so I got to take it in the water with me and take pictures as we swam through. Our tour guide for the weekend told us that this is the first time all year that they, or at least she, has been allowed to swim out in the water. So that was very exciting, and the water was not too cold, it was very refreshing. So then we got back onto land, ate some lunch, and sat on the beach for the rest of the day before taking the bus back to Sorrento. We had some dinner at the hostel and then went upstairs on the roof and hung out with the rest of the group from our trip.
On Sunday we woke up and checked out, headed onto the bus that was taking us to Pompei. Pompei was amazing in a totally different way then the rest of the weekend. It was so interesting to see this ancient town and how civilized they were that many years ago! So we had our own adorable tour guide that brought us into a different section of the city then the usual tours get to go. It was so cool and he explained everything to us it was great because we had the choice of whether or not we wanted to take a tour and I am so glad that we did because if I had not I would of been totally lost! After Pompei we took the bus back to Rome and then to Florence, I was back at my apartment around 11. I made sure I was in bed by 12 so that I was not exhausted to wake up at 7:45 for my 9 am class.
Today, (Monday) I had my Arts of Florence class and I am actually starting to enjoy that class more and more. We went to another church and a museum to see some special statues and we were comparing works of art, like Michelangelo's David to another artists. After class Nicole, Alyssa, and our two other friends Hailey and Steph, and I went to this caffe Astor (that is actually a bar at night) and we saw some people from our trip, it was really cool to walk into a place here and actually know some people haha. We also happened to know Ronnie and J Wow from the Jersey Shore who just happened to be eating there too. The waiter even sat us in the booth right next to them, but thankfully they had just finished and when we sat down they were getting up. Then Nicole, Alyssa, and I went to the train station to get our tickets for this weekend. We are leaving right after class on Thursday to go to Alyssa's family in a town outside of Venice. I am so excited to go because we will be able to experience a real Italian family and culture! Alyssa's cousins are actually around our age and are very excited to take us out and about on the town. We are also going to go to the beach on Friday and Saturday and then we will be returning on Sunday during the afternoon.
Well Nicole, Alyssa, and I also just booked another trip to the French Riveria in a couple of weekends and that again is another beach trip =). I hope that I come back another race haha. But I am looking forward to the rest of this week I am going out with some of the girls tonight for a early night and then tomorrow, wed, and thurs I have class and then I will be leaving for Venice! (Thursday is actually an Italian holiday here and a lot of schools get off but unfortunately we do not)
This is just a harbor in Sorrento
This is the coast of Capri
This is the Blue Grotto
This is the Green Grotto, how nice is the water?!
This is poisonous coral that is in one of the caves.
Me overlooking Capri
The museum on Anna Capri
Nicole and I on the convertible taxi drive down from Anna Capri
This is in Positano when we were walking down to the beach
Isn't that amazing, that's our great view on the beach
jumping from the cliff
aren't we just so cute
Now I'm actually jumping from the cliff, sorry Mom don't have a heart attack
In the arc.. there were no beaches to swim to we just jumped off the boat and got to swim through it
Now as we were walking up from Positano, this was the view.
Pompei ruins
Our adorable tour guide! He told us to call him Grandpa, he said that he has a 6 year old grandchild.
And here are some pictures from the bus when we were traveling on the country side
Hope that everyone had a great Memorial Day Weekend
xoxo
So I got back from my very own special MDW from Amalfi Coast, it was beautiful! We left on Thursday around 6 on a bus towards Rome to pick up more students to head down to Amalfi. We got to Rome in about 3 hours and then took a short stop to get some food and such. Then when we almost got to where we were staying there was a car accident that was blocking the whole road so we got a police escort to our hostel. Yes, I stayed in a hostel! It was actually very clean and is rated as one of the best hostels in Europe. Anyway, so we got to the hostel pretty late like 2:30 in the morning and we had to wake up at 7:30 the next morning to be up and out on the ferry. So when we got to the hostel we went right to bed; we meaning myself and the 10 other girls that I had to share the room with. It was a lot of people in one room there were 5 bunks and 1 single but we were all from the Bus2Alps tour and it was all girls (they do put boys and girls in the same rooms). So the next morning we took the ferry to Capri and we took a little boat tour of the island and the grottos. They were amazing! The blue grotto was so pretty but scary to go in and out of. We had to get into these very tiny boats and pretty much lay on top of each other, and our guide had to time our entering with the water shifting to pass under the tiny opening. After the boat ride we got a bus ride to the top of Capri aka Anna Capri. We had lunch there and did some shopping. Then we took a convertible top taxi down to the bottom and hung out by the water until we took the taxi back to Sorrento where we were staying with the hostel. Then we showered and hung out until we had dinner in the middle of town with the whole tour group. After many people went to an English Pub, but my friends and I were very tired and just went back to the hostel to hang out on the roof where they had their own bar. So Alyssa and I hung out up there which was beautiful scenery with a bunch of Italian locals and hit the hay early to be rested for Saturday.
On Saturday we went to Positano and laid out on the beach and again took a boat tour. This time on the boat tour we went to a beach right next to the public one but that you could only access from the water and we went cliff jumping. So the boat got as close to the shore as it could and we hopped off and climbed up the cliff to a 10 ft jump and a 40 ft jump! I was nervous to do the 40 ft one at first and just did the 10 a couple of times and a bunch of people from my tour did the 40 including 2 of the girls that I went on the trip on, Alyssa and her friend from home (west essex) Nicole. (Yes there are 2 different Nicoles) Anyway so they told me that it wasn't bad at all the worst part is just climbing up the cliff. So I decided when in Rome I mean Positano! So I gradually climbed up the cliff holding onto the side of the mountain to the 40 ft jump and made the leap of faith... it was so much fun! But I would not do it twice haha. So then the "captain" of our boat took us on a little tour of the island and allowed us to swim in a sorta grotto it was this natural arc that we got to swim though. It was beautiful! My camera is water proof so I got to take it in the water with me and take pictures as we swam through. Our tour guide for the weekend told us that this is the first time all year that they, or at least she, has been allowed to swim out in the water. So that was very exciting, and the water was not too cold, it was very refreshing. So then we got back onto land, ate some lunch, and sat on the beach for the rest of the day before taking the bus back to Sorrento. We had some dinner at the hostel and then went upstairs on the roof and hung out with the rest of the group from our trip.
On Sunday we woke up and checked out, headed onto the bus that was taking us to Pompei. Pompei was amazing in a totally different way then the rest of the weekend. It was so interesting to see this ancient town and how civilized they were that many years ago! So we had our own adorable tour guide that brought us into a different section of the city then the usual tours get to go. It was so cool and he explained everything to us it was great because we had the choice of whether or not we wanted to take a tour and I am so glad that we did because if I had not I would of been totally lost! After Pompei we took the bus back to Rome and then to Florence, I was back at my apartment around 11. I made sure I was in bed by 12 so that I was not exhausted to wake up at 7:45 for my 9 am class.
Today, (Monday) I had my Arts of Florence class and I am actually starting to enjoy that class more and more. We went to another church and a museum to see some special statues and we were comparing works of art, like Michelangelo's David to another artists. After class Nicole, Alyssa, and our two other friends Hailey and Steph, and I went to this caffe Astor (that is actually a bar at night) and we saw some people from our trip, it was really cool to walk into a place here and actually know some people haha. We also happened to know Ronnie and J Wow from the Jersey Shore who just happened to be eating there too. The waiter even sat us in the booth right next to them, but thankfully they had just finished and when we sat down they were getting up. Then Nicole, Alyssa, and I went to the train station to get our tickets for this weekend. We are leaving right after class on Thursday to go to Alyssa's family in a town outside of Venice. I am so excited to go because we will be able to experience a real Italian family and culture! Alyssa's cousins are actually around our age and are very excited to take us out and about on the town. We are also going to go to the beach on Friday and Saturday and then we will be returning on Sunday during the afternoon.
Well Nicole, Alyssa, and I also just booked another trip to the French Riveria in a couple of weekends and that again is another beach trip =). I hope that I come back another race haha. But I am looking forward to the rest of this week I am going out with some of the girls tonight for a early night and then tomorrow, wed, and thurs I have class and then I will be leaving for Venice! (Thursday is actually an Italian holiday here and a lot of schools get off but unfortunately we do not)
Hope that everyone had a great Memorial Day Weekend
xoxo
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Classes are in full swing
So I will update you from Monday, Tues, and so far today.
Monday was my first day of class and it was art history of Florence. I have a woman teacher and she speaks pretty well English because for this class I am being taught by one of the institutes teachers. With this class everyday we have the early half in the classroom, a 15 or so minute break and then the latter part of the class we walk to different sites in the city that we are learning about. So far we have walked into a church and then she taught us a few special things about the city and showed us how it has evolved throughout the years. Today was my second day of class for art history and we learned all about the Duomo, which is the main cathedral of Florence. We learned about how it was constructed and re-constructed since it being built in the 1400's. It is a pretty interesting class and I am glad that I took it so that I can actually learn more about the culture here in Italy and be able to go into museums and things that I would of not of done or be able to do on my own. I just hope that the midterm and final is not too hard.
Monday after class a bunch of the girls and myself went to another market, this time it was a big outdoor/indoor market where there were little stands selling clothes, fresh fruit, meat, cheeses, etc. Since Nicole and I had already gone food shopping we really didn't get much at the market I just grabbed some cherries and we had lunch. After the market I went over to the park that is right at the corner of my block and did some reading for my classes it was very relaxing and I got a little bit of color sitting there =) Monday night Nicole and I met up with our friend Alyssa from West Essex and we went to this fabulous restaurant outside the Santa Croce piazza and got to meet Alyssa's friend from home that is here in a different program. After dinner it was kinda late so Nicole and I just stayed in to catch up on some rest. Nicole has been having problems with her feet and walking here because of wanting to wear sandals but the cobblestones are very uneven and hard on our feet and legs all day. So she was getting blisters and in a lot of pain, so we stayed in to give her feet a rest.
Then Tuesday was my first day of class for my management class. Like I said in an earlier post I have had this teacher before Gus and he is a very nice guy. The class is very relaxed and we are having no tests we just really have to participate and contribute to the topics of discussion. The class is about entrepreneurship and how it all started here in Italy. It is very interesting and like the other class we jumped right into the subject matter. Gus will actually only be teaching us for 2 weeks and then another Penn State professor is going to be teaching us for the remaining 4.
I have had a lot of reading to do already, but the thing that is really taking a toll on people is the fact of early classes and late nights. I want to get the most out of this experience here in Italy I want to go out with my friends and I dont want to be cooped up in my apartment. If I wanted to stay inside I would of just stayed home, so I know that it is just the beginning and we are getting into the swing of things but I am hoping that I will be able to figure out a schedule that it is good for my body and good for my own personal experience.
So after class on Tuesday Nicole, Alyssa and myself grabbed a little bit of lunch and walked over closer to the Ponte Vecchio for some gelato and for this store where I found some great Italian bracelets. As we were walking up to the store the owner just happened to be locking the door so I was not able to go in and buy but I am planning on going back and looking around. After that we went to Puma and got Nicole some better shoes that are more like sandals but have an arch in them so that she can walk around better and it has been helping a lot! Then we came home and did some work in the park again, ate some dinner and then got ready to go out with a group of our friends from school. We went to 2 different places and the second one we only stayed at for a short time because the Jersey Shore was yet again there so it was crowded and they were staying in one corner of the place that was kinda of blocked off by their body guards. So we were there for less than a half hour and then we went home.
Today (Wed) like I mentioned earlier we had our art history class again and went to the Duomo which is not too far from my apartment, we pass by or like last night were right outside the Duomo all the time. After class my apartment minus one girl went to grab lunch and then go shopping. There is also a gelato festival going on this whole weekend so we were eating in the piazza of the festival but I think tomorrow we will actually get gelato because today they were still setting it all up. After shopping we came back to the apartment and I took about an hour nap and now I am here writing the blog and after this I am going to do my homework for my management class tomorrow then take a shower, eat dinner, and I would like to go out again for a little tonight with either the girls in my apartment or my friends here.
Tomorrow, I will be leaving at around 7 which is around 1 for you at home to take a bus to the Almafi Coast for the weekend with Nicole, Alyssa, and Alyssa's friend from home. We will be arriving there late tomorrow night and then waking up early around 8 they told us to start our tours and such there. We are going through a student program, so they have a whole itinerary for us and tours set up so that we can get the most out of our stay. I am really excited to go here I heard that this trip is a lot of fun from students who were here during the spring semester. I cant wait to go into the water and lay on the beach for my special Memorial Day Weekend.
I'm glad to hear that the weather at home is looking better and maybe it will actually be a good Memorial Day Weekend for BBQ's and the beach. Daddy I know that your birthday is coming up this weekend I will be bringing my computer with me so hopefully I will be able to blog before then, and I will definately be in touch with you on your birthday but Happy early Birthday. Love and miss you!
These previous ones are all from a little church that we went to with my class
Sorry for it being sideways again but this is a tower that families used to live in and for a time families would compete with each other to see who could have the highest tower
This is in the piazza republica bell tower, if you notice it is to the right and not in the middle this is because it is being aligned with something else
Chanel =) one of the many designer stores that they have here that I get to pass everyday on my walk to school
Those were all pictures of the Duomo and the Baptister and the tower.
These are special towers that are all throughout Florence that were made in the 1300/1500's that represent where Piazzas are.
The gelato is so good and some places put cute little fruit or decorations on them. So far I have had vanilla with chocolate chips, nutella, and cantaloupe.
This is the original front of the Duomo Cathedral that was replaced and this was Mary and Jesus that was on top of the front door
This is a replica of what the old facade of the cathedral looked like.. pretty boring compared to todays
These are two of the Apostles, if you look closely you can see they have books in their hands to represent them writing the New Testament. These were in between the 3 original doors.
This was on top of the other door I believe this one was the sleeping virgin.
The Florence symbol
Michaelangelos pieta of Jesus the moment that he got off of the cross, there are the 2 women holding him and then the man behind is Mico Demus which is the first sculpture to give Jesus a face and in this pieta the face of Mico is Michaelangelos.
This is Donatello's Mary Magdalene, this is made out of wood and then a paste covering that was painted. It is so creepy looking because it was supposed to show her desperation from Jesus death.
All of those pictures above were from the museum for the Duomo.
The tower next to the Duomo
The front door of the Duomo now.
The doors to the Baptistery which is right in front of the entrance to the Cathedral the alters face each others
again sorry that some of them are side-ways and you have to "break your neck" to see them but I cant figure out after uploading them how to rotate I would have to individually go through before I upload them and twist and save them to my computer.
Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day Weekend <3
Monday was my first day of class and it was art history of Florence. I have a woman teacher and she speaks pretty well English because for this class I am being taught by one of the institutes teachers. With this class everyday we have the early half in the classroom, a 15 or so minute break and then the latter part of the class we walk to different sites in the city that we are learning about. So far we have walked into a church and then she taught us a few special things about the city and showed us how it has evolved throughout the years. Today was my second day of class for art history and we learned all about the Duomo, which is the main cathedral of Florence. We learned about how it was constructed and re-constructed since it being built in the 1400's. It is a pretty interesting class and I am glad that I took it so that I can actually learn more about the culture here in Italy and be able to go into museums and things that I would of not of done or be able to do on my own. I just hope that the midterm and final is not too hard.
Monday after class a bunch of the girls and myself went to another market, this time it was a big outdoor/indoor market where there were little stands selling clothes, fresh fruit, meat, cheeses, etc. Since Nicole and I had already gone food shopping we really didn't get much at the market I just grabbed some cherries and we had lunch. After the market I went over to the park that is right at the corner of my block and did some reading for my classes it was very relaxing and I got a little bit of color sitting there =) Monday night Nicole and I met up with our friend Alyssa from West Essex and we went to this fabulous restaurant outside the Santa Croce piazza and got to meet Alyssa's friend from home that is here in a different program. After dinner it was kinda late so Nicole and I just stayed in to catch up on some rest. Nicole has been having problems with her feet and walking here because of wanting to wear sandals but the cobblestones are very uneven and hard on our feet and legs all day. So she was getting blisters and in a lot of pain, so we stayed in to give her feet a rest.
Then Tuesday was my first day of class for my management class. Like I said in an earlier post I have had this teacher before Gus and he is a very nice guy. The class is very relaxed and we are having no tests we just really have to participate and contribute to the topics of discussion. The class is about entrepreneurship and how it all started here in Italy. It is very interesting and like the other class we jumped right into the subject matter. Gus will actually only be teaching us for 2 weeks and then another Penn State professor is going to be teaching us for the remaining 4.
I have had a lot of reading to do already, but the thing that is really taking a toll on people is the fact of early classes and late nights. I want to get the most out of this experience here in Italy I want to go out with my friends and I dont want to be cooped up in my apartment. If I wanted to stay inside I would of just stayed home, so I know that it is just the beginning and we are getting into the swing of things but I am hoping that I will be able to figure out a schedule that it is good for my body and good for my own personal experience.
So after class on Tuesday Nicole, Alyssa and myself grabbed a little bit of lunch and walked over closer to the Ponte Vecchio for some gelato and for this store where I found some great Italian bracelets. As we were walking up to the store the owner just happened to be locking the door so I was not able to go in and buy but I am planning on going back and looking around. After that we went to Puma and got Nicole some better shoes that are more like sandals but have an arch in them so that she can walk around better and it has been helping a lot! Then we came home and did some work in the park again, ate some dinner and then got ready to go out with a group of our friends from school. We went to 2 different places and the second one we only stayed at for a short time because the Jersey Shore was yet again there so it was crowded and they were staying in one corner of the place that was kinda of blocked off by their body guards. So we were there for less than a half hour and then we went home.
Today (Wed) like I mentioned earlier we had our art history class again and went to the Duomo which is not too far from my apartment, we pass by or like last night were right outside the Duomo all the time. After class my apartment minus one girl went to grab lunch and then go shopping. There is also a gelato festival going on this whole weekend so we were eating in the piazza of the festival but I think tomorrow we will actually get gelato because today they were still setting it all up. After shopping we came back to the apartment and I took about an hour nap and now I am here writing the blog and after this I am going to do my homework for my management class tomorrow then take a shower, eat dinner, and I would like to go out again for a little tonight with either the girls in my apartment or my friends here.
Tomorrow, I will be leaving at around 7 which is around 1 for you at home to take a bus to the Almafi Coast for the weekend with Nicole, Alyssa, and Alyssa's friend from home. We will be arriving there late tomorrow night and then waking up early around 8 they told us to start our tours and such there. We are going through a student program, so they have a whole itinerary for us and tours set up so that we can get the most out of our stay. I am really excited to go here I heard that this trip is a lot of fun from students who were here during the spring semester. I cant wait to go into the water and lay on the beach for my special Memorial Day Weekend.
I'm glad to hear that the weather at home is looking better and maybe it will actually be a good Memorial Day Weekend for BBQ's and the beach. Daddy I know that your birthday is coming up this weekend I will be bringing my computer with me so hopefully I will be able to blog before then, and I will definately be in touch with you on your birthday but Happy early Birthday. Love and miss you!
again sorry that some of them are side-ways and you have to "break your neck" to see them but I cant figure out after uploading them how to rotate I would have to individually go through before I upload them and twist and save them to my computer.
Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day Weekend <3
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)