Today was amazing! After starting out the day with breakfast, our music lecture, and then our art lecture, we were off to see Rome! We rode the metro to begin our walking tour of ancient Rome. We walked around the ruins a bit before trying to enter the forum. Unfortunately, things had changed since the last year, and there was an admission fee. One of the leaders fell through again and did not bring money to purchase tickets. The walking tour was ended really early and we were left on our own. Most people went back to the hotel to change for the concert that we were having later that night, since we would not have time after the museum that was scheduled for the afternoon.
However, we were vary prepared! My group, already dressed and ready for the concert, headed over to the Coliseum! It was very cool. We paid for a tour guide to take us around and bought a roma pass for the entry. The roma pass was very helpful since it let us get into the coliseum, the forum, other museums, as well as giving us unlimited metro rides. We learned a ton of cool things about the coliseum. One of the neatest things that I didn’t know was that they used to spend 4 days to flood the stadium with aqueducts to have naval battles! But, they only did it twice since they discovered that it was far too small for that purpose. We also learned a lot about how the gladiator fights worked.
After the coliseum, we ended up having to take a taxi to the museum Borgese. It was located in a very beautiful park were we wandered forever trying to find a sandwich. We got to the park before everyone else so we ended up having a very long while to sit and enjoy the park! The museum here was the most beautiful that I have ever been to. It was a very lavish home and had a very incredible collection of art. They do not advertise the museum and the other groups who have gone through Rome did not get to go in, however, the wait list is very long to get a reservation so we were lucky to go! It was the best art and several of my new favorite works are there including Apollo and Persephone.
After the museum, we started walking towards the concert hall. We were booking it so we could go and see the soccer stadium on the way. When we were getting pretty close, we ran into our music professor who seemed very upset. He explained that even though he asked the lead of the program to book the concert 4 months ago, she had booked it for the wrong night. So, we ended up hopping back on the metro to head back to our hotel for dinner.
Some people had gone to a pizza place across from our hotel the night before and said that it was very good and mostly cheap. I had no idea how cheap though! Everyone that ordered before me just picked out a slice of pizza, which ended up being around 4.50 euros (they measured it by the pound). I saw a sign for a combo meal, margherita pizza and a coke for 3.50. I ordered this expecting to get a small slice, which I was fine with. I paid and he handed me the coke and left. After a couple of minutes, I asked another man who was working at the counter. He told me that my pizza was almost done. I had no idea what we going on because they had just handed everyone else their slice of pizza. All of a sudden, the first guy came back with a whole pizza! I was so excited that not only was my meal half the price of everyone else’s, but I got a coke and probably 4 times a much food! I was very happy. We all went back to a person’s room who had a corner balcony to sit outside and enjoy our pizza.
After dinner, I and Amanda worked on trying to get internet. I never really got it, but Amanda was able to check her email. While we were sitting in the lobby, there was a group that was meeting to go to a Professor Persnall recommended gelatio place. We quickly were on board even though we were already in our PJ’s. It was a great decision! We went to this local hangout, where for just 1.80 Euro, I got a cone that was bigger than my face! Before, I was paying 3-4 Euro for just one scoop. This place, I got a medium cone and got I think about six scoops, fresh whip cream, and little cookies! It was a sweet ending to the day!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Today we drove… it wasn’t that far or that bad. It is actually nicer than I thought having bus rides. It gives a day for my feet to rest! J we stopped in a town called Orgiaz in Italy on the way to Rome. It was a pretty small town that we reached after an extremely long walk up a sharp hill. We went to see a chapel and to stop for lunch. Unfortunately, a lot of the girls including myself were not able to get in. our shorts did not cover our knees. I had pants on the bus with me if I got cold, but had taken them off to get lunch since it was very hot outside. I was a little disappointed, but we heard the chapel wasn’t that great. We stopped at a very nice little café to have pizza/calzones and a glass of wine. The pizza was so big and great for the price!
When we got to the hotel, we were excited that we were staying relatively close to the city. However, that excitement was quickly squashed when me and Amanda got to our room. Others had already checked in and said how large and spacious their rooms were. After finally locating our room (which took a while because it was right behind the elevator) we could barely get our suitcases in the door! We were pretty much in a maintenance closet behind the elevator. Others had a walk in closest, 2 (or in some case 3) queen size beds, a huge bathtub, and a balcony. We had, a very small bed, with no room on either side, a facet on the wall for the shower, and a toilet you could only get to once you maneuvered behind the door. We usually aren’t complainers, but after seeing the other people’s rooms, we wanted to ask if we could switch. The front desk informed us that they were booked for the night but to check early the next morning. We didn’t really unpack to keep our hope alive for another room.
We walked downstairs for the welcome dinner at 8, only to find out that it had switched to 8:3-. I had just enough time to take a very quick shower before dinner. The dinner was so good! We had free bread and water. The first course was a very delicious bowtie pasta with cracked pepper and cherry tomatoes. For the second course we had a chicken breast and fries. Finally, for the third course, we had a very yummy cookies and cream gelatio!
After a very satisfying dinner, we decided to explore the neighborhood. We found a very small Guinness pub. The bar was very chill and I got one very good glass of the house white wine. After a short visit, it was time to go to bed. We have a very long day exploring Rome tomorrow!!!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
I was excited to begin my last day in Florence. It ended up being a better city than I thought, but I am so excited about being in Rome tomorrow! We started out the day first taking the bus into the city, and then walking for about 30 minutes to the Uffizi museum. The walk was very pretty along the river but it was pretty long. The Uffizi was pretty neat. It contained a lot of works but Botticelli, whom we had studied a lot. In addition, it had several paintings by Di Vinci, which is always exciting. They were not nearly what I was expecting, but it was still a good thing to see.
After the first museum, it was relatively late in the afternoon and we were starving for lunch. We settled on a cafeteria-style café because we could sit outside without a cover and we thought it would be cheap.
Things in Italy are so expensive because not only do they charge you for food, but also a different cover fee depending on if you sit inside, outside, or to-go. They charge you for water, with no refills. They charge you for bread that they will just bring out, and you have to make sure they take it back before you touch it. However, I think the most absurd thing, it that they will come out and set flowers out on your table, and it you do not say that you don’t want them, they will charge you for that too!
Well, the food didn’t end up being very good or very cheap. I ate it all though and was relatively satisfied. We then started to walk to the Accademia museum. The walk took so much longer than expected but we finally got there. We got to see the very famous work, David by Donatello. It was very large, and I doubt that I would come past David’s knee. This museum was optional, but I was very glad that I went and got to see it in person!
After the museum, many people were very tired and decide to go back to the hotel to sleep, but I really wanted to see more of the city. I elected to go with a group who was hiking a mountain to see the most beautiful overlook of Florence. I do not think that I have ever climbed so many stairs but it was well worth it! The view was amazing and I had a lot of fun with the people that I went with!
After hiking back down, it was time for dinner. We walked past the place where I had gotten lunch earlier. Someone pointed it out, and luckily, they all took my advice when I cringed at the site of it! Instead, we went just one street over and found the most charming little café. The people were so nice to us! They also gave us a very good deal since there was a larger group of us. They talked to us for a while because one man that worked there had lived in the US for a couple of months and just loved Americans. It was a great dinner. I had the house white wine and rigatoni pasta, which again was very yummy.
After dinner, we stopped by a market and I haggled to get a 100% cashmere pasgmina (I have no idea how to spell that)! It is a really pretty color and I was really excited about the price! We then headed back to catch the shuttle. We got back to the hotel and I really had to go to the bathroom. However, Amanda had left for dinner. The people at the front desk were very nice though and let me in the room. After showering, Amanda and I watched some of Heavyweights and it was off to bed!
After the first museum, it was relatively late in the afternoon and we were starving for lunch. We settled on a cafeteria-style café because we could sit outside without a cover and we thought it would be cheap.
Things in Italy are so expensive because not only do they charge you for food, but also a different cover fee depending on if you sit inside, outside, or to-go. They charge you for water, with no refills. They charge you for bread that they will just bring out, and you have to make sure they take it back before you touch it. However, I think the most absurd thing, it that they will come out and set flowers out on your table, and it you do not say that you don’t want them, they will charge you for that too!
Well, the food didn’t end up being very good or very cheap. I ate it all though and was relatively satisfied. We then started to walk to the Accademia museum. The walk took so much longer than expected but we finally got there. We got to see the very famous work, David by Donatello. It was very large, and I doubt that I would come past David’s knee. This museum was optional, but I was very glad that I went and got to see it in person!
After the museum, many people were very tired and decide to go back to the hotel to sleep, but I really wanted to see more of the city. I elected to go with a group who was hiking a mountain to see the most beautiful overlook of Florence. I do not think that I have ever climbed so many stairs but it was well worth it! The view was amazing and I had a lot of fun with the people that I went with!
After hiking back down, it was time for dinner. We walked past the place where I had gotten lunch earlier. Someone pointed it out, and luckily, they all took my advice when I cringed at the site of it! Instead, we went just one street over and found the most charming little café. The people were so nice to us! They also gave us a very good deal since there was a larger group of us. They talked to us for a while because one man that worked there had lived in the US for a couple of months and just loved Americans. It was a great dinner. I had the house white wine and rigatoni pasta, which again was very yummy.
After dinner, we stopped by a market and I haggled to get a 100% cashmere pasgmina (I have no idea how to spell that)! It is a really pretty color and I was really excited about the price! We then headed back to catch the shuttle. We got back to the hotel and I really had to go to the bathroom. However, Amanda had left for dinner. The people at the front desk were very nice though and let me in the room. After showering, Amanda and I watched some of Heavyweights and it was off to bed!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Ciao! Hello from Italy! After a ten-hour bus ride, we finally made it into Florence. The drive here was so much more enjoyable than I ever thought it would be. The view was simply breathtaking. We drove all along the western coast of Italy and it was so pretty. I took ton of pictures that I cannot wait to show you!
We stopped for lunch in Italy during the trip and it was surprisingly different. At many public places like gas stations and so restraints, you are not allowed to sit while going o the bathroom! The restrooms look like they have toilets, but they just do not have any seat to them! They also have signs with a person sitting with a big red circle with a line through it. I have to admit that I am not a big fan of the “squatters.” also, they have a basket to pay or make a donation before using a restroom, even if it has no attendant.
I was excited to order in Italian, as I had been taught a few key phrases. I got very nervous though because I ended up being the person to order first! I got up to the counter and said that I would like a Margarita Pizza in Italian. However, the cashier answered me in English! It seems like most people here will speak English to you even if you do know a little Italian.
The pizza here was so good! It was everything I thought it would be! Lunch was great too. Amanda and I sat with some guys from our trip whom we had never met before. One had an Italian phrase book so we spent lunch practicing! We learned all of the basics, such as “where is the bathroom?” “Excuse me,” and “please.” we also pretty much had a free show of the most intense PDA that I have ever seen!
After lunch, we still had about a 5.5-hour ride. I used the time to watch Superbad (which Mer, is a “world that I would like to live in one day.: J ) Some guys also started quoting Eurotrip when we were on the bus and talking about how much they would like to see it. Luckily, I came prepared! I put it on a thumb drive, which I think pretty much every person on the trip has now copied in order to watch it. (This is also, what Amada and I did as well)!
We got into Florence around 7:30, and had our welcome dinner at eight. We had some very good penne pasta in a marinara sauce. IIt was pretty basic, but it was done well. This was followed by some fruit for desert. Our leaders went over the itinerary for the city. Everyone got pretty upset when we found out that we were a 30 minute bus ride outside of the city. That was better than the 45 minute metro commute that we had in Barcelona, but people are pretty fed up with staying so far out of the city and having to pay our own way to get in. they were complaining that we shouldn’t have to pay so much money to stay near a city, and worry about the bus schedules and getting in and out of the cities and having to take taxis at night (which luckily I have not had to do yet). I can see why everyone was upset, and I am disappointed about the distance, but I understand just how expensive everything is and I think we should all just make do!
After dinner, a large group was going out, but we decided that we should just take the night to relax in the room since we would have just a supper busy day tomorrow. Hannah and Hilary came over and we had so much fun just sitting and talking. Best of all, we got to get in bed relatively early!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Bonjour Hello from
Our next stop was in
We only drove about an hour after this stop to reach the hotel. Me and Amanda were on the bottom floor of the motel by ourselves. We didn’t feel the safest some somer very nice guys volunteered to switch with us so we were with a larger group on the thirs floor. After dropping our stuff in the room and skyping a bit, I went to meet a group to walk around with our art professor. Amanda was really tired and decided to stay back at the hotel, but I was very ready to go!
We walked very shortly before reaching the Palace ampitheatere, which was very beautiful and just seemed like a smaller version of the coliseum. We then walked to Maison Carrée. We took some very cute pictures. Including some thae “celebrated our denim, which originated in
We got on the of the most delicious chocolate mouse cakes ever along with some fresh whip cream. I don’t think that I have ever said that any desert was better than something that was chocolate, but this next desert just killed it! We got an apple dish that consited ot a flat sweet bread, covered in cooks apples and a sugary sauce topped with some amazing ice cream. This was so good! I just sat there and kept saying “I love
After dinner, we walked back to our second historical site where there was an outdoor concert. It was so nice taking in the scene and the music, which was pretty good. We then walked some more. We found some crazy French kids who asked us to take pictures. We thought that they had a camera to that they wanted us to use, but It just turned out that they wanted to get in a picture with us and wanted us to take it. We thought that they were just excited that we were Americans, and they didn’t speak any English. Turns out that they were just extremely high though and offered us some pot! We were a little taken aback. After immediately declining, we quickly told them good bye. We decided to head back to the hotel around 10.
I got back and took a shower, and after talking to my parents one last time, (In a more normal voice than before) I climbed into bed. This was the first time that I was laid my head down before midnight and I was so happy! Although I had some of the weirdest dreams of my life, it was a great nights rest.
May 29, 2008
Today was both a busy and fun day. After a music lecture we were riding the bus to a spot that was deemed “the most beautiful spot in the world.” our lecture had let out late so unfortunately 5 people got let behind and didn’t get to see it. However, I was fortunate to get on the bus extra early (cause the maid was cleaning my room so I went down to the lobby to use the restroom when a professor hurried me to the bus. I was very upset cause he said “the bus is waiting on you!” I asked if I had time to use the restroom and he replied no. I ran to the bus, only to find out that I was the first one on and sat there alone for 5 minutes before the next people started getting there. They still wouldn’t let me go and use the restroom though!)
Our bus dropped us off at the bottom of one of the steepest hills of my life! After walking up the hill to the park designed by Gaudi, we got a chance to sit at the park for a little while. We had about 30 minutes before we started to go on the “hike.” this hike, was pretty a very steep rock and dirt path. It was a rough climb that seemed to take forever. There were a lot of parts where I was literally using my hands to pull myself over rocks and large boulders! But it was worth it. The view was incredible! We ended up staying up there for about an hour before finally heading down.
We grabbed lunch in the park and hung out at the café for a bit. We then started out trek back down the hill. We were going to go straight to the casa Mila apartments where our group was meeting several hours later to kind of scope it out before we headed elsewhere. However, the person leading did not do the greatest job and the walk took us about 5 times longer than expected. When we finally got there, we were exhausted. But, we had just enough time to stop for some ice-cream! Yay! I got a very delicious chocolate and fruit gelatio that was so good.
We then went to the Casa Mila apartments, another famous design by Gaudi. These apartments were amazing! The building is very different than anything you might see in the united states. We got to walk around the courtyard, see a sample apartment, and also hand out on the roof terrace. After sunbathing for a while, it was time to leave to go to I think my favorite part of the trip so far, the Sangrada Familia.
We thought that we were giving ourselves plenty of time to walk to the church because our professor was still at the apartments talking to students. However, about halfway there, the professor ran by us saying “your not going to make it if you keep up that pace!” our whole class was running behind him. Apparently, we all stood there and talked about the apartments for so long, he had lost track of time. We ended up getting there in plenty of time though! And it was so worth it!
The Sangrada Familia started being built in 1882, and is still being built today. The estimated completion date is in
After walking down the like 49403854032020 stairs we grabbed some dinner before heading back to the hotel. After talking to my parents and doing some more homework, I got to go to bed at a relatively decent hour of 1:30! Yay!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Today was such a great day! Although long, it was so much fun. We woke up and had the typical breakfast at 7:30. While not as delicious as the first hotel’s breakfast, it was ok. After a quick music lecture we all walked to get on the tram. We learned about the metro system and used the tram to get to the train station. When we got to downtown
We were then set free for lunch where we went to a small deli/café type of restaurant. I opted for the cheap chicken nuggets with nachos and one of my only cokes for the trip. It was pretty good and I felt satisfied. We walked around for a good bit before we had to meet up with our group in the next couple of hours. We ducked into a couple of store and just walked around to see the city. We stopped at an espresso café to get our fit in a beautiful square (I got a chocolate milkshake since I am not too big on the coffee). The milkshake was very thick and rich, however, it was not the highlight of this stop. All of a sudden, all the boys started standing up and laughing. When we moved closer to the door, we saw that they were looking at a man who had an extreme lack of clothing! This man, who was completely naked, was just walking around a bus stop. He proceeded to get on his bike and ride around the square for a couple of minutes. The craziest part though was that no one else seemed to be amused or even giving the guy a second glance! They just walked past him completely normally! A cop car drove by and didn’t stop or do anything either! It was pretty entertaining, and we were almost positive that he must have been on some sort of drugs. When we were leaving, he had struck up conversations with several cars at a stoplight and a man at the atm. At least he seemed friendly!
We walked over to the Museo Picasso but were about an hour early. Several people stopped in at a bar/internet café to check face book. Me and Amanda went to get out post card for the city (a collection that we had both started) and to look for some mascara (my liquids bag got lost somewhere in the third airport). I was relieved to find both. The mascara was pretty pricy though. It was 11 euros (about $18) which was so much better than the 24 Euro (38 dollar one that I had found in
We entered the Museo Picasso, and this was by far the coolest museum that we have been to. All the works were really neat to look at. I hadn’t realized how diverse Picasso was. Not only did he do his later cubism/abstract paintings, but he also did many realism things when he started out in
After the museum, we traveled to the southwest corner of the city. There, we took a metro up into a mountain and then hiked the rest of the way up. One of our professors (a man that has traveled the world literally several times) said that we would find the second best view of the city (the first best view belongs to a place that also holds his spot for the best view in the world, where we will go tomorrow). The hike was pretty long and strenuous but it was so worth it! It was just an amazing view. From it, you could see all of the city as well as the harbor. We spent several hours up there taking in the view with our lollypops before climbing back down.
At the bottom of the mountain, we decided to grab some dinner before heading back to the hotel. We stopped at a place that our professor had recommended. Café Taxidermy is famous for fasionistas to see and be seen. (Also, it was supposed to be pretty cheap). We sat outside in a beautiful square with an amazing view. When we got there and asked for a menu, we were informed that dinner does not start being served until 8:30! We were blown away that they do not even start serving until so late. We ended up getting tapas. I got the sweet and sour chicken, which was good, but a very small portion.
After dinner we headed back to the hotel to do homework. We got one concert report done, the one on the Spanish opera L’Orfeo which we had seen in
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)