When In Rome!

I went to Rome last weekend and basically saw everything I could! (Except the inside of the St. Peter's Basilica because of lines...I feel like a horrible person but oh well.) It was such an awesome weekend. We left Friday at 6:40 am and came home Sunday at 9:30 pm so we spent quite a bit of time there. I saw the Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel (wasn't allowed to talk pictures and had to remain silent), Borghese Museum and gardens, Colosseum, Roman Forum & Paletine. We saw numerous churches, monuments and buildings. I could go on and on and describe everything but I will just mention some of my favorites so I don't bore everyone. 

I really loved the Borghese Museum and gardens. I described it as very whimsical and happy, not heavy like a lot of the artwork we have seen thus far. The Vatican museum was also awesome because of the history of the rooms we were in and the paintings. The Sistine Chapel was incredibly. I wish I snuck a picture but I was too scared to be kicked out! The Colosseum was also really great. Everything I ate in Rome was delicious as well. I was surprised being tourists we found great places to eat. Also, all of the piazzas in Rome have more going on than in Florence and were more of a social place to hang out, I really liked sitting there and taking a break for walking.


On Friday night I met up with my dad's cousin Fernando Lupia who lives in Rome. His wife Raffella was there as well as his son and daughter in law who actually speaks English because she is Canadian. My friend Ellen came with me who is in Italian 4 so she was very helpful before their daughter in law arrived to help translate. Raffella made a 5 course meal--so delicious I was blown away. They offered us espresso, Italian liquors, and endless wine too. They were so friendly I really loved visiting them. Even Ellen said it was an unforgettable experience for her as well. I might coordinate a weekend when I am staying in Florence for them to come visit me again and bring me to Prato (a city nearby) to visit another relative. Fernando and Raffella took us on a small tour of the city in their car, it was really nice to see the city without walking. Raffella is also teaching herself English so she enjoyed speaking to us in English I think. I was proud I was able to tell them my age in Italian (since I learned that on my first Italian quiz). I hope I will be able to visit them again sometime.

I met up with a friend who is studying at the Loyola Chicago Rome Campus, Katie Hynan. It was great to see her and catch up in such a beautiful place! We met at the Trevi Fountain and later went to a cute hole in the wall (those are the best!) restaurant. I ordered spaghetti with lobster in a creamy red sauce and the house white wine. It was so delicious. We went to a piazza where there were a lot of bars after and I randomly met into people who were in my program. Katie and Kenzie and I will all be in Switzerland next weekend in the Swiss Alps so hopefully I will see more of everyone soon. Katie and I kept saying "I am so happy you are here!" Her friends were awesome as well.

Overall, Rome was amazing but also exhausting. If I were to live there, my feet would not only disintegrate but it would be so difficult to learn my way around. When I am here in Florence struggling for directions...so I am overall very happy with my choice of where to study. I describe it as Florence is more scenic and artistic, Rome is more historic and has more going on. The night life in Florence is pretty low key compared to Rome, but I like that about it. Rome had less dog poop on the streets that is for sure. They also had less little dogs running around in hot pink jackets. Everywhere I looked I saw people holding a map looking confused and it is not even tourist season yet! Can't imagine what it is like in April or May.

Overall, I had a great weekend. It was really exhausting but fun! We had to take a fast train home because there was a scare of a train strike but it ended up being fun to experience something a little classier. More expensive though, probably won't do it again we just did to be sure we got home. My friend's 21st birthday is today so last night we decided to celebrate a little early and sipped limoncello on the train. It definitely didn't taste like my moms, maybe because I bought the cheapest one they had...but none of us were too big of fans. One friend even described it as rancid. Next time, if there is a next time, we will have to try something a little more expensive.

Next post will maybe talk about the rest of my week and Florence but then I am off to Interlaken, Switzerland! Let's hope I come out of night sledding alive.

 Colosseum with my room mate Kristin

 At the Trevi with Katie

ROMA

La Vita e Meravigliosa!

This week I had my first Italian quiz, hence the "la vita e mervigliosa" which means It's a wonderful life. I am trying to speak as much Italian as I can! Very different than Spanish I must say but it isn't too horrible. Some people in my class have God awful pronunciation from the East Coast so I don't sound too bad. This is a short post but I thought I would mention a few fun things I did this week!

First, my art history professor took us to Santa Croce Church which was beautiful. Michelangelo and Galileo are both buried there. We are learning about frescos, which are layers of paint that even though many have been chipped and distressed over the years you can still see how much work went into them. They remind me of textural wall murals--very pretty. I am excited to get out into the city for this class! The class is 3 hours long and my professor can talk the whole time and can still hold our attention.

We ate at restaurant called Il gatto e la volpe which means the cat and the fox. It is from the story of Pinocchio, which was written by an Italian author. When reading that back in the day I definitely didn't connect the dots to that one. Anyways, it was delicious! The balsamic was chunky, different than usual but sooo good. I order the Spaghetti Nonna Rosa which is made with green tomatoes, a bit of cream, spicy, and little pieces of ham. It was so delicious. Anyone who visits me I am taking you there! Besides, the waiter was soo nice and looked like Ray Romano which I loved. He even gave us a 10 percent discount card! I also tried white chocolate gelato with nutella in it, so delish!

I finally met up with a friend from high school, Elizabeth Mountain. We got lunch, well I ate she watched because she is fed at her school and it was great to catch up. I got margherita pizza and the lady was not liking me because I asked for tap water and if I could pay with a credit card. If you want something to drink here, you have to pay for a huge thing of water or order something else. So everyone savor your free water! And basically everywhere you go you need cash, definitely going to take some getting used to. Elizabeth and I are planning a trip to Prague at the end of March. I have heard only great things about it! If you have any suggestions please let me know. Can't wait!

 Elizabeth and I at lunch

Classic Italian Park Job

I haven't bought anything yet except for a sweater which involves a long story but I was in need of one. And it was cheap! Coin is a great place to shop, cheap and a department store. Plus sale season is ending soon so if I want anything I need to buy anything in stores I need to do it soon. I have a very limited wardrobe being one of the very few people who brought only 1 suitcase. But I am still resisting the temptation and have not bought anything yet! Still need to make it to San Lorenzo market to barter.

I am going to Rome this weekend! Hopefully I will be able to meet up with both friends and family. I am in contact with my dad's cousin named Fernando. His wife speaks a little English but I am mainly going to try to speak to his daughter in law who is Canadian and will help me communicate. I heard Fernando has a fever so hopefully he will feel well enough to give me a tour or get a bite to eat. Looking forward to this crazy city. It will be interesting to compare it to Florence since I contemplated going there earlier...but I think I will be happy with my decision anyways!


Lately everyone has been stressing and talking about traveling. I, too have been struggling with trying to decide where to travel outside of Italy! I have ruled out Paris recently because it's difficult to fly there cheaply and will be pricey once I am there. I also ruled out London even though I'd love to go but again, its a lot for a weekend trip. So anyone who wants to travel to those two places before I am an old lady please tell me!

Here is my list and I would love to hear input: Spain, Prague, Switzerland (maybe next weekend), Greece for Spring Break, and possibly the French Riviera. I would love all advice! I know a lot of mothers who I am sure who have traveled the world are reading this so please e-mail me : ) And my main focus is traveling ALL over Italy! My room mates and I want to do Cinque Terre for my birthday and French Riviera at the very end in April! You can e-mail me suggestions at march154@umn.edu


p.s. people don't pick the dog poop up on the cobblestone streets ever. and italians do not know how to drive! I will post a picture explaining the driving next time because again, the internet won't let me!
 In the meantime enjoy this link my cross cultural psych teacher gave me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkInkNMpI1Q

That's all for now...can you guess what the next post will be titled? 

WHEN IN ROME!

Gelato, Great Views, What a hard life!

I finally completed my first week of class. It does not feel like I am in school at all because all my classes are once a week except for my Italian. I switched out of a class that assigned us a 15 page paper and into watercolor. I know I know, I am probably lazy...but now at least I get to spend my time painting outside of the classroom instead of writing a huge paper! I haven't water colored since Mr. Beaman's junior high art classes so this should be interesting but I have heard great things about the teacher.

We ate dinner last Thursday as a huge group. We were lucky enough to sit with our super nice CAPA staff Lorenzo and Guido. They let us even try there wine that they said would be the most expensive wine we will ever have...They were very funny giving us tips about where to go out. He gave us some names of places near where I live that he said we would enjoy. The dinner was a trio of pesto with penne, gnocci in a cream sauce, and meat and cheese ravioli. It was delicious! Groceries here are so cheap. Fresh mozzarella is only 1 euro! Delicious bread way under 1 euro and the produce is so cheap too. I hated sandwiches back at home, but here they are some of my favorite meals.


I am finally starting to feel like I know my way around a little more. I found it's alright to ask questions if I find myself lost because it probably will help my Italian anyways. Also, the lovely Allie Hynan (Katie Hynan's sister) provided me with a huge list of tips. As I read it a week in I know where certain places are, have visited quite a few of them, and I love that I know if I am getting ripped off of gelato!

 How amazing does that look?

 My apartment

View from Piazza Michelangelo

This weekend I went to the Uffizi. I have heard it will take me many many times to get through the whole thing but I ended up seeing a little over half of it! Plus I have my art history course that will take us there. It is truly remarkable to see work that was created so long ago, I really enjoyed going a lot. I also took a walk with a room mate and we found that our backyard (a little up a ways) is where the famous Piazza Michelangelo is. It overlooks the ENTIRE city of Florence, so so beautiful. I will take whoever visits there.

A word to describe the weather here would definitely be brisk. There will be sun but it is still cool and windy. The whole week is 45 degrees out. Not too bad, way better than Minnesota so I should not complain!

I made my room mates dinner the other night and it seemed like it went over well. I am the only one who likes cooking so they get really impressed over the simplest of things. I made spaghetti with ricotta, roasted red pepper and tomato sauce. It was really yummy I was proud of myself.

I have to admit there are times where I am home sick. My room mates and I all sat down and talked about it last night before bed (when most of us get home sick the most) and ended up the night laughing and writing down quotes. It is hard to be away from the people and friends who know you the best, but I have met a handful of really nice girls who I will hopefully do a lot of my traveling with. There aren't just Minnesotans so a lot of the times I really miss that "Minnesota Nice" smile people give.

I just e-mailed a family member in Rome to see if me and two other girls could stay with them when we visit. Next weekend I am either visiting Rome or a day trip to Pisa. It will depend on what my relative says. Otherwise I will be staying in my first hostel!

Ciao for now! I will try to write on this more. We can blame the lack of technology in Florence. Pictures to come later!

Getting Started

I am slowly moving into the daily life of a Florentine. I finally mastered a way to get to school, however when it comes to everything else I am totally lost. I ask for directions and definitely feel like an idiot but hey it's better than walking around for hours! I have found that not that many people speak English. But I guess my Italian 1 skills will hopefully pay off eventually when I ask simple questions. Taking a whole new language has been interesting, there are some things are are similar to spanish like numbers...and then some things that are totally different. I am slightly confused let's say but everyone is, I am sure things will improve though. It is funny because everyone keeps saying "I have to go to Spanish class" when they actually mean Italian. Some people slip and say "adios" too instead of "ciao".

 The other night we went out to eat and I ate pasta with bolognese sauce which is like a meat sauce. The portions are huge here and no doggie bags so it makes me sad being a poor student and only eating half! Another reason why I should be splitting my meals. After we went to a big bar with music playing, it was a fun time and I got to meet more abroad students. The Italian PDA here is crazy, people all over each other everywhere. It is disgusting so I try to ignore it!

In between classes I stopped at a bakery and bought a Beignet. It is basically a puff pastry with cream on the inside and on top covered in fresh strawberries. So delicious to say the least. I think I am going to have to resist myself in that department.

Best thing I have done school-wise all week is drop a class! I was in a class called Modern Italy and the first day of class the Professor told us about a 15 page paper. So what do I do instead? Take watercolor! This should be interesting, haven't taken it since junior high but if I remember correctly it was the one thing I was a little bit decent at. It sounds therapeutic and hopefully will make me appreciate the art shown in my art history class more!

Since I am staying in Florence this weekend I have plans to walk to the top of the Duomo, and maybe Piazza Michelangelo. San Lorenzo market is also on the top of my list!

More stories later after the weekend : ) CIAO!

First Days in Florence!

Everyone…I am alive! Even though I have been in the country since Friday…I have been totally out of Internet or phone connection until today, but here I am in Florence, Italy. While some people went out to party their first night, my roommates and I were extremely jet lagged-all only sleeping a maximum of 30 minutes on a total of a 10-11 hour plane ride. But we are finally getting adjusted to our sleep and of course the 9pm dinners. My roommates are all super nice, two are from Indiana and the other is a U of M student as well. It is comforting because we all seem to all have the same worries, goals, and excitements for our stay here. We talked for a few hours last night at dinner, they even are fascinated with kidnapping cases just like me! See friends at home…it’s not that weird!

The city is absolutely beautiful. Everything is old and has so much character I love it. My apartment is across the river Arno so our walk to the city center everyday is really incredible. We cross the Ponte Vecchio daily, which I learned is the oldest bridge in the world and the only one Hitler declared not to bomb in WWII. Our apartment is ADORABLE. Great size, we like the location, only problem is it is colder inside than out! We haven’t been the smartest in some cases, buying a wine opener and realizing we had three in our apartment. Also buying our first cappuccinos and being scolded for offering a Visa.

Now, to get to the point…what has Anna eaten? Our first night out we ordered pizza, bruschetta and wine. Our second night out we ordered arugula pesto pasta with pancetta and grilled chicken. I have discovered splitting things is the best of both worlds-cheaper and try more! Also, nutella gelato is my new best friend costing only 2.5 euro! Thank goodness we walk everywhere, because that is definitely going to help me out this semester not gaining any “Italian food weight”.  I am even convinced my foot is swollen from all the walking!

When we went out last night we ended up at a pub that was well…very American. That will not be happening again. Lesson learned. Even though it was funny to hear CeeLo Green’s version of “Forget You” play miles away from home, it wasn’t exactly a place to learn about Italian culture. We enjoyed people watching especially the American girls who were wearing heels on cobblestone streets, short skirts and well…not following the rules our program told us to blend in. Our goal is to find the bars that locals go to. Here in Italy getting wasted or having more than a couple drinks is very looked down upon.

When we arrived we were given a gift basket they presented us pasta and spaghetti sauce. The sauce tasted like metal, but cooking all together was a great experience. We laughed about it and focused more on eating our baguette, prosciutto and cheese that were very tasty.

We were told Florentines are all very cold mannered. So far we have not seen this! Some women do look intimidating in their all black, high fashion outfits but for the most part the Florentines have been very welcoming and helpful. We loved a woman in a leather store who sold my friend Kristin her first leather jacket. She was so sweet and offered her a great priced considering she makes jackets for Versace. The shopaholic side of me has not come out yet. I have been very tempted but also very cautious of my money. Fortunately there is a sale season in Italy that lasts until the end of February.

My Italian teacher was impressed with the few words I know...I can thank my dad who tutored me for the past few weeks for that. Her name is also Anna and loved when she called on me asking my name, realizing it was the same as hers. Looks like I will probably get an A in that class this semester : )

Picture 1: My friends Ellen, Kristin and I are out eating dinner. 

Picture 2: Ponte Vecchio and the river Arno

Picture 3: The kitchen in our apartment and our balcony.

It will take me a while to figure out how to get to class…my dad passed being directionally disabled on to me that’s for sure. Kristin my roommate seems to know where everything is, I told her she isn’t leaving my side all trip. This week we hope to walk to the top of the Duomo, check out the San Lorenzo Market (bargain shopping…Kim Smith’s skills with this will hopefully influence me) and the Uffizi museum.

PS if you want to skype...it is best to be on from dinner time until midnight or later...7 hour time difference!