So I made it back to the US! It was a bit of a rocky start though. Since we had to get a taxi at 4:30am to catch our 7:00am flights, my roommates and I just decided to stay up all night instead of go to bed at say 9:00pm. Who would want to spend their last night in Italy sleeping?? We ended up calling a cab a little before 4:30, but didn't get one until 25 minutes later since their service wasn't very good. Once we got to the airport, Alessia and Amy went to one airline, and I went to another. We figured once we went through luggage check-in and security, we would say goodbye at the terminals. However, the lines to check in luggage were unbelievably long and were not moving. Somehow, I ended up being the last person in line, and by the time I finally got through, I had 15 minutes before my plane took off...and I hadn't been through security yet! Long story short, I ended up running in the airport a little ways carrying my shoes instead of wearing them. Don't worry, I ended up making the flight, but I never got my tearful goodbye with Alessia and Amy!! I think I was most mad about that.
My connecting flights were not as eventful. It was cold and rainy in Germany where my connecting flights were, so I was happy not to stay too long there! I ended up getting to O'Hare around 2pm local time...which was strange because I left Europe at 11:00am, but had a 9 hour flight! I felt pretty good when I came back energy-wise, probably because I was excited to finally see my family again :) But for some reason at 9pm, all of my jet lag hit me at once, and I felt EXHAUSTED. I had a nice catch-up session on sleep...since I slept until 2pm this afternoon (and had to be dragged out of bed!).
I'm very happy to be home and to be with my family and friends again, but I'm still feeling sad to have left Italy and the people I met there :( I'm just happy for Facebook, Skype, and texting to keep in contact with everyone!
This will be my last blog post, so I just wanted to thank you all for reading this and sharing my amazing month with me. I'm going to end it with a list of what all I will miss (and not miss) about being in Italy:
Things I won't miss:
- walking at "vacation pace" when I have somewhere to be
- peanut butter that costs 7 US dollars for a teeny jar
- geckos in the apartment
- not being able to understand people when they talk to me in a different language
Things I will miss:
- the friends I've made and all of our inside jokes :)
- passing the Duomo every day
- gelato/real Italian pasta
- the accordion guy who plays outside our apartment at sunset
- haggling prices at the outdoor markets
- red orange juice
- being able to walk everywhere
- seeing famous artworks/cities on free afternoons and weekends
- being in Italy in general!! <3
Ciao everyone!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Veni vidi vici
Last day in Italy :(
Just thinking about leaving makes me sad!! This has been such a great experience and one of the best months of my life. Last night we had to say goodbye to LaWanda because she was leaving early to do some traveling in Germany, England, and France before going home. Saying goodbye to her was hard enough...I don't want to think how tomorrow morning will be when I say goodbye to the other three girls!
While here in Italy, I have seen and done so many things that I never thought I would do. I've gotten to see Rome, Pisa, Nice, Monaco, the French Riviera, Siena...and of course everything here in Florence! I packed a lot of sight-seeing into such a small span of time, but I'm happy with all that I've gotten to see. And if I didn't get to see something, it will just be an excuse for me to come back someday!
Tonight they are shooting off fireworks from Piazza Michelangelo in celebration of the Festa de San Giovanni holiday today. My roommates/floormates and I are planning on watching them from Ashley and Alessia's balcony, so that will be fun!
I can't wait to come home because I miss my family and friends like crazy, and I can't wait to tell them about everything I've done here, but I am going to miss living in Florence so much. I definitely want to come back and visit someday, so this won't be the last time I'm here :) But for now, I'll just have to say "Ciao Firenze!"
Just thinking about leaving makes me sad!! This has been such a great experience and one of the best months of my life. Last night we had to say goodbye to LaWanda because she was leaving early to do some traveling in Germany, England, and France before going home. Saying goodbye to her was hard enough...I don't want to think how tomorrow morning will be when I say goodbye to the other three girls!
While here in Italy, I have seen and done so many things that I never thought I would do. I've gotten to see Rome, Pisa, Nice, Monaco, the French Riviera, Siena...and of course everything here in Florence! I packed a lot of sight-seeing into such a small span of time, but I'm happy with all that I've gotten to see. And if I didn't get to see something, it will just be an excuse for me to come back someday!
Tonight they are shooting off fireworks from Piazza Michelangelo in celebration of the Festa de San Giovanni holiday today. My roommates/floormates and I are planning on watching them from Ashley and Alessia's balcony, so that will be fun!
I can't wait to come home because I miss my family and friends like crazy, and I can't wait to tell them about everything I've done here, but I am going to miss living in Florence so much. I definitely want to come back and visit someday, so this won't be the last time I'm here :) But for now, I'll just have to say "Ciao Firenze!"
Thursday, June 23, 2011
School's out for summer!
I can't believe that today was my last day of class!! These past few weeks have gone by faster than I ever expected. I had mixed emotions in class today. I was sad that I won't be able to hang out with my awesome classmates all together anymore, and the actual printmaking process was pretty fun. (And better than sitting through a lecture class for 3 hours!) But I'm also glad to be done with class because now these next couple days can be just for fun! Class today was just finishing up last minute project details and then doing critiques of everyone's work. I was really happy because my professor had nothing but good things to say about mine! She even kept a proof of one of my final projects to keep as an example to show future students :)
Tonight we have a (free!) farewell dinner for all of the students from the Lorenzo de Medici school. We had a welcome dinner at the beginning of the month, but I think this dinner will be more fun just because I'll know more people! Tonight will be a little sad though because one of my roommates (LaWanda) is leaving Italy tonight because she is traveling to Germany (and England and France) before heading home. It's sad to think about how I won't see these girls for a long time! Thank goodness for facebook and texting though :)
I'm starting to pack everything into my suitcases now. I'm a little worried though because my suitcase might be a litttttle over the weight limit...unless I'm a really good packer or wear a lot of my clothes home. Right now my bed and desk look like a souvenir tornado hit, so I have a little more organizing to do!
All of my preliminary and final prints for my class
Last day of class with my classmates Marie and Rachel!
Tonight we have a (free!) farewell dinner for all of the students from the Lorenzo de Medici school. We had a welcome dinner at the beginning of the month, but I think this dinner will be more fun just because I'll know more people! Tonight will be a little sad though because one of my roommates (LaWanda) is leaving Italy tonight because she is traveling to Germany (and England and France) before heading home. It's sad to think about how I won't see these girls for a long time! Thank goodness for facebook and texting though :)
I'm starting to pack everything into my suitcases now. I'm a little worried though because my suitcase might be a litttttle over the weight limit...unless I'm a really good packer or wear a lot of my clothes home. Right now my bed and desk look like a souvenir tornado hit, so I have a little more organizing to do!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Stomach sandwich
It's hard to believe that it's finals week for classes already! We don't have a final test in my printmaking class, but we do have to have all of our finals prints done by Thursday. Luckily I finished one project last week and another today, so I only have one to go. I may have had to do extra studio time in the past couple weeks, but thinking about it, I'd rather do that than have a final test or paper to turn in like most of my friends have to do!
This week has been pretty laid back so far. I've already seen almost all of the sights I wanted to in Florence, so this week is devoted to spending time with my roommates and friends...and shopping of course :) This past weekend, I went to the Boboli Gardens across the river. I didn't get a chance to walk through the whole thing, because these gardens are huge. I did get to see a good portion of it, so that was good enough for me! Thankfully, the weather here has been beautiful for the past week. Although it gets really hot during part of the day, I don't mind because it's much better than cold rain like a couple weeks ago!
Yesterday some of my roommates and I went to Mercato Centrale (a huge indoor market) to get some food to make dinner for last night and tonight. While we were there, I also had to stop at a certain restaurant for lunch. A few weeks ago, Mom sent me a "top 10 list" of things to do in Florence, and one of them is to have a tripe sandwhich at a place called "Da Nerbone" in Mercato Centrale. At this point, I had done 8 out of 10, so I had to do this one so I can complete the list! For those of you that don't know, tripe is cow's stomach. Yes. I had stomach in my stomach yesterday. And surprisingly it didn't taste too bad!
This morning, Alessia, Ashley, and I got up really early to walk to a certain market that happens only on Tuesdays. We wanted to go before class to make sure that they still had a good selection, so we left a little before 7:30. It was a 30 minute walk to get there (and another 30 minutes to class!), so we definitely got our exercise this morning! When I come home, I'm going to have to do a lot of walking because otherwise I'm going to feel very lazy since I've been doing a LOT of walking here!
Boboli Gardens (looking at the back of Pitti Palace)
Produce stand inside Mercato Centrale
Eating my tripe sandwich :p
This week has been pretty laid back so far. I've already seen almost all of the sights I wanted to in Florence, so this week is devoted to spending time with my roommates and friends...and shopping of course :) This past weekend, I went to the Boboli Gardens across the river. I didn't get a chance to walk through the whole thing, because these gardens are huge. I did get to see a good portion of it, so that was good enough for me! Thankfully, the weather here has been beautiful for the past week. Although it gets really hot during part of the day, I don't mind because it's much better than cold rain like a couple weeks ago!
Yesterday some of my roommates and I went to Mercato Centrale (a huge indoor market) to get some food to make dinner for last night and tonight. While we were there, I also had to stop at a certain restaurant for lunch. A few weeks ago, Mom sent me a "top 10 list" of things to do in Florence, and one of them is to have a tripe sandwhich at a place called "Da Nerbone" in Mercato Centrale. At this point, I had done 8 out of 10, so I had to do this one so I can complete the list! For those of you that don't know, tripe is cow's stomach. Yes. I had stomach in my stomach yesterday. And surprisingly it didn't taste too bad!
This morning, Alessia, Ashley, and I got up really early to walk to a certain market that happens only on Tuesdays. We wanted to go before class to make sure that they still had a good selection, so we left a little before 7:30. It was a 30 minute walk to get there (and another 30 minutes to class!), so we definitely got our exercise this morning! When I come home, I'm going to have to do a lot of walking because otherwise I'm going to feel very lazy since I've been doing a LOT of walking here!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
"Dove San Marco??"
Earlier this week, Amy and I decided that while we were in Italy, we had to see Venice at some point. So we found an agency in Florence that provides day trips to students or anyone that wants to sign up. Yesterday we met the group at the train station, and we took a bus for 3 hours to Venice! I was really excited because Venice is so unique, and seeing it in person after hearing about it and seeing it in pictures was awesome.
We got to Venice a little after 12:30, so we went right to lunch. We had lunch on the island of Murano where they have the glass blowing factory. During lunch, it was raining pretty hard, but by the time we were done eating, it completely cleared up! (Wish that would have happened in France...) For lunch I had real Italian spaghetti for the first time (Lexie!), and it was delicious. After eating, another girl (Carina) and I walked to the glass factory. Unfortunately since we weren't with a large group, we couldn't see the demonstration, but we did get to look around the shops to see what all they made! After going to Murano, we had to navigate the water buses to try to make our way to another island called Burano. This island was so cute! The houses and buildings on this island were painted in every color imaginable. Plus it wasn't too tourist-y, so it had a very relaxed vibe. We didn't spend long on this island because we just wanted to see the buildings. So after about a half hour on Burano, we caught another water bus to get to the main island where the Grand Canal and St. Mark's Square are.
The canals in Venice are spectacular, and we were all saying that it was a nice change not having to worry about being run over by cars every five seconds! I wanted to take a gondola ride, but not enough people I found wanted to take one, and they were crazy expensive anyway. I guess I'll have to settle with the water bus rides :p
I met up with a couple people and we were on a mission to find St. Mark's Square. We found the Ponte Rialto bridge no problem, and walked across it a few times. Then we followed the signs to take us to St. Mark's Square. Unfortunately, the signs disappeared after a while, so we had to ask for directions. Finally, we found the square (which shouldn't have been so hard to find since it's huge!). All of the buildings surrounding it were beautiful, and I did see the old clock with the sun revolving around the earth (Mom!). I'm a little sad that I didn't take a gondola ride while I was there, but now that will give me an excuse to come back someday so I can!!
Last night was another long night because we had to wait on the bus to leave for an extra 1.5 hours, since two people got lost and missed the sooner water bus ride. We ended up getting home around 1:30am. I was really tired...until Amy found a LIZARD in our room, and then I woke right up because I was freaking out! Lizards are cute when they are outside, but when they are in your room by your bed?? Then no. I cannot handle it! Thankfully, Ashley came over and caught it and let it go on our balcony. Hopefully that will be the last reptile wandering around our room!!
Eating legit Italian spaghetti at a restaurant on the island of Murano in Venice.
Island of Burano in Venice with super colorful buildings!
Me standing on Ponte Rialto looking over the Grand Canal
Lots of gondolas in Venice...I'll ride one someday!!
We got to Venice a little after 12:30, so we went right to lunch. We had lunch on the island of Murano where they have the glass blowing factory. During lunch, it was raining pretty hard, but by the time we were done eating, it completely cleared up! (Wish that would have happened in France...) For lunch I had real Italian spaghetti for the first time (Lexie!), and it was delicious. After eating, another girl (Carina) and I walked to the glass factory. Unfortunately since we weren't with a large group, we couldn't see the demonstration, but we did get to look around the shops to see what all they made! After going to Murano, we had to navigate the water buses to try to make our way to another island called Burano. This island was so cute! The houses and buildings on this island were painted in every color imaginable. Plus it wasn't too tourist-y, so it had a very relaxed vibe. We didn't spend long on this island because we just wanted to see the buildings. So after about a half hour on Burano, we caught another water bus to get to the main island where the Grand Canal and St. Mark's Square are.
The canals in Venice are spectacular, and we were all saying that it was a nice change not having to worry about being run over by cars every five seconds! I wanted to take a gondola ride, but not enough people I found wanted to take one, and they were crazy expensive anyway. I guess I'll have to settle with the water bus rides :p
I met up with a couple people and we were on a mission to find St. Mark's Square. We found the Ponte Rialto bridge no problem, and walked across it a few times. Then we followed the signs to take us to St. Mark's Square. Unfortunately, the signs disappeared after a while, so we had to ask for directions. Finally, we found the square (which shouldn't have been so hard to find since it's huge!). All of the buildings surrounding it were beautiful, and I did see the old clock with the sun revolving around the earth (Mom!). I'm a little sad that I didn't take a gondola ride while I was there, but now that will give me an excuse to come back someday so I can!!
Last night was another long night because we had to wait on the bus to leave for an extra 1.5 hours, since two people got lost and missed the sooner water bus ride. We ended up getting home around 1:30am. I was really tired...until Amy found a LIZARD in our room, and then I woke right up because I was freaking out! Lizards are cute when they are outside, but when they are in your room by your bed?? Then no. I cannot handle it! Thankfully, Ashley came over and caught it and let it go on our balcony. Hopefully that will be the last reptile wandering around our room!!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Total eclipse of the...moon :)
I can't believe how fast this week is going! On the bright side, I did get to do more sight-seeing in Florence earlier this week. On Monday, Marie from my class and I climbed all the stairs up to get to the top of the dome on Duomo. The stairs were a little intense at times (and we were never happier to see rest platforms in our lives!) but the view from the top was amazing. One funny thing is that I could see my apartment window and balcony from the top, so I called my roommate Amy and told her to go outside and wave. And I could see her!
Yesterday, my other roommate LaWanda and Marie and I went to Basilica di Santa Croce, which is the church where Galileo and Michelangelo are buried. It was a little hard to figure out what all the tombs said because the signs telling about them were in Italian! I am learning a little bit, but if someone tried to hold a long conversation with me in Italian, then I probably couldn't do it :p
Last night, there was a lunar eclipse that was visible in Europe, but not the US. So a few of us went up to Piazza Michelangelo (where you can see a great view of Florence) to see it. We could see the moon really well because it was a beautiful day yesterday and there were no clouds in the sky at all. It looked a little creepy though because it was dark and red. I tried getting a picture of it, but my camera couldn't get it that well. Oh well, it was still cool to see in person!
Michelangelo and I! (well, he and his tomb anyway)
See the little reddish-orange dot to the upper left of the bright orange street light? That's the moon in the lunar eclipse!
View of Florence at night from Piazza Michelangelo
Yesterday, my other roommate LaWanda and Marie and I went to Basilica di Santa Croce, which is the church where Galileo and Michelangelo are buried. It was a little hard to figure out what all the tombs said because the signs telling about them were in Italian! I am learning a little bit, but if someone tried to hold a long conversation with me in Italian, then I probably couldn't do it :p
Last night, there was a lunar eclipse that was visible in Europe, but not the US. So a few of us went up to Piazza Michelangelo (where you can see a great view of Florence) to see it. We could see the moon really well because it was a beautiful day yesterday and there were no clouds in the sky at all. It looked a little creepy though because it was dark and red. I tried getting a picture of it, but my camera couldn't get it that well. Oh well, it was still cool to see in person!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Rome pictures!
Piazza Venezia
Marie and I on the top of Duomo! (463 steps up!)
Sunday, June 12, 2011
When in Rome...go see Lady Gaga??
I did soooo much sight-seeing this weekend! It was crazy. I went on a trip to Rome that was organized by the school. We left early again on Saturday (I can't handle all of these 6am departure times!) and made the 4ish hour ride to Rome. Once we were there, we went straight to the Colosseum and toured around there. It's one thing to see the Colosseum in movies, but it's really great to actually see it in person! After that, we got to see the Arch of Constantine and then got to walk around the Forum for a little while. Seeing all of these old structures in person is really cool since the US doesn't have anything this old standing!
After a quick lunch, we went on a 3 hour tour of the Vatican. For the tour, we all got a personal headset that we could listen to the tourguide through. We went through a lot of galleries. There were rooms upon rooms of tapestries, paintings, sculptures...you name it. Finally after walking around for forever (in the hot rooms with no places to sit), we finally got to see the Sistine Chapel! Michelangelo's painted ceiling is AMAZING. Seeing the one panel that shows Adam reaching to God in person was unreal. After the Sistine Chapel, we went to see Saint Peter's Basilica. It is HUGE in person. I've seen it a few times on TV, so I knew what it looked like, but I guess I didn't realize how big it actually was. We ended our tour in Saint Peter's Square, and I got to see the little window where the Pope looks out and blesses the people! (I didn't get to see the Pope, but the window was good enough haha!)
On our way to the hotel, we had to stop the bus and walk for a ways to get there because we were stopped by a parade. Apparently on the one weekend that we're in Rome, it happened to be the weekend of Rome's gay pride weekend as well! So there was a very flamboyant parade going on right in front of our hotel! It was actually a lot of fun though. It was also really cool because LADY GAGA was in Rome for the event, and gave a FREE concert!!! So yeah, I (along with most people on our trip) went down to this big open area near the Colosseum last night to hear her perform! It was awesome seeing her play in person. She only played a few songs, but for seeing her for free, we were all satisfied :)
Today we got up and did a long walking tour of the rest of the main highlights of Rome. We saw Navona Square, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, the Vittoriale and the Trajan Column, and also Trevi Fountain! Don't worry, I made sure I had coins with me so I could throw it backwards and make my wish to return to Rome someday! (Hey Mom and Dad, I threw one in for you guys too since you didn't get a chance to when you were there!) After the long tour, we went to a restaurant and had a traditional Roman lunch. Fortunately for us, it was a delicious 4-course meal (that was already paid for!). After we were all in food-comas, we made our last stop in Rome and went to the Catacombs of St. Domitilla. It was cool, but still a little creepy.
I'm so glad that I got to see everything in Rome that I did this weekend. Our schedule was a little jam-packed, but it was well worth it. I still need to load my pictures to my computer, so I'll have to post a few tomorrow. So check back later to see them!
After a quick lunch, we went on a 3 hour tour of the Vatican. For the tour, we all got a personal headset that we could listen to the tourguide through. We went through a lot of galleries. There were rooms upon rooms of tapestries, paintings, sculptures...you name it. Finally after walking around for forever (in the hot rooms with no places to sit), we finally got to see the Sistine Chapel! Michelangelo's painted ceiling is AMAZING. Seeing the one panel that shows Adam reaching to God in person was unreal. After the Sistine Chapel, we went to see Saint Peter's Basilica. It is HUGE in person. I've seen it a few times on TV, so I knew what it looked like, but I guess I didn't realize how big it actually was. We ended our tour in Saint Peter's Square, and I got to see the little window where the Pope looks out and blesses the people! (I didn't get to see the Pope, but the window was good enough haha!)
On our way to the hotel, we had to stop the bus and walk for a ways to get there because we were stopped by a parade. Apparently on the one weekend that we're in Rome, it happened to be the weekend of Rome's gay pride weekend as well! So there was a very flamboyant parade going on right in front of our hotel! It was actually a lot of fun though. It was also really cool because LADY GAGA was in Rome for the event, and gave a FREE concert!!! So yeah, I (along with most people on our trip) went down to this big open area near the Colosseum last night to hear her perform! It was awesome seeing her play in person. She only played a few songs, but for seeing her for free, we were all satisfied :)
Today we got up and did a long walking tour of the rest of the main highlights of Rome. We saw Navona Square, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, the Vittoriale and the Trajan Column, and also Trevi Fountain! Don't worry, I made sure I had coins with me so I could throw it backwards and make my wish to return to Rome someday! (Hey Mom and Dad, I threw one in for you guys too since you didn't get a chance to when you were there!) After the long tour, we went to a restaurant and had a traditional Roman lunch. Fortunately for us, it was a delicious 4-course meal (that was already paid for!). After we were all in food-comas, we made our last stop in Rome and went to the Catacombs of St. Domitilla. It was cool, but still a little creepy.
I'm so glad that I got to see everything in Rome that I did this weekend. Our schedule was a little jam-packed, but it was well worth it. I still need to load my pictures to my computer, so I'll have to post a few tomorrow. So check back later to see them!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Rain rain go away...
So I hear that the US is having a massive heat wave right now. I will gladly trade you because we have had days of RAIN here. And it's not like rain that I'm used to. When it rains here, it pours. I was optimistic and didn't pack an umbrella, but today I finally caved and bought one. I was literally stuck under a store awning when it was pouring on my way back from class. A guy selling them walked by and I gladly bought one from him. Then just my luck, literally a couple seconds after I bought my umbrella, it stopped raining. (Don't worry though, I got some good use out of it later!)
So yesterday, one of my roommates LaWanda and I decided to go to the Pitti Palace across the river because it has a lot of museum exhibits in it. We looked around three different galleries. One had regular Roman art like most of the museums here have, but the second one we went to was the "modern" art museum. I wasn't really like modern-modern art, but I guess it's modern compared to the other pieces! The last exhibit we saw was the costume museum. We both really liked that one because it was fun to see all of those old dresses that people would wear. (Although I would wear some of them now!)
Today my friend Alessia and I went to the Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo's Statue of David. Of course on our way there, it decided to rain on us...again. Luckily this time I had my umbrella! Maybe it was a good thing that it was so rainy like that because the line to get into the museum wasn't long at all. So the David statue is actually bigger in person than I thought it was. The rest of the museum was ok, but I was just excited to see that one statue! So far I've been to 3 of the main museums, so I think I'm doing pretty good! Tomorrow we think we're going to go inside the Duomo. Maybe if I'm feeling super motivated, I'll attempt to climb the 400-some steps to get to the top of the dome.
Pitti Palace
LaWanda and I outside the Pitti Palace
I definitely sneaked in a picture of the real statue of David :)
So yesterday, one of my roommates LaWanda and I decided to go to the Pitti Palace across the river because it has a lot of museum exhibits in it. We looked around three different galleries. One had regular Roman art like most of the museums here have, but the second one we went to was the "modern" art museum. I wasn't really like modern-modern art, but I guess it's modern compared to the other pieces! The last exhibit we saw was the costume museum. We both really liked that one because it was fun to see all of those old dresses that people would wear. (Although I would wear some of them now!)
Today my friend Alessia and I went to the Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo's Statue of David. Of course on our way there, it decided to rain on us...again. Luckily this time I had my umbrella! Maybe it was a good thing that it was so rainy like that because the line to get into the museum wasn't long at all. So the David statue is actually bigger in person than I thought it was. The rest of the museum was ok, but I was just excited to see that one statue! So far I've been to 3 of the main museums, so I think I'm doing pretty good! Tomorrow we think we're going to go inside the Duomo. Maybe if I'm feeling super motivated, I'll attempt to climb the 400-some steps to get to the top of the dome.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Bonjour France!
I can't believe how much I've seen in the past few days! Within my four-day weekend, I went to 8 different cities and 3 different countries. I guess you have to do speed sight-seeing when you're only here for a month! On Saturday we woke up bright and early in order to be on the bus to leave for Monaco at 6am. Since Google said it would take us 18 minutes to walk there, we had to leave the apartment before most people since we were the farthest away. It was a 4 hour drive to Monaco and even though I was tired, I didn't really want to sleep because the scenery was so awesome. I know that the drive along the California coast is really beautiful, but it doesn't even compare to this. There were rolling hills and mountains out one window, and valleys and the water out the other. After the long bus ride, we finally got to Monaco. Our schedule said that we were supposed to see Monte Carlo while in Monaco, but for some reason our tour didn't go there...so I didn't get to gamble in Monte Carlo :( We did get a walking tour to see the Prince's palace along with the cathedral where Prince Albert I and Grace Kelly are buried.
The next place we went to was Nice, France. We took another walking tour for a little while, but then we decided to check out the beach. The beaches in Nice are sort of different because instead of sand, they have rocks and pebbles that cover the ground. It's easy to clean up your feet from walking in it, but walking on it barefoot is a little bit painful unless you're careful! After we dipped our feet in the water for a while, we walked around the main shopping street. That night, we had dinner provided to us at the hotel. It was really good because we had chicken and rice...a nice change from all of the pasta I've been eating!
The next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel where I had the BEST croissant of my life. (I guess it makes sense since it was France!) The next place we went to was Saint Paul de Vence which is a small, quiet little town. The whole town is surrounded by a stone wall, but once you look over the wall, you can see the nearby towns and countryside, so it was really cool. On our drive to Cannes (our next stop), the clouds started getting darker and darker. By the time we got to Cannes, it was a complete downpour! We waited til it let up a little to get off the bus and find a place to eat lunch. Of course, once we get off the bus it starts down-pouring again. Too bad I still don't have an umbrella. We didn't get to explore much of Cannes because of the rain, but it was still fun to be there.
The last city we went to was Eze. We didn't actually go into the city, but we got a tour of Fragonard, which is a big perfume factory. Our schedule said that it would take us 4.5 hours to get from Eze to Florence, but they forgot to account for weekend traffic. It took us about 8 hours to get back. It was a very long day, but overall it was an awesome weekend.
Me in front of the Prince's palace in Monaco
View of Monte Carlo in Monaco (still sad I couldn't go into the city!)
My friends Alessia, Jessica, and Marie and I at the beach in Nice, France.
View of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo across the river. (Ashley and I walked there yesterday afternoon!)
The next place we went to was Nice, France. We took another walking tour for a little while, but then we decided to check out the beach. The beaches in Nice are sort of different because instead of sand, they have rocks and pebbles that cover the ground. It's easy to clean up your feet from walking in it, but walking on it barefoot is a little bit painful unless you're careful! After we dipped our feet in the water for a while, we walked around the main shopping street. That night, we had dinner provided to us at the hotel. It was really good because we had chicken and rice...a nice change from all of the pasta I've been eating!
The next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel where I had the BEST croissant of my life. (I guess it makes sense since it was France!) The next place we went to was Saint Paul de Vence which is a small, quiet little town. The whole town is surrounded by a stone wall, but once you look over the wall, you can see the nearby towns and countryside, so it was really cool. On our drive to Cannes (our next stop), the clouds started getting darker and darker. By the time we got to Cannes, it was a complete downpour! We waited til it let up a little to get off the bus and find a place to eat lunch. Of course, once we get off the bus it starts down-pouring again. Too bad I still don't have an umbrella. We didn't get to explore much of Cannes because of the rain, but it was still fun to be there.
The last city we went to was Eze. We didn't actually go into the city, but we got a tour of Fragonard, which is a big perfume factory. Our schedule said that it would take us 4.5 hours to get from Eze to Florence, but they forgot to account for weekend traffic. It took us about 8 hours to get back. It was a very long day, but overall it was an awesome weekend.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Lots of trains...and sore legs
Weekend Part 1 was a lot of fun! We got up early yesterday morning and walked to the train station to make our way to Pisa! After about an hour ride, we made it to Pisa. Instead of getting a cab to take us to the leaning tower, we decided to walk instead. Unfortunately, it was about 1.25 miles to get there! At least we got our exercise for the afternoon. Seeing the leaning tower of Pisa in person is awesome. We were excited to get our pictures where it looks like we're "holding up" the leaning tower. There was also a big ceremony going on at the tower yesterday when we were there because June 2nd is a national holiday in Italy called Festa della Repubblica (which is similar to our 4th of July). There were a lot of military people there in uniform, and several people were making speeches. Since I don't speak Italian I couldn't tell what they were saying, but I assume it was important!
After a while, we left the leaning tower and walked back to the train station to catch a train to Viareggio. I had never heard of Viareggio before, but we went there because it had a really nice beach! This beach was really nice because it wasn't too crowded, and there were chairs and colorful umbrellas as far as you could see. We made sure to step in the water, but since it was so cold, we didn't go any farther than ankle-deep. We spent most of the time there laying out in the sun and relaxing. There were a times when it was hot and sunny, but there were also a couple spots where it actually sprinkled rain on us! Since there was some cloud cover, I luckily didn't get sunburnt :)
After our time at the beach, we took ANOTHER train to Siena where we were going to stay for the night. We checked in at the hotel and freshened up a little before heading out in Siena to get dinner. What I didn't know about Siena is that it is incredibly hilly. We literally had to take about 200 stairs up to get from our hotel to get to the main part of the city. All of the streets in Siena are also very steep. Think of it as an older version of San Francisco. We ate dinner at a cute side-street restaurant, and then headed back to the hotel to sleep since we were all tired! This morning, we got up and went back to downtown Siena (up 200 stairs again!) to see the sights in the city. We walked around for a while and saw a lot of gorgeous views and a lot of really cool buildings. After a few hours, we took our last train back to Florence and now get to relax for a while. Unfortunately, it's only for a few hours because a couple of us leave again tomorrow morning (at 5:30 am!) to go with the school group to Nice.
Although my legs are really sore and I'm pretty tired, the mini trip that we made was a lot of fun and I was glad to see everything we did. Tomorrow I get to start a whole new adventure for the rest of the weekend! Let's hope that my legs will still be working by Monday.
Me "leaning" on the leaning tower of Pisa!
View of all of the umbrellas at the beach at Viareggio
Looking down one of the many steep streets in Siena
View of some of Siena
Awesome-looking church in Siena (Cattedrale di Santa Maria)
After a while, we left the leaning tower and walked back to the train station to catch a train to Viareggio. I had never heard of Viareggio before, but we went there because it had a really nice beach! This beach was really nice because it wasn't too crowded, and there were chairs and colorful umbrellas as far as you could see. We made sure to step in the water, but since it was so cold, we didn't go any farther than ankle-deep. We spent most of the time there laying out in the sun and relaxing. There were a times when it was hot and sunny, but there were also a couple spots where it actually sprinkled rain on us! Since there was some cloud cover, I luckily didn't get sunburnt :)
After our time at the beach, we took ANOTHER train to Siena where we were going to stay for the night. We checked in at the hotel and freshened up a little before heading out in Siena to get dinner. What I didn't know about Siena is that it is incredibly hilly. We literally had to take about 200 stairs up to get from our hotel to get to the main part of the city. All of the streets in Siena are also very steep. Think of it as an older version of San Francisco. We ate dinner at a cute side-street restaurant, and then headed back to the hotel to sleep since we were all tired! This morning, we got up and went back to downtown Siena (up 200 stairs again!) to see the sights in the city. We walked around for a while and saw a lot of gorgeous views and a lot of really cool buildings. After a few hours, we took our last train back to Florence and now get to relax for a while. Unfortunately, it's only for a few hours because a couple of us leave again tomorrow morning (at 5:30 am!) to go with the school group to Nice.
Although my legs are really sore and I'm pretty tired, the mini trip that we made was a lot of fun and I was glad to see everything we did. Tomorrow I get to start a whole new adventure for the rest of the weekend! Let's hope that my legs will still be working by Monday.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Thursday = weekend!
So I'm getting pretty good at finding my way around the city. I know how to make my way to class and the main LdM building without getting lost, so that's a plus! My class is going good so far. We had to etch our design on a copper metal plate for this week, and next week we'll get to actually make some prints of our design.
Yesterday, Marie (one of the girls in my class) and I went to the Galleria degli Uffizi to see an exhibit we were told to see for class. From the outside, it didn't seem that big. But once you get in the building, there are rooms upon rooms of paintings. Not to mention the long main hallways that have statues and busts of various people. Then later last night, some of the girls said that the state museums were free last night and open until 11, so I went back to the Uffizi with them! The next thing I want to see is the statue of David, so hopefully I'll get to see that one sometime next week!
This weekend is going to be crazy busy. I mentioned earlier that I'm going to Monte Carlo, Nice, and the French Riviera on Saturday and Sunday, but three of my friends and I are also planning a side trip of our own! Since tomorrow is a holiday here in Italy, we don't have class. So instead, we are going to go to Pisa to see the leaning tower, and then hang out at the beach for the afternoon. After that we are going to go to Sienna to stay the night, and then sight-see there on Friday. So don't worry, more pictures will be coming up soon :)
Yesterday, Marie (one of the girls in my class) and I went to the Galleria degli Uffizi to see an exhibit we were told to see for class. From the outside, it didn't seem that big. But once you get in the building, there are rooms upon rooms of paintings. Not to mention the long main hallways that have statues and busts of various people. Then later last night, some of the girls said that the state museums were free last night and open until 11, so I went back to the Uffizi with them! The next thing I want to see is the statue of David, so hopefully I'll get to see that one sometime next week!
This weekend is going to be crazy busy. I mentioned earlier that I'm going to Monte Carlo, Nice, and the French Riviera on Saturday and Sunday, but three of my friends and I are also planning a side trip of our own! Since tomorrow is a holiday here in Italy, we don't have class. So instead, we are going to go to Pisa to see the leaning tower, and then hang out at the beach for the afternoon. After that we are going to go to Sienna to stay the night, and then sight-see there on Friday. So don't worry, more pictures will be coming up soon :)
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