vantage points

The End's Not Near, It's Here

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 09:11:08 -0400

(Haha Band of Horses influenced title)

I’m sitting on the plane to Orlando right now and cannot wait to get home. I really didn’t want to leave Europe but the fact that when I get to Orlando I get to see Bobby’s face is making me so anxious to be home already.

I can’t believe my trip is over. I can’t even begin to process everything I have experienced for the last 6 weeks. I can’t wait to get home and upload all of my photos and laugh and miss everything and everyone.

Yesterday, my last day in Europe, I went to Barcelona with Emily. I really wish I could have spent more time there but it was nice to see for a day. We got up fairly early and took a train that felt like it took forever. When we got there, we hopped in a cab and headed to the hotel that I booked for the night. It was called Hotel Nouvel and was surprising really nice. The interior was awesome. We checked in, dropped off our bags, and headed out.

We first just walked around and window shopped near La Rambla, which is the main huge street of Barcelona. We started getting hungry and wanted to make our way to La Sagrada Familia. Next to the metro stop to get us to Sagrada Familia was a tapas restaurant. We got a bite to eat and then got on the metro.

The metro in Barcelona is the cleanest metro I’ve ever been on in any city. I was mind blown by it. Very clean and very easy to navigate. In just a couple stops we got off.

La Sagrada Familia is a huge basilica that was begun by Gaudi in the late 1800s. If you don’t know any of Gaudi’s work, go look him up immediately. Anyways, during the construction of the basilica, which Gaudi was paying for with his own money due to a lack of funds, he was hit by a bus and killed. Then in the 1930s-40s ish the church burnt and lost in the fire were almost all of Gaudi’s original plans and models. Some photographs of plans and pieces of models were recovered, but not much. Since Gaudi’s death the basilica had been being worked on based off of his plans and what people would have imagined his plans to be. It is sad that we will never know exactly what it was supposed to look like but the Gaudi influence is clearly there. The whole building is super organic looking and the interior reminds you of a forest. Gaudi envisioned that the entire would feel as if you were walking through a forest, too. It was absolutely breathtaking and probably the most unique structure I’ve ever been in.

After spending some time at La Sagrada Familia, we hopped in a cab to get to Parc Guell. Parc Guell is a park that overlooks Barcelona and entirely designed by Gaudi. It was absolutely beautiful and the view of the city was amazing. I could have spent hours and hours there but after walking around for a while we were both exhausted.

We headed back to the hotel to shower and change. After freshening up we headed back out to explore. We walked around for a while and eventually came across a tiny little plaza. It was a really cute area and I think I liked it a lot because there were basically no tourists there. We grabbed a couple pints at a bar and chatted. It was a lot of fun and the weather was perfect.

Eventually we were getting extremely hungry so we wandered to find a place to eat. Emily had told me about some plaza that had a really good seafood restaurant in it that she loved but she didn’t know where it was. As we were walking down a street I looked to my left and saw an opening into a plaza. We went into it and found exactly what she was talking about!

We had dinner at a place called MariscCo. It is all sea food and I don’t typically eat sea food but it was my last day of vacation so screw it. We got Arroz Negro which was a cuttle fish paella. The paella was black because of the ink from the cuttle fish. Usually something I would stay away from but I was willing to try something new. And I’m glad I did because it was AMAZING! As an appetizer we also had veggie raviolis that were really good. But man that paella blew my mind. I did feel terribly sick afterwards, probably from over eating, and because it is so different from what I usually eat. I still feel sick. But it was worth it. There was a British couple next to us at dinner that we chatted with for a while but the guy was a pretentious ass and I was happy to leave before our conversation kept dragging on.

After dinner I was so exhausted but we wanted to grab drinks somewhere because it was my last night! We walked around in circles for a while and couldn’t really find a place that looked worth while. Eventually we went into a bar and it was cool. There was some Argentinian dude there talking to us and it was so nice to hear and understand Spanish that I am used to. Spaniards just speak differently and I am not used to it. After a while it got late so we went back to the hotel.

I woke up this morning around 7 and got all of my luggage packed. The hotel called a taxi to pick us up and drop Emily off at the train station and me at the airport. We left and were on our way. Said goodbye to Emily in the taxi at the station and then went to the airport.

When I got to the airport I had time to kill and got to grab coffee and some fruit. My flight left at 10:45 Barcelona time. The flight was so long, 9 hours, and exhausting. There was a young child siting behind me kicking my seat the whole time so it was really hard to relax. Luckily, the plane had TVs on the back of every seat with free movies. I watched a couple movies and tv shows. Hardly slept. Still so exhausted. I was sitting in a row of 4 seats with one other passenger. He was a dude from Southern California and had just finished traveling through Europe with some friends. We chatted a little bit and he was nice. Towards the end of the flight we were flying I circles because of the weather and it ended up being like Hal an hour. I was getting really anxious because I had another flight to catch! Eventually we landed and I made my way to customs.

I don’t understand why but I had to wait for my suitcase at the baggage claim, go through a second customs person, then recheck my bag, and go back through security. Doesn’t make sense but that whole process took so long and I was starting to panic a little. I just wanted to get home and the thought of missing my flight made my head spin. Luckily I got to my gate just as the last passengers were boarding.

This flight is supposed to land soon and has been really miserable. It is super turbulent and I feel very nauseous. It’s been turbulent throughout the whole flight. Almost home though. Need to stop typing because I might puke. Bleh

España

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:10:27 -0400

I just wrote so much and it all deleted and I am bummed but oh well. Here it goes again.

So this is officially the sixth week that I have been in Europe! I have seen and experienced so much and made some friends that will last a lifetime. Hopefully that I have been able to share my experiences well enough despite the lack of photos. I get home Thursday and can’t wait to be able to post some of the highlights of my trip.

I’ve been in Spain for a few days now and it has been so relaxing and a great way to end my travels. I’m sitting on my brothers balcony in Girona drinking tea and before I started to write this I was reading the Great Gatsby. Can’t wait to go on a date with Bobby when I get home to go see it. I’m going to back track to when I got to Spain and write about the last few days.

Thursday 6-6-2013

So I arrived in Barcelona around 8 pm, went to the baggage claim, grabbed my luggage, and headed towards the taxis. When I stepped outside I almost felt like I was in Miami. Lots of people everywhere yelling Spanish. It was such a familiar sound, especially compared to French, until I heard their accents. Spaniards speak so much differently than my Cuban family, it sounds like the have a lisp. Then I started seeing Catalan signs everywhere, which is basically a mix between Spanish, French, and Italian. So weird. I was thrown off. Anyways I got in line for a taxi, hopped in a cab, and told the driver to take me to the Estacion Sants, a train station in Barcelona.

The drive was whatever, mostly highways so I didn’t get a good look at the city. When I got to the train station I headed for the information desk to ask what train to take to Girona. I approached the counter and said, “Tengo que ir a Girona,” and before I could even ask what train I needed to take he responded in the fastest Spanish I had ever heard. I felt dumb but asked him if he could seak Spanish. The on,y train left at 21:55 and arrived at 23:01. I was so exhausted and just wanted to get there as fast as possible, but it was my only option so I bought the tickets and waited for the train.

The train ride felt never ending and by the time I was on the train my sickness had hit me full force. My throat was hurting, I was coughing up a storm, my nose was runny, all that grossness. I felt miserable and was struggling to keep my eyes open. There were two men and a teenager next to me and they were all clearly talking about me in Catalan. I was so frustrated and kept shooting them death stares. We finally made it to Girona and I grabbed my luggage and hopped off the train. My brother, JC, was waiting for me outside and it was so nice to see a familiar face. We walked to their apartment, which isn’t far from the station. We stayed up and chatted for a while and then I passed out. What a long day of traveling.

Friday 7-6-2013

Friday I woke up feeling not so hot. I don’t know where the sickness came from, maybe lack of sleep, but I wasn’t happy about it. Unfortunately too my nephews just got over being sick before my arrival and I know my sister in law, Emily, was nervous I would get them sick again. Anyways, after I woke up and had some breakfast and coffee, Emily as I went to walk around for a little bit. I got a taste of Girona, which is a really cool city. It’s fairly small but still feels like a big city. We also went to Zara, which is based here in Spain and is so much cheaper than in the states. I got a couple cute things. I was then starting to feel adults so we came back to the apartment. I think I napped and then we had dinner, not really sure. I went to bed fairly early I think. But most importantly, I got to rest.

Saturday 8-6-2013

I think I slept in for a little on Saturday, I don’t really remember. The boys went with Emily to a birthday party and JC and I went to explore the old part of the city. There are old Roman ruins of a wall that circled the city and a huge medieval area of Girona. It is really awesome. My brother showed me an old church. On the side of it there is a figure of a witch and the legend is that she had a really dirty mouth and one day she turned to stone and now water drains out of her mouth to rinse it. Cute. We kept walking around and then it started pouring. I mean torrential down pour. We took cover under these long arched corridor things that are lined with shops and cafes. We stopped at one place and had beers and a light lunch. We shared patatas bravas, which are seasoned potatoes, some fresh seasoned cod with veggies, and shrimp. It was all fresh and delicious. I haven’t eaten fish in so long and I know my body has been craving protein so I gave in. I can’t wait to get back to my normal diet at home though.

When the storm cleared up, we headed back to the apartment. I probably napped or something, I’m not sure. Then we had dinner and hung out for a while. After the boys went to bed my brother and I decided to go out for my last weekend night in Europe. Crazy! We got ready and headed out. First we went to this place Konig, which is a chain that is all over here, and had a couple beers. Then we went to a few other places. It was a lot of fun and it was nice to spend time with my brother. We have never really gotten to spend one on one time with each other so it was cool. When we got back to the apartment I went right to sleep but woke up in the middle of the night coughing like crazy. I had probably been coughing for over an hour and couldn’t fall back asleep when Emily woke up and made me tea. I drank it and fell right asleep like it was magic.

Sunday 9-6-2013

Sunday I woke up and we got ready to go to the beach. There is a beach about 45 min away that is next to Greek and Roman ruins. We drove there and when we got there it was so beautiful. It is part of Costa Brava, a beautiful part of the coast here in Spain. I fel like I was in paradise. I hadn’t been to a beach in so long and can’t wait to go when I’m back in Florida. We hung out for a while and the boys played with their dad while I chatted with Emily.

After we were there for a while, we went over to the ruins. It was really awesome to see. Especially in comparison to the ruins actually in Rome. These ruins were on the top of a hil that overlooked the Mediterranean. It was a absolutely stunning view. I am going to miss the luxury of exploring such old sites when I go back to the states. Ugh why can’t I just move to Europe.

We got burnt out after a while and headed back to Girona. I probably napped when we got back, had dinner, and went to sleep again. It’s been so nice to catch up on sleep here. Especially because I barely slept while in Rome and Paris. And for the whole last month in general.

Monday 10-6-2013

When I woke up on Monday, my brother and I chatted about different things I could do for the day. He mentioned going to Figueres to see the Dali museum. I really wanted to go but I knew Emily hated museums. When she got back from taking the boys to school we mentioned it to her. At first she was reluctant but I think she felt bad and gave in. We headed to the train station to get over to Figueres. Buying tickets was a pain in the ass and it seemed like no one that worked there knew what they were doing. After waiting for abou 3 minutes, getting in three different lines, and trying an electronic machine, we finally got out tickets. We hopped on the train and in literally 5 minutes we were there. We were pretty confused because it seemed like way to short of a ride, but it was a high speed train so we got off and started walking to the museum.

Figueres was unimpressive. We got kind of lost in a kind of shitty neighborhood and asked for directions three times. There were two other American girls following us there too because they were clueless. We finally got to the museum, which is really easy to spot from a distance. There is this big glass dome thing on the top and a bunch of gold figures and egg figures on the exterior. Very surreal. Very Dali. We got tickets and headed inside.

The museum is in an old theater, and when I realized that after it made much more sense. When I had been unaware of this fact, the lay out was really confusing. I think after talk g a Visual Arts Administration class last semester that focused primarily on museums, I am a total museum snob and critic now. The signage was awful, the labels sucked, and the lay out was just kind of confusing. The cool thing about the museum though was that Dali designed everything inside of it. It was also really interesting to see the variety of his work. Some of the pieces you could lay next to each other and never expect that Dali did both of them. It was interesting, but I think my expectations were too high. I’m excited to go to the Dali museum in Tampa and compare the to.

After the museum we grabbed lunch at Konig. We had some entrepans, which are sandwiches and literally mean between breads which I think is funny. After lunch we walked around looking for a taxi, finally found one, and went back to the train station. We got tickets and were on the next high speed train out of Figueres.

When we got back to the apartment I probably napped (haha) and then we had dinner. The same thing we have been doing the last few days. It’s so relaxing though. Part of m feels guilty for not taking advantage of the fact that I am in Spain, but my body is just so exhausted. At least it was the first day that I wasn’t miserably sick. I went to bed early again.

Tuesday 11-6-2013

Today I woke up and had some coffee and breakfast. Emily took Luca to school and I hung out with Sammy. When she got back we got ready to go explore Girona some more. We walked through the medieval part and made our way to the Roman wall. As we got closer and closer to the wall, it got more and more beautiful. There were gardens and vines ad trees everywhere. It looked like a dream world. We then went to the top of a hill that looked over the city. It was a beautiful view and small hike. I wish I could do stuff like this in the states. Stupid America. We then walked along the walk for awhile and it was awesome.

After exploring we stopped at a cafe for coffee/tea and a snack for Sammy. Then we headed back to the apartment. I stopped at a post office to send out some post cards. I swear every line I have gotten into this last week is cursed because it took forever. Then I watched Sammy at the apartment when Emily went to the market. Then I napped (surprise!!!) and now I am relaxing on the balcony. We are having burritos for dimmer and the beans and whatever else inside smell amazing.

Tomorrow I am going into Barcelona in the morning and will be staying the night there. My flight leaves Thursday morning out of Barcelona so it wouldn’t make sense to come back to Girona. I booked a hotel that basically on La Ramblas, the famous main road of Barcelona. I’m excited to see Barcelona and all of the Gaudi architecture. I wish I could have spent more time in Barcelona, but my hopes are high that I will be back here sooner than later.

Adios!

More iPhone photos. Miss these guys so much already!

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 11:46:35 -0400

More iPhone photos. Miss these guys so much already!

A Vine from last night.

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 09:52:38 -0400

A Vine from last night.

iPhone photos from Paris!

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 09:48:59 -0400

iPhone photos from Paris!

Paris Update!

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 09:21:36 -0400

I’m currently sitting in Charles de Gaulle airport waiting to board a plane to Barcelona. My flight isn’t till 6:30 but I had to check out of the apartment early so I got here around 10 or so. At first I was kind o nervous about trying to find my way to the airport on the metro alone but it was surprisingly much easier than I expected. I miss everyone but it feels really good to be alone. I feel like I can relax.

Anyways, Paris was great and I am sad to be leaving so soon. There is so much that I want to see but 2 days is just not enough. I’m going to write about the last two days to catch y’all up on my adventures!

Tuesday 4-6-2013

Tuesday morning we took it easy in comparison to the last month. We all woke up slowly because we didn’t want I rush. I made coffee and we danced around to the songs that we have been singing for the last month. I will post that list later. We all got ready and then headed out for the day.

There was a small bakery across the street from the apartment so we grabbed some croissants and pastries. The croissant was delicious! The woman that works there is adorable and was really patient with us. People got annoyed with us really easily. It’s hard I be in that big of a group. We then hopped on the metro which was right between our apartment and the bakery and headed towards the area by the Louvre. The metro was super easy to figure out. It made me miss New York.

When we got off the metro we started walking and ran into the Louvre. (When I said that to Bobby, he asked me if it hurt. Hehe. Miss him) There was some small rent outside that was some kind of exhibition and we went in. It was a bunch of photographs about weaving and making linen and they had cool installation pieces too. We kept going after we stopped in there.

We decided to walk passed the louvre to see the glass pyramid. The louvre is closed Tuesdays so that’s why we didn’t go in. It was beautiful and a beautiful day and I think we all just felt really blissful. We were finally in Paris! After spending some time there we kept walking and exploring.

We were planning on going to the Musee d’Orsay but when we got outside the line was huge and we were starving. We decided to head towards the Eiffel Tower to eat lunch in the park.

As we were walking there it felt like we were chasing the tower. It kept disappearing behind buildings but it was so exciting to just guess which way to go every time it would peak out between buildings. We then passed a Starbucks and I got really excited. I haven’t missed anything like food or drinks from home until I saw the Starbucks. I don’t even drink it ever at home but I think the familiarity of it made it that much more appealing. We all grabbed coffees and sat for a minute.

When we finally got to the park in front of the tower we were all super excited. It was so surreal standing in front of it. We grabbed food and champagne at a little concession stand in the park. It wasn’t great food but at that moment nothing really bothered me. It was beautiful outside and we laid in the grass looking up at the tower for a while.

After having a relaxing moment we decided to head to the Notre Dame. We all agreed to do the Orsay the next day since it was already getting late in the afternoon. We walked for a while to the Notre Dame stopping at places on the way. Paris is so beautiful and I’m so sad that I don’t get to spend more time here. It was so much better than Rome too. Less chaotic.

When we got to the Notre Dame we sat in front of it and talked about what the next thing would be. Rosie and Kristin went back to the apartment and the rest of us decided to keep exploring. We also went into the church but mass had just started so we left.

We kept walking and found a bar near the church. We all grabbed drinks and chatted and laughed. Te bartender was really nice too and recommended a Mexican restaurant to us that was just around the corner. We were starving and anything but pasta and pizza sounded amazing.

When we got to the restaurant it was completely packed but we waited. It was really cute an colorful inside. I had a vegetarian burrito and it was delicious. There was even guacamole with it and I was in heaven. I know I should have tried a nice Parisian restaurant but at that point I just needed food. At least I wasn’t disappointed.

After dinner we went back to the bar to thank the guy for recommending the restaurant and to have another drink. The bar was closing but he was nice enough to let us in and hang out. His name was Thomas and he was super sweet. We all sat at a table and drank and laughed for a few hours. Parisians have a bad rep but everyone I met was really sweet. Romans were the mean ones. Anyways, we stayed there for a while hanging out and when it got late Thomas was nice enough to wave a taxi down for us. We went to the apartment to go to sleep.

Wednesday 5-6-2013

Yesterday was a long day. We woke up pretty early so we could get tothe louvre at a decent time. I had barely slept, which has become a pattern this trip, and the whole month has been catching up with me. My whole body aches.

Anyways, we all got ready, grabbed croissants and breakfast at the bakery, and hopped on the metro. When we got to the louvre we got in line to go inside. The pyramid of the louvre is beautiful, but once you get inside you feel like you are being cooked. It’s like a giant heater. At least it was just in that room. Anyways we bought our tickets and went in.

The louvre is insane. It is so big and doesn’t make any sense. There are about 5 levels that have so many different rooms on each. We all split up and Brittany and I explored together. We saw so much beautiful artwork. My favorite was probably the Nike of Samothrace, which is a beautiful sculpture. I also saw work by David, Rubens, Carravaggio, Da Vinci, Michelangolo , and so much more. The louvre has so much artwork in it. I’m really bummed that I didn’t get to spend more time there but we were in a time crunch. I know I will be back one day though and won’t have to run around like a crazy person.

We all met at a cafe in the museum to have lunch. After we ate we were headed for the Orsay. We were all so exhausted and our attention span was done for. We have been going into multiple museums and churches for the last month every day. My brain is having trouble digesting it all! I am so glad we went to the Orsay though. It has been my favorite museum so far.

The Musee d’Orsay is in an old train station and it is absolutely beautiful. We were in a time crunch there too because it was closing in a couple hours so we had to rush a little bit too which is really upsetting. I wish I could have spent a whole day there. Their collections were fantastic. I didn’t even realize what was in there before. My favorite stuff was in the Impressionist room upstairs. I saw some of the most famous paintings in the world. There was so much work my Manet (including the Luncheon on the grass), Monet, Degas, Renoir, Mary Cassatt, Pissarro, and more. Other artists work we saw include Toulouse Lautrec, Van Gogh, Mattisse, Gauguin, and more. I know I probably missed a lot but it was definitely worth going. I recommend that over the louvre any day! And it’s only €6.50 for students!

After the Orsay we split up. The other girls went to get food and go pack at the apartment. Brittany, Ana Maria, and I wanted to keep exploring. It doesn’t get dark till like 11 in Paris and we weren’t about to spend our last day/night there in the apartment (no offense ladies).

We had drinks at one of the cafes in the gardens in front of the louvre. Then we headed towards the tower to have dinner somewhere. We found a cute restaurant and went in. I got a salad and it was so refreshing. I miss fruits and veggies so much. After dinner we grabbed a bottle of champagne and went to lay in the grass in front of the tower. The tower is beautiful at night and every hour it does this little light show and I really wanted to show the girls. We laid there for a while laughing and chatting. It was perfect. It got kind of late so we hopped in a taxi and headed back to the apartment.

Maybe it was because of all the champagne, but I got really upset last night. First I was stressing about finding my way to the airport and finding my way in Spain. Then I was upset about leaving. Then I was missing Bobby. I think it was a combination of things but when I skyped with my mom it put me over the edge. The last month has been so life changing and I am so grateful for being able to be here. Thinking about it all makes me so emotional. In a good way though!

Today: Thursday 6-6-2013
This morning I woke up early and said goodbye to Kristin, Brittany, Amber, Rosie, and Zoe. I was kind of jealous that they are all going home but I know I’m going to have a good time in Barcelona. Ana Maria and I were the only ones left. We packed and picked up the apartment and headed out together. We took the metro to the Gare d l’est (spelling?). Ana Maria was taking a train to Luxembourg and I had to switch metros toget to the Gare du Nord. We said goodbye and went our separate ways.

I found my way really easily to the Gare du Nord and getting on the RER B to Charles de Gaulle was a piece of cake. I don’t know why I was stressing so hard. Probably a lack of sleep. You should see my eyes right now. Scary.

I’ve now been in the airport for about 5 hours and my butt hurts from sitting for so long. I can’t check in to he flight until 2 hours before take off so I haven’t been through security or anything. I was sitting at a Starbucks for a while just chatting with family on FaceTime and Skype. I splurged and bought Internet because I would lose my mind doing nothing.

When I get to Barcelona I have to take a taxi to the Sants train station and take a train to Girona. I hope that I will make it on time because the last train leaves at 9:45 and I arrive in Barcelona at 8:15. Ill be fine either way. I can’t wait to be with family and to see my awesome nephews. I stayed with them for a few weeks last summer and I miss them so much. I’m also excited to see my brother JC and sister in law Emily. Emily even went to the farmers market for me and got a bunch of fruits and veggies. I’m so excited! I’m going to stand up now because I think my butt fell asleep!

Au revoir! Ciao! Adios!

Bonjour, Paris!

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 06:30:24 -0400

(Written June 6th)

I’m in Paris!

So I am laying in bed in the apartment we booked through AirBnB for Paris. The apartment is even more awesome then I thought it would be. We are going to get up soon and head over to the Musee d’Orsay and explore. I’m still exhausted I hardly slept in Rome because I stayed up late every night hanging out. But it was worth it. I miss it already. Yesterday was interesting though….

3-6-2013

So yesterday was the day we all had to say goodbye to Zaho and either continue our travels, or go back home. Chelsea’s flight was early and she had to leave for the airport at 6 am. I had probably slept for an hour when she came tapping on my door doing the Chelsea knock. I got up to say good bye and was up for the rest of the day. I cried saying bye to her, but I know we will be hanging out at home.

I stayed up for a while, talked to Bobby, and made sure all of my stuff was together. I went downstairs for breakfast with everyone and it was just really sad. We were done with the study abroad program and all I us were excited for what’s next but it went by too fast. Emily was the next to go so we all saw her off too. Emily was great and I will miss laughing with her and the others that were in the apartment on Macci in Florence.

The taxis for the Paris group were coming at 9 so we all went downstairs. They got there sooner than I had expected so I had to say bye to Geoff and Zaho hurriedly. The second I got into the taxi I started bawling. (Can you tell I’m extremely emotional?).

The last month has been an experience of a lifetime. I have learned so much about art, the world, people, and myself. I went to Italy with 12 people that were strangers to me and left Italy with friends that will last a lifetime. I learned so much from all of them and I’ve realized much about myself as well. I’ve gotten to know these people and they are all beautiful inside and out. There were times we all wanted to rip our hair out, but at the end of the day I couldn’t be more thankful for having them in my life. And it all wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for Dr. Zaho. I will be forever grateful for everything she has taught me and done for me. She saw something in each of us and chose us to join her for a month in Italy. She put up with us and stayed strong when everything was falling apart. I could go on but I’ll probably start to cry again.

So anyways, we finally got to the airport after an insane taxi ride. When we walked in we had no idea what to do. There were boards that show the flight numbers and what desks to check in, but our flight wasn’t for another 6 or so hours! We couldn’t check in for a while so we all took over a bunch of seats to wait.

Around 1 we went back downstairs to try to find the desk to check in. We finally found the number but no one was at the counter. We waited for TWO WHOLE HOURS until they finally showed up. Amber even fell asleep on her suitcase. Then finally some people that work for the airline came and even though we formed a line they pushed us back so they could rope off a square in front of the counter. It made no sense what so ever and then to check in they let us in one at a time. Only in Italy.

After we checked in we finally headed for the gate. The airport is huge and we had to take a trolley to another huge area. We all situated at some seats and grabbed food. Brittany, Amber and I really wanted to have a drink to celebrate our journey and we did. I think others were annoyed with us but we had a great time! Our gate changed so we gathered our belongings and were ready to board.

The plane was huge! It had three rows that were 2, 4, and 2 seats. I was nervous about flying with Kuwait because I read a bunch of terrible reviews online but boy were they wrong! The customer service was fantastic. They gave us face towels when we boarded and we got a free meal and drinks. The people were so nice and friendly. It was awesome. I was exhausted because I barely slept while in Rome but the flight was a lot of fun.

After about 2 hours we arrived in Paris!!! We went through customs, grabbed our luggage, and headed to the trains. I think the stress level rose the second we got to Paris because everyone was on edge. Buying tickets and getting on the train wasn’t difficult but all of our attitudes got in the way. It’s okay though I still love them all.

We took a train to the Gare du Nord, a train station in Paris. When we got off we were going to take the metro to the apartment, but it was chaotic so we went to the taxi line. The area outside of the station was gross and creepy and I got really upset because everyone was freaking out. But we made it to the apartment!

When we arrived at the apartment I called Faouzia, the woman who was letting us into the building. She was super sweet and helpful even though she couldn’t speak English. The apartment was even more awesome then it seemed in photos. It was in a really cool apartment complex that was gated and safe. The apartment was really spacious and adorable. I slept in a room with Brittany and the bed was so much more comfortable than other beds from this last month. It was pretty late when we got in and we were beat. Some of the girls went to grab snacks and wine and we hung out at the apartment.

2-6-2013

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 19:24:15 -0400

Sunday was our last day to explore in Rome. We planned with the group to meet at Giolitti at 2 for some gelato. The rest of the day we had free. We all woke up and had breakfast in the morning an talked about our Paris trip. Then I went upstairs, packed, and got ready for the day.

Kristin really wanted to see a church designed by Borromini so she, Ana Maria, Geoff, and I went to go see it. It is a beautiful baroque building and the interior is amazing. The dome has a bunch of geometric shapes built into it, I can’t even explain it. I’m glad we went to see it because it was awesome.

We then kept walking and eventually ended up at Giolitti. It was the last gelato I had in Italy and I got Bacio, which is chocolate with hazel nut chunks, coffee, and pistachio. It was delicious and I am going to miss gelato. After gelato we wanted to get lunch. That has become a trend for this trip- dessert before meals. We had walked passed a pizza place a few days before so we went to find it again. We found it really quickly and the pizza was awesome!

Geoff’s roommate and his friends had just gotten to Rome and he wanted to meet up with them. Geoff, Chelsea, Brittany, and I went to go meet them at the Pantheon. We sat on the fountain for a while and eventually they showed up. We all planned to meet at the Spanish steps later to have dinner together.

We then headed back to the hotel to finish packing and sit with the group in the hotel lounge. We all sat around and chatted for a while and it was nice. After we spent some time together we all either went to pack or get ready to go out.

Geoff, Brittany, Chelsea and I got ready to go meet Geoff’s friends on the Spanish steps. The steps weren’t that exciting and I’m not sure why they are so hyped up. His friends met us there and we all went to have dinner. The restaurant was fantastic and I split ravioli and a tagliolini pasta with artichokes and veggies. Dinner was fantastic and it was refreshing to be around new people even though I love my study abroad group.

After dinner we all went to have drinks at a bar in the Campo de Fiore. Geoff’s friends eventually left and the four of us just sat an hung out. I was getting really bummed because Chelsea had to get to the airport really early in the morning. I didn’t want to say bye to her! After a while we got over everything and hopped in a cab to get back to the hotel. It cost so much because all of the public transportation went on strike in Rome and the taxis can charge like crazy. When we got back to the hotel we hung out for a while. I got super sad about having to say goodbye but I know I will be seeing them at home.

1-6-2013

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 17:41:55 -0400

First of all, I can’t believe it is June. May flew by and the program is already coming to an end. Crazy.

Saturday we woke up early to go to a church where Bernini’s Ecstasy of St Teresa is. The weather was awful, really wet and cold. Zaho asked someone what bus would be best to get on and we got on the 60L. After waiting for about 30 minutes for the bus to start we were on our way. Or so we thought. The bus went wayyyy far away from what we were going to basically going in a giant circle. It was also pouring rain so none of us wanted to get off the bus. We were on the bus for over an hour and were all just laughing and goofing off. Times like that are what I will miss because even though we really just went completely out of our way we got to enjoy each other. And we all laugh like crazy together.

Anyways, we finally made it to the church right on time because they were closing soon. Emily did her presentation and we all admired the chapel designed completely by Bernini. When we left the church we realized we were like 5 blocks away from our hotel and we all were cracking up. Then we decided to head over to the Capitoline museum.

On the way, we were passing the giant birthday/wedding cake building. It is a government structure that was erected for Vittorie Emanuel II. I don’t know much about it but it is a ridiculously massive building that we passed every day. It was open and Zaho had never been inside so we went in. We climbed to the top where there was a crazy glass elevator that went to the very top of the building for a beautiful view of Rome. From the top we got to see the whole city including the Forum, the Colosseum, everything. It is so interesting to see ruins surrounded by a huge city. It was awesome.

Then we stopped in a church right between the birthday cake and the Capitoline. It was beautiful inside and had 60 insane chandeliers that lines the nave of the church. I counted. Then we went to the Capitoline.

The Capitoline was huge and had a great mix of sculptures and paintings. There was work by Caravaggio and others, and so many ancient sculptures. Some I my favorites were the original equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius and the Dying Gaull. I will post photos later.

When we were heading to the other side of the museum through an underground tunnel, Zaho pointed to our left to a staircase and told us to go climb it. We had no idea what to expect. We came up to a huge balcony that overlooked the Roman Forum. It was beautiful and we stayed out there for a while. We went through the rest of the museum and then talked about our dinner plans.

We had all bought an antique book about Florence for Dr Zaho and got her a card to give to her at our last dinner. Zaho said we were going straight to the restaurant from the museum but we had to find a way to go get it. I think she was annoyed because almost half of us left to go back to the hotel to grab the gift. We went speedy quick and got to the restaurant at the same time as them.

The restaurant was called Costanza and was where ruins of the Pompeii Theater was. After we all ordered our meals and had our appetizers, we made Geoff make a short speech about the gift. We gave her the book and she teared up. Zaho said the most beautiful words and I was sobbing. We then went around and were saying our best and worst of the five senses of Rome. We were all cracking up and laughing at all the stories Geoff prefaced his answers with when this asshole Roman guy started yelling at us. Then another asshole Roman guy chimed in and soon enough they both, with their wives, were screaming at us in Italian about how loud we were being. We all got super pissed and I was giving them the evil eye. We decided to pass on dessert and Zaho made a really sassy remark to the guy which was awesome. Oh but my food. I had a vegetarian starter and split it with Kristin. It was a bunch of grilled veggies and was so amazing. Then I had spinach and ricotta ravioli that was to die for. Probably one of the top 3 meals of Italy. Anyways, dinner was really fun, even with the yelling asshole.

We headed over to the Piazza Navona to grab dessert at Tre Scalini. We went there on the first day in Rome to have their famous tartoffa (spelling?) which is basically just extremely dark chocolate with a cherry in the middle topped with unsweetened whipped cream. Brittany and I shared some and it was good but too rich for me. After enjoying our dessert in front of my fountain (the Fountain of Four Ricers) we split up. Some of us wanted to go out and the rest went back to the hotel.

Geoff, Chelsea, Brittany, Ana Maria, Krista, and I went to the Scholars Lounge for drinks. It was packed because it was a Saturday night but still fun. We all hung out and laughed and danced around just like we always do. I kept getting sad because I knew it was one of the last nights we would have to go out together. When it got later, the crowd started to get more questionable so we decided to go back to our hotel.
When we got there a few of us hung out in my room for a while and chatted. It was a great night.

31-5-2013

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 17:34:01 -0400

Friday we went to the Borghese. We all woke up early and got taxis over to the museum. The Borghese was a palace for the Borghese family where they kept their art collection. You have to have a reservation to get in ad they are really strict and have time limits for every reservation. Our reservation was at 9 an we were right on time.

First we went upstairs where there are mostly paintings. There were 6 Caravaggios, Raphael’s entombment, another Raphael, a Peter Paul Rubens, and so much more. It was all beautiful. The entombment by Raphael was amazing but I was really upset because it is mounted really poorly. Things like that make me want to get into restoration.

We then went downstairs to where the sculptures were. I was in heaven because there was a bunch of work by Bernini. The first Bernini we saw was the Rape of Persephone. It was absolutely breath taking. I don’t know how Bernini did it, but he makes his figures look like they are really flesh. Every inch of the sculpture was beautiful and so realistic. There were even tear drops down the face of Persephone. It was so baroque and dramatic I fell even more in love with Bernini.

We kept going and saw some more of his work like his David and other pieces. But then we saw what I have been dreaming about since I discovered Bernini. The Apollo and Daphne. It is the most beautiful sculpture I have ever seen in the world and it is so much more amazing in person than in any photograph. Even the story behind it makes it more beautiful. Long story short- daphne was being turned into a tree and Apollo was trying to grab her but was too late and as he put his hand on her waist, her skin was already bark. The story and the sculpture made me so emotional. Then some idiot man touched the Bernini and I screamed. And then a older woman was holding up photos of what seemed like deceased family members as if she wanted them to see it. Brittany lost it and we all got emotional. It is incredible to me how much a piece of art can truly evoke emotions but I have experienced it more over the last month than ever before.

After our appointment was over we all went and sat outside to have some lunch. It was still kind of rainy, mainly drizzling, and we were all singing “the sun will come out tomorrow!” It is so funny how goofy we are all with each other. I will miss it so much. We then were going to have the rest of the day free because Zaho was so sick of us but we planned to do some more. We headed to a church that has tombs in the crypt that are covered from floor to ceiling in skeletons and bones. It was really cool but made me feel kind of weird. We then split up for a little bit before we met later to go to the catacombs!

Geoff, Chelsea, Kristin, Ana Maria, and I walked around to explore. We went into a couple cool shops and got gelato at Giolitti. We had a good time and I really enjoyed walking around the city a lot. Then we made our way to the train station where we were meeting the rest of the group to hop on a bus.

We all got on a bus and headed to the church where the catacombs are. At the same place is Santa Costanza, a super old structure that was built as a mausoleum for the daughter of Constantine. I was feeling really emotional, probably because of exhaustion, and had to run outside because I burst into tears. I wasn’t sad about anything specific but at that point in the trip everyone was so tense and it was just wearing on me. Brittany came and sat with me an comforted me. It’s so nice knowing that I have all of these people around to lift me up when I’m down.

Then it was time to go into the catacombs. It was really crazy and I am so happy I got to experience that. The walls were so narrow and it was dark and kind of creepy. We saw some old skeletons and what the tombs all looked like. It was awesome.

We all headed back to the hotel. Brittany, Ana Maria, and I went with Zaho to the post office to figure out what shipping would be like. We found out we had to have our own box and tape so we went to two grocery stores in the train station to get supplies. The first one let us take boxes from their recycling. The next grocery store was where we got the tape. Zaho and I went inside together and there was this creepy crazy homeless man inside that basically spit on Zaho. It was kind of horrifying so we ran out as fast as possible. I’m so grateful that she was willing to help us so much because I wouldn’t have been able to figure all that out without Italian.

When I got back to the hotel I met up with Chelsea, Geoff, Kristin, and Ana Maria to go out to dinner. We headed to the Campo de Fiore to find a restaurant. We forgot the restaurant that Zaho had recommended so we just walked around to scope them all out. It is kind f annoying because there is always someone at the front of the restaurant trying to lure you in, but unfortunately we fell for it when some guy told us, “free bruschetta, prosecco (champagne), and wifi.” The food was alright but the atmosphere was perfect. There was live music in the piazza and they played things like the Sexy Sax Man. It was so much fun. We all laugh so much when we are together I love it. After dinner we were dancing around for a little and giggling. Then we stood looking down Ito ruins where a bunch of Roman cats hang out. It was nice and relaxing. Ana Maria and Kristin wanted to go home but Geoff, Chelsea, and I wanted to go out. We had kept walking passed this bar called Scholar Lounge, which is like an Irish pub, so we decided to go there.

The three of us had so much fun. The bar was playing great music and then a band started playing cover songs. It was all American music and we just sang an danced at our table. Even though all of the places we have gone out to are more geared to young students, and hmmm Americans which we have tried to avoid, I have still been having so much fun. It’s almost like a little slice of home. It got pretty late so we walked back to the hotel to sleep.

30-5-2013

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 17:29:02 -0400

On Thursday we went to the Vatican. We all woke up at different times to go down and have breakfast. I went alone and it was nice to sit for a while. Then we all met in the lobby to head out around 10 or so. We called taxis and were on our way!

The taxi dropped us off by the entrance to the Vatican museums. The line was ridiculous and we are so lucky to have reservations for everything. When we were waiting for the rest of the taxis it started pouring rain. When everyone got there, we all ran inside.

It was a sea of people inside and we had to go through security like at the airport. Once we got in, Zaho had to get in line to buy tickets and we just stood around goofing off. After Zaho had to fight with the ticket people for a while, we all had tickets and were good to go in.

The first room we went into was full of antique Roman sculpture and sarcophagi. Zaho told us we go in there first because its the only place where we won’t be surrounded by a million people. It was cool and we saw a lot of neat stuff. But then we headed to fight our way through the masses.

We went into the painting galleries and saw a lot of beautiful work. We saw work by Raphael, incomplete work by Da Vinci, and work by a bunch of other artists that I don’t feel like listing off. My favorites were the two massive panel paintings by Raphael. The colors were fantastic and he was truly a master. I can get lost while standing in front of his paintings. From the colors, to the composition, to the figures themselves. It is all truly stunning. I also love that I can talk about these things with my group and I’m going to miss all the art history talk at home.

We kept walking through the Vatican and its hundreds of rooms taking everything in. One of my favorite rooms was the one with Raphael’s School of Athens. There are frescoes on all four walls that all relate to one another. The walls represent philosophy, law, religion, and poetry. It is a fantastic room and mostly all done by the hands of Raphael.

The next stop was the Sistine Chapel. I was so excited to see the chapel because it is something I have studied for so long. I was extremely disappointed though. The frescoes themselves were absolutely stunning. No photographs could ever capture it. The guards were the issues. The security there is insane- no photos and no speaking. I watched a guy try to sneak photos, a guard caught him, made him delete all of the photos, and kicked him out. The guards also scream “SILENCIO” over and over again. Zaho tried to tell us a couple things in a light whisper and three guards came up to us and screamed at us. Then they wouldn’t leave us alone and it felt like they were breathing down our necks. The part that pissed me off the most is that one of the assholes had the audacity to yell at us to be silent, but then chat and hit on some German girls. It was infuriating. We want to write a letter to the pope about it, haha. We also lost Ana Maria because she got sick and left to get to a bathroom. It was just stressful and chaotic.

When we were done going through the Vatican museums it was time to go into Saint Peters Basilica. The first thing we saw was Michelangolo’s Pieta. It is so beautiful. In the 80s a man attacked it with a hammer while screaming, “I am Jesus Christ!” It has been restore and is now behind bullet proof glass.

We then got to see the Baldacchino by Bernini that is underneath the dome. Sarah was about to start her presentation but then a mass started. We all saw out of the corner of our eyes a papal hat and a gold staff (can’t think f the word right now). We all thought it was the pope and Zaho freaked. She started running to be seated for the mass and we ran after her. We soon learned that it was an Italian cardinal Even though I am not religious, nor do I consider myself catholic although I was raised that way, it was still really interesting to be able to go to mass in St Peters Basilica. The music was beautiful and it just echoed throughout the massive structure. Behind the altar is a huge sculpture by Bernini and I was admiring it. There was also light pouring in through the window. It was just a beautiful moment. When mass was done Sarah presented and then we were on our way.

We were all exhausted and just wanted wifi and a bite to eat. We went to RossoPomodoro, the pizza restaurant we went to on our first day in Rome. Zaho left us as we say down because she was over us all being cranky. We were all in bad moods and dinner was a little tense and awkward. I kind of broke down and took out my anger on everyone and it wasn’t pretty. I felt really guilty afterwards but I think they understand. Being with 12 people everyday for a month is exhausting.

When dinner was over we all headed back to the hotel. Everyone was still kind of upset about dinner and we all split up into different groups. A couple of us hung out in Geoff’s room for a while and got some wine. We turned the tv on to see if there was anything on. There was a movie on and it was like a cheesy American horror flick dubbed over in Italian. We decided to dub it over in our own voices and it was really funny. The movie was called Cursed and it ended horribly. Then we did the same thing to a movie called The Thing from the 70s. It was really funny and I am going to miss moments like that a lot. It eventually was super late so we all went back to our rooms to sleep.

Updates

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 05:23:45 -0400

Ciao tutti! So I am really sad that I haven’t been able to post daily like I did in Florence. We have been super busy and I have had limited Wifi. I just bought wifi for the day so hopefully I can finish writing my posts. It’s our last day together and I am really sad that this is all coming to an end. I’ve met some of the greatest people and have made friends that will last a lifetime. On to Paris tomorrow! Stay tuned to hear about my week in Rome!

After dinner tonight in the Campo de Fiore! With Chelsea,...

Fri, 31 May 2013 17:14:52 -0400

After dinner tonight in the Campo de Fiore! With Chelsea, Kristin, Ana Maria, and Geoff!

29-5-2013

Fri, 31 May 2013 17:12:02 -0400

Right now I’m outside of the best gelato place in Rome called Giolitti. We are using their wifi to catch up with people at home. I haven’t finished writing out my posts for the last few days but here is some about the 29th.

Wednesday 29-5-2013

Today was interesting. I woke up around 8 or so and Brittany and I went down to get breakfast. After breakfast we came to gather our stuff that we were going to ship. Geoff gave me a couple things to send out too since he is traveling after this as well. The three of us decided to go find where the shipping place was.

Zoe, one of the girls in the program, shipped a bunch of stuff because she bought a lot in Florence. She told us about the place she went so we tried to find it. At first we couldn’t find it, so we had to ask a shop owner about it. He pointed us in the direction and when we got to where I think it was, they didn’t speak English but basically said they have no boxes and don’t ship. They pointed to the train station and said to go to the post office. This whole conversation was in broken Italian and English with a lot f hand gestures. It was the First time that the language barrier really bothered me.

We made our way across the street to the train station and I saw a sign for the post office! But it wasn’t that easy. We asked a few people where it was and they all told us platform 1 on the other side of the station. We were directed to a tunnel underground to get to the other side. When we got there, there was no sign of a post office. We asked someone else and finally found it. When we got there all the signs and everything was in Italian. At this point it was too late to try and wait so we went back. We were running around for over an hour and it was very frustrating.

When we got back, Geoff and I went to the grocery store down the street to get bottles of water. Even within that 5 minute excursion we encountered some rude people. I think we are all missing florence because it is so quaint and familiar. Rome is like New York in Italian.

After we got water, we went back to hotel. I got ready for the day and then met everyone downstairs. We all hopped on a bus to head over to the Fountain of Four Rivers so I could do my presentation! Buses here are funny and they get so packed all the time. When we have to get off Zaho screams to the whole bus, everyone thinks we are crazy.

We got off and started walking down a road and walked into the Piazza Navona. Just like the first time I walked into it, it hit me that I was really standing in Rome. The fountain I researched for months was now right in front of me and I was going to tell the group all about it.

When we were next to it I jumped right in and started talking. I am surprised with how little I used my notes. I was a little nervous but everyone told me it was great. At one point, I was saying something and then Zaho said, “But……” I think this made me nervous because I was said, “But? I don’t know your but, but I know my but.” And everyone laughed at me and I felt embarrassed but it was mostly funny. Anyways, I’m really proud of myself!

After my presentation, we headed for the Pantheon for Kristin’s presentation. We stopped in a little grocery store on the way to have a light lunch. We sat on the steps of a fountain in front of the Pantheon.

It’s so crazy to be surrounded by such old buildings all the time. The Pantheon was built around 123 AD and is one of the most impressive buildings I’ve ever seen. Kristin’s presentation was great. I love how much I’ve learned from everyone. We all teach each other something every day.

After the Pantheon, we started making our way to the Popolo for Rosie’s presentation. We made a bunch of pit stops on the way though. We went into a few churches and wandered around some more. When we were getting closer to the Popolo the museum with the Ara Pacis was on our left. Zaho said we could go over to peak in. When we got to the museum, it was open so we went inside. It is really expensive per person, but Zaho worked her magic and got us in for free. The Ara Pacis is absolutely beautiful. I can’t wait to post pictures of it. For those of you that don’t know, Ara Pacis means the Alter of Peace. It was found in pieces and was reconstructed and is now housed in a beautiful building with huge windows surrounding it. There are relief sculptures on the sides. It is massive and magnificent. We stayed there for a while and then it was getting late so we left. We finally made it to the Popolo for Rosie’s presentation. She presented about Caravaggio and Annibale Caracci comparing their paintings that are in the same chapel together. We only got a few minutes to see the paintings and then had to go listen to her presentation on the steps of the church. There was a huge group of kids that had these stupid squeaky toys and were making so much noise. Rosie was really upset because she loves presenting and it all went wrong. I felt really bad but she still did a great job. After her presentation, Brittany, Kristin, Amber, Geoff, and I went to have dinner in the Campo de Fiore. Zaho recommended a (mostly) vegetarian restaurant. The restaurant was called _________. Kristin and I split ricotta and spinach ravioli and some kind of pasta with a vegetable sauce. It was delicious. We had a really good time. After dinner we came back to the hotel. The five of us plus Ana Maria all hung out in Geoff’s room. We all laughed and had a really good time. The girls were playing with each other’s hair and we were just being silly. I love them all so much. We laugh so hard about everything.

28-5-2013

Wed, 29 May 2013 15:12:55 -0400

This morning I woke up around 7:30 to have breakfast downstairs at 8. Brittany and I were the first ones there and zaho was waiting for us all. She told us she had been really sick with a fever all night and was really not feeling well. We all ate breakfast from the buffet and everyone started coming one by one. We then planned what we were going to do for the day. Since zaho is sick we got to go back to our rooms for A few hours to get ready and relax before our day. Brittany and I hung out in the room, painted out nails, and I worked on my presentation.

We all met in the lobby at 11:15 to make our way to the Colosseum. On the way there, we stopped into a church that was on the way. Inside was Michelangolos tomb for Julius II. It was stunning and I remember seeing images of it in class. Also in the church were the relics of the chains that held St Peter before he was executed. There were other cool tombs that had skeletons on them. I keep seeing skeleton and skulls everywhere and I love it.

After the church we kept walking toward the colosseum. We turned around a corner and got the most beautiful view of it. It is so insane being next to something from the 8th century (approximately). We walked around the outside of it for a while and then made our way in. Luckily we had reserved tickets because the line was insanely long.

Inside the colosseum is even more impressive. We all sat on a column that was laying on its side and zaho lectured about the history of Rome and about the colosseum, which is actually the Flavian Amphitheater. It was crazy getting a lecture while sitting on an ancient column. After the lecture, we got to explore inside for a while. We all took a bunch of photos. It was beautiful.

After the Flavian Amphitheater, we made our way to the Roman Forum. There are beautiful trees on the way up and the weather was really nice. The Forum was awesome. We were just walking through ancient ruins. When we got to the Arch of Titus, Geoff did his presentation and it was great. We then kept exploring the Forum. Zaho couldn’t find the place she wanted to go an wasn’t feeling well so she was rushing through to get out. Me a couple others were lagging behind so we could take photos and enjoy being in nature. There were columns everywhere and little remnants of walls. It was awesome.

When we were leaving, everyone wanted to go back to the hotel to get ready for dinner but Geoff, Chelsea, and I wanted to explore. The first thing we saw were signs for a cubist exhibition. We went to check it out. It didn’t cost too much so we went in. There were works by Picasso, F. Leger, Hartley, and others. We all talked about each piece and about cubism and it was really nice to have conversations that really made us think. It was also very refreshing since the last three weeks we focused on renaissance and now we are looking at everything in Rome. I absolutely love all of the art we have seen, but modern work was definitely enjoyable after the last rigorous weeks.

We then decided to head to the Hard Rock, because we had dinner reservations for Rosie’s birthday. Geoff kept laughing at me because I was really bummed that I had to look at a map. Obviously we are tourists, but I hate holding out a map in the middle of a city. We figured out where we were going and headed down to the restaurant.

When we got there we found out they had wifi because we all wanted to talk to our families and boyfriends/girlfriend. The others then showed up and we all sat at the table. It is so weird being in such and American place in another country. The servers were really nice though because a family friend of Kristin works for Hard Rock and made us our reservation. They let us choose all the music playing. It was fun.

After dinner we came back to the hotel. Brittany and I have decided to ship some stuff home because we are traveling after Rome and my suit case is just too heavy. I now just have my purse and suitcase so I will be set. We figured that if our suitcases are over the weight limit, which they probably are, we will have to pay crazy fees. Shipping it together will cost substantially less. I am mad at myself for packing clothes I didn’t use, but now I know for next time.

After we got all of our stuff together I stopped in the other girls’ room to say hi. They were playing scopa, an Italian card game. Everyone was getting tired so Chelsea, Sarah, and I went to Geoffs room and were looking at all his photos. They are so awesome and he gave me a bunch on a flash drive. I wish I had my computer so I could be uploading y photos but oh well!

I do my presentation tomorrow! Yay!

Rome: Day 2

Tue, 28 May 2013 13:55:31 -0400

I’m currently at the Hard Rock Cafe for Rosie’s birthday and there is wifi! I wrote this last night about my day so I can post it now! Won’t have time to write about today but we went to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. After that Chelsea, Geoff, and I walked around for a while. We went into a cubist exhibit and saw work by Picasso, Leger, and others. It was refreshing to see modern art, even though I love everything we’ve been seeing. Anyways I will post more next time I have wifi!

27-5-2013

Today was really interesting and I feel like I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster. Getting up this morning and the last couple of hours I had in Florence were really sad. I fell in love with Florence and I wish I had more time there. I walked around the neighborhood with Kristin for one last time. We passed Santa Croce, listened to the church bells, and got pastries from the forno. At 10 we all brought our stuff downstairs to wait for our cabs to pick us up.

The taxis got there right on time and Geoff Kristin and I rode together. I am really glad that I said “Santa Maria novella statizone” when we got in because he thought we were supposed to go to the airport. Drive to the station we passed all of my favorite places, mostly all. At one point I looked out the back window an caught the last glimpse of the dome. My heart dropped and my eyes welled up. I felt like I was in a movie driving away from the love of my life. When we got to the station I snapped out of it and even though I was still so sad to leave florence I was looki forward to Rome

We all met zaho in the station but soon we found out that three of the girls from tintori were taken to the airport instead of the train station. They called zaho and luckily they were still in the cab and could come meet us. Zaho was pissed because capa made te reservations and obviously told the taxis airport and not train station. Anyways, thy got there shortly and luckily we had an hour or so till our train left. Zaho plans ahead for situations like that. We all waited Round to find out our binario, or track number, and when it showed up on the board we made our way to the train. Getting on the train was a little stressful. Imagine 13 people with luggage all getting into a train in under 3 minutes. We actually did it a lot faster and easier than I expected but I was still stressed out because of the time crunch.

I sat with Kristin Geoff and Chelsea on the train. It was a lot of fun actually. We played war (card game) for a while and then read my French and Italian phrase books and giggled at the inappropriate things because we were being silly. The train ride went by much quicker than I expected and we finally had made it to Roma!

When we walked out of the train station I was really overwhelmed. The area around the station isn’t the nicest and there are a bunch of sketchy people around. Our hotel is really close by the station too so I was feeling kind of weird. We then found out that the hotel doesn’t have free wifi and that it costs 10 euro a night per device which is complete bullshit. I actually cried about it when we got back here tonight because it is my only way to communicate with my family and bobby. I felt like a compete brat and realize how much I rely on technology but I was really upset. I also want to brush up some research for my presentation here but now won’t be able too. I also want to be able to post on my blog! Anyways I just had a moment.

When we got into the hotel we got to find out who our new roommates are and went up to our rooms. I’m rooming with Brittany and I am happy about that because I love her. I would be happy regardless though. Our rooms are actually really small and we were all laughing at the little quirks that made each room kind of weird. We all got settled and then headed out to explore the city.

Down the street from our hotel is Santa Maria maggiore(?), one of the earliest christianchurches and the first to be dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It has a beautiful baroque facade (later than the church) an a spectacular interior. Bernini is also buried there and has a really discrete tomb which we all did not expect. Bernini is actually the artist who designed the fountain I am researching and will be presenting on Wednesday.

After the church we kept walking and I think it really hit me that I am in Rome when zaho said “look to your left,” and we saw the colloseum!! We all screamed with excitement. We kept walking and saw the roman forum, the column and markets o Trajan, and a couple other chirches with beautiful baroque interiors. We went into the basilica of Sant Andrea Della Valle and Il Gesu.

We were all starving because it was like 4 pm by this point, so we went into a restaurant called RossoPomodoro, which means red tomato. We all got pizza because it cooks so quickly in their wood burning ovens. The pizza was fantastic. The restaurant also had wifi so I got to notify my family that I wouldn’t be able to talk to them that often while I’m here.

We then went to the Campo dei Fiore , which means the field of flowers. It is a cute piazza with adorable shops and restaurants. Then we kept waking and zaho goes “get ready katia” and I was confused at first and then we walked Ito the Piazza navona, where my fountain is. At that instant my eyes welled up because I was standing in front of a beautiful fountain that I’ve been reading about for months and I was just overwhelmed with happiness. I walked Round it and took a bunch of photos.

After taking in the fountain, zaho brought us to a little cafe to get a dessert she kept ranting and raving about. I forget the name I it but i was super dark rich chocolate with a cherry in the middle and covered in unsweetened whipped cream. It was delicious and really rich I couldn’t even finish half of it.

We then kept walking and ended up right in front of the Pantheon!!! The pantheon is one of the most beautiful structures ie ever seen in my life. I’m pretty sure it is from the 2nd century, but Kristin is presenting about it on Wednesday so I will learn about it again then. But just to give you the idea, it’s a huge circular structure with a dome that had a 30 foot wide oculus. It is absolutely stunning.

We kept walking when we left the Pantheon to see some more of the city. As we were walking zaho starting saying “can you hear that?” We kept walking and I started to hear the sound of rushing water. We were approaching the Trevi fountain. When we got up to it I was so amazed. It is so large and beautiful and I almost regretted not choosing that to do my project on! When we were there we saw this asshole with a long magnetic pole taking coins out of the fountain! He was stealing people’s wishes! We started yelling BOOO and got a large group of people to join us. Zaho was appalled and told a polizia. We then all thee our 3 coins in over our shoulders and made a wish. Hopefully no one steals my wish out of the fountain! Next to the fountain was a vendor selling roasted chestnuts. I had never eaten any and zaho got us all one to try. They were fantastic!

By thi point it was already after 8 pm. Zaho was tired and half of the group got on the bus to head back to the hotel. The rest of us walked back to see more of the city. By this point I was already in a better mood because Rome is fantastic our hotel is just in a bad area. It is incredible to see the combination of ancient structures next to modern ones. There is so much history here and it is just like any other big city. It reminds me of New York but just with so much more history.

Now I am laying in bed and really need to go to sleep. When we got back to the hotel I was reay upset that I couldn’t talk to bobby and I cried a little. I’ve just been overwhelmed and exhausted. Then I hung out with some of the girls in our hotel rooms and it got better. The bright side of no wifi is that we will all be able to spend more time together. Anyways, tomorrow we go to the colleseum! Sleep time. Ciao!!

I'm in Rome

Mon, 27 May 2013 10:39:19 -0400

I don’t have free wifi in my hotel so my posts will be limited this week or just posted a few days later. I will still write every night. Ciao!

The sunrise over Florence on 26-5-2013. I will miss this.

Sun, 26 May 2013 18:52:11 -0400

The sunrise over Florence on 26-5-2013. I will miss this.

26-5-2013: The Last Hours in Florence

Sun, 26 May 2013 18:42:33 -0400

It’s just about 12:30 and I just finished packing all of my stuff and cleaning the apartment. I really wanted to go out and enjoy my last night here, but everyone is exhausted so we stayed in to get organized. We got home from dinner just before 11 and it was alright.

The dinner was at a place called La Carceri in the middle of an old prison down the street from our apartment. The area was cool and the restaurant seemed cool. If only we could have ordered our own food… Since CAPA takes us out for our welcome and farewell dinner it is a set meal and we don’t get to order what we want. Our appetizer was a small sfumata de funghi, which is like a mushroom quiche. This was probably my favorite dish. Then about 45 minutes later, which should have been more like 5 or 10, we got picci. Picci is fat pasta noodles and it was served in a tomato sauce. That wasn’t bad either. Then we waited another 30 min or so for our main dish. Kristin and I are the only vegetarians and our meal totally sucked. They gave us rucola (??) and grilled zucchini and eggplant. The rucula was bitter and burnt and the zucchini and eggplant were dry, almost tasteless. They gave us oil and balsamic to put on it but it didn’t make it any better. For dessert we got a flan type cake that was covered in chocolate which wasn’t bad. All together, I was very unimpressed and Zaho was annoyed that CAPA didn’t just take us to a restaurant she suggested.

Packing all of my stuff is weird and as I was packing I was having flashbacks of what it was like to first come into the apartment. I am really sad to leave Florence because I have completely fallen in love with this city. I am excited for Rome, but we will be there for only a week which doesn’t even compare to being here for three.

The last three weeks have been an incredible experience. I have met some of the greatest people, eaten some of the best food, had some of the greatest laughs, and learned more than I do in one whole semester at school. Tonight at dinner we went around and said our best and worst of the five senses. My favorite site was the view from San Miniato. My favorite sound was the church bells every 15-30 min, specifically Santa Croce. My favorite “touch” was the Italian cooking lesson because it was very hands on. My favorite taste was almost everything I have ingested over the last few weeks, like that amazing panino and all of the gelato. My favorite smell was from a night that I sat on the steps of Santa Croce with a few of my roommates and there was an overwhelming scent of lavender lingering around us from an unknown source. My least favorite site was the pooping dogs. My least favorite sound was when sirens, horns, and bike bells startled me in the streets. My least favorite “touch” was when my toes went numb in the cold rain. My least favorite taste was definitely my dinner from tonight. And my least favorite smell was the disgusting poop truck that we had to stand next to while waiting for a bus. All of these things, good and bad, have just been a part of the whole experience.

I think some things that I will absolutely miss the most about Florence is walking everywhere and knowing my way around the city, walking past Santa Croce on my way home every day, walking past the Dome every day, hearing church bells ringing, hearing Italian being spoken everywhere, gelato, paninos from Al Antico Vinaio, The William and laughing with everyone, the Forno (bakery) and the handsome man that we have made friends with there, and so much more. I love this city so much and I see myself coming here many times throughout my life. I want to get a job here and move here. Can’t I just do that now?

I could go on and on about what I am going to miss and looking back over my last three weeks in Florence but now I am just getting pretty sad. I love this place and can’t wait to come back here in the future and remember all of the good times I have had here with some of the greatest people and friends.

Buona Notte!

25 & 26-5-2013

Sun, 26 May 2013 12:17:46 -0400

Today is my last day in Florence and I am really upset about it, but also excited for Rome, Paris, and Barcelona/Girona. I didn’t have time to write about yesterday so I will do it now!

SATURDAY 25-5-2013

I woke up pretty early and it was cold and raining. We were all supposed to meet at San Lorenzo at 11 but the weather sucked so none of us knew what to do. The whole group was communicating on Facebook and we decided that whoever wanted to go would meet, and so most of us did. We all met and went inside. First we went into the crypt, where Donatello and Cosimo de Medici’s tombs are. There were a bunch of reliquaries too which was cool. Then we went into the church.

Our tickets paid for the audio guide, which was a tablet with animations and a woman talking about the history of the church. I think Zaho enjoyed a break from lecturing and we all walked around listening to the audio guides. The church is really nice inside, which you wouldn’t expect because the outside of the facade is so plain because it is unfinished. The whole situation was really laid back compared to all of our other lectures and it was nice to have a little break.

When we were done with San Lorenzo, it was pouring rain outside. We all ran to the inside market because a couple people wanted to grab a few things from Conti. Kristin, Geoff, Chelsea, and I wanted to go explore for the rest of the day and buy some more souvenirs for people. We bought stuff from Tent City (what we all call the outside market of San Lorenzo) and then it started to rain really hard. We were all getting pretty hungry so we were trying to find a restaurant. I remembered seeing some gluten free restaurant by my favorite gelato shop so we went there.

The restaurant is called The Club House, and is like an Americanized pizzeria. They actually have a big variety of food and it is pretty cool inside. I got ribbolita, the minestrone soup that is cooked with bread and is delicious, and it was actually better than Mario’s, (the restaurant that Zaho brought us to a couple times since she knows the owners). Lunch was nice, and like I’ve said before it is nice to go eat and just be with small groups after being with everyone all the time.

After lunch we wandered into a vintage shop next door that was huge and really awesome. The only thing that confuses me about vintage shops here is that there is a bunch of Abercrombie, Aeropostle, and American Eagle kind of stuff. I don’t really understand why. Other than that, they had awesome stuff but nothing I was willing to spend money on. After we were there for a while and walked some more to digest, we were ready for gelato.

We went to Leonardo’s, which is officially my favorite gelato spot. It is all natural, organic products and every flavor is fantastic. The owner, Francesco, let us try every flavor and he is really great. The dark chocolate is absolutely AMAZING. I had dark chocolate and mint, and the mint actually tasted like mint. Like mint leaves. It was fantastic. Best gelato ever. We enjoyed our gelatos and then were ready to explore some more.

There were a couple shops that we all wanted to stop in so we made our way for them and stopped in a bunch of cool places on the way. Geoff had not bought anything for himself yet and he really wanted a nice Italian jacket. We went into a really cool menswear shop so we could help him pick out a jacket. The shop was decorated so well, really rustic and antique looking. There was an old van inside and it is basically empty in the middle and is the fitting room! So awesome. He got a really nice jacket and then we were off for another shop. Geoff also wanted to get his girlfriend a purse from the same leather shop I got my backpack at, so we went there. The purse is awesome and the pocket inside is a heart and we told him he had to get it for her because of that. We stopped in another really cool shop which I won’t say what it is because it will ruin a present I got for someone. Then we went to Velvet Goldmine. Velvet Goldmine is a t shirt shop near Santa Croce. They make all of their designs and print the t shirts right in the shop. They have a bunch of cool graphic tees and I got a Santa Croce shirt. It isn’t super cheesy and touristy looking and I love it because Santa Croce is the neighborhood we have been living in for the last 3 weeks! We then made our way home to get ready for dinner.

Geoff, Rosie, and Chelsea made a reservation at the number one restaurant in Florence because they wanted a really fancy meal. The rest of us ate with Zaho at Aqua al Due. The restaurant was fantastic. They gave us free appetizers of white bean humus and bruschetta. We all shared two bottles of wine and when we opened the first one I made a toast to Zaho. I got teary eyed when thanking her and telling her that it has been the most amazing experience of my life. I can’t believe there is only a week left of this program. Anyways, we got to taste 5 different kinds of pasta. All of the dishes were great and there were pastas with spinach, broccoli, eggplant, tomato sauce, and I don’t even remember what else because they were all good. Kristin will know she wrote it all down. Then everyone ordered main dishes to share, everyone but Kristin and I ordered the famous steak that is covered in balsamic. Some of them thought it was so good that they ordered a second one because half wasn’t enough. Brittany literally cried because it was so good. It was hilarious. Kristin and I shared samples of their different salads. They were all pretty good, just different and not anything to cry over. After our main dishes they brought out plates with a couple samples of their desserts which were all amazing. Paying for dinner was stressful like it always is with the group and I got really annoyed and frustrated because I have no patience.

After dinner, we all went to The William with the exception of Sarah because she is sick. It was so fun to hang with everyone and have drinks and laugh. Geoff doesn’t drink but is always the life of the party and was telling hilarious stories and cracking us up. We kept making Vine videos (some social networking thing) and they were all great. I will have him send those to me and I will post them. We were there for a while having a good time and some Italian men came up to us and said to Geoff, ” YOU ARE A LUCKY MAN!!!” They were cracking us up and making jokes that are too inappropriate for me to write about but it was hilarious.

When the bar closed, we all sat in front of Santa Croce for a little while. A group of people came up to us and they were making a video for their friends that are getting married and asked us to say some things and say congratulations. With the exception of some people, most of the people I have met here are funny and really outgoing. I think since there are always so many tourists around, the local Florentines like to get to know foreigners. It was then too cold to stay sitting there so we went home.

There was a little bit of roommate drama, which kept most of us up for a while. When most of everyone went to sleep, Geoff, Emily, and I stayed up talking and laughing. It was about an hour before the sunrise and we spontaneously decided to go watch it. Chelsea, who is in the other apartment, was awake still too so we invited her to join us. We were originally just going to sit by the Duomo, but then decided to go to the Piazza Michelangolo to see the whole view of the city. It was still kind of rainy and FREEZING, like 45 degrees out, and the Piazza is pretty far. I think we were all just feeling spontaneous so it wasn’t a big deal. The walk didn’t seem long either and we got up there just in time. It was still a little dark out, but then light started peaking up from behind all the mountains that surround Florence. It got more and more beautiful with each second. At one point we got to see all of the street lights, and lights that shine on all of the big structures like the dome, shut off. It looked amazing. The city just then started glowing in the morning light and there was a light fog and clouds weaving through the mountains in the distance. Birds were chirping and it was all beautiful. Nothing that a photo or words could capture. After a while I was so freezing, my toes were numb, so we headed home. I am really glad we went because it was a beautiful view. I got home and passed out.

SUNDAY 26-5-2013

I slept for a few hours and missed out on the breakfast at The Diner that mostly everyone went to. It was nice to lay in bed for a while though. Around 11, Kristin came home and woke me up. Surprisingly, I am not as tired as I should be considering I hardly slept. I made some coffee and breakfast and we talked about what we should do for our last day. We wanted to get stamps to send out post cards, eat ribbolita and gelato one last time, and go to a antique flea market that was around the corner from our apartment. We did exactly that. On the way to get lunch, we walked through the flea market. There was so much amazing stuff and I am so sad that I couldn’t buy a lot of it because it would be impossible to bring home. We then had lunch at The Club House again, and enjoyed the ribbolita. At 3 we planned to meet Geoff for gelato at Leonardos, our favorite spot. We sat on a curb for a while until he got there. We went to Leonardos and got our last gelato in Florence (unless we decide to go later). I had pistachio and strawberry which seems like a weird combination but it was perfect. I talked to Francesco for a little bit and told him that hopefully I will be back next summer. He told me to plan a trip for my boyfriend and I which is exactly what I want to do. We said bye and then were on our way.

Kristin and I went to go get stamps and Geoff went off to draw around the city. He has been doing fantastic sketches of the churches and architecture here, it is really impressive. Anyways, we went into a tobacco shop for stamps and the guy gave us a map of where the mail boxes are. There are special stamps and boxes for post cards that you can use around the city. We left to find the box and walked around the whole cathedral and couldn’t find any of them. We went back into the shop and another guy working showed us where it was. IT WAS IN THE SHOP AND THE FIRST GUY DIDNT EVEN TELL US. We laughed and felt embarrassed and then headed back home. We walked through the flea market again to admire it all. When we got home, I packed the rest of my stuff up and showered. I am about to get ready for dinner and sit on the terrace with Kristin to talk about Paris. Tonight is our CAPA farewell dinner and I am sure it will be amazing! Ciao!