Right now I am sitting in my warm bed in my apartment in Florence and couldn't be happier. I have realized, upon returning from Venice about an hour ago, that I am attached to Florence and absolutely love it. Like I said previously, I think that I actually feel like a resident in this city and I feel totally, 100 percent comfortable in it, now that I know my way around, know how to deal with the rude Italians, know how to bargain with the market vendors, know where to grocery shop, know where to get the cheapest meals, etc. We went to Venice extremely early on Saturday morning with the LdM program and just returned today. Venice is absolutely beautiful and I loved it, but there's something about Florence that we just love and always want to come home to!
We started the Venetto trip at 4:45 a.m. on Saturday because we had to meet at the LdM program bus. We chose this trip as one of our included excursions with LdM because it is Carnivale weekend, which I will explain later. There were about 50 students on the trip, and only about eight of us were from the UNC program. It was a fun and good group of us together though. We rode a double decker bus, which was so cool! Europeans are so freaking economical, though sometimes it can be annoying - like when you have to pay five cents for a grocery bag (or 20 cents for a packet of ketchup for that matter), or when you have to use your hotel key to actually turn the lights on (and keep them on) in the room. So basically, Patee, Marielle and I got a total of two hours of sleep and then slept on the four-hour bus ride to Venice. As soon as we got there, the bus took us to the ferry dock, where we took a ferry to the island of Burano, which is famous for its lace. First of all, I had no idea that Venice was part of the province Venetto, which is comprised of little islands. These little islands are the only islands in the world that do not have cars - I can't imagine living without car or motorcycle transportation, though it makes so much sense here. It is such a different world. Burano is one of the islands, and we also visited Murano. Murano is the site of the glass factory, which we got a tour of. This was probably one of my favorite parts of the trip because we got to witness the man actually make a vase and horse. It blew me away at the skill you need to do this - basically you take a little patch of sand that
comes from Spain and they twist it around on a stick and put it in a really hot oven. They use the stick to blow into the glass at the other end of the stick when it comes out of the oven, so that they can shape/form it however they want to. The amount of detail they can put into it absolutely amazes me. Grandma also told me that I had to buy a piece of glass from Venice, so I already knew I wanted to buy a little something ... but watching the glass-making demonstration made me want to buy absolutely everything in there! After the demonstration, we took a tour of the store, which is really neat because they don't have prices listed on most of the items because they are meant to be bargained for. They were being really easy on us because we were students and had a really big group there. I bought a few presents for people at home, and I bought something for our apartment next year and am really excited about it! Above is a picture of Shannon, Samantha, Renee, Niema, Rebekka, me, Pot and Marielle on a bridge in Murano.
After the islands of Burano and Murano, the ferry took us to Venice. It was insane because it was so crowded because of the start of Carnivale. Carnivale is a celebration similar to that of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. It starts about two weeks before Ash Wednesday, and it ends on Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday). It is literally a ten-day celebration where Italians just walk around the city of Venice in costumes and masks. The most popular and traditional costumes are Medieval ones, while younger children dress as princesses, Mickey/Minnie Mouse, Disney characters, etc. Some adults had some crazy costumes, but there were also some amazing Medievil costumes that probably cost more than a thousand dollars. Pretty much everyone is decked out in painted masks with feathers and other jewels on them, and we felt left out so of course we all bought one. The ones we bought are at least authentic, handmade and painted in Italy, so we feel good about our cultural purchase.
The celebration takes place in San Marco Square, which is the site of a lot of filmed movies. It was absolutely crazy because we could barely move and we could barely walk around without losing each other. Our guide who took us on the trip tried to give us a walking tour in the group of 50, but that was pretty crazy of him to think we could work that out. We all got separated and our UNC group walked around together to the Rialto Bridge, which is more than 500 years old. It is beautiful and has the most beautiful view from the top where you can see gondolas and boats and other city-happenings on the main canal (much like a main street). We continued to walk around together and people watch until we got so exhausted that we had to sit down on a dock before our ferry left the island - it was such a long day!
The one thing we didn't like about going on this excursion is that the hotel they booked for us was not on the island of Venice. Instead, it was about a 40-minute ferry ride away from Venice on the main peninsula. This was unfortunate because we weren't able to independently go out at night and there wasn't anything worthy of seeing or doing on the peninsula we were on. We had dinner at supposedly the most famous restaurant in the Venetto, where the meals were already
fixed and planned out for us. I will say that it was an extremely cultural Italian meal, but I will also say that my immature taste buds were not very thrilled about it all! The first course was purple lettuce (which looked like squid), a cheese/mushroom biscuit and bread. The second course was cheese/mushroom lasagna, with gnotti and duck sauce. The third course was beef, potatoes (french fries) and corn, while the final course was tiramisu and strawberries and cream. Though these are not my ideal options (except for the tiramisu and strawberries, which I could eat everyday of my life), I tried every little thing on my plate and was already really hungry so I ate a lot of it (yes, Mom - I ate mushrooms, but I will not eat them again!). Like I've said before, Theresa made a really good point to me when she told me to not hold back on trying anything while I am here!
Our meal ended around midnight and we were sooo exhausted. We all pretty much passed out on the bus back to our hotel. Patee and I got home to a wonderful surprise - we opened our suitcase and found that the box of red wine we had brought with us had bursted all over our clothes. No worries though, we got it all out of our clothes after handwashing them! I can say I have not had much luck with red wine the past three days because on Thursday night I spilled it all over my computer. Fortunately (or unfortunately - however you want to look at it), Marielle has had this experience three times in the past two years, so she knew exactly what to do so that my computer wouldn't be fried. So no worries, my computer is still alive and well as if nothing ever happened to it. Yes Daddy, I can hear you screaming at me from here.
This morning we woke up bright and early to catch the bus back to Venice with the group. We were soooooo exhausted from the traveling and not looking forward to walking around the island that was supposed to be five-times more populated than yesterday. Today was the official beginning of Carnivale, which meant that absolutely everyone was going to be there and there were events scheduled, such as people flying over the city, beauty pageants, parades, etc. Patee, Samantha, Rebekka and I went on our own instead of with our tourguide and group because we felt like we would've gotten more out of the day by independently traveling through the city. We are so glad we chose to do this because we got to do so much more than if we were traveling with the group. We figured out by the end of this trip that traveling independently is soooo much better and easier than traveling with groups. We walked around the island and got to see San Marco Square and Basilica without the huge crowd in front of it! It was so weird seeing it empty because it was so early in the morning and people weren't out for the Carnivale celebrations yet. We then headed to Rialto Bridge to see the view agian and to visit a few stores, and then we four compulsively decided to ride a gondola, which was way cheaper than we thought it would be. It was only 20 euro per person, and we got to ride it while it was still peaceful and quiet around the island. It also included our own personal tourguide, who gave us information on surrounding buildings and sites - for instance, we saw the original house of Marco Polo, which is now a hotel. I can't wait to go back with Mom and Dad and ride a gondola with them - it is so relaxing, and something you HAVE to do while in Venice. We felt so satisfied after we rode the gondola
because we felt like we had done everything we should have and needed to do while in Venice. The picture to the right is of Pot and me on the gondola, and Samantha and Rebekka were in front of us. We visited a shop on the top of Rialto Bridge, where I found an antique ring that looked so familiar to me. The ring is an antique-looking one, and is known as the Victorian lady with rose cameo. The shopkeeper explained to us that cameo is an original type of Venetian jewelry. The Victorian lady pictured on it in front of the rose background has something to do with a princess. I then realized that Grandma had it as a ring or necklace (can't remember) and that is why it was familiar to me. Of course, that tempted me to buy it even more. Dad, you can blame Grandma for all of my purchases! How could I resist? Patee bought one too!
After traveling around the island for a couple of hours, the four of us decided that we were so exhausted and it was way too cold, so we took the train back to Florence instead of waiting for the group to take the bus back. Rebekka was sick anyways, and it was extremely cold outside - felt like snow! Since Venice is more north and closer to the Alps (which we saw on the boat rides - the snowcapped Alps!), it is way colder there. However, I am sooooo thrilled to be going back with Mom and Dad in April when it is warmer out. It is going to be absolutely more gorgeous and they are going to fall in love with it. Venice overall is good enough for a day trip, even if you want to take a ferry to the other islands like Murano/Burano. I am glad that I got to experience the Carnivale, and I will be glad to go back and see it when it is not so crowded and cold!
As I was drying dishes in the sink today, I was thinking that the Europeans seem to thrive on a lifestyle of "if it ain't broke, why fix it?". I was only thinking about this because we have no dishwashers, no dryers, no microwaves, no air conditioning, etc., and we are still living happily and easily. It also goes along the lines of living so economically, which I noted earlier. It just goes, again, to show how spoiled we are in America and how uptight we are. We are ALWAYS on the go and never sit down to relax and enjoy life, which is such a shame. My Italian teacher said to our class one day that she wishes we weren't always looking for something to do and she's noticed, after teaching Americans for so long, that we never want to sit down and relax. She's right. I have to admit that I am that type of person - just like my Dad and Grandma. I ALWAYS have to have something planned or something to do, and if I don't, I go crazy. However, I've noticed that after being here for a month I am not as antsy like that. Maybe I'm just living according to the Italian lifestyle and learning to relax and enjoy life, which I really needed to learn how to do anyways. I have never been so relaxed before in my life - I can see why Americans want to move to Europe and live there for the rest of their lives. Mark told me that he wanted my New Year's resolution to be not to say the word 'stress' because it just makes me more stressed out. He's right, and I am finally learning how to sit down with nothing to do and be happy about it. Maybe Daddy should live here for a couple of months?! :) Speaking of being just like Daddy, I have been getting more comments than EVER about how I always look so serious and never smile. Even the Italians ask me why I look so serious and sad all the time - but I never am sad while I'm here! And I really am not being as serious as it looks - it is just my normal facial expression, just like Dad. I find that a lot of the Italians always walk around looking angry at the world, but they really aren't ... maybe it's an Italian thing?
Yesterday was Valentine's Day, which, to our surprise, is also celebrated in Italy! I was lonely without my Valentine though :(. Mark and I are in the process of planning a short trip to Geneva, Switzerland, when he is here in less than two weeks. We are excited to go there and explore Italy together!
Tomorrow begins our third week of classes (I can't believe we've been here for a month already! 1/4 of our semester is already finished :( ). I am still amazed at how laid back the classes and teaching system are here. We never get any homework and it is just always "suggested" that we read from our books to be prepared for class. They are the most interesting classes I have ever taken and will never get the opportunity to take again. For one thing, I am learning how to speak a totally new language that I have never spoken before. For another thing, I am learning the history, philosophy and literature of the city I am living in because a lot of those subjects originated here. I never knew that I was living in a city that is home to the original and classical philosophers, poets and writers. Tomorrow we are taking a tour of the Santa Croce Church with my history class. I am thrilled because it sits right down the street from our apartment and we never knew the significance of it. It is the largest Franciscan church in the world with 16 chapels and founded by St. Francis himself. It is also the burial place of some of the most illustrious Italians, like Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Rossini and Marconi, which is why it is also known as the Pantheon of the Italian Glories. I told Patee that this is probably the only time in our lives that we will love Mondays because we only have one class and it is a really enjoyable class. Overall, our instructors are EXTREMELY good at what they do. I have a feeling my history and philosophy teacher will go down in my books as one of the best teachers I have had in college. However, I am learning so much more - just by living here - than I could ever learn in the classroom and I am still so fortunate for the experience. I will never stop thanking Daddy and Mommy for this opportunity and I am going to be sure that Ryan takes advantage of this opportunity in his future collegiate years.
Next weekend we are going to Valencia, Spain, which is supposed to be really fun because it is going to be warm!!! Valencia is on the coast of Spain and Katie said it is absolutely beautiful and lots of fun. ... until then, Ciao!!!
We started the Venetto trip at 4:45 a.m. on Saturday because we had to meet at the LdM program bus. We chose this trip as one of our included excursions with LdM because it is Carnivale weekend, which I will explain later. There were about 50 students on the trip, and only about eight of us were from the UNC program. It was a fun and good group of us together though. We rode a double decker bus, which was so cool! Europeans are so freaking economical, though sometimes it can be annoying - like when you have to pay five cents for a grocery bag (or 20 cents for a packet of ketchup for that matter), or when you have to use your hotel key to actually turn the lights on (and keep them on) in the room. So basically, Patee, Marielle and I got a total of two hours of sleep and then slept on the four-hour bus ride to Venice. As soon as we got there, the bus took us to the ferry dock, where we took a ferry to the island of Burano, which is famous for its lace. First of all, I had no idea that Venice was part of the province Venetto, which is comprised of little islands. These little islands are the only islands in the world that do not have cars - I can't imagine living without car or motorcycle transportation, though it makes so much sense here. It is such a different world. Burano is one of the islands, and we also visited Murano. Murano is the site of the glass factory, which we got a tour of. This was probably one of my favorite parts of the trip because we got to witness the man actually make a vase and horse. It blew me away at the skill you need to do this - basically you take a little patch of sand that
comes from Spain and they twist it around on a stick and put it in a really hot oven. They use the stick to blow into the glass at the other end of the stick when it comes out of the oven, so that they can shape/form it however they want to. The amount of detail they can put into it absolutely amazes me. Grandma also told me that I had to buy a piece of glass from Venice, so I already knew I wanted to buy a little something ... but watching the glass-making demonstration made me want to buy absolutely everything in there! After the demonstration, we took a tour of the store, which is really neat because they don't have prices listed on most of the items because they are meant to be bargained for. They were being really easy on us because we were students and had a really big group there. I bought a few presents for people at home, and I bought something for our apartment next year and am really excited about it! Above is a picture of Shannon, Samantha, Renee, Niema, Rebekka, me, Pot and Marielle on a bridge in Murano.After the islands of Burano and Murano, the ferry took us to Venice. It was insane because it was so crowded because of the start of Carnivale. Carnivale is a celebration similar to that of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. It starts about two weeks before Ash Wednesday, and it ends on Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday). It is literally a ten-day celebration where Italians just walk around the city of Venice in costumes and masks. The most popular and traditional costumes are Medieval ones, while younger children dress as princesses, Mickey/Minnie Mouse, Disney characters, etc. Some adults had some crazy costumes, but there were also some amazing Medievil costumes that probably cost more than a thousand dollars. Pretty much everyone is decked out in painted masks with feathers and other jewels on them, and we felt left out so of course we all bought one. The ones we bought are at least authentic, handmade and painted in Italy, so we feel good about our cultural purchase.
The celebration takes place in San Marco Square, which is the site of a lot of filmed movies. It was absolutely crazy because we could barely move and we could barely walk around without losing each other. Our guide who took us on the trip tried to give us a walking tour in the group of 50, but that was pretty crazy of him to think we could work that out. We all got separated and our UNC group walked around together to the Rialto Bridge, which is more than 500 years old. It is beautiful and has the most beautiful view from the top where you can see gondolas and boats and other city-happenings on the main canal (much like a main street). We continued to walk around together and people watch until we got so exhausted that we had to sit down on a dock before our ferry left the island - it was such a long day!The one thing we didn't like about going on this excursion is that the hotel they booked for us was not on the island of Venice. Instead, it was about a 40-minute ferry ride away from Venice on the main peninsula. This was unfortunate because we weren't able to independently go out at night and there wasn't anything worthy of seeing or doing on the peninsula we were on. We had dinner at supposedly the most famous restaurant in the Venetto, where the meals were already
fixed and planned out for us. I will say that it was an extremely cultural Italian meal, but I will also say that my immature taste buds were not very thrilled about it all! The first course was purple lettuce (which looked like squid), a cheese/mushroom biscuit and bread. The second course was cheese/mushroom lasagna, with gnotti and duck sauce. The third course was beef, potatoes (french fries) and corn, while the final course was tiramisu and strawberries and cream. Though these are not my ideal options (except for the tiramisu and strawberries, which I could eat everyday of my life), I tried every little thing on my plate and was already really hungry so I ate a lot of it (yes, Mom - I ate mushrooms, but I will not eat them again!). Like I've said before, Theresa made a really good point to me when she told me to not hold back on trying anything while I am here!Our meal ended around midnight and we were sooo exhausted. We all pretty much passed out on the bus back to our hotel. Patee and I got home to a wonderful surprise - we opened our suitcase and found that the box of red wine we had brought with us had bursted all over our clothes. No worries though, we got it all out of our clothes after handwashing them! I can say I have not had much luck with red wine the past three days because on Thursday night I spilled it all over my computer. Fortunately (or unfortunately - however you want to look at it), Marielle has had this experience three times in the past two years, so she knew exactly what to do so that my computer wouldn't be fried. So no worries, my computer is still alive and well as if nothing ever happened to it. Yes Daddy, I can hear you screaming at me from here.
This morning we woke up bright and early to catch the bus back to Venice with the group. We were soooooo exhausted from the traveling and not looking forward to walking around the island that was supposed to be five-times more populated than yesterday. Today was the official beginning of Carnivale, which meant that absolutely everyone was going to be there and there were events scheduled, such as people flying over the city, beauty pageants, parades, etc. Patee, Samantha, Rebekka and I went on our own instead of with our tourguide and group because we felt like we would've gotten more out of the day by independently traveling through the city. We are so glad we chose to do this because we got to do so much more than if we were traveling with the group. We figured out by the end of this trip that traveling independently is soooo much better and easier than traveling with groups. We walked around the island and got to see San Marco Square and Basilica without the huge crowd in front of it! It was so weird seeing it empty because it was so early in the morning and people weren't out for the Carnivale celebrations yet. We then headed to Rialto Bridge to see the view agian and to visit a few stores, and then we four compulsively decided to ride a gondola, which was way cheaper than we thought it would be. It was only 20 euro per person, and we got to ride it while it was still peaceful and quiet around the island. It also included our own personal tourguide, who gave us information on surrounding buildings and sites - for instance, we saw the original house of Marco Polo, which is now a hotel. I can't wait to go back with Mom and Dad and ride a gondola with them - it is so relaxing, and something you HAVE to do while in Venice. We felt so satisfied after we rode the gondola
because we felt like we had done everything we should have and needed to do while in Venice. The picture to the right is of Pot and me on the gondola, and Samantha and Rebekka were in front of us. We visited a shop on the top of Rialto Bridge, where I found an antique ring that looked so familiar to me. The ring is an antique-looking one, and is known as the Victorian lady with rose cameo. The shopkeeper explained to us that cameo is an original type of Venetian jewelry. The Victorian lady pictured on it in front of the rose background has something to do with a princess. I then realized that Grandma had it as a ring or necklace (can't remember) and that is why it was familiar to me. Of course, that tempted me to buy it even more. Dad, you can blame Grandma for all of my purchases! How could I resist? Patee bought one too!After traveling around the island for a couple of hours, the four of us decided that we were so exhausted and it was way too cold, so we took the train back to Florence instead of waiting for the group to take the bus back. Rebekka was sick anyways, and it was extremely cold outside - felt like snow! Since Venice is more north and closer to the Alps (which we saw on the boat rides - the snowcapped Alps!), it is way colder there. However, I am sooooo thrilled to be going back with Mom and Dad in April when it is warmer out. It is going to be absolutely more gorgeous and they are going to fall in love with it. Venice overall is good enough for a day trip, even if you want to take a ferry to the other islands like Murano/Burano. I am glad that I got to experience the Carnivale, and I will be glad to go back and see it when it is not so crowded and cold!
As I was drying dishes in the sink today, I was thinking that the Europeans seem to thrive on a lifestyle of "if it ain't broke, why fix it?". I was only thinking about this because we have no dishwashers, no dryers, no microwaves, no air conditioning, etc., and we are still living happily and easily. It also goes along the lines of living so economically, which I noted earlier. It just goes, again, to show how spoiled we are in America and how uptight we are. We are ALWAYS on the go and never sit down to relax and enjoy life, which is such a shame. My Italian teacher said to our class one day that she wishes we weren't always looking for something to do and she's noticed, after teaching Americans for so long, that we never want to sit down and relax. She's right. I have to admit that I am that type of person - just like my Dad and Grandma. I ALWAYS have to have something planned or something to do, and if I don't, I go crazy. However, I've noticed that after being here for a month I am not as antsy like that. Maybe I'm just living according to the Italian lifestyle and learning to relax and enjoy life, which I really needed to learn how to do anyways. I have never been so relaxed before in my life - I can see why Americans want to move to Europe and live there for the rest of their lives. Mark told me that he wanted my New Year's resolution to be not to say the word 'stress' because it just makes me more stressed out. He's right, and I am finally learning how to sit down with nothing to do and be happy about it. Maybe Daddy should live here for a couple of months?! :) Speaking of being just like Daddy, I have been getting more comments than EVER about how I always look so serious and never smile. Even the Italians ask me why I look so serious and sad all the time - but I never am sad while I'm here! And I really am not being as serious as it looks - it is just my normal facial expression, just like Dad. I find that a lot of the Italians always walk around looking angry at the world, but they really aren't ... maybe it's an Italian thing?
Yesterday was Valentine's Day, which, to our surprise, is also celebrated in Italy! I was lonely without my Valentine though :(. Mark and I are in the process of planning a short trip to Geneva, Switzerland, when he is here in less than two weeks. We are excited to go there and explore Italy together!
Tomorrow begins our third week of classes (I can't believe we've been here for a month already! 1/4 of our semester is already finished :( ). I am still amazed at how laid back the classes and teaching system are here. We never get any homework and it is just always "suggested" that we read from our books to be prepared for class. They are the most interesting classes I have ever taken and will never get the opportunity to take again. For one thing, I am learning how to speak a totally new language that I have never spoken before. For another thing, I am learning the history, philosophy and literature of the city I am living in because a lot of those subjects originated here. I never knew that I was living in a city that is home to the original and classical philosophers, poets and writers. Tomorrow we are taking a tour of the Santa Croce Church with my history class. I am thrilled because it sits right down the street from our apartment and we never knew the significance of it. It is the largest Franciscan church in the world with 16 chapels and founded by St. Francis himself. It is also the burial place of some of the most illustrious Italians, like Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Rossini and Marconi, which is why it is also known as the Pantheon of the Italian Glories. I told Patee that this is probably the only time in our lives that we will love Mondays because we only have one class and it is a really enjoyable class. Overall, our instructors are EXTREMELY good at what they do. I have a feeling my history and philosophy teacher will go down in my books as one of the best teachers I have had in college. However, I am learning so much more - just by living here - than I could ever learn in the classroom and I am still so fortunate for the experience. I will never stop thanking Daddy and Mommy for this opportunity and I am going to be sure that Ryan takes advantage of this opportunity in his future collegiate years.
Next weekend we are going to Valencia, Spain, which is supposed to be really fun because it is going to be warm!!! Valencia is on the coast of Spain and Katie said it is absolutely beautiful and lots of fun. ... until then, Ciao!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment