Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

One month down!

It’s strange to think that I have been on this journey an entire month, but truly I am glad it is going at such a brisk pace. Being in Florence is wonderful and I don’t regret my decision to come here, but I am pretty much ready to come home. 3 months seem like a lot, but if it keeps going at this pace it won’t be so bad.

Since my last post, things have been pretty calm as far as going on trips and all that, but I have doen some fun things as well. Amy’s birthday was last week and we celebrated with gelato, and also last weekend we all went out to a bar and to eat together. I’m not such a fan of going out and all that, but every once and a while it is ok. Going to the Hard Rock Cafe here in Florence was pretty cool, though! We did that last weekend for Ethan’s birthday. A week ago today we went on a tour of the Oltrarno area where we live, and a nice lady showed us where the best restaurants and gelaterias are near our apartment. The best part was at the end of the tour when we visited a metal-working shop and met a man who has been in the business for 50 years. He explained to us the process of making jewelry and pressing designs into it. His work is lovely and he has even done designs for labels like Gucci. In addition, we each gave him a euro and he pressed it into a beautiful fleur de lis (giglio in Italian) design. My favorite souvenir is a pressed penny, and this was even better than that!

The other adventure since my last post was the trip to Pisa, where we had a tour, ate amazing (and free) gelato, and of course saw the Leaning Tower. It was my first time ever on a train, so I was a bit nervous, but overall it was ok. We also got to go inside the cathedral by the tower, which I didn’t even know was there. It was beautiful inside, and I am glad we got to see it. Of course we took classic Pisa pictures, which I will post after this.

My classes have been going well, though Tuesdays will surely kill me before the semester ends…so much in one day is convenient in some ways, but bad in others. I think pros outweigh the cons, though. I had my first 2 quizzes this past week, in Italian and in my Pompeii class. I think they went quite well, and doing well in school always makes me feel better and more accomplished.

I have been struggling a bit with missing home, and with thinking of things in the future. There are good and bad days, but I can always find something to cheer me up if I am feeling sad. Reading, working out, and other things like that all distract me from a glum mood. Skyping with my loved ones is also a wonderful addition to any day. =]

2 more weeks and then it will be midterms, and I expect I will have more to talk about soon! Ciao!

Dolce Workshop!

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Last night Amy and I went to the Dolce Workshop at Apicius (the cooking school part of FUA) and it was so fun! Dolce means dessert in Italian, by the way.
We made Biscotti di Prato (almond cookies usually dipped in a dessert wine) and Schiacciata Fiorentina (cakes made with orange juice that are topped with powered sugar and eaten with a type of chocolate pudding).
Both were really good, but I wasn’t such a big fan of the orange flavor in the cake. Still fun to bake!

 

Italy Foods #1

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Here are some things that I have eaten here in Italy!

-Ham & Cheese Panini (prosciutto e formaggio)
-Noodles, LOTS of noodles! (my favorite is the elicoidali shape like in the picture..and I like to put ketchup on them!)
-Tiramisu (when the coffee flavor isn’t too strong I like it better)
-Pizza! (of course…pizza tastes different here than at home, and it is delicious!)
-Gelato (I have only had chocolate, but I may just stick with it since I love it!)
-Bread! (this is what the table bread at restaurants looks like, and it has a nice salty flavor)

More to come!

 

I’M ON A BOAT (Maremma & Day-Cruise of the Tuscan Archipelago)

The program that got us here, Study Abroad Italy, has made numerous trips available to us, and best of all they are free! (Some of them anyway!) Most of them are on Fridays, and just for the day. However, to kick off the semester, we went on a 3 day trip to the area of Maremma, which is in south-western Tuscany.

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swinging at a rest stop on the way to Orbetello

We started our journey on a long bus ride to Orbetello, which is a city in the province of Grosseto. There we stayed at a hotel which was quite nice compared to what I was expecting. Kim and I shared a room, and were delighted by the paintings of birds on the walls and the bouquet of fake flowers on the table. Ha but the best part was the giant button on the wall that operated the toilet-flushing system…we likened it to a game show or perhaps Legends of the Hidden Temple. It wasn’t long before we were on the bus again to a restaurant called La Taverna. We chatted with friends and enjoyed an excellent 3 course meal (as is custom here in Italy). We had gnocchi (little potato things in cheesy tomato sauce), pork steak in gravy, and tiramisu (which I normally don’t like because it tastes like coffee, but this one is ok).

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eating some gnocchi!

Afterwards, we 4 roommates and our two new southern friends walked around Orbetello, watching the sun go down and taking pictures and all that. The day ended back at the hotel, which had surprisingly comfortable beds to sleep in.

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Orbetello sunset

The next day, we woke up bright and early and the bus took us to the docks, where we boarded our boat! It was the largest boat I have ever been on, and despite my fear of transportation systems I wasn’t too freaked out. There were a lot of people on this mini-cruise, but we had a nice place to sit on the way to Porto Santo Stefano, where we got to swim!

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singing on the boat with Amy =]

When we got on shore, we traversed the rocky island to get over to the swimming area. It was a beautiful and warm day, so it was lovely to swim…though the water was a bit cold! One thing we had to watch out for were sea urchins, which kind of freaked us all out. Luckily, no one (in our posse anyway) got poked by one, so it was a fun time. The water is so clear there, and it felt awesome to swim in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time ever.

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just keep swimming!

We had lunch on the boat, which was interesting to say the least! The first course was a rice dish with shrimp and some kind of crayfish in it…still had eyes and everything. Kim and I had noodles instead, but to my credit I did try a bit of the rice and if you can believe it, I even tried fried octopus! Not really a fan of either. Second course was a sliced meat, but not very good in my opinion. The bread was awesome tho- since usually the table bread in Italy has a little bit of saltiness that makes it delicious. Also with our meal we had some white wine, which usually accompanies all meals here. It was quite strong, but we all had fun while keeping our wits about (unlike many other people on the boat!) as we sailed to the island of Giglio. We walked around the rocky island, which had beautiful views and plants I had never seen before, which was pretty cool. The gelato there was delicious (of course) and by the time we boarded the boat again, we were all pretty worn out and ready to get back to the hotel.

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the island of Giglio

Due to the fun day’s duration, Kim and I decided to stay at the hotel for dinner instead of going out again, and we had a lovely meal with our friends Nelson and Ethan. I was daring yet again and ordered ravioli with a ragu sauce (it even had spinach in it and I still ate it) for my first course, and a ‘mixed meat plate’ (which consisted of small amounts of delicious bloody steak, sausage, bacon, pork steak, and ribs) for my second course. My favorite was the steak, for it was cooked just the way I like it- rare. Nelson had wild boar and I even tried some of that, though I didn’t like it that much. Then it was off to bed, for we had to get up early the next morning to continue our trip.

We arrived at the town of Pitigliano (which is also in Grosseto) in the morning, and Kim and I both agree that it is our favorite place that we have visited in Italy so far. This amazing city is built on volcanic rock, giving all the structures a cool texture, and the whole place was constructed on the side of a hugs cliff. Narrow streets with lots of stairs, combined with vines on stone walls and numerous wine cellars, the whole place was a quaint and beautiful setting that was quite a change from the hustle and bustle of Firenze.

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Pitigliano- loved it here!

We had a tour of the town, which was very interesting due to its history, and even got to see part of Palazzo Orsini, a famous palace in Pitigliano. The whole experience was great, and I am so glad that we got to go there. It was a great thing to wrap up our weekend with.

Overall, this trip was awesome and although I know that the rest of the free trips won’t be this long, I know that they will all be fun!

 

First Week of Classes!

Ciao! 
Well, it has been a solid 2 weeks now on this adventure, and overall things are going quite well. I’ve made some friends, mostly from the southern United States, and have tried a bunch of new foods! I will post about that separately soon enough. I even can navigate around Firenze pretty well now- at least well enough to get to my classes on time. It doesn’t take me longer than 30 minutes to walk any of my normal places, and I am pretty much used to the crazy drivers and narrow streets now. I have bartered in the markets, cooked myself pasta, taken a lot of pictures, and have gotten huge blisters on my feet from walking. Totally worth it though!

As I write this post, my second week of classes is coming to an end. It is good that I now have things too keep my mind off of less desirable things, such as missing home. I really enjoy my classes and each one is interesting to me in a different way. All of the teachers are nice, and although their accents confuse me at times, the 2 and a half hour class periods go pretty fast. I made a change in my schedule recently, dropping my Interior Design class for History of Fashion Design. Interior Design was more about math and architecture than art, and just was not right for me. My new class is fascinating, though, and I am happy with my decision.

My Italian language class seems like it will be fairly easy, for Italian is similar to Spanish (which I have taken classes for in the past). Kim is in that class with me, and it is nice to wake up early and walk through the quiet morning streets with a friend. We walk past the Duomo every day, and each time the building amazes me…especially when a flock of tourists isn’t crowding around the base of it. It has such presence, and the sheer size of the Duomo is incredible.

On Mondays, Kim and I have “Meandering Mondays,” where we take pictures, casually window shop, and try to experience the city without being rushed. Piazza della Signoria is one of my favorite places, with all of its bronze statues and replicas of famous works. Ponte Vecchio, (means “old bridge”) is also pretty cool, since it’s the only bridge with shops on it. Lots of tourists are always there, but in the morning there aren’t too many. The shops are closed but even the wooden doors that cover the shop windows are an interesting sight. We live near Piazza de Pitti, which is a castle of the Medici family I believe (who are apparently a big deal here- need to learn more about them in class) and has a big area in front where people like to sit. A good place to see pigeons, haha.

My photography class, Light of Florence and Tuscany, will be a good experience in my opinion, since we will get to walk around to places that are the best for taking photos. On the first day, we walked up (and I mean straight up the steepest road around) to Piazzale Michelangelo, which boasts the best view in Firenze. My photos there don’t even seem real to me, with all the city in plain view. I truly loved it though! A nice woman even let me take pictures of her pet cat that she brought up there. I can’t imagine how freaked out the cat must have been to be up so high, but like all the city animals here, he took it all in stride. I have been seeing so many breeds of dogs here as well, and I might do my final photo project on the refined city dogs that I see so often.

Introduction to Art History, another class I have, will also take me to places I am so lucky to go, such as art museums and historic churches. There are a lot of people in that class and seating is tight in the class room, but we will be getting out a lot and seeing the art up close and personal. So excited about that! I am also thrilled to have the chance to travel to Pompeii and Herculaneum in my other class, Daily Life in Pompeii. It is sort of a history class that examines the city and reconstructs the past- which is awesome since I have always been interested in the history of Pompeii. Our three day trip to the cities will be in November, and I cannot wait to be able to see the historic place with my own eyes.

My fifth and final class, which I mentioned before, is History of Fashion Design. There are only 6 of us and I think it will be a super interesting class, considering it is all about things that I want to learn about, but never have had the chance to before. Going to the Gucci museum and the silver museum in Pitti Palace will be great, as well!

With classes comes homework of course, but it’s different than at back home. This is all stuff that interests me and I actually want to learn about the city that I live in. Being here to see the art and the culture makes me feel like I could bust out some intellectual insight if I felt like it, haha. Being able to walk around to my classes on my own also gives me a feeling of freedom and responsibility that is refreshing and new. I miss home a lot, especially the people that I’ve left behind, but having the ability to communicate so often with those who I love really helps me handle the separation. As the semester progresses, the schedule I develop will soothe my routine-craving mind and allow me to really enjoy this experience for what it is. There are many opportunities for us students to go on trips and activities, and I wasted no time in signing up for all of the ones that interest me, as long as they are in my budget! Everything is indeed more expensive here, but the school does offer free trips on Fridays to places we wouldn’t be able to go to on our own, so I am thankful for that. I plan to splurge on a trip to Germany at the end of November though, with Kim at my side of course. We might even go to Ireland during our semester break, but other than that I am content with Firenze itself! Just being in Italy is enough for me, and the way I see it, every day is an adventure, no matter where I go. (daww corniness for the win) =]

Until next time, Ciao!

~Gr

We made it!!!

I am happy to announce that on Wednesday, Kim and I successfully flew to Frankfurt, Germany and then to Florence! It was a long journey but somehow we made it. There were tears at the airport of course, but thankfully not many since then. The first flight was long (about 8 hours) and we didn’t get much sleep, but the flight from Frankfurt to Florence was shorter and I actually slept a bit on that one. A flight attendant lady in Frankfurt said I had a very German name, haha.

When we arrived in Florence, we got our luggage (none was lost!) and then rode with some other Study Abroad Italy (SAI) students to our apartment. It is much better than we expected, with a modern design and all new furniture and bright colors and ah it is just really awesome! Small, but it serves it’s purpose. Some interesting features include the weird-shaped key, the bidet in the bathroom, and no windows, but overall it is a good place to live. We are in the ‘Oltrarno’ area, which means ‘the other side of the Arno River.’ It’s a nice and safe area so we are happy to be here!

Walking around Florence the first night was a bit intimidating, but the four of us (Kim, myself, and our other two Wisconsinite roommates) eventually made it to a restaurant called La Casareccia, where an English-speaking waiter with good humor helped us order our first Italian meal. First thing I ate was a slice of real Italian bread, and it only got better from there. I was worried about the food at first, but now I know that many options do exist and it’s not that hard to ask someone what a food is made of. We also had some champagne with our meal, which actually was good! I also tried the foods my roommates had, so yay me for trying things! 

I slept quite well the first night, and the next day was all orientation events. I wasn’t feeling too well in the morning because of my lack of enough meals since I left home, but eventually I had a pizza piccola (little pizza) at Moka Arra and it was all good. Delicious pizza, by the way!! Hearing about all the fun trips we will get to go on at orientation made me quite excited, too! And I am even excited for my classes, which start Monday. I just hope the books aren’t too expensive!

An interesting note about Florence is the lack of driving consistency….lots of fast cars on narrow streets with lots of people! Not to mention all the bikers and Vespa-drivers cruising around. One has to keep on their toes when walking around the city, but being aware isn’t that hard. Haven’t been hit by a bus yet, so I am happy!

Later on that day Kim and I went on an adventure to buy a hair straightener, which was quite the process! We fortunately found one after asking a few people, which we were quite proud of doing! We got our cell phones on that second day, as well, which was a big relief. I called my family and Casey to let them know I was ok, and then soon we were all off again to a SAI welcoming reception at a super fancy mansion called Palazzo Borghese. So beautiful- I am talking giant chandeliers, murals painted on the ceiling, golden mirrors, fancy food, etc! We ate some interesting, yet good food and had some white wine to go along with. So lovely! And also lovely was the fact that our internet was finally turned on that night so we could send further communications to people! A very long, but overall good day.

Today, the third day, started with pouring rain that would have soaked us through if not for the man selling umbrellas near our apartment. Definitely a good purchase! We then took a trip with other SAI students to Ranch Ricavo, a ranch outside the city in the more mountainous area that had gorgeous views of farmland and cute animals to take pictures of. Luckily the rain stopped before we got there, so it was a nice time chatting with others, playing Scrabble, and eating delicious food.

Later I got to Skype with Lauren, Casey, Aydan, Mom, and Dad! Not all at once though! It was great to see them and tell them how things are going. In the late afternoon Kim and I went exploring with another Carroll student, Janezia. They both found some cute clothes (including stuff from a real H&M, not the kind at the mall) but I decided to compare prices for a while until buying anything. I will definitely be buying something eventually tho!! So many awesome stores-it will be quite the adventure finding what I want to get! To end our trip, we bought food for the apartment at a grocery store..and also toilet paper. Both were in short supply! We all made spaghetti noodles then and called it a night. We really don’t have any plans for tomorrow, so Kim and I will be sleeping in for sure. Perhaps we will seek out where our classes will be, and probably take a lot more pictures.

Until next time, Ciao!

~Gr