Hi everyone -
It's absolutely mind blowing to think that I will be home in three days - such a short time after four months abroad! Leaving Rome yesterday marked the end of my stay in Italy - very bittersweet. I don't regret studying abroad at all and I'm going to miss Italy a lot, but I am looking forward to getting home and seeing my family.
I'm going to keep this short - honest this time! But I just wanted to say that Jim and I are still having a blast together! We spent a few days wandering around Rome, and saw lots of churches, including the gorgeous Santa Maria della Vittoria, and St. Peter's Basilica. We walked around the inside of the Colosseum, checked out the Pantheon, and ate Pizza and Gelato. We also went to the Vatican Museum to see the art and the Sistine Chapel - with NO LINE! I kept hearing to expect 1 1/2 - 2 hour line for the Vatican, but apparently the trick to literally just walking in is to go during a Wednesday Papal Audience.
We spent today in Paris! The morning was spent wandering and getting lost around Montmartre - finally ending up at Sacre-Coeur, the beautiful church on the hill of Montmartre. We then went to my personal favorite church in Paris - Notre Dame! When you climb to the top, you can get right on level with the gargoyles and even see the large bell. Afterwards, we walked to the Eiffel Tower, and climbed the stairs to the second level of the tower. We hung out in that area until 10:00, when the tower lit up and "sparkled"!
Tomorrow: more of Paris, and Sunday: London!
Friday, May 21, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Florence with Jim!
Okay, so I didn't realize that I could get internet access where we are staying right now - therefore, that wasn't my last update!
Anyway, Jim is here in Italy with me! It's been a lot of fun showing him the city. I picked him up at the airport yesterday morning!
We've done quite a bit in the day and a half that he has been here; got all of my luggage out of my apartment, went to markets, did the Uffizi gallery (his first, but my seventh time there!), walked around the city and my favorite stretch up and down the river, climbed the dome of the main cathedral, walked up to San Miniato al Monte, and went for aperitivos. I'm going to put a few pictures on Flickr, so look at those!
I'm leaving the city early tomorrow morning, so today was really my last day to see parts of Florence again. It's actually been really sad, I'm going to miss this place a lot. I find it different from leaving Neenah, because Florence, unlike Neenah, is so far away that I don' t know when, or even if I'll come back (although tonight I made sure to visit Porcellino, the bronze pig in Mercato Nuevo - you rub his snout for good luck, and feed him a coin to ensure your return to the city - so I should be covered (: ) But part of me really felt thing wrapping up, I finally climbed the duomo, went out for one last good bowl of Ribollita (Tuscan soup), and listened to the Monk's chant at San Miniato. San Miniato is the church with the enormous graveyard, and I have been looking for one specific grave since I first started going up there - that of Carlo Lorenzini, the author of Pinocchio. It became a bit of a challenge for me more than anything else. Today, on my last trip there, I wandered down a row of chapels that I had never been down before, as always, looking vaguely around for the name while admiring the beauty and serenity of the cemetery. Suddenly, there it was, I stumbled across the Lorenzini Chapel! I couldn't believe it - it honestly felt meant to be.
That's about all I have to say for now, but tomorrow morning we leave for Rome! Can't wait to see everything there....
See you all soon!
Anyway, Jim is here in Italy with me! It's been a lot of fun showing him the city. I picked him up at the airport yesterday morning!
We've done quite a bit in the day and a half that he has been here; got all of my luggage out of my apartment, went to markets, did the Uffizi gallery (his first, but my seventh time there!), walked around the city and my favorite stretch up and down the river, climbed the dome of the main cathedral, walked up to San Miniato al Monte, and went for aperitivos. I'm going to put a few pictures on Flickr, so look at those!
I'm leaving the city early tomorrow morning, so today was really my last day to see parts of Florence again. It's actually been really sad, I'm going to miss this place a lot. I find it different from leaving Neenah, because Florence, unlike Neenah, is so far away that I don' t know when, or even if I'll come back (although tonight I made sure to visit Porcellino, the bronze pig in Mercato Nuevo - you rub his snout for good luck, and feed him a coin to ensure your return to the city - so I should be covered (: ) But part of me really felt thing wrapping up, I finally climbed the duomo, went out for one last good bowl of Ribollita (Tuscan soup), and listened to the Monk's chant at San Miniato. San Miniato is the church with the enormous graveyard, and I have been looking for one specific grave since I first started going up there - that of Carlo Lorenzini, the author of Pinocchio. It became a bit of a challenge for me more than anything else. Today, on my last trip there, I wandered down a row of chapels that I had never been down before, as always, looking vaguely around for the name while admiring the beauty and serenity of the cemetery. Suddenly, there it was, I stumbled across the Lorenzini Chapel! I couldn't believe it - it honestly felt meant to be.
That's about all I have to say for now, but tomorrow morning we leave for Rome! Can't wait to see everything there....
See you all soon!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
My Last (and once again long) Update.....
Wow - it sounds so surreal to be saying that. I'm sitting on my bed surrounded by evidence of packing, and I still can't believe that tonight is my last night in this apartment. The past four months have been the fastest of my life, and some of the most incredible. I've seen more than I imagined I could, and really proved to myself that if something is important enough for me to do, I can do it, no matter how hard or impossible it may seem.
But, on an exciting note - Jim is coming tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to a week in Europe with him! On our list, Florence, Rome, Paris, and London.
So here they are my last random statements about my time in Italy:
The Five Things:
That I'm really going to miss about Florence:
1 - Coconut or hazelnut flavored gelato.
2 - Being a part of a city that has so much history.
3 - Taking my nearly daily walk along the Arno River.
4 - Always having something new to explore.
5 - Going for the occasional drink and aperitivos with friends.
That I miss from home:
1 - Garbage Disposals!
2 - Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and popcorn, enough said.
3 - Not having to dodge people and cars whenever I have to go to class.
4 - Stores that are open later than eight or nine, especially during midterms and finals week.
5 - Fitted bedsheets that don't have to be remade every night.
That I've learned about myself:
1 - I will never, ever consider a career path of a travel agent.
2 - I can do what I consider impossible, if I set my mind to it.
3 - I don't do well when I don't get enough sleep.
4 - Grass and other green stuff is more important to me than I realized - I miss it when it's not around.
5 - I really don't like shopping sometimes, and sometimes I like it - just can't figure out when or why...
That I've learned about my family:
1 - When you call my family on Skype, you never know what to expect on the webcam. (ie: Sideways camera, Dad without a goatee, Eric on crutches, John laying on the floor, the neighbor's dog, you get the idea).
2 - If you want to get your parents and grandparents using the latest communication technology, just go abroad!
3 - Mom would be terrible at art restoration! Her theory, just take the statues with just heads, and put them on top of any statue that is just a torso.
4 - Talking to Eric and John are the ones to call if you're ever in need of entertainment!
5 - That there is something about Italy that reminds me of every one of my grandparents.
That I've learned in class:
1 - Florence had a flood in 1966.
2 - My Italian professor draws the most ridiculous looking sheep in the world. (Yes, he was drawing sheep on the whiteboard one day.)
3 - Divorce only became legal in Italy in the 1970's.
4 - If you wanted to sound knowledgeable about Italian History, just say that something happened because of the Medici family. 60% of the time you'll be right! Man, they were powerful...
5 - We saw a statue "in class", Donatello's Magdalene. It has quickly become a favorite of mine. (I really wanted to get that in there, can't you tell?)
But, on an exciting note - Jim is coming tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to a week in Europe with him! On our list, Florence, Rome, Paris, and London.
So here they are my last random statements about my time in Italy:
The Five Things:
That I'm really going to miss about Florence:
1 - Coconut or hazelnut flavored gelato.
2 - Being a part of a city that has so much history.
3 - Taking my nearly daily walk along the Arno River.
4 - Always having something new to explore.
5 - Going for the occasional drink and aperitivos with friends.
That I miss from home:
1 - Garbage Disposals!
2 - Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and popcorn, enough said.
3 - Not having to dodge people and cars whenever I have to go to class.
4 - Stores that are open later than eight or nine, especially during midterms and finals week.
5 - Fitted bedsheets that don't have to be remade every night.
That I've learned about myself:
1 - I will never, ever consider a career path of a travel agent.
2 - I can do what I consider impossible, if I set my mind to it.
3 - I don't do well when I don't get enough sleep.
4 - Grass and other green stuff is more important to me than I realized - I miss it when it's not around.
5 - I really don't like shopping sometimes, and sometimes I like it - just can't figure out when or why...
That I've learned about my family:
1 - When you call my family on Skype, you never know what to expect on the webcam. (ie: Sideways camera, Dad without a goatee, Eric on crutches, John laying on the floor, the neighbor's dog, you get the idea).
2 - If you want to get your parents and grandparents using the latest communication technology, just go abroad!
3 - Mom would be terrible at art restoration! Her theory, just take the statues with just heads, and put them on top of any statue that is just a torso.
4 - Talking to Eric and John are the ones to call if you're ever in need of entertainment!
5 - That there is something about Italy that reminds me of every one of my grandparents.
That I've learned in class:
1 - Florence had a flood in 1966.
2 - My Italian professor draws the most ridiculous looking sheep in the world. (Yes, he was drawing sheep on the whiteboard one day.)
3 - Divorce only became legal in Italy in the 1970's.
4 - If you wanted to sound knowledgeable about Italian History, just say that something happened because of the Medici family. 60% of the time you'll be right! Man, they were powerful...
5 - We saw a statue "in class", Donatello's Magdalene. It has quickly become a favorite of mine. (I really wanted to get that in there, can't you tell?)
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Horses + Palaces + Torte = Vienna
The one city outside of Italy that I knew I wanted to visit was Vienna, and I finally made it a couple weekends ago with Sarah, and I wanted to just let you know about it. This blog will be pretty short, because I'm just taking a quick break from studying for my finals (as much work here as in Wisconsin!), and I'll be seeing most of you soon - home in exactly two weeks from today! I can't believe it, the time flew by so fast...
So, highlights of Vienna for me:
We saw so many amazing things, the palaces, St. Stephan's Cathedral, tons of horses, the City Hall, a Butterfly House, and the market. We enjoyed sausages, beer, and delicious torte. Vienna is kind of like New York City - it's lively, crowded, and modern, yet you can turn a corner or come up from a subway stop, and there will be this incredible and historical building in front of you. It's a little bit of everything.
Well, I'm going to tackle some more of my study/to do list right now. Finals, here I come....
*I've also put up about 30 pictures on the Flickr website if you'd like to check it out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mia065/
So, highlights of Vienna for me:
- Sitting under a tree in the Hofburg palace garden.
- Attending a performance at the Spanish Riding School!
- Running through the hedge maze at the Schonnbrunn palace.
- Getting lost in the maze of Vienna's beautiful streets.
- Sitting next to a little woman on the subway, who talked to be in German the entire trip - I have no idea what the heck she was saying, but it was fun!
We saw so many amazing things, the palaces, St. Stephan's Cathedral, tons of horses, the City Hall, a Butterfly House, and the market. We enjoyed sausages, beer, and delicious torte. Vienna is kind of like New York City - it's lively, crowded, and modern, yet you can turn a corner or come up from a subway stop, and there will be this incredible and historical building in front of you. It's a little bit of everything.
Well, I'm going to tackle some more of my study/to do list right now. Finals, here I come....
*I've also put up about 30 pictures on the Flickr website if you'd like to check it out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mia065/
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Penguin Birthday Cake!
This has nothing to do with Florence, but Mom just made this cake for Eric's Birthday! It was so cute that I had to let everyone see it!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Tuscany Wine of Choice - Chianti Classico
It has officially been way too long since I updated this blog. I guess that I just kept thinking "I'll wait until something big happens," except that now I have so much I could tell you about, I don't know where to begin. Let me go re-read my last entry so that I know where I left off...
I don't have much time left in Florence (in fact, exactly two weeks as of today! Yikes!), so I've been trying to eradicate all of the remaining items on my list of "Things to See" and "Places to Go". Unfortunately - I seem to keep adding on one more item for every one that I cross off. But I did manage to really see the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, took a bus to Fiesole (a small town outside of the city with a gorgeous view and natural park), and took a couple of day trips when I could squeeze them in to the cities of Bologna, Perugia, and Orvieto.
I also finally got to Rome (if only for a day) with my Women and Religion Class. It was a really small group, seven of us including Martina, our teacher, so it almost felt like just hanging out with a group of students visiting the city. I'll tell you, standing in front of the Colosseum for the first time was one of those breathtaking, "Oh my God, I can't believe that I'm actually here!" moments. You know the kind, when you feel completely overwhelmed by the size, history, beauty, or whatever, you're stomach seems to drop, you inhale and feel like you will never exhale again - to me, moments like that are some of the best in life! I had been reading Angels and Demons (I found an old copy in our apartment) and was pretty much falling in love with the book. (I read it years ago, but I think that I was too young at the time to really appreciate it.) Anyway, our class visited a number of the sites that they mention in the book, such as Piazza Navona, Santa Maria della Vittoria, and St. Peter's Square, which I also found really exciting since it was all fresh in my mind - not to mention that it was ROME!
I also had the opportunity to go to Castello Verrazzano in the Chianti Region of Italy, which is an old castle now a winery, although they also produce many other delicious products. A trip through the Study Abroad Italy program took some students up to this castle, for a tour of the castle, winery, and a delicious lunch and wine tasting. It was a lot of fun, and delicious. We had a full five course meal, including wild boar sausages (they raise wild boar on the land), amazing Parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegarette, and a different type of wine for each course. The staple wine is the Chianti Classico, so of course I had to buy a bottle of that to take home! It was also really nice to actually have a certain type wine with the course that it was meant for (I usually don't match the wine and food well), and to listen to our guide talking about how for him, wine, wine-making, and the Italian countryside was a way of life and a way to get in touch with himself and his humanity. His passion for the wine was evident in everything that he said.
I think that is everything that I wanted to say right now, but keep checking back because I'll be telling you all about my trip to Vienna soon!
Ciao!
I don't have much time left in Florence (in fact, exactly two weeks as of today! Yikes!), so I've been trying to eradicate all of the remaining items on my list of "Things to See" and "Places to Go". Unfortunately - I seem to keep adding on one more item for every one that I cross off. But I did manage to really see the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, took a bus to Fiesole (a small town outside of the city with a gorgeous view and natural park), and took a couple of day trips when I could squeeze them in to the cities of Bologna, Perugia, and Orvieto.
I also finally got to Rome (if only for a day) with my Women and Religion Class. It was a really small group, seven of us including Martina, our teacher, so it almost felt like just hanging out with a group of students visiting the city. I'll tell you, standing in front of the Colosseum for the first time was one of those breathtaking, "Oh my God, I can't believe that I'm actually here!" moments. You know the kind, when you feel completely overwhelmed by the size, history, beauty, or whatever, you're stomach seems to drop, you inhale and feel like you will never exhale again - to me, moments like that are some of the best in life! I had been reading Angels and Demons (I found an old copy in our apartment) and was pretty much falling in love with the book. (I read it years ago, but I think that I was too young at the time to really appreciate it.) Anyway, our class visited a number of the sites that they mention in the book, such as Piazza Navona, Santa Maria della Vittoria, and St. Peter's Square, which I also found really exciting since it was all fresh in my mind - not to mention that it was ROME!
I also had the opportunity to go to Castello Verrazzano in the Chianti Region of Italy, which is an old castle now a winery, although they also produce many other delicious products. A trip through the Study Abroad Italy program took some students up to this castle, for a tour of the castle, winery, and a delicious lunch and wine tasting. It was a lot of fun, and delicious. We had a full five course meal, including wild boar sausages (they raise wild boar on the land), amazing Parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegarette, and a different type of wine for each course. The staple wine is the Chianti Classico, so of course I had to buy a bottle of that to take home! It was also really nice to actually have a certain type wine with the course that it was meant for (I usually don't match the wine and food well), and to listen to our guide talking about how for him, wine, wine-making, and the Italian countryside was a way of life and a way to get in touch with himself and his humanity. His passion for the wine was evident in everything that he said.
I think that is everything that I wanted to say right now, but keep checking back because I'll be telling you all about my trip to Vienna soon!
Ciao!
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