Sorrento and Pompei

Once again, I am behind on blogging. Although my trip to the Amalfi Coast was 3 weeks ago, it is still one of my favorite trips so far. I got to go to Sorrento and Pompei through my school as a free trip. We took a 7 hour bus ride down south and unfortunately the weather wasn't great when we arrived in Sorrento. It was cold and rainy but it was wonderful to be at the sea! We had the afternoon in Sorrento so we took a walking tour (thank goodness for Rick Steves!) of the town. We saw some of the churches and walked down to the beach. Even though it was chilly, I loved putting my feet in the Mediterranean Sea! After walking around Sorrento, we checked into our hotel and went out for a pizza dinner. Pizza comes from the Amalfi Coast so I couldn't wait to try it. We tried 4 different types of delicious pizza, including one with french fries and hot dogs on top! After a filling meal, we went to bed early to be ready for the next day in Pompei.

The weather was perfect when we woke up and saw amazing views of the sea and Mt. Vesuvius. When we got to Pompei, I did not really know what to expect and I had no idea the ruins were an entire city! The sun was out and I was comfortable walking around in just a t-shirt.

A little history: Pompei was a very advanced Roman city with a population of about 20,000. On August 24, 79 AD Mt. Vesuvius erupted twice without warning and covered the city in 66 feet of ash. The whole city was preserved because of the ash and wasn't rediscovered until the 1700's.

It was incredible to see how the city was preserved because of the ash. We saw homes, markets, government buildings, a brothel and an amphitheater. You could even still see frescoes and paintings on the walls of the homes. In one area, they had a few of the fossilized bodies of people and a dog. Seeing the people, it was hard not to try and imagine what they were thinking at the time of the eruption. More of the people and artifacts are now in a museum in Naples.

I loved Pompei but my legs and feet were so tired by the end. The cobblestones didn't make it easy to walk around! It was so enjoyable to be outside and see so much history in one place. Pompei was amazing to visit and I'm so glad my school took me because I doubt I would have made it there on my own. I would love to go back to the Amalfi Coast to enjoy the beach and hot weather.

J'adore Paris

I haven't written for a while because I have been so busy lately!! Over Valentine's Day weekend three of my roommates- Allyce, Kate and Beth- and I traveled to Paris. It our first big independent trip since we have been here. We left on Thursday night from Pisa and flew on Ryanair into Paris. I was nervous for Ryanair because I had heard horror stories but we had no problems at all. Once our plane landed, we realized we definitely were not in Florence anymore. It was freezing! Paris was at least 20 degrees colder than Florence. It was late at night when we landed but made our way on buses and the Metro to our hostel.

The hostel was definitely a new experience for me. It was called the Aloha Hostel so everything was painted in bright colors. Luckily my friends and I were in a room just for the 4 of us. We liked calling it the cupboard under the stairs like Harry Potter because the ceiling was slanted so you could only fully stand up in one area. It also had 2 bunkbeds that seemed a little unstable but the hostel seemed safe and clean overall. I guess that is what you get for $20 a night! It worked fine for sleeping and the free breakfast was nice also.

We only had 2 full days in Paris so we packed as much as possible into those days! We got up early on Friday and made our way to Montmarte to see Sacre Coeur and the Moulin Rouge. I was really excited for this because I went to Paris during high school but never saw either place. Sacre Coeur was beautiful and the view of Paris was incredible. Unfortunately the sky was overcast but it was still wonderful to see. As we walked over to the Moulin Rouge, the sun came out and it was perfect to walk around. We even found a Starbucks after Moulin Rouge so we were very happy!

Next on our agenda was checking out the Champs Elysees. We started at the Arc de Triomphe and then walked along the Champs Elysees. We stopped for lunch and had a delicious Croque Monsieur. I was very excited to eat one because I learned about them in French class so often. It definitely lived up to my expectations!

After refueling at lunch, we had some extra time and decided to head over to Les Invalides. We didn't know anything about it except that it looked close to where we were on a map. It turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the trip. Les Invalides is a huge war museum that used to be a hospital for wounded soldiers. Napoleon is buried there and it was amazing to see his tomb. It is huge and is in the center of a beautiful chapel with the tombs of other important French military men.

We also had some time to see exhibits on the history of armor, weapons and a huge gallery of World War I and World War II. I loved Les Invalides, especially because it was so different than everything else we saw in Paris.

After Les Invalides, we went back to the Champs Elysees and walked to the Louvre as the sun was setting. The Tuileries Gardens weren't too exciting because it was February and nothing was in bloom and the fountains were turned off. We got to the Louvre around 6:30 and saw all the major artwork like the Mona Lisa plus some more. After about 2.5 hours we were exhausted since we had been up and walking around since 8:30 a.m.

We ended our night with a big meal and saw the light show at the Eiffel Tower. We had the best view of the tower! You could see everything perfectly and the Eiffel Tower looked beautiful at night. We were exhausted by the end of the day but had the best day. We couldn't get over how everything went perfectly. We were sure something would go wrong at some point but it was a great day.

We woke up the next morning ready for more sightseeing. Our first stop was the Chateau of Versailles. I had been to 3 other castles in France before but Versailles was the the most intricate and elaborate. I wish I could live at Versailles. We stayed for a few hours and looked at the snow covered gardens briefly.

After Versailles, we got back into Paris and went to see the Eiffel Tower closer up in the daylight. We were going to go up the tower to the top but it was freezing outside and too crowded. My friends and I had a lot of fun taking pictures in front of the tower and I even learned that I'm an excellent jumper! I was only one who was always in the air when we tried to get pictures of us jumping in front of the Eiffel Tower.


Notre Dame was our final major attraction. The cathedral was so beautiful and the atmosphere was so serene and peaceful. I loved the stained glass windows.

We were cold and tired so we went back to the hostel and fell asleep for 3 hours. We woke up to get one last dinner in Paris so we went over to the Latin Quarter to eat. I wish we could have done more in Paris but we had to be up at 6 a.m. for our flight home.

Paris was such a great trip and we got to see so much while we were there. I loved going back to Paris and seeing some of the same sights but a lot of new ones.

It was so fun to try out my French skills. I remembered a lot more than I thought and could communicate pretty well! Allyce and I loved trying to order and talk to people in French so our 5 years of class could finally pay off.

A Beautiful Day in Venice

Yesterday I went to Venice for Carnivale! Carnivale is the Mardi Gras celebration that takes place for 2 weeks before Mardi Gras. Venice has one of the biggest celebrations in the world. My friends and I took a bus from Florence and then took a ferry through the Grand Canal into Venice. As soon as we got there, we saw people everywhere. There were tons of people in crazy costumes celebrating Carnivale. All my friends and I bought masks as soon as we got there so we could fit in also.

All the costumes were so elaborate and detailed. A lot of women were dressed in huge medieval dresses. We also saw Teletubbies, a family of Smurfs, knights, princesses, Noah's Ark and much more that I can't even describe.

The weather was perfect for walking around all day. It was sunny and warm, which was such a relief since it had rained for the 2 days prior. After taking in the atmosphere of Carnivale, we walked to San Marco's square. The square was packed with people but I was still able to see the incredible church and buildings. My friend and I split a Bellini, which was delicious and comes from Venice!

After hanging out in San Marco's square, we went to a glass blowing demonstration in a Murano glass factory. I had never seen glass blowing and it was so cool! It takes 15-20 years of training for someone to become a Murano glass blowing artist and the trade is disappearing quickly because of the lengthy training process. The artist pulled hot glass out of an oven on a long rod and twisted it around to prepare the glass. Then he blew through the rod and made a vase. He also made a horse figurine in about 2 minutes. It looked like he was just pulling on the glass and then it somehow became a perfect horse. After the demonstration we looked at all the Murano glass. The glass was so beautiful but also very pricey. I wish I could've bought something but I was also worried that it wouldn't make it home.
After the glass blowing, we went to watch the Carnivale parade, which showed off even more costumes. After the parade was over we went to dinner at a Venician restaurant. It was nice to sit down for a bit! After dinner we wandered back through San Marco's square to see it lit up in the dark. It was even more beautiful at night and a little less crowded too.

We left Venice at 6 pm and took the ferry back through the Grand Canal in the dark. Although I was tired, it was such a fun day. Venice was beautiful and Carnivale was quite an experience. I definitely want to come back to Venice sometime in my life and maybe even ride a gondola when I have a little more money :)

Life in Florence and a trip to Siena

I finally feel like I'm starting to find my place in Florence. At first I was just adjusting to living on my own in a foreign city and getting around. I feel more confident ordering food, interacting with the locals and finding my way around the city. Classes have really started and I'm getting much busier.

After trying out all the classes for the first week, I decided that I'm happy with my choices of art history, painting, photography, history of fashion and Italian language. I have already had to complete 2 paintings which was very difficult for me since I am a true beginner. I'm looking forward to learning more techniques and hopefully coming home with a painting I'm proud of. My photography class is also really cool because we learn how to use our own camera better. Most of the classes consist of us taking pictures all around Florence.

I'm also learning more about the incredible art that surrounds me. I finally made it to the Uffizi Gallery, one of the oldest art museums in the world. The museum is huge and my roommates and I only made it through about half of the galleries. I have a museum pass through my school so I can visit as many times as I would like. I loved seeing works of art that were created centuries ago. It was an unbelievable feeling to look at a painting that had been in that same museum since the early 1600's. The ceilings of the Uffizi were also one of the most remarkable parts of the museum. I wish I could have taken pictures although I'm sure they would not have shown the true beauty.

I also went to the Santa Croce church for my art history class. It was great to have my teacher show us around since he knows so much about the history, architecture and artworks of the Santa Croce. Unfortunately there was a lot of construction going on in the church for restoration but I still saw the tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo.

This past weekend my school offered a day trip to Siena and San Gimignano. In Siena we went to the church of St. Catherine and saw her real head! It is a relic that people come to worship and has been preserved since the 1300's. It was a little creepy but still really cool. We also went to the Duomo in Siena which is one of the most beautiful places that I have seen. It amazes me that something that intricate was built so long ago without modern technology. It shows how much the people cared about beauty and detail. After lunch in Siena, we went to San Gimignano, a smaller medieval town in the Tuscan region. It was pouring rain when we arrived but cleared quickly. We walked to the top of the town to a lookout point with an incredible view of all of Tuscany. Even though it was overcast and drizzling, the scenery was beautiful. I cannot imagine what it will look like when everything is in full bloom on a sunny day.

I really love living in Florence. Almost everyone I have met has been very kind and wants to help my friends and me. All the stores are having sales right now so I usually hit up the shops every few days. I haven't bought too much because I'm saving my money for traveling. Although I will need a leather jacket and leather boots if I really want to fit in with the Italians. It has even been fun to cook for myself. I did not know it was possible to survive without a microwave! We don't have a dryer either so I learned that line drying takes a few days and I have to plan my laundry schedule ahead of time.

I'm going to Venice next Sunday for the Carnival parade. I'm sure it will be an experience and I'll write more about it as soon as I can. After that I'm traveling every weekend until the middle of March. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Italy and Europe!

So far

I arrived in Italy on Wednesday, January 13th with Allyce, a friend from home. After a long day of traveling from Chicago to Zurich and Zurich to Florence, I arrived at the airport to find one of my suitcases was lost along the way. It ended up taking a few hours to wait in line to report the bag lost since almost everyone on the flight had lost luggage. Luckily my bag was delivered to me safely the next day.

Once we got to our apartment in the center of Florence, Allyce and I were surprised to meet our 6 other roommates. The apartment is huge! It is 2 stories with 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 kitchens and 3 living spaces for the 8 of us girls. The apartment is always freezing because the energy use is government regulated. We only get heat for 6 hours a day. Our apartment is in a great location: about 5 minutes from the Duomo and about 10 from the river. There are tons of restaurants and shops all around us.

So far most of our time has been spent exploring Florence. A lot of that time has included us getting lost and finding our way back home again. The walk to school is about 15 minutes and I cross over the Ponte Vecchio, a beautiful, old bridge.

I started classes last week and I'm looking forward to them. I have Italian everyday for 2 hours which is necessary since I do not know any Italian. I also have painting, photography, history of fashion and Renaissance art history. I'm really excited about Renaissance art history because we go to museums and places around Florence every class. I already learned so much on the first day of class about the places that I walk by everyday.

Last Sunday our school took us on a trip to the Tuscan countryside. We stopped in 3 cute little towns. Unfortunately I cannot remember the names of any of them. The countryside is beautiful! We had coffee in one of the towns and then went to a vineyard for lunch and wine tasting in another town. We got a tour of a castle on the estate and saw the wine cellar in the basement. I was exhausted after a long day but I loved seeing more of Tuscany.

My roommates and I also went to a soccer game in Florence. It was only 6 Euro to see the Fiorentina Futbol team and the game was so much fun. The Florentines are very passionate about soccer! There was purple everywhere and the crowds were crazy. The entire game people waved flags, chanted and sang songs. I'm going to have to learn the words before the next game. I even bought one of the cool soccer scarfs! It was a fun game, especially when Fiorentina won!

I love living in Florence. The city is small enough that I can walk everywhere. Most of the people that I met have been really nice. It's been a little difficult to communicate but almost everyone speaks English. When people don't speak English I can usually get by combining the few Italian words I know, French, English and a lot of hand gestures.

The food here is amazing. Don't be surprised when I come back 30 pounds heavier because the bread, oil, pizza and pasta are delicious. My roommates and I accidentally ordered a 40 Euro steak one of our first nights out. We are learning that some food is priced by the milligram and hopefully that won't happen again. The gelato is also so good and is a great energy booster when I'm tired of walking by the end of the day.

I'm adjusting very well and I can't wait to see more of Italy and Florence. I miss home but I'm so happy to be here. I'll write more soon!