It's a busy day in Perugia! The Italian President - - is in Perugia today talking about Human Trafficking (shout out to the Social Marketing team at Ketchum!) All of the Umbra computer labs are bustling with students planning fall break trips and weekend adventures.
In the last two days, I have managed to volunteer for a semester-long International Marketing project for Ducati Motor Company (key word: volunteer... it's not graded) and book a Mediterranean cruise with the roommates (and possibly a fellow Elon-er!) for fall break. AH! Things are crazy-busy! When I thought I was coming to Italy for a semester to relax, I was wrong! If I am not in class, doing homework or booking travel arrangements for upcoming trips, I am either working out, eating, spending time with the roommates or doing random Umbra activities (soccer games, wine-tastings... etc!) Oh, and sleep comes in there... some times!
It is definitely not the same as being Elon, over-involved busy, but my life here still involves lists, planners, iCal and late nights!!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
Ischia, Pompei, Capri e Napoli... oh my! Part 5
Continued from previous post...
We then got back to Ischia and back to the hotel. We quickly changed back into our bathing suits to go swimming! Once we got to the pool (conveniently located right outside of my door!) we realized that we had to wear swimcaps in the pool! It must be an Italian because they were all sporting them and there were signs posted everywhere. We ran back to our villa and grabbed our
showercaps, and went for a swim! The group of Americans were easily recognizable – we were the silly girls in the pool laughing about our shower caps! We took a quick dip in the fountain and then went back to get dressed for dinner!
Another five course meal, and it was time for a walk around the resort! We grabbed our cameras and took a photoshoot for the next hour, all around the grounds of the hotel! It was hilarious, and I will be sure to post all of those at a later time! We then retreated to the piano bar inside the main building and listened to some classy Italian and English piano songs. Once the pianoman realized he had an audience of five American girls, he played hits like YMCA and “New York, New York” and “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.”
Sunday morning came quickly, and after another fabulous continental breakfast, we hopped on the bus and headed to the port for our last ferry ride to Napoli. Once we docked, we headed for the city center. Napoli is the largest southern city in Italy and is famous for its pizza, café and pick pocketers. We tried to avoid the later at all costs, and decided to grab café at Cambrinus, the most famous café bar in Napoli. We sat down for a few minutes before doing a little shopping and heading for lunch. We
found Antica Pizzaria Ristorante - famous for the first Pizza Margarita! We also enjoyed our first REAL, AUTHENTIC caprese salad – defiantly the best meal I have had so far. They do NOT make pizza or salads in the states like this!
We then rushed back to the port, boarded the bus and began the long drive home.
It was a weekend to remember, however we were very glad to get home to Perugia. The piazza was buzzing with people, and it was a shame that we were too exhausted to join in. However, we needed a good nights sleep after such an exhausting weekend!
Hope you enjoyed the looooong scoop from the weekend, and more pics will be posted soon! Ciao!
We then got back to Ischia and back to the hotel. We quickly changed back into our bathing suits to go swimming! Once we got to the pool (conveniently located right outside of my door!) we realized that we had to wear swimcaps in the pool! It must be an Italian because they were all sporting them and there were signs posted everywhere. We ran back to our villa and grabbed our
showercaps, and went for a swim! The group of Americans were easily recognizable – we were the silly girls in the pool laughing about our shower caps! We took a quick dip in the fountain and then went back to get dressed for dinner!
Another five course meal, and it was time for a walk around the resort! We grabbed our cameras and took a photoshoot for the next hour, all around the grounds of the hotel! It was hilarious, and I will be sure to post all of those at a later time! We then retreated to the piano bar inside the main building and listened to some classy Italian and English piano songs. Once the pianoman realized he had an audience of five American girls, he played hits like YMCA and “New York, New York” and “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.”
Sunday morning came quickly, and after another fabulous continental breakfast, we hopped on the bus and headed to the port for our last ferry ride to Napoli. Once we docked, we headed for the city center. Napoli is the largest southern city in Italy and is famous for its pizza, café and pick pocketers. We tried to avoid the later at all costs, and decided to grab café at Cambrinus, the most famous café bar in Napoli. We sat down for a few minutes before doing a little shopping and heading for lunch. We
found Antica Pizzaria Ristorante - famous for the first Pizza Margarita! We also enjoyed our first REAL, AUTHENTIC caprese salad – defiantly the best meal I have had so far. They do NOT make pizza or salads in the states like this!We then rushed back to the port, boarded the bus and began the long drive home.
It was a weekend to remember, however we were very glad to get home to Perugia. The piazza was buzzing with people, and it was a shame that we were too exhausted to join in. However, we needed a good nights sleep after such an exhausting weekend!
Hope you enjoyed the looooong scoop from the weekend, and more pics will be posted soon! Ciao!
Ischia, Pompei, Capri e Napoli... oh my! Part 4
Continued from previous post...
I really can’t remember specifics of the rest of the boat ride… everything now blurs together. Everywhere we went posed beautiful views, cliff-side houses and restaurants and amazing, clear blue water. Our guide kept laughing at us (me especially, being tagged as the group’s photographer!) for taking pictures of absolutely everything. Once we got through the Green Grotto, he told me to “save the
camera!” in his heavy Italian accent – he told us the sea was about to get really rough and that the camera may fly off if I keep taking pictures. BOY was he right! I was sitting on the very front of the boat, and about two minutes later we were in the wake of larger boats and more into the open sea, where our little boat was soaring over wave after wave after wave! The girls later told me that I was airborne for most of the ride. Limbs were flying everywhere and our boat guide was easily amused with our constant “eeee’s!” and “weeee’s!” when going over the larger waves. We got into a trend of “ciao!-ing” the passing boats.
“Can we ciao the boat?!” was our phrase of the day. Every time we passed another boat, we let out a collective “CIAO!” in passing. After basking in the sun, soaring over waves and enjoying breathtaking views, we arrived back into the port and said goodbye. That boat ride was definitely the highlight of the weekend, and will for sure be one of my most memorable adventures of my time in Italy.
We then dried off, got dressed and headed into town to grab lunch. We walked all through the town of Capri (which is on a steep hill, keep in mind!) and finally settled on a restaurant on the main street in town. I will not go into detail, but let it be known that this was the most expensive, most horrible lunch I have EVER had! It was bad. Really really bad. We then started to bus down to the bottom when we got a call from our new-found guy friends. Gina and I jumped off the bus and met them for what they promised was the “best gelato yet.”
It certainly was!!! The line was wrapped around the corner, and as you approached you watched them make the waffle cone in front of you, and then ask you which of their 15 flavors you wanted! I got a combo of limone and crema – sooo yummy! The boys were on their forth cone each, so Gina and I decided that splitting a second (a combo of strawberry, mocha and the
Capri specialty!) wasn’t too bad. It was without a doubt the best gelato I have EVER HAD. Anyone who goes to Capri… I will tell you where it is! SO good and highly recommended! We then ventured back to the port and went in search of Limoncello – the famous drink of southern Italy! The boys recommended a place, and once again they came through! Gina and I tasted different kinds – lemon, cream of lemon, strawberry, cantaloupe, chocolate and pepper – and the local red wines before making our purchases, meeting the group and getting back on the ferry to Ischia!
I really can’t remember specifics of the rest of the boat ride… everything now blurs together. Everywhere we went posed beautiful views, cliff-side houses and restaurants and amazing, clear blue water. Our guide kept laughing at us (me especially, being tagged as the group’s photographer!) for taking pictures of absolutely everything. Once we got through the Green Grotto, he told me to “save the
camera!” in his heavy Italian accent – he told us the sea was about to get really rough and that the camera may fly off if I keep taking pictures. BOY was he right! I was sitting on the very front of the boat, and about two minutes later we were in the wake of larger boats and more into the open sea, where our little boat was soaring over wave after wave after wave! The girls later told me that I was airborne for most of the ride. Limbs were flying everywhere and our boat guide was easily amused with our constant “eeee’s!” and “weeee’s!” when going over the larger waves. We got into a trend of “ciao!-ing” the passing boats.
“Can we ciao the boat?!” was our phrase of the day. Every time we passed another boat, we let out a collective “CIAO!” in passing. After basking in the sun, soaring over waves and enjoying breathtaking views, we arrived back into the port and said goodbye. That boat ride was definitely the highlight of the weekend, and will for sure be one of my most memorable adventures of my time in Italy.
We then dried off, got dressed and headed into town to grab lunch. We walked all through the town of Capri (which is on a steep hill, keep in mind!) and finally settled on a restaurant on the main street in town. I will not go into detail, but let it be known that this was the most expensive, most horrible lunch I have EVER had! It was bad. Really really bad. We then started to bus down to the bottom when we got a call from our new-found guy friends. Gina and I jumped off the bus and met them for what they promised was the “best gelato yet.”
It certainly was!!! The line was wrapped around the corner, and as you approached you watched them make the waffle cone in front of you, and then ask you which of their 15 flavors you wanted! I got a combo of limone and crema – sooo yummy! The boys were on their forth cone each, so Gina and I decided that splitting a second (a combo of strawberry, mocha and the
Capri specialty!) wasn’t too bad. It was without a doubt the best gelato I have EVER HAD. Anyone who goes to Capri… I will tell you where it is! SO good and highly recommended! We then ventured back to the port and went in search of Limoncello – the famous drink of southern Italy! The boys recommended a place, and once again they came through! Gina and I tasted different kinds – lemon, cream of lemon, strawberry, cantaloupe, chocolate and pepper – and the local red wines before making our purchases, meeting the group and getting back on the ferry to Ischia!
Ischia, Pompei, Capri e Napoli... oh my! Part 3
Continued from previous post...
Saturday morning we woke up early, met the group for breakfast (the most expansive, delicious continental breakfast I’ve ever had! Dad – you would have LOVED the donuts! Lauren and I couldn’t get enough!) We then loaded the bus and headed for the post to catch our boat to Capri!
The ferry ride was, again, full of a touristy-photoshoot and an iPod session with Gina! Nothing like boating through the middle of a clear blue sea rocking out to the Nano! When we finally got into Capri Town, we were all speechless – it was BEAUTIFUL! I have never seen anything like it. We were all anxious to get off the boat, and once we did we decided that the first thing we wanted to do was to get a boat tour of the island. While the rest of the group headed to the right of the dock to board the big, group tours, we decided to venture left
and see what the locals had to offer. My fluent-in-Italian roommate Cathy talked to the man at the tourists office who referred us to this older Italian man at a restaurant, who then directed us to a German woman whose husband owned his own boat. They offered us a two-hour, private tour of the Island for 200 Euro – 25 each – full of factual information, swimming and wave-riding! We automatically said yes, and the eight of us climbed aboard!
Our (boat guide? We got in the habit of enthusiastically calling him “our guy!”) took us around the island, pointing out important landmarks, famous homes, nice water-front restraints, good photo opts and fabulous grottos and caves. We passed by the famous Blue Grotto, with his
promise that we would actually get to SWIM through another one that didn’t charge 9 euro and entail an hour wait. He was true to his word, and after going another 10 minutes, we found ourselves at a beautiful alcove, with clear blue water, no competition and a very inviting staircase built into the cliff – perfect for cliff-jumping! We jumped out (me first!) into the perfectly clear blue water!
We thought Monterossa had clear water – we clearly had yet to go swimming in the Mediterranean! The water was more than 20 ft deep and we could see straight to the bottom. After frolicking
around in the water, our boat guide took pictures of us jumping off the staircase into the water below! We swam for about half an hour and climbed back into the boat to explore the rest of the island!
We kept venturing around the island of Capri, and finally got to the second most famous grotto, the Green Grotto! After seeing that boats were waiting on either
side to travel through, our guide told us to jump off and swim through, and that he would meet us on the other side. Didn’t have to tell us twice! We jumped off the boat, swam through the coral-edged grotto to the other side. We were excited to see the group of boys we had met earlier in the morning (fellow American study-abroaders), and they too jumped off their boat to join us in the water. One of the highlights of the day was then seeing a big tour boat full of Umbra kids. We were very pleased to had spent the extra money and waved “CIAO!” to them as they boated by and we continued to frolic in the grotto. We then got back into the boat and continued on our trip!
Saturday morning we woke up early, met the group for breakfast (the most expansive, delicious continental breakfast I’ve ever had! Dad – you would have LOVED the donuts! Lauren and I couldn’t get enough!) We then loaded the bus and headed for the post to catch our boat to Capri!
The ferry ride was, again, full of a touristy-photoshoot and an iPod session with Gina! Nothing like boating through the middle of a clear blue sea rocking out to the Nano! When we finally got into Capri Town, we were all speechless – it was BEAUTIFUL! I have never seen anything like it. We were all anxious to get off the boat, and once we did we decided that the first thing we wanted to do was to get a boat tour of the island. While the rest of the group headed to the right of the dock to board the big, group tours, we decided to venture left
and see what the locals had to offer. My fluent-in-Italian roommate Cathy talked to the man at the tourists office who referred us to this older Italian man at a restaurant, who then directed us to a German woman whose husband owned his own boat. They offered us a two-hour, private tour of the Island for 200 Euro – 25 each – full of factual information, swimming and wave-riding! We automatically said yes, and the eight of us climbed aboard!
Our (boat guide? We got in the habit of enthusiastically calling him “our guy!”) took us around the island, pointing out important landmarks, famous homes, nice water-front restraints, good photo opts and fabulous grottos and caves. We passed by the famous Blue Grotto, with his
promise that we would actually get to SWIM through another one that didn’t charge 9 euro and entail an hour wait. He was true to his word, and after going another 10 minutes, we found ourselves at a beautiful alcove, with clear blue water, no competition and a very inviting staircase built into the cliff – perfect for cliff-jumping! We jumped out (me first!) into the perfectly clear blue water!We thought Monterossa had clear water – we clearly had yet to go swimming in the Mediterranean! The water was more than 20 ft deep and we could see straight to the bottom. After frolicking
around in the water, our boat guide took pictures of us jumping off the staircase into the water below! We swam for about half an hour and climbed back into the boat to explore the rest of the island!We kept venturing around the island of Capri, and finally got to the second most famous grotto, the Green Grotto! After seeing that boats were waiting on either
side to travel through, our guide told us to jump off and swim through, and that he would meet us on the other side. Didn’t have to tell us twice! We jumped off the boat, swam through the coral-edged grotto to the other side. We were excited to see the group of boys we had met earlier in the morning (fellow American study-abroaders), and they too jumped off their boat to join us in the water. One of the highlights of the day was then seeing a big tour boat full of Umbra kids. We were very pleased to had spent the extra money and waved “CIAO!” to them as they boated by and we continued to frolic in the grotto. We then got back into the boat and continued on our trip!
Ischia, Pompei, Capri e Napoli... oh my! Part 2
Continued from previous post...
On the bus ride to the port, Regina told us of the scarrrry thieves and pick-pocketers in Napoli. She told us that these guys could “eat the American, Rome or Florence pick-pocketers for lunch.” After that scare tactic, we all decided to literally sit on top of our bags for an hour and wait for our ferry, opting to NOT walk into Napoli and explore. Our ferry finally came (after a wonderful ice cream treat with Cathy and Lindsey!) and we boarded it for a two-hour long ride to the island of Ischia, where we would be staying.
The ferry was almost exactly like the ferry that my mom and I took to/from Nantucket last summer for our mother/daughter day, so it brought back fun memories! We took pictures (duh!) all the way there. However, I did get a couple minutes of solitude with my iPod and a beautiful sunset in the distance. I had a few
minutes by myself (something I don’t get much of here!) to reflect on where I was, what I was doing, who I was with, and how lucky I was to be experiencing all of this. I then made a promise to myself that I would try to soak it all up and jump at every opportunity that came my way! I don’t know if I would ever be back on an island get-a-way in the middle of the Mediterranean, so I had to try my hardest to enjoy every minute of it!
When we finally got into Ischia, we were all VERY anxious to get to our hotel! We had heard good things, but NOTHING could prepare us for what was in store. We bused to the top of the island, and got out. We walked in, and found ourselves in the middle of a four-star resort. While waiting for our keys, we watched a video that advertised the resort’s beauty spa, chocolate massages, four pools, and private villas. We were sure that the group of 40 Americans wouldn’t be able to enjoy all those perks, but we were partially wrong. Our rooms were then called – Lauren and Lana were in Camera 126 and Cathy and I were in Camera 806. We told the concierge we were in 806, and he smiled and asked one of the maids to escort us there (at least that’s what I think he said, it was all in Italian.) She might as well have given us a tour of the hotel because we walked through almost everything to get there. She then walked back to our very own, private villa!
Camera 806 had its own walkway, sign directions throughout the hotel’s grounds, our own patio, and our own entrance to the indoor/spa pool! And – we had slippers waiting in the room for us! We thought it was standard at the hotel, but after asking everyone else we found that we were one of the only rooms that had that perk! Yea us! We then met the rest of the group for dinner – a fabulous, five-course meal complete with much-anticipated seafood! Our meal included shrimp cocktail and the white fish of the day – so yummy! We then retreated to our rooms and tried to catch some sleep before a busy busy day on Saturday!
On the bus ride to the port, Regina told us of the scarrrry thieves and pick-pocketers in Napoli. She told us that these guys could “eat the American, Rome or Florence pick-pocketers for lunch.” After that scare tactic, we all decided to literally sit on top of our bags for an hour and wait for our ferry, opting to NOT walk into Napoli and explore. Our ferry finally came (after a wonderful ice cream treat with Cathy and Lindsey!) and we boarded it for a two-hour long ride to the island of Ischia, where we would be staying.
The ferry was almost exactly like the ferry that my mom and I took to/from Nantucket last summer for our mother/daughter day, so it brought back fun memories! We took pictures (duh!) all the way there. However, I did get a couple minutes of solitude with my iPod and a beautiful sunset in the distance. I had a few
minutes by myself (something I don’t get much of here!) to reflect on where I was, what I was doing, who I was with, and how lucky I was to be experiencing all of this. I then made a promise to myself that I would try to soak it all up and jump at every opportunity that came my way! I don’t know if I would ever be back on an island get-a-way in the middle of the Mediterranean, so I had to try my hardest to enjoy every minute of it!
When we finally got into Ischia, we were all VERY anxious to get to our hotel! We had heard good things, but NOTHING could prepare us for what was in store. We bused to the top of the island, and got out. We walked in, and found ourselves in the middle of a four-star resort. While waiting for our keys, we watched a video that advertised the resort’s beauty spa, chocolate massages, four pools, and private villas. We were sure that the group of 40 Americans wouldn’t be able to enjoy all those perks, but we were partially wrong. Our rooms were then called – Lauren and Lana were in Camera 126 and Cathy and I were in Camera 806. We told the concierge we were in 806, and he smiled and asked one of the maids to escort us there (at least that’s what I think he said, it was all in Italian.) She might as well have given us a tour of the hotel because we walked through almost everything to get there. She then walked back to our very own, private villa!
Camera 806 had its own walkway, sign directions throughout the hotel’s grounds, our own patio, and our own entrance to the indoor/spa pool! And – we had slippers waiting in the room for us! We thought it was standard at the hotel, but after asking everyone else we found that we were one of the only rooms that had that perk! Yea us! We then met the rest of the group for dinner – a fabulous, five-course meal complete with much-anticipated seafood! Our meal included shrimp cocktail and the white fish of the day – so yummy! We then retreated to our rooms and tried to catch some sleep before a busy busy day on Saturday!
Ischia, Pompei, Capri e Napoli... oh my! Part 1
Back from an amazing weekend on the Mediterranean… and here is the scoop!Caution: long post!!!
Friday morning we woke up at 4:15 to meet the bus at 5:30 to leave for our getaway! (Paige and Lauren Kenny were lucky enough to get a phone call while waiting!) This was an optional, highly-popular trip planned by Umbra. 45 of us got to spend the weekend between Pompei, Ischia, Capri and Napoli Italy! Friday morning we bussed down to Pompei and spent most of the day there. After a five hour bus ride, we were all anxious to get off the bus and walk
around! Pomei was beautiful and very interesting. I think that the roommates enjoyed it more than I did – I have never been much of a history buff! However, it was very interesting to hear the story and to walk through the ruins. I know that someday I will look back on it as one of those “Yeah, I’ve seen that!” places (a popular term we have coined.) We walked in a ancient brothel, stood in the smaller amphitheatre, walked through the streets, and saw fossilized bodies and dogs in the ruins. Those were really 
breath taking and moving – you could still see the look of shock, horror and pain on their skeleton faces. It was unbelievable and really sad.We then wondered through the new city of Pompei, grabbed a pizza and jumped on the bus and headed for the Port of Napoli (Naples) to catch our ferry to Ischia!
(continued in the next post!)
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Under the Tuscan sun and swimming in the Almafi!
So in twenty-four hours I saw the Tuscan hillside, the historic city of Florence and hiked along and swam in the Almafi coast. Pretty awesome! Thought I would share a few pics for those who have yet to stalk the Facebook albums!
This is a shot from my class field trip on Friday in Tuscany. We went to an organic farm, and yes I ate an olive off a tree, pet the cows, tried homemade yogurt and drank organic apple juice! We had a cheese tasting, a tour of the farm and got to meet the owner, who was very interested in 24 Americans touring his farm! It was a really fun morning and we all enjoyed it, and got a few good laughs!
Next we went to a private villa where we had cooking classes! We slaved over gnocci, tiramisu, ravoili and bruschetta just long enough to deserve a three hour, under-the-tuscan sun lunch! The food (which we made!) was fabulous, and I was lucky enough to get to bring the recipes home! Larissa - my fellow Discovery-er! - and I have already planned to cook the meal for my roommates in a few weeks!
Cinque Terra is going to be one of my favorite places in Italy. It's made up of five towns (this is the fourth) that line the Almafi coast. There is a walking trail between all five, and until 100 years ago it was the only way to travel the five villages. All of them are colored in the same way (think Rainbow Row in Charleston, SC!) and are absolutely breathtaking! The hike was hard (correction: harder than I expected!) and was about six hours long! We stopped to take pictures... a lot... resulting in me taking over 330 of them!
The best part about embarking on a six-hour hike was the village at the end! We spent about an hour swimming at the beach in Monterossa, the last of the five towns. The water was so blue, so clear, and luckily warm enough to go swimming! Although we had to sneak into a changing stall on a private beach (the lifeguard actually walked in on Lana changing!), it was a very relaxing end to our very long hike!
This is a shot from my class field trip on Friday in Tuscany. We went to an organic farm, and yes I ate an olive off a tree, pet the cows, tried homemade yogurt and drank organic apple juice! We had a cheese tasting, a tour of the farm and got to meet the owner, who was very interested in 24 Americans touring his farm! It was a really fun morning and we all enjoyed it, and got a few good laughs!
Next we went to a private villa where we had cooking classes! We slaved over gnocci, tiramisu, ravoili and bruschetta just long enough to deserve a three hour, under-the-tuscan sun lunch! The food (which we made!) was fabulous, and I was lucky enough to get to bring the recipes home! Larissa - my fellow Discovery-er! - and I have already planned to cook the meal for my roommates in a few weeks!
Cinque Terra is going to be one of my favorite places in Italy. It's made up of five towns (this is the fourth) that line the Almafi coast. There is a walking trail between all five, and until 100 years ago it was the only way to travel the five villages. All of them are colored in the same way (think Rainbow Row in Charleston, SC!) and are absolutely breathtaking! The hike was hard (correction: harder than I expected!) and was about six hours long! We stopped to take pictures... a lot... resulting in me taking over 330 of them!
The best part about embarking on a six-hour hike was the village at the end! We spent about an hour swimming at the beach in Monterossa, the last of the five towns. The water was so blue, so clear, and luckily warm enough to go swimming! Although we had to sneak into a changing stall on a private beach (the lifeguard actually walked in on Lana changing!), it was a very relaxing end to our very long hike!
Two days til Ischia!
Sorry it has been so long since my last post! The last week has been full of adventure, lessons learned and planning for the rest of the semester!
Last Friday I was in Tuscany for a class field trip (my class is titled "History and Culture of Italian Food," so you can assume what the trip entailed!), spent the night in Florence with my Aunt Sylvia, and then met the girls in Cinque Terra for the weekend! Saturday was spent hiking to all five towns (Cinque Terra = five villages), swimming in the Almafi sea, having a fabulous dinner, and recooping from the long hike!
This week we started our second week of classes. So far my favorite is my Creative Writing class - my professor is very engaging and challenging, but really pulls good stuff out of us! My homework for today (due at 3:30... ah!) is to sit and describe a place in Perugia. I can do that! Should be fun, and I'll be sure to post a writing masterpiece (haha) on the blog for you all to see!
THe roommates and I have spent some quality time together. We have decided on Greece for fall break, had an American dinner (accompanied by an "I-miss-America" conversation) at Hogan's, a very American bar, on Monday. Last night we went out to dinner with our new friend Will, one of my fellow Marylanders on the trip! Lana, Cathy and I are getting excited for our trip to Capri, Pompeii and the island of Ischia this weekend! Will be sure to post a picture or two from that trip!
Hope all is well back in the states!
Last Friday I was in Tuscany for a class field trip (my class is titled "History and Culture of Italian Food," so you can assume what the trip entailed!), spent the night in Florence with my Aunt Sylvia, and then met the girls in Cinque Terra for the weekend! Saturday was spent hiking to all five towns (Cinque Terra = five villages), swimming in the Almafi sea, having a fabulous dinner, and recooping from the long hike!
This week we started our second week of classes. So far my favorite is my Creative Writing class - my professor is very engaging and challenging, but really pulls good stuff out of us! My homework for today (due at 3:30... ah!) is to sit and describe a place in Perugia. I can do that! Should be fun, and I'll be sure to post a writing masterpiece (haha) on the blog for you all to see!
THe roommates and I have spent some quality time together. We have decided on Greece for fall break, had an American dinner (accompanied by an "I-miss-America" conversation) at Hogan's, a very American bar, on Monday. Last night we went out to dinner with our new friend Will, one of my fellow Marylanders on the trip! Lana, Cathy and I are getting excited for our trip to Capri, Pompeii and the island of Ischia this weekend! Will be sure to post a picture or two from that trip!
Hope all is well back in the states!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
A typical day in Perugia
"Just another day in paradise!"
I cannot help but to hum that song while walking around town today. It's about 77 degrees (thank you, weather.com!) with a slight breeze and sunshine all day! I facebooked/emailed this morning, had my hour of Italian, and headed to the market with Lana to pick up food for our due-appartamento dinner tonight! The market (mercado!) is open every morning til 1:00, and has one floor of clothing/bags/accessories, one floor of meats and dry goods, and one of produce. We have made friends with a man who runs his own vegetable stand, and go there at least twice a week. When we come around the corner he says "Ciao ciao americanas!" every time. We bought fruit for our fruit salad and vegetables for our salad tonight (shopping and cooking for 9 in hard!)
After a short spell of homesickness (thank you to all of those who were aware and emailed/called/wrote me :-) I feel as though I am adjusting. I spoke to Sylvia (complicated... she's my aunt's cousin) who lives in Florence about staying with her this weekend. I have a class trip for my Food class on Friday in FLorence, I am staying the night with her Friday night, then meeting the girls in Cinque Terra on Saturday morning! We have yet to get a hostel/hotel, but we are going to just show up and hope to get something! Cinque Terra is something I have been wanting to do (thank you, Kathryn Beeler!) since this summer, and I am excited to be going with Kate, Madelene and Vanessa this weekend!
Another highlight of the day... was a phonecall from Croatia! Uncle Tom called me from Zagreb while I was at the market! It was great to hear from family, especially to learn that I will have somewhere to go for Thanksgiving! Pending Umbra closing, Cathy and I will be in Croatia (Zagreb, the capitol) from November 21-24th, to celebrate Thanksgiving with Tom, Sylvia, Alex, Valerie and Patrick - it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a lot of Favrets!
This will probably be the last blog of the week... so look forward to pictures from a short spell in Florence and a weekend hike in Cinque Terra! Ciao!
Monday, September 10, 2007
Quando a Roma... Part 3!
We then ventured over to the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museum and Gardens. If you have seen these in person you know how stunning they are, and that the pictures below cannot do it justice. However, the student discount tickets (8 euro) and beauty of the artwork were not worth the frustration of getting through the exhibits and the chapel. There were so many people and so many things to look at, that it was almost un-enjoyable. Afterwards we all decided that it was our least favorite part of the weekend. I have been in crowded places before and been frustrated, but having to look at (and attempt to enjoy) some of the most famed and historic artwork in the world while being surrounded by hundreds of rude, international people was very disheartening. If you ever venture to Rome, we recommend doing the Vatican itself one day (getting there early!) and the Sistine Chapel the next (again, as early as possible.)
We then grabbed lunch, did a little shopping, and headed home. We were even brave enough to use the Rome Metro system. And let me tell you all – I would rather sleep in the DC metro than ride on the Roman one any day. It was dirty, and not the safest place. There is a reason Italy is known for its bus systems!
After a much-needed two hour nap at the hotel, it was time for la Notte Bianca! The city stays open for 24-hours and tourists from all over the world and Italians alike venture into stores, restaurants and museums during all hours of the night. We had a photo shoot at the Trevi Fountain, grabbed pizza, enjoyed gelato on the Spanish Steps, watched an international “circe de soile” in Piazza del Popolo, and walked through Galoppatoio, Rome’s version of Central Park.La Notte Bianca was very fun, but it was also very scary. When we were sitting on the Spanish Steps a guy was pushed, fell backwards onto his head, and was put into shock. To spare you the gory details and make a long story short, it cleared the Steps, he was rushed away, and the gang that he was with dispersed into the city. After that, the mood of the night had changed, and we were ready to leave. Rome was a beautiful city and la Notte Bianca was fun while it lasted, but it was very overwhelming to realize that we were 4 American girls in a HUGE international city where we do not know the language or the full culture of the city. The four of us joked that this would have been a perfect time for guy friends or boyfriends :-)
After heading back to the hotel and calculating that we must have walked at least 15 miles up, down, in and out of Rome, we ventured to the train station, waited for two and a half hours, and caught the first train back to Perugia. The ride was long, smelly, hot and full of fellow 20-somethings, and we could not have been more relieved three hours later when we arrived in Perugia. Venturing to other towns (especially cities as extensive as Rome) make Perugia feel like home. I am so happy to be in the town that I am in, where I feel safe and welcome every time I get off the bus. Our apartment felt like home when we walked in, and all we wanted to do was SLEEP!However…
We bought tickets to the Perugia soccer game for that afternoon!
About 80 Umbra students caught buses (comments about the Italian bus system to come at a later time) down to the stadium, tailgated, and watched Perugia take on Crotone. It was interesting to learn that they charged the women 10 euro and the men 20 euro for tickets. We figured it must have been a ploy to get women to come to the games!To game in Perugia – even though it was a Series 3 game – was unlike anything I have ever see. Growing up and playing soccer (and multiple other sports) in the US is nothing compared to this. It is cliché, but no one does “futbol” like the Europeans. I joked to other Eloners and said that you could combine Elon football attendance for the year and still not get as much excitement as was shown for this one game. Guess I have a different perspective for Phanatics now J The game was fun and Perugia won, but the real showcase was the dedicated and energetic fans. Futbol is certainly a passion of Italian life that is not matched by either football or baseball in the US, and I am so lucky I got to experience it in my first week of being here.
That’s all for now, and hope you enjoyed the story of the weekend!
Ciao a tutti!
Quando a Roma... Part 2!
After walking around this area and doing a little bit of shopping, we headed back to the hotel, showered and got dressed for a night out! We randomly ran into two other Umbra girls, and decided on dinner at Colores, (an amazing restaurant that was recommended to us by two very cute Romans on the street!) We had pasta amaticana – a traditional dish that is Rome is famous for – and delicious wine. We then walked around that neighborhood and decided to call it a night. It was the best decision we made all weekend, seeing as though the next day would be jam-packed…
We woke up Saturday morning (thanks to Lana’s persistence), and hopped on the bus to Vatican City. Walking into St. Peter’s Square was breathtaking, and one of the most humbling experiences I have ever had. The pictures do not do it justice, and I wish you all can experience the Vatican at some point in your life.
We walked right into the Vatican (breezing through the lines is worth getting up at 6:00!) and walked right up to the Cupola, the top of the Vatican. We opted to save 2 euro and took the stairs – something I recommend only for those who are in-shape! Once we got to the tip, we realized there were even more stairs to climb! The shaky legs were worth it – we then got a downward view into St. Peter’s Basilica, and a 360 view of Vatican City and the metropolis of Rome. I remember Lana and I standing there in awe for about five minutes, looking out over the entire city. We had seen almost everything in view the following day (by foot!), but from up there it looked so small.
After a Cupola photo shoot (can you blame us?!) we headed back down the stairs and into the Basilica. Looking at the paintings, the sculptures and the tomb of St. Peter was amazing, and that was just one part. I realized I could have spent hours in that large room alone, cornering off into four different alters, confessionals, tombs, frescos and fountains of holy water. I took rosary beads to be blessed, and had the pleasure of talking to a friar (did not catch his name) from Mortar, an island between the coasts of Italy and Africa. He told me all about the history of Mortar, how he learned English, where the Pope was, and what life is like in the Vatican. Well, maybe he didn’t offer ALL that information, but I was as inquisitive as he was talkative. We made a great pair, but I had to keep my tired and anxious travel buddies in mind :-)
...continued in "Quando a Roma... Part 3!"
Quando a Roma... Part 1!
When in Rome
**Caution: Very long post!**
**Caution: Very long post!**
This past weekend the roommates and I went to Rome for our first trip of the semester. We caught the train (the second one… we over-excitedly missed the first train) out of Perugia and arrived in Rome around 11:00. We settled in our hotel, and immediately began exploring!
First we went to the Coliseum, saw the ancient Roman ruins, and toured the surrounding area. I feel like I cannot out into words what it felt like to be surrounded by so much history in one place. This was not an American tourist spot, and it wasn’t just “a place to see in Italy.” This city – and the monuments and structures we explored – are known around the world and are one of the most coveted times in history. I have never been surrounded by so many languages and ethnicities in my life. I am going to be able to see a lot of famous places in the coming months, but I know that none of them will exceed the exposure of what I had in Rome.
Next we saw the Pantheon, grabbed gelato at Piazza Novano (Cathy’s favorite spot in Rome!) and saw the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. We then ventured down Via Condetti, Rome’s “5th Avenue”. Gucci, Prada, Armani, Escada, Dolce & Gabana lined the street and brought tourists from all over the world into their lavishly decorated flagship stores. (Mom and Dad, don’t worry – I didn’t buy anything at the above mentioned stores!) We even saw a store called “Expensive”, which set the tone for the entire shopping district :-)
Continued in the "Quando a Roma... Part 2!"
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