Who knew that one could see so much history in one week? My family flies home from Rome this morning, but I am back in Firenze after a wonderful 10 days of fall break in Italy with them. We began on Friday morning in Florence, when their flight was delayed from Frankfurt because of fog, leaving me with several hours to myself at the Florence airport. Peanut M-n-M's and a Coca-Cola Light later, Mom, Dad, and Ross made it to Florence. We did, however, make it out of the terminal before Mom could stop the tears and catch her breath to say anything. 8 weeks is the longest I've probably ever been away from home, and certainly the farthest. Indeed, the invention of Skype has allowed me to stay in better touch with everyone, but it's certainly not the same.
In Florence, we visited the heavy hitters: the Uffizzi, the Accademia, and the Duomo as well as indulging in some of the best Tuscan cuisine. We ate well in Florence. I wanted to give my parents and brother a true taste of what/how I've been enjoying Tuscan cuisine for the semester. With all the walking, I can't say that I've sent them back with any lighter, but maybe on a diet instead. Something I will never be in my next life: a tourguide. After a night's sleep on a trans-Atlantic flight, I had my poor family walking all of Florence in my eagerness to show them the city that I've fallen in love with. Needless to say, they needed a nap after some pizza from my favorite spot. The beauty of Florence is, though, that you can walk everywhere. The birth of the renaissance is within one-square block. And the circumference of the ancient city walls, one can stumble upon all the treasures and masterpieces that Italy has to offer.
Siena is much of the same, only smaller and less famous. On our way to Siena, we stopped at two famous Tuscan towns: San Gimignano and Monteriggioni. Spending only a few hours in each spot, you can get the feel of each medieval town. I had visited both of these spots before, so my parents enjoyed the luxury (or curse) of once again having me as their tourguide. We then spent one day walking around the city and the campo of Siena before heading out on a tour with Gianni of the Chianti region of Tuscany. We visited several tiny towns (one with only 23 inhabitants!), a Baron's Castle, and a winery, before heading to the capital of the Roman empire for a few days. Mom decided that rather than having a driver, they needed to experience the European train system (something totally foreign to North Carolinians). So, by train, we made our way from Siena to Rome. This is the point in the trip in which I stop being familiar with the area and the cities. I consider myself pretty well-traveled in Italy by now, but I haven't made my way south enough to get to Rome or Sorrento, so my days as a tour guide ended. They did not, however, end as translator to taxi drivers, map dissector, or metro navigator. We arrived to our hotel in Rome (where the famous Rick Steve's son was also staying) mid-week with a precarious weather forecast. We visited the two sights that Mom had not scheduled in our tours: the Spanish steps and the Trevi Foutain. Both beautiful, and both extremely crowded. Mom had beautifully planned everyday of this vacation with a guided tour or a pre-planned means of transportation, so torrential downpours could have put this planning to waste. It did rain the morning of our scheduled Classics Tour of Rome, but our guide luckily switched our tickets and we headed to the massiveness of the Vatican. On Wednesday mornings, however, the Pope gives an audience to pilgrims and because of the weather, this was held in Saint Peter's Cathedral -- as the largetst church in the world, its one of the highlights of the Vatican, if not THE highlight behind the Michelangelo's Sistine chapel. Luckily, our tour of the museum and the chapel lasted long enough that the cathedral re-opened. I was not prepared for the extravagence of the Vatican. I had no idea of the amount of the Vatican's collection: priceless Renaissance masterpieces, ancient Roman statues, or Egyptian artifacts. Each corridor rivals any noteworthy museum. The day turned out to only be drizzly, so we walked around Rome, grabbed some pizza, indulged in a siesta, and shopped in the best shops that Italy has to offer. I may or may not be returning with a new Gucci purse. Splurg! We woke up with clear skies on Thursday morning to juxtapose the famed beauty of modern Rome with that of the Ancient Empire: We had guided tours of the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Pantheon. Everything is as impressive as one would imagine. The major walk-away message I took from the Ancient Roman Empire: Some of beautiful, detailed, elaborate, and massive structures were built before the birth of Christ. And not just a handful of buildings. Countries and countries worth. That's hard for me to fathom.
We left Rome on Friday morning in need of a little R&R after the touring and chaos of Rome. We headed south to the beautiful Sorrento to stay in a hotel with a terrace that opens out to the "puerta grande" and looks directly at the active volcano of Mt. Vesuvius. If I were to live anywhere in Italy, it would be on the Amalfi Coast or around Cinque Terre. The taste of the Italian cuisine (with plenty of Mediterranean frutti de mare), the pace of Italian life, and the natural beauty of the cliffs plummeting into the crystal clear blue waters creates an atmosphere in these two regions that is unparalleled in any vacation spot I've ever been in. We ate, we drank, and we relaxed. On Saturday, we had a tour of the Amalfi coast, stopping in Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello. The coast is another UNESCO World Heratige site for the same reasons I loved Cinque Terre. We had a delicious meal in Ravello on a terrace that overlooked the coastline from 365 meters high (that's nearly 2000 feet of a straight dropo to sealevel) before heading back to our quiet Sorrento. Unknowingly, my family booked our trip to visit during my fall break, but most of the coast towns' businesses, restaurants, and tours close shop on November 1st. So, we had nearly 80 degree weather, sunny skies, and no crowds during the last days of the tourist season. Because this is my Dad's first trip to Italy, the country of 3/4 of his heritage, and with uncertainty of when he'll be back, he plunged into what he called warm waters of the Mediterranean. Yesterday, I had to say goodbye to Sorrento, our vacation, and my family, but not before visiting Pompeii and the crater of Mt. Vesuvius on our way back to Rome. Pompeii was a slight disappointment, but I was surprised by the vastness of the town that exists. I expected our driver to stop, say "Here is Pompeii, an ancient Roman city that was covered in 50 feet of ash when Mt. Vesuvius last errupted seriously in 79 AD" and for us to hop back in the Mercedes and head on our way. Instead, we had a 2 hour audio tour of the grounds. After about the first hour, I had grasped the feel of the place and felt ready to go. Luckily, my family had the same feeling. So, instead, we spent our last hour freely walking around and marveling at what still existed from 2000 years ago. Then, we headed to Mt. Vesuvius, one of the highlights of the trip for me. How often in one's life can he say "Hey, I'm standing in the crater of an active volcano." You can drive the majority of the way up the mountain, but the final stretch (about a 30 min steep-incline hike) can only be done by foot. I nearly jumped out of the car in excitement, but Dad and Ross did not match my enthusiasm. Ross can attest that I practically ran up the side of the mountain, leaving them both in the dust. We took some great shots from the smoking crater. From the 1,281 meter height, we had an amazing view of all of Naples and the port beside it. From the volcano, we headed back to Rome where we said our goodbyes and I hopped on a train to Florence.
With only 6 short weeks left in Italy, I feel like I need to enjoy every single day left. I have a busy November... leaving for Paris on Wednesday with James, Barcelona with him the weekend after, and then some special Davidson visitors for Thanksgiving weekend (and my 21st Birthday weekend, naturally). Having some quality family time was just what I needed to miss home, but be homesick. Still no bouts of that illness yet. I was also thrilled to share some of the experiences of my semester abroad with them. Neither of my parents had the opportunity to basically quit their lives for a few months and live in Europe, and who knows where or what Ross will end up doing in the next few years. I took a hiatus as photographer and handed the responsibility to my Mom, who will certainly post the 1000+ photos she took in our 10 days together as soon as possible. I'm a lucky lucky girl to have the life I do and the best part of experiencing it is sharing it with the people you love.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Laying like a Starfish
Ah, I'm already regretting what I said in my last post about enjoying the fall-like weather. Caroline and I need a space heater in our room. We're barely making it to 70 degrees these days in Florence and I've broken out and broken in my favorite Saturday morning at Davidson outfit: the Connor zip-up, yoga pants, and UGGs. In the weekend before midterms, I have not cracked open one book, but instead spent a few days in the Florence and a few days on the coast with James in Cinque Terre. We both ended up with beautiful schedules that leave us free by mid-afternoon on Wednesdays until Monday mornings, so James arrived to a meal of penne with meat sauce and a table full of Davidson friends on Wednesday evening. Another typical Davidson Wednesday found us ending our night at the Lion's Fountain, chowing down on burritos, and mozing across Florence to JD and Dugan's apartment. Thursday morning, James and I hopped on a train (No, James, not in a fast car) and headed off to Cinque Terre, a series of 5 towns along the Italian Rivera with trails connecting each unique seaside town through the National Park. We stayed in Riomaggiore, the first of the 5 towns, on the hillside. After attending a "Drink Like An American Party" in Valencia on Tuesday night, James forgot to print out a map of the town, so lacking direction, Wifi, and mastery of the Italian language, we hopped off the train and luckily found the hotel after climbing a only a few hundred sets of stairs. A water-facing terrace proved to be the perfect location for sunset-gazing both nights before heading down into the town for dinner. Porches of the American South have always been a weakness, and even if I had to be curled up in a huge blanket to star-gaze later in the evenings, terraces on the Mediteranean coast of Italy will definitely suffice for the semester. Known for its seafood, Riomaggiore has a small marina and rocky beach area that only adds to the atmosphere for eating. Luckily, James is an adventurous eater as I am, and we indulged in stuffed anchovis, seafood salads, mussels in marinara, seafood spaghetti, and pizza al mare for the entirety of our stay.
Friday, we hiked the Via Dell'Amore between Riomaggiore and Manarola and the trail between Corniliga and Vernazza. In my group trip to Cinque Terre with 90 degree temperatures and massive crowds, the chill of the October air under a cloudless sky made the day memorable. We picked up some faccacia (with pesto, my favorite) in Corniliga and ate some lunch by the water. By the time we made it to Manarola, I was in need of gelato after a 3 day hiatus. Without my usual peanut butter and chocolate go-to, I selected what I thought to be the next-best flavors: Nutella, Chocolate, and Mint Chocolate Chip. The nutella scoop was a warm scoop of nutella rather than a nutella flavored gelato. Not my best selections. We spent some time on the beach in Monterosso al Mare and grabbed a beer and prosecco by the water before escaping from the flies and heading back to our Riomaggiore. In need of a late-afternoon snack, James picked up a piece of olive and anchovi pizza while I grabbed a bottle of prosecco and two riceballs, a famous Ritter favorite and the topic of my admission essay to Davidson. We followed the pre-meal snacks with another beautiful sunset and another amazing meal. Afterwards, I PASSED out, arms and legs outstretched and told James not to touch me while I was "laying like a starfish, only, I must've had my 5th apendage cut-off, since my head was shorter than my limps". You can take the girl out of the science classrooms, but you can't take the science nerd out of the girl.
Cinque Terre provided the perfect setting for several of the best days of the semester, hands down. The towns combine outdoorsy with beauty, seaside with mountains, making our experience romantic, intimate, and breath-taking. Its easy to see why the region is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Saturday morning, we thought about doing some more exploring North of Cinque Terre, but after an hour of rocky relaxation literally sitting in the sea, we decided that we'd head on back to Florence so we could indulge in another Florentine dinner with our friends. That's the thing about Italian culture -- it all revolves around meals, something I've quickly adopted into my life. I love nothing more than a several course meal, a glass of wine, and some engaging conversations. I said it in one of my first posts, but it does force you to take a step back, relax, and genuinely get to know people. After a 100+ decibal country concert in my apartment, we ended up back at Lion's Fountain, per usual, and finding people from all over the country that knew people from Davidson, per usual. Meredith and James marked the walls with some Kappa Connor graffiti before we headed to the Hamburgler's and back the boys' apartment.
After a few verses of John Denver's "I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane", James headed back to Valencia on the 1:30 flight yesterday, and I ended up sleeping until 12:30. Not that a shorter day made the day go by any faster. Something about Sundays really make me miss home. Keeping with the musical theme, I should start singing "That's what I love about Sundays" right now. It must be how I usually spend my Sundays: with my family watching football. Mom always makes something yummy and I always end up napping through at least 1 half of one of the games. Needless to say, after this week of "midterms", I'll be more than ready for Mom, Dad, and Ross to arrive Friday morning and spend 10 days with them exploring Florence, Siena, Tuscany, Rome, the Amalfi coast, Mount Vesuvius, Sorrento, and Pompeii!
Friday, we hiked the Via Dell'Amore between Riomaggiore and Manarola and the trail between Corniliga and Vernazza. In my group trip to Cinque Terre with 90 degree temperatures and massive crowds, the chill of the October air under a cloudless sky made the day memorable. We picked up some faccacia (with pesto, my favorite) in Corniliga and ate some lunch by the water. By the time we made it to Manarola, I was in need of gelato after a 3 day hiatus. Without my usual peanut butter and chocolate go-to, I selected what I thought to be the next-best flavors: Nutella, Chocolate, and Mint Chocolate Chip. The nutella scoop was a warm scoop of nutella rather than a nutella flavored gelato. Not my best selections. We spent some time on the beach in Monterosso al Mare and grabbed a beer and prosecco by the water before escaping from the flies and heading back to our Riomaggiore. In need of a late-afternoon snack, James picked up a piece of olive and anchovi pizza while I grabbed a bottle of prosecco and two riceballs, a famous Ritter favorite and the topic of my admission essay to Davidson. We followed the pre-meal snacks with another beautiful sunset and another amazing meal. Afterwards, I PASSED out, arms and legs outstretched and told James not to touch me while I was "laying like a starfish, only, I must've had my 5th apendage cut-off, since my head was shorter than my limps". You can take the girl out of the science classrooms, but you can't take the science nerd out of the girl.
Cinque Terre provided the perfect setting for several of the best days of the semester, hands down. The towns combine outdoorsy with beauty, seaside with mountains, making our experience romantic, intimate, and breath-taking. Its easy to see why the region is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Saturday morning, we thought about doing some more exploring North of Cinque Terre, but after an hour of rocky relaxation literally sitting in the sea, we decided that we'd head on back to Florence so we could indulge in another Florentine dinner with our friends. That's the thing about Italian culture -- it all revolves around meals, something I've quickly adopted into my life. I love nothing more than a several course meal, a glass of wine, and some engaging conversations. I said it in one of my first posts, but it does force you to take a step back, relax, and genuinely get to know people. After a 100+ decibal country concert in my apartment, we ended up back at Lion's Fountain, per usual, and finding people from all over the country that knew people from Davidson, per usual. Meredith and James marked the walls with some Kappa Connor graffiti before we headed to the Hamburgler's and back the boys' apartment.
After a few verses of John Denver's "I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane", James headed back to Valencia on the 1:30 flight yesterday, and I ended up sleeping until 12:30. Not that a shorter day made the day go by any faster. Something about Sundays really make me miss home. Keeping with the musical theme, I should start singing "That's what I love about Sundays" right now. It must be how I usually spend my Sundays: with my family watching football. Mom always makes something yummy and I always end up napping through at least 1 half of one of the games. Needless to say, after this week of "midterms", I'll be more than ready for Mom, Dad, and Ross to arrive Friday morning and spend 10 days with them exploring Florence, Siena, Tuscany, Rome, the Amalfi coast, Mount Vesuvius, Sorrento, and Pompeii!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Venetian Weekend
On Wednesday night, we went to a recommended resturaunt with the crew for a quiet night before our early train to Pisa. Ended up not being so quiet when we overindulged in the "Free House Wine to Students" deal that Dante's had. Needless to say, our 7:30 Meet Time came way too early. JD made the ride memorable to all aboard.
We arrive in Venice around 11 to find 50 degree weather and torrential downpours. When I told James that they were calling for rain while I was in Venice, he wittily replied, "Hope it doesn't flood." We were supposed to walk to our hotel in San Marco Square, about a mile and a half from the train station. With our bags and without our rainboots, this proved to be too big a feat. Lucca hailed a water taxi for the 15 of us and we arrived at our hotel the only way appropriately: by water. Our hotel was in PRIME location, surrounded by the high fashion stores and less than 100 feet from San Marco Square, the largest square in Venice. And when I say hotel, I mean more like apartments. Caroline, Keena, Emily, and I had a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment with kitchenette. We had a few hours of free time so that we could circumvent the rain for our 4 hour walking tour scheduled for later in the day. Lucca warned us that the Venetians aren't particularly known for their hospitality and advised us to stay around the tourist resturaunts. We may have taken this a little too literally in our lunch date at Hard Rock Cafe on Saturday, but on Friday we ate a pizza, had a rude man yell at JD, and have a waitor who very well could've been on drugs put ketchup on the other table's fries, for them. After a 20 min nap at the hotel, we met in the lobby for a walking tour... in the sun. Although it remained windy and chilly, Caroline commented that it felt like football weather. I couldn't have agreed more. In a Florence "Fall" where high temperatures haven't dropped below 85, the football weather was refreshing. But after 2 days of it, I'm glad to be back with the warm Florentines.
Lucca strolled us around Venice, stopping at a few locations to explain the importance, but for the most part, our tour gave us the ability to get a feel for Venice at large. Afterward, we took a promised gondola ride. We had been going since 7 am that morning, and finally sitting down to relax and enjoy our surroundings made me realize how freakin' lucky I am. Gondola rides, as cliche as they are, are something that everyone who loves Italy has to do once in a lifetime. Well, as we were riding along, we were finally doing it. 20 years old in Italy for 5 months. Pretty awesome.
Afterward, Milva and Lucca had arranged aVenetian meal for us. 5 courses. Seafood platter (obvi my favorite), bruschetta, vegetable lasagna, veal, salad, and potatoes, and gelato and fruit to finish! When you start a meal off with 3 pieces of bread, 5 courses are a lot to manage. We then headed back to our "apartments" where I decided to relax in the bathtub, go find some WiFi, and watch some CNN before heading to bed.
Another early morning greeted us with a free breakfast buffet. We then met a spunky little tourguide and headed to the Doge's Palace, San Marco Cathedral, and the Prisions. I've never so many gold ceilings in my life than in the Palace and the Cathedral. Absolutely beautiful. Afterward, we headed to a Murano glass factory, ironically in Venice, to have a glass blowing demonstration, listen to a mini-lecture, and visit the showroom. If the glass wasn't so expensive, I would be coming home with Christmas ornaments for all. That afternoon, we were left to fend for ourselves for about 5 hours. With our subpar experience at lunch the day before, we decided to cut our losses and indulge in some American cuisine for lunch. I happily hate buffalo tenders and french fries on the second floor of the Hard Rock Cafe that overlooked a canal full of gondolas. The girls then went for an afternoon of purusing the narrow streets of Venice, stopping in any shop of interest. After an assortment of afternoon snacks we headed back to the hotel to meet the rest of the group to walk to the Jewish Ghetto. In the Venetian dialect, "gheto" means to sequester, throw away, or set apart, a definition that coined the usage of the word "ghetto" all over the world. During the early 20th century, the Venetian ghetto appealed to Jews all over Europe who were living in isolation and injustice. Venice separated the Jews, but offered them financial opportunity and protection. Although Venice wanted to be the Christian city model, officials also wanted the revenue that the Jews provided. Venice is a city founded on commerce with truly capitalist tendancies, and when they thought of the Jews, they saw dollar signs. We happened to tour on Yom Kippur so a few children were playing in the main square, but for the most part, the ghetto was quiet. With only 2 exits, the Venetians used to force the Jews to lock themselves in at night and Venetians patrolled the canal surrounding the tiny island. It was an eerie feeling to be walking through there, like I was infringing on someone else's space, although it is now open to all.
We made it back to the train station an hour before our train left, so we say on a ledge beside the canal and people and boatwatched. I didn't find Venice to be as intimate or romantic as I had expected. The narrow streets and hundreds of small bridges were packed with tourists and sometimes we literally had to push our way through the crowd or simply stand in line. October is high season in Venice and we could definitely tell by the number of people. Our tourguide said that she's been giving tours for 11 years and 11 years ago, there were 11 million tourists to travel to Venice. Last year, there were 22 million. In a decade, the number has doubled and unfortunately, Venice doesn't have the space for them to spread out. It made us all appreciate to be living in Florence, still a small city in comparison to Rome, London, or Paris, its comfortable but not claustrophobic. Less than 2 weeks until my Mom, Dad and Ross arrive! Ciao!
We arrive in Venice around 11 to find 50 degree weather and torrential downpours. When I told James that they were calling for rain while I was in Venice, he wittily replied, "Hope it doesn't flood." We were supposed to walk to our hotel in San Marco Square, about a mile and a half from the train station. With our bags and without our rainboots, this proved to be too big a feat. Lucca hailed a water taxi for the 15 of us and we arrived at our hotel the only way appropriately: by water. Our hotel was in PRIME location, surrounded by the high fashion stores and less than 100 feet from San Marco Square, the largest square in Venice. And when I say hotel, I mean more like apartments. Caroline, Keena, Emily, and I had a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment with kitchenette. We had a few hours of free time so that we could circumvent the rain for our 4 hour walking tour scheduled for later in the day. Lucca warned us that the Venetians aren't particularly known for their hospitality and advised us to stay around the tourist resturaunts. We may have taken this a little too literally in our lunch date at Hard Rock Cafe on Saturday, but on Friday we ate a pizza, had a rude man yell at JD, and have a waitor who very well could've been on drugs put ketchup on the other table's fries, for them. After a 20 min nap at the hotel, we met in the lobby for a walking tour... in the sun. Although it remained windy and chilly, Caroline commented that it felt like football weather. I couldn't have agreed more. In a Florence "Fall" where high temperatures haven't dropped below 85, the football weather was refreshing. But after 2 days of it, I'm glad to be back with the warm Florentines.
Lucca strolled us around Venice, stopping at a few locations to explain the importance, but for the most part, our tour gave us the ability to get a feel for Venice at large. Afterward, we took a promised gondola ride. We had been going since 7 am that morning, and finally sitting down to relax and enjoy our surroundings made me realize how freakin' lucky I am. Gondola rides, as cliche as they are, are something that everyone who loves Italy has to do once in a lifetime. Well, as we were riding along, we were finally doing it. 20 years old in Italy for 5 months. Pretty awesome.
Afterward, Milva and Lucca had arranged aVenetian meal for us. 5 courses. Seafood platter (obvi my favorite), bruschetta, vegetable lasagna, veal, salad, and potatoes, and gelato and fruit to finish! When you start a meal off with 3 pieces of bread, 5 courses are a lot to manage. We then headed back to our "apartments" where I decided to relax in the bathtub, go find some WiFi, and watch some CNN before heading to bed.
Another early morning greeted us with a free breakfast buffet. We then met a spunky little tourguide and headed to the Doge's Palace, San Marco Cathedral, and the Prisions. I've never so many gold ceilings in my life than in the Palace and the Cathedral. Absolutely beautiful. Afterward, we headed to a Murano glass factory, ironically in Venice, to have a glass blowing demonstration, listen to a mini-lecture, and visit the showroom. If the glass wasn't so expensive, I would be coming home with Christmas ornaments for all. That afternoon, we were left to fend for ourselves for about 5 hours. With our subpar experience at lunch the day before, we decided to cut our losses and indulge in some American cuisine for lunch. I happily hate buffalo tenders and french fries on the second floor of the Hard Rock Cafe that overlooked a canal full of gondolas. The girls then went for an afternoon of purusing the narrow streets of Venice, stopping in any shop of interest. After an assortment of afternoon snacks we headed back to the hotel to meet the rest of the group to walk to the Jewish Ghetto. In the Venetian dialect, "gheto" means to sequester, throw away, or set apart, a definition that coined the usage of the word "ghetto" all over the world. During the early 20th century, the Venetian ghetto appealed to Jews all over Europe who were living in isolation and injustice. Venice separated the Jews, but offered them financial opportunity and protection. Although Venice wanted to be the Christian city model, officials also wanted the revenue that the Jews provided. Venice is a city founded on commerce with truly capitalist tendancies, and when they thought of the Jews, they saw dollar signs. We happened to tour on Yom Kippur so a few children were playing in the main square, but for the most part, the ghetto was quiet. With only 2 exits, the Venetians used to force the Jews to lock themselves in at night and Venetians patrolled the canal surrounding the tiny island. It was an eerie feeling to be walking through there, like I was infringing on someone else's space, although it is now open to all.
We made it back to the train station an hour before our train left, so we say on a ledge beside the canal and people and boatwatched. I didn't find Venice to be as intimate or romantic as I had expected. The narrow streets and hundreds of small bridges were packed with tourists and sometimes we literally had to push our way through the crowd or simply stand in line. October is high season in Venice and we could definitely tell by the number of people. Our tourguide said that she's been giving tours for 11 years and 11 years ago, there were 11 million tourists to travel to Venice. Last year, there were 22 million. In a decade, the number has doubled and unfortunately, Venice doesn't have the space for them to spread out. It made us all appreciate to be living in Florence, still a small city in comparison to Rome, London, or Paris, its comfortable but not claustrophobic. Less than 2 weeks until my Mom, Dad and Ross arrive! Ciao!
Monday, October 3, 2011
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
I just returned from my first adventure outside of Italy, a weekend in Valencia, Spain, where I battled two unfortunate aspects of my personality: my dislike for the chaos of travel and for dislike the chaos of crowds, two things that I confronted often in the third largest city in Spain. My lack of knowledge in regards to public transit is comical, which absolutely shoots my anxiety level off the radar when navigating it alone. BUT, to James', Marks' and my own surprise, I not only managed the train from Florence to Pisa, the Pisa airport, and the metro from the Valencia airport to my hotel by myself (even changing lines... the horror!) , with no hiccups and even arriving early. I may've had a little help though, namely James' bulleted directions with metro stops, directions, landmarks, and verbal explanation and my 4 years of Spanish Language courses. I will say that I was still pretty proud of myself when I got all checked-in before Mark arrived to meet me. James was with FSU in the Pyrenees last week (tough life) and he wasn't expected back in Valencia until 7 or so, a few hours after my flight landed. Indeed, he arrived early and missed us at the hotel by a mere 5 minutes, he made it up to my hotel room to discover that I, too, had made it early. My good pal Mark who is in Valencia studying with Virginia this semester offered to babysit with a few Spanish favorites and nice walking tour of the city until James "arrived".
Churros rank in the top 5 of my list of favorite Spanish foods. Who doesn't love deep-fried dough covered in sugar and dipped in chocolate sauce with a glass of nut milk to swallow them down with? Mark snapped a nice photo of me in my eating glory with a caption that summarizes our outing together: "forced ashton to do spanish things: drink horchata while eating churros and chocolate next to a cathedral." James found us in the plaza, conveniently located directly across from the one of the numerous Valencian McDonalds. From there, I changed hands for leisurely walk around town and Chinese dinner with James. Truly, the Spanish eat dinner very late. Way too late for this growling-stomach-at-6PM girl. But keeping with the culture, we ate dinner on Thursday night around 11, only to find the pushiest Chinese waitress. Cultural anomaly? James and I laughed every time she approached our table with her outslaught of questions. Everyone knows how much I love Chinese food and this being only my second chinese meal in the month and a half since I've been here, she couldn't have ruined the mood.
Friday, James took me on a historical walking tour of Valencia. As the Republican capital in their defeat during the 1930s Spanish Civil War, Franco and his forces hit Valencia hard. There are few "old" buildings as compared to Florence, even with Valencia's ancient history, passing hands from the Romans to the Arabians and back to the Spanards, but the city's architecture is completely modern. Curved, wavey and sleak designed buildings litter the city center, hotels, and especially the city of Arts and Sciences, all as a result of Franco's destruction. Late Friday afternoon, we indulged in another favorite Spanish tradition: Tapas. Many of the local restaurants have "Caña y tapa" (a small beer and tapas dish) from about 6:30-11. Loving this idea, I insisted that we "tapas hop" through the city. I think we managed to hit 4 different spots, each with prime people watching locations from their outdoor seating, before we finally made it to James' favorite dinner spot: the kebab and shawarma guy. Needless to say, the meal has become one of my favorites as well, combining spice, chicken, cheese and veggies all for a very cheap price. Until now, I had been too nervous to try the Kabab stop across the street from my apartment in Florence. That was my first stop off the train from Pisa last night. Another thing Valencia has done right: the public bike system. Each person can pay a flat annual fee for use of the numerous public bike locations throughout the city. For each trip, the first 30 mins are free then for additional time it charges a small fee on your credit card. James and Sam have memberships, but I posed a bit of an inconvenience. So, James and I attempted to manuver all variations to get us both on a bike for the long walk home. Miserable failure. Definitely only a 1-person bike unless you're like an acrobat or something.
Saturday, we decided to head to the beach. With James' skill of the metro and the tram system, we made it out for a beautiful but windy afternoon to catch some sun, get in the waves, and watch the regata in front of us. Valencia's beaches hosted the 2009 America's Cup and the wind was definitely available. I have never been a fan of sand, even since my childhood (many funny stories about that). Valencian beaches have a very fine sand and with an afternoon of wind, it was impossible to keep my towel as pristine as usual. Because of the sandy bottom, the water looks a lot like Atlantic water as compared to the crystal clear, rock bottom Meditteranean waters of Cinque Terre or Portofino on the Italian side. When NC Public Schools used to have a Fall Break, we always took a trip to the beach for the same reasons I loved the beach Saturday: the temperature is perfect, the water is still warm, and there are few other beach goers. After the beach, we quickly changed and grabbed another kabab before heading to the Granada v. Valencia futbol game. Because I played soccer for so many years, any excuse to get me to a European match will work, especially 15 Euro tickets in a prime location. We cheered and chanted the Valencians all the way to a 1-0 victory, although we nearly missed the only goal in the 3rd minute. The ball hit the back of the net as we walked out of the corridor to find our seats. By chance, we ran into another Davidson friend, Morgan, before the game outside the stadium and decided to meet up with her, Mark, and some of their friends after the game. They hadn't eaten dinner yet, and to our surprise, they wanted kababs! James and I refrained from our 3rd kabab in 24 hours, but we did enjoy the company of some Davidson and Americans alike. By the time we began the trek back, we had just missed the closing of the metro at 11:30, so James hailed yet another form of public transportation, a taxi.
The City of Arts and Sciences hosted the Paella Festival all weekend and after a few failed attempts at making it over there, we decided to go Sunday afternoon before my flight. With no convenient metro stop, we waited for my 7th form of public transportation, the city bus. (Yeah, count them: Train, Plane, Subway, Tram, Bike, Taxi, and Bus... how's that for conquering fears?) Unfortunately, we weren't the only people headed to the festival and James and I squished onto the bus (luckily airconditioned) for the 15 minute ride. Once there, we bought a few paella tickets that could be exchanged at any of the vendors for a plate. Crowds, another one of my weaknesses, squeezed through the narrow lane between vendors as James and I tried to choose different paellas. We managed to get 3 different kinds with varying amounts of cow tongue, seafood, rabbit as protein. We found a quiet place on the steps and enjoyed the people watching. From there, we walked to find the nearest (but by no means close) metro stop so that we could ride to the airport together. Once there, we enjoyed a Coca-Cola Regular and a Coca-Cola Light together before I headed out on my Ryanair flight. Luckily, I was 20 minutes early both ways as compared to James' 3 hour catastrophe last weekend. I made it back to Florence only to find an empty apartment. After living with my Aunt and Uncle in Boston this summer and their 2-week beach vacation which left me alone in their big ol' house, I knew that I could never live alone. All I wanted to do was hear about my roommates' trip to Oktoberfest in Munich and Caroline and Keena's trip to Madrid. Luckily, we have this beautiful thing called Skype, where James kept me company while I ate dinner and I caught up with my Mom and Dad afterward, getting out all the talking that I had desired.
I hope everyone in the States is enjoying the beautiful weather that October brings. In Florence, we've had an unusually warm September and October with temperatures in the upper 80s everyday and continuing to be forecasted. I told James last night that I will not complain about an 87 degree day, even if my closet lacks a summer variety, because come November when I'm shivering in my boots, I will want nothing more than a warm Florentine day. I loaded another batch of photos from the Grape Festival and Valencia. We head to Venice on Friday as a program so I'll have plenty to fill y'all in next weekend. Ciao!
Churros rank in the top 5 of my list of favorite Spanish foods. Who doesn't love deep-fried dough covered in sugar and dipped in chocolate sauce with a glass of nut milk to swallow them down with? Mark snapped a nice photo of me in my eating glory with a caption that summarizes our outing together: "forced ashton to do spanish things: drink horchata while eating churros and chocolate next to a cathedral." James found us in the plaza, conveniently located directly across from the one of the numerous Valencian McDonalds. From there, I changed hands for leisurely walk around town and Chinese dinner with James. Truly, the Spanish eat dinner very late. Way too late for this growling-stomach-at-6PM girl. But keeping with the culture, we ate dinner on Thursday night around 11, only to find the pushiest Chinese waitress. Cultural anomaly? James and I laughed every time she approached our table with her outslaught of questions. Everyone knows how much I love Chinese food and this being only my second chinese meal in the month and a half since I've been here, she couldn't have ruined the mood.
Friday, James took me on a historical walking tour of Valencia. As the Republican capital in their defeat during the 1930s Spanish Civil War, Franco and his forces hit Valencia hard. There are few "old" buildings as compared to Florence, even with Valencia's ancient history, passing hands from the Romans to the Arabians and back to the Spanards, but the city's architecture is completely modern. Curved, wavey and sleak designed buildings litter the city center, hotels, and especially the city of Arts and Sciences, all as a result of Franco's destruction. Late Friday afternoon, we indulged in another favorite Spanish tradition: Tapas. Many of the local restaurants have "Caña y tapa" (a small beer and tapas dish) from about 6:30-11. Loving this idea, I insisted that we "tapas hop" through the city. I think we managed to hit 4 different spots, each with prime people watching locations from their outdoor seating, before we finally made it to James' favorite dinner spot: the kebab and shawarma guy. Needless to say, the meal has become one of my favorites as well, combining spice, chicken, cheese and veggies all for a very cheap price. Until now, I had been too nervous to try the Kabab stop across the street from my apartment in Florence. That was my first stop off the train from Pisa last night. Another thing Valencia has done right: the public bike system. Each person can pay a flat annual fee for use of the numerous public bike locations throughout the city. For each trip, the first 30 mins are free then for additional time it charges a small fee on your credit card. James and Sam have memberships, but I posed a bit of an inconvenience. So, James and I attempted to manuver all variations to get us both on a bike for the long walk home. Miserable failure. Definitely only a 1-person bike unless you're like an acrobat or something.
Saturday, we decided to head to the beach. With James' skill of the metro and the tram system, we made it out for a beautiful but windy afternoon to catch some sun, get in the waves, and watch the regata in front of us. Valencia's beaches hosted the 2009 America's Cup and the wind was definitely available. I have never been a fan of sand, even since my childhood (many funny stories about that). Valencian beaches have a very fine sand and with an afternoon of wind, it was impossible to keep my towel as pristine as usual. Because of the sandy bottom, the water looks a lot like Atlantic water as compared to the crystal clear, rock bottom Meditteranean waters of Cinque Terre or Portofino on the Italian side. When NC Public Schools used to have a Fall Break, we always took a trip to the beach for the same reasons I loved the beach Saturday: the temperature is perfect, the water is still warm, and there are few other beach goers. After the beach, we quickly changed and grabbed another kabab before heading to the Granada v. Valencia futbol game. Because I played soccer for so many years, any excuse to get me to a European match will work, especially 15 Euro tickets in a prime location. We cheered and chanted the Valencians all the way to a 1-0 victory, although we nearly missed the only goal in the 3rd minute. The ball hit the back of the net as we walked out of the corridor to find our seats. By chance, we ran into another Davidson friend, Morgan, before the game outside the stadium and decided to meet up with her, Mark, and some of their friends after the game. They hadn't eaten dinner yet, and to our surprise, they wanted kababs! James and I refrained from our 3rd kabab in 24 hours, but we did enjoy the company of some Davidson and Americans alike. By the time we began the trek back, we had just missed the closing of the metro at 11:30, so James hailed yet another form of public transportation, a taxi.
The City of Arts and Sciences hosted the Paella Festival all weekend and after a few failed attempts at making it over there, we decided to go Sunday afternoon before my flight. With no convenient metro stop, we waited for my 7th form of public transportation, the city bus. (Yeah, count them: Train, Plane, Subway, Tram, Bike, Taxi, and Bus... how's that for conquering fears?) Unfortunately, we weren't the only people headed to the festival and James and I squished onto the bus (luckily airconditioned) for the 15 minute ride. Once there, we bought a few paella tickets that could be exchanged at any of the vendors for a plate. Crowds, another one of my weaknesses, squeezed through the narrow lane between vendors as James and I tried to choose different paellas. We managed to get 3 different kinds with varying amounts of cow tongue, seafood, rabbit as protein. We found a quiet place on the steps and enjoyed the people watching. From there, we walked to find the nearest (but by no means close) metro stop so that we could ride to the airport together. Once there, we enjoyed a Coca-Cola Regular and a Coca-Cola Light together before I headed out on my Ryanair flight. Luckily, I was 20 minutes early both ways as compared to James' 3 hour catastrophe last weekend. I made it back to Florence only to find an empty apartment. After living with my Aunt and Uncle in Boston this summer and their 2-week beach vacation which left me alone in their big ol' house, I knew that I could never live alone. All I wanted to do was hear about my roommates' trip to Oktoberfest in Munich and Caroline and Keena's trip to Madrid. Luckily, we have this beautiful thing called Skype, where James kept me company while I ate dinner and I caught up with my Mom and Dad afterward, getting out all the talking that I had desired.
I hope everyone in the States is enjoying the beautiful weather that October brings. In Florence, we've had an unusually warm September and October with temperatures in the upper 80s everyday and continuing to be forecasted. I told James last night that I will not complain about an 87 degree day, even if my closet lacks a summer variety, because come November when I'm shivering in my boots, I will want nothing more than a warm Florentine day. I loaded another batch of photos from the Grape Festival and Valencia. We head to Venice on Friday as a program so I'll have plenty to fill y'all in next weekend. Ciao!
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