We arrived in Derry one week ago. (I'm really horrible about updating this these days... whoops :) ). We got picked up at the airport by one of my absolutely charming and hospitable relatives with possibly the best hair in the family. We stayed at my mom's cousin's (Patti) home in Derry, which is in Northern Ireland. Everyone was so nice to us, even though I hadn't visited in seven? years. On Sunday, we went on a small tour around the walls of Derry, and then we drove to the beaches around Greencastle. And Elise and I met almost all the relatives on my mom's side of the family. It was absolutely crazy. It was 10 at night and we were still visiting people and having cups of tea. But I LOVVVVVEEEE tea, so it was all good fun.
On Monday we took a train to Port Stewart to visit another of my mom's cousins (Schira). I got to meet 7 of her 8 children, and countless other relations. She drove us up to Giant's Causeway (a cool rock formation thing) but Elise and I opted out of getting out of the car. It was really cold, and really windy, and somewhat rainy. Then we drove past Bushmill's distillery. It was closed, otherwise I would have totally earned my "official whiskey taster" certificate. Then I'd have just as many bragging rights as my father. However, that did not work out, so he's still the family's whiskey consultant. We went back to Patti's house pretty late that night.
Tuesday Patti drove us down to Sligo, so we could meet up with another cousin, Terri. On the way down, we stopped at a few cool churches, including one that was built to look like a ship. We stopped at a cute little beach town for lunch. And when we finally got to Sligo, we went and vistied WB Yeats' grave, which is apparently on the list of 1000 things to do before you die. CHECKED THAT OFF. Tuesday night we had a lovely dinner with Terri, and she told me lots of good stories about my mom and grandma's younger days. All good fun! That night, Elise and I stayed in a hotel that was converted from an old psych ward. A little unsettling, but probably the best night's sleep I've had in a while. I think they might still put something in the water to calm people down.
On Wednesday we took the bus to Ennis. We stopped in for the lunchtime Irish music concert, which was excellent. It was very similar to Scottish music, except instead of bagpipes, they just had a regular pipe, but it sounded almost the same. We went back to the hostel and cooked dinner. Then we headed out to a local pub for the Irish set dancing class. It was like a mix between the Ceilidh we went to in Scotland, and good old fashioned line dancing from Billy Bob's. Downside: Elise and I got separated, so I ended up paired with some guy from Alabama who was like 40, but was still reliving his glory years. AKA he was wearing way too much Abercrombie cologne and probably should have worn pants that weren't so snug. But other than that, it was great to learn how to dance. I can now feign being Irish.
On Thursday we arrived in Dublin. We checked into the hostel, bought the "hop on hop off" bus tour pass, and then headed to the Guinness Storehouse for the grand tour. It was really cool seeing how the beer was made. The storehouse was put together really well, and you definitely learned a lot when you went around. And then we arrived in the sampling room. We got about a fourth of a pint of Guinness Draught. AND HOLY CRAP THAT STUFF IS SICK NASTY. "Guinness is Good For You" ?? Lies. Absolute Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. So then we go upstairs to discover that our tickets also included a free pint at the Gravity Bar. A whole pint of gross? No thank you. So we found some charming college aged boys to drink ours for us. It was a win-win situation. Anyway, after that great disappointment, we finished the bus tour and then called it a day.
Friday we shopped our way through Dublin. As girls tend to do :) . We visited Trinity College, and then made our way to St. Stephen's gardens. We went to Temple Bar, the outside of St. Patrick's Cathedral (they were charging too much for us to care to go inside-- besides, we had just been in Rome. We've seen gorgeous churches). And then we shopped shopped shopped. :) Except I didn't buy too much. I got the cutest shot glass ever. Ask me to see it next semester!
Saturday we flew back into London and were greeted at a train station by my Uncle Rob and my little cousins (and my big cousin Tom!). We went to Crystal Park and saw some really legitimate dinosaur sculptures. Then we went back to their house and Elise and I played games with the kids. I think that's the first time I've been in the same room with all of my Eastaway cousins. And we're clearly all an intelligent bunch, because the London Underground game we were playing took some serious strategy. That night, we went to the park and walked past the kid's school. It was a good little tour of the area.
And today is SUNDAY. This morning we just played with the cousins and failed at repacking our bags. How did we get all our stuff on a ryanair flight? One of those unanswerable questions. But anyway, I've currently got multicolored sparkly nails, courtesy of my 8 year old cousin Jenna. Super adorable. And now we're back at Maggie's house, and just had more food than I know what to do with. Three weeks in the UK has been nearly as detrimental to my waistline as four months in Italy eating nothing but pasta.
Elise and I leave tomorrow! My five month tour of Europe is finally (almost) over.
Travel Log:
Rome (ITALY)
Subiaco
Assisi
Lisbon (PORTUGAL)
Fatima
Bern (SWITZERLAND)
Olympia (GREECE)
Delphi
Athens
Corinth
Napflion
Mycenae
Patras
Vienna (AUSTRIA)
Krakow (POLAND)
Prague (CZECH REPUBLIC)
Munich (GERMANY)
Paris (FRANCE)
Florence
Venice
London (ENGLAND)
Edinburgh (SCOTLAND)
Pitlochry
Inverness
Kyleakin
Oban
Glasgow
Derry (NORTHERN IRELAND)
Port Stewart
Sligo (IRELAND)
Ennis
Dublin
....Busy semester. I haven't left, but I can't wait to come back :) there's still so much to see!!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Hairycoo and Haggis
Just a note: updates from here on out are probably going to be scarce because of my lack of internet. Which is too bad, because I've seen and done some badass stuff in the past week.
So after the adventures on Monday, we headed to the Isle of Skye to stay at Kyleakin for two nights. Along the way, we stopped at this freezing cold river in the middle of the mountains. Our tour guide, Ruthie, told us if we stuck our face in the river, we'd gain eternal youth and beauty. And I'd quite like to look this good forever, so naturally I plunged my face into the icy waters. We stopped at various other points, including a waterfall that was supposed to grant eternal good sex. You were supposed to stick your entire head under this one, and it was absolutely frigid. So given my exceedingly high morals and dislike of getting my hair wet, I skipped that one. We also saw Eilean Donan, the castle from Made of Honor. And I went against all my principles and tried a smallllll bite of haggis. Which is not all that good. Considering that I've never seen a haggis, I'll just assume that they really don't exist and continue to avoid eating anything made from sheep. Tuesday night we stayed in the hostel and went to bed. We didn't get hardly any sleep on Monday night. However, Elise and I have mastered the bar scene. Not paying for drinks is a great way to economize :)
On Wednesday we went all around the Isle of Skye. We stopped at the capital city for lunch, and got to play in the Faerie Glen. It was this area with a whole bunch of cute little hills and trees-- it was similar to the Shire in Lord of the Rings. We didn't see any faeries while we were there though. After that, we went over to these mountains and climbed one of them that wasn't ridiculously high. And oh my goodness, I'm surprised a gust of wind didn't knock us into the see. It was so freaking windy. There were a couple of moments when I thought I was going to die, but it turned out all right in the end. Wednesday night we went to the local pub in Kyleakin to listen to a semi-famous Scottlish band. And I've come to like bagpipes and accordions. It's all good fun.
Thursday we headed down to Oban. Notable stop along the way: the Harry Potter bridge. (It's the bridge from the second movie that Ron and Harry are flying the enchanted car around). So we got off and took stupid pictures in front of it. Actually, we have stupid pictures in front of all of these sites. Be prepared. When we got to Oban we took a tour of the Oban Distillery. The Scottish really love their whiskey. And we got free samples! They gave us some of this 10 year old stuff that hadn't matured properly. So it was really strong. It was like drinking fire. Whoo, child. The 14 year old stuff was a little less potent. And that was our adventure in one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. We got free glasses, too. Don't know how all this crap I'm acquiring is going to fit on my Ryanair flights to Ireland... hmm. Guess I'll be wearing all my clothes on the plane. Which is just as well, because it is absolutely freezing over here. That small tan I gained in Italy.. yeah that's gone. Hello pasty white English skin. Nice to see you again.
Thursday night we went to the Skipinnish house to learn Ceileidh dancing and hear traditional Scottish music. The dancing was a lot of fun, and as previously stated I really like bagpipe music now. I just wish the men on stage in kilts would have worn some form of undergarment. It's not really anything I want to see.
Friday we left Oban and headed back to Edinburgh. We stopped along the way at a Monty Python castle, a Campbell castle that we got to mess around in, a gorgeous old church, and the oldest pub in Scotland. Eating lunch at a 300 year old pub was kind of interesting. I wasn't convinced that the hygienic standards had changed in the three centuries since it opened. Luckily my immune system is like steel! After that, we went and visited Hamish, Heather, and Honey, the famous hairycoos of Scotland. (Hairycoo = hairy cow. They're brown and have a lot of fur and are native to the highlands). We got to feed them carrots and potatos and whatnot. They were very friendly hairycoos as these things go. We also stopped at the William Wallace monument; I decided I really need to watch Braveheart. Someone make me do it this summer, okay? Good. So after arriving in Edinburgh we caught a train to Glasgow. That was a little stressful. They kept cancelling trains and sending us to different platforms. But we got here in the end, and were greeted by my cousin Helen., who is studying at the University here.
Last night Helen took us to her school's end of term party. And holy crap, do Scottish people know how to rave. I've never hair more alcohol thrown on me in my life. At the end of the night, my foot was adhered to the bottom on my flipflop because it was so sticky. Another reason I am glad I don't live in a frat house. However, frat life is a lot of fun in moderation. So it was an excellent way to see what university life in the UK is like. It's way different from UD. Like Groundhog on steroids and caffeiene.
Today (Saturday) we're apparently doing the artsy stuff of Glasgow. It looks like a really pretty city, and I can't see too many clouds in the sky. Jackpot! Tomorrow we leave for Ireland (Derry, Ennis, and Dublin), and then I'll be home in about 10 days (boooooooooooooo.... =[ )
So after the adventures on Monday, we headed to the Isle of Skye to stay at Kyleakin for two nights. Along the way, we stopped at this freezing cold river in the middle of the mountains. Our tour guide, Ruthie, told us if we stuck our face in the river, we'd gain eternal youth and beauty. And I'd quite like to look this good forever, so naturally I plunged my face into the icy waters. We stopped at various other points, including a waterfall that was supposed to grant eternal good sex. You were supposed to stick your entire head under this one, and it was absolutely frigid. So given my exceedingly high morals and dislike of getting my hair wet, I skipped that one. We also saw Eilean Donan, the castle from Made of Honor. And I went against all my principles and tried a smallllll bite of haggis. Which is not all that good. Considering that I've never seen a haggis, I'll just assume that they really don't exist and continue to avoid eating anything made from sheep. Tuesday night we stayed in the hostel and went to bed. We didn't get hardly any sleep on Monday night. However, Elise and I have mastered the bar scene. Not paying for drinks is a great way to economize :)
On Wednesday we went all around the Isle of Skye. We stopped at the capital city for lunch, and got to play in the Faerie Glen. It was this area with a whole bunch of cute little hills and trees-- it was similar to the Shire in Lord of the Rings. We didn't see any faeries while we were there though. After that, we went over to these mountains and climbed one of them that wasn't ridiculously high. And oh my goodness, I'm surprised a gust of wind didn't knock us into the see. It was so freaking windy. There were a couple of moments when I thought I was going to die, but it turned out all right in the end. Wednesday night we went to the local pub in Kyleakin to listen to a semi-famous Scottlish band. And I've come to like bagpipes and accordions. It's all good fun.
Thursday we headed down to Oban. Notable stop along the way: the Harry Potter bridge. (It's the bridge from the second movie that Ron and Harry are flying the enchanted car around). So we got off and took stupid pictures in front of it. Actually, we have stupid pictures in front of all of these sites. Be prepared. When we got to Oban we took a tour of the Oban Distillery. The Scottish really love their whiskey. And we got free samples! They gave us some of this 10 year old stuff that hadn't matured properly. So it was really strong. It was like drinking fire. Whoo, child. The 14 year old stuff was a little less potent. And that was our adventure in one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. We got free glasses, too. Don't know how all this crap I'm acquiring is going to fit on my Ryanair flights to Ireland... hmm. Guess I'll be wearing all my clothes on the plane. Which is just as well, because it is absolutely freezing over here. That small tan I gained in Italy.. yeah that's gone. Hello pasty white English skin. Nice to see you again.
Thursday night we went to the Skipinnish house to learn Ceileidh dancing and hear traditional Scottish music. The dancing was a lot of fun, and as previously stated I really like bagpipe music now. I just wish the men on stage in kilts would have worn some form of undergarment. It's not really anything I want to see.
Friday we left Oban and headed back to Edinburgh. We stopped along the way at a Monty Python castle, a Campbell castle that we got to mess around in, a gorgeous old church, and the oldest pub in Scotland. Eating lunch at a 300 year old pub was kind of interesting. I wasn't convinced that the hygienic standards had changed in the three centuries since it opened. Luckily my immune system is like steel! After that, we went and visited Hamish, Heather, and Honey, the famous hairycoos of Scotland. (Hairycoo = hairy cow. They're brown and have a lot of fur and are native to the highlands). We got to feed them carrots and potatos and whatnot. They were very friendly hairycoos as these things go. We also stopped at the William Wallace monument; I decided I really need to watch Braveheart. Someone make me do it this summer, okay? Good. So after arriving in Edinburgh we caught a train to Glasgow. That was a little stressful. They kept cancelling trains and sending us to different platforms. But we got here in the end, and were greeted by my cousin Helen., who is studying at the University here.
Last night Helen took us to her school's end of term party. And holy crap, do Scottish people know how to rave. I've never hair more alcohol thrown on me in my life. At the end of the night, my foot was adhered to the bottom on my flipflop because it was so sticky. Another reason I am glad I don't live in a frat house. However, frat life is a lot of fun in moderation. So it was an excellent way to see what university life in the UK is like. It's way different from UD. Like Groundhog on steroids and caffeiene.
Today (Saturday) we're apparently doing the artsy stuff of Glasgow. It looks like a really pretty city, and I can't see too many clouds in the sky. Jackpot! Tomorrow we leave for Ireland (Derry, Ennis, and Dublin), and then I'll be home in about 10 days (boooooooooooooo.... =[ )
Monday, May 16, 2011
Functioning alcoholics-- Scotland!
This will be brief because I'm on Elises itouch. Anyway, were in Scotland! We arrived in Edinburgh yesterday by plane because we waited a wee bit too long to book train tickets. And those things get very expensive if you procrastinate. (I'm going to try and use my new Scottish vocabulary. It consists of "wee" "Bonnie" and "sexy"). So we walked around Edinburgh and then decided to go to bed really early because we were exhausted and figured we'd be going out every night this week.
Monday morning we left on our Five day tour of the highlands. Were traveling with two PhD candidates from Germany. Legit. So we stopped at the hermitage of Ossian, Pitlochry, two battle sites, Loch ness, and were staying the night in Inverness. The weather has been cold and rainy, but what else could you expect from scotland. I'm also disappointed that Nessie didn't make a grand appearance. Elise won a cool Nessie figurine fr the resident nutcase who gave up his job to spend his life searching for the loch ness monster. I wonder if I should tell him that it's not real-- but it might break his heart.
So we get to the hostel in Inverness and make dinner. We went to a pub with a couple of Canadian boys who have been here for a few months. They were playing live Scottish music that didn't involve bagpipes. It was kind of trippy. Anyway, we met a couple of locals including a precious 19 year old bartender who was explaining to me that every one in scotland is a functioning alcoholic. He was appalled when Elise and I didn't want to drink more than a pint. He didn't understand the concept of a lightweight. Anyway, Scottish people are a riot! Were heading to the isle of Skye for two nights.
Monday morning we left on our Five day tour of the highlands. Were traveling with two PhD candidates from Germany. Legit. So we stopped at the hermitage of Ossian, Pitlochry, two battle sites, Loch ness, and were staying the night in Inverness. The weather has been cold and rainy, but what else could you expect from scotland. I'm also disappointed that Nessie didn't make a grand appearance. Elise won a cool Nessie figurine fr the resident nutcase who gave up his job to spend his life searching for the loch ness monster. I wonder if I should tell him that it's not real-- but it might break his heart.
So we get to the hostel in Inverness and make dinner. We went to a pub with a couple of Canadian boys who have been here for a few months. They were playing live Scottish music that didn't involve bagpipes. It was kind of trippy. Anyway, we met a couple of locals including a precious 19 year old bartender who was explaining to me that every one in scotland is a functioning alcoholic. He was appalled when Elise and I didn't want to drink more than a pint. He didn't understand the concept of a lightweight. Anyway, Scottish people are a riot! Were heading to the isle of Skye for two nights.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
TEA! TEA! TEA!
TEA TEA TEA TEA TEA TEA TEA TEA TEA.
A four month separation was too rough. And now I'm back in the land of tea and chocolate. AWESOME.
Okay so let's recap since Wednesday afternoon:
We had final convocation mass in the amphitheater on campus, followed by closing speeches. I honestly cannot believe how fast the semester went by. It's been two days since I left Italy, and I already miss everyone like crazy. I really hope everyone is so close next semester. We're definitely hosting Monday Night Meetings in our Condo. It's a five euro buy in, for all of you who are interested. (Yes, thats EURO, and not DOLLARS, we're still trying to scam you).
After convocation we had our final dinner, complete with Campus wine from our vineyard. Which is still as crappy as ever. However, when mixed with coke, it's tolerable. Downside: you'll start doing stupid stuff.
Charming mustaches, absolutely charming.
After dinner, the Mensa ladies started spraying us with champagne. Which was hilarious to watch from the back of the room outside of the splash zone. If the dress I was wearing got covered in alcoholic beverages, I would have been slightly pissed. I don't want to resemble someone who gets into bar fights, after all.
So we headed into the Aula Magna for one last time and watched the slideshow of the semester. It was really cute. And hysterical. They picked some really awful pictures to put up. I escaped too many embarrassing photos, except for that one of me and the statue butt at the Louvre (if you haven't seen it, go look at my "we're going to art history hell..." post). It was really the perfect way to end the semester.
And this was all followed by a bonfire and the burning of our less than stellar tests and papers. Unfortunately, some of the staff was there, so we had to restrain ourselves from vocally showing our frustration. So that went on until two in the morning, with everyone drinking their last bottles of wine and whatnot. We got kicked out of the firepit at 2, and then we headed over to Dr. Nelson's apartment for a little while. Only at UD can you go drink with your professors. Classic. So I didn't get back to the dorm until after three, and then didn't go to sleep until nearly four. Which is really great when you have to get up at five.
Thursday morning was just a rush. A complete rush. Making sure everything was packed and the room was clean was chaotic. But we got on the bus, and made it to the airport. And then Elise and I found out our gate was right next to the group flight's gate. So we got to hang out with everyone until they left. Which was awesome, because I'm going to miss everyone.
And then we headed off to England!
Yesterday, my Auntie Maggie took us to Hampton Court Palace, which is where Henry the VIII liked to hang out and behead people and whatnot. So that was really cool! And then we walked along the Thames back towards her house. Then in the evening we headed into London after chaotically figuring out a method to get Elise and I from London to Edinburgh. Note to self: don't wait last minute to buy tickets, because they are freaking expensive. So we're going to be flying up there. Oh well.
Anyway: London. We went to a show called "Priscilla: Queen of the Desert" which was about as glitzy as it sounds. Basically it's about three drag queens that make their way across the Australian desert to get to a casino. And it was hysterical. The costumes were fantastic, and it sort of makes me want to be a drag queen. Except not really, because from the looks of the production, they have a hard life. I will take a drag queen's shoe collection any day of the week though.
Today we're heading into London again and going on a Jack the Ripper tour and seeing the touristy stuff again. It'll be an adventure for sure.
We got to wear legit costumes for visiting the palace. We are obviously courtiers.
Us with "Lady Kate" or something.
A four month separation was too rough. And now I'm back in the land of tea and chocolate. AWESOME.
Okay so let's recap since Wednesday afternoon:
We had final convocation mass in the amphitheater on campus, followed by closing speeches. I honestly cannot believe how fast the semester went by. It's been two days since I left Italy, and I already miss everyone like crazy. I really hope everyone is so close next semester. We're definitely hosting Monday Night Meetings in our Condo. It's a five euro buy in, for all of you who are interested. (Yes, thats EURO, and not DOLLARS, we're still trying to scam you).
After convocation we had our final dinner, complete with Campus wine from our vineyard. Which is still as crappy as ever. However, when mixed with coke, it's tolerable. Downside: you'll start doing stupid stuff.
After dinner, the Mensa ladies started spraying us with champagne. Which was hilarious to watch from the back of the room outside of the splash zone. If the dress I was wearing got covered in alcoholic beverages, I would have been slightly pissed. I don't want to resemble someone who gets into bar fights, after all.
So we headed into the Aula Magna for one last time and watched the slideshow of the semester. It was really cute. And hysterical. They picked some really awful pictures to put up. I escaped too many embarrassing photos, except for that one of me and the statue butt at the Louvre (if you haven't seen it, go look at my "we're going to art history hell..." post). It was really the perfect way to end the semester.
And this was all followed by a bonfire and the burning of our less than stellar tests and papers. Unfortunately, some of the staff was there, so we had to restrain ourselves from vocally showing our frustration. So that went on until two in the morning, with everyone drinking their last bottles of wine and whatnot. We got kicked out of the firepit at 2, and then we headed over to Dr. Nelson's apartment for a little while. Only at UD can you go drink with your professors. Classic. So I didn't get back to the dorm until after three, and then didn't go to sleep until nearly four. Which is really great when you have to get up at five.
Thursday morning was just a rush. A complete rush. Making sure everything was packed and the room was clean was chaotic. But we got on the bus, and made it to the airport. And then Elise and I found out our gate was right next to the group flight's gate. So we got to hang out with everyone until they left. Which was awesome, because I'm going to miss everyone.
And then we headed off to England!
Yesterday, my Auntie Maggie took us to Hampton Court Palace, which is where Henry the VIII liked to hang out and behead people and whatnot. So that was really cool! And then we walked along the Thames back towards her house. Then in the evening we headed into London after chaotically figuring out a method to get Elise and I from London to Edinburgh. Note to self: don't wait last minute to buy tickets, because they are freaking expensive. So we're going to be flying up there. Oh well.
Anyway: London. We went to a show called "Priscilla: Queen of the Desert" which was about as glitzy as it sounds. Basically it's about three drag queens that make their way across the Australian desert to get to a casino. And it was hysterical. The costumes were fantastic, and it sort of makes me want to be a drag queen. Except not really, because from the looks of the production, they have a hard life. I will take a drag queen's shoe collection any day of the week though.
Today we're heading into London again and going on a Jack the Ripper tour and seeing the touristy stuff again. It'll be an adventure for sure.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
And now it's over...
I finished finals today. This past week has been really bittersweet. So let me begin my story...
On Friday, we had our last day of classes. That night, we had our final group dinner in Rome. So Elise and I went in a little early to hang out in Trastevere one last time before we leave Italy. AND we finally got mistaken for Italians. (Two guys came up and asked us in Italian where the Colosseum was. Maybe they didn't think we were Italian and were just trying to talk to us. Because the Colosseum is kind of hard to miss. But whatever, it counts). We went up to the keyhole one last time and then went to the group dinner. It was at a pizza place, and we each got our own pizza. So much food, as always. Italians know how to eat. Anyway, the school was offering to bus us home from Rome at midnight, so we actually got to go out in the city. Normally this is hard because the metro stops running at 9:30 and cabs are expensive. So a large group of us went to a bar in Campo dei Fiori called the Drunken Ship. And oh child. They are not kidding. Jeff and I split a pitcher (like a freaking PITCHER) of something that tasted like a cherry limeade from sonic. But it definitely wasn't. So that was more fun than anticipated. And then on the way home, there was a really bad accident on the highway so what should have taken about 45 minutes took almost two hours. Which isn't fun when you really have to pee. Moving on.
Saturday our Theology term paper was due. It was also my birthday. I am officially 20. No longer a teenager, but definitely not mature enough to claim adult status. :) I spent the whole day studying. And then Elise told me I had to go out for my birthday. So we planned to go into Albano to Saints and Sinners one last time. So as we're walking out to the bus stop, we walk past the forno. Long story short, my amazing roommates Elise, Paige, and Renee threw me a surprise party and pretty much scared the crap out of me. But it was a lot of fun and really nice of them. So I got to celebrate my 20th birthday with great wine and even better friends.
I am also excited to note that a new camera awaits me in England. I broke mine back in February, so I've had to steal pictures from Elise all semester. Luckily she's a great photographer.
Sunday we had a class (I'm pretty sure that's breaking a commandment) and spent the rest of the time studying. And then a week of finals. Which means sleeping about 4 hours a night and being really stressed out. Hello heartburn. But I'm pretty sure they went well. I got my final Comedy/Tragedy paper back this week though. AND I GOT A FREAKING C ON IT. I'VE NEVER GOTTEN A C IN MY LIFE. I CAN GET A 97 IN QUANTUM PHYSICS, BUT I CAN'T EVEN PULL OFF A B ON A STUPID SHAKESPEARE PAPER? WHAT THE HELL. So that was a bitter pill to swallow. But I'm pretty sure the teacher will curb the grade at the end of the semester. Fingers crossed.
Finals ended today, and tonight we've got final convocation and a big dinner. Followed by an all night PARTY. Got to get rid of that 2 euro wine somehow.
Tomorrow I leave for England with Elise. I can't wait to see all the relatives and travel without worrying about schoolwork.
I really love the A TEAM. It's been a pleasure working with you ladies all semester.
DIVIDE AND CONQUER.
On Friday, we had our last day of classes. That night, we had our final group dinner in Rome. So Elise and I went in a little early to hang out in Trastevere one last time before we leave Italy. AND we finally got mistaken for Italians. (Two guys came up and asked us in Italian where the Colosseum was. Maybe they didn't think we were Italian and were just trying to talk to us. Because the Colosseum is kind of hard to miss. But whatever, it counts). We went up to the keyhole one last time and then went to the group dinner. It was at a pizza place, and we each got our own pizza. So much food, as always. Italians know how to eat. Anyway, the school was offering to bus us home from Rome at midnight, so we actually got to go out in the city. Normally this is hard because the metro stops running at 9:30 and cabs are expensive. So a large group of us went to a bar in Campo dei Fiori called the Drunken Ship. And oh child. They are not kidding. Jeff and I split a pitcher (like a freaking PITCHER) of something that tasted like a cherry limeade from sonic. But it definitely wasn't. So that was more fun than anticipated. And then on the way home, there was a really bad accident on the highway so what should have taken about 45 minutes took almost two hours. Which isn't fun when you really have to pee. Moving on.
Saturday our Theology term paper was due. It was also my birthday. I am officially 20. No longer a teenager, but definitely not mature enough to claim adult status. :) I spent the whole day studying. And then Elise told me I had to go out for my birthday. So we planned to go into Albano to Saints and Sinners one last time. So as we're walking out to the bus stop, we walk past the forno. Long story short, my amazing roommates Elise, Paige, and Renee threw me a surprise party and pretty much scared the crap out of me. But it was a lot of fun and really nice of them. So I got to celebrate my 20th birthday with great wine and even better friends.
I am also excited to note that a new camera awaits me in England. I broke mine back in February, so I've had to steal pictures from Elise all semester. Luckily she's a great photographer.
Sunday we had a class (I'm pretty sure that's breaking a commandment) and spent the rest of the time studying. And then a week of finals. Which means sleeping about 4 hours a night and being really stressed out. Hello heartburn. But I'm pretty sure they went well. I got my final Comedy/Tragedy paper back this week though. AND I GOT A FREAKING C ON IT. I'VE NEVER GOTTEN A C IN MY LIFE. I CAN GET A 97 IN QUANTUM PHYSICS, BUT I CAN'T EVEN PULL OFF A B ON A STUPID SHAKESPEARE PAPER? WHAT THE HELL. So that was a bitter pill to swallow. But I'm pretty sure the teacher will curb the grade at the end of the semester. Fingers crossed.
Finals ended today, and tonight we've got final convocation and a big dinner. Followed by an all night PARTY. Got to get rid of that 2 euro wine somehow.
Tomorrow I leave for England with Elise. I can't wait to see all the relatives and travel without worrying about schoolwork.
DIVIDE AND CONQUER.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Why does my room smell like fish?
It's been a weekend of walking, to say the least.
Our fourth long weekend consisted of staying in Rome. It's the beatification of JP II this weekend, so almost everyone on campus was staying in Rome for it. So we had Friday off, and got to explore the city. We've officially got less than two more weeks here! Which means finals are rapidly approaching. But we're going to ignore that fact :)
On Thursday, Elise, Ellie, and I went into Castel Gandolfo for dinner. So we're waiting at the bus stop. And the bus never comes. So we really want to go to this restaurant, and so we decide to walk it. It took 40 minutes and it was uphill the whole way. But we get to the restaurant, and we run into Monsignor (our chaplain). The food was absolutely amazing, and at the end of the night he offers to drive us back down the hill. Which was great, because both Elise and I were wearing heels. Another perk: the pope is currently at Castel Gondolfo, so that means that the swiss guard was also there. It was a great night with the girls.
On Friday, Elise, Renee, Paige and I decided to go to the Botanical Gardens in Trastevere. It's definitely my favorite part of Rome. The gardens were amazing. And I don't even really like nature. We just kept following different paths and ended up on top of a hill over looking the city. It was so pretty. You could see almost every major basilica in Rome. After walking around the gardens, we went to lunch at a place we had been to the week before. Except they jacked up their prices a ton! Grrr. Stupid Romans. Anyway, we got back to campus and then attempted to do homework. Which failed. But last night there was the "Spring Fling: The Gathering", which was basically the Rome version of the formal back in Irving. It was surprisingly fun, but UD does not know how to pick music for dances. At all. It was kind of a throwback to the 70s. But whatever, you can't expect too much else from UD. It was nice to see everyone dressed up though.
Today, Elise, Renee, Brad, Michael, Andrew, and I walked the Appia Antica. It's basically this old Roman road that leads from were we live into Rome. Its about 12 miles. It took us from 12:30 until 7 to make it into Rome and then take public transportation back. Oh, and it was raining the whole time. So basically, I walked for six solid hours outside in the cold and the rain. But it was so much fun!! Definitely worth doing while in Rome. Anyway, Elise and Michael are crazy enough to stay in Rome all night to be in line for the Beatification mass. I decided that staying up all night in the cold for another papal event didn't really interest me. So now I'm back on campus and I'll try and finish some homework tonight. Wish me luck. Finals are approaching and I still have no motivation to work.
Side note: we're currently involved in a prank war, and we're losing. Tonight when we got back from dinner, we found ourselves locked out of our room. When we got in, the whole place stank like cat food. Turns out, they had filled a box with tuna and left it under our bed. Earlier in the week, they had taped all of our makeup and hair stuff to the ceiling of the room and covered most surfaces with sprinkles and shaving cream. I guess they got us back for stealing all their clothes and hiding them in trash bags in various locations in the dorm.
However, boys are stupid. And I hate the smell of fish.
Elise and I in the gardens.
Our fourth long weekend consisted of staying in Rome. It's the beatification of JP II this weekend, so almost everyone on campus was staying in Rome for it. So we had Friday off, and got to explore the city. We've officially got less than two more weeks here! Which means finals are rapidly approaching. But we're going to ignore that fact :)
On Thursday, Elise, Ellie, and I went into Castel Gandolfo for dinner. So we're waiting at the bus stop. And the bus never comes. So we really want to go to this restaurant, and so we decide to walk it. It took 40 minutes and it was uphill the whole way. But we get to the restaurant, and we run into Monsignor (our chaplain). The food was absolutely amazing, and at the end of the night he offers to drive us back down the hill. Which was great, because both Elise and I were wearing heels. Another perk: the pope is currently at Castel Gondolfo, so that means that the swiss guard was also there. It was a great night with the girls.
On Friday, Elise, Renee, Paige and I decided to go to the Botanical Gardens in Trastevere. It's definitely my favorite part of Rome. The gardens were amazing. And I don't even really like nature. We just kept following different paths and ended up on top of a hill over looking the city. It was so pretty. You could see almost every major basilica in Rome. After walking around the gardens, we went to lunch at a place we had been to the week before. Except they jacked up their prices a ton! Grrr. Stupid Romans. Anyway, we got back to campus and then attempted to do homework. Which failed. But last night there was the "Spring Fling: The Gathering", which was basically the Rome version of the formal back in Irving. It was surprisingly fun, but UD does not know how to pick music for dances. At all. It was kind of a throwback to the 70s. But whatever, you can't expect too much else from UD. It was nice to see everyone dressed up though.
Today, Elise, Renee, Brad, Michael, Andrew, and I walked the Appia Antica. It's basically this old Roman road that leads from were we live into Rome. Its about 12 miles. It took us from 12:30 until 7 to make it into Rome and then take public transportation back. Oh, and it was raining the whole time. So basically, I walked for six solid hours outside in the cold and the rain. But it was so much fun!! Definitely worth doing while in Rome. Anyway, Elise and Michael are crazy enough to stay in Rome all night to be in line for the Beatification mass. I decided that staying up all night in the cold for another papal event didn't really interest me. So now I'm back on campus and I'll try and finish some homework tonight. Wish me luck. Finals are approaching and I still have no motivation to work.
Side note: we're currently involved in a prank war, and we're losing. Tonight when we got back from dinner, we found ourselves locked out of our room. When we got in, the whole place stank like cat food. Turns out, they had filled a box with tuna and left it under our bed. Earlier in the week, they had taped all of our makeup and hair stuff to the ceiling of the room and covered most surfaces with sprinkles and shaving cream. I guess they got us back for stealing all their clothes and hiding them in trash bags in various locations in the dorm.
However, boys are stupid. And I hate the smell of fish.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Roma: Reading is Optional, Class Attendance is Not
SO just for the sake of memories way down the line, I'm going to go into painstaking detail in describing an average day. Average meaning: no traveling involved. Except from the dorm room to the classroom to the mensa.
As most of you probably know, I'm rooming with Paige and Elise again this semester. We're living in a room about the size of the single room I had last semester. With only two desks, and about 120 books for classes. We're all morning people. So we normally get up around 6, but Paige is up even earlier. This is prime homework time. Except on Tuesdays and Thursdays (classes start later), when I go to the pathetic excuse for a gym on campus and attempt to ward off the pasta weight. The mensa (cafeteria) opens for breakfast at 7. Its always the same: slices of white bread, cheese, ham, two types of cereal, and croissants. Which is fine with me.
On "A" days, we have Lit Trad, Art and Arch, and Phil of Man. Classes start at 8 AM and go until 1 PM. We get 15 minutes between classes. But lets be honest, by the end of the last class, no one is even listening any more. But it's Art and Arch which is the only class I've currently got an A in.... So lesson learned: stop caring and you'll do fine :). We also have "A*" days, which means that the Art and Arch class is on site somewhere in Rome, like the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Borghese Gallery, etc. However, on these trips we have to be in our big group of 105, so we always look like tourists, which is something I hate. But it's a great excuse to go into Rome, and we've seen a lot of cool things. On "B" days, we have Theology and History, and classes don't start until 10. However, breakfast is still at 7, so if you want to eat before lunch at 1, then you have to get up anyway. There's something about the classes at 11:30... they just go on forever. Our class attendance in mandatory; we are only allowed one absence before they drop us from the course. Which blows. Anyway, we have two classrooms on campus, one called the Aula Magna (also used for Sunday Mass and Monday night Meeting), and the Aula Minore (which is located in the basement of the dorm; it's always really warm in that room, so combined with uninteresting philosophical material, it makes for some great naps).
On days we don't have Art and Arch field trips, we have the rest of the day off. Except on Mondays, when we have the mandatory Monday Night Meeting, where the dean tells us what we're doing for the week and people make various announcements about upcoming activities and such. Dinner is always at 7. And it's always pasta. With vegetables soaked in oil. Delicious??..... We spend the rest of the nights doing homework. "homework". This semester, there's really not enough hours in the day to do all the work. The first thing to go was reading for Art and Arch. Then philosophy reading stopped happening. And then Theology turned into more of a glancing over. And then West Civ reading got delayed for five weeks. The only thing I've consistently done the work for is Comedy/Tragedy. Our strategy for the semester: divide and conquer. I do about 1/4 of the work necessary, as do Elise, Paige, and Renee. It's great to have wonderful roommates who will share their notes. Finals are going to be a special kind of nightmare. At least I've relaxed my perfectionist standards.
So now that the general schedule of the week is layed out, here's what we like to do in our free time:
Elise and I walk to the Dem (local supermarket) and count how many times we get honked at. Our record was 10, with one guy enthusiastically blowing us kisses. Italians are very forward.
Also, we like to put on heels and do jumping jacks in the room to piss off the boys below us (Andrew and Nick). This is loads of fun, until Andrew gets pissed enough to start throwing oranges at our window. So, if the window is not all the way shut, it tends to get in and explode over everything.
NOTE: we just played this game, except instead of running around in heels we were banging drawers on the floor. about fifteen seconds later the oranges start hitting the window. And then explode. So our window is now coated in pulp. Thanks, boys.
We spend most of our free time planning our next trips and looking up things to do in Rome.
And that's what an average day is like in Rome.
Time for an Art and Arch trip to Baroque churches! This weekend we're staying in Roma for the beatification of Pope John Paul II. Except I'm sick of large crowds of people, so I might not go. Haven't decided yet.
As most of you probably know, I'm rooming with Paige and Elise again this semester. We're living in a room about the size of the single room I had last semester. With only two desks, and about 120 books for classes. We're all morning people. So we normally get up around 6, but Paige is up even earlier. This is prime homework time. Except on Tuesdays and Thursdays (classes start later), when I go to the pathetic excuse for a gym on campus and attempt to ward off the pasta weight. The mensa (cafeteria) opens for breakfast at 7. Its always the same: slices of white bread, cheese, ham, two types of cereal, and croissants. Which is fine with me.
On "A" days, we have Lit Trad, Art and Arch, and Phil of Man. Classes start at 8 AM and go until 1 PM. We get 15 minutes between classes. But lets be honest, by the end of the last class, no one is even listening any more. But it's Art and Arch which is the only class I've currently got an A in.... So lesson learned: stop caring and you'll do fine :). We also have "A*" days, which means that the Art and Arch class is on site somewhere in Rome, like the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Borghese Gallery, etc. However, on these trips we have to be in our big group of 105, so we always look like tourists, which is something I hate. But it's a great excuse to go into Rome, and we've seen a lot of cool things. On "B" days, we have Theology and History, and classes don't start until 10. However, breakfast is still at 7, so if you want to eat before lunch at 1, then you have to get up anyway. There's something about the classes at 11:30... they just go on forever. Our class attendance in mandatory; we are only allowed one absence before they drop us from the course. Which blows. Anyway, we have two classrooms on campus, one called the Aula Magna (also used for Sunday Mass and Monday night Meeting), and the Aula Minore (which is located in the basement of the dorm; it's always really warm in that room, so combined with uninteresting philosophical material, it makes for some great naps).
On days we don't have Art and Arch field trips, we have the rest of the day off. Except on Mondays, when we have the mandatory Monday Night Meeting, where the dean tells us what we're doing for the week and people make various announcements about upcoming activities and such. Dinner is always at 7. And it's always pasta. With vegetables soaked in oil. Delicious??..... We spend the rest of the nights doing homework. "homework". This semester, there's really not enough hours in the day to do all the work. The first thing to go was reading for Art and Arch. Then philosophy reading stopped happening. And then Theology turned into more of a glancing over. And then West Civ reading got delayed for five weeks. The only thing I've consistently done the work for is Comedy/Tragedy. Our strategy for the semester: divide and conquer. I do about 1/4 of the work necessary, as do Elise, Paige, and Renee. It's great to have wonderful roommates who will share their notes. Finals are going to be a special kind of nightmare. At least I've relaxed my perfectionist standards.
So now that the general schedule of the week is layed out, here's what we like to do in our free time:
Elise and I walk to the Dem (local supermarket) and count how many times we get honked at. Our record was 10, with one guy enthusiastically blowing us kisses. Italians are very forward.
Also, we like to put on heels and do jumping jacks in the room to piss off the boys below us (Andrew and Nick). This is loads of fun, until Andrew gets pissed enough to start throwing oranges at our window. So, if the window is not all the way shut, it tends to get in and explode over everything.
NOTE: we just played this game, except instead of running around in heels we were banging drawers on the floor. about fifteen seconds later the oranges start hitting the window. And then explode. So our window is now coated in pulp. Thanks, boys.
We spend most of our free time planning our next trips and looking up things to do in Rome.
And that's what an average day is like in Rome.
Time for an Art and Arch trip to Baroque churches! This weekend we're staying in Roma for the beatification of Pope John Paul II. Except I'm sick of large crowds of people, so I might not go. Haven't decided yet.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
I miss my Chi...
As the end of the semester approaches, one of the most common questions I hear: "What do you miss most from back home?" Well most people give the standard answers: family, friends, Tex Mex, etc. But what I really miss is my straightener. Four months of big hair is getting a little obnoxious. Granted, I did acquire a European flat iron to use over here, but lets be honest: it sucks. So in about five weeks, my hair will be back up to its normal standard of awesomeness. I'm also looking forward to getting back in shape. I can barely run three miles any more. Sad days!
I can't believe we've only got two more weeks of classes, and then a week of finals. The semester has literally flown by. But it's been really nice being in Rome this past week. On Wednesday, we took an Art and Arch trip up to the Borghese Museum. It was an area of Rome I hadn't been to before, and it's now probably one of my favorites. It's got a huge park to hang out in, and it's not touristy. Jackpot. So that's where I'll be "studying" for my finals.
We didn't have classes on Thursday or Friday, because it's Holy Week. So on Thursday, Michael, Ellie, Elise and I decided to be really ambitious and visit 15 churches. I think we only made it to about 9 of them. Note: If you're ever in Rome, I recommend visiting Trastevere. It's a really neat area and the food is delicious. And cheap. A broke student's dream. We went to Mass at Santa Maria Maggiore and then visited seven different churches that were in Repose to gain a plenary indulgence. It was the first time I've been in Rome at night and it was awesome. There were so many young Catholics walking from church to church. It's nice to see that kind of commitment.
On Friday we went to the service at Santa Croce de Gerusalemme. They have pieces of the True Cross there. And it was amazing to get to see it on Good Friday.
Today: almost all of campus left to go get in line for the Easter Vigil about 9 hours ahead of time. I decided I didn't want to stand in line for so long. So I stayed behind and am trying to get caught up on homework. I've already written two papers today. And it's not even 4 yet.
Tomorrow I'm going to the Easter Sunday mass at the Vatican with the Pope. We're leaving in the early hours of the morning, but hopefully we'll get decent seats again. Ideally it won't rain on us, but it's looking a little cloudy.
So for all those concerned: I have yet again increased my Italian vocabulary. It now consists of about 10 words and three phrases. One of which I can use to tell creepy old gentlemen to leave me alone. Wish I would have known all of this in Florence...
I can't believe we've only got two more weeks of classes, and then a week of finals. The semester has literally flown by. But it's been really nice being in Rome this past week. On Wednesday, we took an Art and Arch trip up to the Borghese Museum. It was an area of Rome I hadn't been to before, and it's now probably one of my favorites. It's got a huge park to hang out in, and it's not touristy. Jackpot. So that's where I'll be "studying" for my finals.
We didn't have classes on Thursday or Friday, because it's Holy Week. So on Thursday, Michael, Ellie, Elise and I decided to be really ambitious and visit 15 churches. I think we only made it to about 9 of them. Note: If you're ever in Rome, I recommend visiting Trastevere. It's a really neat area and the food is delicious. And cheap. A broke student's dream. We went to Mass at Santa Maria Maggiore and then visited seven different churches that were in Repose to gain a plenary indulgence. It was the first time I've been in Rome at night and it was awesome. There were so many young Catholics walking from church to church. It's nice to see that kind of commitment.
On Friday we went to the service at Santa Croce de Gerusalemme. They have pieces of the True Cross there. And it was amazing to get to see it on Good Friday.
Today: almost all of campus left to go get in line for the Easter Vigil about 9 hours ahead of time. I decided I didn't want to stand in line for so long. So I stayed behind and am trying to get caught up on homework. I've already written two papers today. And it's not even 4 yet.
Tomorrow I'm going to the Easter Sunday mass at the Vatican with the Pope. We're leaving in the early hours of the morning, but hopefully we'll get decent seats again. Ideally it won't rain on us, but it's looking a little cloudy.
So for all those concerned: I have yet again increased my Italian vocabulary. It now consists of about 10 words and three phrases. One of which I can use to tell creepy old gentlemen to leave me alone. Wish I would have known all of this in Florence...
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Staying in Rome = More Shoe Options.
That's right, everyone. Because when you're living out of a backpack, you can only bring two pairs of shoes tops. Half the time, you're wearing the same pair all weekend. And that's just not okay. So one of the perks of not traveling this weekend was having my whole shoe collection within grasp. :) :) :) :) :)
So here are some highlights from a full week of classes. (We even had class on Friday... what's that about??). We had a Theology exam on Thursday, which was very European style because the professor is Irish. Which essentially means that she won't tell you whats on the test, because you better prepare yourself if you're left in the dark. That's all fine and dandy, but when you haven't done the reading all semester, it'd be really nice to know what information you need to cram into your brain for 2 hours and then promptly forget.
**Of course, I am the epitome of a responsible student, and have done every single assignment that has been thrown my way.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Anecdote: We have an Art and Architecture quiz on Monday and the professor addresses all 100 of us and asks if anyone has done the reading. Not a single hand went into the air. Welcome to the Rome Semester, where GPAs suffer, but at least we'll have excellent stories about all the cool stuff we did when we should have been studying.
So, this weekend my old high school friend Kenny was in town. (He's in Spain for the semester and is spending a week in Italy. So he came to visit me in Rome, and he'll be heading up to Florence to see another girl from high school). Anyway, nn Friday, Renee, Paige, Elise, and I were on a shoe-buying mission. I restrained myself, and only ended up with a much needed new pair of sunglasses. I've decided I should start saving my money for the England/Ireland/Scotland leg of my trip because it's more expensive over there. And after wandering around the main street of Rome, we headed over to the Colosseum where we met up with Kenny and Lindsay (both OU students studying in Spain) and went out to dinner. We went to the pizza restaurant that was recommended to us by Monsignor. And it was delicious. AND even better, we made the last metro of the night to Anagnina, so we didn't have to take the sketchy night bus. SCORE!
Saturday... Elise and I left campus around 8:30 and headed to the Vatican to meet up with Kenny and Lindsay again. The line to get in was RIDICULOUS. It wrapped allllll the way around the square, and just kept getting longer. So they decided not to go in, and so we took them to Old Bridge (the UD gelato spot). [Note: the Ricotta and Cinnamon gelato is delicious. I know it sounds gross, but it's amazing]. Then we walked along the Tiber to the Orange Garden and the Knights of Malta keyhole. Both spots offered really great views of the city (especially the Vatican) and are off the beaten path of tourists. Which is great, because at the moment, Rome is absolutely hopping with them because of Holy Week and the beatification. After that, we went to Santa Maria della Consedin, and saw the Bocca della Verita (from Roman Holiday), and then went into the church. Which just happened to house the skull of St. Valentine, AND the crypt of Hadrian (the first crypt in Rome!). Afterwards, we went out to Piazza del Popolo and then Elise and I headed back to campus to get started on all that homework we've been ignoring. :)
Tomorrow we're getting up at 5 AM to go to Palm Sunday mass at St. Peter's. We have tickets, but hopefully we actually get a seat!
Piazza del Popolo with Kenny!
So here are some highlights from a full week of classes. (We even had class on Friday... what's that about??). We had a Theology exam on Thursday, which was very European style because the professor is Irish. Which essentially means that she won't tell you whats on the test, because you better prepare yourself if you're left in the dark. That's all fine and dandy, but when you haven't done the reading all semester, it'd be really nice to know what information you need to cram into your brain for 2 hours and then promptly forget.
**Of course, I am the epitome of a responsible student, and have done every single assignment that has been thrown my way.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Anecdote: We have an Art and Architecture quiz on Monday and the professor addresses all 100 of us and asks if anyone has done the reading. Not a single hand went into the air. Welcome to the Rome Semester, where GPAs suffer, but at least we'll have excellent stories about all the cool stuff we did when we should have been studying.
So, this weekend my old high school friend Kenny was in town. (He's in Spain for the semester and is spending a week in Italy. So he came to visit me in Rome, and he'll be heading up to Florence to see another girl from high school). Anyway, nn Friday, Renee, Paige, Elise, and I were on a shoe-buying mission. I restrained myself, and only ended up with a much needed new pair of sunglasses. I've decided I should start saving my money for the England/Ireland/Scotland leg of my trip because it's more expensive over there. And after wandering around the main street of Rome, we headed over to the Colosseum where we met up with Kenny and Lindsay (both OU students studying in Spain) and went out to dinner. We went to the pizza restaurant that was recommended to us by Monsignor. And it was delicious. AND even better, we made the last metro of the night to Anagnina, so we didn't have to take the sketchy night bus. SCORE!
Saturday... Elise and I left campus around 8:30 and headed to the Vatican to meet up with Kenny and Lindsay again. The line to get in was RIDICULOUS. It wrapped allllll the way around the square, and just kept getting longer. So they decided not to go in, and so we took them to Old Bridge (the UD gelato spot). [Note: the Ricotta and Cinnamon gelato is delicious. I know it sounds gross, but it's amazing]. Then we walked along the Tiber to the Orange Garden and the Knights of Malta keyhole. Both spots offered really great views of the city (especially the Vatican) and are off the beaten path of tourists. Which is great, because at the moment, Rome is absolutely hopping with them because of Holy Week and the beatification. After that, we went to Santa Maria della Consedin, and saw the Bocca della Verita (from Roman Holiday), and then went into the church. Which just happened to house the skull of St. Valentine, AND the crypt of Hadrian (the first crypt in Rome!). Afterwards, we went out to Piazza del Popolo and then Elise and I headed back to campus to get started on all that homework we've been ignoring. :)
Tomorrow we're getting up at 5 AM to go to Palm Sunday mass at St. Peter's. We have tickets, but hopefully we actually get a seat!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Dear Italy, Get Out of My Personal Bubble.
I have successfully survived the last class trip of the semester. Which means I'm pretty much done traveling until the end of the semester when Elise and I take our grand tour of the UK (assuming I decide against going to Norway over Easter). Living out of a backpack is super annoying.
So these past five days found us in Florence and Venice. The weather was absolutely beautiful, so two goals were accomplished. 1) I succeeded in not wearing pants the entire trip and 2) I got a tan. Goodbye pasty white skin! So we got to Florence on Wednesday, took a tour of the city, and then went to the Uffizi Art Gallery. It was a lot of paintings, which would have been cool if I was into Renaissance art. But I'm not, so I based the paper I had to write over the experience on the painting with the most amusing title that was in the closest proximity. On Thursday, I went to the Museo Galileo, and saw a whole bunch of old school math and physics pieces of equipment. And it reminded me of being back at the UD campus in Irving. Because we're just that primitive. In the afternoon, we went to the Academia and saw Michelangelo's David. Who is massssssive. And also the highlight of Florence? Because every tourist shop had like 100 novelty items featuring depictions of only his junk.
Also in Florence: the leather market. Where vendors were getting a little too friendly. And by a little, I mean I was about ready to stab the next person who touched me. First incident: some vendor walks up to me and gives me a hug, and then tells me, "I've got a free jacket for you, Lady Gaga" and then tries to lead me away. 1) I hate it when strangers touch me and 2) WHAT THE HELL, DO I LOOK LIKE LADY GAGA? SHE'S A HERMAPHRODITE. GRRRRRR. Second incident: I was walking along with Elise, Renee, and Brad, and another creepy vendor congratulates Brad on having three girlfriends and then says that I've got sexy legs and he touches my face in a creepy way. Needless to stay, I hauled butt outta there, and did not purchase any leather.
Also having occurred in Florence: wandering around for an hour trying to find the right Irish pub we were supposed to meet a Professor at. It failed. We ended up at some place called The Fish Pub with about 100 Parisian teenagers. Who probably really regretted going after one of our group members projectile vomited on them.
Venice was again nice weather. Highlights: water taxis and I went to the Guggenheim. Modern art... I just don't get it. Maybe if they were handing out LSD at the entrance or something it would have made more sense. But I was completely sober, and didn't understand how eight gray boxes were supposed to represent two figures dancing. I don't even understand artists. Not at all. But it was still fun.
And then last night we went to another bar after wandering around for an hour (I'm seeing a pattern) and ended up at a place were the bartender ineptly sprayed us with a drink he was mixing with a little to much zeal. Upside: he felt so bad about it we scored free drinks. So that saved some money, which will now be used to pay my first write up fine of the semester. We got caught eating on the bus (which is a big no-no), because we were laughing at a gummy bear heart that had the word "shatz" on it. Only Europeans would put past tense profanity on their candy. Anyway, that's 10 euros down the drain.
No traveling for me this weekend, but Kenny (from High school) is coming into town and we'll hopefully get to have some adventures!
Ciao!
So these past five days found us in Florence and Venice. The weather was absolutely beautiful, so two goals were accomplished. 1) I succeeded in not wearing pants the entire trip and 2) I got a tan. Goodbye pasty white skin! So we got to Florence on Wednesday, took a tour of the city, and then went to the Uffizi Art Gallery. It was a lot of paintings, which would have been cool if I was into Renaissance art. But I'm not, so I based the paper I had to write over the experience on the painting with the most amusing title that was in the closest proximity. On Thursday, I went to the Museo Galileo, and saw a whole bunch of old school math and physics pieces of equipment. And it reminded me of being back at the UD campus in Irving. Because we're just that primitive. In the afternoon, we went to the Academia and saw Michelangelo's David. Who is massssssive. And also the highlight of Florence? Because every tourist shop had like 100 novelty items featuring depictions of only his junk.
Also in Florence: the leather market. Where vendors were getting a little too friendly. And by a little, I mean I was about ready to stab the next person who touched me. First incident: some vendor walks up to me and gives me a hug, and then tells me, "I've got a free jacket for you, Lady Gaga" and then tries to lead me away. 1) I hate it when strangers touch me and 2) WHAT THE HELL, DO I LOOK LIKE LADY GAGA? SHE'S A HERMAPHRODITE. GRRRRRR. Second incident: I was walking along with Elise, Renee, and Brad, and another creepy vendor congratulates Brad on having three girlfriends and then says that I've got sexy legs and he touches my face in a creepy way. Needless to stay, I hauled butt outta there, and did not purchase any leather.
Also having occurred in Florence: wandering around for an hour trying to find the right Irish pub we were supposed to meet a Professor at. It failed. We ended up at some place called The Fish Pub with about 100 Parisian teenagers. Who probably really regretted going after one of our group members projectile vomited on them.
Venice was again nice weather. Highlights: water taxis and I went to the Guggenheim. Modern art... I just don't get it. Maybe if they were handing out LSD at the entrance or something it would have made more sense. But I was completely sober, and didn't understand how eight gray boxes were supposed to represent two figures dancing. I don't even understand artists. Not at all. But it was still fun.
And then last night we went to another bar after wandering around for an hour (I'm seeing a pattern) and ended up at a place were the bartender ineptly sprayed us with a drink he was mixing with a little to much zeal. Upside: he felt so bad about it we scored free drinks. So that saved some money, which will now be used to pay my first write up fine of the semester. We got caught eating on the bus (which is a big no-no), because we were laughing at a gummy bear heart that had the word "shatz" on it. Only Europeans would put past tense profanity on their candy. Anyway, that's 10 euros down the drain.
No traveling for me this weekend, but Kenny (from High school) is coming into town and we'll hopefully get to have some adventures!
Ciao!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
We're going to Art History Hell...
Well the first thing I learned in France is that I am terrible at French. Pointing and smiling was definitely the best manner of communication, and I successfully avoided butchering too many words. America is a big FAIL at teaching kids foreign languages. And I feel really inept when I'm in Europe where everyone knows at least three fluently.
We (Amanda, Leah, Renee, and I) left for Paris on Thursday night. Our Ryanair flight was about an hour late, so we didn't get to the hear the trumpet salute as we landed. Then we had to take an hour and a half shuttle from the airport to the center of Paris. And then get on a metro. And then walk for half an hour. But we made it to the hotel before 1 AM. Success. (And yes, you did read correctly: that says HOTEL, not HOSTEL, we were living like big dogs in Paris. Community bathrooms are so last week).
Friday we got up kind of late and decided to dedicate most of the day to shopping. I mean, Paris is the fashion capital of the world, right? WARNING: For those Americans that are concerned, there is a horrendous trend that's over here at the moment and that will probably migrate to the States. Its floral print dropped crotch balloon pants that are tight around the ankles. It's so ugly and it makes me want to stab my eye. But in about two years, I'll probably be doing it too. (although I sincerely hope that one doesn't cross the Atlantic). So I'll skip the gory details about shopping, and just note that my debit card didn't take too much of a beating. We then wandered past Notre Dame and towards the Louvre. The Louvre has extended hours on Friday so we were there from 5-8. And what happened next is going to send us to Art History Hell. Long story short: I'm surprised we weren't escorted off the premises for taking ridiculous photos of major works of art.
Also, despite what everyone says, the Mona Lisa is worth seeing, and its not THAT small.
Then we walked from the Louvre to the Eiffel tower to see it at night. And it's really beautiful. And along the way, we stopped for our third crepes of the day. Paris has the best pastries in Europe, and I feel qualified in saying that after spending my Spring Break in Vienna, Krakow, Prague, and Munich. SOOOOO GOOOOOOOD.
On Saturday, we went to take photos with the Eiffel Tower in the daylight, and then we went to the Champs Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe. Both of which were pretty sweet. Highlight: going inside the 4 story Louis Vuitton store. (Dear Dad, please? Love, Your Favoritest Daughter Ever). We also walked upon a movie getting filmed. I think it was French. Anyway, in the scene they were doing, this 20 something year old girl in a red dress was making out with some old guy. Let's hope she got paid well, because they did like 8 or 9 takes. And then we went to see Catherine Laboure (the incorrupt saint) and Shakespeare and Company bookstore. We finished the day with mass at Notre Dame and then went and got more crepes for dinner. We had to get up at 4 this morning to catch our flight, but now we're back on campus and ready to write our West Civ papers (er...)
On Wednesday, I leave for a five day class trip to Venice and Florence. Looks like a legitimate pair of Italian leather heels are in my future.... :-D
I'm sorry I have the maturity level of a five year old.
Girls weekend in Paris :)
We (Amanda, Leah, Renee, and I) left for Paris on Thursday night. Our Ryanair flight was about an hour late, so we didn't get to the hear the trumpet salute as we landed. Then we had to take an hour and a half shuttle from the airport to the center of Paris. And then get on a metro. And then walk for half an hour. But we made it to the hotel before 1 AM. Success. (And yes, you did read correctly: that says HOTEL, not HOSTEL, we were living like big dogs in Paris. Community bathrooms are so last week).
Friday we got up kind of late and decided to dedicate most of the day to shopping. I mean, Paris is the fashion capital of the world, right? WARNING: For those Americans that are concerned, there is a horrendous trend that's over here at the moment and that will probably migrate to the States. Its floral print dropped crotch balloon pants that are tight around the ankles. It's so ugly and it makes me want to stab my eye. But in about two years, I'll probably be doing it too. (although I sincerely hope that one doesn't cross the Atlantic). So I'll skip the gory details about shopping, and just note that my debit card didn't take too much of a beating. We then wandered past Notre Dame and towards the Louvre. The Louvre has extended hours on Friday so we were there from 5-8. And what happened next is going to send us to Art History Hell. Long story short: I'm surprised we weren't escorted off the premises for taking ridiculous photos of major works of art.
Also, despite what everyone says, the Mona Lisa is worth seeing, and its not THAT small.
Then we walked from the Louvre to the Eiffel tower to see it at night. And it's really beautiful. And along the way, we stopped for our third crepes of the day. Paris has the best pastries in Europe, and I feel qualified in saying that after spending my Spring Break in Vienna, Krakow, Prague, and Munich. SOOOOO GOOOOOOOD.
On Saturday, we went to take photos with the Eiffel Tower in the daylight, and then we went to the Champs Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe. Both of which were pretty sweet. Highlight: going inside the 4 story Louis Vuitton store. (Dear Dad, please? Love, Your Favoritest Daughter Ever). We also walked upon a movie getting filmed. I think it was French. Anyway, in the scene they were doing, this 20 something year old girl in a red dress was making out with some old guy. Let's hope she got paid well, because they did like 8 or 9 takes. And then we went to see Catherine Laboure (the incorrupt saint) and Shakespeare and Company bookstore. We finished the day with mass at Notre Dame and then went and got more crepes for dinner. We had to get up at 4 this morning to catch our flight, but now we're back on campus and ready to write our West Civ papers (er...)
On Wednesday, I leave for a five day class trip to Venice and Florence. Looks like a legitimate pair of Italian leather heels are in my future.... :-D
Sunday, March 27, 2011
One, Two, Three, BEER!
That's how you take pictures in Munich. Because when you say beer, you have to smile. (According to our really cute Australian tour guide, and who would want to correct him?)
We got to Munich on Friday and wandered around the main square. It is also very commercialized. Lots of Starbucks and American chains. And not really a whole lot to see or do. Except drink beer? Anyway, we got pizza for dinner (fail on our parts, but you can't get away from Italian food forever..) and then decided to be all authentically German and get Haagen Daas ice cream. And then to finish the night, we made our way to the Hofbrauhaus. And I have never seen so much beer in my life. Being the lightweight that I am, I only got half a liter, but Elise managed to knock back a full liter. I was very impressed. AND she could still walk in a straight line on the way back to the hostel. Talented. In case you've never seen a Hofbrau mug, it's pretty much the size of a small child (that might be a slight exaggeration, but seriously, it's a lot of liquid).
I woke up on Saturday feeling exceptionally awful. I'm going to assume it wasn't a hangover, because it lasted all day and I had a fever. Also, if the cleaning standards at the Hofbrauhaus are anything like those at the bar we went to in Prague, then I could have easily caught something there. Anyway, we went on a free tour in Munich in the morning, with the Australian tour guide, and saw all the main sites of the city. Which isn't much. Apparently people only go to Munich because of the beer. We chose it because it was halfway back to campus, not because we're alcoholics. Just to clarify. Anyway, there were a lot of annoying American tourists there that were our age. And the sorority type (aka STUPID). As Renee said, "If i ever have sorority girl daughters, they are NOT allowed to travel to Europe by themselves". Luckily, everyone in my travel group is exceedingly intelligent and not orange.
So we caught the overnight train back to campus last night. And it was quite possibly the sketchiest moment of my semester thus far. We were sharing the compartment with a man, who reeked, and his son. What's so bad about some nice old dad? Well he was being SUPERRRRR inappropriate to the point where we had to go ask to switch cars. Luckily the conductor let us, otherwise we would have had to stay awake all night with Renee's knife at the ready. I wish I had pepper spray.
So now we're back in Rome, and the homework can no longer be ignored... PARIS on THURSDAY :)
In front of the Hofbrauhaus!
We got to Munich on Friday and wandered around the main square. It is also very commercialized. Lots of Starbucks and American chains. And not really a whole lot to see or do. Except drink beer? Anyway, we got pizza for dinner (fail on our parts, but you can't get away from Italian food forever..) and then decided to be all authentically German and get Haagen Daas ice cream. And then to finish the night, we made our way to the Hofbrauhaus. And I have never seen so much beer in my life. Being the lightweight that I am, I only got half a liter, but Elise managed to knock back a full liter. I was very impressed. AND she could still walk in a straight line on the way back to the hostel. Talented. In case you've never seen a Hofbrau mug, it's pretty much the size of a small child (that might be a slight exaggeration, but seriously, it's a lot of liquid).
I woke up on Saturday feeling exceptionally awful. I'm going to assume it wasn't a hangover, because it lasted all day and I had a fever. Also, if the cleaning standards at the Hofbrauhaus are anything like those at the bar we went to in Prague, then I could have easily caught something there. Anyway, we went on a free tour in Munich in the morning, with the Australian tour guide, and saw all the main sites of the city. Which isn't much. Apparently people only go to Munich because of the beer. We chose it because it was halfway back to campus, not because we're alcoholics. Just to clarify. Anyway, there were a lot of annoying American tourists there that were our age. And the sorority type (aka STUPID). As Renee said, "If i ever have sorority girl daughters, they are NOT allowed to travel to Europe by themselves". Luckily, everyone in my travel group is exceedingly intelligent and not orange.
So we caught the overnight train back to campus last night. And it was quite possibly the sketchiest moment of my semester thus far. We were sharing the compartment with a man, who reeked, and his son. What's so bad about some nice old dad? Well he was being SUPERRRRR inappropriate to the point where we had to go ask to switch cars. Luckily the conductor let us, otherwise we would have had to stay awake all night with Renee's knife at the ready. I wish I had pepper spray.
So now we're back in Rome, and the homework can no longer be ignored... PARIS on THURSDAY :)
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Czechsperts. Evidently a word.
The Czech Republic: where the beer is quite literally cheaper than the water. (Europe, stop charging us for tap water, it's ridiculous, Love, Claire). We got to Prague Wednesday night after a longgggg train ride from Krakow. While I like the advantages of being able to have more than a backpack, trains definitely eat up a lot of time. But it's a lot less of a hassle and it gets you where you need to go. And occassionally foreign boys ask to sit in your compartment.
We got to the hostel and then went out for Czech food, walked around, and then went to bed. Traveling is exhausting, so we can totally justify being lame. Yesterday we started off the day with yet another pastry hunt. And Prague is super cheap. Not quite as good as Vienna, but when you're only spending about thirty cents on something the size of your head, it all works out. Anyway, then we went on a free walking tour around the old town center, new town center, and some other notable destinations. Our tour guide was some 22 year old Justin Bieber wanna-be, and I had to resist the urge to cut his hair. Anyway, the architecture in Prague is beautiful, especially the clock tower and the old church. Downside: there's like five million American tourists here. Which makes it really hard to pretend you're not one. But at least everyone speaks English, and they all have a somewhat British accent when they're trying to talk to you. I don't know where they picked that one up, but there you go.
Prague is also super commercialized. There are around five starbucks, a Gloria Jean's, and TGI Fridays, and other big American chains. The only thing super Czech about Prague is how cheap the beer is. Apparently, Czech Republic is the number one consumer of beer worldwide, and Pilsner is the specialty. (I had one for 23 crown, which is literally a dollar). We met three Czech boys in a bar last night, and they claimed to be able to drink 17 half liters of beer. I think I saw one of them get up to 11, and the other one had about 8 mixed drinks. I wish I had that kind of alcohol tolerance. Except it seems like an expensive habit. On another note: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, for anyone up to speed with one of the goals of this semester.
We also walked up to Prague Castle which was exceptionally gorgeous. I felt really bad for the guards standing out front, because obnoxious American tourists were posing awkwardly in front of them. If I was on duty, I would have taken one of those intimidating looking guns and fired a few shots at them. But that's not very nice, and probably why I won't ever be allowed to hold a gun.
Today we leave for Munich, and hopefully tonight we'll be at the Hoffbrauhaus with more UD students. 10 day is almost over, and we're trying to make the most of it!
We got to the hostel and then went out for Czech food, walked around, and then went to bed. Traveling is exhausting, so we can totally justify being lame. Yesterday we started off the day with yet another pastry hunt. And Prague is super cheap. Not quite as good as Vienna, but when you're only spending about thirty cents on something the size of your head, it all works out. Anyway, then we went on a free walking tour around the old town center, new town center, and some other notable destinations. Our tour guide was some 22 year old Justin Bieber wanna-be, and I had to resist the urge to cut his hair. Anyway, the architecture in Prague is beautiful, especially the clock tower and the old church. Downside: there's like five million American tourists here. Which makes it really hard to pretend you're not one. But at least everyone speaks English, and they all have a somewhat British accent when they're trying to talk to you. I don't know where they picked that one up, but there you go.
Prague is also super commercialized. There are around five starbucks, a Gloria Jean's, and TGI Fridays, and other big American chains. The only thing super Czech about Prague is how cheap the beer is. Apparently, Czech Republic is the number one consumer of beer worldwide, and Pilsner is the specialty. (I had one for 23 crown, which is literally a dollar). We met three Czech boys in a bar last night, and they claimed to be able to drink 17 half liters of beer. I think I saw one of them get up to 11, and the other one had about 8 mixed drinks. I wish I had that kind of alcohol tolerance. Except it seems like an expensive habit. On another note: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, for anyone up to speed with one of the goals of this semester.
We also walked up to Prague Castle which was exceptionally gorgeous. I felt really bad for the guards standing out front, because obnoxious American tourists were posing awkwardly in front of them. If I was on duty, I would have taken one of those intimidating looking guns and fired a few shots at them. But that's not very nice, and probably why I won't ever be allowed to hold a gun.
Today we leave for Munich, and hopefully tonight we'll be at the Hoffbrauhaus with more UD students. 10 day is almost over, and we're trying to make the most of it!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Poland: Cheap and Delicious
Hello from Krakow! It took almost nine hours to get here from Vienna, but it's been worth it so far! We spent almost all day on Sunday on the train trying to get here. Notable highlights: finding out our Eurail does not cover Poland, and missing our train in Katowice. Luckily, there was another train headed to Krakow from Katowice that we managed to get on. Major incident avoided. However, upon arriving in Krakow we had one heck of a time finding the trams to get to the city. And once we figured that out and got off on the right stop we wandered around for about an hour trying to get to the hostel. We didn't print off a map of the area and that made it more complex. Lesson learned.
Also interesting to note: no one in the train station spoke English. This was our first experience with going up to people to get directions and just having them stare at you like you're retarded. That's when we stopped asking the grandmas for directions and began talking to people our own age. They've at least been adequately schooled and can communicate with us.
So Sunday we went out for traditional Polish food after checking in to the hostel, which is pretty nice but is a little creepily dark. Also, the toilet seats are clear with pictures of barbed wire all over them. Please explain that to me. And, on another cultural note of bathroom decor, the toilet paper here is green because it's apparently recycled. Saving the environment? I guess so.
After dinner Elise and I decided to go out. We almost had Ellie and Renee convinced to come along, but they decided they were too tired at the last minute. So Elise and I headed into downtown Krakow to find a club. On the way, two charming Irish gentlemen of about 30 offered to buy us drinks. The following conversation ensued:
"Are you girls married?"
"No.."
"Well you will be soon!"
Cue a speedy exit and lots of nervous giggling.
We found a club that was playing American music and went in. It was so much fun, but it was a really weird demographic. There was a lot of high schoolers, and a couple of really old men. Then guys our age finally started showing up, and so we got to meet Polish boys. Check.
Today Ellie, Renee, and I went to Auschwitz and Birkenau. I wouldn't say it was a fun trip, but it was really worth seeing. Auschwitz was way more modern than I was expecting. It was a lot of stone buildings all in a row. Birkenau had the stark and isolated atmosphere that you get from the movies. So if you ever find yourself in Poland, definitely go visit. Even if you didn't have a West Civ II teacher who harped on Hitler nonstop.
Tomorrow we're going to take a walking tour of the city and hopefully go shopping. Because Poland is CHEAP. Finally a favorable exchange rate. That's whats up. Too bad I don't have a ton of room to bring shoes back to Italy.
We leave on Wednesday for Prague :) Another cheap city with delicious pastries. EXCITEMENT!
Friday, March 18, 2011
German is an Ugly Language
Greetings from Vienna! Or Wien, if we're being all European. Our 10 day has officially started, and day one was a success. (just a note right now, there may be a lot of typos in this, because Austrian keyboards don't have the letters in the same location as American keyboards. Most notably the z and y are switched. Its been super frustrating thus far. and it took me five minutes to figure out how to get the @ symbol to appear... i hate technology. especially the foreign kind).
We left for ten day on Thursday, which was Saint Patrick's day, but it was also the celebration of 150 years of Italian unification. WHICH IS APPARENTLY A BIG DEAL. So of course the buses weren't running on their normal schedule, which resulted in many a UD student standing out at the bus stop in the cold rain for over an hour. Luckily, our group was already running late so we only had to wait fifteen minutes. Procrastination at its finest. But we got to the train station with three hours to spare. During those three hours, we managed to eat, and get our eyes violated on so many different levels. Here's a fun fact about Italians: they have no sense of decency and think its appropriate to grope each other in public, even if your standing two feet away. Gross.
So we got on the overnight train to Vienna, which was also stopping in Munich. There were evidently about 10 UD students on the train, but we were the only ones that didn't cheap out. We actually paid for the upgrade to a sleeper car. Which was SO SMALL. It was three bunks high on each side, and I couldn't even lay across the whole car, it was that tiny. And we shared it with two Italian women who were apparently really noisy. But I didn't notice, because Dramamine is magical. And I learned my lesson from the boat, I took the dramamine and went straight to bed so I couldn't say anything stupid and get made fun of for the whole rest of the trip.
We got to Vienna at 8:30 in the morning and made our way to the hostel. It's really nice! I'm glad we didn't cheap out and go for the sketchy 5€ hostels, but we do have a 4€ hostel in Prague, so hopefully that wont be too suspicious. Yesterday we went and saw the Imperial Jewels. NOTE TO FUTURE HUSBAND: my expectations have been raised, so start saving ;) Anyway, they were beautiful. We then headed over to the Imperial Crypt, which was really cool but I think I would have appreciated it more if I was familiar with all the different Kaisers and whatnot. In West Civ. II we only ever discussed Hitler...apparently you can never understand Hitler until you understand a struggling artist.... I evidently didn't learn much.
We bought tickets for Mozart and Strauss concert in the evening. Which was impossible to find. Every main square in Vienna has a statue with a man on a horse, and thats all the map showed. So we arrived 20 minutes late. Luckily it wasn't a formal affair, more of an Austrian recital. So we got to see an Austrian string quartet, two ballet dancers (and yes, they were legit ballerinas) and two opera singers. German is an ugly language. It's even uglier when it's being belted out in Opera, and that's all I have to say on the subject.
Because we were so cultured and classy earlier in the day, Elise and I decided to counterbalance it by going to a bar later. Best drink EVER. Screwdriver with fresh squeezed blood orange juice. SOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOOD. Highly recommended to everyone.
Today we're going to the market and eating pastries until we explode.
On another note, i feel completely lied to about how many pastry shops are in Vienna. We walked for a solid hour without seeing one yesterday. What the heck!
On yet another note, Austrian boys are gorgeous. Finally entering into the realm of the tall and blonde, and getting away from the short, greasy Italian men.
Hopefully I'll update from Prague or Krakow! :)
We left for ten day on Thursday, which was Saint Patrick's day, but it was also the celebration of 150 years of Italian unification. WHICH IS APPARENTLY A BIG DEAL. So of course the buses weren't running on their normal schedule, which resulted in many a UD student standing out at the bus stop in the cold rain for over an hour. Luckily, our group was already running late so we only had to wait fifteen minutes. Procrastination at its finest. But we got to the train station with three hours to spare. During those three hours, we managed to eat, and get our eyes violated on so many different levels. Here's a fun fact about Italians: they have no sense of decency and think its appropriate to grope each other in public, even if your standing two feet away. Gross.
So we got on the overnight train to Vienna, which was also stopping in Munich. There were evidently about 10 UD students on the train, but we were the only ones that didn't cheap out. We actually paid for the upgrade to a sleeper car. Which was SO SMALL. It was three bunks high on each side, and I couldn't even lay across the whole car, it was that tiny. And we shared it with two Italian women who were apparently really noisy. But I didn't notice, because Dramamine is magical. And I learned my lesson from the boat, I took the dramamine and went straight to bed so I couldn't say anything stupid and get made fun of for the whole rest of the trip.
We got to Vienna at 8:30 in the morning and made our way to the hostel. It's really nice! I'm glad we didn't cheap out and go for the sketchy 5€ hostels, but we do have a 4€ hostel in Prague, so hopefully that wont be too suspicious. Yesterday we went and saw the Imperial Jewels. NOTE TO FUTURE HUSBAND: my expectations have been raised, so start saving ;) Anyway, they were beautiful. We then headed over to the Imperial Crypt, which was really cool but I think I would have appreciated it more if I was familiar with all the different Kaisers and whatnot. In West Civ. II we only ever discussed Hitler...apparently you can never understand Hitler until you understand a struggling artist.... I evidently didn't learn much.
We bought tickets for Mozart and Strauss concert in the evening. Which was impossible to find. Every main square in Vienna has a statue with a man on a horse, and thats all the map showed. So we arrived 20 minutes late. Luckily it wasn't a formal affair, more of an Austrian recital. So we got to see an Austrian string quartet, two ballet dancers (and yes, they were legit ballerinas) and two opera singers. German is an ugly language. It's even uglier when it's being belted out in Opera, and that's all I have to say on the subject.
Because we were so cultured and classy earlier in the day, Elise and I decided to counterbalance it by going to a bar later. Best drink EVER. Screwdriver with fresh squeezed blood orange juice. SOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOOD. Highly recommended to everyone.
Today we're going to the market and eating pastries until we explode.
On another note, i feel completely lied to about how many pastry shops are in Vienna. We walked for a solid hour without seeing one yesterday. What the heck!
On yet another note, Austrian boys are gorgeous. Finally entering into the realm of the tall and blonde, and getting away from the short, greasy Italian men.
Hopefully I'll update from Prague or Krakow! :)
Monday, March 14, 2011
It's half over?
This is my pre-10-day post. Because in about 72 hours, I'll be heading off into the unpredictable world of hostels. Which I'm super excited about. I can honestly say this is going to be the most epic spring break of my life. So for all you miserable folks that are stuck in America, I'll be off playing in Vienna, Krakow, Prague, and Munich :) Or, as my Art and Architecture teacher commented, I'll be taking a ten day pastry tour. Which is exactly what Elise and I were going for. To accommodate all this eating, we're aiming to have a "no pants" spring break. Which means we'll be trying to wear only tights and leggings for as long as we can, without having to do laundry. This could be difficult, because it's pretty frigid in Poland at the moment.
On a side note, our room (Me, Elise, and Paige) have been trying to figure out a theme for our room. We're down to either the "accidental daters" or the "no pants", given our love of wearing shorts and unfortunate experiences of going out on dates with boys, and not realizing it was a date until halfway through. And then it just gets awkward.
So the two weeks between Greece and 10 day are supposed to be exceedingly stressful. We've had two midterms, and I'll be turning in the longest paper I've ever written (gotta love Philosophy). Amazingly, I haven't been stressed out at all this semester. Not once. It's so unlike me, and I love it. Whoever said the Rome semester is the hardest semester was lying. The work isn't what's difficult; it's lack of time. Between booking flights and hostels and trying to get into the city to hang out, time literally does fly by. It's already halfway through the semester. Which is incredible, because I haven't even spent a weekend in Rome yet.
However, we're addressing this problem by going out on Wednesday night and pulling an all-nighter in the city (we haven't worked out the details, and are mildly concerned about safety, so we'll see how this works). So that's my bit of debauchery planned for the week.
This past weekend I went on the Women's Retreat at a nearby retreat facility. It was a silent retreat, so we weren't allowed to talk for two days. Which was really nice. I like the silence. One of the highlights of the weekend: the Pontifical Swiss Guard was also there.
We're so immature that we asked them to take a picture with us. And they did.
Hopefully I'll score some free Internet while I'm travelling and can update this before I get back.
On a side note, our room (Me, Elise, and Paige) have been trying to figure out a theme for our room. We're down to either the "accidental daters" or the "no pants", given our love of wearing shorts and unfortunate experiences of going out on dates with boys, and not realizing it was a date until halfway through. And then it just gets awkward.
So the two weeks between Greece and 10 day are supposed to be exceedingly stressful. We've had two midterms, and I'll be turning in the longest paper I've ever written (gotta love Philosophy). Amazingly, I haven't been stressed out at all this semester. Not once. It's so unlike me, and I love it. Whoever said the Rome semester is the hardest semester was lying. The work isn't what's difficult; it's lack of time. Between booking flights and hostels and trying to get into the city to hang out, time literally does fly by. It's already halfway through the semester. Which is incredible, because I haven't even spent a weekend in Rome yet.
However, we're addressing this problem by going out on Wednesday night and pulling an all-nighter in the city (we haven't worked out the details, and are mildly concerned about safety, so we'll see how this works). So that's my bit of debauchery planned for the week.
This past weekend I went on the Women's Retreat at a nearby retreat facility. It was a silent retreat, so we weren't allowed to talk for two days. Which was really nice. I like the silence. One of the highlights of the weekend: the Pontifical Swiss Guard was also there.
We're so immature that we asked them to take a picture with us. And they did.
Hopefully I'll score some free Internet while I'm travelling and can update this before I get back.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
"Can you haggle in department stores?"
GREECE, ladies and gentlemen, GREECE. Land of old piles of rocks, and men that aren't all that cute and kind of smell bad. And by kind of smell bad, I mean no one in that country has any concept of deodorant. Thank goodness we were visiting in March and not in the warmer months. Anyway, so two fridays ago we boarded a boat and headed across the Ionian sea. I don't remember all that much, because I was hopped up on dramamine. And yes, I was quite literally hopped up because I apparently was saying stupid stuff.
For example, after stealing two bananas and five oranges from dinner and putting them in my enormous purse, I apparently said something along the lines of "i can shake my bag and make a smoothie", which is evidently not something socially acceptable to say because I'm still getting laughed at about it. I'm just saying, with that much fruit, I probably COULD have a made a smoothie by shaking my bag. SO thanks for making fun of me Elise and Renee, my genius ideas are no longer going to get shared with you.
So the first stop in Greece was Olympia. It was pretty sweet. We got to visit the archeological site where the first Olympics were held in 776 BC. And we had a friendly little competition racing the 200 or so meters that the old olympians did. This was definitely the highlight of Olympia. I was in the top 10 of the girls, and our relay team (consisting of me, Elise, Baby Sean, and Michael Tann) was 4th. Not bad at all! After that, we climbed to the top of a hill and made daisy chains. Bringing back the elementary school days in style.
After Olympia we headed to Delphi. Delphi is absolutely GORGEOUS. Its mountainous and overlooks the sea. There were ruins there from the Oracle and temples to Athena and Apollo or something. I'm not really interested in piles of old rocks, but I did my best to enjoy the atmosphere. We had a lot of free time in Delphi, so I got caught up on some homework and we all went out to a bar one night where they were playing American music. Always fun!
After Delphi was Athens. We saw: the pnyx, the agora, the areopagus, the acropolis (including the parthenon, erechtieon, and temple of dionysus), and lots of really old pieces of art. And about a million stray dogs. Which come in very handy. STORY TIME. Okay, so if you're a girl traveling alone in Athens, find an aggressive looking stray dog and start petting it. Said stray dog will then follow you around the city and try and bite any sketchy person that tries to approach you. If the dog you picked is a little psychotic, it will also attempt and bite the tires of passing cars. Also in Athens: lots of shopping! I spent a lot of money, but I got some cute new clothes and a new backpack for ten-day. And a pretty legit new purse! It was a lot of fun; you could haggle with the people selling things at the flea market and save more money. Which leads me to explain the quote in the title, compliments of Amanda Bilko (my former roommate), who thought it was okay to haggle at department stores.
After Athens was Nafplion, a little seaside town by Epidauros and Mycenae. A lot of fools went swimming in the Mediterranean, but Claire did not, because she is not stupid enough to get into freezing cold water when its 50 degrees and rainy outside. I've also picked up an annoying habit of referring to myself in third person. I'm hoping to break this before I return to America. And now I'm back in Rome, and I really need to start my homework. These next two weeks are going to be the toughest of the semester apparently, but then it will calm back down.
This weekend I'm going on a Women's Retreat, and then the next weekend is 10 day! Time flies when you're having fun and sketchy adventures in Europe!
Renee, Me, Paige, and Ellie in Olympia. I'm wearing my daisy chain crown. HELLO inner flower child.
For example, after stealing two bananas and five oranges from dinner and putting them in my enormous purse, I apparently said something along the lines of "i can shake my bag and make a smoothie", which is evidently not something socially acceptable to say because I'm still getting laughed at about it. I'm just saying, with that much fruit, I probably COULD have a made a smoothie by shaking my bag. SO thanks for making fun of me Elise and Renee, my genius ideas are no longer going to get shared with you.
So the first stop in Greece was Olympia. It was pretty sweet. We got to visit the archeological site where the first Olympics were held in 776 BC. And we had a friendly little competition racing the 200 or so meters that the old olympians did. This was definitely the highlight of Olympia. I was in the top 10 of the girls, and our relay team (consisting of me, Elise, Baby Sean, and Michael Tann) was 4th. Not bad at all! After that, we climbed to the top of a hill and made daisy chains. Bringing back the elementary school days in style.
After Olympia we headed to Delphi. Delphi is absolutely GORGEOUS. Its mountainous and overlooks the sea. There were ruins there from the Oracle and temples to Athena and Apollo or something. I'm not really interested in piles of old rocks, but I did my best to enjoy the atmosphere. We had a lot of free time in Delphi, so I got caught up on some homework and we all went out to a bar one night where they were playing American music. Always fun!
After Delphi was Athens. We saw: the pnyx, the agora, the areopagus, the acropolis (including the parthenon, erechtieon, and temple of dionysus), and lots of really old pieces of art. And about a million stray dogs. Which come in very handy. STORY TIME. Okay, so if you're a girl traveling alone in Athens, find an aggressive looking stray dog and start petting it. Said stray dog will then follow you around the city and try and bite any sketchy person that tries to approach you. If the dog you picked is a little psychotic, it will also attempt and bite the tires of passing cars. Also in Athens: lots of shopping! I spent a lot of money, but I got some cute new clothes and a new backpack for ten-day. And a pretty legit new purse! It was a lot of fun; you could haggle with the people selling things at the flea market and save more money. Which leads me to explain the quote in the title, compliments of Amanda Bilko (my former roommate), who thought it was okay to haggle at department stores.
After Athens was Nafplion, a little seaside town by Epidauros and Mycenae. A lot of fools went swimming in the Mediterranean, but Claire did not, because she is not stupid enough to get into freezing cold water when its 50 degrees and rainy outside. I've also picked up an annoying habit of referring to myself in third person. I'm hoping to break this before I return to America. And now I'm back in Rome, and I really need to start my homework. These next two weeks are going to be the toughest of the semester apparently, but then it will calm back down.
This weekend I'm going on a Women's Retreat, and then the next weekend is 10 day! Time flies when you're having fun and sketchy adventures in Europe!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Frustrations and Togas
So I've decided that it's time to start listing my aggravations with European society. The first, and most important, is having to pay to use the restroom. What the hell. There's nothing worse than getting off a train after six hours and then having to fish through your purse to find enough change to get into the bathroom. When you really have to pee, this little charade is super annoying. Especially because European bathrooms in train stations are always located a million miles away from anywhere. I guess that's to ensure that the people who actually navigate the maze to get to them are serious enough about using them to pay. Okay, that's enough rambling.
So this week I turned in one paper, wrote another one, took a history midterm and will be leaving for Greece tomorrow morning. On a more cultural note, I saw the Colosseum and Roman Forum, and will be dressing up in a toga for the "G(r)eek Olympics" that school is hosting this afternoon. Problem: It's forty degrees outside. So everyone will look like idiots wearing coats and sweatpants and brightly colored togas. Hopefully we don't freeze to death, but we'll be roughing it like spartans or whatever (evidently I didn't learn enough for that midterm...).
What else happend this week? Well, On Tuesday, I went running in the morning and somehow pulled a muscle in my foot and now walking is excruciatingly painful. Which is really great when you have to spend the whole next day trekking about Rome looks at ruins and whatnot. But I'll live. And I'm in Rome, so everything is good. Also, my digital camera's screen decided to break sometime between Saturday night and Wednesday morning, without me even touching it. More annoyingly, my US cell phone, a touch screen, recently decided it doesn't like getting touched. So theres no way of me turning off my alarm, so I'll be getting up every Monday-Thursday at 6:33 whether I want to or not.
If you're keeping score: thats Electronics: 2, Claire: 0.
I just hope the laptop doesn't decide to join in the rebellion.
So for the next ten days, I'll be in Greece (without a computer). We're going to Athens, Olympia, Napflion, Delphi, Corinth, and whatnot. I'm really excited! It should be beautiful, but cold and rainy. I can't complain though because it's been sunny almost every day here.
Also on the agenda for today: planning our 10-day. Looks like we'll be visiting Vienna, Budapest, Krakow, Prague, and Munich. Fingers crossed we get all those trains reserved!
Renee, Me, and Elise before Saints and Sinners on Saturday. (Two of the girls I'll be traveling with for 10 day)
The COLOSSEUM. It was really cold. Like, really cold.
So this week I turned in one paper, wrote another one, took a history midterm and will be leaving for Greece tomorrow morning. On a more cultural note, I saw the Colosseum and Roman Forum, and will be dressing up in a toga for the "G(r)eek Olympics" that school is hosting this afternoon. Problem: It's forty degrees outside. So everyone will look like idiots wearing coats and sweatpants and brightly colored togas. Hopefully we don't freeze to death, but we'll be roughing it like spartans or whatever (evidently I didn't learn enough for that midterm...).
What else happend this week? Well, On Tuesday, I went running in the morning and somehow pulled a muscle in my foot and now walking is excruciatingly painful. Which is really great when you have to spend the whole next day trekking about Rome looks at ruins and whatnot. But I'll live. And I'm in Rome, so everything is good. Also, my digital camera's screen decided to break sometime between Saturday night and Wednesday morning, without me even touching it. More annoyingly, my US cell phone, a touch screen, recently decided it doesn't like getting touched. So theres no way of me turning off my alarm, so I'll be getting up every Monday-Thursday at 6:33 whether I want to or not.
If you're keeping score: thats Electronics: 2, Claire: 0.
I just hope the laptop doesn't decide to join in the rebellion.
So for the next ten days, I'll be in Greece (without a computer). We're going to Athens, Olympia, Napflion, Delphi, Corinth, and whatnot. I'm really excited! It should be beautiful, but cold and rainy. I can't complain though because it's been sunny almost every day here.
Also on the agenda for today: planning our 10-day. Looks like we'll be visiting Vienna, Budapest, Krakow, Prague, and Munich. Fingers crossed we get all those trains reserved!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Switzerland: Cute Boys, Delicious Chocolate.
So I’m sitting here in my hostel in Switzerland, wondering why the hell we seem to be the only ones here in the 18-25 age range. Seriously, there are small children downstairs screaming “we will we will rock you”, and the two women who shared our hostel room were around fifty. I guess they average the ages of the inhabitants so that they can actually call it the Bern Youth Hostel, because it is full of geriatrics and infants.
On to my trip! It all started on Wednesday when we realized we needed to actually reserve our train tickets and get our Eurails validated. So after the class trip to the Ari Pacis we headed to the Rome train station (Termini). We stood in line for about an hour, and Elise and Renee successfully got theirs validated. But the lady wouldn’t do mine because the Eurail listed my country of residence as America, but I had a British passport. I had a copy of my Greencard but apparently that wasn’t convincing enough, nor was my prominently southern accent. She told me to come back the next day (Thursday, which was when we were scheduled to leave).
The problem was that the train we had reserved was for 3:00, we don’t normally get out of class until 1, and it takes about an hour to get into the city. Anyway, good news happened in the form of my Theology teacher getting ill and cancelling class. The poor woman is really ill (in the hospital) but it allowed me to get into Rome with enough time to wait out the line and validate my Eurail. And when I finally got to the front of the line, the lady working the desk told me she didn’t even need to see my Greencard. AURGHHHHHHHHHHH.
So we made the train.
And six hours later arrived in Bern, Switzerland. It was cold, and it was dark. But we managed to find our way to the hostel without any major incidences (except discovering that we were rooming with a fifty year old woman who snores). We went to bed almost immediately upon arrival, after wandering around to find something to eat.
Friday morning we had breakfast at the hostel, and then headed out to look at the Parliament building. We scored a free tour of the Swiss parliament, which wasn’t as impressive as the English parliament, but was so much more modern and accessible. After that we went and booked our return train, and then we went exploring along the main street. There were a ton of chocolate shops and stores. So Renee and I decided to spend a slightly absurd amount of money on a little bag of chocolates from one of the places, with twelve different types. And it was possibly the best thing I’ve ever tasted. So good. Better than a new pair of shoes. And speaking of shoes: Claire has bought her first pair of Italian heels. They’re super adorable. Just a side note, because I’m really excited about it.
So after stopping for chocolate, we visited the Einstein House. That’s right, Claire got to see where Einstein lived. It wasn’t all that impressive, but it was interesting to see, and to read all the history behind his life. Apparently he cheated on his wife with his cousin. Who knew geniuses committed incest (Oh wait, I’m pretty sure that’s the story of half my family). And then we went to the bear pits!! BEARS BEARS BEARS BEARS!! J . They were pretty much the cutest things ever. Although it might have been better to see them in the summer when they would have gone swimming in their pool. After that we went and bought something to eat for dinner. And went back to the hostel to do homework for a few hours before going back out to see the University of Bern.
And today is Saturday. We leave at 1:30, and get back to Rome around 9. Since it’s going to be an early arrival, we thought it would be fun to take Renee to Saints and Sinners because she hasn’t been before. Visiting a sketchy Italian bar—check.
And now it’s Saturday night! Our train ride home was super eventful. A really fun 25 year old Italian guy gave us a 2 hour lecture on “enjoying life” and then gave us a lot of fun bars and clubs to go to in downtown Rome. Apparently, Wednesday nights are “American nights” where they let in American students for free. So looks like that’ll be on the agenda when I don’t have a test the next day. But nothing here starts until 1 AM and the metro stops at… 9 PM. All nighter in the city? Yes please. But not tonight.
PS. Everything in Switzerland is ridiculously expensive. So no one is getting any souvenirs, except maybe Nicki can have a wrapper from the chocolate bar that I bought her but then ate instead. It was delicious, thanks for wondering.
Hanging out in the Einstein house. We're best friends after Quantum Physics... NOT.
Friday, February 11, 2011
It´s a party in Portugal
So after a week of classes with assignments picking up full speed, we headed off to Lisbon early on Friday morning. And by early, I mean I got up at four again to take the complex network of Roman public transportation to get to the airport on time to catch a 9 oclock flight. Good news: we made it. Bad news: the train ticket to get to the airport was 14 euro, and no one even checked our tickets. That´s called being responsible and paying for things when you don´t need to, because maybe one day they´ll actually check tickets and we´d end up in some kind of Italian jail. That sentence was poorly structured, but I only got two hours of sleep last night, and about five the night before. As a matter of fact, I haven´t gotten a solid eight hours of sleep since I arrived in Rome, and anyone that knows me, knows that this is a HUGE ISSUE. But what the hell, I´m only going to be nineteen in Europe once and I´d hate to sleep through it. Although right now, a nice nap sounds wonderful.
So back to Portugal. We arrived in Lisbon around noon and checked into the hostel. It´s super nice! And the people staying here are really great (more on that later...). The area we´re in is kind of sketchy. As in every time we go outside, someone offers us drugs. One of the members of the group I´m travelling in (I won´t mention names...) was stupid enough to ask one of them "how much", which resulted in us getting followed by said drug dealer four about five minutes while he tried to negotiated prices with us. NOT COOL. So once we got rid of druggie, we walked up to the local castle, and it started to POUR with rain. The first rainstorm I´ve been in while in Europe. So we all got soaked walking back. Then we had dinner at the hostel (traditional Portuguese food. Fish pie done right. Sorry mom, but you´re noble attempts at it are a failure in comparison). AND then we went out on the town with four Slovenian boys we met at the hostel. They´re all around 19 and are studying mechanical engineering in Lisbon for four months (and superrrrrrrrrr cute, so of course me and Elise were thrilled because our goal for the semester is to meet lots of foreign boys). We went out to a bar, again in a sketchy neighborhood, and taught them the finer points of the art of beer pong. They told us their normal drinking games are seeing who can drink the most the fastest, but we weren´t really game to play. Any way, After that they wanted to go clubbing and so we went with them to an apparently really happening spot. We got there at midnight, but there was no one there, and when we left at two there was a really long line outside to get in. But it was really fun, except techno music gets really obnoxious after about an hour. And so we made our way back to the hostel and I didn´t get to sleep until about 3, and then I got up at 6:30, but it was really 5:30, damn time changes, and got ready to head out for the day. Except now Elise and I are an hour early to breakfast, so we´re burning time. Hence the super long blog entry!
Today we´re catching a bus to Fatima. We´re all really excited about this leg of the trip, and hopefully I can get some cool stuff up there to bring back. We´re going to try and get back to Lisbon in time for 5 o´clock mass, and then hopefully we´ll hang out with the boys again tonight. We´ll see! I leave tomorrow morning, and then I actually need to do some homework (two papers and a test coming up... eeeeek! goodbye sleeping).
Switzerland next weekend! If anything super exciting happens in Fatima, I´ll be sure to write about it here first.
So back to Portugal. We arrived in Lisbon around noon and checked into the hostel. It´s super nice! And the people staying here are really great (more on that later...). The area we´re in is kind of sketchy. As in every time we go outside, someone offers us drugs. One of the members of the group I´m travelling in (I won´t mention names...) was stupid enough to ask one of them "how much", which resulted in us getting followed by said drug dealer four about five minutes while he tried to negotiated prices with us. NOT COOL. So once we got rid of druggie, we walked up to the local castle, and it started to POUR with rain. The first rainstorm I´ve been in while in Europe. So we all got soaked walking back. Then we had dinner at the hostel (traditional Portuguese food. Fish pie done right. Sorry mom, but you´re noble attempts at it are a failure in comparison). AND then we went out on the town with four Slovenian boys we met at the hostel. They´re all around 19 and are studying mechanical engineering in Lisbon for four months (and superrrrrrrrrr cute, so of course me and Elise were thrilled because our goal for the semester is to meet lots of foreign boys). We went out to a bar, again in a sketchy neighborhood, and taught them the finer points of the art of beer pong. They told us their normal drinking games are seeing who can drink the most the fastest, but we weren´t really game to play. Any way, After that they wanted to go clubbing and so we went with them to an apparently really happening spot. We got there at midnight, but there was no one there, and when we left at two there was a really long line outside to get in. But it was really fun, except techno music gets really obnoxious after about an hour. And so we made our way back to the hostel and I didn´t get to sleep until about 3, and then I got up at 6:30, but it was really 5:30, damn time changes, and got ready to head out for the day. Except now Elise and I are an hour early to breakfast, so we´re burning time. Hence the super long blog entry!
Today we´re catching a bus to Fatima. We´re all really excited about this leg of the trip, and hopefully I can get some cool stuff up there to bring back. We´re going to try and get back to Lisbon in time for 5 o´clock mass, and then hopefully we´ll hang out with the boys again tonight. We´ll see! I leave tomorrow morning, and then I actually need to do some homework (two papers and a test coming up... eeeeek! goodbye sleeping).
Switzerland next weekend! If anything super exciting happens in Fatima, I´ll be sure to write about it here first.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
WE CAN ACTUALLY DRINK THE WATER! (Assisi and Subiaco)
This weekend I found myself on a class trip to Subiaco and Assisi (more importantly the monasteries of St. Benedict and St. Francis). We left Friday morning bright and early and arrived in Subiaco around ten. We got a tour of the monastery founded by St. Benedict. It was really gorgeous-- about halfway up a mountain. The bus ride getting up there was exceedingly scary. I don't like big vehicles on small winding roads, but we made it safely. More annoyingly, everyone applauded every time the bus managed to get around a corner. We have a very enthusiastic class that likes to applaud anything and everything: when the plane successfully takes off, when the plane successfully lands, when someone enters the classroom a few minutes late.. etc. Back to the story: so after the guided tour of the monastery, we went to lunch at a little place where we got three types of pasta. We eat pasta twice daily here, and we're all starting to look a little pregnant (this is evidently called "pasta belly" and will subside when we get back to America and stop eating so many carbs).
Friday afternoon we again hit the road and made it into Assisi after dark. Nothing super eventful happened that night. Then on Saturday we went to St. Francis Basilica, and had a guided tour of that, and got to see the crypt of St. Francis (awesome). In the afternoon we took an hour long hike up to St. Francis' hermitage. We had mass up there with Msgr. Fucinaro, which was really nice. The hike down got a little interesting. We definitely took a little path instead of the main road, and we got a little lost but ended up at a sketchy hotel to ask for directions. So while someone else went to go get a map, I took a cue from St. Francis and befriended the local wildlife (I'll post a picture of that later... :) ). Saturday night we had dinner and ANOTHER wine tasting. The glasses were freaking enormous, so i dumped about 70% of my glasses into someone's who had a higher tolerance.
We just got back from Assisi, and classes resume as usual tomorrow morning. Which means its homework time!! [To explain the title... the campus water is really gross. There's a sign up in a neighboring town that warns against drinking the water because of its high arsenic content. But it's probably okay, it just has a really gross taste. And it leaves a nasty buildup in your hair. So the water in Assisi was especially delicious]
Friday afternoon we again hit the road and made it into Assisi after dark. Nothing super eventful happened that night. Then on Saturday we went to St. Francis Basilica, and had a guided tour of that, and got to see the crypt of St. Francis (awesome). In the afternoon we took an hour long hike up to St. Francis' hermitage. We had mass up there with Msgr. Fucinaro, which was really nice. The hike down got a little interesting. We definitely took a little path instead of the main road, and we got a little lost but ended up at a sketchy hotel to ask for directions. So while someone else went to go get a map, I took a cue from St. Francis and befriended the local wildlife (I'll post a picture of that later... :) ). Saturday night we had dinner and ANOTHER wine tasting. The glasses were freaking enormous, so i dumped about 70% of my glasses into someone's who had a higher tolerance.
We just got back from Assisi, and classes resume as usual tomorrow morning. Which means its homework time!! [To explain the title... the campus water is really gross. There's a sign up in a neighboring town that warns against drinking the water because of its high arsenic content. But it's probably okay, it just has a really gross taste. And it leaves a nasty buildup in your hair. So the water in Assisi was especially delicious]
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
I need to learn Italian.
CIAO! So continuing from where I left off. On Saturday we had a scavenger hunt around Rome, which consisted of us taking 25 pictures of random churches, gelato shops, fountains, etc. We had to have four team members in each picture and hold up a sign that said "we were here" in Italian. That was all fine and dandy, except for the picture we had to take of two people kissing, which we creepily took on the Spanish Steps standing behind some random italian couple. Our team didn't end up winning, but we managed to get enough photos for free metro tickets (which is great because those things disappear so quickly). Saturday night was the wine tasting. We all put on our super spiffy gear and were treated to 4 nice wines. Definitely an improvement over 2 euro bottles we've been drinking. I didn't make it all the way through the entire four glasses, because I'd definitely fall over, but it was still a fun experience. On Sunday I had an endlessly exciting day of reading.
This week has been the first of our "normal" classes, which means the class sizes have dropped from 100 to about 50 as we split into smaller groups. The reading has picked up, and I have my first quiz tomorrow! I'm still kind of in a vacation mood, and have adopted an "I'm in Rome, screw my 4.0" attitude.
Today Elise and I went into Rome to study and look for the Rome item of the week. (Essentially, the RA's give us a cool place to go in Rome, and whoever gets there and takes a picture first wins free Cap Bar stuff). We did a little reading on the Piazza Venezia, and then hurried to the Turtle Fountain. I'm proud to announce that WE WON, beating out the other group of UD students we saw in the city. WHAT UP!. On the way back to the city, I had my first actual creepy old Italian man experience. On the metro platform he came up to me and creepily said "Ciao bella" and a lot of other stuff I didn't understand because I don't speak Italian, and then he gave me a very suggestive wink. I told him I dont speak Italian and ran off with Elise further down the platform. We leave for Assisi and Subiacco on Friday, and it should be a great trip! I'll update after that!
Nearish the Colosseum and Roman Forum.
HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!
This week has been the first of our "normal" classes, which means the class sizes have dropped from 100 to about 50 as we split into smaller groups. The reading has picked up, and I have my first quiz tomorrow! I'm still kind of in a vacation mood, and have adopted an "I'm in Rome, screw my 4.0" attitude.
Today Elise and I went into Rome to study and look for the Rome item of the week. (Essentially, the RA's give us a cool place to go in Rome, and whoever gets there and takes a picture first wins free Cap Bar stuff). We did a little reading on the Piazza Venezia, and then hurried to the Turtle Fountain. I'm proud to announce that WE WON, beating out the other group of UD students we saw in the city. WHAT UP!. On the way back to the city, I had my first actual creepy old Italian man experience. On the metro platform he came up to me and creepily said "Ciao bella" and a lot of other stuff I didn't understand because I don't speak Italian, and then he gave me a very suggestive wink. I told him I dont speak Italian and ran off with Elise further down the platform. We leave for Assisi and Subiacco on Friday, and it should be a great trip! I'll update after that!
Nearish the Colosseum and Roman Forum.
HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Cheap Wine on School Nights... BAD IDEA.
So I guess I should continue my Rome adventures from where I left off. On Tuesday night, some ingenious classmate of mine decided we should hold our own wine-tasting with the super classy wine we bought at the local grocery store (called the Dem). The most expensive bottle there was about... 5 euro. Which was surprisingly much crappier than the 99 cent bottle. Anyway, mixing all that really really cheap wine was a terrible idea because we all felt pretty crappy afterward. Not to mention that there's already a virus circulating around campus and incapacitating students.
Wednesday was the first day of half-classes. Basically just an introduction. All my teachers seem decent (except not really, there's one I'm a little concerned about) . The reading have definitely started! Aristotle, church fathers, and a bunch of other old, dead guys. Wednesday night we were all really lame and stayed in and did our reading like good girls and got caught up on sleep.
Thursday: Everyone else on campus had to go to the Post Office to get their permessi (document allowing them to stay in Italy). Except I didn't, because I'm British. I also found out that because I'm a member of the EU , I can apply for an Italian driver's license without taking a test or anything. Which I am really tempted to do because that seems like a legit souvenir. Thursday night, Elise and I and what seemed like a third of campus went to the local bar called Saints and Sinners. Alcohol is ridiculously expensive, so we just split a drink, which is a great idea because we're both extreme light-weights.
Today we had classes in the morning, and in the afternoon we went to the catacombs of St. Sebastian. It was really cool venturing through all those little dark passageways under the earth. After we finished the tour we had mass in the church there, and then they loaded us up onto the bus to take us for an authentic Italian "fast food" dinner. Of course, being in Italy, the meal took two hours. But it was delicious (all sorts of meats and cheeses and grilled vegetables and bread and followed by pizza.. and of course wine). Now we're back on campus and about to commence with our weekend!
Tomorrow we're going to go on a mandatory scavenger hunt in Rome to get us accustomed to the public transportation or whatever. Our team is totally going to win. And then after that we'll have a big dinner and a wine tasting led by Monseigneur Fuccinaro. I guess I'll get all my homework done on Sunday.....
Saints and Sinners
Roommates outside the catacombs.
Wednesday was the first day of half-classes. Basically just an introduction. All my teachers seem decent (except not really, there's one I'm a little concerned about) . The reading have definitely started! Aristotle, church fathers, and a bunch of other old, dead guys. Wednesday night we were all really lame and stayed in and did our reading like good girls and got caught up on sleep.
Thursday: Everyone else on campus had to go to the Post Office to get their permessi (document allowing them to stay in Italy). Except I didn't, because I'm British. I also found out that because I'm a member of the EU , I can apply for an Italian driver's license without taking a test or anything. Which I am really tempted to do because that seems like a legit souvenir. Thursday night, Elise and I and what seemed like a third of campus went to the local bar called Saints and Sinners. Alcohol is ridiculously expensive, so we just split a drink, which is a great idea because we're both extreme light-weights.
Today we had classes in the morning, and in the afternoon we went to the catacombs of St. Sebastian. It was really cool venturing through all those little dark passageways under the earth. After we finished the tour we had mass in the church there, and then they loaded us up onto the bus to take us for an authentic Italian "fast food" dinner. Of course, being in Italy, the meal took two hours. But it was delicious (all sorts of meats and cheeses and grilled vegetables and bread and followed by pizza.. and of course wine). Now we're back on campus and about to commence with our weekend!
Tomorrow we're going to go on a mandatory scavenger hunt in Rome to get us accustomed to the public transportation or whatever. Our team is totally going to win. And then after that we'll have a big dinner and a wine tasting led by Monseigneur Fuccinaro. I guess I'll get all my homework done on Sunday.....
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