The End (or The Beginning Again)

Here it is (finally) – my last blog. This post has taken a while to manifest itself for some reason. While I was in Italy, I looked forward to coming up with posts filled with stories, fun facts, adventure and hopefully a little bit of humor. This blog, though, has been the hardest to write. As I sit and try to come up with an amazing finale, nothing wants to flow freely from my brain to the keyboard. It is like this blog post is the last piece that keeps Italy with me – once this post heads out into cyberspace my adventure will be finished.

So how do I put a perfect ending to an one hundred and eleven day adventure? How about the title of this blog – did you know that this was not the original title for the blog? As I sat on the airplane and wrote my first blog post, “The Beginning”, I decided to name my blog “Travels of the Undecided”. This title popped into my head because I left for Italy in an undecided state. Yes, I am a biology major with a concentration in environmental studies, but my interests range far beyond my degree curriculum. As seen through many blog posts, I also love food and nutrition, a career that I might want to pursue after I finish my undergraduate degree. So many paths crowded my head, making me agonize over the future, rather than focusing on the present. Yet as I traveled around Rome, I realized that many of my fellow program mates were in the same boat. We were all struggling to figure out what to do in our lives and I think that in the end, being open to new ideas and opportunities will lead you to your chosen path. This recognition allowed up to relax and enjoy the adventure that was about to unfold itself before us.

With that blog title thrown out the window, a new one was desperately needed. As I was writing my blog about my days in Rome, I began to write my favorite movement word – traipse. To traipse means to wander without purpose or to walk around in a causal manner without a destination in mind. It is the perfect description of my trip to Italy – I literally traipsed around Tuscany. My favorite trips were when we made last minute plans to go somewhere in the morning. We rarely ever had a plan on what to do, see, or eat, just to get there and experience the destination. It was, in my opinion, the best way to see Italy. I traipsed into little trattorias for lunch, little shops for cute gifts, and beautiful monuments and gardens for exploration and education. To traipse was not an action anymore, but my way of life.

As I prepare to head back to school, I am a little bit hesitant (okay maybe a little apprehensive as well). I found balance in Italy – I became much less stressed and I opened myself up to new experiences, something that is very different for me (I think it was all that traipsing). How can I incorporate the changes I made to my life in Italy into my life here in the States? I understand that it might take a little work and a little bit of time, but I feel that taking some time out to traipse around (even in New Jersey) will not only help me become a more healthier, well-rounded person, but keep a little piece of knowledge from Italy always.

As I say farewell to my Italian adventure, I look forward and say hello to my next one and step into it with all the intention to enjoy and to traipse through it. I feel that is it not only pays homage to my adventure in Florence, but also makes life so much more fun!

My many thanks for accompanying me on my adventures…

Grazie, baci, and ciao!

Catherine 

The Beginning of the End

Hello Readers!

I know it has been a long time between blog posts but as many of you know, I am leaving my dear Firenze tonight and have been furiously packing, studying for finals, and walking around these past few weeks. But do not despair! I have a very long wait in Rome International Airport so I will be blogging about my final weeks here and my final thoughts about this amazing experience!

So please check back soon!

Baci and Ciao!

Catherine

So Crazy!

I cannot believe it… it is the last day of November! What a busy month, full of trips and lots of fun! I have experience and learned a lot these past 30 days and like every month, I would like to share them with you!

So here it goes – lessons learned during November:

- Italians LOVE their stairs… walking up and down St. Patrick’s well in the hill town Orvieto (which I will write a blog about sometime…) was torture. It was 274 steps down which means there were 274 steps up – you know you are out of shape when a grandmother passes you and is not even breathing hard.

- Flushing a toilet takes about two people (one should preferably be a rocket scientist).

- My cooking skills are not that amazing – at the cooking class, the instructor told me that American girls couldn’t cook.

- The Uffizi and the Louvre are the two biggest museums I have ever seen… I would need to camp out in them for at least 6 weeks to be able to see everything.

- Gelato is still amazing, even if it is raining and freezing cold outside.

- Soccer is not a pastime here; it is a way of life. You dedicate your loyalties to one team only and you are then the sworn enemy of an opposing team’s fan base.

- Movie theaters have intermission…

- You know when you are becoming a true Italian when the first language that comes out of your mouth is Italian, even when you are trying to talk French to Parisians.

- The American diner in Florence makes great milkshakes – they make long study sessions a little more bearable.

- The Mercato Centrale is officially my favorite place in Florence.

- Dublin is a gothic wonderland, Paris is a metropolitan epicenter, and Florence is an old soul – all so different but all so amazing.

- The Florentine city Christmas tree has a security detail that protects it from vandals.

- Italy is a great place to live! I can’t believe I only have less than three weeks left!

Ciao!

The City of Lights

I just got back from my whirlwind weekend in Paris with one of my good friends from Florence. As some of you know, I tried to go to Paris in the middle of October but cancelled due to the riots – the riots were the French protesting a new pension policy being put into place. But I was happy that I finally had a chance to go with my good friend and see the famed City of Lights.

We landed in Paris at about six at night on Friday. It was already dark out and as we made our way out of the airport, it began to lightly snow (yay!). Piling into the waiting bus, we pulled out into the darkened highways surrounding Paris. As my friend fell asleep, I gazed out onto darken fields and farmsteads. Then in an instant, the scenery changed. Cows and crops turned into cities. After another hour, we entered into Paris city proper and were greeted by its most notable landmark, the Eiffel Tower. The symbol of France was all lit up and it was breathtaking (I had to wake up my friend – it was too cool not to see).

We had a rude awakening as we left the warm bus and entered the frigid Paris cold (Florence is a good ten degrees warmer). We gathered our luggage and made the trek to our hostel. When we were got there, we were greeted with a warm reception and our room key. We made our way to our room, dropped off our luggage and headed to the bar/restaurant downstairs (it was now approaching 9pm) and got some dinner. After dinner, we headed back upstairs and climbed into bed and fell asleep, anticipating the day ahead.

Saturday dawned bright and chilly and full of promise. Filling ourselves up with fresh baguette (the French are locavores too!), we bundled up and headed out. Our hostel recommended a free walking tour and we decided that since we had limited time in the City of Lights, that it would be a good idea to have a guided tour that showed us all the sights. A native English-speaker (he was from Canada) who was studying in Paris led our tour – he was AMAZING!

We got the meeting point a bit early so we explored a famous landmark that was nearby – Notre Dame. It looked smaller than I expected, but I was so wrong when I walked into it. The façade makes it appear small, but the church is very long. There were stain glass windows everywhere, all done in brilliant pinks, purples, and blues. It was awe-inspiring. What made it even cooler was that they were setting up all their Christmas decorations; it gave the whole day a festive vibe. I have never seen anything more beautiful in my life.

Notre Dame

Our tour meeting time came around and we began our epic walk around Paris. We saw famous buildings (like the judicial building that the French people took back from the Nazis) and the site where a Templar Knight grand master placed a curse upon a King and a Pope (they tried to steal all the Templar’s money by convicting them of heresy but the curse led the King and Pope to their deaths… never ever make a Templar Knight angry). We saw where the Institute of French language, where all words are entered into the French dictionary. We saw the outside of the Louvre (so exciting!) and the infamous glass pyramid. Seeing the Louvre fulfilled a lifelong dream and I was so happy that I actually got to see it. After there, we saw a palace where the French Revolution was started (Let them eat cake!) and the opera house where a famous play is based.

Our last stop was the Eiffel Tower. Apparently the French did not want to build it because it is ugly (thank goodness the architect did not listen). It was the most beautiful skyscraper that I have ever seen in my life. I have always thought that the tower was painted black, but it actually is bronze in color. It was really interesting to see that it was actually a different color than I thought. As we were about to leave, the lights were turned on, and we stayed to take pictures with it all lit up.

The Eiffel Tower

Our marathon day was completed with a trip to a little café where we ordered bowls of French onion soup (minus the cheese for me) and glasses of champagne. We went back to the hostel to change and relax for a little bit and then we were off to see the Moulin Rouge theater and we ate crepes at a little restaurant (chocolate-filled and sugar coated, yum to the extreme). It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Waking up early the next day, we ate breakfast, checked out of the hostel, and put our luggage into lockers. Then we headed off to the Louvre! Since it was Sunday at 10am, the line was short and we were through security in a jiffy. My friend and I got in for free by showing our visas – EU residents between the ages of 18 and 25 (including temporary ones) get to go into the Louvre for free! It was a very exciting day. Due to the lack of time, we did the speedy Louvre tour, which meant only one thing – the Mona Lisa!

As we walked through the Italian wing of the Louvre (which is HUGE), we stopped and admired the beautiful art adorning the walls. It was incredible to see canvases the size of whole walls and think how the artist painted it. It was also cool to see other painting done by famed Italian artists, like Giotto. My friend and I had just gone to the Uffizi the week before, so it was cool to see more works by these famed painters.

We finally made it to the room holding the most famous painting in the world. And there she was. She is not as small as I had heard. What makes her seem small is that about 15 feet and some glass separate the public from that famous smile. It was really incredible to gaze upon the face that has brought about so many queries about its creator. It was so cool.

Hello Ms. Mona Lisa!

Sadly, we had to wrap up the museum tour and head back to the airport to go back to Florence. I was really sad to leave Paris. I had an amazing time and saw some incredible things! I can’t wait to go back!

Au revior (or as I like to say, Ciao!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Turkey Day, my dear blog readers! Today is a day filled with family, food, football, and of course, turkey. I am a big fan of Thanksgiving. I love apple pie and butternut squash. I love being around my family and just hanging out. It is the perfect low-key holiday. But as you know, I’m in Florence, where Thanksgiving does not exist. But that did not stop my program advisors from throwing us a wonderful dinner party (complete with turkey, mashed potatoes, and apple pie). I had a fabulous time with all my friends, sitting around a big table and eating great food and sharing stories. The one thing I missed was what my family does at the dinner table. We go around the table and say what we are thankful for. So I decided to share my thoughts with you!

- I am thankful for my family and friends, both at home and in Florence, for all their love and support.

- I am thankful for my wonderful roommates, who provide endless laughs and fun times!

- I am thankful that all my classes are going well (especially Italian).

- I am thankful for my Mercato Centrale vendors (mother/daughter grocer and grandpa butcher) for their patience and help with my Italian language skils – I have learned so much from them.

- I am thankful for Mercato Centrale itself (it has helped me become a locavore).

- I am thankful for comfortable walking shoes.

- I am thankful that my mom and grandma taught me how to cook… without those skills, I would starve/live on pasta for my whole time here in Florence.

- Finally, I am thankful for you, my dear blog readers, for sharing in this experience with me!

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Ciao!

Running Against the Clock

Hello again, my dear readers! My Orvieto blog will come soon (sometime early next week…). It is that time of year again – we are leading up to finals and it is the last push to get in projects and papers. I have successfully turned in 2 papers, given three presentations, and have one presentation, one paper, and one huge project due next week and then I can sit back and enjoy my last few weeks in my beautiful Florence (until finals, that is).

The big news of this week is that I became a permanent temporary resident of Florence! I am very excited! To stay in Florence for an extended period of time, one needs to get a permit-to-stay. I applied for mine the day my feet touched the cobblestones of Florence and got a piece of paper 30 days later. I thought that I was done after that. Apparently not because 30 days after that, I was taken with my program to be fingerprinted (my fingerprints are now in the Italian system… which is kind of cool). I was given an appointment in the next 30 days (so the Italians love two things – stairs and 30-day waiting periods) to come back and pick-up my official card.

So that is what I got to do today… I got to experience Italian immigrations! I also got a lesson in patience. My appointment was at 2pm and my program told me that I should arrive an hour early to get a ticket. Being the worrier that I am, I got there an hour and a half early. As I waited on line, I studied for my Italian quiz that I would take at 3. I felt much more relieved when a girl from my program finally appeared – we waited in line and finally got our numbers and sat down to wait (it is always better to wait with someone, especially when you do not know the language).

At around 2:15pm, I started to get panicky. It takes 20 minutes to walk to class and I would have to leave soon to get there in time for my quiz. I was instructed not to leave without my appointment paper (a sheet with my information on it – name, appointment time, immigration officer’s signature, etc). So I walked up to the guard who took it away from me (so I could get my number). I politely asked for it back and he said, “I don’t speak English very well. I’m sorry” and walked away (I thought his English was really good, but apparently he thinks not). Frustrated and running out of time, I called my program advisor and asked for advice. She told me to give the guard my phone (which I did) and he began to rapidly talk to her in Italian. He then gave me the phone back – my advisor told me that the people working in immigration decided to have a lunch break at 2pm and would not be back until 3pm and my number would be called at around 4pm. Oh no! I did not know what I should do…

After a couple minutes of consideration, I headed over to my Italian class. My first order of business upon arrival was to talk to my professor, who upon hearing my story let me take my quiz first thing and miss the rest of the lesson (“You never keep the State waiting!” she said). After my quiz (which went really well), I ran back to the immigration office. Stepping in the door at 3:58pm, I saw that they were on number 40 and I was number 131. Slightly miffed, I made my way to where my friends were still sitting and sat until they called my name. A little more than an hour later and my number was called. I walked up to window and presented my documents. Then the immigrations officer slid a colorful card under the window. It was my permanent permit to stay card! I was so excited! I am finally recognized by the Florentine government as a temporary resident!

It was a long day (it ended up being about four and a half hours at immigrations including a break to take my quiz) and I had to be patient. I now know that a little patience (about 90 days worth) will bring about great rewards!

Ciao!

The Art of Art and Cooking

Today was a day that I had been waiting for since I stepped foot in Florence – we went to the magnificent Uffizi Gallery! I was really excited and waited so long to go; waiting was very hard but necessary because the line is usually really long (all the tourists trying to get in) and I wanted a guided tour (the guides usually have some really cool stories). It is the coolest museum I have ever been to.

The Uffizi used to be the offices for the Medici’s government way back when. The first floor was for the highest ranking officials (like the Minister of War) and the second floor is for less important people. Finally the third floor was empty for many years, until the Medici realized they had a problem. Their obsession with art was becoming a little ridiculous because they were running out of space in their 40 villas and palaces to put everything (they had a mere 40,000 pieces of art). So one of the Medici sons decided to use the top floor of the Uffizi as a storage warehouse for some of the family’s art collection. After a while, he decided to open it up to the public to come and view it (thus the creation of the very first museum!). Now the Uffizi is home to only about 30% of the original Medici collection, but let me tell you, they got the most amazing pieces!

The permanent collection still resides on the third floor of the Uffizi, so we walked up the 150 stairs to the third floor (I say it all the time – the Italians love their stairs!). As we got up to the top of the floor, we were asked to present our tickets. Most of the time, our program advisors just get one ticket for the whole group, but that was not the case today. So my roommate, a couple other people, and I took the elevator back downstairs to go get the tickets from one of our program advisors. When we got there, we saw her group walking up the stairs. Frantically, we ran up the stairs (again!) to get our tickets. We finally got our tickets (and a workout) and were ushered into the magical world of art.

The Uffizi Gallery is a work of art in-itself. The walls are lined with statues and painting of art patrons. The ceilings are all painted and gold-leafed. One can really tell the time and effort it took to create the frescos on the walls. You could take a good two or three hours and just explore the hallways.

We entered the first few rooms, predominately filled with religious art. It was really cool because you can see the transition from the Byzantine style of art to the more “modern” Renaissance style (2D to 3D). It was really cool. We wandered around with our guide until we came to the room that made the Uffizi famous. It is the Botticelli room. He is famous for his paintings, The Birth of Venus and La Primavera. These paintings are important because they are really a break in art at the time. During the Renaissance, really only religious art was commissioned, not art that was for “display” (aka something that you can hang on your wall in your villa, not in your chapel). A cardinal refused to eat dinner at a Medici chapel because The Birth of Venus was one of the first paintings with a naked woman in it – he told them the only way he would eat with them was if the Medici removed it. The Medici turned around and kicked him out. This controversial piece, in turn, has become one of the most famous pieces of art known to mankind.

We saw another controversial art piece but it was Michelangelo who created this one (who I learned was greedy, angry, arrogant, and mean – it made me so sad that a man who made such beautiful art could be such a horrible person). He was asked to paint a scene of the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph) for a wealthy merchant. Michelangelo did so, but he did it in a way that was very different. Mary is not covered up (her arms are bare and she does not have a veil on). Joseph looks like he is 100 years old. Baby Jesus is climbing all over his mother and looks like a baby (in religious art up to this point, Baby Jesus acts like a little adult, not the baby that he is). To top it all off, Michelangelo decided to add naked people to the background (why? Who knows?). Despite it being a break from the norms of religious art at the time, it is a breathtaking piece of work.

After our speedy tour of the Uffizi, we were whisked off to a cooking class at a cute little cooking school. It was very exciting because I did not know what we were going to make. As I donned my apron and washed my hands, I tried to figure out what we were going to make (what can you make with eggplants, potatoes, tomatoes and flour…). We were told when we met our teacher – tiramisu, spinach ravioli, pasta in red sauce, and an eggplant appetizer. I was really excited.

I was set to the task of separating eggs for the tiramisu. As one of my friends whipped the egg yolks with sugar, I beat the egg whites until they formed stiff peaks. My other friends combined flour and eggs to make pasta (yes we made fresh pasta!). After they finished the pasta, I got to fold the two egg mixtures together and we got to make the tiramisu. It was good because we got to decide how much coffee to put into the dessert (my group really didn’t like coffee, so we put as little as possible which actually made it taste a lot better).

After the tiramisu was done, we began to work on veggie prep. I sliced eggplant and my friends chopped zucchini, riced potatoes, and peeled tomatoes. The zucchini and potatoes were mixed and put in between layers of eggplant (veggie napoleons – the only thing I can think to call them). They were topped with olive oil and put into the oven to bake. Then we proceeded to make fresh pasta, which was HARD! I have full respect for our teacher who did it quickly and efficiently. There were a few tense moments between us (the teacher and us), when we were not working quickly enough or not doing something correctly, but overall it was a good experience. I really appreciated my food so much more because we put so much time and effort into it. I had so much fun.

Fully stuffed, I went home and rested until the evening when I went out to a movie theater to see the newest movie in a popular series. My friends and I were really excited to get popcorn, sit in big seats and watch a movie on a big screen. It was a great movie until halfway through, the movie cut off and the word “Intermission” flashed onto the screen. The audience, which was predominantly American, screamed in protest. Thankfully, a short five minutes later, the movie resumed. It was very interesting. I never would have thought that there would have been an intermission. Although it was frustrating, it was really neat to see how the Italians see their movies. I felt like a real Italian!

I had an awesome day… off to Orvieto tomorrow! Stay tuned for another blog post!

Ciao!

PS – Crazy week! Blog posts are coming, promise!