02 March 2010

WOOOOOAHHH it's March

So it's already March. Wow. Two weeks until Spring Break!!! Yay!! I can't wait to see Ainsley. We are officially going to Milan, Naples, Sorrento, Capri, Pompeii, Florence, and Pisa. I am soooooooo excited. I wish Greece had worked out but I feel as though with the money I had I wouldn't have been able to experience all of Greece. Oh well. Down the road it will happen.

This past weekend I went to Siena. It was breathtaking. We climbed the tower in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo and took pictures with the scenery. Beautiful. The pieces inside this Museum were amazing. They had so many Duccio cravings. I was in awe.

The Duomo was incredible. The inside was so beautiful. I really wish I had my cable for my camera. It would make things so much easier to describe.

We had wine inside a fort. That was really cool.

The patron saint of Siena is St. Catherine. She was a very sad, sad saint. She used to beat herself and wear a chain that dug into her hips everyday of her life. She thought that demons haunted her. When she entered sisterhood she gave away her families food and clothes without asking which caused her family to starve. It seems like she was punishing them for not allowing her to live as a nun many years before. She ended up starving herself to death. Her head is now inside of the Basilica of San Domenico. This church is a mess. It was built in the 1200s and now contains stain glass windows from the 1990s. Literally the set up of the church makes no sense.

While there I fell in love with the artist Giovanni Antonio Bazzi. I think his style is so beautiful. I had seen his stuff before but not really. There is a piece of his in Florence, but there were 4 of them in Siena. There was one of Christ and I just couldn't get over how amazing it was. I will have to find a picture of it. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the Museo dell'Opera. I took one of the original rose window from the Duomo... hehe.

That's all that's been happening so far.

OH! I joined the culinary club. Each week they meet and learn about the food of Italy. This week I learned about cheeses and breads. I have handouts to remember hehe.

This weekend we are going to Modena where they make Balsamic Vinegar.

22 February 2010

Jesus, a month has gone by.

I feel terrible. I again have not updated this blog for a month, almost to the day. Well I guess that means I have been here for over a month and I can't believe how fast it has gone by. Craziness. I have done and seen so much. Where to begin. How about I list where I have been so far.

1. Lucca
2. Venice
3. Viareggio

I wish I could put pictures up from each place but it seems I either lost or left my camera cord at home... This week I am going to go buy one. I promise. I will continue to put my pictures up on my photoalbum site as well.

So Lucca was very quiet and quaint. It was pretty much a small Florence. A bit of history:

Lucca was founded by the Etruscans and became a Roman colony in 180 BC. IE this city is very, very old. I got see some of the Roman colony ruins. During the 6th century, Lucca was a very city and fortress. The whole city was surrounded by a moat and a fortress built around it. Now, around the city/fortress is a walking/running/biking trail. It's cute. I saw an ancient Roman amphitheater which had been converted into apartments. Strange. More cool stuff: the black Jesus wood carving inside the Cathedral of St. Martin, Basilica of San Frediano with its INCREDIBLE mosaic facade, Torre delle ore, which has trees growing on top (hehe), and an exhibit on Hermes scarfs during the Napoleonic Period in one of the old palaces.

Venice was INCREDIBLE. I wish I had had two days there, but I left with my friend Katie at 8 and we got back to Florence at about 10 in morning the next day. We went to Venice to see the Carnival celebrations. Venice is a very confusing city. Thank goodness it wasn't flooded when we went. The next weekend of Carnival everyone said it was flooded all over the place. In Venice, we really only walked around and took pictures. Unfortunately, we didn't get to go into Basilica di San Marco. The line to get in was very long and we didn't have a lot of time. There are no words to even describe the outside of the church. Pictures don't even do it justice. I wanted to go to the famous art museum there, but again it was a time constraint. I DID buy a handmade mask, which I will treasure forever. I didn't even ride a gonadal. haha. I am cheap though and they are pretty expensive. The coolest thing was getting to see people walking around in their Carnival costumes. These people spend a lot of money on this holiday. I will put up pictures and you will understand. I hope to return to Venice, maybe even before I leave. I think it's a beautiful city, confusing, but beautiful.

Viareggio was a whole different kind of carnival. Viareggio really looked like a cheap part of Florida. I mean the beach was disgusting and the signs were so kitsch. Seriously, it's the trashy part of Florida in Italy. Viareggio is famous for its Carnival celebrations. Each year, they build floats out of paper mache. They are amazing. The pictures will better explain. But most of the floats have a political theme. Pretty much every single float had Obama and Berlusconi. They hate their Prime Minister, with good reason. But they were brutal to him. hehe


What else is new. I am living in a homestay!!! YAYAYAYAYYA it's interesting. Definitely different from last semester. I miss Maite's cooking. hehe But my Italian is definitely improving.

This weekend I am going to Modena. This is where they make the Balsamic vinegar. We get to go and have a tasting and lunch. FOR 15 EURO!! I love NYU sponsored trips!!

Spring Break is going to be great too! Ainsley is coming from Paris and we are going to Milan, Sorrento, Naples, Capri, Pompeii, Florence, and Pisa. WOO HOO!!

Alright time for class. I promise I will put up pictures soon!!!!!!!

23 January 2010

Sto in Italia!!

So currently, I am in Florence, Italy at the beginning of what I want to be my "sabbatical" semester. This semester's goal is to get to know me. I haven't lived anywhere in a while without knowing anyone there. I loved having someone in Madrid. I think it especially helped when I was hating everything there. When I came to New York, I become someone who I am glad to be gone. Now that I am becoming more and more myself, I figured going to a place away from the influence of my friends to learn who I am and what I want from my time on this earth.


So far it's going well. I did not get into a homestay as I had planned, but am trying to switch into one. Nevertheless, had I been in one, I would have not met the girls I am staying with who I believe will be great friends here. The majority of them are sophomores, which I am grateful for. I probably would have beat a freshman here. They all are very chill and I hope to continue to be friends with them, even if I get to move out.

From the looks of things, Florence will never compare to Madrid. I talk about Madrid all the time. I truly love Madrid, and hope to live there one day. Either there or Barcelona. BUT, unlike Madrid, Florence seems empty of true Florentines. Apparently the birthrate here is quite low. What I am coming to realize that Florence is an extension of America. I asked a waiter last night, "So I get the feeling Florence consists of mostly Americans. Is this true?" His reply was, "Florence is 75% American, 19% creepers, and 6% normal people."

This being said, add to the 75% Americans who don't really want to know a different culture. They walk the streets of Florence saying "like, like like like" or "Oh my god!" or "look at my new handbag or nail polish" at the top of their lungs. They think they can cross the streets wherever they please, which in turn will probably lead to them getting hit by a car. They don't allow the older Italians to pass. Pretty much they have no respect of the culture here nor really seem to try to want to come to know it. In Madrid, it seemed everyone wanted to practice their Spanish walking down the streets; we were courteous of the Spanish culture, and even tried to make Spanish friends to learn more about the culture.

Well now I guess we will see what happens in the next couple of weeks. We start school on Monday. WOO HOO!