if anyone still reads this, there are lots of new pictures up of the whole trip from athens to london!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
It's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Just arrived in Istanbul tonight after a lovely week in Greece...and I almost freaked out on the plane when they didn't announce that we were going to Istanbul. It was some strange jumble of sounds that turned out to be Constantinople. Now, this was a Greek airline, but seriously, they should call it what it is. You'd think they'd know the song, anyway. It's Istanbul, not Constantinople, buddy.
To backtrack a bit, Greece was great. We started in Athens with the Acropolis. Gotta say, the city surprised me. I had heard that it was old, dirty, and inefficient, but it apparently cleaned up nicely for the Olympics a few years ago. The metro was cleaner than DC's, and all the signs were in Greek and English, so really easy to get around. The Acropolis was neat, but it's a half day venture. Besides that and shopping, there's not a whole lot to do. Fortunately for us, our second day happened to be the same day the Champion's League Final (that would be European soccer...I had no idea till last week) was being held in Athens. There were literally thousands of Liverpool fans (most without tickets!) that came and filled the city with loud, sometimes belligerent drinking and chants. Lots of chants. And songs. And the same songs over and over and over again. We watched the game on TV with a ton of Liverpool fans, and they even made up a song about going all the way to Athens without a ticket for the game: "If you haven't got a ticket" to the tune of "If you're happy and you know it." Pretty entertaining. Then I spent the most pleasant night in the airport that I've ever had. This was only the third time, but it was amazing compared to Glasgow and Marseille. There were hundreds of people there because the game had just ended and they had early flights (8 of which got canceled). Sad Liverpool fans were sleeping everywhere. We joined some of them in the small museum in the airport till we got kicked out at 4 AM. The best part was finding a Domino's pizza in the airport. It tasted just like home. Greasy goodness.
In order not to make this too long, Santorini was amazing as well. We stayed in Oia (sometimes spelled Ia cause that's how you say it) at a youth hostel that has a courtyard with a fountain in it. Nice place. The first day, Joe, Vanessa, and I found a little "beach." It was more like a rocky cove thing, but it worked. It rained the second day, but we had met this guy at the hostel who we went to the island's main town, Fira, with. Pirates of the Caribbean III was playing in English, so we saw that. About an hour and a half in, the movie stopped playing; I thought it was broken, but no, just intermission. So strange. The movie itself was pretty weak, but seeing a movie in our language at the theater was so great...besides the Greek subtitles, but that was ok too.
The great thing about Santorini was that I didnt even know what day of the week it was. It didnt really matter. Totally felt like the middle of nowhere...geographically, not in terms of people, because the cruise tourists were rampant. The days kind of blend together, but besides the beach and movie, we rented ATVs and drove around the island, found a nifty English bookstore (more about that later probably), and met three of the girls from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (in the bookstore). The island was fun, but after a while, it was more about the people to hang out with than the next beach to go to. We met a lot of really cool people just passing through or overstaying their visas or figuring out what to do with their lives. So that's about it for now, but there's tons more that if I get a chance I'll write about later!
To backtrack a bit, Greece was great. We started in Athens with the Acropolis. Gotta say, the city surprised me. I had heard that it was old, dirty, and inefficient, but it apparently cleaned up nicely for the Olympics a few years ago. The metro was cleaner than DC's, and all the signs were in Greek and English, so really easy to get around. The Acropolis was neat, but it's a half day venture. Besides that and shopping, there's not a whole lot to do. Fortunately for us, our second day happened to be the same day the Champion's League Final (that would be European soccer...I had no idea till last week) was being held in Athens. There were literally thousands of Liverpool fans (most without tickets!) that came and filled the city with loud, sometimes belligerent drinking and chants. Lots of chants. And songs. And the same songs over and over and over again. We watched the game on TV with a ton of Liverpool fans, and they even made up a song about going all the way to Athens without a ticket for the game: "If you haven't got a ticket" to the tune of "If you're happy and you know it." Pretty entertaining. Then I spent the most pleasant night in the airport that I've ever had. This was only the third time, but it was amazing compared to Glasgow and Marseille. There were hundreds of people there because the game had just ended and they had early flights (8 of which got canceled). Sad Liverpool fans were sleeping everywhere. We joined some of them in the small museum in the airport till we got kicked out at 4 AM. The best part was finding a Domino's pizza in the airport. It tasted just like home. Greasy goodness.
In order not to make this too long, Santorini was amazing as well. We stayed in Oia (sometimes spelled Ia cause that's how you say it) at a youth hostel that has a courtyard with a fountain in it. Nice place. The first day, Joe, Vanessa, and I found a little "beach." It was more like a rocky cove thing, but it worked. It rained the second day, but we had met this guy at the hostel who we went to the island's main town, Fira, with. Pirates of the Caribbean III was playing in English, so we saw that. About an hour and a half in, the movie stopped playing; I thought it was broken, but no, just intermission. So strange. The movie itself was pretty weak, but seeing a movie in our language at the theater was so great...besides the Greek subtitles, but that was ok too.
The great thing about Santorini was that I didnt even know what day of the week it was. It didnt really matter. Totally felt like the middle of nowhere...geographically, not in terms of people, because the cruise tourists were rampant. The days kind of blend together, but besides the beach and movie, we rented ATVs and drove around the island, found a nifty English bookstore (more about that later probably), and met three of the girls from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (in the bookstore). The island was fun, but after a while, it was more about the people to hang out with than the next beach to go to. We met a lot of really cool people just passing through or overstaying their visas or figuring out what to do with their lives. So that's about it for now, but there's tons more that if I get a chance I'll write about later!
Saturday, May 19, 2007
ok, so I realize I havent posted in forever, but I havent even seen a computer since Monday...so here is the update: finished exams on May 10th, and then we all had to pack and clean the apartment for a few days, and it took that long. Dad and Kay got to Rome on the 14th, and for the next few days we saw the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Vatican, Colosseum, Forum, etc etc. That was the first time I went to the Vatican Museum and saw the Sistine Chapel. It was rather impressive, but the guards kept yelling at people to be quiet, so the ambience wasnt great. They also have this amazing collection of ancient Egyptian stuff. Some people resent the fact that these mummies (yes, real mummies!) and tombs arent in Egypt, but it was fine by me that they were in Rome. So if youre hanging around the Vatican for the day, definitely hit up the museums, but get there early...as in 1.5 hours before opening because the line is looooong.
On Thursday we caught the train to Cinque Terre, which is in Liguria on the northwest-ish coast. Cinque Terre means Five Lands, and it's just five little towns along the coast connected by hiking trails (and a train). We stayed in Vernazza (google image search that one; it's a pretty sweet view). Unfortunately, I got some kind of a cold the day before leaving Rome, so the first day in Vernazza I was not up to par. 13 hours of sleep later, though, I was up and ready to hike. We did the first part of the trail from Vernazza to the town just south, Corniglia, to get a picture; that one was a bit rough, so we took the train after that to the town furthest south, Riomaggiore, and walked from there north to Corniglia. The walkway was kind of cut into cliffs, so on the left hand side all you saw was the Mediterranean. Amazing is a vast understatement. We also met these Sicilian twin brothers who have a restaurant in Vernazza. They told us all about what they make, etc etc, and showed us where Rick Steves (the European tour guide-extraordinaire) mentioned them in one of his books. Their place wasnt on the water, but the food made up for it.
This morning, we hopped a train to Venice and just arrived. So...I'm gonna check out some gondoliers.
On Thursday we caught the train to Cinque Terre, which is in Liguria on the northwest-ish coast. Cinque Terre means Five Lands, and it's just five little towns along the coast connected by hiking trails (and a train). We stayed in Vernazza (google image search that one; it's a pretty sweet view). Unfortunately, I got some kind of a cold the day before leaving Rome, so the first day in Vernazza I was not up to par. 13 hours of sleep later, though, I was up and ready to hike. We did the first part of the trail from Vernazza to the town just south, Corniglia, to get a picture; that one was a bit rough, so we took the train after that to the town furthest south, Riomaggiore, and walked from there north to Corniglia. The walkway was kind of cut into cliffs, so on the left hand side all you saw was the Mediterranean. Amazing is a vast understatement. We also met these Sicilian twin brothers who have a restaurant in Vernazza. They told us all about what they make, etc etc, and showed us where Rick Steves (the European tour guide-extraordinaire) mentioned them in one of his books. Their place wasnt on the water, but the food made up for it.
This morning, we hopped a train to Venice and just arrived. So...I'm gonna check out some gondoliers.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
The last two weeks have been busy busy busy. I dont know if I'll even have time to write about it all before I have class (at the Roman Forum...how cool is that). Candace and Katie visited two weekends ago from Cairo and Edinburgh. On Saturday, Candace and I went to Anzio, which is this little beach town about an hour away. The Americans landed there in WW2, and that's mostly what it's known for. We saw the beach and some surfers, but then it started raining, so we headed back to Rome, and I bought a lovely book in English. Overpriced, but sort of worth it. Going back to Barnes and Noble and having the entire store in my language is gonna be amazing.
Right before and after that weekend, I had three papers and a presentation due....so that's why I havent' written much. Last weekend I went on a field trip to Pompeii, which was AMAZING. Just being in the south first of all was great; it was warm and sunny the whole weekend. There were lemon and orange trees everywhere, and to top it all off, we stayed at this sweet hotel overlooking the water in Sorrento.
Even though we didn't get to climb Mt. Vesuvius, the trip was great. The ruins at Pompeii are so well-preserved that you can actually tell what they once were, as opposed to Rome where a rock represents an old temple. They also had the plaster molds of people who died in the eruption...some of them even had teeth. And did you know that only 10% of the population of Pompeii died in the eruption? I thought it was most of the town, but nope.
On Sunday we went to Herculaneum, which was also destroyed in 79 AD. It's more intact, but less of it is excavated. That was pretty neat too; even the top floors of some buildings were preserved.
Yesterday was Liberation Day (when Italy was freed from Mussolini and the Nazis). I went to the Vatican for the Pope's audience in the morning. I actually saw him this time! He was zipping around on the Pope Mobile. Then Joe and I went to Villa Borghese (a huge park by the Spanish Steps). We found a pond where you can rent rowboats. There were tons of families there because of the holiday, but we waited in line for one anyway.
Other good things: we got internet in the apartment yesterday! And the school paid for it! It is quite nice not to have a 25 minute trip just to check email. I also finished my last paper of the semester this morning. Soo...I am hanging out and booking hostels and flights till finals!
Right before and after that weekend, I had three papers and a presentation due....so that's why I havent' written much. Last weekend I went on a field trip to Pompeii, which was AMAZING. Just being in the south first of all was great; it was warm and sunny the whole weekend. There were lemon and orange trees everywhere, and to top it all off, we stayed at this sweet hotel overlooking the water in Sorrento.
Even though we didn't get to climb Mt. Vesuvius, the trip was great. The ruins at Pompeii are so well-preserved that you can actually tell what they once were, as opposed to Rome where a rock represents an old temple. They also had the plaster molds of people who died in the eruption...some of them even had teeth. And did you know that only 10% of the population of Pompeii died in the eruption? I thought it was most of the town, but nope.
On Sunday we went to Herculaneum, which was also destroyed in 79 AD. It's more intact, but less of it is excavated. That was pretty neat too; even the top floors of some buildings were preserved.
Yesterday was Liberation Day (when Italy was freed from Mussolini and the Nazis). I went to the Vatican for the Pope's audience in the morning. I actually saw him this time! He was zipping around on the Pope Mobile. Then Joe and I went to Villa Borghese (a huge park by the Spanish Steps). We found a pond where you can rent rowboats. There were tons of families there because of the holiday, but we waited in line for one anyway.
Other good things: we got internet in the apartment yesterday! And the school paid for it! It is quite nice not to have a 25 minute trip just to check email. I also finished my last paper of the semester this morning. Soo...I am hanging out and booking hostels and flights till finals!
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Monday, April 9, 2007
The Vatican sure knows how to throw a party
Today is Pasquetta...that means everything in Rome shuts down, and everyone takes a little vacation. I should be writing one of my four papers, but I figured that since everyone else gets a day off, I should too. Mostly it's been spent procrastinating and gazing at the jar of Nutella on the shelf.
This weekend was packed, though. On Friday I went to Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum with Joe and Vanessa. There had to have been at least 10,000 people packed into the little space between the Colosseum, the Arch of Augustus, and the Roman Forum. We found a nice grassy spot by a bunch of nuns. We got there almost two hours early, but there was no way we could get near the railing to see the Pope. They hand out little books that have the readings and responses so you can follow along. For some reason I was under the impression that part of it would be in English, but nope, all Italian with some Latin thrown in there for fun. Other than the Pope being there and giving a little speech at the end (oh, and being at the Colosseum), it was like any other stations of the cross.
Saturday was Vanessa's birthday, and you know what that means...excuse to go to Hard Rock. Tasty and delicious like always.
Sunday was hardcore. I got up at 5 to start the tram ride/hike to the Vatican by 6. We got there at 6:45, and there was already a pretty sizeable crowd waiting outside the gate. It was supposed to be a line, but I don't think there's any concept of "line" in Italy, so it was a crowd. They started letting people in at 8:15, and I snagged some seats in the front section about 10 rows back. Not bad for battling with 50,000 other people with tickets. At least we got seats; people without tickets had to stand...and that Mass was a good 2.5 hours. It seemed like we were surrounded by Germans...and this crazy Santa Claus-looking guy who was waving an Austrian flag plastered with pictures of John Paul II (I saw him on Friday too).
I was listening to my iPod waiting for the service to start at 10:30 when I heard someone playing guitar. And I thought to myself, 'Who on earth brings a guitar to Easter at the Vatican? I think they supply some pretty good music and don't really need backup.' But then I realized that it was two nuns playing guitar and starting a sing-along because, well, I guess they just didn't bring their iPods. That was actually a lot of fun. They were singing something in Spanish that I couldn't understand (except "emanuel"), but even the Germans were singing along.
Mass was really nifty too. Except the singing, which was in Latin, almost every other section was done in a different language. And then when the Pope said his message at the end (the one CNN was all over because he said the war in Iraq produced nothing good), he said Happy Easter in over 60 languages. That was impressive.
This weekend was packed, though. On Friday I went to Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum with Joe and Vanessa. There had to have been at least 10,000 people packed into the little space between the Colosseum, the Arch of Augustus, and the Roman Forum. We found a nice grassy spot by a bunch of nuns. We got there almost two hours early, but there was no way we could get near the railing to see the Pope. They hand out little books that have the readings and responses so you can follow along. For some reason I was under the impression that part of it would be in English, but nope, all Italian with some Latin thrown in there for fun. Other than the Pope being there and giving a little speech at the end (oh, and being at the Colosseum), it was like any other stations of the cross.
Saturday was Vanessa's birthday, and you know what that means...excuse to go to Hard Rock. Tasty and delicious like always.
Sunday was hardcore. I got up at 5 to start the tram ride/hike to the Vatican by 6. We got there at 6:45, and there was already a pretty sizeable crowd waiting outside the gate. It was supposed to be a line, but I don't think there's any concept of "line" in Italy, so it was a crowd. They started letting people in at 8:15, and I snagged some seats in the front section about 10 rows back. Not bad for battling with 50,000 other people with tickets. At least we got seats; people without tickets had to stand...and that Mass was a good 2.5 hours. It seemed like we were surrounded by Germans...and this crazy Santa Claus-looking guy who was waving an Austrian flag plastered with pictures of John Paul II (I saw him on Friday too).
I was listening to my iPod waiting for the service to start at 10:30 when I heard someone playing guitar. And I thought to myself, 'Who on earth brings a guitar to Easter at the Vatican? I think they supply some pretty good music and don't really need backup.' But then I realized that it was two nuns playing guitar and starting a sing-along because, well, I guess they just didn't bring their iPods. That was actually a lot of fun. They were singing something in Spanish that I couldn't understand (except "emanuel"), but even the Germans were singing along.
Mass was really nifty too. Except the singing, which was in Latin, almost every other section was done in a different language. And then when the Pope said his message at the end (the one CNN was all over because he said the war in Iraq produced nothing good), he said Happy Easter in over 60 languages. That was impressive.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Friday, March 30, 2007
Amsterdam
So here's the first post about spring break. Vanessa and I went to Amsterdam on the 17th. We flew through Zurich on Swiss Air, and let me tell you, there's a reason they were voted the no. 1 airline in Europe--Swiss chocolate, cucumber sandwiches, and leather seats for everyone! For free! (well, the food, not the seats) Those were some of the most relaxing flights of my whole life. There's just one minor detail...Switzerland is not in the EU, so when we got to Amsterdam (back in the EU) they gave us a bit of trouble for not having our piece of paper that registered us with the government (different from a visa)...but the Italian government in all its bureaucracy hasnt given anyone their permesso di soggiorno yet. So that was a bit of an explanation. They let us through anyway, but with a stern warning to have it next time.
We got to Amsterdam about 7 or 8 PM and not knowing a word of Dutch. But we found our way to the train to Amsterdam Centraal Station since I had printed out directions to the hostel from there. We found it pretty easily and realized from some of the other people checking in that we were definitely not far from the red light district. It had a curfew and 24-hour security, so that eased our...uneasiness..but the drunk guy breathing down Vanessa's neck did not. But since the hostel didnt allow any alcohol or drugs there, he had to leave, and all was good and right in the world again.
Our room was up three flights of stairs, two of them being those twisty Dutch ones where you have to hug the wall so you wont miss a step and tumble down. Overall, it was a pretty clean place, and they even have free breakfast (with 4 options!) every morning. It's called Shelter City, and if you're ever in Amsterdam (and under 35 ish), it's a good place.
On Sunday, Vanessa and I wandered around to find the Anne Frank House--the main reason we had come to Amsterdam. It was quite a windy walk. Apparently most of Europe, while sunny and warm the week before, was cold, windy, and rainy the week of our spring break. Wonderful. I almost got blown over. More than once. We made it there, though, and since I had bought tickets online, we passed the entire line and walked right through the side door. Yes, it was a cold and windy (and later rainy) Sunday in March, and the line was around the block. Buy tickets ahead of time.
I had already seen pictures of the annex and office before, so I sort of knew what to expect, but what really surprised me was how small it was. The rooms were tiny; I really dont know how they fit more than one bed in some of them. To get up to the second floor, you had to climb stairs that were basically a ladder, and the people hiding were there for over two years and did that every day. The museum also included the offices in front of the annex and the building next door that had some of the family's original pictures and the diary. They also told the story of what happened to each person after they were found and arrested. It was good to see the real building finally, and I even saw some things I hadnt read about before.
After lunch we trekked to the Van Gogh Museum. It's cool if you're really into Van Gogh, but Starry Night is actually in New York, so I did not get to see that. It also has lots of paintings from his contemporaries and people who influenced his painting. Good, but not my fave. The Rembrandt museum is next door, and that's more up my alley, but we only had time for one. After we finished Van Gogh, we thought a tour of the Heineken museum might be fun. It looked cool, but you know those three "free" glasses of beer are not free, and since I dont like beer, and Vanessa doesnt like Heineken, we went to a tea place instead. It started raining right after we got inside, and pretty soon after that, it hailed. I also got to see a kid wipeout on rollerblades, so that was awesome. Hehehh....
This is already getting so long, so I'll wrap it up. On Sunday night we found a little brewery restaurant place and had amazing beer bread and soup for dinner. When we left on Monday, it was seriously snowing. Nice to see snow once this winter, but not while I'm lugging my stuff to the train station. Thankfully it didnt delay our flight at all. We got to the airport waaaay too early, but there's a lot to do in Amsterdam airport. It's like a whole mall right there, complete with jacked up prices.
We got to Amsterdam about 7 or 8 PM and not knowing a word of Dutch. But we found our way to the train to Amsterdam Centraal Station since I had printed out directions to the hostel from there. We found it pretty easily and realized from some of the other people checking in that we were definitely not far from the red light district. It had a curfew and 24-hour security, so that eased our...uneasiness..but the drunk guy breathing down Vanessa's neck did not. But since the hostel didnt allow any alcohol or drugs there, he had to leave, and all was good and right in the world again.
Our room was up three flights of stairs, two of them being those twisty Dutch ones where you have to hug the wall so you wont miss a step and tumble down. Overall, it was a pretty clean place, and they even have free breakfast (with 4 options!) every morning. It's called Shelter City, and if you're ever in Amsterdam (and under 35 ish), it's a good place.
On Sunday, Vanessa and I wandered around to find the Anne Frank House--the main reason we had come to Amsterdam. It was quite a windy walk. Apparently most of Europe, while sunny and warm the week before, was cold, windy, and rainy the week of our spring break. Wonderful. I almost got blown over. More than once. We made it there, though, and since I had bought tickets online, we passed the entire line and walked right through the side door. Yes, it was a cold and windy (and later rainy) Sunday in March, and the line was around the block. Buy tickets ahead of time.
I had already seen pictures of the annex and office before, so I sort of knew what to expect, but what really surprised me was how small it was. The rooms were tiny; I really dont know how they fit more than one bed in some of them. To get up to the second floor, you had to climb stairs that were basically a ladder, and the people hiding were there for over two years and did that every day. The museum also included the offices in front of the annex and the building next door that had some of the family's original pictures and the diary. They also told the story of what happened to each person after they were found and arrested. It was good to see the real building finally, and I even saw some things I hadnt read about before.
After lunch we trekked to the Van Gogh Museum. It's cool if you're really into Van Gogh, but Starry Night is actually in New York, so I did not get to see that. It also has lots of paintings from his contemporaries and people who influenced his painting. Good, but not my fave. The Rembrandt museum is next door, and that's more up my alley, but we only had time for one. After we finished Van Gogh, we thought a tour of the Heineken museum might be fun. It looked cool, but you know those three "free" glasses of beer are not free, and since I dont like beer, and Vanessa doesnt like Heineken, we went to a tea place instead. It started raining right after we got inside, and pretty soon after that, it hailed. I also got to see a kid wipeout on rollerblades, so that was awesome. Hehehh....
This is already getting so long, so I'll wrap it up. On Sunday night we found a little brewery restaurant place and had amazing beer bread and soup for dinner. When we left on Monday, it was seriously snowing. Nice to see snow once this winter, but not while I'm lugging my stuff to the train station. Thankfully it didnt delay our flight at all. We got to the airport waaaay too early, but there's a lot to do in Amsterdam airport. It's like a whole mall right there, complete with jacked up prices.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
I fully intend to write all about spring break later, but I just wanted to say right now that I am completely obsessed with Lost. My wonderful roommate Giannina has the first couple seasons, and she made Candace and me start watching it. If you have never watched that show, go to Blockbuster and rent the first season. It's great. It will suck you in, and you will be so addicted. We can't watch just one episode at a time, oh no...it's usually three.
Oh, one more thing. My glasses broke (like, in half) when I went to Vienna, and I've been looking for a place to buy new ones ever since. Now, they have tons of places that sell them (called an ottica), but there's one minor problem. The Italians are so incredibly stylish and fashion-conscious that they do not seem to sell non-designer (ie. incredibly weird, ugly, and expensive) glasses. Never thought I'd have trouble finding glasses in Europe, so if you know where I can get something normal, let me know!
Oh, one more thing. My glasses broke (like, in half) when I went to Vienna, and I've been looking for a place to buy new ones ever since. Now, they have tons of places that sell them (called an ottica), but there's one minor problem. The Italians are so incredibly stylish and fashion-conscious that they do not seem to sell non-designer (ie. incredibly weird, ugly, and expensive) glasses. Never thought I'd have trouble finding glasses in Europe, so if you know where I can get something normal, let me know!
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Thursday, March 15, 2007
The past two weeks have been midterms...which is no fun at all. But Andrew was here from AU for a couple days, so I got to take a break from studying to show him around Rome. On Tuesday we went to the Pantheon after my evening class...and he was amazed (or at least sounded like it). I've seen it so many times now, that I'm kinda like, "Oh, there's the Pantheon....moving right along..." So it was nifty to see someone get all excited about it like I did the first time I saw it. On Wednesday we saw the Trevi Fountain, Colosseum, Palatine Hill, Roman Forum, and Capitline Hill in four hours. It was blazing hot, and there were tourists everywhere; we even met some Texans, but they were Aggies fans, so we don't like them.
I had already been to the Forum a bazillion times for class, but since I had a midterm today on ancient Rome, getting to tell Andrew what everything was made a good study session. I had also been to the Palatine Hill and the Colosseum for class a couple weeks ago, but it is totally worth it to go back. I think the Colosseum looks huge on the outside but once you get in, it's smaller than you would expect. Very cool anyway, though. Makes me want to watch Gladiator. The Palatine Hill takes the same ticket as the Colosseum, and in my humble opinion, it's even better than the Colosseum. There's practically no grass or any gardens in most of Rome, but the Palatine is full of orange trees and gardens, etc etc. It was the site of the Imperial Palace back in the day. Plus on one side there's the best view of the Forum and Colosseum, and on the other side is a great view of the Circus Maximus and Aventine Hill. I really can't even describe the full awesomeness of the Palatine Hill, but if you're ever in Rome, don't miss it. If you want a preview, there will be some pictures up soon.
Oh, and I almost forgot about the amazing dinner last night. A bunch of us went to this little hole in the wall place right by our apartment called Il Piccolo Grande. It's where you go if you want the real Italian experience. They don't have any menus in English, and the guy who owns it doesn't speak much English, so it's a fun experience. And we met more Texans there, some teachers from a Jesuit school in Houston who wanted to know where to get smashed...lovely.
Anyway, that's about it. Tomorrow is Joe's birthday, so we're going to Hard Rock to celebrate. After that, it's off to Amsterdam for Vanessa and me, and then we're meeting up with Joe and Candace in the south of France on Monday. I'm so stoked. I've waited ten years to go to Amsterdam to see the Anne Frank House.
Oh yeah, and happy Ides of March. I should have worn a toga today.
I had already been to the Forum a bazillion times for class, but since I had a midterm today on ancient Rome, getting to tell Andrew what everything was made a good study session. I had also been to the Palatine Hill and the Colosseum for class a couple weeks ago, but it is totally worth it to go back. I think the Colosseum looks huge on the outside but once you get in, it's smaller than you would expect. Very cool anyway, though. Makes me want to watch Gladiator. The Palatine Hill takes the same ticket as the Colosseum, and in my humble opinion, it's even better than the Colosseum. There's practically no grass or any gardens in most of Rome, but the Palatine is full of orange trees and gardens, etc etc. It was the site of the Imperial Palace back in the day. Plus on one side there's the best view of the Forum and Colosseum, and on the other side is a great view of the Circus Maximus and Aventine Hill. I really can't even describe the full awesomeness of the Palatine Hill, but if you're ever in Rome, don't miss it. If you want a preview, there will be some pictures up soon.
Oh, and I almost forgot about the amazing dinner last night. A bunch of us went to this little hole in the wall place right by our apartment called Il Piccolo Grande. It's where you go if you want the real Italian experience. They don't have any menus in English, and the guy who owns it doesn't speak much English, so it's a fun experience. And we met more Texans there, some teachers from a Jesuit school in Houston who wanted to know where to get smashed...lovely.
Anyway, that's about it. Tomorrow is Joe's birthday, so we're going to Hard Rock to celebrate. After that, it's off to Amsterdam for Vanessa and me, and then we're meeting up with Joe and Candace in the south of France on Monday. I'm so stoked. I've waited ten years to go to Amsterdam to see the Anne Frank House.
Oh yeah, and happy Ides of March. I should have worn a toga today.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Wien (that would be Vienna for all you non-German speakers)
So I just got back from Vienna...wonderful place, but I never would have thought to go there if I didn't have friends living there. It was also nice to get my personal space bubble back for a few days (Austrians value that a little more than Italians), though I had to trade my ability to speak some of the language for it. Backing up a bit, my flight from Rome to Vienna on Thursday was delayed, but no official airport person announced it; it just kind of happened. We sat there and waited and waited and waited...and NO ONE complained. People just kind of talked and had a good time. I feel that this was distinctly Italian, or at least southern-european. I would have complained out loud (believe me, I was thinking it all), but I couldn't express that very well in a language that anyone else there would understand well. I tried talking to people around me, and there wasn't much English goin on. I was looking around at people's passports to see if there were any Americans or anyone from another English-speaking country, but I didn't see any. I hope I wasn't being obvious and creepy, but no one seemed to notice. Haha... sooo when I finally got into Vienna, Kristy met me at the airport and we met Kim and another one of their friends for an amazing dinner of Austrian goodness. I had mushroom goulash and knoedle (i have no idea if that's how it's spelled, but they were bread dumplings). All in all, very satisfying.
The next day, I walked around downtown by myself while Kristy was at work. The first thing I did was find a Starbucks, as there are zero Starbucks in Italy, or any other place that sees the value in putting a drink in a paper cup to take away. After enjoying over-priced hot chocolate, I went to the Hofberg palace next door (Now I understand why they put places like McDonalds next to beautiful, historic monuments like the Pantheon...tourists like me would never find them otherwise). I saw and took illegal pictures of the imperial china collection, which sounds rather dull but was really impressive. I also went to the Sissi Museum, which is about Empress Elisabeth back in the 19th Century, and to the royal apartments. The other part of my day was spent trying to take pictures of myself in front of monuments and churches and going to H&M in search of flip flops to use in hostel showers. No luck on that front but I did find many other goodies at H&M, and I had to make myself leave the store before I drained my bank account. Oh wait, that's probably already happened! (just kidding, parents). Then Kristy and I went to Kim's and made taco salad. Mmmm...no pasta! I'm skipping over alot, but it was a long weekend, and there are too many details to write them all.
On Saturday, Kristy and I went to the summer palace, Schönbrunn. The name means "beautiful fountain," and there is a rather beautiful fountain behind the palace. There's also a really beautiful...structure (I don't know what else to call it; it's not a gazebo) up the hill behind the palace where the royal family used to have summer picnics. It was cold and raining, so Kristy and I had a picnic under there too. Then we took a bus to Kahlenberg, which is kind of out in the country. It's up on a really big hill, and there's a great view of the whole city from there. It was still cloudy, but you could see most of the city. We ate potato salad at the cafe up there; throw out your usual ideas about potato salad, because Austrian potato salad is totally different. It takes the name much more literally. There are some cold slices of potato in vinegar with a special kind of lettuce on top.
We capped off the evening with The Sound of Music. How can you go wrong watching that while you're actually in Austria? Pretty much can't. It was great. Anyway, those were the basics of the weekend. It was tons o fun, so if you're ever anywhere near Vienna, definitely make the trip out there; it's totally worth it. But learn some German first.
The next day, I walked around downtown by myself while Kristy was at work. The first thing I did was find a Starbucks, as there are zero Starbucks in Italy, or any other place that sees the value in putting a drink in a paper cup to take away. After enjoying over-priced hot chocolate, I went to the Hofberg palace next door (Now I understand why they put places like McDonalds next to beautiful, historic monuments like the Pantheon...tourists like me would never find them otherwise). I saw and took illegal pictures of the imperial china collection, which sounds rather dull but was really impressive. I also went to the Sissi Museum, which is about Empress Elisabeth back in the 19th Century, and to the royal apartments. The other part of my day was spent trying to take pictures of myself in front of monuments and churches and going to H&M in search of flip flops to use in hostel showers. No luck on that front but I did find many other goodies at H&M, and I had to make myself leave the store before I drained my bank account. Oh wait, that's probably already happened! (just kidding, parents). Then Kristy and I went to Kim's and made taco salad. Mmmm...no pasta! I'm skipping over alot, but it was a long weekend, and there are too many details to write them all.
On Saturday, Kristy and I went to the summer palace, Schönbrunn. The name means "beautiful fountain," and there is a rather beautiful fountain behind the palace. There's also a really beautiful...structure (I don't know what else to call it; it's not a gazebo) up the hill behind the palace where the royal family used to have summer picnics. It was cold and raining, so Kristy and I had a picnic under there too. Then we took a bus to Kahlenberg, which is kind of out in the country. It's up on a really big hill, and there's a great view of the whole city from there. It was still cloudy, but you could see most of the city. We ate potato salad at the cafe up there; throw out your usual ideas about potato salad, because Austrian potato salad is totally different. It takes the name much more literally. There are some cold slices of potato in vinegar with a special kind of lettuce on top.
We capped off the evening with The Sound of Music. How can you go wrong watching that while you're actually in Austria? Pretty much can't. It was great. Anyway, those were the basics of the weekend. It was tons o fun, so if you're ever anywhere near Vienna, definitely make the trip out there; it's totally worth it. But learn some German first.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Saturday, February 24, 2007
I went to Ostia Antica yesterday with one of my professors and some other students to help him sort artifacts for a book he's writing. Ostia was/is a Roman port city, so most of what we did was sort through broken pieces of pottery that had been used to transport olive oil and things like that way back when (like 1st and 2nd centuries AD). We first counted how many pieces of broken pottery there were because that gives archeologists like him a picture of the major trade routes because they can somehow tell where most of the pottery is from (although it all looks the same to me). That part was mindless but quite interesting because it was stuff that you would never be allowed to touch in a museum. When we finished that, our professor wanted us to try to match pieces together to see if any of them were part of the same vessel (isn't that a nice word? i think so). We were absolutely stoked when we found three pieces that matched together for one and three for another. Ok, so it doesnt sound that exciting, but when you're searching through boxes of hundreds of ancient pottery shards, it's pretty nifty when you find a few that fit together. So that was my Friday. It was cool. I also ate Chinese food and realized that China Garden delivers! Delivery is pretty much non-existent in Italy, and I have missed it dearly. Though Dominos pales in comparison to Roman pizza, the delivery factors gives it major points in my book.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
I went to Hard Rock last weekend...for the second time in five weeks. I always liked Hard Rock before now, but it was somewhere around number 29 on my list of favorite places to eat out. It's currently battling the Chinese place around the corner for number 1. After a few weeks of pasta and pizza everyday, you too would indulge yourself as often as possible in the Hickory Barbecue Bacon Cheeseburger. 1000 calories of pure goodness. I don't know if it's really that many, but for all the bbq sauce and cheese dripping down your hands (and mouth) as you take the next juicy bite, it's got to be at least that much, and it's totally worth it. I ate that after the plate of hot wings. Of course the pizza and pasta are amazing here, but variation is good. I went to the Chinese place, "China Garden," the night before Hard Rock. It looked kind of sketchy at first, I mean it looked just like any regular ole Chinese place in America except that this one is also a pizzeria, and that's what creeped me out about it. We tried it after we heard it wasn't too shabby, and it totally delivered. Everything tasted just like it does at home, and it was cheap. The fact that this entire post is about food, and not even Italian food, is weird I guess, but food takes up quite a bit of my thought during the day, so I figure it's justified.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Joe, Vanessa, Candace and I went to Florence (aka Firenze to the Italians) this past weekend. It was fun; we saw Michelangelo's David and went in the Uffizi Gallery and saw some ballet/tango dance show at Teatro Verdi. All in all, though, Florence is worth about a day and a half. We got there about noon on Friday, checked into our hostel, and started sightseeing without a map or any real orientation. The Uffizi was pretty impressive; I'm glad that I can check seeing Boticelli's Birth of Venus off my list of things to do before I die. We weren't supposed to take any pictures, but of course the guards weren't really making sure people didn't, so I got a couple of Boticelli paintings. The Galleria dell'Accademia had some nifty half-finished sculptures by Michelangelo, but besides those and David, there wasn't much to see.
Climbing to the top of the Duomo was definitely the highlight of the trip. I'm pretty small, and I'm not claustrophobic or afraid of heights, but that climb had me hyperventilating. About half of the way up was a steep, winding staircase (without a rail) that was so narrow only one person could fit at a time. The rest of it was just as narrow and even steeper, but people were trying to come down at the same time we were going up. It was frightening. If you fell on those stairs, you were falling to your death or at least a broken leg or two. The view at the top, though, was worth the climb. Finally the clouds were breaking, and the sun was starting to set. Very nice, needless to say. I probably took 15 pictures of the same hill bathed in sunlight, but how many times are you in Florence at the top of the Duomo at sunset? After that, we stopped at a cafe/bar that--no lie--had a hot chocolate menu that was ten pages long. It was AMAZING. The cioccolato all'amaretto was the best hot chocolate I've ever had in my life; it put Ghirardelli to shame. I was ecstatic when Candace found a place in Rome that sells the same hot chocolate. I might go broke on that stuff...mmmm.
By Saturday afternoon, we decided we'd had enough of Florence and really wanted to go back home to Rome. If the hostel shower had been clean, we might have been persuaded to stay, but the lure of a clean shower, comfortable bed, and cheaper food in Rome was enough to make us hop a train back. That's the great thing about TrenItalia--your ticket is good for any time within two months, so you can go whenever you want. It takes about 3 times as long as Eurostar (the classy, speedy express train), but it's also probably 3 times cheaper. So that was our weekend.
Climbing to the top of the Duomo was definitely the highlight of the trip. I'm pretty small, and I'm not claustrophobic or afraid of heights, but that climb had me hyperventilating. About half of the way up was a steep, winding staircase (without a rail) that was so narrow only one person could fit at a time. The rest of it was just as narrow and even steeper, but people were trying to come down at the same time we were going up. It was frightening. If you fell on those stairs, you were falling to your death or at least a broken leg or two. The view at the top, though, was worth the climb. Finally the clouds were breaking, and the sun was starting to set. Very nice, needless to say. I probably took 15 pictures of the same hill bathed in sunlight, but how many times are you in Florence at the top of the Duomo at sunset? After that, we stopped at a cafe/bar that--no lie--had a hot chocolate menu that was ten pages long. It was AMAZING. The cioccolato all'amaretto was the best hot chocolate I've ever had in my life; it put Ghirardelli to shame. I was ecstatic when Candace found a place in Rome that sells the same hot chocolate. I might go broke on that stuff...mmmm.
By Saturday afternoon, we decided we'd had enough of Florence and really wanted to go back home to Rome. If the hostel shower had been clean, we might have been persuaded to stay, but the lure of a clean shower, comfortable bed, and cheaper food in Rome was enough to make us hop a train back. That's the great thing about TrenItalia--your ticket is good for any time within two months, so you can go whenever you want. It takes about 3 times as long as Eurostar (the classy, speedy express train), but it's also probably 3 times cheaper. So that was our weekend.
Monday, February 5, 2007
So I missed the Super Bowl last night...I mean, I dont think I missed much. I was going to hit up an Irish pub to watch the game, which started at like midnight, but it was really cold outside, so I didnt go. But I DID go to the Coliseum and the Vatican this weekend. I didnt actually go inside the Coliseum (11€ just to get in...and 20 if you want your picture with one of the dudes dressed up as an ancient Roman), but my roommate Candace and I wandered around and found a nice park to sit in and watch people. We kept marveling at how nice this big, open green space was (there aren't a whole lot of them around) and wondering where exactly we were. Turns out we were at the Circus Maximus and had no clue.
Yesterday, Joe, Vanessa, and I went to the Vatican. We were too late to get into the Sistine Chapel, but we saw a bunch of popes' caskets, including John Paul II. We went to mass there (why not?), which was all in Italian, and I understood EVERY WORD of it. Yeah right. The priest was speaking reeeeaaaaalllllyyy slllloooooooowww, though, so I caught most of what he was saying. Of course I have pictures of all these things, but I can't put them up just yet. My computer is out of battery, and someone kicked my adapter and broke it the other day, so I was going to go to the ferramenta (hardware store) today, except that it's closed from 1 to 3:30. They're serious about siesta here. So I'm waiting till they open to buy a new adapter, and then I'm going to the cafe down the street to pay 2€ for a cappuccino so I can sit there and use their internet as long as I please. I think it's a great system: pay more to sit down and drink, and you can have that table as long as you want. No one says anything to you, even if you've been there 5 hours. It's glorious.
Yesterday, Joe, Vanessa, and I went to the Vatican. We were too late to get into the Sistine Chapel, but we saw a bunch of popes' caskets, including John Paul II. We went to mass there (why not?), which was all in Italian, and I understood EVERY WORD of it. Yeah right. The priest was speaking reeeeaaaaalllllyyy slllloooooooowww, though, so I caught most of what he was saying. Of course I have pictures of all these things, but I can't put them up just yet. My computer is out of battery, and someone kicked my adapter and broke it the other day, so I was going to go to the ferramenta (hardware store) today, except that it's closed from 1 to 3:30. They're serious about siesta here. So I'm waiting till they open to buy a new adapter, and then I'm going to the cafe down the street to pay 2€ for a cappuccino so I can sit there and use their internet as long as I please. I think it's a great system: pay more to sit down and drink, and you can have that table as long as you want. No one says anything to you, even if you've been there 5 hours. It's glorious.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
I figured by now I should write about some of my favorite things about Rome, or Italy in general, so here goes:
1. the best cappuccino i've ever had
2. cheap pizza with tons of different toppings...potato, eggplant, prosciutto, zucchini...that you
can buy by the kilo
3. turning around the corner and BAM! there's something ancient
4. public transportation that, in practice at least, is free
5. the kosher butcher shop across the street from my apartment (see Vanessa's blog for an
interesting description)
6. cafes with free wireless
7. saldi (sales) at every store in January
8. drinkable tap water
And to balance it out, things I'm not so fond of:
1. the mopeds that zoom past you on teeny little streets where you have nowhere to jump out
of the way
2. people in our part of town aren't real keen on cleaning up after their dogs...
That's about it, actually.
1. the best cappuccino i've ever had
2. cheap pizza with tons of different toppings...potato, eggplant, prosciutto, zucchini...that you
can buy by the kilo
3. turning around the corner and BAM! there's something ancient
4. public transportation that, in practice at least, is free
5. the kosher butcher shop across the street from my apartment (see Vanessa's blog for an
interesting description)
6. cafes with free wireless
7. saldi (sales) at every store in January
8. drinkable tap water
And to balance it out, things I'm not so fond of:
1. the mopeds that zoom past you on teeny little streets where you have nowhere to jump out
of the way
2. people in our part of town aren't real keen on cleaning up after their dogs...
That's about it, actually.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
I got yelled at by a little old lady on the tram today for swinging my legs in an attempt to keep them warm. I didnt understand a word of what she said, but her gestures made it pretty obvious--first, no lady swings her legs; rather, she crosses them neatly underneath the seat (that is, if she can reach the floor, which i cannot). Second, there is a distinct invisible line between the seats that face each other, and one should not cross said invisible line unless one wants a smackdown. Third, the man who I was facing (and whose space I supposedly invaded, though he didnt seem to care) was to give his seat up to any other little old lady who wanted it. Fourth, the sea of people should automatically part whenever the little old lady wanted to get off the tram.
That said, she was the only grouchy person I've met so far. Most people have been really helpful and have spoken really slow Italian to us when we try to put together a few words to ask about something. When Vanessa and I tried to find laundry detergent that wasn't reeking with some strong chemical scent (which is almost impossible to find in this country), we asked a random lady in the grocery store, and she spent a good ten minutes trying to help us. So even though the mean old lady was, well, mean and old, I don't think she's a good representative for the rest of the country.
That said, she was the only grouchy person I've met so far. Most people have been really helpful and have spoken really slow Italian to us when we try to put together a few words to ask about something. When Vanessa and I tried to find laundry detergent that wasn't reeking with some strong chemical scent (which is almost impossible to find in this country), we asked a random lady in the grocery store, and she spent a good ten minutes trying to help us. So even though the mean old lady was, well, mean and old, I don't think she's a good representative for the rest of the country.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
I've been to all my classes at least once so far, and they all look pretty good...and hopefully pretty easy, as in the big paper for each one is 5-7 pages. Sweet. I'm taking Italian Politics and Society (which my homework this week is to find grafitti related to fascism), Rome Sketchbook (basically drawing 101, and it's counting for my major haha), Church history, and an art history class about Rome, Ostia, and Pompeii which has a "mandatory" field trip to Pompeii. Who wouldntwant to take a field trip to Pompeii?! They dont have to convince me to go.
Other than that, I've been drinking way too much caffeine (sp?). I havent really gotten up early enough for my 10:30 am classes to eat breakfast and get a cappucino, so I just get the cappucino and go to class all jittery. This is the life, gotta say.
Other than that, I've been drinking way too much caffeine (sp?). I havent really gotten up early enough for my 10:30 am classes to eat breakfast and get a cappucino, so I just get the cappucino and go to class all jittery. This is the life, gotta say.
Monday, January 22, 2007
I went to the Pantheon today. You know, just thought I'd stop by one of the oldest buildings in the world after class. That's right, I actually went to class too. It was quite tempting not to, but I figured the first day is obligatory.
Shopping is also obligatory. I've only bought a sweater, a blanket (gets cold at night), and a pair of shoes in the last week. And the sweater and shoes were on sale. How could I say no? Speaking of shopping, the Italians are so well-dressed. These people have style in their blood. There are twelve year olds here who dress better than I do, and they're supposed to be all awkward. I figure all I need is a snazzy pair of boots, a Gucci purse, some big ugly sunglasses, dark hair, and about 7 or 8 inches in height to fit in here.
Shopping is also obligatory. I've only bought a sweater, a blanket (gets cold at night), and a pair of shoes in the last week. And the sweater and shoes were on sale. How could I say no? Speaking of shopping, the Italians are so well-dressed. These people have style in their blood. There are twelve year olds here who dress better than I do, and they're supposed to be all awkward. I figure all I need is a snazzy pair of boots, a Gucci purse, some big ugly sunglasses, dark hair, and about 7 or 8 inches in height to fit in here.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
The first week
So we got here on Monday. There was a lot of filling out forms to make sure we dont get deported and things like that. I got desperate and decided to get a haircut yesterday at a place near school. When I made the appointment they spoke some English, but when I got there those skills seemed to be lacking a bit. I got a little anxious when the guy had a chunk of my hair in one hand and a pair scissors in the other--and they were really close together--before he asked me what I wanted. I mean, he never really asked me at all. He could have intended to give me a mullet for all I knew, so I just kept saying Solo un po'! Solo un po'!, which means Only a little!, and demonstrated how I wanted it. I think he took that more as a suggestion, because he kept cutting and cutting, and I was praying and praying that he would stop like right then. I kept getting images of some terrible 80s pouf with 19,000 layers in it, but thankfully it turned out better than that. I actually kind of like it.
I've had pizza about 8 times in the last 4 days, but it kicks the crap out of Dominos. I actually used to like Dominos; it was top notch in my book, but not anymore. Pizza here is amazing and cheap. We're living in Trastevere, which is the same section of town that school is in, but we're about a 30 minute walk from there. There are 5 girls in the apartment, and it's pretty quaint and cozy. Our neighbor is this older Italian man who on the first day tried to help us with our weird door (pictures coming soon of that one) and subsequently broke our key. He also nicely told us he'd like it if we were quiet in the evenings. We've heard that guy yelling at his tv till like 3AM for the last few days. Interesting people here to say the least.
I've had pizza about 8 times in the last 4 days, but it kicks the crap out of Dominos. I actually used to like Dominos; it was top notch in my book, but not anymore. Pizza here is amazing and cheap. We're living in Trastevere, which is the same section of town that school is in, but we're about a 30 minute walk from there. There are 5 girls in the apartment, and it's pretty quaint and cozy. Our neighbor is this older Italian man who on the first day tried to help us with our weird door (pictures coming soon of that one) and subsequently broke our key. He also nicely told us he'd like it if we were quiet in the evenings. We've heard that guy yelling at his tv till like 3AM for the last few days. Interesting people here to say the least.
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