Ciao from the 21 year old!
Yesterday was great! After school ended at 1 pm, everyone went to Mama's Bakery as per my request. They sell bagels there because the owner is American, so we had to have them. I got a bagel with veggie cream cheese and it was delicious.
After lunch, a few of us walked around a little and then I headed home and took a nap. I got a call from Paul and from my Dad, so that was really nice to get some birthday wishes. Around 6:15, Andrea and I took the bus to the station to meet everyone else to grab the bus to Pontassieve, where we would be having dinner with Benedetta and her family. As usual, everyone else cut it close and we almost missed the bus, but it turned out ok. We actually ran into Benedetta who was also taking the bus from the center. That was pretty funny, and we were glad to have her on the bus with us because we had no idea where to get off.
When we arrived at the stop, Anarita and Antonio were there to pick us up. I introduced the friends that they hadn't yet met and we got to the house. Antonio led us to a new room that he had just finished building, and the table was beautifully set with nice plates, silverware, and a centerpiece from Benedetta's party! It was sooooo nice. We all sat down immediately and Anarita came out with the first course. We had sweet red wine with 3 different types of crostini. One had a mushroom puree, the next had prosciutto, butter and artichoke, and the 3rd had sausage and cheese puree. We also had these delicious flaky muffin-looking things, filled with zucchini and cheese. For the first course, we had regular red wine with lasagna, Napolitano-style. It was soooooo delicious but incredibly heavy. For the second course, we ate two types of meat. One was normal pork and the other was lamb with bits of olives and other pieces of meat cooked into it. There were also roasted potatoes and salad.
Throughout the entire meal, Benedetta was pretty funny because she tried to get all the kids to help her Dad to believe that she NEEDED an iPhone- in white, specifically. He looked at me and asked, "What do you think? Should she have an iPhone?" Usually, I am most certainly the wrong person to ask because I don't even want one, but I think they are cool. So, I told him that she should have one, but that I didn't want one. I probably should have left the second part out though. Oops, sorry Benedetta. She was hilarious while trying to convince him though. I'll think she'll get one some day soon, but it's just a hunch. Benedetta also informed us that she will officially be coming to America for a month this summer (end of June- end of July). She will be living in Tarrytown and taking an English class at a university nearby. That will be great! I'm going to show her what an American BBQ is like! Me and my friends also told Antonio that we would come over when the weather improved and make a BBQ for them as well. That should be fun.
When dessert came, Antonio brought out sparklers for all of us, along with champagne. Then, Kevin and Jeff entered carrying a cake with candles for me, and another for Maggie. We lit our sparklers, sang happy birthday, and blew the candles out together. It was soooo wonderful. At this point my stomach was bursting, but I was pretty much required to eat the cake. So, I had a taste of the one that was made with Chantilly cream and vermouth, and also had the chocolate fudge nut cake with whipped cream frosting. They were both so incredibly fresh and delicious.
After dessert, we all felt pretty sick, so Antonio brought us espresso (I opted for tea) and bicarbonate bits to mix with water. I did a few stretches and had the "medicine" and felt a little bit better. Then, Anarita and Antonio drove us into the center and dropped us off at Santa Croce.
I'm pretty sure all of Florence was on crack last night, because everyone was soooo rowdy. A lot of Italians hang out in the Santa Croce area, so we definitely stood out. But, as we were walking through, they were going crazy with each other, carrying people, throwing and smashing bottles, running around, and acting like animals. We moved as quickly through the piazza as possible. When we got to the other side of it, we saw a chubby girl laying on the sidewalk, drunk out of her mind. Her chubby friend was kneeling on the ground and trying to help her while her butt crack hung 6 inches out of her pants. And of course we expected the next part- they were Americans. I love how this semester-studiers make such a wonderful impression right in the beginning of their experiences! This is the reason that Americans have such a bad reputation over here.
Anyway, we hurried ourselves to Cafe Bigallo because all of the streets were just swarming with crazy people. At Cafe Bigallo, we were more in our comfort zones. We found a big table in the back and had a few drinks there. After we had just sat down, two Italians came in from outside, following an American boy that looked like he was 15. I'm sure he was our age, but Italians always look much older than Americans. Anyway, they turned this kid around and started yelling at him and pinning him against the wall, right in the middle of Cafe Bigallo! Pretty quickly, Giorgio, the owner came to the back room and broke it up. He sent the drunk Italians away and got the kid a free drink. The lowly American was a little shaken up, to say the least.
A little further into Cafe Bigallo, I scanned the crowd of Americans and discovered that two girls at the table across the room looked incredibly familiar, but I couldn't figure out how. High school? No. Salve? Didn't think so. No one knew them from Holy Cross, so I thought about the Vineyard. Then, it dawned on me! The both of them worked at McPhail's this summer, the coffee shop that I visited almost every day before work at the Yacht Club! Whoa, small world. We'll get back to this later.
So, as things got rowdier in Cafe Bigallo, Giorgio came around with glow bracelets and I told him that it was my 21st birthday. He didn't believe me, so I showed him my id. 10 minutes later, he came back with a free bottle of champagne for me and all of my friends! I opened it, and we did a little toast. That was so nice of him, even though he did it because he's also totally creepy and loves American girls. Whatever. So, Carla, Jeff and Grace dumped their champagne into my glass and told me to chug it. No way. Because I said no, they started making a scene and I got embarrassed. So, I chugged it to shut them up. DON'T CHUG CHAMPAGNE. It's disgusting. I succeeded, though. I guess you only turn 21 once.
Around 12:30 am, everyone decided to go to Twice for some dancing. While I was on my way out, I ran into one of the girls I had recognized. With my liquid courage, I approached her and asked "Hi, did you work on the Vineyard this summer?" She said "Oh my God, yes! Me and my friend have been staring at you this hold time trying to figure it out! Sorry if we were creeping you out!" And then, we got to talking. Her name is Dana and the other girl is Lily. They both go to Skidmore and apparently didn't have much fun on the Vineyard this summer. I apologized for that and said that I wished I had officially met them earlier so that they could hang out with me. She told me that she always looked forward to seeing me because I was one of their only pleasant customers. That was very nice to hear. She also said that she felt so bad charging me the prices that she was forced to, because it was always so expensive. This is very true, McPhail's was wayyyy overpriced. She made sure to mention that I always ordered chai tea or a iced mocha. I was shocked that she remembered!! We decided to exchange numbers and I told them that we could hang out whenever, and that I would be happy to show them around!
After about a half hour of talking, we parted ways and I ran to Twice to meet the rest of my friends who had gone ahead. We danced there until about 3:30 am. It was completely packed and swarming with creepy Albanians. We ignored them and sent them away often. Despite their annoyances, me and my group had a great time. Thank goodness we were able to dance and digest.
On our way to the train station to grab a taxi, Andrea and I were walking briskly past the Duomo when we were stopped. Some girl, who sounded like she had an Italian accent called to us and said "hello!!" We thought she was an Italian who was mocking us, because we were Americans. So, we continued walking. Then, she actually yelled "fuck you," and we turned around and realized she was actually American. It's funny though because that comment didn't offend us. It just made us realize that she needed our attention and help. She was drunk and standing there with a weird Albanian man who was very persistent in walking her home. So, I spoke to this Albanian in Italian and told him that he could go home because Andrea and I would gladly walk her. He responded with "No, she's very drunk and I want to make sure that she'll get home safely, but she doesn't remember exactly where she lives. It's around here somewhere." I assured him that she would be fine with us and politely argued with him for a few more minutes until he finally left. Once he was out of earshot, she turned to us and said "I actually live right down this road and I just didn't want him to know." Smart girl. So, we walked her to her door and waited with her until her friend let her in since she had forgotten her keys. I'm so glad that we stopped and helped her out. That guy was sooo creepy. It's really not good that her friends let her walk home alone though. I hope she gets that straightened out for next time.
Andrea and I took a cab home and I crawled in bed around 4. I woke up today at noon and I feel great! It is a perfect 10 day, so I'm going to meet Maggie in the center and walk around a little bit.
My birthday was great, and the fun isn't even over yet! I am so thankful to have had such a one-of-a-kind birthday experience. Bringing all of my friends to an authentic Italian meal with a real Italian family is such a lucky experience, and I'm so happy to have celebrated the way I did. Anarita and Antonio are such special people, and so genuine. It was really a wonderful night.
More later. Ciao.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Thursday night
Hi everyone... here's a post that I wrote on Friday, after my fun birthday celebration on Thursday night. My internet was down for a few days, so I was unable to post it. So, read it as if it were yesterday hehe. Oh, and today is my 21st birthday!!! Yayyyyy!
Ciao!
Last night, we celebrated mine and Maggie’s birthdays by going out to a great dinner at La Casalinga, on the other side of the river. This place is very well known for its awesome prices and great food. We all ate very well and tried basically everyone else’s dinners too. We started by sharing lots of different plates of appetizers. There were liver crostini, bruschetta, mixed cheeses, and beans soaked in olive oil and garlic. It was all amazing. I had spaghetti Bolognese for my main course and it too, was delicious. Between all 8 of us, we finished 4 liters of red wine and 1.5 huge bread baskets. For dessert, I had a delicious vanilla gelato with blueberry sauce on top. We were all so happy with our meal, especially when we got the bill. Considering all that we had ordered, we really didn’t pay very much. Each of us gave 17 euro and that covered it all! Amazing!
After dinner, we walked back across the river and went to Café Bigallo for some drinks. The creepy man that owns the place was still as creepy as ever, trying to be all cute with the girls. Maggie and I thought that maybe, since it was our birthdays, we would be able to get a free drink. Sadly, that didn’t happen. Oh well. We hung there for a while until it started getting really full with annoying Americans. Then, we went to the Lion’s Fountain for more drinks. On our walk to the bar, Grace decided to go home because she was tired. Kevin and Jeff also left to catch their bus. The Lion’s Fountain was packed because it was karaoke night, so we hung there and had a drink while laughing at the singers.
After Lion’s Fountain, we had planned to go to Space to go dancing, but everyone ended up being so tired that we just decided to go home. Andrea and I were able to catch the bus, so we didn’t have to pay for a taxi. Kevin and Jeff had missed their bus, however, and took a taxi home after returning to the Lion’s Fountain.
This morning, we all made it to class at CLIDA, but were totally dead. Maria (our teacher) thought it was pretty funny, so we did a few grammatical exercises and then played Bananagrams (which I’m obsessed with) and talked for the rest of the class. After class, I picked up a little and got lunch. Then, I took myself shopping for a birthday outfit for tomorrow’s dinner and actually succeeded in finding an awesome skirt. Following my shopping excursion, I went back to CLIDA to pick up a package that my Dad had sent me, and to use the internet because mine isn’t working!!! Ugh. Maria Pia is trying to work it out. Anyway, I’m not going anywhere tonight because I’m exhausted. I have school tomorrow from 9-1 and then we are having the fabulous dinner at Benedetta’s! I can’t wait! I’m sure I’ll have stories on Sunday.
A dopo.
Ciao!
Last night, we celebrated mine and Maggie’s birthdays by going out to a great dinner at La Casalinga, on the other side of the river. This place is very well known for its awesome prices and great food. We all ate very well and tried basically everyone else’s dinners too. We started by sharing lots of different plates of appetizers. There were liver crostini, bruschetta, mixed cheeses, and beans soaked in olive oil and garlic. It was all amazing. I had spaghetti Bolognese for my main course and it too, was delicious. Between all 8 of us, we finished 4 liters of red wine and 1.5 huge bread baskets. For dessert, I had a delicious vanilla gelato with blueberry sauce on top. We were all so happy with our meal, especially when we got the bill. Considering all that we had ordered, we really didn’t pay very much. Each of us gave 17 euro and that covered it all! Amazing!
After dinner, we walked back across the river and went to Café Bigallo for some drinks. The creepy man that owns the place was still as creepy as ever, trying to be all cute with the girls. Maggie and I thought that maybe, since it was our birthdays, we would be able to get a free drink. Sadly, that didn’t happen. Oh well. We hung there for a while until it started getting really full with annoying Americans. Then, we went to the Lion’s Fountain for more drinks. On our walk to the bar, Grace decided to go home because she was tired. Kevin and Jeff also left to catch their bus. The Lion’s Fountain was packed because it was karaoke night, so we hung there and had a drink while laughing at the singers.
After Lion’s Fountain, we had planned to go to Space to go dancing, but everyone ended up being so tired that we just decided to go home. Andrea and I were able to catch the bus, so we didn’t have to pay for a taxi. Kevin and Jeff had missed their bus, however, and took a taxi home after returning to the Lion’s Fountain.
This morning, we all made it to class at CLIDA, but were totally dead. Maria (our teacher) thought it was pretty funny, so we did a few grammatical exercises and then played Bananagrams (which I’m obsessed with) and talked for the rest of the class. After class, I picked up a little and got lunch. Then, I took myself shopping for a birthday outfit for tomorrow’s dinner and actually succeeded in finding an awesome skirt. Following my shopping excursion, I went back to CLIDA to pick up a package that my Dad had sent me, and to use the internet because mine isn’t working!!! Ugh. Maria Pia is trying to work it out. Anyway, I’m not going anywhere tonight because I’m exhausted. I have school tomorrow from 9-1 and then we are having the fabulous dinner at Benedetta’s! I can’t wait! I’m sure I’ll have stories on Sunday.
A dopo.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Final final finally finished
Ciao everyone!
Today, I closed out my first semester at the University of Florence with a bang.
I woke up this morning and was not nearly as nervous as I had been for Museologia two weeks ago. It worried me a little that I wasn't worrying, but I tried to ignore that. Andrea and I traveled into the center where we met Grace and Carla. Together, we walked to the site of our Storia del Costume exam. We arrived on schedule at 9:30, but our professor didn't arrive until 10:15 because she was having back problems. (She's the cutest little old lady with a big hunchback). When she arrived, she did role call and we were numbers 8-11, so we knew we'd be going in the morning, which was great.
Some commotion began a few people before us because our professor had mixed up the dates on the sheets and some Italians were cutting in front of others because they were confused. We kind of sat there quietly because we didn't want to piss off the teacher. However, the Italians unfortunately succeeded at doing just that. Two people before Andrea was supposed to go in to take the exam, the Italians pissed her off so much (by bombarding her with judicial questions) that she stomped down the hallway cursing and saying "basta" very loudly. ("Basta" means "enough"). That made us soooo nervous. For the whole semester, our professor had been famous for being very sweet all the time, so we figured that we were doomed if someone had actually succeeded in making her angry.
A half hour or so later, Andrea went in to take the exam. It felt like she was in there for a whole half hour and I was trying to keep my cool in anticipation. She came out with a smile on her face, but I didn't want any information that could screw me up, so I made myself scarce. When the professor called me in, I walked into her office and then she disappeared into the bathroom for about 10 minutes while I sat there staring at the papers on her desk. She returned and started to fill out a paper for me, since I was a foreign student. As she was looking at my school ID for Florence, she commented on my birthplace (Teaneck, NJ) and wanted to know where that was in relation to NY. Then, she asked about Holy Cross and how long it takes to get there from my house. I was ALL ABOUT the small talk. Sadly, we had to start with Storia del Costume soon after but miraculously, everything went smoothly. Because she had chatted with me so much in the beginning, I was wayyyy less nervous than I had been while taking the Museologia exam. I felt so much more confident, besides the fact that the material was much easier to grasp and had some breathing room with terms and dates. 20 minutes later (which actually felt like 5), she announced "facciamo trenta," which literally means, "we'll do a thirty."--- a perfect score!
I was flying! I thanked her and told her I loved her class (I'm a loser, I know), and then left the room. I quickly found out that Andrea had also gotten a 30. Carla took the exam after I did and received a compliment on her outfit, which is a huge deal for a fashion teacher. She wore a Grandma sweater, so that must be why. She ended up with a 29 and then Grace too received a 29.
We were the happiest kids alive after that exam! We had ended up waiting a total of 4.5 hours and were completely starving by 2:30, so we took ourselves out to sushi to celebrate. Tonight, we're going to go out for a few drinks, but the real celebration starts tomorrow with mine and Maggie's birthday extravaganza!
We'll be going to "La Casalinga" again (the place that the Holy Cross professor, Andrea Borghini took us before Christmas) and then going dancing. On Saturday, we'll all be going over Benedetta's house for dinner because Anarita insisted on celebrating mine and Maggie's birthday. She's making TWO cakes and lots of food. Then she's sending us out dancing. On Wednesday, Maria Pia is cooking a birthday dinner in celebration of mine and Andrea's birthday. All my friends will be coming to that too. On Thursday, Elisa is taking us to an artisan to see how they work leather. And last but not least, we're leaving for Amsterdam on Friday the 5th! We have a whirlwind of events ahead of us and I'm so excited! After a month of studying, we totally deserve it!
I'll update after the birthday celebration!
Ciao!
Today, I closed out my first semester at the University of Florence with a bang.
I woke up this morning and was not nearly as nervous as I had been for Museologia two weeks ago. It worried me a little that I wasn't worrying, but I tried to ignore that. Andrea and I traveled into the center where we met Grace and Carla. Together, we walked to the site of our Storia del Costume exam. We arrived on schedule at 9:30, but our professor didn't arrive until 10:15 because she was having back problems. (She's the cutest little old lady with a big hunchback). When she arrived, she did role call and we were numbers 8-11, so we knew we'd be going in the morning, which was great.
Some commotion began a few people before us because our professor had mixed up the dates on the sheets and some Italians were cutting in front of others because they were confused. We kind of sat there quietly because we didn't want to piss off the teacher. However, the Italians unfortunately succeeded at doing just that. Two people before Andrea was supposed to go in to take the exam, the Italians pissed her off so much (by bombarding her with judicial questions) that she stomped down the hallway cursing and saying "basta" very loudly. ("Basta" means "enough"). That made us soooo nervous. For the whole semester, our professor had been famous for being very sweet all the time, so we figured that we were doomed if someone had actually succeeded in making her angry.
A half hour or so later, Andrea went in to take the exam. It felt like she was in there for a whole half hour and I was trying to keep my cool in anticipation. She came out with a smile on her face, but I didn't want any information that could screw me up, so I made myself scarce. When the professor called me in, I walked into her office and then she disappeared into the bathroom for about 10 minutes while I sat there staring at the papers on her desk. She returned and started to fill out a paper for me, since I was a foreign student. As she was looking at my school ID for Florence, she commented on my birthplace (Teaneck, NJ) and wanted to know where that was in relation to NY. Then, she asked about Holy Cross and how long it takes to get there from my house. I was ALL ABOUT the small talk. Sadly, we had to start with Storia del Costume soon after but miraculously, everything went smoothly. Because she had chatted with me so much in the beginning, I was wayyyy less nervous than I had been while taking the Museologia exam. I felt so much more confident, besides the fact that the material was much easier to grasp and had some breathing room with terms and dates. 20 minutes later (which actually felt like 5), she announced "facciamo trenta," which literally means, "we'll do a thirty."--- a perfect score!
I was flying! I thanked her and told her I loved her class (I'm a loser, I know), and then left the room. I quickly found out that Andrea had also gotten a 30. Carla took the exam after I did and received a compliment on her outfit, which is a huge deal for a fashion teacher. She wore a Grandma sweater, so that must be why. She ended up with a 29 and then Grace too received a 29.
We were the happiest kids alive after that exam! We had ended up waiting a total of 4.5 hours and were completely starving by 2:30, so we took ourselves out to sushi to celebrate. Tonight, we're going to go out for a few drinks, but the real celebration starts tomorrow with mine and Maggie's birthday extravaganza!
We'll be going to "La Casalinga" again (the place that the Holy Cross professor, Andrea Borghini took us before Christmas) and then going dancing. On Saturday, we'll all be going over Benedetta's house for dinner because Anarita insisted on celebrating mine and Maggie's birthday. She's making TWO cakes and lots of food. Then she's sending us out dancing. On Wednesday, Maria Pia is cooking a birthday dinner in celebration of mine and Andrea's birthday. All my friends will be coming to that too. On Thursday, Elisa is taking us to an artisan to see how they work leather. And last but not least, we're leaving for Amsterdam on Friday the 5th! We have a whirlwind of events ahead of us and I'm so excited! After a month of studying, we totally deserve it!
I'll update after the birthday celebration!
Ciao!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Italian Opera
Today, we went to the Opera. The theatre just so happens to be on the same street as Aunt Gale and Uncle Ellis' house, so I knew exactly how to get there. On our way there, we found ourselves following mobs of old women in fur coats, so we weren't exactly sure how this thing was going to turn out. Neither Jeff nor Andrea came, so when we arrived, Maria Cristina (Dobby) was there and decided to try to scalp the un-used tickets. While we watched the old-timers filtering in, Dobby was off doing her thing and came back with the money from having successfully sold the tickets. However, it turned out that her customers had wanted 3 tickets, instead of 2. So, she sold hers! She then told us that she would show us to the door, but that we'd be seeing the show alone.
So, we got in there and had the hardest time finding our seats. The ushers didn't actually help. They just stood there and chatted while watching us struggle. Turns out that stupid Elisa booked us seats all over the theatre. Maggie Wright and I were in the left wing, in separate rows, while Kevin, Maggie Rossi, Carla and Grace were scattered through the front area of the right wing. Who wants to go to a show when you can't sit with your friends?! Who knows.
Anyway, the show was called L'Italiana in Algeri by a guy named Rossini. The first 5 minutes were very colorful and lively, and it was helpful because the lyrics to the songs were on a screen. However, my body couldn't take it anymore and forced me into a deep sleep and I missed the whole act! It was just so warm and dark and the classical music was so nice, so of course that was bound to happen!... especially considering the fact that I was out until 3:30 last night. I woke up a few times when I heard applause because I didn't want anyone to see that I was sleeping, but no one noticed anyway. At intermission, we decided to leave because it was obvious that neither I nor Carla, who was also sleeping, were getting anything out of it, and everyone else was just tired and had to study for their finals tomorrow. So we left, found a cafe, and got a cappuccino and cookie for Maggie Rossi's birthday. Now I'm back home and getting my things together to start studying. I can't wait until Wednesday is over. I'm ready for the fun to begin! This has been the longest month of studying ever!
So much for the opera. Maybe next time.
Ciao!
So, we got in there and had the hardest time finding our seats. The ushers didn't actually help. They just stood there and chatted while watching us struggle. Turns out that stupid Elisa booked us seats all over the theatre. Maggie Wright and I were in the left wing, in separate rows, while Kevin, Maggie Rossi, Carla and Grace were scattered through the front area of the right wing. Who wants to go to a show when you can't sit with your friends?! Who knows.
Anyway, the show was called L'Italiana in Algeri by a guy named Rossini. The first 5 minutes were very colorful and lively, and it was helpful because the lyrics to the songs were on a screen. However, my body couldn't take it anymore and forced me into a deep sleep and I missed the whole act! It was just so warm and dark and the classical music was so nice, so of course that was bound to happen!... especially considering the fact that I was out until 3:30 last night. I woke up a few times when I heard applause because I didn't want anyone to see that I was sleeping, but no one noticed anyway. At intermission, we decided to leave because it was obvious that neither I nor Carla, who was also sleeping, were getting anything out of it, and everyone else was just tired and had to study for their finals tomorrow. So we left, found a cafe, and got a cappuccino and cookie for Maggie Rossi's birthday. Now I'm back home and getting my things together to start studying. I can't wait until Wednesday is over. I'm ready for the fun to begin! This has been the longest month of studying ever!
So much for the opera. Maybe next time.
Ciao!
Castle Party
Last night, Kevin, Maggie, Maggie, Andrea and myself had the honor of being invited to Benedetta's 18th birthday party in Castel di Poggio in beautiful Fiesole. Unfortunately, Andrea was sick and couldn't join us, but the rest of us met up in Piazza San Marco around 7:15 to take the bus together to Fiesole at 7:45. Before hopping on the bus, we shared a little champagne on a piazza bench in celebration of Maggie Rossi's 21st birthday, which would start at midnight. Then, we got on the bus and took it all the way to the end of the line. There, in Fiesole's central piazza were an aunt and uncle of Benedetta, who had been asked to pick us up and drive us to the castle. They were very sweet, though they never told me their names even though we all introduced ourselves. Italians seem to have a way of not doing the introduction thing, as we also found out later into the night.
Anyway, we arrived right at 8:30, when the party was scheduled to kick off. We had no choice but to be there on time, and clearly everyone else had chosen to come late. So, we kind of sat there for a half hour or so while a small group of Italians talked amongst themselves. A little bit later, my boy cousin Andrea arrived (not to be confused with my roommate, Andrea, who is a girl and didn't come to the party). We greeted each other and I followed him over to wherever he chose to put his present, so that I could put ours down too. He was with two Italian girls, one of whom is his girlfriend and all they did was stare at my weirdly. So, I turned around and introduced myself in Italian. They certainly did not seem very excited, or even falsely excited to meet me. I got a "ciao, piacere" and then they just stared into space. SO AWKWARD. So, as I said before, Italians don't do introductions very well.
Benedetta made her grand entrance around 9:30 and we snapped some photos before she walked around to greet every table. Her stressed demeanor reminded me of that of a bride's, although I wasn't fooled long since she had chosen a bright green dress and had no husband on her arm. I'm pretty sure she didn't get to eat very much throughout the night.
We, on the contrary, stuffed ourselves. The antipasti consisted of assorted breads with small dishes of liver pate, mushroom spread, and a cheesy olive oil spread. There were also mozzarella balls and mini tomatoes stuck into a pineapple with sticks, which looked pretty cool. There was a farro and tuna salad, which I liked a lot. And lastly, there was a nice assortment of really stinky cheeses that tasted awesome! The first course consisted of a green salad, paparadelle pasta with wild boar meat sauce, and risotto with shrimp and zucchini. The second course was pork with bacon and a side of awesome roasted potatoes.
So that whole eating extravaganza took about 2 hours, time in which we were able to form a friendship with a nice, Italian couple that was closer in age to us than the high schoolers we were surrounded by. Their names were Sara and Alessandro and Sara was a cousin of Benedetta's. I can't figure out if that made her my cousin too, but I don't think so. Anyway, they were both around 23 or so, and were the cutest couple ever! They were so normal in comparison to the other Italian couples that I've encountered. They absolutely love NY, so we spent a lot of time talking about that. It also seemed that they really liked to party and have a good time, so they weren't as judgmental of us Americans and our "party habits". We exchanged phone numbers and email addresses and I suppose we're going to "prendere una birra insieme" some day soon. 15 minutes before midnight, Benedetta blew out the candles on her cakes and we all sang happy birthday in Italian, which was something new and exciting for me. Did you know they also do that "she's a jolly good fellow" song in Italian too!? Anyway, the cakes formed a huge 18 and were absolutely delicious. They are called "Torta millefoglie" and basically consisted of a cannoli-type cream with chocolate chips, a flaky crust, and tons of powdered sugar. So good! When the clock struck midnight, Maggie Rossi whipped out the nips that she had brought to welcome her 21st birthday. Our new Italian friends got a huge kick out of it and were so excited, so we all sat down and each took our nip shot in honor of Maggie's first American legal drink. It was very comical.
After cake (and shots), Benedetta started to open her presents, which I was a little surprised she was doing. After all, there were A LOT of presents, and that tends to be boring for guests when they have to watch someone else get all the things that they would probably enjoy having. However, we were pretty excited when she got to opening our present. Together we gave her a Holy Cross t-shirt, a map of NYC with our favorite (and her favorite) places marked and explained, an artistic map of Manhattan to hang on her wall, and I <3 NY shot glass, and a small NYC guide book in English. Our card was a little booklet that we had decorated, each taking up a spread and writing whatever we wanted. We called it "Benedetta's America Book," and I wrote English idiomatic phrases and expressions for the party scene, while Kevin went the dirty words route. Our idea is that she continues to use that book to write fun things that she learns in English. SHE LOVED IT.
Halfway through the presents, as I had anticipated, everyone got bored. So, we started dancing. Our new Italian friend, Sara definitely didn't take to the shot very well because she was certainly a little drunk and as a result, quite a fun dancer. We all had a great time and Alessandro, her boyfriend, was very amused. That continued until about 2:30 in the morning, when we had to try to find a ride home. Fortunately, Anarita (Benedetta's mom) had already planned it for us, and the people who had picked us up in the beginning were gracious enough to drive us all home, even though we live in completely opposite directions, and they live in a different town. We had told them that taking us to the center would have been fine because we could have taken cabs from there. But, they wouldn't allow the girls to "walk through the streets" at 3:00 am, even though the cabs were in plain sight. It was very nice of them to take us home though. Door to door service!
Anyway, the night was pretty awesome and I'm so happy to have been invited. It was really funny to be around so many high schoolers because it reminded me of the groups that were so present during that time for me. The nerdy kids, the hot girls, the charming boys. It's all the same in Italy! It was very amusing because my friends and I always say how old the Italian girls look. They look so much other than us, even! But, there is nothing that the boys can do to catch up. They can't wear makeup and fight their teenage pimples, so there was such a false age gap. Very funny. Also, the boys and the girls were very clique-y and definitely stuck to their own little groups. I think this was why we got along so well with Sara and Alessandro. They were a little older too, and past all that stuff.
Today, I'm going to the opera as a cultural outing. We'll see how this goes because I'm very tired and it's going to be all in Italian.
Ciao!
Anyway, we arrived right at 8:30, when the party was scheduled to kick off. We had no choice but to be there on time, and clearly everyone else had chosen to come late. So, we kind of sat there for a half hour or so while a small group of Italians talked amongst themselves. A little bit later, my boy cousin Andrea arrived (not to be confused with my roommate, Andrea, who is a girl and didn't come to the party). We greeted each other and I followed him over to wherever he chose to put his present, so that I could put ours down too. He was with two Italian girls, one of whom is his girlfriend and all they did was stare at my weirdly. So, I turned around and introduced myself in Italian. They certainly did not seem very excited, or even falsely excited to meet me. I got a "ciao, piacere" and then they just stared into space. SO AWKWARD. So, as I said before, Italians don't do introductions very well.
Benedetta made her grand entrance around 9:30 and we snapped some photos before she walked around to greet every table. Her stressed demeanor reminded me of that of a bride's, although I wasn't fooled long since she had chosen a bright green dress and had no husband on her arm. I'm pretty sure she didn't get to eat very much throughout the night.
We, on the contrary, stuffed ourselves. The antipasti consisted of assorted breads with small dishes of liver pate, mushroom spread, and a cheesy olive oil spread. There were also mozzarella balls and mini tomatoes stuck into a pineapple with sticks, which looked pretty cool. There was a farro and tuna salad, which I liked a lot. And lastly, there was a nice assortment of really stinky cheeses that tasted awesome! The first course consisted of a green salad, paparadelle pasta with wild boar meat sauce, and risotto with shrimp and zucchini. The second course was pork with bacon and a side of awesome roasted potatoes.
So that whole eating extravaganza took about 2 hours, time in which we were able to form a friendship with a nice, Italian couple that was closer in age to us than the high schoolers we were surrounded by. Their names were Sara and Alessandro and Sara was a cousin of Benedetta's. I can't figure out if that made her my cousin too, but I don't think so. Anyway, they were both around 23 or so, and were the cutest couple ever! They were so normal in comparison to the other Italian couples that I've encountered. They absolutely love NY, so we spent a lot of time talking about that. It also seemed that they really liked to party and have a good time, so they weren't as judgmental of us Americans and our "party habits". We exchanged phone numbers and email addresses and I suppose we're going to "prendere una birra insieme" some day soon. 15 minutes before midnight, Benedetta blew out the candles on her cakes and we all sang happy birthday in Italian, which was something new and exciting for me. Did you know they also do that "she's a jolly good fellow" song in Italian too!? Anyway, the cakes formed a huge 18 and were absolutely delicious. They are called "Torta millefoglie" and basically consisted of a cannoli-type cream with chocolate chips, a flaky crust, and tons of powdered sugar. So good! When the clock struck midnight, Maggie Rossi whipped out the nips that she had brought to welcome her 21st birthday. Our new Italian friends got a huge kick out of it and were so excited, so we all sat down and each took our nip shot in honor of Maggie's first American legal drink. It was very comical.
After cake (and shots), Benedetta started to open her presents, which I was a little surprised she was doing. After all, there were A LOT of presents, and that tends to be boring for guests when they have to watch someone else get all the things that they would probably enjoy having. However, we were pretty excited when she got to opening our present. Together we gave her a Holy Cross t-shirt, a map of NYC with our favorite (and her favorite) places marked and explained, an artistic map of Manhattan to hang on her wall, and I <3 NY shot glass, and a small NYC guide book in English. Our card was a little booklet that we had decorated, each taking up a spread and writing whatever we wanted. We called it "Benedetta's America Book," and I wrote English idiomatic phrases and expressions for the party scene, while Kevin went the dirty words route. Our idea is that she continues to use that book to write fun things that she learns in English. SHE LOVED IT.
Halfway through the presents, as I had anticipated, everyone got bored. So, we started dancing. Our new Italian friend, Sara definitely didn't take to the shot very well because she was certainly a little drunk and as a result, quite a fun dancer. We all had a great time and Alessandro, her boyfriend, was very amused. That continued until about 2:30 in the morning, when we had to try to find a ride home. Fortunately, Anarita (Benedetta's mom) had already planned it for us, and the people who had picked us up in the beginning were gracious enough to drive us all home, even though we live in completely opposite directions, and they live in a different town. We had told them that taking us to the center would have been fine because we could have taken cabs from there. But, they wouldn't allow the girls to "walk through the streets" at 3:00 am, even though the cabs were in plain sight. It was very nice of them to take us home though. Door to door service!
Anyway, the night was pretty awesome and I'm so happy to have been invited. It was really funny to be around so many high schoolers because it reminded me of the groups that were so present during that time for me. The nerdy kids, the hot girls, the charming boys. It's all the same in Italy! It was very amusing because my friends and I always say how old the Italian girls look. They look so much other than us, even! But, there is nothing that the boys can do to catch up. They can't wear makeup and fight their teenage pimples, so there was such a false age gap. Very funny. Also, the boys and the girls were very clique-y and definitely stuck to their own little groups. I think this was why we got along so well with Sara and Alessandro. They were a little older too, and past all that stuff.
Today, I'm going to the opera as a cultural outing. We'll see how this goes because I'm very tired and it's going to be all in Italian.
Ciao!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Teatro del Sale
Well, last night didn't turn out to be everything that we had been excited for. Elia (our cultural adviser) had emailed us in the beginning of the week inviting us to dinner at Teatro del Sale. All week, we looked up the place and reviews and got ourselves really excited. It's a type of club where you have to become a member to go, so we felt really cool to have been "privileged" enough to attend.
So last night, we met Elia in the center around 7:30 and all walked to the place together. It took about 15 minutes to get us signed in with our new membership cards and everything. We were so excited. When we finally got inside, the place was very unique. In the front room, they were selling artichokes in olive oil for 30 euro and sea salt for 15 euro. So, we figured that the place must have been really expensive. The dining area was very cool. It looked like an old, warm and cozy library with big leather couches and chairs, and lots of little coffee tables. Everything was fairly low to the ground, so we got all mushed up and very comfortable. Unfortunately, we had to sit at two separate tables because there were 9 of us, but the maximum place seated 5. It was alright though.
Once we got settled, the host explained the way the food and drink worked. Basically, the chef from the main room would scream out whatever dish was coming out of the kitchen. Then, it would go on a table and people would scramble to get some from the waiters that were assigned to dish it out. This main room had lots of tables and was much louder. So, I preferred our location in the back, lounge-esque area. We were also conveniently sitting right next to the never-ending, all-you-can-drink wine spouts. Everyone seemed to be entertained by that.
The whole night, the entire restaurant was basically on the same eating schedule. The chef screamed various entering appetizers and first course dishes for the first hour, and then moved onto the second course for the next half hour. The appetizers I liked included the freshly baked bread, kidney beans in olive oil, polenta with cinnamon, fuselli pasta with meat sauce, some other type of pasta with tomato sauce, sciaciatta bread soaked in olive oil, and mini meat balls. I also tried tripe since we didn't have to pay for the meal. For those that don't know, tripe is sheep's stomach, and it was gross. I don't think stomachs are made to be eaten. Anyway, the main course consisted of fish, veal, and chicken with the most amazing roasted potatoes. They were all very good. The chef also came out of the kitchen and walked around with huge sticks of bread that were made to look like femur bones. I got a kick out of that.
Now, despite the fact that all of this was very good and entertaining, we were also very frustrated with the crowd. ITALIANS ARE RUTHLESS when it comes to food. They can be rude and pushy and very unfriendly. At one point, I stood up at the buffet table waiting for the food to be handed out, and some lady came up from behind me and mushed her boobs into my back to get me to move! Then, she cut completely in front of me and I'm so short that the servers didn't even see me! Another time, I waited patiently for the veal and ended up being the last person to get served. At that point, all that was left was a bone, which I politely refused. I decided to share Kevin's.
At one point, I got my camera out to take a picture of my friends. Within seconds, the host came over and told us (in English, even though we had been speaking Italian the entire night) that photos are strictly not allowed. That was fine, whatever. BUT, I hate it when people switch to English when they are well aware that I know Italian. I think it's offensive because I know it means that they want to be SURE that I understand whatever it is that they want to yell at me about. It's always when we're doing something wrong that people switch over to English. I hate it.
After the meal, everyone was asked to get up and move their chairs into the main room for the performance. So, we brought over our chairs and our glasses of wine, excited for the show to start. As Maggie was setting up her chair, the same rude host (who we had originally thought was being really nice to us) turned around and bumped into her back, causing her to spill her red wine all over her dress. His apology was flat and insincere and he followed with "no drinks are allowed during the show." At that point, he walked away and didn't come back with anything to help her clean herself up. We were not very happy about that. Right before the show started, he came back to us specifically and said, very slowly in Italian, "do not under any circumstances get up during the performance." He said that to no one else but us. That pissed us off even more. How old did he think we were!? Five!? I've been to enough shows (better than this one) to know that you don't just get up and walk around during a show. We are not retarded. I know it was because we were the only Americans, and also the youngest in the place. So, Grace, Carla and Jeff snuck out while me, Kevin, Maggie, Maggie, Andrea, and Elia stayed for the production. It was some lady who sang and acted while her son (I think) played the guitar. Everyone was laughing, but I didn't find it very funny, especially after all the singling out that we had to deal with that night. So, I sat there not really listening and dozing in and out of sleep until it was finally over. Turns out that Elia (who's Italian born and raised) didn't even like it or understand that well either.
We were so happy when we were able to leave. We remembered that Elisa had told us that we would really enjoy the dinner and show. But then, we also remembered that Elisa is a middle-aged, very rich and intellectual woman. Therefore, this place was exactly her scene, and not ours. All of the adults were very snobby and selfish. I could tell just by looking around that everyone knew that we were there, and that in their opinions, we didn't belong. I even saw Elia texting his friend commenting on the snobbery within the place.
I kept thinking back to the Yacht Club, the snobbiest place that I've experienced, and I have to say that this place, though different, was definitely more frank about it. At the Yacht Club, people are usually snobby to each other, and not as much to me. However, I wasn't a waitress last night either. So, I'm not sure what to make of it.
After leaving, we all went to Shot Cafe to meet up with Jeff, Carla and Grace and hang out. Elia surprisingly came with us (he's incredibly religious and rarely goes out at night), but looked so uncomfortable and out of place that we weren't surprised when he said he was going to head home. Either way, it was really nice of him to waste his time trying to entertain us when it was clear that none of us had wanted to be at Teatro del Sale. He said that next time, we'll all just go for a pizza. WAY BETTER.
After Elia left, we tried to hang around, but the mood had been completely killed. So around midnight, we all just headed home and went to bed.
Thankfully, tonight should be much better. Maggie, Maggie, Andrea, Kevin and myself are going to Benedetta's birthday party at a Castle in Fiesole. She's turning 18 and in Italy, that's the big one. It should be really fun!
Anyway, I have a lot of studying to do before that, so it's time to go.
Ciao!
So last night, we met Elia in the center around 7:30 and all walked to the place together. It took about 15 minutes to get us signed in with our new membership cards and everything. We were so excited. When we finally got inside, the place was very unique. In the front room, they were selling artichokes in olive oil for 30 euro and sea salt for 15 euro. So, we figured that the place must have been really expensive. The dining area was very cool. It looked like an old, warm and cozy library with big leather couches and chairs, and lots of little coffee tables. Everything was fairly low to the ground, so we got all mushed up and very comfortable. Unfortunately, we had to sit at two separate tables because there were 9 of us, but the maximum place seated 5. It was alright though.
Once we got settled, the host explained the way the food and drink worked. Basically, the chef from the main room would scream out whatever dish was coming out of the kitchen. Then, it would go on a table and people would scramble to get some from the waiters that were assigned to dish it out. This main room had lots of tables and was much louder. So, I preferred our location in the back, lounge-esque area. We were also conveniently sitting right next to the never-ending, all-you-can-drink wine spouts. Everyone seemed to be entertained by that.
The whole night, the entire restaurant was basically on the same eating schedule. The chef screamed various entering appetizers and first course dishes for the first hour, and then moved onto the second course for the next half hour. The appetizers I liked included the freshly baked bread, kidney beans in olive oil, polenta with cinnamon, fuselli pasta with meat sauce, some other type of pasta with tomato sauce, sciaciatta bread soaked in olive oil, and mini meat balls. I also tried tripe since we didn't have to pay for the meal. For those that don't know, tripe is sheep's stomach, and it was gross. I don't think stomachs are made to be eaten. Anyway, the main course consisted of fish, veal, and chicken with the most amazing roasted potatoes. They were all very good. The chef also came out of the kitchen and walked around with huge sticks of bread that were made to look like femur bones. I got a kick out of that.
Now, despite the fact that all of this was very good and entertaining, we were also very frustrated with the crowd. ITALIANS ARE RUTHLESS when it comes to food. They can be rude and pushy and very unfriendly. At one point, I stood up at the buffet table waiting for the food to be handed out, and some lady came up from behind me and mushed her boobs into my back to get me to move! Then, she cut completely in front of me and I'm so short that the servers didn't even see me! Another time, I waited patiently for the veal and ended up being the last person to get served. At that point, all that was left was a bone, which I politely refused. I decided to share Kevin's.
At one point, I got my camera out to take a picture of my friends. Within seconds, the host came over and told us (in English, even though we had been speaking Italian the entire night) that photos are strictly not allowed. That was fine, whatever. BUT, I hate it when people switch to English when they are well aware that I know Italian. I think it's offensive because I know it means that they want to be SURE that I understand whatever it is that they want to yell at me about. It's always when we're doing something wrong that people switch over to English. I hate it.
After the meal, everyone was asked to get up and move their chairs into the main room for the performance. So, we brought over our chairs and our glasses of wine, excited for the show to start. As Maggie was setting up her chair, the same rude host (who we had originally thought was being really nice to us) turned around and bumped into her back, causing her to spill her red wine all over her dress. His apology was flat and insincere and he followed with "no drinks are allowed during the show." At that point, he walked away and didn't come back with anything to help her clean herself up. We were not very happy about that. Right before the show started, he came back to us specifically and said, very slowly in Italian, "do not under any circumstances get up during the performance." He said that to no one else but us. That pissed us off even more. How old did he think we were!? Five!? I've been to enough shows (better than this one) to know that you don't just get up and walk around during a show. We are not retarded. I know it was because we were the only Americans, and also the youngest in the place. So, Grace, Carla and Jeff snuck out while me, Kevin, Maggie, Maggie, Andrea, and Elia stayed for the production. It was some lady who sang and acted while her son (I think) played the guitar. Everyone was laughing, but I didn't find it very funny, especially after all the singling out that we had to deal with that night. So, I sat there not really listening and dozing in and out of sleep until it was finally over. Turns out that Elia (who's Italian born and raised) didn't even like it or understand that well either.
We were so happy when we were able to leave. We remembered that Elisa had told us that we would really enjoy the dinner and show. But then, we also remembered that Elisa is a middle-aged, very rich and intellectual woman. Therefore, this place was exactly her scene, and not ours. All of the adults were very snobby and selfish. I could tell just by looking around that everyone knew that we were there, and that in their opinions, we didn't belong. I even saw Elia texting his friend commenting on the snobbery within the place.
I kept thinking back to the Yacht Club, the snobbiest place that I've experienced, and I have to say that this place, though different, was definitely more frank about it. At the Yacht Club, people are usually snobby to each other, and not as much to me. However, I wasn't a waitress last night either. So, I'm not sure what to make of it.
After leaving, we all went to Shot Cafe to meet up with Jeff, Carla and Grace and hang out. Elia surprisingly came with us (he's incredibly religious and rarely goes out at night), but looked so uncomfortable and out of place that we weren't surprised when he said he was going to head home. Either way, it was really nice of him to waste his time trying to entertain us when it was clear that none of us had wanted to be at Teatro del Sale. He said that next time, we'll all just go for a pizza. WAY BETTER.
After Elia left, we tried to hang around, but the mood had been completely killed. So around midnight, we all just headed home and went to bed.
Thankfully, tonight should be much better. Maggie, Maggie, Andrea, Kevin and myself are going to Benedetta's birthday party at a Castle in Fiesole. She's turning 18 and in Italy, that's the big one. It should be really fun!
Anyway, I have a lot of studying to do before that, so it's time to go.
Ciao!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Stolen!!!
When you read the subject, I bet you thought I got robbed. Actually, it's just the opposite...
Today during our mid-morning break from CLIDA, Carla and I went to the bar across the street for a cappuccino and snacks. I ordered a cappuccino from the very efficient barman and Carla bought a Red Bull, potato chips, and peanuts. (She loves her junk food at 10:30 am.. hehehe). Anyway, Carla and I got into a pretty intense conversation for about 10 minutes. I had finished my cappuccino, so we went outside so that she could have a cigarette before we both went back to class. We chatted for about 10 minutes more about the same subject, and then climbed the stairs to the second floor of CLIDA. Once I reached the top of the stairs, I put my hand in my right pocket to get my chapstick. Instead of my chapstick, I noticed 1 euro and 10 cents... the same euro and 10 cents that I had put in my pocket to pay for the cappuccino. So, that makes today the first day I ever stole anything.
Oops!
Today during our mid-morning break from CLIDA, Carla and I went to the bar across the street for a cappuccino and snacks. I ordered a cappuccino from the very efficient barman and Carla bought a Red Bull, potato chips, and peanuts. (She loves her junk food at 10:30 am.. hehehe). Anyway, Carla and I got into a pretty intense conversation for about 10 minutes. I had finished my cappuccino, so we went outside so that she could have a cigarette before we both went back to class. We chatted for about 10 minutes more about the same subject, and then climbed the stairs to the second floor of CLIDA. Once I reached the top of the stairs, I put my hand in my right pocket to get my chapstick. Instead of my chapstick, I noticed 1 euro and 10 cents... the same euro and 10 cents that I had put in my pocket to pay for the cappuccino. So, that makes today the first day I ever stole anything.
Oops!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Day of Hell... Museologia final
Ciao all,
Contrary to what the title may lead you to believe, all is okay now. But, today was the longest and most torturous day of my life. All 5 of us (Me, Andrea, Maggie Rossi, Grace and Jeff) had been studying for our Museologia final since we arrived back in Florence early last week. Elisa was drilling info into our heads in our tutoring sessions that lasted from Friday until yesterday. Elisa had prepared us for the exam program and warned us on interview tactics. Today was judgement day.
We all arrived at the classroom on time, and our teacher took attendance. She wasn't very clear as to how long we would be waiting to take the exam, so we decided to stay in the classroom while the students ahead of us were doing it. (For exams at Italian Universities, the professors have a sort of "conversation" with the student in the front of the classroom, and other students can sit in the room and listen, if they so choose.) So, we stayed and listened. Bad idea. The first student was Italian and got a 30/30. Awesome. The second student was American and got a 28/30. We were pretty sure she knew nothing so we felt much calmer after that. Very quickly though, things started to go downhill. As people were stumbling more and more, the grades were certainly lowering. She failed just about all the Americans after that first girl. No one knew anything, she was mad, and the questions were getting harder.
We waited in that classroom trying to study, but we were so distracted by our nerves that it really wasn't working. My heart was beating so fast the whole day and my body was shaking so much that I couldn't write! I'm sure the 5 of us looked like we were going to throw up on each other. Anyway, all that stress throughout the morning did nothing for us because around 1, she broke for lunch. We had no way of knowing that we wouldn't be going until the afternoon, but had wasted all of our energy on freaking out the whole morning. So, we all took a walk and got a little lunch. I could barely eat, so I just got a little bit of cous-cous. We headed back around 2 and she started again. 3 people in, Andrea had her turn. The professor asked her some of the strangest questions, and then some questions that I had wanted to be asked! She ended up passing and doing well (first American to pass since early that morning). Next, an Italian went and following her, was me!
I sat down, and my mouth became immediately dry. I must have sounded retarded trying to form words in Italian with proper grammar at a steady, conversational pace. My mouth was so cotton-y that I couldn't even pronounce "universitaria" correctly. My first question was IMPOSSIBLE. I had no idea what she wanted as an answer. All morning, we had heard people failing on this question and still couldn't figure out the answer. She basically asked me "What happened after the war?" In my head, I asked myself, "What the heck is she talking about! There were soooo many wars in history and art history starts all the way back in BC. What's THE war?" It became established later on because she saw that I was stumbling a bit. She wanted the 2nd World War. Ohhhhhhh duhhhhhh why didn't I think of that war before all others!? Ugh. Anyway, the question was still so vague that I told her everything I remembered from the 1950s on. Not all of it was right, but I couldn't figure out what she was fishing for. Finally, she moved on. The next question involved the Accademia. She wanted to know where the art inside came from.
Well, a lot of the art was produced by the students and professors of the Accademia, so that's what I told her. She didn't like that answer. I then told her that the David arrived there in 1873 when it was moved from Piazza della Signoria. She didn't like that answer either, even though the fact was correct. Again, I went through every law and fact in the book until I found what she was looking for. La soppressione degli enti ecclesiatici (the suppression of the ecclesiastical agencies) in 1866. This was the time when all of the religious art came out of the churches, and was dispersed. Some of this art went to the Accademia. This is what I told her and finally she had gotten what she wanted. I think she may have asked a few more questions, and then my time was up. I ended up with a 25/30 (first module) and a 26/30 (second module). Phew.
However, I couldn't get the full feeling of relief until about 15 minutes later, when I stopped shaking and sweating. My signature on the professor's papers looked nothing like my actual signature- I couldn't hold the pen steady enough to write it! When I got outside of the purgatory, Andrea was there and Elisa had arrived. I guess Elisa had heard everything I had been asked. She hugged me (I know, so weird, right?) and then told me that I did well to continue talking, even when I wasn't sure of the answer. She said that the professor is always very picky and there's no way of telling what kind of questions you'll be asked. Slowly, Jeff, Grace and Maggie finished their exams. Everyone came out with the same grades. No one failed, thank goodness. I'm pretty sure those other Americans in the morning hadn't studied much because they stumbled over the simple parts and didn't recognize any names or events. But, I knew that it would have been unfair (but possible because this is Italy) for us to fail. We knew everything and fortunately, that helped us with the trouble areas.
I had remembered Elisa telling us, "Whatever you do, don't stop talking. If you don't know the answer, talk about something similar or something that happened in the same time period. She can be very moody, so don't look her in the eye. And, always smile." So, that's what we all did and thankfully, it worked. I think I would have thrown my books at her if she had failed me. I stressed and studied soooo hard that I can't even explain.
After this one, I'm sooo glad to have a break, but I officially HATE the exam system in Italy. It's completely based on emotion. If you are a nerve-y, emotional person (like me), you are at an immediate disadvantage. Had she given me a paper with questions, I would have passed much more painlessly. But this was complete torture. I have never stressed so consistently for such a long time period. So glad it's over! Obviously, we're going out tonight to celebrate.
On the 27th, I have to do it all over again. However, I don't think it will be as bad because only about 40 students took Storia del Costume whereas about 150 students took Museologia. Plus, the professor is MUCH nicer and way less moody. The material for Storia del Costume is also a little more open-ended when it comes to answering questions. So, that's good. But, I'm not going to think about that until the end of the weekend.
Maria Pia is making mushroom risotto, my favorite, for a celebration. Tonight is going to be awesome.
A dopo!
Contrary to what the title may lead you to believe, all is okay now. But, today was the longest and most torturous day of my life. All 5 of us (Me, Andrea, Maggie Rossi, Grace and Jeff) had been studying for our Museologia final since we arrived back in Florence early last week. Elisa was drilling info into our heads in our tutoring sessions that lasted from Friday until yesterday. Elisa had prepared us for the exam program and warned us on interview tactics. Today was judgement day.
We all arrived at the classroom on time, and our teacher took attendance. She wasn't very clear as to how long we would be waiting to take the exam, so we decided to stay in the classroom while the students ahead of us were doing it. (For exams at Italian Universities, the professors have a sort of "conversation" with the student in the front of the classroom, and other students can sit in the room and listen, if they so choose.) So, we stayed and listened. Bad idea. The first student was Italian and got a 30/30. Awesome. The second student was American and got a 28/30. We were pretty sure she knew nothing so we felt much calmer after that. Very quickly though, things started to go downhill. As people were stumbling more and more, the grades were certainly lowering. She failed just about all the Americans after that first girl. No one knew anything, she was mad, and the questions were getting harder.
We waited in that classroom trying to study, but we were so distracted by our nerves that it really wasn't working. My heart was beating so fast the whole day and my body was shaking so much that I couldn't write! I'm sure the 5 of us looked like we were going to throw up on each other. Anyway, all that stress throughout the morning did nothing for us because around 1, she broke for lunch. We had no way of knowing that we wouldn't be going until the afternoon, but had wasted all of our energy on freaking out the whole morning. So, we all took a walk and got a little lunch. I could barely eat, so I just got a little bit of cous-cous. We headed back around 2 and she started again. 3 people in, Andrea had her turn. The professor asked her some of the strangest questions, and then some questions that I had wanted to be asked! She ended up passing and doing well (first American to pass since early that morning). Next, an Italian went and following her, was me!
I sat down, and my mouth became immediately dry. I must have sounded retarded trying to form words in Italian with proper grammar at a steady, conversational pace. My mouth was so cotton-y that I couldn't even pronounce "universitaria" correctly. My first question was IMPOSSIBLE. I had no idea what she wanted as an answer. All morning, we had heard people failing on this question and still couldn't figure out the answer. She basically asked me "What happened after the war?" In my head, I asked myself, "What the heck is she talking about! There were soooo many wars in history and art history starts all the way back in BC. What's THE war?" It became established later on because she saw that I was stumbling a bit. She wanted the 2nd World War. Ohhhhhhh duhhhhhh why didn't I think of that war before all others!? Ugh. Anyway, the question was still so vague that I told her everything I remembered from the 1950s on. Not all of it was right, but I couldn't figure out what she was fishing for. Finally, she moved on. The next question involved the Accademia. She wanted to know where the art inside came from.
Well, a lot of the art was produced by the students and professors of the Accademia, so that's what I told her. She didn't like that answer. I then told her that the David arrived there in 1873 when it was moved from Piazza della Signoria. She didn't like that answer either, even though the fact was correct. Again, I went through every law and fact in the book until I found what she was looking for. La soppressione degli enti ecclesiatici (the suppression of the ecclesiastical agencies) in 1866. This was the time when all of the religious art came out of the churches, and was dispersed. Some of this art went to the Accademia. This is what I told her and finally she had gotten what she wanted. I think she may have asked a few more questions, and then my time was up. I ended up with a 25/30 (first module) and a 26/30 (second module). Phew.
However, I couldn't get the full feeling of relief until about 15 minutes later, when I stopped shaking and sweating. My signature on the professor's papers looked nothing like my actual signature- I couldn't hold the pen steady enough to write it! When I got outside of the purgatory, Andrea was there and Elisa had arrived. I guess Elisa had heard everything I had been asked. She hugged me (I know, so weird, right?) and then told me that I did well to continue talking, even when I wasn't sure of the answer. She said that the professor is always very picky and there's no way of telling what kind of questions you'll be asked. Slowly, Jeff, Grace and Maggie finished their exams. Everyone came out with the same grades. No one failed, thank goodness. I'm pretty sure those other Americans in the morning hadn't studied much because they stumbled over the simple parts and didn't recognize any names or events. But, I knew that it would have been unfair (but possible because this is Italy) for us to fail. We knew everything and fortunately, that helped us with the trouble areas.
I had remembered Elisa telling us, "Whatever you do, don't stop talking. If you don't know the answer, talk about something similar or something that happened in the same time period. She can be very moody, so don't look her in the eye. And, always smile." So, that's what we all did and thankfully, it worked. I think I would have thrown my books at her if she had failed me. I stressed and studied soooo hard that I can't even explain.
After this one, I'm sooo glad to have a break, but I officially HATE the exam system in Italy. It's completely based on emotion. If you are a nerve-y, emotional person (like me), you are at an immediate disadvantage. Had she given me a paper with questions, I would have passed much more painlessly. But this was complete torture. I have never stressed so consistently for such a long time period. So glad it's over! Obviously, we're going out tonight to celebrate.
On the 27th, I have to do it all over again. However, I don't think it will be as bad because only about 40 students took Storia del Costume whereas about 150 students took Museologia. Plus, the professor is MUCH nicer and way less moody. The material for Storia del Costume is also a little more open-ended when it comes to answering questions. So, that's good. But, I'm not going to think about that until the end of the weekend.
Maria Pia is making mushroom risotto, my favorite, for a celebration. Tonight is going to be awesome.
A dopo!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Study week
Hello,
Nothing new to report, just wanted to inform everyone that I'll be out of commission when it comes to my blog this week. We have our final Museologia exam on Thursday so I have a lot of studying to do. The exam is oral and lasts only 10 minutes, so she can ask whatever she wants and then decide our grades. ugh. The most annoying part is the buildup to this thing. The five of us HC students are numbers 9-13 on her list, so we figured we'd be going pretty early in the day and that she'd be fresh and patient with us non-native Italians. However, it turns out that she has 4 different lists, and instead of taking care of one at a time, she'll pick the first person from each list, and then start again with number two. So, that puts me (#10) at number 40 now. A HUGE difference. Elisa says it's common to wait around all day and not even go. In that case, we'd have to come back on Friday. If she still couldn't get to us then, we'd have to come back on Monday. What a TERRIBLE system. I'm praying to go on Thursday. I just want to get it over with! No one wants to wait around in anticipation. So, we'll see what happens.
Tomorrow night, I'm going over to Benedetta's for dinner for a little break from the studying. I also have all the Abercrombie merchandise that I bought her that she is dying to see. This should be fun. I'll write again at the end of the week, after Museologia is over.
Ciao!
Nothing new to report, just wanted to inform everyone that I'll be out of commission when it comes to my blog this week. We have our final Museologia exam on Thursday so I have a lot of studying to do. The exam is oral and lasts only 10 minutes, so she can ask whatever she wants and then decide our grades. ugh. The most annoying part is the buildup to this thing. The five of us HC students are numbers 9-13 on her list, so we figured we'd be going pretty early in the day and that she'd be fresh and patient with us non-native Italians. However, it turns out that she has 4 different lists, and instead of taking care of one at a time, she'll pick the first person from each list, and then start again with number two. So, that puts me (#10) at number 40 now. A HUGE difference. Elisa says it's common to wait around all day and not even go. In that case, we'd have to come back on Friday. If she still couldn't get to us then, we'd have to come back on Monday. What a TERRIBLE system. I'm praying to go on Thursday. I just want to get it over with! No one wants to wait around in anticipation. So, we'll see what happens.
Tomorrow night, I'm going over to Benedetta's for dinner for a little break from the studying. I also have all the Abercrombie merchandise that I bought her that she is dying to see. This should be fun. I'll write again at the end of the week, after Museologia is over.
Ciao!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Laundry troubles
I just experienced my first bad laundry week. All of my white underwear are now grayish/black. Maria Pia definitely didn't separate the colors this week. I think she was trying to save water and money, as Italians usually are. Now, I'll be needing some new underwear...
oops!
PS... I didn't tell her. She would feel terribly.
oops!
PS... I didn't tell her. She would feel terribly.
Monday, January 4, 2010
New Years in Paris
Bonjour to all! I'm back in Florence, but have a great story to tell of my holidays in America and Paris.
First off, it was wonderful to finally get home to the US and spend time with my family and friends. I didn't get much relaxation time because I was running around trying to see so many people, but it was all great. Christmas was small and enjoyable. I was most happy just being able to spend some time with my brother and my Dad and watch lots of home videos.
I flew out of Newark on Dec. 29 with no problems. (Thank goodness, because I just read the news about the man that snuck through security in Newark.) Unfortunately, I had a terrible cold the day I left, so the flight was pretty miserable. I tried to sleep most of the way because I knew that I would be arriving at 8:30 am and would want to start the day. The cabin pressure was tough on my cold, though, so it made sleeping difficult, but I managed.
I arrived on the 30th and was totally exhausted. When I arrived, I realized that I hadn't given much thought on how to get to my hotel. I had planned on taking a taxi, but then found out that the airport is 45 minutes outside of the city and cabs from there usually cost about 70 euro. Fortunately, I met this American-French boy coming off the plane and he really helped me. His name was Damien (the French pronunciation) and he grew up in America, but moved to France 10 years ago. His mother lives in America and his father lives in Grenoble, France. So, he was obviously fluent in French. It turned out that he needed to get into the center of Paris as well, so he helped me with my enormous suitcase and we both made it to a much more affordable means of transportation- the train for 9 euro. There's no way I would have found it on my own, so I am so thankful for having met Damien. We arrived at the Gare du Nord station and by looking at a map, I found out that my hotel was right around the corner. What luck! So, I thanked Damien and made my way to the hotel.
They let me check in right away, even though the reservation wasn't under my name. (I stayed with Andrea and her boyfriend Bobby, who is studying in York, England.) I napped until Andrea and Bobby arrived about 2 hours later. Together, we found a little place for lunch, and then waited to hear of the others' arrivals. Maggie Rossi, Maggie Wright, and Tom (who studied in Italy last year) arrived in the afternoon, so we all decided to meet in the city center in the evening.
Around 5, Andrea, Bobby and I headed in to the center and found our way to Notre Dame. Maggie Rossi and Tom were already inside. So, we went inside and met them and walked around a little. What a beautiful church! Obviously, I took lots of pictures. After Notre Dame, we found our way to the Louvre. We had previously read that it stays open late on Sunday and Wednesday nights. So, we took advantage of that. Of course, the weather was working against us and it was absolutely pouring. Also, the line looked much shorter than it actually was, so we ended up getting soaked while waiting for entry for about 1.5 hours. Once we got in, the place was completely packed. I had informed everyone that the Louvre is the second most crowded museum in the world (next to the Vatican), but that night visits are usually less busy. So, I can't even imagine how busy the place must be during the day!
Anyway, the museum was absolutely enormous! There is no way that one can see everything, especially considering the unbelievable crowds. So, we checked the map and aimed for what we wanted to see most. I had learned about the majority of the works from my art history class at Salve, so it was pretty cool to see everything in real life! The works we saw included: the Winged Victory of Samothrace and Venus de Milo Greek sculptures, DaVinci's Mona Lisa, Jacques Louis-David's Oath of the Horatii, Ingres' Grand Odalisque, The Code of Hammurabi, and Michelangelo's Dying Slave sculpture. The Mona Lisa was pretty funny. The crowd was mean and unbelievably huge. Everyone was pushing to see this little painting that has its own wall and is completely covered with glass. It wasn't as small as people had made it out to be. I would just call it a "normal-sized" painting. It was very nice, and I took a few pictures. But, I booked it out of there as soon as I could because there were so many breathing, sweaty bodies that I started to sweat. Outside of the Louvre, it had finally stopped raining, so we grabbed dinner at a little restaurant and called it a night.
The next day, we met up and went to the Conciergerie, which is a huge prison from the French Revolution. It is most famously known as the site of the cell of Marie Antoinette. She was imprisoned there with two personal guards until she was guillotined. It was pretty cool inside and very gothic. We did a little walk around and then headed over to Saint-Chappelle. We waited in line at Saint-Chappelle for a long time because security checks were very tight. Saint-Chappelle is connected to the Palais de Justice, which it still used for judicial purposes. Therefore, they couldn't let just anyone in. The chapel was absolutely gorgeous!! The entire thing is covered in beautiful stained-glass windows. It wasn't very sunny that day, but I imagine that it's even more incredible with the sunshine. It was certainly impressive without much light anyway. After Saint-Chappelle, we went to Hotel des Invalides and saw Napoleon's enormous tomb. Of course, everything commissioned by Napoleon was ironically large, so we had a nice time making fun of the situation. Jokes aside, his tomb and its church were both pretty cool. We also saw the military museum within the palace. It wasn't really my thing (the boys were loving it), so I just strolled around and tried to find some displays that struck my fancy. Afterwards, we walked to the Eiffel Tower because I couldn't wait any longer. Even though it was really foggy and freezing cold, we took some pictures and walked underneath it. Then, we found a great plaza with an incredible view of the Eiffel Tower. We made the decision to return there to celebrate the New Year, and then headed back to the hotel for some rest.
My New Years night began with my dressing for the Arctic. I put on stockings and leggings with wool socks over both of those layers. Then, I put a pair of jeans and my boots over everything else. On top, I wore a shirt, a cardigan, a sweater, a jacket and a scarf. I also put a hat on my head. Once I was dressed, I headed over to Maggie, Maggie, Chrissy (who had just arrived that day), and Tom's hostel for some dinner. We decided not to eat out because it was too expensive, and we didn't think we'd be able to find a place to walk into. So, since their hostel had a kitchen that we could use, we made pasta and ate French baguettes while taking advantage of the free happy hour at the hostel's bar. Around 9 pm, we took the subway to the Champs-Elysees and walked towards the Arc du Triomphe to get a view of it on our way to the plaza that we had found earlier in the day. It was definitely starting to get very crowded. We made it to our post around 9:30 and actually found seats on the stairs, from where we had a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower. So, we sat there until midnight, drinking champagne and eating baguettes. Around 11, the Eiffel Tower had an awesome light show, so that was pretty cool to see. However, there was no firework display or countdown at midnight, so there was a bit of confusion as to when exact midnight actually struck. I think the city had been planning on fireworks, but it was a little foggy that day, so maybe they nixed it. Anyway, after midnight, the mobs started moving and Andrea, Bobby, Maggie Wright and I got swept off in one direction, while Chrissy, Tom and Maggie Rossi went in the other. We just had to go with it because otherwise, things could have gotten dangerous. We finally got out of the crowd about an hour later and made it to the subway station.
Now, since the subways had become free at 5 pm, they too were mobbed. Maggie Wright and I got separated from Bobby and Andrea, and a little fight broke out between some drunk French people, so Maggie and I hopped on a train and scooted away. Unfortunately, the subways finished service 2 stops away from our destination, so we had to walk the rest of the way to the hostel, where we had agreed to meet for the "after party." When we arrived, Tom and Maggie Rossi were already there, but Chrissy wasn't. It turned out that each group of 2 had thought that Chrissy was with the other, so she was off on her own somewhere! Maggie gave her a call and found out that she had been taken away in the crowd and had had a hard time finding a cab that was willing to bring her back to the hostel. She finally made it, after about an hour. Andrea and Bobby never made it to the hostel and just decided to stay back at the hotel. So, the rest of us hung out at the hostel's bar until 4 am, when we started getting tired and had finished our baguettes. I walked back to my hotel, which I discovered was really close, and Maggie, Maggie, Tom and Chrissy went to the upstairs part of the hostel for bed.
The next day, we woke up around 1 pm, and Andrea, Bobby and I went to the Champs-Elysees to walk around. We had a really hard time getting in touch with the other group because our phones were not working well for the entire trip, so we didn't end up seeing Chrissy, Tom, Maggie and Maggie until later in the evening. Around 6, Andrea, Bobby and I headed to the Eiffel Tower, prepared to go up it. We got in line and waited. 2.5 hours later, we were absolutely freezing and disappointed to find out that we had waited in the STAIRS line, and not the ELEVATOR line, as we had wanted. At that point, Bobby decided not to go because of his fear for heights, but Andrea and I went because we needed to get the blood flowing in order to feel our toes again! The climb ended up being fine. It really wasn't as bad as I had thought it would be. Both the first and the second levels had the most amazing views. We took lots of pictures and decided not to go all the way to the top because I had read that the second level has the best views. From the very top, everything is so tiny that you can't make out the buildings. I was so amazed with the structure. When you can see everything inside it, you really understand the genius behind its construction. There was almost no wind from either of the viewing decks and within the center on both levels was a cafe and gift shop. It was soooo cool! Totally worth the wait.
After the tower, we finally were able to meet up with the rest of the crew. We all went out to dinner and for dessert, I got the Nutella and banana crepe that I had been searching for. It was delicious.
The next day, Maggie, Maggie, Tom and Chrissy left Paris, and Bobby, Andrea and I went to see Versailles. It was HUGE. That's about all I can say... no words will do it justice. The gardens were also enormous, but it definitely wasn't the season to enjoy them. I'll have to go back another time. After Versailles, I went to the Musee d'Orsay by myself to see the Impressionist paintings. It was really nice to do something alone, and I love Impressionism. The Musee d'Orsay is really cool too! It's inside a converted train station, so the building itself was also a beautiful work of art. I saw lots of paintings by Monet, Manet, Renoir, Degas and Van Gogh. It was great! After that, I scooted over to the Moulin Rouge (because I'm obsessed with that movie), took some pictures, and then had dinner with Bobby, Andrea, and their friend Cassie (who was visiting from Holy Cross). Then, we went back to the hotel and packed up!
Yesterday, Bobby and Andrea left early, but my flight wasn't until 6:45 pm, so I took myself to the Champs-Elysees and found a croissant for breakfast. I walked to the Arc du Triomphe and took some daylight pictures and then bought a beret :). Afterwards, I had been down there for a while so I was hungry again and grabbed a sandwich. Around 1, I headed back to the hotel, grabbed my suitcase and backpack, and walked to the train station. From the station, I took the train to the airport. It was a little bit of a hassle because I was alone and had to lug my stuff around while keeping an eye out for thieves. But, I did fine. I was super early at the airport because I didn't want a repeat of my attempts at getting to America. I landed on time and Maria Pia picked me up at the airport. Now, it's back in Florence and back to work. Ugh.
Overall, I had a great time. Paris is gorgeous and I can't wait to go back and see more. However, I wish I had had more food recommendations because I wasn't completely impressed. I loved the pastries and the crepes, but the rest was just average. Regardless, I'm ready to go back!
Au revoir!
First off, it was wonderful to finally get home to the US and spend time with my family and friends. I didn't get much relaxation time because I was running around trying to see so many people, but it was all great. Christmas was small and enjoyable. I was most happy just being able to spend some time with my brother and my Dad and watch lots of home videos.
I flew out of Newark on Dec. 29 with no problems. (Thank goodness, because I just read the news about the man that snuck through security in Newark.) Unfortunately, I had a terrible cold the day I left, so the flight was pretty miserable. I tried to sleep most of the way because I knew that I would be arriving at 8:30 am and would want to start the day. The cabin pressure was tough on my cold, though, so it made sleeping difficult, but I managed.
I arrived on the 30th and was totally exhausted. When I arrived, I realized that I hadn't given much thought on how to get to my hotel. I had planned on taking a taxi, but then found out that the airport is 45 minutes outside of the city and cabs from there usually cost about 70 euro. Fortunately, I met this American-French boy coming off the plane and he really helped me. His name was Damien (the French pronunciation) and he grew up in America, but moved to France 10 years ago. His mother lives in America and his father lives in Grenoble, France. So, he was obviously fluent in French. It turned out that he needed to get into the center of Paris as well, so he helped me with my enormous suitcase and we both made it to a much more affordable means of transportation- the train for 9 euro. There's no way I would have found it on my own, so I am so thankful for having met Damien. We arrived at the Gare du Nord station and by looking at a map, I found out that my hotel was right around the corner. What luck! So, I thanked Damien and made my way to the hotel.
They let me check in right away, even though the reservation wasn't under my name. (I stayed with Andrea and her boyfriend Bobby, who is studying in York, England.) I napped until Andrea and Bobby arrived about 2 hours later. Together, we found a little place for lunch, and then waited to hear of the others' arrivals. Maggie Rossi, Maggie Wright, and Tom (who studied in Italy last year) arrived in the afternoon, so we all decided to meet in the city center in the evening.
Around 5, Andrea, Bobby and I headed in to the center and found our way to Notre Dame. Maggie Rossi and Tom were already inside. So, we went inside and met them and walked around a little. What a beautiful church! Obviously, I took lots of pictures. After Notre Dame, we found our way to the Louvre. We had previously read that it stays open late on Sunday and Wednesday nights. So, we took advantage of that. Of course, the weather was working against us and it was absolutely pouring. Also, the line looked much shorter than it actually was, so we ended up getting soaked while waiting for entry for about 1.5 hours. Once we got in, the place was completely packed. I had informed everyone that the Louvre is the second most crowded museum in the world (next to the Vatican), but that night visits are usually less busy. So, I can't even imagine how busy the place must be during the day!
Anyway, the museum was absolutely enormous! There is no way that one can see everything, especially considering the unbelievable crowds. So, we checked the map and aimed for what we wanted to see most. I had learned about the majority of the works from my art history class at Salve, so it was pretty cool to see everything in real life! The works we saw included: the Winged Victory of Samothrace and Venus de Milo Greek sculptures, DaVinci's Mona Lisa, Jacques Louis-David's Oath of the Horatii, Ingres' Grand Odalisque, The Code of Hammurabi, and Michelangelo's Dying Slave sculpture. The Mona Lisa was pretty funny. The crowd was mean and unbelievably huge. Everyone was pushing to see this little painting that has its own wall and is completely covered with glass. It wasn't as small as people had made it out to be. I would just call it a "normal-sized" painting. It was very nice, and I took a few pictures. But, I booked it out of there as soon as I could because there were so many breathing, sweaty bodies that I started to sweat. Outside of the Louvre, it had finally stopped raining, so we grabbed dinner at a little restaurant and called it a night.
The next day, we met up and went to the Conciergerie, which is a huge prison from the French Revolution. It is most famously known as the site of the cell of Marie Antoinette. She was imprisoned there with two personal guards until she was guillotined. It was pretty cool inside and very gothic. We did a little walk around and then headed over to Saint-Chappelle. We waited in line at Saint-Chappelle for a long time because security checks were very tight. Saint-Chappelle is connected to the Palais de Justice, which it still used for judicial purposes. Therefore, they couldn't let just anyone in. The chapel was absolutely gorgeous!! The entire thing is covered in beautiful stained-glass windows. It wasn't very sunny that day, but I imagine that it's even more incredible with the sunshine. It was certainly impressive without much light anyway. After Saint-Chappelle, we went to Hotel des Invalides and saw Napoleon's enormous tomb. Of course, everything commissioned by Napoleon was ironically large, so we had a nice time making fun of the situation. Jokes aside, his tomb and its church were both pretty cool. We also saw the military museum within the palace. It wasn't really my thing (the boys were loving it), so I just strolled around and tried to find some displays that struck my fancy. Afterwards, we walked to the Eiffel Tower because I couldn't wait any longer. Even though it was really foggy and freezing cold, we took some pictures and walked underneath it. Then, we found a great plaza with an incredible view of the Eiffel Tower. We made the decision to return there to celebrate the New Year, and then headed back to the hotel for some rest.
My New Years night began with my dressing for the Arctic. I put on stockings and leggings with wool socks over both of those layers. Then, I put a pair of jeans and my boots over everything else. On top, I wore a shirt, a cardigan, a sweater, a jacket and a scarf. I also put a hat on my head. Once I was dressed, I headed over to Maggie, Maggie, Chrissy (who had just arrived that day), and Tom's hostel for some dinner. We decided not to eat out because it was too expensive, and we didn't think we'd be able to find a place to walk into. So, since their hostel had a kitchen that we could use, we made pasta and ate French baguettes while taking advantage of the free happy hour at the hostel's bar. Around 9 pm, we took the subway to the Champs-Elysees and walked towards the Arc du Triomphe to get a view of it on our way to the plaza that we had found earlier in the day. It was definitely starting to get very crowded. We made it to our post around 9:30 and actually found seats on the stairs, from where we had a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower. So, we sat there until midnight, drinking champagne and eating baguettes. Around 11, the Eiffel Tower had an awesome light show, so that was pretty cool to see. However, there was no firework display or countdown at midnight, so there was a bit of confusion as to when exact midnight actually struck. I think the city had been planning on fireworks, but it was a little foggy that day, so maybe they nixed it. Anyway, after midnight, the mobs started moving and Andrea, Bobby, Maggie Wright and I got swept off in one direction, while Chrissy, Tom and Maggie Rossi went in the other. We just had to go with it because otherwise, things could have gotten dangerous. We finally got out of the crowd about an hour later and made it to the subway station.
Now, since the subways had become free at 5 pm, they too were mobbed. Maggie Wright and I got separated from Bobby and Andrea, and a little fight broke out between some drunk French people, so Maggie and I hopped on a train and scooted away. Unfortunately, the subways finished service 2 stops away from our destination, so we had to walk the rest of the way to the hostel, where we had agreed to meet for the "after party." When we arrived, Tom and Maggie Rossi were already there, but Chrissy wasn't. It turned out that each group of 2 had thought that Chrissy was with the other, so she was off on her own somewhere! Maggie gave her a call and found out that she had been taken away in the crowd and had had a hard time finding a cab that was willing to bring her back to the hostel. She finally made it, after about an hour. Andrea and Bobby never made it to the hostel and just decided to stay back at the hotel. So, the rest of us hung out at the hostel's bar until 4 am, when we started getting tired and had finished our baguettes. I walked back to my hotel, which I discovered was really close, and Maggie, Maggie, Tom and Chrissy went to the upstairs part of the hostel for bed.
The next day, we woke up around 1 pm, and Andrea, Bobby and I went to the Champs-Elysees to walk around. We had a really hard time getting in touch with the other group because our phones were not working well for the entire trip, so we didn't end up seeing Chrissy, Tom, Maggie and Maggie until later in the evening. Around 6, Andrea, Bobby and I headed to the Eiffel Tower, prepared to go up it. We got in line and waited. 2.5 hours later, we were absolutely freezing and disappointed to find out that we had waited in the STAIRS line, and not the ELEVATOR line, as we had wanted. At that point, Bobby decided not to go because of his fear for heights, but Andrea and I went because we needed to get the blood flowing in order to feel our toes again! The climb ended up being fine. It really wasn't as bad as I had thought it would be. Both the first and the second levels had the most amazing views. We took lots of pictures and decided not to go all the way to the top because I had read that the second level has the best views. From the very top, everything is so tiny that you can't make out the buildings. I was so amazed with the structure. When you can see everything inside it, you really understand the genius behind its construction. There was almost no wind from either of the viewing decks and within the center on both levels was a cafe and gift shop. It was soooo cool! Totally worth the wait.
After the tower, we finally were able to meet up with the rest of the crew. We all went out to dinner and for dessert, I got the Nutella and banana crepe that I had been searching for. It was delicious.
The next day, Maggie, Maggie, Tom and Chrissy left Paris, and Bobby, Andrea and I went to see Versailles. It was HUGE. That's about all I can say... no words will do it justice. The gardens were also enormous, but it definitely wasn't the season to enjoy them. I'll have to go back another time. After Versailles, I went to the Musee d'Orsay by myself to see the Impressionist paintings. It was really nice to do something alone, and I love Impressionism. The Musee d'Orsay is really cool too! It's inside a converted train station, so the building itself was also a beautiful work of art. I saw lots of paintings by Monet, Manet, Renoir, Degas and Van Gogh. It was great! After that, I scooted over to the Moulin Rouge (because I'm obsessed with that movie), took some pictures, and then had dinner with Bobby, Andrea, and their friend Cassie (who was visiting from Holy Cross). Then, we went back to the hotel and packed up!
Yesterday, Bobby and Andrea left early, but my flight wasn't until 6:45 pm, so I took myself to the Champs-Elysees and found a croissant for breakfast. I walked to the Arc du Triomphe and took some daylight pictures and then bought a beret :). Afterwards, I had been down there for a while so I was hungry again and grabbed a sandwich. Around 1, I headed back to the hotel, grabbed my suitcase and backpack, and walked to the train station. From the station, I took the train to the airport. It was a little bit of a hassle because I was alone and had to lug my stuff around while keeping an eye out for thieves. But, I did fine. I was super early at the airport because I didn't want a repeat of my attempts at getting to America. I landed on time and Maria Pia picked me up at the airport. Now, it's back in Florence and back to work. Ugh.
Overall, I had a great time. Paris is gorgeous and I can't wait to go back and see more. However, I wish I had had more food recommendations because I wasn't completely impressed. I loved the pastries and the crepes, but the rest was just average. Regardless, I'm ready to go back!
Au revoir!
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