The last few days have been an interesting mix of studying, relaxing, and having fun. I've had a few tests (studying), laid out in the sun for hours under a perfect blue sky, amongst the wildflowers coming up everywhere in the Tuscan countryside and read my book (relaxing), and been to a few concerts, explored the city, and celebrated Italy's liberation from the Nazis (fun!). I never know what the next day will bring for me here.
Today for instance, something happened that really made me think. I went to the Piazza Dalmazia in the morning with a book and a pastry to sit in a little park for a little while to enjoy the sun and the hustle and bustle of the city. Sharing my bench was a very old man who was sitting with his cane in hand, seemingly enjoying the sunshine as well. Somehow I found myself entered into a conversation with him (in Italian, which made things interesting). He was 82 years old and had lived in Florence for many of those years. Born in Siena, he moved to Florence and was part of the police force here for over 30 years. He told me that he has a lot of relatives here, and he likes to walk down to the piazza in the mornings to see friends and just sit.
Speaking to him made me think of my own grandfather, now almost 90 years old, who was a soldier during WWII. In my history class we are studying Fascism, so that has caused me to have some thoughts about the wars of the past. As I was talking to this man and thinking about what his youth must have been like, I imagine my grandfather in his soldier's uniform, stationed in a country far away from home, during a time when Mussolini reigned supreme over Italy and was not a friend to the Americans. And it made me think that at that time this little old man that I was speaking to would have been the bitter enemy of my own grandfather, should they have ever met in battle.
Strange thoughts, I know, but it made me appreciate the fact that that world of the past, the world of emnity between our countries is gone, and that I now have the freedom, thanks to people probably like that man, and also my own grandfather, to be studying in Italy, carefreely enjoying a foreign city and all the pleasures that come with it, and to be sitting in a pretty little park on a Monday morning, talking to this Italian man. It made me appreciate my freedom and also the sacrifices that others have made just a little bit more than I already did. Coincidentally, today is also the day that, 63 years ago, Mussolini was killed and the war was considered to be over (according to my history book). It really is the perfect day for me to be considering and appreciating the life that I have today and the people who have made it possible.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Welcome to Adulthood?
Two days ago I celebrated my 21st birthday, which is an exciting thing for most people. It was definitely so for me, and also a little bit special because I celebrated it in a foreign country.
The weekend right before my birthday, which was on Monday, I decided to take myself on a little solo trip to Rome for a night to see some of the things I didn't have time for when the school took us in March. I booked a little room in a hotel very close to the Vatican City and hopped on a train after class. I had Friday evening in the city, visiting the church of San Pietro in Vincolo to see the tomb of Pope Julius II, which was carved by Michelangelo and has as part of it his famous statue of Moses. Then I found my way to the Coliseum and walked from there through some of the main parts of the city all the way to the Vatican City. That evening, I went to a restaurant and had an amazing dinner, even though it felt a little strange to be eating by myself. The next morning I went early to see the Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel and rooms painted by Raphael. So much to see! The day was perfect and sunny, so I wandered to the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain, had lunch, and then headed back to the train station to head home, but first making a stop in Orvieto, which is a small medieval town in Umbria. It is such a beautiful little place, built high up on a cliff. It's known for it's gorgeous Gothic cathedral. It was very charming.
Sunday afternoon, the day right before my birthday, a few friends and I bought bread, cheese, pesto dip, and some other little things to take up to the Piazzale Michelangelo, which overlooks the whole city, to see the sunset and just relax a little bit. It was such a nice time, after the sun had gone down, the lights of the city came up. Florence is stunning at night. After we had eaten, we walked back down into the center to see a violin and organ performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons in a little church called Santa Maria dei Ricchi.
My actual birthday was unfortunately rainy and a little bit chilly, and I had classes for most of the day, but in the late afternoon the skies cleared up and a big group of everyone from school here, about 18 or 19 of us, all went to a pizzeria in the center to eat together. It was really fun to have everything together, it seems like we hadn't all done anything like that for such a long time! I suppose birthdays are a perfect way to bring people together.
So altogether it turned out to be a very good time. I don't know if being 21 means that I am now really an "adult." My parents would probably tell you it doesn't :-) But I do think that it is just another year into a time in my life that is going to bring many changes, lots of growth, and who knows what else...I will have to wait and see.
The weekend right before my birthday, which was on Monday, I decided to take myself on a little solo trip to Rome for a night to see some of the things I didn't have time for when the school took us in March. I booked a little room in a hotel very close to the Vatican City and hopped on a train after class. I had Friday evening in the city, visiting the church of San Pietro in Vincolo to see the tomb of Pope Julius II, which was carved by Michelangelo and has as part of it his famous statue of Moses. Then I found my way to the Coliseum and walked from there through some of the main parts of the city all the way to the Vatican City. That evening, I went to a restaurant and had an amazing dinner, even though it felt a little strange to be eating by myself. The next morning I went early to see the Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel and rooms painted by Raphael. So much to see! The day was perfect and sunny, so I wandered to the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain, had lunch, and then headed back to the train station to head home, but first making a stop in Orvieto, which is a small medieval town in Umbria. It is such a beautiful little place, built high up on a cliff. It's known for it's gorgeous Gothic cathedral. It was very charming.
Sunday afternoon, the day right before my birthday, a few friends and I bought bread, cheese, pesto dip, and some other little things to take up to the Piazzale Michelangelo, which overlooks the whole city, to see the sunset and just relax a little bit. It was such a nice time, after the sun had gone down, the lights of the city came up. Florence is stunning at night. After we had eaten, we walked back down into the center to see a violin and organ performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons in a little church called Santa Maria dei Ricchi.
My actual birthday was unfortunately rainy and a little bit chilly, and I had classes for most of the day, but in the late afternoon the skies cleared up and a big group of everyone from school here, about 18 or 19 of us, all went to a pizzeria in the center to eat together. It was really fun to have everything together, it seems like we hadn't all done anything like that for such a long time! I suppose birthdays are a perfect way to bring people together.
So altogether it turned out to be a very good time. I don't know if being 21 means that I am now really an "adult." My parents would probably tell you it doesn't :-) But I do think that it is just another year into a time in my life that is going to bring many changes, lots of growth, and who knows what else...I will have to wait and see.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Spring Break and Other Good Things
Well, I'm back! The last month or so has been crazy, so much to do, so little time. And now, so much to write, so little time!
My spring break began just a day or so before Easter...the first interesting thing I got to do was see "Lo Scoppio del Carro," which is a Florentine Easter tradition. It's basically this huge, fancily-decorated cart that is pulled into the Piazza del Duomo by some huge oxen, along with a parade of people dressed in Renaissance costume. The cart is covered in firecrackers and stops in front of the main door of the Duomo. There was entertainment for a bit, traditional flag throwers. Then the archbishop of Florence came out and threw holy water on the crowds...quite interesting. Finally after what felt like forever, they lit the firecrackers. When the popping began, a large fake dove was released by the archbishop from the pulpit of the Duomo. Tradition says that if the dove flies all the way out to the cart without problems, it means it will be a good year for Florence. Fortunately for all the Florentines this year, it did! So that was a really fun cultural experience, I'm really glad to have been there.
The same day as the cart, my parents arrived in Florence! I met them at the station and we spent the next four days together, two days in Florence, and two driving a rented car through Tuscany and Umbria, the region to the south of Tuscany that is known as "the green heart of Italy." It was a great trip, we got to see several lovely little hill-top towns, such as Monteriggioni, Cortona, Spoleto,Assisi and Todi, and several of the bigger, but still medieval cities: Siena and Perugia. It was nice to just drive, see the countryside, try out the local foods, visit churches and other touristy sights. I also loved just walking through the narrow cobble-stoned streets of the little towns and just getting the feel of the life there.
After those few days I separated from my parents and began my two week whirlwind tour of some European countries with my friend and roommate Heather. We had train passes and big backpacks and we just went! We stayed in hostels for super cheap, and saw so many churches and museums, it made my head spin. Definitely a trip I will never forget: Berlin; Dresden, Germany; Prague, Czech Republic; Vienna, Austria; Bratislava, Slovakia; Budapest, Hungary; Zagreb, Croatia; Ljubljana, Slovenia; and finally back into Italy, stopping in Milan to see the amazing Gothic cathedral! The traveling was a bit exhausting, but we tried to make the most of our time and see a lot. It was really interesting to see a different part of the continent, and it's amazing how countries so close to Italy can be so different. The trip just continue to fuel the fire that I now have to see the world. It's too big, I want to see all of it!
By the time the two weeks were over, however, I was very ready to come back to Italy, a place that now feels somewhat like a second home to me. That's one of the great things about traveling: it makes you appreciative your home even more, and at the end of a long trip, there's nothing like being back where you feel you belong.
P.S. LOTS of photos will be on my photo sight!
My spring break began just a day or so before Easter...the first interesting thing I got to do was see "Lo Scoppio del Carro," which is a Florentine Easter tradition. It's basically this huge, fancily-decorated cart that is pulled into the Piazza del Duomo by some huge oxen, along with a parade of people dressed in Renaissance costume. The cart is covered in firecrackers and stops in front of the main door of the Duomo. There was entertainment for a bit, traditional flag throwers. Then the archbishop of Florence came out and threw holy water on the crowds...quite interesting. Finally after what felt like forever, they lit the firecrackers. When the popping began, a large fake dove was released by the archbishop from the pulpit of the Duomo. Tradition says that if the dove flies all the way out to the cart without problems, it means it will be a good year for Florence. Fortunately for all the Florentines this year, it did! So that was a really fun cultural experience, I'm really glad to have been there.
The same day as the cart, my parents arrived in Florence! I met them at the station and we spent the next four days together, two days in Florence, and two driving a rented car through Tuscany and Umbria, the region to the south of Tuscany that is known as "the green heart of Italy." It was a great trip, we got to see several lovely little hill-top towns, such as Monteriggioni, Cortona, Spoleto,Assisi and Todi, and several of the bigger, but still medieval cities: Siena and Perugia. It was nice to just drive, see the countryside, try out the local foods, visit churches and other touristy sights. I also loved just walking through the narrow cobble-stoned streets of the little towns and just getting the feel of the life there.
After those few days I separated from my parents and began my two week whirlwind tour of some European countries with my friend and roommate Heather. We had train passes and big backpacks and we just went! We stayed in hostels for super cheap, and saw so many churches and museums, it made my head spin. Definitely a trip I will never forget: Berlin; Dresden, Germany; Prague, Czech Republic; Vienna, Austria; Bratislava, Slovakia; Budapest, Hungary; Zagreb, Croatia; Ljubljana, Slovenia; and finally back into Italy, stopping in Milan to see the amazing Gothic cathedral! The traveling was a bit exhausting, but we tried to make the most of our time and see a lot. It was really interesting to see a different part of the continent, and it's amazing how countries so close to Italy can be so different. The trip just continue to fuel the fire that I now have to see the world. It's too big, I want to see all of it!
By the time the two weeks were over, however, I was very ready to come back to Italy, a place that now feels somewhat like a second home to me. That's one of the great things about traveling: it makes you appreciative your home even more, and at the end of a long trip, there's nothing like being back where you feel you belong.
P.S. LOTS of photos will be on my photo sight!
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