Tales From Across the Sea

The Last Tale

2008-06-02T04:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I can't believe I am writing my last blog from Europe. Seems like just yesterday I was writing about my arrival. So much happens in a year.

Most of the others have gone already, I'm left cleaning and packing and sorting and tossing. This is my last day in the city, and I am planning to spend my afternoon in the center, walking around my favorite streets and piazzas and taking it in for the last time. Sounds so sad to say it like that.

The year ended with a bang, though. We took a trip to Sicily for a week with the school after finals were over. 16 hour bus trip, but it was worth it when we arrived to an island filled with sunshine, beautiful beaches, and sparkling emerald waters. It was such an amazing trip. We went to several of the little towns that line the coast, adorable little beach towns built up on cliffs overlooking the sea. We went up to Mt. Etna and climbed around on craters. Another day we took a ferry to the volcanic island of Vulcano, where we lounged around on the beach and went into the sulfur mud baths, which was quite an interesting experience. We ate delicious food and stayed in a hotel that was on a beautiful pebbly beach, with perfect water. It was definitely a trip I will remember forever, being in such a beautiful place with all of us together for the last time.

The ends of experiences are always a little difficult. I am so happy to be going home, to be going back to my real life there, but at the same time it seems surreal that things will not continue to be like they have been here. I feel like I have been here for so long, yet at the same time, it seems to have passed in the blink of an eye.
I remember at least three years ago, making plans in my mind to spend a year studying abroad, and the time leading up to when I came, I spent reading guidebooks and travel memoirs, and daydreaming about what it would be like. I think that it has exceeded my expectations. I have learned so much, seen so many things, come to appreciate a new culture and new things that I never did before, like art and architecture and food and history. I have learned a new language and can now communicate in a way I never could before. I have made new friends who have become important and will be part of my life forever. I have become more self-sufficient, traveled on my own and done things I didn't think I would ever do on my own. When I think hard about it, I feel like I have accomplished the goals I set out for myself when I came. I can't wait to get home and see how the things that I have learned here about life and myself will affect my life at home. I know that I am not the same person who came here 10 months ago, and for this I am grateful, because I believe that it is important to always have change and growth in life, even if it is hard sometimes.

So thank you, Italy, for this year and this opportunity, and this newfound happiness that I now have. I will always remember this year as one of the best of my life, and I will always be grateful for it.

A Few Thoughts on Freedom

2008-04-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

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.

Welcome to Adulthood?

2008-04-23T05:01:00.000-07:00

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.

Spring Break and Other Good Things

2008-04-21T08:29:00.000-07:00

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!

Two Different Worlds

2008-03-21T09:22:00.001-07:00

One thing that I love about being here is how it's possible to have so many diverse experiences in a very short amount of time. For me, this past week was like that.

Last weekend, I returned to Spain for the third time (I just can't stay away from the place!) to see the beginning of the Las Fallas celebration, which a fiesta that happens every year in Valencia during Semana Santa (Holy Week). The fiesta has religious origins, but nowadays it's more about the party, it seems. For a week, the streets of Valencia are filled with people and huge, colorful statues made of a papier-mache like material. People spend massive amounts of time and money building these things and then at the end of the week, in one evening, they burn them all to the ground and it's like the city is on fire. Crazy.
I wasn't there for the burning, unfortunately, but I did get to see some amazing fireworks shows, a good concert, crazy parade, and the "mascleta," which is another Fallas tradition: each afternoon in the main plaza of the city, there is a ten-minute or so volley of firecrackers shot into the sky. It seems to go on forever, especially to the ears! So loud. I have never seen anything like it before.

Another thing that made Fallas fun for me though, was visiting some friends that I made during the summer when I studied Spanish at the Adventist college that is very close to Valencia. I stayed at my friend Elias' house for the weekend, near Valencia, and spent my time with him and his friends. It was cool to be able to experience the fiesta with locals, although it was a little difficult trying to keep up with them with my not-so-great Spanish. I have forgotten so much since the summer, and now Italian has taken over my brain! It was definitely a challenge, since not many of the Spanish people speak English, but it didn't damper my fun too much.

After I returned from Fallas, we had our last day of classes for almost a month! And then headed to Rome for two days. I had been waiting for this trip for so long. Since I was little, I've had this obsessive fascination with Rome, particularly the Rome of the ancient Romans: Coliseum, forum, Circus Maximus, the whole bit. And finally my dream of seeing it all came true! Standing inside the Coliseum was so surreal. Not to mention seeing the ruins of the ancient Forum, the arch of Constantine, and a prison where the apostles Paul and Peter were legendarily imprisoned. After that there were famous piazzas, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and Santa Maria Maggiore, another important church. Rome has so much to offer! It is so big, there was nowhere near enough to see half of what there is there, so I know that in my life I will go back. One disappointment: we weren't able to go inside the Vatican Museum and see the Sistine Chapel or the famous Raphael paintings. So I contented myself with St. Peter's Square and the Basilica. The Vatican City is rather amazing. St. Peter's is so huge and intimidating. While I was there, the new pope was giving a mass. The place was crowded, since it is just a few days before Easter.

So Rome was a good experience. It has a different feel from Florence, that is for sure, but I definitely loved a lot of things about it, and I will be back. I threw money in the Trevi Fountain, so that means my return should be guaranteed!

Coffee With the Italians

2008-03-03T06:32:00.000-08:00

One of the things that I find so interesting about Italy is the people, I have to say. I had a long break between classes this morning, so I decided to make the ten-minute walk to the Piazza Dalmazia near the school. I had a few things I needed to do, like withdraw money and mail some postcards, and I also wanted a coffee, so Piazza Dalmazia, a pretty big shopping area, was the perfect place to kill two birds with one stone (or as the Italians say, "Prendere due piccioni con una fava," which literally means "to keep two pigeons with one bean," a little bit kinder version of our saying!) I made it to the bar, after being stopped in front of the Careggi university by a young man giving out pamphlets about a series of meetings on the Catholic church. He and I spoke for a few minutes, and it wasn't until after I had walked on that I realized "hey, that whole conversation was in Italian!" It's always exciting to have those moments when you really feel like you have a grasp of the language and are more a part of the culture, instead of being the "stupid American" on the outside looking in.

But anyway, I made it to the bar, ordered my caffe latte (only acceptable to drink before noon), and then started observing the other people. There was one older man who looked exactly like Mark Twain, complete with white hair and big bushy white eyebrows. He ordered a drink that turned out to be white wine mixed with Campari, a type of liquor that is a bright red color. At ten in the morning! And no one even glanced his way. He took the drink, had a long gulp, and then walked over to the mirror that took up a good part of one wall of the bar. He looked in the mirror, smoothed his burly white moustache a little, and then drank the rest of his drink. I laughed a little bit inside.

My other favorite characters of Italy are the older women. They all seem to be the same: short, still fashionable with their nice black or brown leather heels and pretty jackets. They travel in groups, carrying large leather bags and talking rapidly to each other, using lots of hand motions, their fingers always bedecked with gold rings. They are adorable and I love to watch them.

I think there is a lot to be learned about a country or city just by observing the people. It is something I have learned to do more while I've been here: just quietly observe people-and life.

Art, Art, Art

2008-02-29T06:12:00.000-08:00

Before I came to Italy, I had probably an average amount of interest in Art and Art History. I had heard of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo and the other big names of the Renaissance, but I didn't really know very much about the their stories and was hardly able to identify any of their works, besides the Mona Lisa and the Sistine Chapel, of course. So when I began my Storia dell'Arte course last November, I was prepared to learn a lot. We started out with ancient Greece and the "classical" architecture of that time. It was really fun then to go to Greece and see for myself the types of structures I had studied. I loved being able to look at an ancient Greek temple and be able to distinguish which period it was built in based on the decorations on the capitals of the columns.

But it wasn't until about two weeks ago, when we got to the Renaissance in my class, when my interest suddenly intensified. I was struck by the realization that I am living in the very city where that period was born, and so many of the paintings that we look at on the projector screen in class are in churches and museums merely a 15-minute bus ride away. On top of that, I started reading (and am still reading) a fantastic book about Michelangelo and the painting of the Sistine Chapel. Reading it has given me a view of what the artists of the Renaissance were really like. It must have been such a fascinating time in history to be living, because everything was changing.

So with this newfound thirst for knowledge, I have decided to make the most of being in Florence, and am on a church/museum rampage. I went inside the Duomo for the fourth or fifth time, but this time actually paid attention to the architectural details. I've been to the Uffizi to see all the paintings by Giotto, Botticelli, da Vinci, and Michelangelo, among others. I've been to the Bargello Museum to see the famous sculptures by Donatello, Michelangelo, and Giambologna. I've been inside the church of Santa Maria Novella to see the amazing crucifix of Giotto, the "Trinita" by Masaccio, and the Tournabuoni Chapel frescoed by Ghirlandaio (Michelangelo was one of his apprentices; he is a new favorite artist of mine!) I've been to the church of Ognissanti (which means "all saints") to see some other works by Ghirlandaio. I've seen Michelangelo's "David." I've been to the church of Santa Croce to see Galileo's tomb, designed by Vasari. I've seen the famous statues under the loggia in the Piazza della Signoria, including my favorite, "The Rape of the Sabines" by Giambologna. And these are just a few of the many places yet to see in the city. Everywhere you turn there is art, art, and more art.

So although I still have more places to see and more to learn in class, already I am thankful that I have been able to learn what I have. I believe being able to have knowledge of the past and appreciate it for what it was allows us to also appreciate the present. And that is another one of the many things that Florence has taught me.

P.S. I have put some photos of the pieces of art that I was talking about on my Picasso album for anyone who is also interested in Art History!

Spring Is In the Air

2008-02-25T01:24:00.000-08:00

This seems like a strange title, considering that it is still February, but the last few days have really felt like spring is on its way. The mornings and evenings are still a bit brisk, but when the sun is out and the sky is blue and the birds are going crazy singing in the mornings, it's hard not to feel that it's almost time.

For this, I am thrilled. I heard an Italian say the other day: "If you think Italy is pretty now, wait till the springtime." I was excited to hear that at least this conception that we Americans have about Tuscany is true (many of my other beliefs about the region, and really all of Italy have been disproved since I've experienced it for myself!).

Yesterday was Sunday, one of those blissful days when there are no responsibilities. Most businesses are closed, so there's little temptation to go out and spend money. Instead, the girls and I put on our tank tops and put our hair in ponytails and went for a walk up the hill past the school where there are nice views of the city. It was such a beautiful day, probably the nicest we've had in months. We walked up the narrow road, past the pretty little houses, sometimes peeking through the back gates and the impossibly perfect gardens and backyards. A little old man was out tilling the ground in his olive grove and garden. We sat in the sun and looked out over the city, the Duomo seeming so small from so far away. We talked about the future and plans and wishes and hopes.

It was really an almost perfect day.

Trips Galore!

2008-02-13T13:17:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy few weeks! I do go to classes, I swear, though it made not seem like it sometimes :-)

About two weeks ago, on January 31, we went to Venice with the whole school to participate in Carnevale, which is a huge citywide (countrywide in Italy, actually) party that is famous throughout the world. It was just a day trip, and it was a little bit before the actual festivities began, so it wasn't quite as crowded as I was expecting, especially after experiencing it at New Years! But it was a lot of fun to see the people roaming around in costumes. There were lots of masks, full-body costumes, and painted faces. My friends and I had our faces painted with pretty colors and lots of sparkles, so that we would blend in. We saw the Basilica, spent some time feeding those wild pigeons in Piazza San Marco, and just enjoyed some time walking around the city. It is so beautiful, and was no less so on my second trip there than the first.

The next big thing then was this past weekend when I took a trip to Barcelona, Spain with three of my girl friends from school. It was my second time visiting the city (I went there over the summer when I studied in Spain), and I loved it just as much this time. It is such a fun city, with the amazing architecture (Antonio Gaudi, a very unique modern architect who created a lot of interesting buildings in the city), like Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia and La Casa Mila, a really cool park where we watched the sunset, and a beautiful harbor. There were lots of people everywhere, especially on the main pedestrian street, Las Ramblas. The weather was beautiful, we got to see a few museums, and have some great Spanish food. It made me realize that I really really love Spain. It is definitely a place I want to go back to in the future, and I want to learn to speak Spanish better! One language at a time, though. So altogether, it was a successful weekend.

The last few days have just been a blur of classes. Today though, we had another fun trip: to these thermal baths in a tiny town called Rapolano. There were natural hot springs there. We spent an afternoon just relaxing in the warm water. It was nice to relax, because in a few days we have finals coming up! Real school: it's hard to focus on it when you're surrounded by so many things to see and places to go!

Wish me luck on the tests. I'll put up pictures from Venice and Barcelona on the Picasa Album. Oh, and one more thing: Happy Valentine's Day!

Christmas Break Part 3 - Venice

2008-01-27T03:39:00.000-08:00

Just a quick synopsis of the last few days of 2006, which I spent in one of the most unique and beautiful cities I have yet to visit! This was my first time in Venice, as well as the first time for my mom and brother. When we arrived on December 30th, it was dark and freezing, and we had an interesting time finding our hotel. First thing to do after a bus ride to one of the main piazzas from the airport, was figure out how to use the waterbuses. This first experience in Venice let us know that it is a city unlike anywhere else! There are no cars on the island. The way that people get around is on the waterbuses, or more expensive water taxis. The canals are extensive, and the water buses basically just circle the island on the Grand Canal.

We found our hotel on a little back canal, not too far away from the center. It was a beautiful place. Our first evening there we found a delicious pizzeria for dinner. The next day we spent seeing all the sights of the city: St. Mark's Square and Basilica, the Palazzo Ducale, Rialto Bridge. Venice is just beautiful, that's the only word I can think of to describe it. It was a perfect sunny day when were there, so we saw it at its height of beauty, I think. St. Mark's Basilica is breathtaking, and we had an hour or so's worth of fun feeding the crazy pigeons in the square. They will not hesitate to climb all over you, even landing on our heads sometimes! It was very entertaining. The thing I found myself feeling while I was there was how it felt so far away from the "real" world, with roads and vehicles and all those types of things. All the buildings in the city are old, all lining the canals. There are places where stairs just go down into the water. There are little back canals, like back alleys, all crossed with little bridges everywhere. It could be called enchanting.

That evening was New Year's Eve, and we had no idea what were in for. Italians have a tradition on New Year's Eve: they eat a really big meal called Cenone (which literally means "big dinner." The word is reserved for new year's eve only, though). Almost all the restaurants have special menus that evening, many require reservations, and some cost as much as 1000 euros a person!! We had a slice of take-away pizza instead. We made our way, along with the rest of Venice, to the Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square). There was a stage set up with musical entertainment and the place was packed with people. We strolled a bit, and waited until the midnight countdown. It was definitely a unique New Year's, especially afterwards, when we tried to get out of the piazza. Major traffic jam, not a good place to be if you are at all claustrophobic! It was an interesting experience, definitely!

The next day we walked around the city a bit in the morning, and had a delicious lunch before grabbing a train to Florence (home again for me!) So that's the story of how I fell in love with Venice. And fortunately for me, I get to go back in four days for Carnivale! I'm sure it will be an experience to remember as well.

Simple Pleasures

2008-01-21T13:19:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a rather rough week. I remember when I first came here, I thought: "Nothing bad could happen here, I'm in Italy!!" But since then I have learned that it doesn't matter if you are in a beautiful place; you can feel lonely and despondent anywhere. There can be moments of sadness no matter how amazing the surroundings. I am still glad to be here, most definitely, but I have just seen in my life recently that sometimes it takes an enormous effort to make the most of your situation. I have five months left here, and I do want to make the absolute most of them.

So I have been indulging lately in simple pleasures that remind me that life is good, especially in Italy: going to town with my roommate, browsing through racks and racks of beautiful books, having a big cup of gelato (some of the best I've had yet!), reading my favorite book in bed, having a hot cup of tea in my friends' room, listening to a favorite song, taking a walk to the grocery store just because, writing a friend a postcard, little things like that. I like to remind myself often that I am experiencing an opportunity that not everyone has.

I felt the full force of that when I took a little trip to town today. I walked past the Duomo of Florence, huge, colorful, amazing to look at it. And it hit me how awesome this place is. And I remembered why I'm here. Also, sitting at dinner tonight and having a real conversation completely in Italian wasn't bad either! I feel like I can actually learn this language, that being here will produce not just great memories of great places, but also the knowledge of a new language and culture. And the memories of some awesome gelato, of course!

Christmas Break Part 2 - Greece

2008-01-16T03:46:00.000-08:00

This was the part of my break that I was really anticipating, because not only was I going to get to see some of the most ancient ruins and most famous buildings in the world (other history nerds know what I'm talking about!), but I was also getting to see my family, who I was missing a lot.

My friend Sarah and I flew from Florence to Athens and arrived in the middle of the day. We were delighted with the weather, especially after having just come from Amsterdam and the freezing temperatures there. It was sunny and beautiful, a little cool in the shade, but nice. We met my mom and brother Jeremy at the airport and spent the rest of the day walking around part of Athens. We found a main shopping strip with lots of restaurants and the Athens Street Market, which is pretty well-renowned in those parts. The food was interesting: from the very beginning I got the feeling that I would probably get tired of Greek food pretty soon: cheese and spinach pie, feta on everything (which is not a bad thing, just different!), weird meats prepared in even weirder ways, things of that nature. Our first full day we spent seeing Hadrian's Arch, which stands beside the Temple of Zeus. It was amazing to stand in front of this massive structure, partially knocked down, but still standing after thousands of years. We also climbed the hills of Athens, as I like to think of them: one that overlooked the Acropolis and Mars Hill, where Paul preached to the Athenians in 51 A.D. We watched the sunset from another hill, complete with little church on top. The next day my dad flew into Athens and we did the big guns: Acropolis, Ancient Agoras. Standing there felt so surreal, in front of the Parthenon, Temple of Athena Nike, Erectheon, with the famous Carytide statues in the shape of women. The Parthenon was a little disappointing, being covered with so much scaffolding, but still very cool.

The next morning was Christmas Eve day, and we had an early flight to Santorini, one of the Cyclades, the group of southernmost islands, right above Crete. It is the type of place that is considered "typical" of the Greek Isles: beautiful little villages with white-washed houses built into a cliff overlooking the sea, deep blue domes on little white churches and blue-painted doors, black sand beaches. And that is truly how it looked. The trip came with a little bit of surprise, however: in wintertime, the Greek Isles shut down. It was almost like a ghost town, especially during Christmas. Hardly any restaurants were open, few hotels, and we saw only a handful of other tourists. It was a little bit eerie to be walking through the narrow stone streets past all these boarded up shots, and empty, almost-run down cafes, bars, and restaurants. It was hard to imagine it being full of life and people, as it most definitely is during the summer months. But there were advantages to being there at this time: we had a lot of peace. Christmas day was spent riding little vespas all over the island to see the beaches and the views from the clifftops across the caldera. We also found a great restaurant where we found ourselves every day during our stay! It was definitely an unconventional holiday, but I found myself enjoying being in a unique place with my family, relaxing, and not worrying about anything. And I am now curious to see how Santorini, or another island like it, would be during the summer time. Another trip is probably in the future!

By the end of the week, I was starting to feel a little bit Greeced-out. But I still was able to appreciate the culture. One thing I noticed about the Greeks are how friendly and giving they are. They seem to enjoy you being there, and at the end of every meal we ate in Greece, we were given something free: a little bit of dessert, a little drink to make a toast, something like that. Every meal. They are very generous people, and usually willing to help. This was something I appreciated, because Italy, although there are many friendly and helpful people, as a general rule seems to be a little less that way.

We spent one more day in Athens, doing a little more hiking the hills, and a little more shopping, before hopping on a plane back to Italy for New Years. But that is another blog for another day!

Christmas Break Part 1 - Amsterdam

2008-01-13T03:33:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I can't believe it's another year, and I'm still in Europe. I've been back from break for about a week and am getting back into the swing of things in class.

Break was great. It was nice to not only have a break from classes, but to have a chance to really do some traveling. I started out by heading north to Belgium and the Netherlands. A small group of friends and I left early in the morning to fly to Brussels. It was absolutely freezing when we got there, but there was so much activity and so many people out in the city center. We only spent a few hours in Brussels, but had time to see the beautiful buildings in the main square, the huge Christmas tree, and Christmas market. We also had Belgian waffles and chocolate, of course. After a rather interesting experience at the train station, we finally made it to Centraal Station in Amsterdam. It was dark, so finding the hostel was interesting, but I was so excited to see the city. It is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. There are lots of quiet canals, lined with little boats, and little houses. The houses are all lined up side by side, no spaces in between, and they are all different colors and have different shaped roofs. It makes the streets look so pretty.

The only thing I did not enjoy about being there was the extreme cold. We layered up, but it was still almost unbearable at times. Amsterdam is the European city with the most museums per square footage. And it seemed like we went to almost all of them! Van Gogh, Rembrandt House, Rijksmuseum, Anne Frank House. There was a lot of interesting stuff to see. Also, we took a boat ride on the canals in the evening, and a three hour walking tour through the city center to learn a lot of the history (freezing, but fun!). It was a lot of fun, especially to be with friends. We spent about 3 1/2 days there, enough time to get a feel of the place. It is definitely a different culture than Italy and one I'm glad to have experienced.

After the days there, my friend Sarah and I flew back to Florence for a night before setting out on part 2 of vacation: GREECE!

Ravenna and Bologna

2007-12-12T03:40:00.000-08:00

We had another great day trip this week. To Ravenna and Bologna, two cities in Emilia-Romagna, which is the region to the north of Tuscany. Both of them are very old, historical cities. Ravenna is known for its beautiful mosaics and one of the first Christian basilicas. The Basilica of San Vitale is a Byzantine basilica that is almost 2000 years old and absolutely beautiful. It has the shape and appearance of a flower on the inside, with a beautiful painted ceiling and the most beautiful mosaics. The colors are so vibrant. It just amazes me how people can create something like that: it must take so much patience, precision, and skill. In Ravenna also we saw a Paleo-cristian church, which has a different style of architecture, but was also covered in mosaics.

After that we went to Bologna, which ended up being my favorite. It is a little bit bigger than Ravenna and also seemed more busy and lively. The main piazza is the Piazza Nettuno, which has the famous "Neptune Fountain," which has sculptures by Giambologna, who is my favorite sculptor and did a lot of work in Bologna (hence the name!) It was especially nice there this time of year because there was a huge decorated Christmas tree in the piazza. I loved the feeling of the cold, and the hustle and bustle and seeing the Christmas lights. Bologna also has two leaning towers, though not leaning as far as the one in Pisa. All in all, it was a nice afternoon.

This week is the last week of classes. I only have two more days until Christmas break, which is taking me to so many fun places. First, I'm flying to Brussels, Belgium with five friends from school, including my boyfriend, and then heading to Amsterdam in the Netherlands for a few days. After that, I fly to Athens, Greece to meet my mother, father, and brother. We're going to do some sight-seeing there and then head to Santorini, one of the Greek Isles for Christmas. New Years will be in Venice, and then back to Florence for two days, before I hop on a train to Switzerland to meet my boyfriend and a few others for the weekend. We're planning to see Geneva and Zurich and then come back to start the next round of classes. It's going to be a crazy few weeks but I'm very excited! I want to make the most of this chance I have to travel and see new places.

Arrivederci!

Holidays Abroad

2007-11-28T12:42:00.000-08:00

I have had my first Thanksgiving away from home and family. It was definitely a unique holiday. Italians don't celebrate Thanksgiving, but here at the school they try to make it special for us.

We had a day trip to Pisa and Lucca, two cities in Tuscany. Pisa, obviously, is famous for its Leaning Tower. I had already been there a month or two ago, so I just enjoyed wandering about the streets of the city a bit. It drizzled rain, but wasn't too bad. Next, we went to Lucca, a city I hadn't seen. It wasn't a big city, but it had several beautiful churches, including San Michele in Foro, which stood in a huge piazza full of pigeons. It was a nice little town and we all just strolled and looked in shops. Also, Lucca is known for its ramparts, the old city walls that are now grass-covered and turned into walking paths on top of them. Altogether, it was a good day.

In the evening, when we returned to school, they had prepared a really nice dinner for us. Delicious food! Almost all the traditional American foods. We all dressed up nicely and took photos, and just relaxed and ate together. It was definitely a good ending to the day. As nice as it was though, at the end of the day I couldn't help but think about my family and wish that I was with them. Some things will never change!

And speaking of holidays, I am shocked by how fast Christmas is approaching! In a little over two weeks I am heading off for Amsterdam with some friends for a few days and then Greece with my mother, father, and brother.

Here in Florence, everyone is getting ready for Christmas, also. We took a walk into town today to go to a Christmas market that is set up in the piazza at Santa Croce, one of the beautiful churches. Along many of the main shopping streets, they have strung up beautiful white Christmas lights and almost every store has nicely decorated trees in the windows. It is exciting to see how another country views the holiday. I love Christmas. When we made it to the market, it was so exciting! Delicious cookies, candies, hot cider, trinkets, all kinds of things everywhere. I bought some bread and pesto cheese for dinner, a pretty ornament and several gifts for friends and family. Mainly it was surreal just to be walking through a Christmas market in Florence, Italy in front of a beautiful old church. Definitely a Christmas to remember!

Some photos from Pisa, Lucca, and Thanksgiving dinner are up on my Picasa Album. Enjoy!

Ciao

Medieval Towns and the Mountains

2007-11-11T07:41:00.000-08:00

About two weeks or so ago, we took a day trip to see two medieval Tuscan towns: Volterra and San Gimignano.

Volterra is a very small Estrucan walled city that is famous for its craftsmen who work with alabaster. It was one of those little towns that you see in movies (or actually, everywhere in Tuscany) with narrow streets paved with stone and beautiful views over the valleys of Tuscany. We stumbled across an elderly man who had an alabaster studio. It wasn't even a store, just a little room full of alabaster pieces and little statues and trinkets. So cool.

Next we went to San Gimignano, a place I was so excited to see. The city was famous for it's 70-some towers that were built by rich families and made into sort of a "medieval Manhattan." Today there are 14 of the towers left, which make is so unique. I took so many great photos of the towers and the shadows they made across the faces of the other buildings. In the middle ages, San Gimignano was an extremely important city along the main trade route, but it was overtaken by Florence in the 1300 or 1400s and lost its significance. However, this means that it is very well-preserved. It was a nice day we spent there, exploring the city and sitting in a cafe for hours. That's one thing I love about Italy: life moves so slow here.

This past weekend, we had a spiritual retreat in the mountains of Tuscany, at the "summer camp" of the Italian Adventists. It was a beautiful little spot with cabins and nice views. It was a short walk from a small hill-town called Poppi, which we went and visited. We had a few meetings with a religion professor from the school, but mainly we just spent time together. One thing that I loved was Saturday night when we made a big bonfire and had the Italian version of S'mores...a little different, but still delicious. Surrounded by beautiful hills colored with trees with orange and red leaves, I almost felt like I was in Tennessee--home. It was a nice feeling.

I really love experiences like that one: to be together as a group, to discuss important things, but also to laugh and have a good time. No stress, just fun and relaxation. I think it is an important thing to have to keep sanity. I feel a lot of appreciation for everyone here, and the new friends I have made.

Now I'm going to have a hot shower and catch up on my sleep!

Good News

2007-11-06T13:33:00.000-08:00

A great new development has happened to me. Thanks to advice from those more computer-savvy than me, I have created an online web album that can be viewed by anyone. All you have to do is go to this website:

http://picasaweb.google.com/jennifer.meyer0

Currently I have only one album created with a few pictures of Florence and the school, but I will add more soon and try to keep you all updated in the future about all the beautiful places I am able to go!

If for some reason the link doesn't work, will someone please let me know? :-)

This weekend is a spiritual retreat in the mountains of Tuscany; can't get much better than that! I am very excited. Things have been going really well lately. I'm loving it here. It's really turning out to be the best time of my life.

Hope all is well with everyone at home! Miss you all!

From Naples to Edinburgh (and everything in between!)

2007-10-31T09:10:00.000-07:00

I'm not even sure how to begin! There has been so much going on lately. Out of the last 16 days, I've been traveling for 13 of them. I've been on so many buses, trains, airplanes, subways, and city streets it makes my head spin to think about it!

In the interest of not having this blog be miles long and bore my audience, I'll just give the general overview of where I've been and specify a few of the highlights also.

SOUTHERN ITALY:
We started out with a school trip to Naples and southern Italy. Such a cool place. I could definitely see the differences between the north and south of Italy. Naples had its charm, but was much wilder, run-down, and dirtier than Florence. Beautiful cathedral, though. We also traveled to the Amalfi Coast for a day, visiting the cities of Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello. Fantastic views, just like you see in the movies. Blue water, high cliffs with idyllic little towns built up them. I loved the beach at Positano, and the charming little square in Ravello, a mountainous town.

We also took a day trip to the island of Capri. Without a doubt, the memories of that day are going to be with me forever. Five of the girls and I explored the island and found a secluded little cove, with the characteristic loose stone beach. The water was so clear and cold it took your breath away. But we swam anyway, out away from the shore, where you could look up at the cliffs towering above you on the island. So cool. And relaxing. We had lunch at a small bar on the beach in the sun. An almost perfect day.

Another major highlight of the trip was Pompeii and Herculaneum. Mount Vesuvius, which erupted in AD 79 and destroyed both those cities sits on one side of the Bay of Naples. Pompeii sits at its feet and is such an awesome place. Seeing buildings and frescoes and streets that were walked by ancient Italians even before the time of Christ was so awe-inspiring. It is so well-preserved.

After a few days with the school, six friends and I decided to strike out on our own and see a little bit more of the south. We had a loose plan, and we just went, hopping trains and buses. We went to Sorrento, and Salerno, and finally Bari, a small town in the region of Puglia, the "heel" of the Italy boot. It was quite the experience, spending a cold night in a train station. But we had a great time. I felt like I bonded with the people who went. I'm making good friends here.

ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND:
Then, if that wasn't enough adventure, three friends and I had made plans to go to England this past weekend to visit two former teachers and their daughter who are now living in Newcastle upon Tyne, in the northern part of the country. It was quite the trip, with a lot of traveling to get there. We had a great weekend, though, visiting Edinburgh, Scotland and the Lake District of England. So beautiful. We visited the home of William Wordsworth and also the home of Beatrix Potter. We also got to spend half a day in London to see some of the sights there, including Westminster Abbey, which may be one of my favorite places in the world! We were very English for the weekend, having a proper tea with scones, jam, and clotted cream. Delicious!

Now I've finally made it back to school and gotten settled back into the routine. Tomorrow, we have a daytrip to the medieval towns of Volterra and San Gimignano. Can't wait for that!

I feel so blessed to be able to see all these things. It amazes me that I have crossed a continent and seen three countries in just a matter of days. This is why I wanted to come here: to have experiences like these!

God In Italia

2007-10-06T05:56:00.000-07:00

I believe I have discovered what my favorite part of Europe is: the churches.

It seems that every town, no matter what size it is, has at least one church. A large city like Florence has dozens. And that church is almost always the center of the town, the most important building. Florence's Duomo is a cathedral that is the center of the city: Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore. It was begun in the 1200s and is the world's fourth-largest cathedral. I am still in awe that I live only a 40 minute walk from this place. This week I went inside for the first time. Incredible.

But my favorite church in Florence is not Santa Maria del Fiore, but an unlikely church that you might miss if you're not paying attention. It is a square, rather plain-looking church (on the outside, at least) that sits on the main street between the River Arno and the Duomo area. It sticks out a little bit because of the niches along the outside that each contain a statue of the patron saint of each of the old guilds that used to rule commerce in Florence. The church is called Orsanmichele and was orginally built and used as a grain market in the 1200s. The inside of the church is very small, but beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. That's the best word to describe it, I think. I love just sitting inside on the pews and observing.......

That's the thing about the churches here: as soon as you go through those huge, carved, dark wooden doors, it's almost like time stops and you are in a place of total peace and reverence. Every church that I have been in has felt this way, from the fourth-largest cathedral in the world to a tiny forgotten church on top of the small town of Monterosso del Mare. It's hard to describe the quiet and peace there. And I love how these churches have survived so much. Many of them are almost a thousand years old. We have nothing like that in the United States.

Of course, there's another aspect to these churches. A friend said to me the other day, while we were sitting inside a big and beautiful church: "you know, these churches were built by the clergy during a time when people were starving in the streets. I think that's interesting, because God was not in them then."
I had never thought of it that way before...and I still wonder now, is God in those churches? They are all blatantly Catholic, each dedicated to a different Saint, when they should be dedicated solely to God.

Interesting thought. But I feel that if you are a person in need of God, and you go to one of those churches, and go inside and sit on the smooth wooden pews and look up at the altar made to honor Jesus hanging on the cross, and you pray...then God will be there.

So I still love the churches here.

Pisa and Beyond

2007-10-01T09:14:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, I did my first bit of independent travel. Two friends and I took a day trip to Pisa, which is of course the home of the famous Torre Pendente, or Leaning Tower.

It's only about an hour or so by train, and then we were able to walk around the city, it being rather small. The Tower, which sits with the Duomo and Baptistry in the Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles) is beautiful! All the many photographs I have seen of it cannot really do it justice. It isn't the tallest thing in the world, but the fact that it doesn't stand straight gives it an extra interest to look at. The Duomo was also a beautiful building, as it seems that all Italian duomos and cathedrals.

We took the obligatory tourist photos with the tower, of course (leaning on it, pushing on it, etc.), but more than just enjoyed the perfect, sunny, fall day by sitting on the grass in the square and relaxing. It was a nice day.

On the train ride home, I felt myself feeling like I was going "home" to Florence. Amazing how quickly you can adapt to a place and feel like it is your own.

Sunday, after lunch, a few of us decided to hop on the bus to Santa Croce, a beautiful church that is close to the River Arno on the west side of town. We wanted to go inside to see the graves of several famous Italians whose resting places are there: Galileo, Machiavelli, Dante, and others. There was also a beautiful open courtyard and cloisters, and lots of beautiful frescoes by Giotto in the church. Beautiful place.
Luckily, after the church, we walked across the Ponte Vecchio to the Palazzo Pitti, where there was a wine-tasting festival in the Piazza. Walking a little ways further down the street, we found the back entrance to the Boboli Gardens, the gardens of the Palazzo. Normally it is over 10 euro to get inside the gardens and palazzo, but that day it was free, because of European Heritage Weekend! So exciting, because the Boboli Gardens are absolutely stunning. We walked around and found a huge fountain designed by Giambologna, lots of little meandering paths through the woods, and a hilltop which overlooked the whole city. Afterwards we were able to walk down the hill and go into the Palazzo Pitti, which was the main residence of the Medici family from about the 1400s onward. It is full of their collections of art treasures: statues, paintings, furniture.

Altogether, it was a great weekend. I still can't believe that I'm here in this place, seeing all these things. Florence is practically in my backyard, and every time I open my nice thick guidebook, I read about a new church or piazza in the city that I have yet to see!

So many places, so little time...

Cinque Terre

2007-09-27T06:56:00.000-07:00

How do I begin to describe the day I had yesterday. Absolutely amazing. I know that I will see many beautiful and breath-taking things while I'm here in Europe, but after yesterday I am feeling in awe of what I have already seen...it almost feels like enough to satisfy my desire to see new and beautiful places.

We left early in the morning to make it to the Cinque Terre, which is an area north of Florence, on the coast. It is comprised of five small villages that are built on the rocky coast of the Italian Riviera. Each of the villages are a few kilometers apart and are connected by train and footpaths. They are the quintessential villages of Italy: small clusters of pastel buildings overlooking the sea, with its blue-green water crashing against the rocky shores.

The first two villages, Riomaggiore and Manarola, are connected by a paved trail called "Via dell'amore", or Lover's Lane. It sprinkled a little bit as we were on the lane, but afterwards it cleared and became a perfect day, slightly cloudy so it wasn't too hot, nice breeze, perfect...

Next is Corniglia, which is built up a bit higher on a hill, looking as if one of the houses on the edge could break off into the ocean at any moment. We stopped to have lunch here, sitting on benches overlooking the ocean. We explored the streets and found a tiny little church that overlooked the town.

The fourth town is Vernazza, which may have been my favorite. It has a natural harbor, with lots of little, brightly-colored boats. We stopped for an espresso and then explored the streets and went inside a tiny, charming church, with a domed, stone roof and beautiful views of the ocean out the high windows.

The last and largest town is Monterosso del Mare, or Monterosso. Here we made our best discovery. There was a small castle-like building at one end of the main street, up a slight hill, and we followed the path there, passing little cafes that overlooked the ocean. It turned out that the castle was actually someone's private residence (my dream house, by the way!). But there were stone steps that continued up the practically vertical mountain. We kept climbing and found a little overlook where there was a statue of St. Francis of Assisi, overlooking the ocean, like everything else.
But the best was yet to come. Curious, we continued climbing, following small and seemingly-forgotten little paths. Farther up the hill was a small church, so beautiful and peaceful, with paintings and music playing inside. There was another set of stairs that continued up, and curious, we followed it.

It led to one of the coolest places I have ever been. At the very top of the hill, as high above the town as you could get, was an old, forgotten cemetery, but not a normal one. This place had crypts, with smooth marble fronts, stacked on top of one another, 10 high. There were also mausoleums of families, with small shrines and wrought-iron gates, some left open. Inside were graves of over a centuries worth of family members. Many of the graves were from the 1800s. The cemetery seemed to continue on forever, and we explored for quite awhile. The thing that made it so much better was the fact that we three girls were the only ones there. It was like a hidden treasure that we had discovered.

Being there, I found myself becoming a true traveler, having the desire and the curiousity to keep going, to constantly see something new, to always want to know what is around the next bend or behind the next door. I know that this is the attitude that will make my time here that much more amazing.

So, in conclusion, I highly recommend going to the Cinque Terre for anyone traveling to Italy. Even just a day is enough to see and appreciate the towns and their beautiful setting. And they are the types of places where you can make your own little discoveries, like I did!

The (Sur)realities of Italy

2007-09-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

Today we began our literature class: Italy and It's Culture in British and American Literature. It's in English (thankfully) and we're basically just reading excerpts from different books about Italy and examining how our culture views Italy...and how realistic those perceptions actually are.

It made me think about my own perceptions of Italy and what I was expecting...and what the reality is. So far, I've been pleased with what I've seen: the history, the architecture, the food, the gelato, and the way the city is. I've always idealized Italy as something of a paradise, and being here makes me realize that it's a real place, just like my own hometown.

However....

it is a beautiful, surreal, and fascinating place at the same time, and in that way, my expectations have not been disappointed.

The other day I returned from town and walked up the steps into the dorm. The entrance area is a big open room with winding stone steps and a stone floor. Connected to it is a small chapel, where the choir was practicing that day. As I was walking up to the dorm I could hear their sound resonating on the stone and filling the whole building. It was so beautiful I had to sit down on the stairs and listen until they finished their song. It really made me feel for that moment that I was in a movie, and that music was the soundtrack. For that surreal moment, I felt like Italy really was a paradise.

The campus makes me feel that way on almost a daily basis, also. Heather and I went exploring a little bit this evening and found several little paths made in between the hedges. There are little winding paths with benches along them and a low wall that faces a field. On the other side of the field are yellow houses with red roofs and those characteristically-Tuscan trees: tall, deep green, and skinny. We walked down into the field as the sun was getting low and just stood (ok, not really, we actually frolicked a little bit, because after all, it's ITALY!!). It was beautiful. So many things here are beautiful. I don't know if I ever want to leave!

Discovering Florence

2007-09-21T05:32:00.000-07:00

I'm getting settled into a routine in school. Classes have been going now for four days and I feel like I'm starting to get a grasp on the language a little bit more. We've started at the very beginning (my name is...., I'm 20 years old....I am American, etc.), but I've been doing some studying on my own and trying to learn as many new words as I can.

So that's the boring stuff. However, we have an amazing schedule. Class starts at 9 and I'm almost always out by 12:30. Mondays are electives. I'm taking ceramics; fine arts and monuments, which prepares us for the tours that we will be taking around the country; and a literature class which examines how Italy is viewed in English and US literature.

Otherwise, I'm still loving Florence. (Almost) everything about it! We've started finding places that we can make our own: cafes, gelato shops, piazzas. One of my favorite places is the Piazza della Signoria, where there are many famous statues, including the Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna, and the Neptune Fountain, as well as a copy of Michelangelo's David. The Ponte Vecchio is interesting (and expensive). The Duomo is the most important building in the city and is so beautiful, made with the characteristic green, white, and pink marble of Tuscany. Orsanmichele is a small, but beautiful, church that used to be a grain market in the late 1200s. I love how the streets of the city are paved with cobblestones in the historic area. I just love everything!

We went to see the real David at the Museo 'dell Accademia on Wednesday night. It's in a very small museum, where there was also a display of musical instruments owned by one of the Medici! So many things in this city have been affected by the Medici family.
But back to the David. It amazed me, standing in front of it, that a man could chip away at a huge chunk of stone and make it into what it is. You can see the definition of the muscles and the curls of the hair. So realistic.
I can't wait to the see the Uffizi Museum. There is the art that makes Florence the famous center of culture and art that it is!

The First Tale

2007-09-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I made it. And now, I live in Italy! The trip here had a few ups and downs, but overall was successful and not too difficult. I think the best part of it was when I woke up from a short nap on the flight from Munich to Pisa and right below me were the snow-covered Alps. Absolutely gorgeous and seeming close enough to touch. In between the mountains were little villages, with white houses with red roofs, just like you see in movies. That made me feel so excited to be in Europe and to know that I will be here for 10 months.

After arriving, I settled in with my roommates Heather, Jessica, and Sarah, my awesome friends from Southern. We have a big room together and have been having so much fun. We don't get much sleep because we end up spending so much time talking and laughing. The campus is absolutely beautiful; so old, with so much history. It overlooks the city and sits on a slight hill, but is only a 15 minute bus ride away from the center of town. In the center of Florence is the Duomo, which is the main cathedral of the city. It is amazing and surreal to look at. I'll try to post photos later!

In the last few days, we've seen a lot of Florence: the River Arno, with the Ponte Vecchio, Santa Croce, Piazza della Signoria, Orsanmichele, the Palazzo Pitti, San Lorenzo, and many other beautiful buildings, and there is still so many more things to see. I love this city! I am so excited that it is going to be my home for the next few months.

We also found the best gelato in the city (so the guidebooks say, and after having been there twice, I believe it!). I can see I will have to exercise some self-restraint in the next few months!

Classes begin tomorrow, which will change a lot, I'm sure. But I'm excited to begin learning the beautiful language that is spoken here, for multiple reasons (but the main one is that it's frustrating to not always be able to communicate!)
Wish me luck in class!

Love, Jen