L'amore e il mare

I love the ocean.  I think you all knew that.  But it's true.

Monterosso

This weekend I went to Cinque Terre, five seaside towns in northwestern Italy.  On the train ride in, I got glimpses of the ocean and freaked out a little bit, so excited.  And when we got off the train, smelt the salty air and saw the ocean up close, I felt at home in paradise.  The only problem was that no one else seemed very excited (which is crazy), so I wasn't able to express my happiness by jumping up and down.  I know I am more obsessed with the ocean than the average person, but this landscape was magnificent.  There were lush mountains dropping down into the sea and a bright sun shining down on us.

Vernazza

Vernazza

Vernazza

We started the day with a hike from Monterosso to Vernazza which was steep and had narrow paths but not that bad.  It took about an hour and a half, and that's when I realized the lack of enthusiasm was because I was traveling with people who weren't outdoorsy types.  Personally, I couldn't get enough of the sights.  Oceans and mountains and colorful towns in each glance.  There was even a vineyard near the mountaintop.  The hike was a workout but it is the type of thing I would want to do everyday.

My first swim in Italia

I enjoyed lunch by the water in Vernazza and then went for a long swim.  It was my first time in the Mediterranean (or maybe Ligurian?) Sea and I noticed that it is a lot saltier than the Atlantic.  I was the only one who wanted to swim, so I just floated and swam up to the colorful rowboats, relaxing.  I felt at peace, at home.  The water was warm compared to Massachusetts during the summer, but the air was a little chilly, so I had no reason to leave the water.

Adorable child along Via Dell'Amore

Monterosso's beach is supposedly the best one, so after a gelato, we returned via train.  Of course, we got to the beautiful sandy beach and found it to be chilly and windy.  Dana, Lucy, and I still wanted to hike a bit more, so we chose an easy trail from Manarola to Riomaggiore.  Turns out it was a paved stroll right on the coast.  It was the Via dell'Amore, street of love; couples put locks all around and throw the key into the water as a symbol of a love that won't be broken.  I should have brought a lock for me and the ocean.

Locks of Love

Once Upon a Time at Oktoberfest

Once upon a time, I had no interest in visiting Germany.  I thought it would be bland.  I was wrong.  Germany is like a country made of gingerbread houses.  Seriously, that's what it is like.  And I can totally picture trolls living in the valleys and up in the mountains.  As I tell you the tale of Oktoberfest, please keep in mind that more than half of the people I saw were dressed in traditional Bavarian outfits, lederhosen and drndels.  They were gingerbread people.
We took an overnight bus through the Alps to arrive in the kingdom of Munich.  I was lost in my dreams for most of the journey, but would occasionally wake to find myself in the dark misty mountains.  Well after sunrise, we reached our destination.  I had a pretzel for breakfast (it was disguised as a straight poppyseed bagel) which was a bit of a shock to my taste buds since Florentine bread lacks salt. 
On this the morn before Oktoberfest, Munich was crowded with people already drinking beer with brunch while wearing lederhosen.  We found our way to a giant cuckoo clock where we met our very energetic South African bike guide.  Mike's Bike Tours has to be the best way to see Munich.  We learned about history and culture as we stopped at famous landmarks, and we got to enjoy beautiful landscapes along the river and in the English gardens.  The highlight for me was seeing the river surfers who rode a wave back and forth along the same part of the narrow river.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnqtvI9zRPI

Towards the end, we stopped at a beer garden with a giant Chinese temple.  We had lunch and beers which were very much needed following the pretzel bagel I had for breakfast.  I ordered some sort of sausage and potato fries which were delicious and something I have not had since home.  Sadly, my first German beer was not a beer, but a radler (beer mixed with lemonade), but this was the necessary choice for a girl on a bike tour.
That evening, I enjoyed my first real German beer with a roasted pork and potato dumpling dinner.  It was delicious!  Following dinner, we went to bed early to prepare for the morning festivities.

Tents open at 9 am but since this was opening day, drinks are not served until after noon when the mayor taps the first keg.  We arrived at the tents at about 8:30, almost overwhelmed by all the rides, tents, and cotton candy.  When the doors to Hofbrau's tent opened, we got inside very quickly and were able to get seats at a table between some Australians and some people that had coincidentally been on our bike tour.  The tent was enormous and very well decorated, but I don't even know how to describe it.  We played cards and ate pretzels before the 200th wedding anniversary of Ludwig and Therese was officially underway.  At noon, a band came in, everyone stood on the benches, and the brew master gave a speech to a cheering crowd. He tapped the keg and started handing out liters of beer that were overflowing with foam.  A few minutes later, our beer maid Silvia came holding at least 10 drinks (she must be very strong).  Again, it was delicious.

It was funny to see how energetic the crowd got from simply smelling the beer.  Before the whole tent had been served, everyone was singing German drinking songs and Bruce Channel's "Hey! Baby" along with band accompaniment.  So much fun!

Prost!

Happy is the word that best describes everyone.  I was afraid that the event would be sloppy or we would have to deal with aggressive drunks who want to get into fights, but everyone was friendly and in a good mood.  I met people from all over the world (thankfully everyone seemed to know English or Italian; I didn't meet anyone who spoke French though) and I wish that people were always so outgoing.
A half a roasted chicken and a many hours later, we left the tent to check out the rides.  There were small roller coasters and all sorts of fair rides, but they were pretty expensive.  We decided to go on a slide where you ride a conveyor belt to get to the top.  A lot of people were struggling to ride it, so the people working there helped them up.  Being the most coordinated person in the world, I decided that I did not need any help.  I was wrong.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Wh7Y7vAO9c
Sunday, most people went to Dachau concentration camp.  I kept going back and forth about where I wanted to go or not because I get very upset about prejudice, but I decided it was an important life experience.  In line for the train, it became too real and I had to leave.
I returned to the hostel where I found our tour guide and two others who were just wanting to explore Munich.  We walked around the fairgrounds and saw parts of the parade which was very fun to see.  We went to a beer garden to share a final German beer, this brand tastier than the others.  And then I enjoyed one of those white sausages and an apple strudel before the bus ride back.
On our way home, I realized just how much Munich made me miss Boston.  It had the same fall chill and smell of roasting candied almonds, sausages rather than hot dogs, and friendly people.  I don't think I stuck out as an American as much as I do here in Italy.  And the bus ride home was beautiful.  The snow capped mountains were breathtaking, there were hundreds of farms, and little churches were tucked in the trees high up in the mountains.  I need to go back to do some yodelling.  I don't know if I have ever appreciated trees more than during that bus ride.  The side of Florence I live on has no trees.  I literally cannot think of where there is a single tree.  So thanks Munich for making me homesick. I would really love to go back to Germany and explore the whole country more thoroughly.  Hopefully I can make those plans during a future Oktoberfest.

The hard life of a tourist

This weekend, I tried to be a tourist.  It was not my style.
On Friday, I went to the Galleria dell'Academia which had some tremendous works of art, including Michelangelo's David.  Ironically, the sculpture was about the size I pictured the giant who he defeated.  I think it is incredible that Michelangelo was able to sculpt something so massive and keep all the proportions in order and even add details like veins and tendons.  We did not see the entirety of the museum, but saw many more beautiful and old sculptures.

View from Boboli Gardens of Pitti Palace

Boboli Gardens

We enjoyed a nice stroll in the Boboli Gardens by the Medici's Pitti Palace after that.  The property is on a rather steep hillside with great views of Florence; it is so massive that there are small patches of woods.  I really enjoyed seeing these gardens and hope to stroll through them again before the weather changes.
I felt like I squeezed too much into one day here in Florence, but that was nothing to the blur of Saturday and Sunday.
We had an overnight orientation field trip starting in Assisi.  I admire Saint Francis of Assisi and connect with him as a fellow animal lover, so I was thrilled to visit his basilica.  I could have spent days in that church; it was like being inside an illuminated manuscript or a child's dream.  And the town was full of bright white buildings giving the entire town a sort of holy aura.  I was able to picture myself happily living in Assisi, and I was very sad to leave after our quick tour.
After another hour in the bus, we arrived in Perugia.  I was excited about Perugia, but our tour lasted no longer than a tour of Rockport's Bearskin Neck would have.  We only had a short amount of free time, so rushed to the chocolate store.  Perugia is famous for their chocolate and has a chocolate festival every September, so I was disappointed that the store was just a store without a secret factory behind it.  We spent the night in Perugia at a nice hotel and most of us (in the group of about 70) played Apples to Apples and sang karaoke in the hotel lobby all night.  The center of town was a far taxi ride away, so this was a nice bonding experience for everyone.

Siena Cathedral

Palio di Provenzano where horse race is held

Early the next morning, we set off for Siena.  At this point, I was exhausted and was not interested in rushing around on cobblestone with a tour group.  Thankfully, it did not last long.  I would love to return to Siena because it was a beautiful town with a lot of great history.  Every year they have horse races in the center of town (which seems incredibly dangerous), so I bought a banner/scarf for one of the teams (with a fish/dolphin on it of course).  The cathedral looked like a fairy tale castle, but we only saw the outside quickly, so I did not remember it at all until looking at my pictures.  I would have loved to see the inside.
Finally, we went to San Gimignano.  At this point, all I wanted was to cool off in my own apartment.  We got gelato from a place that claims to be the world's best (and might be), so I tried some interesting flavors.  I had one scoop of a grapefruit champagne that I thought was too acidic, and one scoop of saffron creme gelato which was interestingly delicious!
While I saw a lot this weekend, it was too much at once.  I'd rather learn about the town and let the information soak in as I calmly explore it, but the school did a great job organizing the trip and now I know what areas of central Italy I want to spend time in.

Liberal Arts

For over a thousand years, students have had the option of a liberal arts education.  The seven liberal arts include grammar, logic, rhetoric, geometry, arithmetic, astronomy, and music.  Today's universities might call themselves liberal arts, but students get by without practicing each of the seven arts.  Here in Italy, I am taking courses that are very different from ones that I would take at Tufts, but they are not fulfilling the seven medieval arts.  Let's see how I am doing outside the classroom:
Grammar: I am looking at Italian grammar on my own since my conversational class focuses on vocab.
Logic: I plan to barter at the leather market...
Rhetoric: Communicating to one person clearly in a foreign language can be just as nerve wracking as public speaking.
Geometry: I have to do sketches in my daily life for my fresco painting class.  Shapes are really difficult to produce let alone study mathematically.
Arithmetic:  The Euro is very confusing to count out change.  The have two cent pieces that make things very complicated!
Astronomy:  Galileo's museum is really close to my apartment, so I will be going there soon. And the zodiac is present in a lot of the art I have seen.
Music: Live music is played in a lot of piazzas and street corners.  In terms of producing my own music, I am getting pretty skilled at karaoke.

My actual classes are teaching me other arts and I am so excited to learn more!
History of the Italian Renaissance: I can relate so much of what I learn to this city.
History of Christianity: I have an adorable old British nun teaching me, she is brilliant.
Florence Food and Culture Experience: Olive oil, cheese, and ham tasting on the first day of class.  I am going to come back a chef!
Conversational Italian: Parlo italiano.
Fresco Painting: This will be hard for me, but I will get to take home my frescos (which are on tiles) and get to see pretty paintings all the time.

Off to class! 

La Chiesa

Churches and cathedrals are EVERYWHERE in Florence.  When giving directions, we all use the churches as landmarks, "go past the Duomo's Baptistery and you can find the best leather down the street to your right, towards San Lorenzo".  The city's layout is perfect for any lazy tourists because they only walk a few short blocks from one religious site to the next.  The church piazzzas seem to be the most crowded parts of town, similar to how they would be in the Middle Ages.  While many tourists get trigger happy with their cameras and disregard the sanctity of these sites, others seem similar to sixteenth century pilgrims who observe everything with wonder.

View from Duomo

I was able to tour the Duomo with Fairfield this weekend.  The facade and exterior are breathtaking.  I want to spend a whole afternoon just looking at it.  The interior surprised me, it was rather simple.  The Gothic arches and pillars were grand, but I expected more ornamentation.  I don't have any opinion on decorative versus plain churches yet because sometimes they are inspiring but othertimes they are distracting.  And then I walked under the dome where I saw frescos that still leave me speechless; these, I think, are inspiring.  After viewing the inside, we walked up more than 400 steps, feeling quite claustrophobic, to the top of the dome.  This gave us an incredible view of Florence and its surrounding towns and mountains.  The day before, we saw all of Florence from the other side of the river atop Piazzale Michaelangelo both during the day and at night.  It was nice to have another perspective, from the center of the city on the Duomo.  Shortly after the tour, I went to mass in English in a decorative chapel of the Duomo.  I was very disappointed that there is no music for mass in English, so I might explore other churches (which won't be hard to do).

Pisa

This weekend we also visited Pisa, home to the famous Leaning Tower, and a beautiful cathedral with a baptistry.  When I first saw the tower, I got a little emotional realizing that I was seeing one of the Wonders of the World, an Italian landmark, and a giant sized model of Prince Pizza on Route 1.  But after the initial awe, I got into tourist mode and took cheesy pictures.  I did not enjoy Pisa as much as I hoped to because it was so touristy.  The first major building that we walked by was McDonald's.  Not sure how fast food fits in with the whole Italian heritage theme.  I was also sad that we were visiting on a Sunday, but it seemed like it could have been a Monday with no signs of churchgoers (besides the fact that I did see a bride and groom taking pictures!).

The churches are not the only "religious" sites.  I was moved to tears by beauty in the Galleria degli Uffizi where I saw Botticelli and DaVinci paintings.  Their paintings of Jesus, Mary, saints, and angels were incredible.  It is hard for me to fathom how Botticelli created such beauty and I keep thinking about these works; he had a gift.  It's not the type of thing you can see and not be affected by.  Many Renaissance paintings are set in present times, almost like a Second Coming.  The beauty in Botticelli's works are inspirational and calming; people afraid of the end of the world would have peace if they saw his art.  I only had time to explore this one gallery of the Uffizi, so I'm a little afraid I will be overwhelmed exploring multiple galleries on my next visit.  I didn't know I loved art so much!

Buongiorno

Food.  That's the first thing people think of when I say the word Italy.  For the first day and a half, I did not like the food.  Even the tiramisu was not to my liking.  I think the plane food and lack of sleep did something to my taste buds.  Thankfully, I have since enjoyed a mozzarella panino, salads, pastas, gnocchi, and profiteroles.  Some of the best meals I have ever been served!  I'm not sure how I feel about gelato, not my thing.  That could be a blessing in disguise though.

Our delicious first homemade meal

My first few days here have been exhausting and beautiful.  The sun is one of my favorite things about Florence.  The way it reflects of the river, lights up the statues, and soaks into the yellow and orange buildings is incredible.  My apartment has a small balcony where I stand to check the weather in the morning.  I always see a bright robin's egg blue sky and feel a refreshing chill under the shade of our building.  My apartment is very spacious and filled with my five wonderful roommates.  We have been exploring the city together, busy with orientation but still enjoying the beautiful sites.  I am hoping to have time to go to the touristy sites soon.

Ponte Vecchio and the Arno River

 
Ho parlato italiano!  I have spoken some Italian while ordering things, when meeting people, and when discussing the broken laundry machine with our landlord and handyman.  It's exhilarating!  Today I went to mass at the Duomo's Baptistery and actually understood bits and pieces of the service.  It was a very intimate service with maybe only 20 people.  The Baptistery is a simple but breathtaking building and I hope to continue going there for Italian mass.  This weekend I will go inside the Duomo which is sure to be more ornate inside judging by the facade.  I am so excited to see it!