I can't believe it's over.
Today I say goodbye to the most beautiful city in the world. It's been an awesome month, but i'm definitely ready to move on. I think I never want to eat pasta again. There's a lot of things from home that i miss too, like breakfast. I know I'm going to miss the tomatoes here-- i like tomatoes anyway, but you have never had a tomato like the kind they have here. It's going to be weird not walking everywhere (not to mention walking past monuments like the Duomo daily).
But I'm not coming home just yet! From here I go to Rome for the night so that I can catch my plane to Paris! Laura and i are going to spend a few days in Paris together before we go back to the States. Even though I'm anxious to get home, I'm really excited about paris. I've never been outside of Italy in Europe, unless you count my 1 hour layover where I rushed through the Paris airport (and got a little lost). I don't speak any French, but Laura does, so as long as we're together I should be fine. She did, however teach me how to ask if somebody speaks English, and i feel like i'm going to be saying "Parlez-vous anglais?" a lot.
This week we had our finals, so it's been a bit crazy. I can't believe I just finished 2 classes in a little over 3 weeks! I can't believe they're over, but i'm not going to lie, I'm glad they are.
On Thursday Laura and I celebrated our fifth annual "Laura-Michelle Day," a holiday we invented in high school where we make sure we spend the day together. This year it just happened to be while we're both in Florence, the day after our finals! We shopped around in the market, where I used my italian and stubbornness to score us some deals. Then after a delicious lunch, we went to the Boboli gardens! This was my third attempt at going (the first was last year, when we got there too late in the day, the second when I went to the Pitti Palace and was too tired afterward), and I finally got to see the gardens! They're beautiful, but very hilly. we were a little disappointed that there weren't any flowers either.
I didn't get a chance to post this earlier, but last weekend we went to Cinque Terre, a BEAUTIFUL area with 5 mountain towns along the northern coast. Usually, the thing to do there is hike through the mountains between the 5 towns or spend some time at the beach. Unfortunately, we got there on a very rainy saturday and everything was closed. We had planned on hiking, but the trail was closed because of the weather, so instead we took a train between the towns until the rain got too bad and we just went back to our hotel. The next morning it was still rainy and cold and we were pretty disappointed. A bunch of people went back early, but some of us decided to stay and stick it out. Luckily, about an hour later everything cleared up and it was the most beautiful sunny, clear day.
Three of us plus our adviser, Chiara, decided to hike. We couldn't go on the trail between the towns, but there was another, less traveled, one that went further north to another town. It was an intense hike--we went straight up for probably 30-45 minutes or more and finally we reached the top of the mountain!
Then we still had to hike around the mountain for about 2 more hours until we reached the town. It was the most beautiful hike, and definitely the highlight of my entire trip. There were waterfalls, flowers, and amazing views of the incredibly blue Mediterranean. As we got closer to the next town there were some mountain homes with olive groves, fruit trees, and gardens. Unfortunately, I hadn't thought to charge my camera before we left and my battery died along the way, so i have limited pictures to show, but luckily for me, i think these mental pictures will stick with me forever. It was incredible.
Two and a half hours and (we think) 4.5 miles later, we arrived, and immediately took the 2 minute train ride back. The rest of our group that had stayed spent the day on the beach, and was waited for us to go kayaking! The other two girls who went hiking decided not to come, but Chiara and I joined the group for an hour of ocean kayaking before jumping on the train back to Florence.
It was a perfect day, and an amazing way to spend my last free weekend in Italy.
There's a few pictures I'd like to attach, but i'm low on internet time, so i may go back and insert them later. for now, sorry, but you'll have to use your imagination.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Yep-- we dyed my hair. Yep-- it looks pretty much the same. We underestimated how dark my hair already was, so you would only notice in the light and if you already knew we had dyed it. There is a tint of red now, whereas before i had natural blonde highlights.
Special thanks to my wonderful roommate Chloe for doing the dirty work, Natalie the photographer, Kellie the timer, and Jessica the moral-supporter/backup photographer. It was fun!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
This Friday I contemplated going to Assisi, but instead decided I wanted to spend the day in Florence. After wandering around in the market a little bit,
I decided to go to the Borgello Museum. On the way, though, i came across a guy reciting Dante's Inferno in a small square outside what used to be Dante's house.
The Borgello Museum has some famous works, including Donatello's Davids, but not very many other well known pieces. Still, it was interesting. Unfortunately, you can't take photos inside.
From there I went to the Palazzo Pitti, or Pitti Palace. If you know anything about Florence's crazy history, this is where the Medici family lived for awhile. This was one of the places we tried to go to last time we were here, but got there too late in the day, so we could only snap photos of its massive exterior and peek in at the garden. It was pretty cool to see because it's a palace turned into a museum, so it's HUGE and FILLED with paintings. It was a bit overwhelming, to be honest. They did have a costume gallery that was really neat, but the highlight was.... their special Caravaggio exhibit!! Caravaggio is one of my FAVORITE painters, and last time we were in Rome my mom and I took a Caravaggio tour around the city. Well, right now in Florence there is a special Caravaggio/ Caravaggiste (painters in the style of Caravaggio) exhibit split between the Pitti Palace and the Uffizi. It was amazing! Again, I unfortunately couldn't take any pictures inside the palace, but i did get a shot of the palace garden, the Boboli Gardens, from the window.
I intended to go there after my palace tour, but was way too exhausted!
Saturday I was a bit more adventurous and took a day trip to Sienna! According to my guide book, if you're in Florence and going to take one day trip outside the city, go to Sienna. And now I know why.
I bought a combo ticket package that got me into 6 different places for only 5 euro!!! (gotta love student discounts). I started in the city center with the largest secular tower in italy.
Then I found the Duomo of Sienna.
The inside is pretty sizable, and there's a few chapels inside, including one dedicated to St. John the Baptist. The floor was decorated with mosaics and on one of the walls was a statue designed by Michelangelo'
Mosaic with Romulus and Remus nursing from the wolf. This is all over Rome because Romulus mythically founded Rome, but it's also all over Sienna because allegedly Remus's son Sieno founded Sienna.
Michelangelo's Moses statue
The dome!
After the Duomo, i used my combo ticket at the Duomo Museum, where you can climb to the top and look out over the city. It was incredible! I am in love with Tuscany now.
The city was a jumble of terracotta roofs, and the horizon was lined with mountains, purple from the atmosphere. And in between were the most beautiful rolling green hills. I stayed up there for probably 45 minutes, and i only came down then because i was getting hungry.
I finished up my day with the Crypt under the Duomo (which had historic frescoes and relics that had been inserted more recently to make it more of an attraction) and the Baptistry before I made one last stop....
This is the church where St. Catherine of Sienna had her visions. Again, i couldn't take pictures, but her head is inside as a reliquary! (weird, right?)
Sunday my roommates and I had planned a nice, American, Sunday breakfast at a cafe not too far from our apartment that advertises breakfast. We were so excited! In Italy breakfast isn't really a big thing. We don't have a toaster (so no toast), and the only cereals we can find are cornflakes or granola--both of which i like, but still, i was ready for this feast we had planned. Unfortunately, as we were walking we began to realize that NOTHING was open--including our cafe! I think we're all getting a little homesick, even though we are still having plenty of good times here.
Monday I actually had an assignment to watch the Italian soccer game in a place with Italians! My friend Derick just finished a study abroad at Oxford and is backpacking around Europe now, and on Monday he stopped in Florence, so Derick, Laura, and I went to watch the game on a giant screen set up near the Arno river. It was overwhelming! There were SO many people there! But despite the massive crowd, people were sitting neatly in rows on the ground, shouting in unison at the players (or the TV when it momentarily cut out... that was scary). It was chaotic, but considering the number of people and the lack of any sort of authority or crowd control, it was not nearly as rumoroso as it should have been. Italy tied, so people were a bit disappointed, but mostly they've been saying "i don't want to talk about it." I'm just glad they didn't lose, because i don't think i want to be around for that.
Sorry my posts are so lengthy and include so many days! It's hard for me to get online regularly since I don't have internet at my apartment. However, I went back to that cafe today and had a bagel, and am making use of their free wifi, something that's not easy to find in Italy. I like this place. I think I'll be back more often...
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| From Drop Box |
I decided to go to the Borgello Museum. On the way, though, i came across a guy reciting Dante's Inferno in a small square outside what used to be Dante's house.
The Borgello Museum has some famous works, including Donatello's Davids, but not very many other well known pieces. Still, it was interesting. Unfortunately, you can't take photos inside.
From there I went to the Palazzo Pitti, or Pitti Palace. If you know anything about Florence's crazy history, this is where the Medici family lived for awhile. This was one of the places we tried to go to last time we were here, but got there too late in the day, so we could only snap photos of its massive exterior and peek in at the garden. It was pretty cool to see because it's a palace turned into a museum, so it's HUGE and FILLED with paintings. It was a bit overwhelming, to be honest. They did have a costume gallery that was really neat, but the highlight was.... their special Caravaggio exhibit!! Caravaggio is one of my FAVORITE painters, and last time we were in Rome my mom and I took a Caravaggio tour around the city. Well, right now in Florence there is a special Caravaggio/ Caravaggiste (painters in the style of Caravaggio) exhibit split between the Pitti Palace and the Uffizi. It was amazing! Again, I unfortunately couldn't take any pictures inside the palace, but i did get a shot of the palace garden, the Boboli Gardens, from the window.
I intended to go there after my palace tour, but was way too exhausted!
Saturday I was a bit more adventurous and took a day trip to Sienna! According to my guide book, if you're in Florence and going to take one day trip outside the city, go to Sienna. And now I know why.
I bought a combo ticket package that got me into 6 different places for only 5 euro!!! (gotta love student discounts). I started in the city center with the largest secular tower in italy.
Then I found the Duomo of Sienna.
The inside is pretty sizable, and there's a few chapels inside, including one dedicated to St. John the Baptist. The floor was decorated with mosaics and on one of the walls was a statue designed by Michelangelo'
Mosaic with Romulus and Remus nursing from the wolf. This is all over Rome because Romulus mythically founded Rome, but it's also all over Sienna because allegedly Remus's son Sieno founded Sienna.
Michelangelo's Moses statue
The dome!
After the Duomo, i used my combo ticket at the Duomo Museum, where you can climb to the top and look out over the city. It was incredible! I am in love with Tuscany now.
The city was a jumble of terracotta roofs, and the horizon was lined with mountains, purple from the atmosphere. And in between were the most beautiful rolling green hills. I stayed up there for probably 45 minutes, and i only came down then because i was getting hungry.
I finished up my day with the Crypt under the Duomo (which had historic frescoes and relics that had been inserted more recently to make it more of an attraction) and the Baptistry before I made one last stop....
This is the church where St. Catherine of Sienna had her visions. Again, i couldn't take pictures, but her head is inside as a reliquary! (weird, right?)
Sunday my roommates and I had planned a nice, American, Sunday breakfast at a cafe not too far from our apartment that advertises breakfast. We were so excited! In Italy breakfast isn't really a big thing. We don't have a toaster (so no toast), and the only cereals we can find are cornflakes or granola--both of which i like, but still, i was ready for this feast we had planned. Unfortunately, as we were walking we began to realize that NOTHING was open--including our cafe! I think we're all getting a little homesick, even though we are still having plenty of good times here.
Monday I actually had an assignment to watch the Italian soccer game in a place with Italians! My friend Derick just finished a study abroad at Oxford and is backpacking around Europe now, and on Monday he stopped in Florence, so Derick, Laura, and I went to watch the game on a giant screen set up near the Arno river. It was overwhelming! There were SO many people there! But despite the massive crowd, people were sitting neatly in rows on the ground, shouting in unison at the players (or the TV when it momentarily cut out... that was scary). It was chaotic, but considering the number of people and the lack of any sort of authority or crowd control, it was not nearly as rumoroso as it should have been. Italy tied, so people were a bit disappointed, but mostly they've been saying "i don't want to talk about it." I'm just glad they didn't lose, because i don't think i want to be around for that.
Sorry my posts are so lengthy and include so many days! It's hard for me to get online regularly since I don't have internet at my apartment. However, I went back to that cafe today and had a bagel, and am making use of their free wifi, something that's not easy to find in Italy. I like this place. I think I'll be back more often...
Thursday, June 10, 2010
So this one is a bit late, but i wanted to make sure i did justice to... Rome!
Saturday morning we had to meet at the train station at 6:30 am! Early, but necessary since the train ride is about 2 hours. We dropped our overnight bags at our hotel in Rome, then headed out immediately for our tour of the Vatican. Last time I went to Italy the Vatican was my absolute favorite stop (closely followed by Florence :) ), but this time our guide was terrible! We had trouble with the radios they give you, the guide had a really bad accent, and he didn't speak very clearly. And even when I did understand what he was saying, the information was not very interesting. I was really disappointed because there is so much history, and the stories behind the art and artists are incredible! Luckily, another girl and I are really into art history and we shared some good stories with the rest of our group. Also, the tour felt rushed, and we skipped some of the most interesting places like the Stanza della Segnatura! I didn't get many good pictures inside (it's very dark, and you can't stand still very long), but here's a few highlights.
Courtyard with lots of antique art and this one modern piece in the center. I think it's the only piece of modern art in the Vatican? It's supposed to symbolize the whole world, i believe. I wouldn't know though because our tour guide didn't talk about it.
A little cut off, but you get the idea. lots of statues.
Pope Leo XIII?
Frescoed ceilings!
Florence in the room of the maps!
Hall of tapestries
Look at that crowd!
Inside St. Peter's... Michelangelo's Pieta! Did you know this was the only work he signed?
Ok, this is kind of creepy, but this is the actual body of Pope John XXIII, whose body never decayed! It's considered a miracle and a mystery.
The front of St. Peter's Basilica!
Me at the vatican! Unfortunately, nobody is able to take pictures with my camera, so the only pictures of me are typically out of focus or dark. This one isn't too bad.
Unfortunately, Saturday I was also not feeling so well, so after our tour of the vatican, i spent our free afternoon in the hotel. As I e-mailed my mom while I was sick... good thing i didn't really like Rome anyways!
I did, however, make it to our free dinner
Chloe and Natalie, two girls who live with me
Me and my roommate Chloe!
Sunday I was feeling a little better, and got up early for mass at Santa Maria degli Angeli, apparently the go-to church in Rome before the Vatican. That afternoon we toured the Colosseum and Roman Forum... unfortunately with the same tour guide from Saturday!
Alexa, Maria, Natalie, Chloe, Jessica, and Melanie preparing for our Colosseum tour
Me with the Colosseum!
Sitting on a Corinthian capital in the Colosseum. It was funny, there were giant column pieces lying around everywhere randomly, like it's no big deal.
The middle area. I wish I knew more about this, but I have no idea what our tour guide was saying.
Natalie and me in the colosseum. There's a whole series of pictures like this with different groups in this same pose. Unfortunately, while we were snapping photos, our tour guide left us! We thought he was just around the corner, and left moments later while we finished up, but then we couldn't find him! We had hardly been in the Colosseum long and didn't even go to any other levels, but we finally figured out he had left, and since we were next to the exit he made a quick escape and we lost him. Even though we (about 10 of us... out of a group of almost 30) had our earpieces in still, he wasn't saying where he was, where to go, etc. Then again, we couldn't really understand him.
Finally, we reconnected with him and the rest of our group (only about 8 had stuck with him. the rest caught up after us or turned in their radios and left). Nobody was really happy at this point, but we still had a tour of the Roman Forum left!
I took some Glamor shots while we waited for the group to reconnect.
We finally started walking!
Our guide said something about the green door here... I wish I knew what it was...
Daniel and Kelly resting in the shade. They actually are with GSE's 3 month program at the University of Florence (I'm at Lorenzo de Medici) and just had their finals this week! They're leaving tomorrow and we will miss them!
This used to be somebody's garden
This place used to be thriving!
Our bored group
Our really bored group
What I did since I was too bored to listen
Finally our tour was over! A group of us had lunch, then began our own casual tour of the city.
This building is dedicated to everyone who's served in the Italian military i think? It's actually really impressive in person.
Alexa has an elephant tattoo on her ankle (which we tried to include in the picture also, but that just didn't work), so it was only appropriate that she got a picture with the elephant statue.
Alexa, Natalie, and Maria on the way to the Pantheon!
Welcome to the pantheon! Unfortunately, they were don't restoration on the outside, so it looked like a construction sight...
Athena, the goddess the temple was originally dedicated to. My art history knowledge was handy here too, and our group named me the tour guide.
Mary, who the temple is now dedicated to.
Next stop.... Trevi fountain!
Me throwing a coin in and making a wish!
The rest of the afternoon we spent very casually wandering into shops, eating gelato, and taking our time. Luckily, everyone in the group was on the same page and wanted no agenda. Actually, our agenda was simple: pantheon, trevi fountain, and anything in between. We had 5 hours. It was a perfect day though, and we all had a lot of fun. I like Rome much better now.
We still had some time to kill after we had wandered back to our meeting point, so we stopped at a cafe for some drinks.
And then our weekend in Rome was over! We took the train back, and life resumed in Florence.
Saturday morning we had to meet at the train station at 6:30 am! Early, but necessary since the train ride is about 2 hours. We dropped our overnight bags at our hotel in Rome, then headed out immediately for our tour of the Vatican. Last time I went to Italy the Vatican was my absolute favorite stop (closely followed by Florence :) ), but this time our guide was terrible! We had trouble with the radios they give you, the guide had a really bad accent, and he didn't speak very clearly. And even when I did understand what he was saying, the information was not very interesting. I was really disappointed because there is so much history, and the stories behind the art and artists are incredible! Luckily, another girl and I are really into art history and we shared some good stories with the rest of our group. Also, the tour felt rushed, and we skipped some of the most interesting places like the Stanza della Segnatura! I didn't get many good pictures inside (it's very dark, and you can't stand still very long), but here's a few highlights.
 |
| From Days 10-12 |
Courtyard with lots of antique art and this one modern piece in the center. I think it's the only piece of modern art in the Vatican? It's supposed to symbolize the whole world, i believe. I wouldn't know though because our tour guide didn't talk about it.
 |
| From Days 10-12 |
A little cut off, but you get the idea. lots of statues.
 |
| From Days 10-12 |
Pope Leo XIII?
 |
| From Days 10-12 |
Frescoed ceilings!
 |
| From Days 10-12 |
Florence in the room of the maps!
Hall of tapestries
Look at that crowd!
Inside St. Peter's... Michelangelo's Pieta! Did you know this was the only work he signed?
Ok, this is kind of creepy, but this is the actual body of Pope John XXIII, whose body never decayed! It's considered a miracle and a mystery.
The front of St. Peter's Basilica!
Me at the vatican! Unfortunately, nobody is able to take pictures with my camera, so the only pictures of me are typically out of focus or dark. This one isn't too bad.
Unfortunately, Saturday I was also not feeling so well, so after our tour of the vatican, i spent our free afternoon in the hotel. As I e-mailed my mom while I was sick... good thing i didn't really like Rome anyways!
I did, however, make it to our free dinner
Chloe and Natalie, two girls who live with me
Me and my roommate Chloe!
Sunday I was feeling a little better, and got up early for mass at Santa Maria degli Angeli, apparently the go-to church in Rome before the Vatican. That afternoon we toured the Colosseum and Roman Forum... unfortunately with the same tour guide from Saturday!
Alexa, Maria, Natalie, Chloe, Jessica, and Melanie preparing for our Colosseum tour
Me with the Colosseum!
Sitting on a Corinthian capital in the Colosseum. It was funny, there were giant column pieces lying around everywhere randomly, like it's no big deal.
The middle area. I wish I knew more about this, but I have no idea what our tour guide was saying.
Natalie and me in the colosseum. There's a whole series of pictures like this with different groups in this same pose. Unfortunately, while we were snapping photos, our tour guide left us! We thought he was just around the corner, and left moments later while we finished up, but then we couldn't find him! We had hardly been in the Colosseum long and didn't even go to any other levels, but we finally figured out he had left, and since we were next to the exit he made a quick escape and we lost him. Even though we (about 10 of us... out of a group of almost 30) had our earpieces in still, he wasn't saying where he was, where to go, etc. Then again, we couldn't really understand him.
Finally, we reconnected with him and the rest of our group (only about 8 had stuck with him. the rest caught up after us or turned in their radios and left). Nobody was really happy at this point, but we still had a tour of the Roman Forum left!
I took some Glamor shots while we waited for the group to reconnect.
We finally started walking!
Our guide said something about the green door here... I wish I knew what it was...
Daniel and Kelly resting in the shade. They actually are with GSE's 3 month program at the University of Florence (I'm at Lorenzo de Medici) and just had their finals this week! They're leaving tomorrow and we will miss them!
This used to be somebody's garden
This place used to be thriving!
Our bored group
Our really bored group
What I did since I was too bored to listen
Finally our tour was over! A group of us had lunch, then began our own casual tour of the city.
This building is dedicated to everyone who's served in the Italian military i think? It's actually really impressive in person.
Alexa has an elephant tattoo on her ankle (which we tried to include in the picture also, but that just didn't work), so it was only appropriate that she got a picture with the elephant statue.
Alexa, Natalie, and Maria on the way to the Pantheon!
Welcome to the pantheon! Unfortunately, they were don't restoration on the outside, so it looked like a construction sight...
Athena, the goddess the temple was originally dedicated to. My art history knowledge was handy here too, and our group named me the tour guide.
Mary, who the temple is now dedicated to.
Next stop.... Trevi fountain!
Me throwing a coin in and making a wish!
The rest of the afternoon we spent very casually wandering into shops, eating gelato, and taking our time. Luckily, everyone in the group was on the same page and wanted no agenda. Actually, our agenda was simple: pantheon, trevi fountain, and anything in between. We had 5 hours. It was a perfect day though, and we all had a lot of fun. I like Rome much better now.
We still had some time to kill after we had wandered back to our meeting point, so we stopped at a cafe for some drinks.
And then our weekend in Rome was over! We took the train back, and life resumed in Florence.
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