Photo Update

I've been a bit busy this week, school is starting to get real. I have spent a lot of time drawing statues and studying italian, which is great! But I got a bit behind on photos, so I'm gonna keep it brief and just say that I went back to Cinque Terre, it is just as beautiful the second time around. I also went to Elba Island, look it up, it is epic. We did however get stuck there due to the train strike, it was an adventure to say the least, and I didn't miss class though which is good. 

So here are my photos for the past 8 days:

Accordion street performer
13.9.2011

Marble Church
14.9.2011

John and His Banjo
15.9.2011

Cinque Terre, round two
16.9.2011

Turquoise Door
17.9.2011

Hammock over the water at Elba Island
(Photo cred: Jen Baran)
18.9.2011

Beautiful things can be found in churches if you look up
19.9.2011

Hercules Defeating the Centaur at Piazza di Signorina
20.9.2011

Getting out of Florence

One huge reason I came to europe this quarter is to explore, and more than just the city of Florence, its a neat city, but it is loud. My apartment is street-side, and it can get a bit overwhelming sometimes. However, it isn't hard to get out of the city center for a few days, or even just a few hours. There is a nice walk up a fairly steep hill to get to La Piazza di Michelangelo. At the top of the hill is a bronze statue of the David, and a phenomenal view of the city. Just a 5 minute walk from this piazza is a church that is really right on top of the hill, it is quiet and cool. The carvings and frescoes are beautiful, and there was even a mosaic with gold leaf covering a half dome over the alter area. I went by myself and had some peaceful quiet and an escape from the heat for a few hours.

The bronze David at the top of the hill
8.9.2011

There is also a really awesome carousel at the Piazza Republica, and before gelato one night we went to ride it, then stumbled upon a street performer with a whole show just right there on one of the side streets. After our carousel adventures and stopping to watch the performance, we ate gelato from Grom, which is supposed to be just the best, I had some delicious fig gelato!

The carousel at Piazza Republica
9.9.2011

This weekend we had a planned excursion with the program I am here with (API) and we went out to Pisa and Cinque Terre, with a stop in the coast town of Viarreggio. This was so cool, I had been wanting to go to the ocean since I got here. It is weird moving to a place where there isn't a body of water readily available. Pisa is a beautiful town, and believe it or not it has more in it than the leaning tower! we toured around and took pictures holding up the tower - and kicking it down. We got kicked off the grass by the police...oops! We didn't have enough time to climb it, but we are going back in a couple of weeks to climb it! 

All of the buildings in the square with the tower are gorgeous, and very ornate, I chose to not show a picture of the tower for my photo for this day, because everyone has seen one, and I think that a lot of people skim over the beautiful carvings on the cathedral.

Incredible carvings on the Cathedral in Pisa
10.9.2011

The next day we were off to Cinque Terre. Once we got to the coast we had a short tour in Porto Venere (not one of the 5 towns), then we took a boat to Manarola (2 of 5), ate some pesto, after all it was invented there, and hiked up and over the hill to Corniglia (3 of 5), the hike was long and ALL up a very steep hill, but it was straight up EPIC. We were hiking through terraced vineyards, admittedly stealing a few sweet grapes along the way. 

The views of the oceans and the town were breathtaking, and the people I was hiking with were just as excited as I was, which made the whole trip that much more fun! Once in Corniglia which is the only town not directly on the water, we hopped a 5 min train to Vernazza (4 of 5). The waters there are crystal blue and so warm. we found a place to cliff jump (about as high as top, for the Laurelhurst ppl, maybe a little higher.) After a little convincing, almost everyone I was with jumped. It was a perfect day.

A  vineyard on the hills of Cinque Terre
11.9.2011

Class had to start again at some point... but when my friend McKenzie and I got lost looking for good gelato we stumbled upon the most amazing gelateria, I don't know what its called, but it is better than Grom, and without the line out the door. It's our secret gelateria.

Gelato from the secret spot
12.9.2011

The blunders of a language barrier

Really, my English is getting worse, and my Italian isn't getting much better - yet. My skills in my native tongue have an inverse relationship with the amount of crappy English I hear with a thick Italian accent - which is a lot. The grammar structure is so different, that I keep getting things mixed up in my head when I go to write notes in class. I end up getting the point across, but I am kicking myself every time I write a bad sentence, which is often.

The upside? when you speak English with Italian structure and pretend you are living inside a Super Mario Bros video game, everyone understands what you are trying to say! and speaking with wild hand gestures is so common that it feels like a joke, but they're not kidding.

I've been cooking a lot, some of the experiments are absolute winners, others....well let's say they're not gonna make it into the recipe book.

With this one, the sauce is a winner, but my gnocchi execution was lacking.
2.9.2011

I haven't been out of town yet, we have had copious amounts of orientations, and I've been trying to get acquainted with Florence and figure out my way around before I take off. I don't know every street, but I can find my way most places without getting lost. I have learned to not rely on streets being the same name the whole way, or them being in any logical order.

Graffiti on a shop door at lunch at Piccadilly on a small street.
3.9.2011

It has been so hot and muggy out that we have begun to describe the general stench of the city as, cigarette smoke, sewer, and sweat. So when it rained a torrential downpour for about 10 minutes, I played in the rain  until I was soaked head to toe.

Sweet, Warm Rain
4.9.2011
Photo Cred. Julia Londo (editing by me)

At the markets, every package is in Italian, so I have a hard time picking the correct thing out sometimes, it hasn't turned into a fiasco yet, but I did accidentally purchase some soy gelato, it's not horrible.

Soy gelato with nectarine, basil and a balsamic reduction.
5.9.2011

After getting home from class at 8:30pm,  I ran into a couple friends heading out to a soccer game, I had to tag along, it was Italia vs Slovenia for 11 euro, sweet! After we chanced upon a bus that would take us to the stadium and followed a couple of guys in jerseys, we were in line to get tickets. One hour later - we were still in line, with the first half played out, we finally got to the front, and tickets were 33 euro. Not worth it. So we snagged a beer at a local cafe and watched Italia beat Slovenia 1-0.

The ticket stand with all of the ticket-lacking hopefuls.
6.9.2011

The lantern Festivals happens once a year, on 7 sept. we went out at night looking to find a procession of lanterns, we had missed it at the Duomo, but chanced upon a few straggling children with lanterns and followed them to the crowd, it was beautiful. Lots of little kids with lanterns, and more little kids with pellet blow-guns trying to put holes in the lanterns or set them on fire. There was a whole fair type set-up in the piazza where all of the lanterns gathered to listen to music and eat candied nuts. Which were delicious!

The lantern procession a few blocks from my apartment.
7.9.2011

Sorry, that was a long one... I'll try to update more often, ciao!

Via San Gallo 33

I have made it! After a very long couple of days of traveling I am finally in Florence. Customs were the easiest I've ever experienced, they didn't even check my passport when I got to the Florence airport, weird. Regardless I have conquered the drowsy monster that is jet lag and I am moved in to my apartment, Via San Gallo 33. For the first two nights we were in a beautiful hotel in the center, where I met my roommate and ate a beautiful welcome dinner on the rooftop terrace at sunset.

Il Duomo at sunset from the roof of l'hotel Baglioni
[29.8.2011]

On our second day in town we went on a walking tour of florence, very helpful for getting oriented in the city, we were shown where many of the museums are and the big landmarks in the center of town.

The Medici family palace, which has since been converted into a museum
[30.8.2011]

The next day we moved into our apartments, which are in the centro. In our apartment building there are seven API student apartments, ours is on floor 1 1/2, we have a small door halfway up the stairs that leads to an outdoor walkway that then leads to our apartment next door to an Italian woman. The building is hundreds of years old and some of the apartments have frescoed ceilings, it is beautiful. We went to a cooking class across the river and learned to make chocolate lava cakes, gnocchi, and some delizioso appetizers. Then home for an evening glass of vino with the roommates.

A three euro bottle of wine. Delicious. Nothing like 2-buck chuck.
[31.8.2011]

The door halfway up the stairs, all apartment doorknobs are in the middle of the door and don't actually turn.
[1.9.2011]

This is the start of a lovely adventure.