Just now I was telling Leah how I went to the post office, but couldn't figure out how to buy stamps. She told me to google it and I found this (it may be horrible writing but it is incredibly accurate). I don't know if it will be funny to you, but this is exactly how Italy operates and is the exact scene I witnessed today in the post office.
"If you just want a few
stamps it'll probably be easier for you to just buy them at a 'tabaccheria' and
then drop your postcards in the nearest postbox; because of the incredible
popularity of cell phones in Italy, there's not much actual posting goes on at
the Italian post office anymore. Then again, it's so inefficient, we
doubt if there ever was.
Go into any post office in
Rome and you will encounter two or three incredibly long queues - All the people
in these queues are queuing for the same thing - Not postage stamps, but in fact
something called the Conto Corrente. The Conto Corrente is the Italian version
of the Giro credit, and it is how most bills are paid in Italy. One delightful
feature of the Conto Corrente payment slip is that it's about ten minutes work to fill one in. You then queue for about
forty minutes to pay it, as there's only ever two or three clerk's windows open,
and the clerks operate at a ridiculously slow pace.
A recent sophistication
of our local post office is a client-number waiting system - You know, same as
they have at busy delicatessens these days - You go in, pull a numbered ticket
out of a machine on the wall and wait until your number is displayed above the
teller's window. This sounds like a good idea, but in practice the service is
even slower than before - All it does is accomplish the devious psychological
feat of making the customers feel as if they're gonna be attended to soon - In
fact all it does is take the immediate pressure off the clerks, so that they now
operate at an even slower pace, with no motivation to speed up. Typical Italian
solution. Eventually this service will fail, not because anyone will complain
about it, but because one day the numbering machine will break down and no one
will ever make the effort to come out and fix it - So they'll go back to the old
system of long, slow, angry queues while forty-thousand dollars of taxpayer's
money tied up in the failed numbering hardware will sit rotting in a dusty
corner of the post office.
If you do attempt to buy postage stamps in the
post office, you'd better buy plenty while you're there. That's if you ever
figure out which queue to get in - I never do because nothing's ever sign-posted
properly. We don't advise you to post anything of value in Italy actually - it's
unlikely to reach its destination intact, if at all, even inland, let alone
international post."
lunedì 27 febbraio 2012
domenica 26 febbraio 2012
Ho trovato tutti gli italiani con barbe!
As the title says, I found where all the beardy men hang out! Which you don't see too often in Roma. Last night Leah and I trekked to Circolo degli Artisti to see the band blouse. It took us two buses and 45ish minutes to get there and it was SO WORTH IT.
We found it pretty quickly, and although we thought it was going to be in a sketchy area it wasn't bad. We got in for free because it was before 20:20, otherwise it's 5 euros, which isn't bad. It is so beautiful! There are a bunch of gardens with trellises and vives! And a bunch of tables. There is a bar in each garden area. I really can't wait to go there when it gets warmer. It will be an awesome place to just go and chill for the evening/night. We scooted to the bar to buy a beer between all the guys watching the soccer game that was being projected on a screen. I don't even think AS Roma or Lazio was playing... They sure do love their soccer here. Then Leah and I went into the venue area which was smaller than I was expecting, so I was happy about that.
The first band was an italian post-punk band, who I actually got kind of into! It was fun and everyone knew the words to the songs. Then Blouse came on and they were adorable. After the show, the place turned into a club. In between Blouse ending and the DJ starting they played good music! Like neon indian, m83, and beck! Then the DJ started and it got pretty packed. We left around 1:15 so we could get some sleep and it only took us an hour to get home, which was nice. All of my past experiences with the night buses have been negative.
This morning we slept in and then went to meet Mel to say bye. Then Leah and I went to Castroni, an international grocery store. I got pb! and refried beans! And brown rice! I am so pumped about it. Leah found some great boots. I have yet to make any big purchases.
This weekend has been awesome. The apartment has been quiet and clean and the weather is beautiful! Hopefully I'll finish my homework and will go shopping tomorrow morning! It's supposed to be 65 on Wednesday!
Buona giornata!
We found it pretty quickly, and although we thought it was going to be in a sketchy area it wasn't bad. We got in for free because it was before 20:20, otherwise it's 5 euros, which isn't bad. It is so beautiful! There are a bunch of gardens with trellises and vives! And a bunch of tables. There is a bar in each garden area. I really can't wait to go there when it gets warmer. It will be an awesome place to just go and chill for the evening/night. We scooted to the bar to buy a beer between all the guys watching the soccer game that was being projected on a screen. I don't even think AS Roma or Lazio was playing... They sure do love their soccer here. Then Leah and I went into the venue area which was smaller than I was expecting, so I was happy about that.
The first band was an italian post-punk band, who I actually got kind of into! It was fun and everyone knew the words to the songs. Then Blouse came on and they were adorable. After the show, the place turned into a club. In between Blouse ending and the DJ starting they played good music! Like neon indian, m83, and beck! Then the DJ started and it got pretty packed. We left around 1:15 so we could get some sleep and it only took us an hour to get home, which was nice. All of my past experiences with the night buses have been negative.
This morning we slept in and then went to meet Mel to say bye. Then Leah and I went to Castroni, an international grocery store. I got pb! and refried beans! And brown rice! I am so pumped about it. Leah found some great boots. I have yet to make any big purchases.
This weekend has been awesome. The apartment has been quiet and clean and the weather is beautiful! Hopefully I'll finish my homework and will go shopping tomorrow morning! It's supposed to be 65 on Wednesday!
Buona giornata!
venerdì 24 febbraio 2012
Pompeii!
Today I went on a field trip to Pompeii for my on-site architecture class. Had to wake up bright and early (6am), which I was not happy about because I ended up staying up pretty late last night... watching La Dolce Vita for my italian cinema class. Sprinted down the gianicolo hill to Piazza Trilussa where the buses were leaving from.
Pompeii was gorgeous! Let me start by setting the scene: sunny, not a cloud in the sky, a slight breeze, upper sixties, birds chirping, and the smell of freshly cut grass. Yup. Pretty much perfect. My professor is amazing. I cannot get over how much information he knows. I really don't understand how one person can accumulate all the dates and people and names of buildings and recall it at a moment's notice! In my state of panic about being late and missing the bus I forgot my camera, but I will be back in Pompeii later in the semester so I will hopefully post pictures later.
We got to see the amphiteatre, shops, houses, the forum with all the temples and markets, and a huge villa. The forum was absolutely amazing because looking towards one end is an awesome view of Vesuvio and looking towards the other end is beautiful mountains! We got to see some of the plastered people. So Vesuvio erupted twice in AD 79. The first time it wasn't bad at all; nothing was really damaged, but people knew what was coming so they began to evacuate. It was the second day that really did people in. About 10% of Pompeii perished almost instantly after the eruption because of the sulfuric gas that was emitted from the volcano. And so what happened with the people was they were covered in volcanic ash which preserved them. Eventually the flesh deteriorated and what was left was bone. When archaeologists were digging and would hit caverns, they figured out they were actually corpses and would fill them with plaster. The casts are really creepy because you can see bone! And the positions they were in when they died. The houses and villas were so pretty. I love that they would all have gardens on the inside like a courtyard.
There are a bunch of adorable stray dogs. At one point we were sitting in a theatre and someone was giving a report on it. A dog just walked in. Looked at us and wagged its tail a little. Then flopped down to lay in the sun. All the dogs we saw were so friendly and non of them looked malnourished! And I just read (which would be so nice if it was true) that the guides of the ruins pool their money to buy them food. I also saw a silly stereotypical moment: there was a dog who was walking towards us and then took off. I looked towards where it was running and there was a cat! That scooted right up a tree and into safety.
For if you want to adopt a dog from Pompeii... http://www.icanidipompei.com/english/progetto_cave_canem.html
How cool would that be?!?!
After hours and hours of walking around I was ready to go home. Of course on the way home we got stuck in traffic for over an hour. But when I finally got home, I found bruschette on the table with Leah whipping up something yummy in the kitchen and Kristen making banana cupcakes. I almost rallied to go out and meet Mel who is visiting from Firenze, but then made the mistake of laying in my bed. I guess I'll just see her tomorrow.
Buona notte!
Pompeii was gorgeous! Let me start by setting the scene: sunny, not a cloud in the sky, a slight breeze, upper sixties, birds chirping, and the smell of freshly cut grass. Yup. Pretty much perfect. My professor is amazing. I cannot get over how much information he knows. I really don't understand how one person can accumulate all the dates and people and names of buildings and recall it at a moment's notice! In my state of panic about being late and missing the bus I forgot my camera, but I will be back in Pompeii later in the semester so I will hopefully post pictures later.
We got to see the amphiteatre, shops, houses, the forum with all the temples and markets, and a huge villa. The forum was absolutely amazing because looking towards one end is an awesome view of Vesuvio and looking towards the other end is beautiful mountains! We got to see some of the plastered people. So Vesuvio erupted twice in AD 79. The first time it wasn't bad at all; nothing was really damaged, but people knew what was coming so they began to evacuate. It was the second day that really did people in. About 10% of Pompeii perished almost instantly after the eruption because of the sulfuric gas that was emitted from the volcano. And so what happened with the people was they were covered in volcanic ash which preserved them. Eventually the flesh deteriorated and what was left was bone. When archaeologists were digging and would hit caverns, they figured out they were actually corpses and would fill them with plaster. The casts are really creepy because you can see bone! And the positions they were in when they died. The houses and villas were so pretty. I love that they would all have gardens on the inside like a courtyard.
There are a bunch of adorable stray dogs. At one point we were sitting in a theatre and someone was giving a report on it. A dog just walked in. Looked at us and wagged its tail a little. Then flopped down to lay in the sun. All the dogs we saw were so friendly and non of them looked malnourished! And I just read (which would be so nice if it was true) that the guides of the ruins pool their money to buy them food. I also saw a silly stereotypical moment: there was a dog who was walking towards us and then took off. I looked towards where it was running and there was a cat! That scooted right up a tree and into safety.
For if you want to adopt a dog from Pompeii... http://www.icanidipompei.com/english/progetto_cave_canem.html
How cool would that be?!?!
After hours and hours of walking around I was ready to go home. Of course on the way home we got stuck in traffic for over an hour. But when I finally got home, I found bruschette on the table with Leah whipping up something yummy in the kitchen and Kristen making banana cupcakes. I almost rallied to go out and meet Mel who is visiting from Firenze, but then made the mistake of laying in my bed. I guess I'll just see her tomorrow.
Buona notte!
mercoledì 22 febbraio 2012
A very Roman situation
I was walking home from school the other day and ran into a situation that I felt was very typical.
I live on the edge of a piazza, and there is a large parking lot in the middle. It is a square and two sides are one ways, so there is an entrance on one side and an exit on the other. A car was blocking the exit, while another car was trying to get out and the woman trying to get out was honking like crazy. As I got closer to the cars I easily realized that the car blocking the exit was empty, and I'm sure the other woman could tell, but she was still honking. And I'm talking laying her hand on the horn for 30+ second intervals. This went on for as long as it took me to get into my building and walk up four flights of stairs and into my apartment and then some.
That's Rome for ya.
I live on the edge of a piazza, and there is a large parking lot in the middle. It is a square and two sides are one ways, so there is an entrance on one side and an exit on the other. A car was blocking the exit, while another car was trying to get out and the woman trying to get out was honking like crazy. As I got closer to the cars I easily realized that the car blocking the exit was empty, and I'm sure the other woman could tell, but she was still honking. And I'm talking laying her hand on the horn for 30+ second intervals. This went on for as long as it took me to get into my building and walk up four flights of stairs and into my apartment and then some.
That's Rome for ya.
domenica 19 febbraio 2012
Firenze
Last weekend we went to Firenze with my program. It started
off a little rough. Leah, Sam, and I went out Thursday night for once. We went
to dinner at a phenomenal place called Dar Poeta. It has the best pizza. I got
a salmon pizza and Sam and Leah both got buffula, which had mozzarella, tomato,
and basil. I am definitely getting that one next time I go. Then we met up with
her friend Joe and went to a bar that she went to the other night. We got a big
pitcher that consisted of a little lime juice, some ice, and a lot of vodka (?)
for 15 euros. Leah didn’t want any so we drank it between the three of us. Then
for some reason we decided to get another. This one was the same, only with tequila. They
were kind of deadly. We used the bathroom at the bar and were on our way. We met
up with some other people who were going to a bar called Abby, but Leah, Sam,
and I went to La Maison, a club. We were there for probably 30 minutes and got
bored because there was no one there! Then we went back to Abby, and had a shot
called a Scooby snack, which was delicious and called it a night. Got about 3
hours of sleep and woke up the next morning at six to go to Florence.
Highlights include-
Friday:
We stopped at a rest stop about two hours north of Roma. As
I was coming out of the bathroom I was scanning the line looking for Leah when
I see what I think is a familiar face- was it really my XC friend Jamie? So I
basically stop, turn towards her, and we are staring at each other not saying
anything for 5-10 seconds (you may not think this is a long time, but when you
are making eye contact with someone while standing in front of them not saying
anything, it is). Then I realize it is her! And she realizes it’s me! We were
both just so baffled to see each other at this random place! It was really
funny.
We got a walking tour of Firenze! Which is not that big at
all and makes me appreciate the size of Roma even though at times it can be
extremely overwhelming.
 |
| The duomo! A picture does not do this justice |
 |
| View from the Ponte Vecchio. On this bridge there are like 689508 jewlery stores. |
Went to a chocolate festival! It was so stressful picking
something to eat because there were so many options. I ended up getting
chocolate covered strawberries and Leah got a chocolate covered banana. Then
after we ate that we got hot chocolate. IT WAS PRETTY MUCH A MELTED BAR OF
CHOCOLATE. You just can’t get stuff like that back home…
Hiked the duomo! All four hundred and something steps! There
was a gorgeous view.
 |
| You can see la basilica di Santa Croce in the background. |
Had what might be the best dinner I have had in Italy. We got
fried carciofi (artichokes) and then I got gnoochi al pesto and Leah got THE
BEST PASTA EVER- ravioli type pasta filled with cheese, maybe ricotta, and
pears in a white sauce. I am drooling just thinking about it.
Met up with my friend Mel (Jamie and Michael’s best friend
from Umass) and her friend that was visiting. We just hung out at her apartment
because she was going to Venezia the next morning.
Saturday:
Cooking lesson! We made tagliatelle from scratch (two types
of flour and egg) with a tomato-garlic sauce, an antipasto (eggplant,
mozzarella, tomato, olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano), and tiramisu! They gave
us the recipes so hopefully I can make pasta from scratch when I get back to
the states!
Leah and I went to the Boboli Gardens, which are part of the
Palazzo Pitti. The gardens were beautiful and it was nice because right when we
got there, the sun came out. We walked around the gardens for about 3 hours.
 |
| Zeus and Ganymede I know all about this thanks to my mythology class so useful, right? oh wait, not useful outside of touring gardens with greek statues... |
 |
| ZOMG NATURE |
Stop number two at the chocolate festival. Got a (cylindrical)
waffle on a stick covered in chocolate. And as we were eating, we got to see a
parade of drums, trumpets, and flag wavers go by signifying the start of
Carnivale!
When dinner rolled around we had scoped out a place we
wanted to go. Somehow our dinner came out to be about 20 euros cheaper than it
should have been. We were surprised about the price when we got the check and
then added it up later and were like hmmmm. But anyway, I got a caprese salad,
then ribollita soup, which is a Florentine specialty. It is a soup made from
vegetables and bread and it is boiled twice! For desert we got vin santo, which
is another Florentine specialty. You get a glass of wine and these biscotti
things and dip them into the wine. Leah and I were a little nervous because the
biscotti-wine mixture tasted kind of brandy like. After we finished the
biscotti we were nervous to drink the liquid because we didn’t know exactly
what it was. The waiter walked by and said, “Drink!” so I had a sip and it was
sweet! It was really good.
After dinner Leah and I strolled around a little and found
out the chocolate festival was still open! I got hot chocolate with amaretto.
Then after almost going to bed, we rallied and met up with
one of Mel’s roommates. We went to one bar called the old stove or something
along those lines and got a drink, then went to a bar-club hybrid called Red
Garter. There were three different rooms: one for the bar, one for dancing, and
one for karaoke. We got a booth in the bar part and met two guys from Holland.
They were really nice and they convinced us to go to a club with them; Mel was
getting home from Venezia around 1am, so we planned to meet up with her too. On
the way we stopped at “the Secret Bakery.” It was an actual bakery, in a
sketchy back ally open from 2am till 5am. What happens is, someone will open
the door and you hand them money (1 euro for a pastry) and tell them what kind
of pastry you want. They close the door and reemerge with a white paper bag
with your pastry in it. it’s funny because there is a sign that says, “Please
be quiet” and while you’re standing in line every once in a while someone will
be like “shhhhh.” It was the best pastry I have had in italy! We met up with
Mel and Norah and were on our way to the club. Meagan got a little confused, so
we ended up going in a circle. By the time we got to the club it was about 2am,
so since Leah and I had to wake up at 8 the next morning we just decided to
head home.
Sunday:
Went to Pisa, but didn’t really care too much about it. It
was cold and rainy and I just wanted to be back in Roma. We went in the duomo
and baptistery and then headed to a pizzeria for lunch. Had a really good
margherita pizza, which had a thicker crust; Roman pizza usually has a thinner
crust. And we got some house wine. Two pizzas, a half liter of wine, small
bottle of water, and espresso for both of us cost 20 euros total.
All in all it was a splendid weekend. My only issue with the
whole weekend was I DIDN’T BUY ANYTHING. We went shopping every day we were
there and I was so ready to spend money, but nothing ended up catching my eye!
Oh well, so I decided maybe I’ll just go shopping tomorrow morning. Ciao!
mercoledì 15 febbraio 2012
Some funny Roman things
Today some silly things happened. I don't want to give too much away, since some people will be receiving them. I have been meaning to buy postcards since I've gotten here, but always put it off. Today I had some time to kill before meeting Leah and Sam for lunch and I stopped by a store that has a billion postcard displays outside the store. I started to walk away when I saw they were forty cents each, but then I saw a bunch of postcards with CATS. They are so funny; I laugh just thinking about them. They all have normal touristy Roman sites, with cats (I'm assuming) photoshopped in! I want to keep them all for myself, but I guess I'll send them to some special cat-loving people.
Also, last week Leah and I were walking down via del corso, a main street in Rome, when a big chunk of plaster? concrete? falls from the top of a building and smashes on the concrete. Luckily no one was under it. That would hurt big time. Two days ago, there were a bunch of areas of sidewalk partitioned off. But I could not figure out why. Today, they put up scaffolding and I figured out (after walking over the sidewalk and crunching on building) that parts of the building are crumbling! I wouldn't put it past them to just leave the scaffolding there and forget about it. That would be the Roman way. It seems like occurances like this are normal here?
Last, but not least today I had the most expensive and best orange juice of my life. On the way to lunch I walked by cafe arancia (or something like that) in Piazza della Santa Maria in Trastevere which was PACKED with everyone sitting with huge goblets of some orange liquid people watching in the sun. My mouth literally dropped open. At lunch I told Leah and Sam about the glorious looking orange liquid. Sam proposed we go, so we did! Povera Leah though, she had class. We got our orange juice and were so happy! Pretty sure the juice was from blood oranges. Then we started contemplating how much it was going to cost, which we hadn't even thought about. We were both thinking 4-6 euros. It ended up being 7.50! Which is almost $10! BUT IT WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY. I am definitely going back. Maybe not every week, but it is that good.
This is a pic from google, but doesn't it look delicious?!?!?!
Also, last week Leah and I were walking down via del corso, a main street in Rome, when a big chunk of plaster? concrete? falls from the top of a building and smashes on the concrete. Luckily no one was under it. That would hurt big time. Two days ago, there were a bunch of areas of sidewalk partitioned off. But I could not figure out why. Today, they put up scaffolding and I figured out (after walking over the sidewalk and crunching on building) that parts of the building are crumbling! I wouldn't put it past them to just leave the scaffolding there and forget about it. That would be the Roman way. It seems like occurances like this are normal here?
Last, but not least today I had the most expensive and best orange juice of my life. On the way to lunch I walked by cafe arancia (or something like that) in Piazza della Santa Maria in Trastevere which was PACKED with everyone sitting with huge goblets of some orange liquid people watching in the sun. My mouth literally dropped open. At lunch I told Leah and Sam about the glorious looking orange liquid. Sam proposed we go, so we did! Povera Leah though, she had class. We got our orange juice and were so happy! Pretty sure the juice was from blood oranges. Then we started contemplating how much it was going to cost, which we hadn't even thought about. We were both thinking 4-6 euros. It ended up being 7.50! Which is almost $10! BUT IT WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY. I am definitely going back. Maybe not every week, but it is that good.
This is a pic from google, but doesn't it look delicious?!?!?!
lunedì 13 febbraio 2012
Curse you, Siberian Winds
Last Friday Leah and I woke up bright and early at 5am so we could go to Bordeaux, France! To get to the airport we had to take two buses to get to termini, the train sation, and then catch another bus from there. We got to Termini fine, but in perfect italian fashion, the bus that was supposed to come at 7, didn't end up coming until 7:30. Which made us a little nervous, since we had never been to Ciampino airport and didn't know how busy it was going to be. Everything ended up fine.
We got into Bordeaux at about noon. Once in town, we got lunch. Baguette sanwiches! They were delicious. The bread basically melted in your mouth. We did some window shopping and went on a quest to find a hotel. The one we ended up finding was pretty close to the city center, and 24 euros a night! Score. The room wasn't too pretty, but the bed was SO COMFORTABLE. Actually, the most comfortable I have slept in since I've been home. We then went back out and walked around more. It was pretty easy to get our bearings. We found a chocolate store, which was AMAZING. I ended up spending about 25 euros on chocolate and macaroons for the weekend. We went to the store everyday and bought more...
Found a cute little place on a restaurant filled street and went with the tourist menu, which was nice since we have never had French food before and were on a budget. I got a goat cheese salad with honey, then salmon, which came with rice and a quiche, then got an apple tart for desert. We ordered a Bordeaux red wine, and they served us a glass of rose which was sweet and REALLY good. My dad would have loved it, since he likes the "wussy" wines. We thought about going out after dinner, but were just way too tired. But on the way back we saw a movie theatre and ended up buying tickets to see Star Wars episode 1 in 3D! In french. We were a little confused about the 3D glasses because we didn't see any. When we got into the theatre everyone had them, but we still couldn't find them! Leah asked someone and he ended up giving her attitude and wasn't very helpful, so we just watched the movie without them, which was fine.
The next day we woke up a little later than planned, and headed out to find coffee. Mind you, in Italy, you can see about 5 bars from anywhere you are standing. France was a little different. It took us forever to find somewhere to get coffee! We must have been in the wrong area or something. So we got coffee, then we found somewhere to get crepes. I got an almond, honey, and lemon juice crepe. It was perfect. We did some more window shopping, but it was SO COLD. This is how I fixed my scarf to cover my ears. Looking like a freak:
I did not come to Rome prepared for cold weather; so I was of course freezing in Bordeaux. We found a contemporary art museum housed in an old warehouse and spent about 3 hours in there. Here's the view from the mezzanine.
Then we went back and napped before dinner. For dinner I ended up eating pretty much the same meal as the night before. Goat cheese salad, salmon (the second course always offers limited choices for someone who doesn't eat meat) and for desert CHEESE. I wanted an assortment of cheese all weekend, so I was very excited when I saw this on the menu. After dinner we thought about going out, but it was SO COLD so we didn't.
The next morning was even worse temperature wise. We walked by the St. Andre cathedral,but mass was happening (we're not very good at thinking about these things) on our quest round two to find coffee. Not as hard this morning.
Right after coffee we ended up getting lunch, which was HUGE omlette and salad. Hopped on a bus and went home!
Bordeaux was beautiful, but I wish it was warmer! We would have done so much more. I also wish we did a little more research and had planned to go to a wine tasting. I also wish I spoke a little french. It ended up being harder than I thought to find people who spoke english. It made me really realize how much italian I know and appreciate the fact that I can more or less understand people here!
Gotta do some homework before class! Ciao
We got into Bordeaux at about noon. Once in town, we got lunch. Baguette sanwiches! They were delicious. The bread basically melted in your mouth. We did some window shopping and went on a quest to find a hotel. The one we ended up finding was pretty close to the city center, and 24 euros a night! Score. The room wasn't too pretty, but the bed was SO COMFORTABLE. Actually, the most comfortable I have slept in since I've been home. We then went back out and walked around more. It was pretty easy to get our bearings. We found a chocolate store, which was AMAZING. I ended up spending about 25 euros on chocolate and macaroons for the weekend. We went to the store everyday and bought more...
Found a cute little place on a restaurant filled street and went with the tourist menu, which was nice since we have never had French food before and were on a budget. I got a goat cheese salad with honey, then salmon, which came with rice and a quiche, then got an apple tart for desert. We ordered a Bordeaux red wine, and they served us a glass of rose which was sweet and REALLY good. My dad would have loved it, since he likes the "wussy" wines. We thought about going out after dinner, but were just way too tired. But on the way back we saw a movie theatre and ended up buying tickets to see Star Wars episode 1 in 3D! In french. We were a little confused about the 3D glasses because we didn't see any. When we got into the theatre everyone had them, but we still couldn't find them! Leah asked someone and he ended up giving her attitude and wasn't very helpful, so we just watched the movie without them, which was fine.
The next day we woke up a little later than planned, and headed out to find coffee. Mind you, in Italy, you can see about 5 bars from anywhere you are standing. France was a little different. It took us forever to find somewhere to get coffee! We must have been in the wrong area or something. So we got coffee, then we found somewhere to get crepes. I got an almond, honey, and lemon juice crepe. It was perfect. We did some more window shopping, but it was SO COLD. This is how I fixed my scarf to cover my ears. Looking like a freak:
I did not come to Rome prepared for cold weather; so I was of course freezing in Bordeaux. We found a contemporary art museum housed in an old warehouse and spent about 3 hours in there. Here's the view from the mezzanine.
Then we went back and napped before dinner. For dinner I ended up eating pretty much the same meal as the night before. Goat cheese salad, salmon (the second course always offers limited choices for someone who doesn't eat meat) and for desert CHEESE. I wanted an assortment of cheese all weekend, so I was very excited when I saw this on the menu. After dinner we thought about going out, but it was SO COLD so we didn't.
The next morning was even worse temperature wise. We walked by the St. Andre cathedral,but mass was happening (we're not very good at thinking about these things) on our quest round two to find coffee. Not as hard this morning.
Right after coffee we ended up getting lunch, which was HUGE omlette and salad. Hopped on a bus and went home!
Bordeaux was beautiful, but I wish it was warmer! We would have done so much more. I also wish we did a little more research and had planned to go to a wine tasting. I also wish I spoke a little french. It ended up being harder than I thought to find people who spoke english. It made me really realize how much italian I know and appreciate the fact that I can more or less understand people here!
Gotta do some homework before class! Ciao
giovedì 9 febbraio 2012
Gelato, gelato, gelato
Last night I got to meet up with my friend Jamie who I ran cross country with in high school. She goes to Duquesne, and they have a campus in Rome. It was so great to see her. She showed me a gelato place that has at least 30 flavors. IT IS AMAZING. It took me like 10 minutes to decide what kind I wanted. We got gelato, and walked around, then stopped at a bar and got a few drink while we waited for Leah to meet up with us.
We went to dinner at an osteria on a side street. It was on the same level as Shiro. Pretty sure we were in someone's house; it almost made me forget I was in the center of Rome. I ordered penne all'arrabiata (big surprise) and our waiter brought over extra peperoncino- a man after my own heart, since I put it on everything I eat. Jamie and I thought about going out, but nobody else wanted to come out with us. I'm really excited to see her more.
Today I brought Leah to the gelato place and her friend Sam. Sam had already been there more than once and pointed out some great flavors and we window shopped a little bit. Sam invited us over for dinner, which we graciously accepted, but it wasn't until I got home that I figured if we went over for dinner we would be staying out until at least 10 (if not later). Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but tomorrow Leah and I are going to Bordeaux, France! And are waking up at 5am. We kind of picked it randomly by looking at where the cheapest flights go. It will be funny to go somewhere that people don't speak Italian.
Rome is supposed to be hit with some snow this weekend, so hopefully we won't have any problems getting back into the country. Ciao Italia, Bonjour France!
We went to dinner at an osteria on a side street. It was on the same level as Shiro. Pretty sure we were in someone's house; it almost made me forget I was in the center of Rome. I ordered penne all'arrabiata (big surprise) and our waiter brought over extra peperoncino- a man after my own heart, since I put it on everything I eat. Jamie and I thought about going out, but nobody else wanted to come out with us. I'm really excited to see her more.
Today I brought Leah to the gelato place and her friend Sam. Sam had already been there more than once and pointed out some great flavors and we window shopped a little bit. Sam invited us over for dinner, which we graciously accepted, but it wasn't until I got home that I figured if we went over for dinner we would be staying out until at least 10 (if not later). Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but tomorrow Leah and I are going to Bordeaux, France! And are waking up at 5am. We kind of picked it randomly by looking at where the cheapest flights go. It will be funny to go somewhere that people don't speak Italian.
Rome is supposed to be hit with some snow this weekend, so hopefully we won't have any problems getting back into the country. Ciao Italia, Bonjour France!
mercoledì 8 febbraio 2012
lunedì 6 febbraio 2012
La neve a Roma
Roma and snow don't mix. At all.
We were supposed to have a makeup day on Friday, for a day we have off later in the year. It was raining in the morning, then started snowing. Mind you, I think the last time it snowed in Roma and stuck was something like 1986. My class wasn't till 2:30 and by 2pm all afternoon classes were cancelled. Apparently, they want to have a makeup day for the makeup day, but I have no clue how they are going to do that... Leah and I spent the day at the library as usual and then waited for the bus. For about 30 minutess. Realized what we should have realized in like 3 minutes, that the bus wasn't working, and walked home. It was pretty treacherous.
Saturday Leah and I were supposed to go to Orvieto, and woke up bright and early to go to Termini. We looked out the window and found about 4 inches of snow on the ground. It was really pretty! We walked to Piazza Venezia, which is like the hub of transportation so we could get a bus to the station. It's a pretty far walk and was a little rough with the snow. Few people were out and we took some pictured. We arrived at Termini 9 minutes after our train should have departed. So, we just decided to buy a ticket for a train leaving about 2 hours later. We waited and kept checking for the track number of our train on the departures board. We started getting nervous and as Leah was watching the board about 10 minutes before our scheduled departure, the train just disappeared. Bummerrr. And I tried to refund the tickets yesterday with no such luck. Trenitalia owes me about 40 euros at this point...
We walked around and went to lunch. Got suppli, which is a fried rice ball with sauce and mozzarella. It was DELICIOUS. We also got salmon pizza. Went home and did nothing since we STILL don't have internet and there was no way that I was going anywhere.
We decided we would try to go to Orvieto the next day and planned to leave the apartment by 7:45, but woke up at 7:45 and decided it wasn't worth it. Instead we ventured out of the apartment planning to go to a museum. We got to the Capitoline museum, which I was pretty excited about, at 11:30 only to find it CLOSED. Big surprise, right? The sign right next to the barred door read: Open Sunday 8am to 9pm. Ugh. So instead we walked around more! Went all the way down Via del Corso which ended at Piazza del Popolo, an area of the city we had never been to. Did some shopping. Bought a denim button up shirt, which I have been in the market for, for a while. By this time my boots were starting to get wet. This made me very unhappy. I am on my last pair of shoes I am willing to wear out in gross weather because the other two pairs are STILL WET. Not cool. At this point, I transformed into one of the people I often make fun of: hopping around puddles and tip-toeing through snow. We eventually made it home by taking three different buses (a venture that took over an hour).
Then we were going to go to the library, but Leah texted her friend just to make sure it was open and good thing she did because she found out that the library was closed and classes were cancelled for today (monday)! This meant still no internet. And I had already finished season one of Breaking Bad. Leah called her friend Sam, and we went over to her apartment to use her internet. By the time we got home again I said I don't care about the super bowl, it is cold and I am tired. So I just watched more Breaking Bad (I downloaded some of season 2 at Sam's) and hit the hay.
Our weekend didn't turn out too bad, even though there were many setbacks. We got to see a lot of the city we hadn't seen before. Now to plan next weekend...
We were supposed to have a makeup day on Friday, for a day we have off later in the year. It was raining in the morning, then started snowing. Mind you, I think the last time it snowed in Roma and stuck was something like 1986. My class wasn't till 2:30 and by 2pm all afternoon classes were cancelled. Apparently, they want to have a makeup day for the makeup day, but I have no clue how they are going to do that... Leah and I spent the day at the library as usual and then waited for the bus. For about 30 minutess. Realized what we should have realized in like 3 minutes, that the bus wasn't working, and walked home. It was pretty treacherous.
Saturday Leah and I were supposed to go to Orvieto, and woke up bright and early to go to Termini. We looked out the window and found about 4 inches of snow on the ground. It was really pretty! We walked to Piazza Venezia, which is like the hub of transportation so we could get a bus to the station. It's a pretty far walk and was a little rough with the snow. Few people were out and we took some pictured. We arrived at Termini 9 minutes after our train should have departed. So, we just decided to buy a ticket for a train leaving about 2 hours later. We waited and kept checking for the track number of our train on the departures board. We started getting nervous and as Leah was watching the board about 10 minutes before our scheduled departure, the train just disappeared. Bummerrr. And I tried to refund the tickets yesterday with no such luck. Trenitalia owes me about 40 euros at this point...
We walked around and went to lunch. Got suppli, which is a fried rice ball with sauce and mozzarella. It was DELICIOUS. We also got salmon pizza. Went home and did nothing since we STILL don't have internet and there was no way that I was going anywhere.
We decided we would try to go to Orvieto the next day and planned to leave the apartment by 7:45, but woke up at 7:45 and decided it wasn't worth it. Instead we ventured out of the apartment planning to go to a museum. We got to the Capitoline museum, which I was pretty excited about, at 11:30 only to find it CLOSED. Big surprise, right? The sign right next to the barred door read: Open Sunday 8am to 9pm. Ugh. So instead we walked around more! Went all the way down Via del Corso which ended at Piazza del Popolo, an area of the city we had never been to. Did some shopping. Bought a denim button up shirt, which I have been in the market for, for a while. By this time my boots were starting to get wet. This made me very unhappy. I am on my last pair of shoes I am willing to wear out in gross weather because the other two pairs are STILL WET. Not cool. At this point, I transformed into one of the people I often make fun of: hopping around puddles and tip-toeing through snow. We eventually made it home by taking three different buses (a venture that took over an hour).
Then we were going to go to the library, but Leah texted her friend just to make sure it was open and good thing she did because she found out that the library was closed and classes were cancelled for today (monday)! This meant still no internet. And I had already finished season one of Breaking Bad. Leah called her friend Sam, and we went over to her apartment to use her internet. By the time we got home again I said I don't care about the super bowl, it is cold and I am tired. So I just watched more Breaking Bad (I downloaded some of season 2 at Sam's) and hit the hay.
Our weekend didn't turn out too bad, even though there were many setbacks. We got to see a lot of the city we hadn't seen before. Now to plan next weekend...
mercoledì 1 febbraio 2012
Perugia
Last weekend Leah and I zipped off to Perugia, which is about 2 hours northeast of Roma. The train ride was easy. And we got into Perugia at about 10:30. We stayed within the walls for the night. We got dropped off at a hotel, and it was weird cause we were just dropped off in this back alley with no one around.
The next day Leah and I walked around the city. It's pretty small, as most hill towns are, with pretty views and narrow cobblestone streets. Did some shopping. Leah got a great coat. Then we went to find our hostel, which was a few kilometers outside the city. We had to take the bus and while we were on it, we saw someone who looked about our wage with a hugeass backpack on. We suspected we were going to the same place so Leah asked her and she was! Good thing too, because she had printed out the directions, but I had forgotten to. She is from Canada and graduated from high school last year and is backpacking around Italy, then WOOFing on two farms in Italy and two in France ALL BY HERSELF. Pretty ballsy, eh?
So we got to the hostel, which is a cute little farm down a long dirt road. There were all sorts of animals: horses, chickens, ducks, goats, sheep, a donkey, and dogs. The dogs were adorable and I got to play with them which was awesome. It was run by a guy, Manuele, who is about 30, and his grandparents work on the farm because they live nearby. The hostel has two volunteers, one was from Canada and one from Philly/Florida/Columbia. We pretty much just hung out Saturday. We walked to the Baci chocolate factory, but it was closed. Wah. Then we went on a bike ride up to this little town Boneggio. Like really small. A church and about 5 houses. Amazing views though!
Then Saturday we got to go out with locals! One of the volunteers has a thing with a local guy, Michele. So we went out with them, and then met the other volunteer and Manuele in town. (Sidenote: italians are crazy drivers.) So the way it works is you go into a store that sells alcohol, and buy a beer or something in a bottle. Then they pour in into a cup and everyone just brings their drinks into the piazze. We got one drink and then went to a bar. I got a pretty good beer there called penny something. It tasted similar to guiness. Then Manuele left with some of his friends and Michele brought Leah, the volunteers, and I to a club. Michele haggled the price down to 8 euros to get in. We danced until like 4am, it was fun! The music they played was hilarious. Korn and Rage Against the Machine, and the next thing I know there were playing house music, then raggae...
The next morning we woke up bright and early to cook with nonna Rita. It was kind of a cooking lesson, but at the same time, it was like don't get in Rita's way. She liked me and called me Betta. Over the course of over 4 hours we (nonna Rita) made pasta (yup, HOMEMADE), sauce, potatoes, a bunch of crostini, salad, and three cakes. I think I'm forgetting stuff? But it was freaking delicious. And got to eat with the whole family. There were like 14 of us. It was so nice!
Got back to Rome at about 9pm Sunday. And came home to no internet. Awesome, right? Going to Orvieto this weekend. And about to book my trip to Barcellona! That's how they spell it in italian.
Homework time.
The next day Leah and I walked around the city. It's pretty small, as most hill towns are, with pretty views and narrow cobblestone streets. Did some shopping. Leah got a great coat. Then we went to find our hostel, which was a few kilometers outside the city. We had to take the bus and while we were on it, we saw someone who looked about our wage with a hugeass backpack on. We suspected we were going to the same place so Leah asked her and she was! Good thing too, because she had printed out the directions, but I had forgotten to. She is from Canada and graduated from high school last year and is backpacking around Italy, then WOOFing on two farms in Italy and two in France ALL BY HERSELF. Pretty ballsy, eh?
So we got to the hostel, which is a cute little farm down a long dirt road. There were all sorts of animals: horses, chickens, ducks, goats, sheep, a donkey, and dogs. The dogs were adorable and I got to play with them which was awesome. It was run by a guy, Manuele, who is about 30, and his grandparents work on the farm because they live nearby. The hostel has two volunteers, one was from Canada and one from Philly/Florida/Columbia. We pretty much just hung out Saturday. We walked to the Baci chocolate factory, but it was closed. Wah. Then we went on a bike ride up to this little town Boneggio. Like really small. A church and about 5 houses. Amazing views though!
Then Saturday we got to go out with locals! One of the volunteers has a thing with a local guy, Michele. So we went out with them, and then met the other volunteer and Manuele in town. (Sidenote: italians are crazy drivers.) So the way it works is you go into a store that sells alcohol, and buy a beer or something in a bottle. Then they pour in into a cup and everyone just brings their drinks into the piazze. We got one drink and then went to a bar. I got a pretty good beer there called penny something. It tasted similar to guiness. Then Manuele left with some of his friends and Michele brought Leah, the volunteers, and I to a club. Michele haggled the price down to 8 euros to get in. We danced until like 4am, it was fun! The music they played was hilarious. Korn and Rage Against the Machine, and the next thing I know there were playing house music, then raggae...
The next morning we woke up bright and early to cook with nonna Rita. It was kind of a cooking lesson, but at the same time, it was like don't get in Rita's way. She liked me and called me Betta. Over the course of over 4 hours we (nonna Rita) made pasta (yup, HOMEMADE), sauce, potatoes, a bunch of crostini, salad, and three cakes. I think I'm forgetting stuff? But it was freaking delicious. And got to eat with the whole family. There were like 14 of us. It was so nice!
Got back to Rome at about 9pm Sunday. And came home to no internet. Awesome, right? Going to Orvieto this weekend. And about to book my trip to Barcellona! That's how they spell it in italian.
Homework time.
Iscriviti a:
Commenti (Atom)