A short walk through the city.

Today, Bob took a few of us on another walk to Florence. Only Eldon, Betsy, Carla, and I joined him as everyone else was either sleeping or too tired from last night to join us. We walked down to Florence by a different route than the first time Bob took us. Walking with Bob is a workout and an education experience all wrapped up into one. Bob knows so much about so many different things that it is simply amazing.

We walked down to the Duomo by a winding, twisty, curving route through the city. We walked past the San Lorenzo market and had lunch at this great Chinese restaurant. For 10 euro, we had 2 spring rolls, the choice of white or Cantonese rice, the choice of chicken, pork, veal, or three other entrees, the choice of water, wine, or tea, and the choice of coffee or grappa for our after dinner drink. It was very good and the amount of food we got for the price was worthwhile. Betsy and I even took the leftovers back for a meal later.

We just walked around some more after lunch, through different streets, past statues, all the while being given comments by Bob. We took the Bob tour, where we literally did a fast walking tour. Bob took us from the Duomo across the river to the hotel the Brother Louis stays at when he's in Florence. We walked across the Ponte Vecchio where they have all the gold shops. And then we had cocktails at the hotel. Betsy and Eldon had cosmos while Bob and I had Grappa di Chardonnay. It's a very strong alcohol. That's right, I'm drinking in the afternoon. Apparently it's the thing to take a shot after a meal to jump-start the rest of your day. Bob was saying he sees people have a shot of grappa with their espresso in the morning.

We then walked back to the Duomo via Florence's Michigan Ave where all the Gucci, Prada, Tiffany's, Chanel, etc. stores are located. 1200 euro for a purse, 9000 euro for a dress. Price I certainly cannot afford. We separated from Bob and Carla at the Duomo. They went back to Villa Bonelli, while Eldon, Betsy and I stayed for the evening mass.

There is an English mass around the Duomo area at 5 pm on Saturdays, but we didn't know exactly where. When we asked the lady in the Duomo, we couldn't really understand what she was saying. So, Betsy asked the security guard she met yesterday and he said that Mass is in the Duomo. Betsy, Eldon, and I attended Mass at the Duomo!!!! I cannot believe it; in a real cathedral. Granted, it was freezing cold, the kneelers have no cushions, and we had to wait an hour after we left Bob before Mass, but it was all worth it.

Afterwards, we walked to the bus stop, freezing our tails off and waited to return to Villa Bonelli. When we got back to Villa Bonelli, Ania came to our room wanting to see this sweet video that I captured last night at the bar. Betsy did some creative editing and we were finally able to upload it facebook and are in the process of uploading it to youtube. I'll try and post it later but it midnight and I'm exhausted so I'm going to bed. I'll post another slideshow tomorrow with new pictures. Ciao.

Oh what a night

After my little excursion into Florence yesterday we had dinner at La Reggia again. Last night, dinner was another great pasta dish for the first course and then turkey and peas for the second course. I sat next with Andy and Adam and Eldon last night. We talked about the guys trip to the soccer stadium, Duomo, and journey across the river. Adam recommended to me a bridge filled with jewelry that they saw. He thought that was something I would enjoy seeing. For dessert, we had a flan type thing that wasn't my cup of tea but was still interesting.

The picture is my attempt at using the night function on my camera; apparently you need a very steady hand. It is the view of Florence from the edge of the lookout nearby La Reggia.

After returning to the hotel, everyone decided that we all should go out. Some of the other girls wanted to go dancing but decided to do that tonight instead. So we went to this bar in town called JJ Hill. It's an Irish Pub type place. Everyone was ordering shots and drinks and we got ourselves 4 tables in the corner area to sit at. We all had a great time there. I did a shot of Limoncello, a lemonade tasting shot that went down very smooth. It was afterwards that you felt the kick of the shot. I also had a glass of the house wine that was very good. We spent a couple of hours at the bar and I left when they closed the basement floor at 1:30.

I was in bed trying to sleep when the rest of the group came back to Villa Bonelli. The whole group was so loud; laughing, giggling, screaming, and singing. I was surprised that Bob didn't come down and yell at them. This morning, Bob mentioned that the front desk had received noise complaints from the other guests staying at the hotel. They were very loud for at least 2 hours and that was not helping me fall asleep. Somehow or another I did sleep a little bit before my alarm went off this morning at 9 am.

In this picture, Allyson was trying to move the straw out of her way when the picture was snapped. There is Allyson, me, and then Ania at the bar.

I really did have a lot of fun last night just hanging out with everyone and talking to the others in our select little group. It's interesting to see the different majors and personalities collide like they have. We are all adapting to this new way. Last night was our toast to surviving our first week studying in Italy.

Romanic, not Romantic

Okay, so I was unable to blog about what I did yesterday because my laptop decided to go wonky on me. I was trying to use the Picasa software to upload a photo album to display on my page but it was not letting me do it. Something about there not being a connection to the server. Whatever, I have it uploading now so in the meantime I'll catch you up on what happened yesterday.

Yesterday was Thursday. On Thursday I have my Art and Architecture class. It went from 11 am to around 12:30 pm. We started off with Greek sculpture and architecture, moved onto Roman sculpture and architecture, and then to Romanic, Gothic, and Renaissance sculpture and architecture. Now, it was not until about halfway through the class that I realized that it was Romanic, not Romantic. Claudia, our professoressa, finally made a mention of it when some said it the wrong way for an answer. When I looked back over my notes, I realized that I had been writing it both ways. Quite funny at the time, and still so today. It's Romanic because the design is Roman but different, it's expanded upon the Roman design to something new.

I learned all about the different temples of the Greeks and Romans, the development of the arches, and a little bit about how to tell the difference between the different periods. The Romans were the first to invent the arches and were a half of a circle. Gothic arches are pointed at the top. We also talked about the differences in the styles of sculptures and churches done in each period. Basically, we learned a lot of art history in one and a half hours.

But, class didn't stop there. We had a two hour break so that we could go eat lunch and relax before heading into Firenze to look at The Baptistery of San Giovanni, straight across from the Duomo, and another church nearby, the San Michele, that has many works by Donatello. I took a lot of pictures at both sites that will be in the slide show that I'll post very soon. Anyway, it was cold outside at the time we were touring and rainy, too, so I was getting very chilled myself. We spent about two hours downtown touring the sites before Claudia dismissed class.

Most of us went directly back to Villa Bonelli. Although, my group was side tracked by a chocolate store that I'll have to go back to. But, when we arrived at the bus stop to catch the the #7 back to Fiesole, there were soooo many people standing there that when the bus arrived, Eldon and I were not able to get on the bus. I tried to get on through the front door but it closed right before I got there and when I tried to get on through the middle door it again closed. So Eldon and I waited another 20 minutes or so for the next #7 bus.

For dinner, we again went up to La Reggia. I took a picture of the beautiful chandelier inside the restaurant. Bob was telling us that the interior decorations are all new and everything inside looks great. For the first course, we had rigatoni with a very delicious meat sauce. The second course was seasoned potatoes, just as delicious as the first night, and roasted chicken. Ohh, my. The food was very tasty and I probably ate too much but it was soooo good. For dessert, we had a lemon ice that had the similar texture of sorbet. Everything was just delicious; Bob even shared some of his bottle of Chianti with the other three of us at the table. A great dinner.

Bob is such an interesting man. He is a veritable fount of information about all different sorts of topics. Dinner conversation with him was never dull or boring. He told us about some interesting sites that we should go see and gave us directions to places we asked about. He comes off as a very straitlaced guy but once you get to know him he's funny and nice.

After dinner, I counted the number of steps it took to go from the restaurant back to the hotel. It came to 958 steps or close to a half a mile. To think that we walk a mile, there and back, just for dinner. But it doesn't feel like it at all. The atmosphere must make it more desirable than a normal mile of walking. It's a little crazy to think about but then not at all. I also tried to upload my album, but that didn't happen.

Today, Friday, a group of us walked halfway into town before taking the bus downtown. Betsy and Ania both bought a pair of boots that look so good on them. I'm waiting to find the perfect pair which I didn't see today, but maybe tomorrow. Our group split up for lunch as Eldon and I weren't hungry. We walked around the Duomo, down a few side streets before heading back toward Fiesole. We walked a good 4-5 miles around today, interspersed between taking the bus down to the Duomo and then back up to Fiesole. I was quite exhausted and came back at 3. And now I'm blogging about my day and have come to the present moment. So, arrivederci for now and hopefully my album will upload. Ciao.

A Rainy Morning in Fiesole

This morning I woke to wind and rain outside Villa Bonelli. Last night, after some of the group got back from the bars, they got a little loud and rambunctious. All I really remember is some loud noises, a few slamming doors, and one girl hiccuping. And then when I awoke this morning to rain, I wasn't feeling the greatest. The dreary weather was not conducive to chipper moods.

Breakfast at Villa Bonelli consists mostly of yogurt, fruit, orange juice, and a croissant with Nutella, this chocolate spread that is just delicious. Today, I had cherry yogurt and slipped an orange to take back to the room for lunch. I don't really eat a large lunch mostly because dinner is always so big that it makes up for it.

Today, my first class was History of Florence. Our teacher is originally German but has lived in Florence now 26 years, if I remember correctly. It was interesting in class today because I could literally see her translate in her head from German to Italian to English. Her English is good, not great, but definitely better than my Italian is right now. We talked a little bit about the history of Florence, starting with the Etruscans and then decided to go visit some of the sites in Fiesole.

She wanted to take us to the Roman theatre but the cafe, where we needed to enter through, was closed today. So instead we walked around Fiesole. She took us by this Etruscan tomb that is just down the street from Villa Bonelli. It is the most amazing thing. There are no ropes blocking people from getting too close, it is just in this gated area just off the street. We walked into the area and around the tombs and then read the little sign that was posted that described the tombs. The walls are stone fitted together so neatly that it's really unimaginable that people like 2 thousand years old could accomplish the feat. There was the tomb and what was the house right next to each other, the tomb lower elevated than the home. But it just was overwhelming.

Next, she took us to this dining place, Casa del Popolo, with it's amazing view from the terrace. This place also offers free movies on Fridays and some of the titles were familiar, even in Italian: Memoirs of a Geisha and Dark Knight. We walked around for about a mile and a half before returning to Villa Bonelli.

At 2 pm we had our second language course with Chiara. Today's class was very fun because we were going through the consonants that are different sounding than English. The 'c' and 'g' have two different pronunciations depending on what comes after them. Then we split into two teams and played a pronunciation game against each other. My team, team B, won. There were words like spaghetti, chiave, gnocchi, asia, usa, and aria and we had to pronounce them in Italian. So usa would be pronounced "ooh-sah" and chiave would be pronounced "key-ah-vey." Anyway, it was a fun class and I am learning so much better here than I was back at SMU.

For dinner, we had to walk up this really steep hill, past the seminary and bishop's house, but before the Franciscan Monastery to La Reggia (again, my spelling is probably very off). We were all winded by the time we made it to the restaurant but the food definitely was worth it. Unlike Etrusca, were we all sat together at this very long table, tonight we sat in groups of 4 or 5. Ania, Allyson, Betsy, Michelle, and I shared a table, 4 bottles of water, and great dinner conversation. The meal consisted of spaghetti with a meat sauce, first course; slices of roast beef with seasoned potatoes, second course; and tiramisu for dessert. Oh, my, let me tell you that dinner was delizioso.

We talked about everything from childhood exploits to fun times at SMU. I don't know how we got onto the topic of Dane Cook or who started the conversation, but somehow we moved onto favorite Dane Cook moments. Creepy guy at work, dream house, superman t-shirt, "I was washing a dish" and many others were mentioned. Sorry if you don't understand this but it's a Dane Cook thing. We then moved onto other comedians we like or have seen as we progressed from the restaurant back to Villa Bonelli.

Overall, it's been a really good day and I cannot wait for tomorrow. I wonder where we'll be going and what we're going to see tomorrow. I definitely want to walk around Fiesole some more, which I'll probably do this weekend.

A day in the life of an American in Italy

So today, being January 13, was an okay day in all. I had my Italian literature class at nine this morning which means I had to wake up before 7 am (gasp, I know. Such a hardship, lol). We basically just discussed the background of Renaissance Literature and definitions. We were given our photocopied books and assignments for next week and class was over with. You might not believe it, but all that took 2 hours to complete. Crazy, I know. Our professoressa, Chiara, is a very nice woman who majored in Italian Literature so it should be a very enlightening class.

Next, the whole group had our first Italian Language course with the same professoressa; we found out her name means clear, like clear sky/water. Anyway, she made us promise to only speak Italian in the classroom as it will help us learn faster and better. We were given our workbooks and started with three basic phrases that we would need to know for the course. Then we moved onto the alphabet where each one of us had to say a word in Italian. We were trying to go through the alphabet so we each tried to pick a word that started with a different letter. We remembered some words from our previous language course and learned some new ones today. Then we moved onto the workbook and did a few exercises. After our hour was up, we were given our assignment and let go.

The third class being taught today was the Theology course, which I did not enroll in. Betsy and I lounged in our room for the afternoon, catching up on emails, facebook, and homework. Even though we have each class only once a week, except for language which is twice a week, both of us still wanted to keep ahead of the homework and not fall behind.

Around one this afternoon, which is 6 am back home, Betsy and I decided to go for a walk. We wanted to beat the rain that looked like it was in the hills. We walked up instead of down the road and around until we came back to the piazza in Fiesole. Neither of us really knew where we'd end up so we just walked and chose directions to turn when it came to it. It definitely was a workout though because we were walking up steep hills and down steeper ones. Working those calf and glut muscles. Two of the pictures in this post are from our walk. The countryside is just gorgeous, even today when it was cloudy with the coming rain.

After our walk, all of us were trying to figure out where we were going to eat tonight. The restaurants that we eat at on the other days of the week are closed on Tuesday so we have to fend for ourselves tonight and all the rest of the Tuesdays. At first we wanted to go into Florence and eat but after it got closer to 7 we decided to just go to this soup and sandwich place in Fiesole.

A bunch of people were in the lounge are drinking wine before dinner and I went out to join them. Betsy brought the bottle of Chianti she bought at the co-op the other day, Ania brought her bottle of Chardonnay. The guys had already gone through like 3-5 bottles of their own when I went to join them. I hadn't eaten very much for breakfast or lunch so after only a glass of Betsy's Chianti and half a glass of Ania's Chardonnay, I was a little tipsy. That's when we decided to go to eat.

The restaurant that we ate at was very small and quaint. I appreciated that the waiter was kind enough to explain the menu to us in English. He was very helpful but some of the people at the table were a little obnoxious. I felt very uncomfortable after dinner because our table was becoming too loud and very rude at times. But for dinner I ordered pasta with meat sauce and shared a 1/2 quart of vino di la casa rossa with Ania. Afterward I came back to Villa Bonelli to relax.

The other two pictures in this post are from my room. The one to the right is the view outside the window. Betsy and I may have one of the smallest rooms but we definitely have one of the best views. Even with the crane in the way we can see out over the entire valley on a clear day. Today we could watch the clouds move over the valley and sometimes see the rain fall. The other picture, below, is of my corner of the room. Our beds are very close together and seem smaller than the twin beds at school. But I like the room and am comfortable in it.

First Day of Class

So today, January 12, we had our first day of classes here in Italy: Global Issues and then Business and Politics. I didn't sign up for either the Business or the Politics class so I only had Global Issues which lasted a half-hour, basically it was a syllabus class. Our classroom is just down the street and just big enough to hold the 15 of us. Bob teaches the Global Issues course so it should be pretty interesting. Afterwards, I went back to the room to read the books we're assigned but instead fell asleep for a short nap.

When the Business and Politics courses finished we all took the Number 7 bus into Florence. We first went to this 99 cent store where we browsed through the items available. Betsy and I picked up close pins and laundry detergent. We have a washer and dryer available for use but the dryer, we're told, is a little iffy. So, outside my window is a sort of laundry line that Betsy and I will utilize for drying clothes as well as our heated towel racks in the bathroom.

After the 99 cent store we went next door into this little shop that had shoes and purses and scarves and jewelry. I looked at the shoes but didn't know my European shoe size. Some of the shoes were just gorgeous, I'll definitely have to go back. Ania helped me pick out the green plaid cashmere scarf that looks and feels amazing. Then Betsy, Eldon, and I split from the other group and headed toward the Supermarket. We stopped along the way at another cute little shop where I promptly bought this dragonfly hair clip. It looked super cute so I just had to buy it, impulse shopping.

At the Supermarket, I picked up a bottle of wine for under 2 Euro and six 2 liter bottles of water. We then walked to the nearest number 7 bus stop where we just missed the bus and then had to wait like 20 minutes before the next number 7 bus came. Thank you to all those who studied previous years in Florence, you were right about the number 7 bus being our friend.

We went again to Etruscan (spelling is probably off) for dinner. Tonight we had spaghetti with red sauce, which to me tasted better than last night's pasta, and then grilled chicken. Last night we spent two-and-a-half hours at the restaurant, tonight only one-and-a-half. I'm now going to bed for I have 2 classes in the morning and I am still not caught up on sleep. Ciao for now.

Florence, Italy

When we arrived at the airport after our flight from Frankfurt, we had to wait for our check baggage to come. There were three baggage turnstiles in the airport, only three. Everyone's luggage was there, so no one lost their bags, but my checked suitcase was smashed in on one side. It was ripped open, the lining ripped, and the corner just destroyed. Luckily, nothing seems to be missing from my suitcase so I have everything that I brought with me. Whew!

We didn't know how we wanted to get from the airport to Villa Bonelli. The nine of us discussed taking the bus but then decided on just using taxis. Carla and I shared a taxi to Villa Bonelli. We were the first to leave from the airport but the last to arrive at Villa Bonelli because our driver got lost along the way. It was interesting to see the city as we drove through it. Driving in Florence is crazy. I can never imagine doing it myself because I don't understant the sutleties of the Italian transportation. Mopeds and scooters bobbed and weaved between cars while bicyclists peddled away, inches from moving traffic. Anyway, Carla and I finally made it to Villa Bonelli, paid the driver, unloaded the baggage and checked into our respective rooms.

I'm rooming with Betsy at Villa Bonelli. The rooms are definately not what I imagined they would be. They are small: two twin size beds just inches apart from eachother, a couch, an armoire, a little desk-type thing, and a bathroom with a shower. We have a TV and mini fridge as well. Compared to the other rooms being occupied by SMU students, our room seems like the smallest. Still, it's a great room with a gorgeous view.

After unpacking my clothes and taking a shower (trying to figure out how the shower worked was challenge. Our hot water pressure is not very good) Betsy and I took a nap. Afterward, she and I went out for a walk and ended up attending an Italian Mass at a nearby chapel. Not a word of English was spoken during the Mass. We responded where and when we could but otherwise didn't understand much of what was said. Amen, Alleluia, and Cristo were about the only things we understood. When saying the Our Father, I just quietly said it in English. Overall, a good day.

Sunday, Bob took most of us on a walking tour around Fiesole and Florence. He gave us little tidbits of information and pointed out difference places. He walked us into Florence and pointed us in the direction of the Duomo before returning to Villa Bonelli. The rest of us continued onward for about a block before getting lost and confused. We finally managed to find our way after splitting up into different groups. Walking around Florence, looking into shop windows (it's Sale season so lots of merchandise) and ending up at the Duomo. When we exited the street we were on and looked up it was this huge "Ahhh" moment. There needed to be dramatic music and birds flying as we exited for the full effect the huge Duomo had on us. All of us turned and looked up and just stared at the awesome cathedral. It was a spectacular sight.

Eldon and I continued onward. We made it to the bus/train station where we hopped on the #7 bus back to Fiesole. I walked a good five miles on Sunday (I know because I had my pedometer on. Thank you Health Advocates). After returning to Villa Bonelli, I took a nap before our group meeting at 6 where Bob handed out the class schedules and rules. We then went to Etruscans, a really great pizza place, where Bob had ordered spaghetti with glaric, olive oil, and pepper flakes, chees pizza, and gelato or tiramisu for our meal. The spaghetti was good, if a little spicy on the afterkick, but the pizza was heavenly. It didn't look like much when it was set before me but it sure tasted great. Now, the pizza is not like one you would get from Pizza Hut or Dominoes. It was the size of a large plate but had a thin crust and little sauce with cheese on top. Oh it was soooo good. I almost ate the whole thing but on top of the spaghetti, I couldn't finish it. I came back to the hotel after dinner instead of going out as I was not feeling too good. I think I may have a cold or something.

My first couple of days in Florence have been great so far and I cannot wait for what's next. Tomorrow we start classes, beginning with Global Issues, but even that cannot damper my spirts because I have one, maybe two classes a day with trips on Friday. An awesome set-up but it will probably spoil me for my senior year of nose to the grindstone work.