Paris!!

I just arrived back in Rome earlier this morning from Paris and I am trying to recover in time for class. Paris was amazing! I seriously love it more than Rome. It is such a beautiful city.
We left for Paris on Thursday evening on an overnight train. We realized once we got on the train, that we each had a different room on the train. So, we got separated. I ended up in a room with a girl who spoke only Chinese and an Italian family with a little boy. I did not sleep very well on the train but as soon as we rode into Paris my lack of sleep disappeared and I became excited. We got off the train and into a taxi when we realized that we did not printout the address to our hostel. Meghan called her Mom and we were able to get the address. Meghan broke down a little and cried but it was only because she hated being in a foreign country where she could understand or speak the language.
Since our train was late, we arrived at the hostel after our group had already left. So instead, we made our way to the first meeting spot in front of Notre Dame and I received my first experience in a French subway. My first view of Notre Dame, I could not help but think that It was smaller than it looked in the pictures, but as we walked closer I realize that it is actually bigger than the pictures. We found our group and met our tour guide, Andy Steves. He was a 5th year Architect major from Notre Dame who just graduated last spring and who was the captain of the Irish Guard. He speaks fluent Italian and French and has travelled abroad ever since he was little with his Dad, Rick Steves, who is a well-known travel guru.
Anyway, we started our tour looking around the Latin quarter of Paris where there are a lot of the old buildings and streets. We were shown this bookstore call Shakespeare and Company. An old bookstore allowed the rooms at the top to be rented out for writers. For a room, they have to devote some time working in the store and read one book a day and then their rent is free. Meghan swears that she will come back to Paris and live at the bookstore to write.
We had lunch at a little café. I ordered a vegetarian quiche, which was delicious, and for dessert, we had a Nutella crepe. It was the perfect thing to have in the cool afternoon.
We took another subway to the Eiffel tower. Unfortunately, the very top of the Eiffel tower was still closed because of the recent terrorist threats but we were still able to go up to the second level, and the view of Paris was spectacular! The sun was also beginning to set which cast a neat shadow of the Eiffel tower over the city below. Andy made sure we had plenty of opportunities to take pictures, considering that the whole group was full of girls, which he seemed to enjoy.
After hanging around the tower for a good hour, it was time for dinner. We walked to this cute hole in the wall restaurant a few blocks away from the Eiffel Tower. The owner had closed his restaurant from everyone else and allowed our group in for a private dinner. For an appetizer, we had a type of salad with bread and cheese and a small bowl of escargot, which was surprisingly delicious. Our main course was a leg of duck over mashed potatoes. I do not even know how to describe it other then AMAZING GOOD! We were served a rich chocolate cake that was swimming in a pool of sweet gravy. As soon as we were nicely stuffed, we headed off again to our next destination.
At this point, the sun had set and it was dark outside. We walked past the Eiffel Tower again, which was lit up, and we walked to a bike rental place. We meet our bike tour guide, Billy, who is a goofy looking energetic man. We choose our bike and took off on our tour through Paris. I loved riding bikes through Paris. We saw the golden dome church, were the body of Napoleon lies, and we rode along the Seine river. We arrived at a boat dock where we locked our bikes and boarded a tour boat. Our guide pulls out about ten bottles of wine and several plastic cups and we rode down the river sipping wine and enjoying the scenic river view of the city. We rode past Notre Dame again, and the Louvre, and the Eiffel Tower, which, around 9:00-9:05, started to sparkle. After our boat tour, we got back on our bikes and rode back to the bike rental place where we dropped off the bikes and returned to the hostel for the night.
Saturday Morning, we went to the Louvre where we spent most of our time exploring. Afterwards, we walked to the victory Arch. After learning that it was closed on Saturdays, Andy let us loose to explore the shopping area of Paris. Bethany, Meghan, and me do not like shopping so we stopped at the first coffee house we could find, which turned out to be a Starbucks, and sat inside enjoying our coffee. Might I add that it was raining, so it was a good idea to get out of the rain before any of us caught a cold. We met back up with our group at the meeting place and continued on to see the Bastille, the church on top of the hill called Sacred Heart, and caught a glimpse of the Moulin Rouge. (The street the Moulin Rouge was on was a very awkward street to walk on since the majority of the stores were dedicated to sex including a “sex” museum which we did NOT go in!)
We had dinner at a French restaurant. I ordered French onion soup (yummy!) and a pork dish. For dessert was a thick chocolate Mousse, which was so delicious, I would kill to have it again. (Ok, well, maybe not kill, but you get the point.)
Sunday morning we visited the weekly market, which was like walking through a zoo. The locals crowded around the vendors haggling over prices and buying the strangest things, I have ever seen. I swear I saw a dead rabbit hanging over the head of one vendor. After we escaped the chaos, Andy took us to his favorite park in Paris, and I must say I agree. It was like walking through Central Park. In the middle of the park was a lake with a huge cliff-looking island. On top of the Island was a little gazebo. We walked up to the top of the island and Andy pulled out a couple bottles of champagne and we toasted our time in Paris. He also gave each of us a little metal replica of the Eiffel Tower telling us to remember him when we look at it. I’m telling you, Andy was a awesome tour guide. As some of the girls departed to visit other parts in Paris. Meghan, Bethany, and I followed Andy to another market that specializes in cooked food. I bought another crepe filled with meat, onions, and cheese. I know I say this a lot but, it was amazing!
We finally said goodbye to Andy and we left for Rome again. Our train left at 6:50 p.m. and arrived today at 10:30 a.m. It was probably my favorite weekend so far.

We had our Southern Italy trip last week. We lived in Naples during that time that we were exploring the South. I really did not like Naples. There is a ton of traffic and piles and piles of trash. The only good thing I can say about Naples is that the pizza was really divine. Our first day, we spent at Pompeii. I live Pompeii! I had wanted to visit it ever since I read that little picture book that we have of it when I was little. The amazing part about Pompeii is how well preserved the city is today!

The next day, we took a scenic drive around the Almalfi coast. It was a rather frightening experience. We were put into a charter bus and as the bus drove along a cliff we could see a beautiful view of the coast and of the sea.

The next day we visited the Archaeological Museum which is the biggest in the World. I had two presentations to give for my classes which I think went very well.
The next day was another Museum and more ruins.

On Saturday, we spent the day in Capri. Where we paid for a boat tour around the island and into the blue grotto, which is only accessible by a four man boat.
I think my favorite part of the trip was Capri. It is such a beautiful Island.

On Thursday, we are taking an overnight train to Paris where we will be met by Andy Steves, who has set up a tour weekend for Saint Mary's and Notre Dame students and whose father is the famous Rick Steves.

Venice and Bologna

This past weekend was amazing! We traveled to Venice where we spent all day Saturday exploring. I think my new favorite city in Italy is Venice. Before it was Assisi, but the presence of the canals is so calming a beautiful that I cannot help but love it. The Gondola rides were too expensive so we did not go on any, but we enjoyed ourselves in spite of that. Closer to the evening it started raining, and it was chilly all day. I was glad that I had a coat, it would have been miserable otherwise.
After Venice, we caught a train to Bologna where we made reservations at a town house called Bed and Breakfast a Bologna. It was ran by a cute lady who spoke only a few words of English and who was extremely friendly. Our room was comfortable and it cost only 28 euro for each of us, and it was a 2 minute walk from the train station. In the morning, we checked out of our room after having breakfast and walked around Bologna. We went Mass at “chiesa di San Bendetto”. After lunch we went to a couple of free museums and then stopped for coffee at a little bar. It was raining the whole time we were in Bologna, but we still managed to have a good time. Our train was to leave at 5:18 so we headed to the train station to board our train.
When we went to find our seats on the train, we noticed that someone was already in our seat. So we asked him what number seat he had and it was the same number as us. We were very confused. But we squeezed together and soon the train started moving. After half an hour, the conductor came to check our ticket. We had accidentally bought our ticket for the 18th and not the 17th. He told us to get off at Firenze and request a ticket change, he was even nice enough to write the information down for the train we needed. When the train stopped at Firenze we got off and went to the ticket counter. As we tried to get our ticket changed we discovered that we were in the wrong station in Firenze. Apparently, there is another station that had trains departing for Rome. So, we hopped on the next train going in that direction and got off at the right station.
The train that we wanted to get on was to leave in half an hour, and the line to the ticket counter was very long. I stood in line while, Bethany and Meghan tried to see if the tickets were cheap enough to buy. They were not. So with 5 minutes before the train left we got to the counter, but of course, the lady didn’t speak any English, so It too k her 5 minutes to get a translator. We finally managed to get another train, but it was a fast train, which cost more, so we had to pay a little for an upgrade which was fine with us because we just wanted to get back to Rome. Finally, with the right ticket in hand, we were on the train back to Rome. It was a pretty stressful evening. So we made it back to our hotel safely.
This coming weekend, we gave a day trip to Praeneste and Tivoli and next week is our southern Italy trip where we will travel to Cumae, Naples, Paestum and Pompeii. The week after that is our weekend in Paris. For Paris, we have a overnight train with beds, pretty nifty.

Trips and Routine

I am starting to get in the routine of things, and I love routine. I also love how clothing matters a lot here in Italy. It forces me to make an effort to look nice every morning. As a result, I feel good about myself during the day, which is always a good thing if you need to focus on class and papers. Every Morning, we eat breakfast at a little bar next to our class building called Pascucci’s. I always order either a Café Latte, or a Cappuccino and a cornetti, or sweet roll. If you are lucky, the cornetti will still be warm from the oven. The coffee is always superb and does the job of waking me up.
Depending on whether or not I have homework to do, I will usually go to the library to finish a reading or to start on a paper or project. The good thing about all of my classes is that they are all interesting in their own way, and apply to life and culture in Italy. I sometimes crave for more information and will spend some time in the library looking up books on the topics and researching online.
On Monday, Friday, and some Saturdays, out hotel serves us lunch. So far, there has not been one meal served by the hotel that I have not loved. A dessert of fruit or gelato usually follows the meals at the hotel. On the other days, we go to Pascucci’s and order a sandwich. My favorite of these is a Pizzeta. It has the bread of a pizza folded up and on the inside are either mozzarella cheese and tomatoes or cheese and Prosciutto (ham).
After Lunch is class. I do have some classes in the morning. For instance, on Thursday I have my religion class at 8:00 a.m. After Religion is my Italian class. I think my favorite class so far is Italian. It is a two hour class, which makes it the longest class on my schedule, but it is more interactive and not all lecture. I feel like I learn more in the class also.
Dinner is the same ordeal as lunch, depending on what day of the week it is; we are either at the Hotel or at Pascucci’s. After dinner, we walk around our area exploring stores and trying out gelato places. If we do get gelato, we will make our way to the piazza which we will then sit and enjoy the weather and the people. Usually in the piazza, there will be musicians playing. Our favorite entertainer is a man whom we have dubbed the “Opera Man”. He has a little recording of a song and he will sing along with it. He has the best opera voice I have ever heard and it sounds so typical of Italian culture and music. It is the perfect way to end the day.
The weekends are totally spontaneous and different. On Saturday’s we will have excursions to different parts of Rome and nearby cities. On Sunday’s we are off on our own to explore and visit popular spots in Rome.
We do, of course plan to travel to different countries. Our first trip that we have booked is to Paris. We are going on the first weekend of November and it was a very good deal. We are booked with Andy Steves who graduated from Notre Dame last year and whose Dad is Rick Steves. Rick Steves is a famous travel guru. For only 150 euro, this tour includes a stay at an eight and above rated hostel for two nights, a boat tour on the river, a biking tour, meals, and entrance fees to the major tourist spots like the Louvre and the Eifel Tower. The only thing not included is the transportation to Paris.
Another trip that we are planning on doing is a three day ski trip on the Alps in Grimminauld, Switzerland. It is through the same program as Paris and it only costs and additional 190 euro for the three day ski pass and equipment. Not bad, eh? This is the trip that I am looking forward to the most!
We thought about going to London, but after looking up airfare and hostels, we found it to be extremely expensive. So, as of now, London is put on a hold. The last week in October, our whole group is taking a trip to Southern Italy where we will visit Pompeii, Naples, and Capri.

Italian Waiters

This weekend, the group visited the Roman Forum as well as the Coliseum. It was amazing to walk where ancient Romans walk and to hear their stories through the architecture. We were extremely exhausted after spending a whole day there, and the weather was a scorching 85 degrees.
On Sunday, a small group of us walked over the Vatican City to attend Mass at Saint Peter’s Basilica. The line for the Basilica stretched across the square and, again, it was an extremely hot day. The Mass was in Italian, but I found that I could recognize the majority of the Mass. After Mass, we wandered around the tombs of past Popes. The tomb of Pope John Paul the II was, of course, the most popular. It was lit up and placed on the tomb were several glass roses. Then we walked back to our hotel, after buying pizza, and rested.
Sunday evening, we went to a restaurant and ordered pasta. We were one of two groups at the restaurant which meant that all of the male waiters kept drifting to our table and muttering to us “ciao, bella” and making kissing noises towards us. It was flattering, do not get me wrong, but I am not used to so much attention, especially from the men. I do not think I have ever blushed so much in my entire life.
After we paid for our meal, we walked to the Trevi fountain and threw a coin over our shoulders. (In case you did not know, throwing a coin over your shoulder at the Trevi Fountain means that you will come back to Rome.) We arrived back at our hotel feeling very satisfied with our weekend and our first week in Rome.

Drinks and Homesickness

Today, I am very tired, and I don’t know why. I work on homework and go to classes during the day and go out at night. Last night, we really needed to get outside, so we took a walk. We were debating whether to get gelatos, when Bethany suggested we go to a bar and order a drink. We picked out a classy looking restaurant and sat down. Now, I was determined not to order anything, but I soon began to feel awkward sitting at a table without ordering. I decided to peek at the menu of drinks. Finally, I had to give in. As Bethany and Meghan kept saying to me, it is an experience. Therefore, I ordered the only drink that I recognized, a martini. My martini came in a smallish water glass size. I took a sip and I became overcome with a strong taste of licorice. It was very bitter. Little by little, everyone sipped at their drink until there was none left.
School is going well, though I am feeling more stupid with my Italian by the minute. Meghan was in intro with me, but decided to switch to intermediate since she thought that beginner was too low for her and she wanted to learn more. She has not taken Italian yet, she has studied hard during the summer, and now she knows more than I do, and I took part of a class. She and Bethany will take half an hour and speak in all Italian to each other, which is nice, but they do not try to converse with me, even though it had been my idea in the first place.
This weekend, as a group, we are visiting the Roman Forum, the Colosseum and the Palatine hill. It should be a lot of fun and I am looking forward to it. Then on Sunday, we are going to Mass at the Vatican and attending the Angelus, and it will be lead by Pope Benedict XVI.
I am still dealing with a huge amount of homesickness for my family and friends. While I am here, I cannot help but feel tense and bewildered. Thoughts cross my mind like, “What am I doing here?” and “I don’t deserve to be here.” All of my classmates have higher IQs and seem to belong in this program more than I do. I am looking forward to being home, as much as I love Rome and enjoy traveling.

Assisi: a place of rest

I left you off when I said Goodbye to Hassam at the airport. Now the taxi ride was quite an experience. Not only was it my first ride in a taxi ever, but also I quickly learned how Romans drive.  The taxi driver hardly used the brake and was always switching lanes haphazardly as others were also trying to switch lanes. He also loves to use his horn and to tail whom ever was in front of him. It got worse once we were in Rome. The streets are smaller and the traffic is even more chaotic then on the highway. At one point, we were stuck in a huge traffic jam with mopeds zipping between cars and horns honking loudly. The driver turned to look at me and gave me a shrug as if to say “This is Rome for you!” after 15 minutes of praying for safety of my life in that car. We arrived at the Hotel Tiziano and after paying the taxi driver (40 Euros!) I entered the hotel and explained my situation to the

Concierge.  Apparently, they knew that I might try contacting them so they knew what to do. I was soon on the phone talking with Dr. Prebys and she told me to catch the first train to Assisi. So after the concierge called me another taxi. I drove to the train station bought a ticket to Assisi for 20 euro and I was on my way.

            After all, of the stress from travelling and the morning panic, I was extremely exhausted but I had to fight the jetlag, and let me tell you, the jetlag was winning. Since the morning I was always worried that something else might go wrong so I was tense the whole two hours to Assisi. It was not until I saw the sign outside the train station that said “Assisi” did I allow myself to relax and enjoy the stunning countryside and city of Assisi.

            I got off the train and flagged down another taxi. I showed him the name of the hotel address from the concierge and we drove up the winding mountain streets of Assisi. Assisi is a quaint and quiet town set on a side of a mountain. All the buildings have pink brick and clay rooftops. The higher we travelled up the mountain the more of the beautiful green countryside I could see behind me. After five minutes, the taxi stopped in front of a funny looking building that had stairs descending into the mountain. I met the man who ran the hotel (or as I found out later, a retreat center) and asked if the group from Saint Mary’s has arrived yet. I was surprised to hear that he was not expecting them for another half an hour. How did I manage to beat them?

            Well, apparently, they were still at the airport when I had left. What is even more amazing is that they were right where I had been franticly waiting for them. On the packet, it said that the people who were picking us up would be clearly marked as a group for Saint Mary’s. They must not have been clear enough, for I heard several people say how they had not noticed them either but by a happy coincidence, they noticed someone that they knew from the group.

Anyway, back to Assisi. The four days that we spent in Assisi were incredible! From climbing up the cobblestone roads to visiting churches to nightly gelatos, I felt that nowhere else could be a more relaxing place to recuperate from a stressful travelling schedule.  Every meal, except breakfast of course, is served with a bottle of wine and they served us one delicious course at a time ending with a bowl of fresh fruit for dessert. 

I seem to be followed, very closely, by my guardian angel during this trip because of not only what happened in the airport, but also when I lost my sweater. I had dropped it while we were walking down to visit a smaller chapel at the bottom of Assisi. After we went through the chapel, it had started raining.  I reached in my purse to look for my sweater, thankful that I had something dry to put on, when I realized it was not there. I backtracked all the way back to our hotel and gave my sweater up for lost. The next day, we were sitting in the lobby before dinner, when a man came up to us and asked in Italian if we spoke English. He asked us if one of us had lost a sweater that looked like Meghan’s sweater. (Meghan was sitting right next to me wearing a similar sweater that I had just lost, and, obviously, he pointed to her.) I told him that I lost it yesterday and he went to get it. He said he found it before it was raining. I was so happy, so as he walked away, I blew him a kiss in thanks. Ok, so before you get any ideas, this man was dad’s age so it was harmless. Moreover, I was excited about my sweater. So anyway, he saw me blow him a kiss and he goes “No, no! You give me a real kiss on the cheek.” I thought this was a little strange so I stand up and walked over to him. He grabbed my arms and we kissed cheek to cheek as Italian friends do. I was blushing when I sat back down with my friends, but I guess it is normal for the Italians. After dinner, I saw him again and he asked where we were from and was being friendly asking questions about studies. He was a nice guy and I was happy to have met him. It seems as if there is many people in Italy willing to help as many people as they can.

On Saturday, were given the whole afternoon off. So, me, Meghan, and Bethany, decided to walk down to the little neighboring town at the bottom of the hill to see the San Maria de Grazie Basilica. It took us about 40 minutes to reach our destination. I was surprised how huge the church was. In a gift shop that was connected to the church, I bought a cheap wooden bracelet rosary. I took the bracelet and had it made a relic by both Saint Frances and Saint Claire.  The next day, we had mass in the chapel, one last lunch and then we gathered on the bus and headed towards Rome.

A Warm Italian Welcome

Well, I have made it safely in Rome. Although, my arrival at the Leonardo Da Vinci airport was nothing short if a nightmare.  I had arrived exhausted and unfocused at the airport around 9:30 a.m. Italy time.  I remembered that the meeting place for everyone else was to be outside of baggage claim starting at 11:30. So I sat down at a spot where I thought was our meeting point and waited. 11:30 came and went. I never saw anyone else who looked like a Saint Mary’s student arriving at the airport. Nor was there a representative anywhere with a “clearly marked sign” declaring that they were waiting for Saint Mary’s Rome Program participants.

            I started walking up and down the airport with my entire luggage looking for any sign of the group. Feeling extremely panicky, I tried to use a pay phone to call Dr. Prebys. She did not answer the phone, at close examination of the number, I found that the only two numbers I have for her were for her Home, and Office, both, which I was sure, would not work in my situation. As I walked away close to tears, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a short man watching me closely. I tried to ignore him. I looked through my purse for my wallet so that I may try to call Professor Checca, when I realized that my wallet was missing. I kept rummaging desperately hoping that I had just missed it in my purse.

            I noticed the guy who was watching me earlier walk slowly up to me and was still staring at me. I looked up and saw that he was peering very closely at me. I flashed him a weak sort of smile and kept searching for my wallet.  “What color is it?” He asked me in an accent I did not recognize. “Umm…uh” I stuttered not knowing what to say. “Your wallet,” He said, “what color?” I started bumbling to describe my wallet to him. He nodded and handed me my wallet and explained how he saw me place the wallet on top of the phone while I made my call.  Then, he asked if I needed help and I explained my situation to him.  “Ok, first thing you need to do is to calm down. You can’t solve anything by freaking out.” He told me his name was Hassan and He was going home to Cairo after a five-hour layover in Rome. He told me that he would stay with me until I was safe. He found me a trolley and load my bags up on and insisted on pushing it for me. Together we searched for my group all the while he was telling me to stay calm and not to worry. At one point, he was talking to me and handed me a cigarette and I, who was still dazed and panicky, took it before realizing what it was. I quickly told him that I do not smoke.

Do not worry; I did not have my first cigarette. I almost gagged on the smoke from his cigarette. After about an hour, Hassan and I were becoming friends, and I found myself feeling calmer and I was able to make jokes. At this time, it was about 2:30 p.m., which was the time half an hour after the bus was suppose to leave for Assisi. Hassam offered to buy me a cappuccino, for which I gladly accepted having not slept a wink on the flight over. He asked me whether I felt better and I told him I did, and then he asked me what I should do. After thinking for a bit, I decided that the best thing to do would be to take a taxi to the Hotel Tiziano and see if the head of the hotel had the number to Dr. Prebys’ cell phone. He patted my shoulder and said that I was finally thinking straight and escorted me to the taxi stop.

After arranging a taxi to drive me to the hotel Tiziano Hassan handed me a 20 Euro bill. I started to protest saying that I had enough money for the taxi, but he told me, “Don’t worry! I am an engineer! I’m rich!” I was so grateful for all of his help that I gave him a hug and he kissed my cheek.  I did not want to forget him so I took a picture with him and he wrote down his e-mail because he wanted me to write him to let him know if I made it to my group safely. After one last goodbye hug, I climbed into the taxi, which drove away towards Rome.