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.
Monday, 18 October 2010
Wednesday, 6 October 2010
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.
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.
Monday, 4 October 2010
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.
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.
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