We got into Barcelona late at night, and took a taxi to our hostel, since it was so far away. Our taxi driver loved us, and since I speak (horrible, horrible, Italian-laced) Spanish, we had a small conversation, where I became “his English teacher”. He was adorable.We stayed at THE COOLEST hostel! It had a real hippy vibe, like the Allen dorm on campus. People hung out in the common room, rolling cigarettes, sitting on the patio, getting beer from the vending machine, playing crazy instruments, or, in general, bumming around. It was our first non-private hostel: we shared our room with an Irish ex-minister, who was 40...and a dude. I have to admit, it was disconcerting. He obviously wasn’t going to bother us, but it was just odd to be with someone we didn’t know.
Our first day, we decided to walk the city. We took the metro (so, so cheap, and takes you everywhere) to La rambla--the main tourist street in Barcelona. We ran into a statue of Christopher Columbus! We both didn’t feel like doing the sights hard, so we went and had some paella, and then went to the beach. It was so amazing to be on the beach during March! It was sandy (for once), and not too packed. The ocean looked beautiful, and we had a great time walking around barefoot.
We stopped at a few churches, and went to La Sagrada Familia--a church designed by Gaudi. Gaudi is a really influential Barcelonan architect: he sort of reminds me of Tim Burton mixed with Salvador Dali. He has plenty of houses and such littered around the city. La Sagrada Familia has been under construction for 100 years! That sounds like a long time, but most churches take 400 or so (granted, before modern technology) years to build. The main structure is up, and they are filling in the stained glass.
La Sagrada Familia, from the front, looks like it is melting, or like wet sand dripping. The back is smooth, and looks almost Arabic. The spires are topped with FRUIT! The inside is amazing, volumous, and so white. Words can’t describe it, but it feels incredibly peaceful. Definitely my favorite church of this trip (and I’ve seen dozens.)
That evening we went out to see a Flamenco show! It was quite fun--most of the people were drunk. There was lots of Spanish guitar, and two women danced two or three times. There’s lots of clicking your heels very quickly, and grand, slow hand gestures. We drank Sangria, and it was delicious! I’ll have to make it at home.
The next day, we only had a few hours. We went on a walking tour of the Gothic Quarter, where we learned about the history of Barcelona and Catalan. Spain used to be divided in multiple kingdoms, and Cataluna was one of them. Once again, it’s a region that wants to separate. Catalunians are quite proud of their language that no one else speaks (we have separate classes at U of I for Spanish and Catalan). The flag of Cataluna is red and yellow stripes, representing a Catalunian kings gold shield, after he took a wound, and wiped his fingers upon it. The Spanish don’t mess around.
There was surprisingly little talk about the Inquisition. We did visit a sanctuary of 13 white (mother goose!) geese, which is for a 13 year old Christian girl, who was persecuted with 13 trials--they were extremely gruesome. I really want to stop hearing about people being hung drung and quartered--Europe seems to have been a fan. Albert brought up that America is no better--tarring and feathering was a horrible process also.
I didn’t go to a bull fight because I’m morally opposed to them. Take that as you will.
Natalie and I ended our day by getting chocolate milk drink (amazing), Spanish Champagne (made from apples, not grapes!), and real tapas: bread topped with various things. There were dozens of choices! I washed it down with a café au lait (which is not what they call it in Cataluna..it’s a café con leche, which is not nearly as satisfying to say.
All in all, I loved Spain! I just wish my Spanish was better (7 years of studies…); its been ruined by Italian. It wouldn’t have helped anyway: Catalan has little overlap with Spanish! Barcelona had a fun, young, vibe to it--they have crazy night clubs (that we didn’t visit, we’re too cheap), and a really lively atmosphere.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Pizza
It should be noted that pizza here is not American pizza. The crust is much thinner, and chewy--or has a thick, fluffy crust (foccacia) and no sauce.. They are baked in stone ovens. The layer of sauce (if there is any) is miniscule. Cheese is not always a given, but common. More importantly, they think our pizza is a travesty. The flavors are so fun and crazy here (American pizza=French fries!)
Sorry for any food repeats
Bruschetta! Yumm
Spanish meatballs and paella
Tapas, of some many kinds
Parmesan--from parma!
Proscuitto di parma
Traditional Reggio filled pasta
Caviar!
Ricotta cheese--so much creamier and richer than in the states, and not grainy AT ALL! This is why the cannoli and lasagna are so good!
Apple champagne
Sangria
Prosecco and chewing gum flavored gelato
White pizza: no tomato sauce!
Pizza with raddichio (red lettuce) and feta
Pizza with ham and artichoke
Steak and guiness pie (London)
London iced tea
Cadbury milk bars--SO GOOD!
Malteasers (malted milk bars)
Marzipan
Colombo and pandoro--traditional Verona cakes
A traditional southern pie and cake, via Rosamaria
Blood chocolate spread (takes like cinnamon!)
Marscarpone
A huge variety of cheese and wine
Treacle toffee (Not so good)
Spanish meatballs and paella
Tapas, of some many kinds
Parmesan--from parma!
Proscuitto di parma
Traditional Reggio filled pasta
Caviar!
Ricotta cheese--so much creamier and richer than in the states, and not grainy AT ALL! This is why the cannoli and lasagna are so good!
Apple champagne
Sangria
Prosecco and chewing gum flavored gelato
White pizza: no tomato sauce!
Pizza with raddichio (red lettuce) and feta
Pizza with ham and artichoke
Steak and guiness pie (London)
London iced tea
Cadbury milk bars--SO GOOD!
Malteasers (malted milk bars)
Marzipan
Colombo and pandoro--traditional Verona cakes
A traditional southern pie and cake, via Rosamaria
Blood chocolate spread (takes like cinnamon!)
Marscarpone
A huge variety of cheese and wine
Treacle toffee (Not so good)
Friday, April 29, 2011
Il Nord e Il Sud
Italy is a small country, but there’s still large differences between the North and the South. They’re similar to America: the north is industrial, colder, less friendly, and the food isn’t as good. The South is agricultural, poor, super friendly, and the food is GREAT. Sicily houses most of the “Italian food” we know (cannoli, rice balls), but the South is the creator red sauce. Speaking of sauce, there is no sauce thing as Alfredo here. Or Garlic Bread. Take that as you will.
With the reason coups in Northern Africa, tons of immigrants have come through Southern Italy. This is placing a huge strain on the economy. Sicily is quite close to Northern Africa (see: Punic wars), and the EU told Italy to take these refugees in. However, no one is providing Italy with money to care for them, or another place to go.
The South is very poor, and there aren’t many jobs. The Universities have a poor reputation (which is saying something, because the university of Verona is a joke of a school--all the classes are giant). There’s a higher rate of pregnancy, unemployment, and most people join the police or military. It’s rather sad.
The North eats really calorie heavy, creamy food, and more meat--very little fish, only canned tuna.
The North also goes off on Separation movements all the time: the closer to Germany, the more seperationist flags you see. This is because the North pays more in taxes then it gets back from the government, since its supporting Southern unemployment. Many northern Italians work in small, artisan businesses, which reduces employment and increases tourism.
With the reason coups in Northern Africa, tons of immigrants have come through Southern Italy. This is placing a huge strain on the economy. Sicily is quite close to Northern Africa (see: Punic wars), and the EU told Italy to take these refugees in. However, no one is providing Italy with money to care for them, or another place to go.
The South is very poor, and there aren’t many jobs. The Universities have a poor reputation (which is saying something, because the university of Verona is a joke of a school--all the classes are giant). There’s a higher rate of pregnancy, unemployment, and most people join the police or military. It’s rather sad.
The North eats really calorie heavy, creamy food, and more meat--very little fish, only canned tuna.
The North also goes off on Separation movements all the time: the closer to Germany, the more seperationist flags you see. This is because the North pays more in taxes then it gets back from the government, since its supporting Southern unemployment. Many northern Italians work in small, artisan businesses, which reduces employment and increases tourism.
Inglese
You often hear that America influences Europe; “it’s a world power!” (for now). It was something I’d heard many times, but assumed this was due to wealth or political influence. But the dominance of America spreads far further than money or politics. It’s very hard to escape America in Europe!
For one, all the popular music is American. Kesha, Katy Perry, whatever--the pop music is American, and it dominated the airwaves. This occurs in every other country I’ve been to. I ask Italians why this is, and they say “Italian music is boring.” Europeans LOVE techno, any sort of dance music. America mass produces everything: hundreds of channels, dozens of musical genres, and our bands actually stay together long enough to produce multiple albums. Most famous Italian musicians are solo artists. It’s quite depressing, the lack of national pride. For once, our nation does something right: explosive growth of every genre.
MTV is literally the American shows and videos translated to Italian. Many american movies are dubbed and put on other channels. The cartoon channels are all mushed together into one. It’s weird, the blues brothers are everywhere: walls in restaurants, commercials…I don’t get it. The greatest part is that you watch your shows uninterrupted: commercial breaks are maybe every half hour, for like 6 minutes. I watched Harry Potter with 2 commercial breaks! So many times, the original show goes much faster, with less suspense! This also results in shows starting at the most random times: :35, :05, :20--why not!?
Besides mass entertainment, American citizens travel quite a bit. In Europe, traveling is quite common, but Americans love to do the most touristy things possible, and thus generate lots of revenue. Many stores have English menus, and most young people speak English. My favorite mistranslations are “scallops”--which is veal, “aubergines” which is supposedly eggplant, and “honey agarics” which is supposedly a mushroom.
Only the most touristy restaurants have menus in languages besides English and Italian. Instead of Spanish, like in America, the dominant second language is English. It’s always extremely interesting to hear two non-native English speakers conversing in English, with ridiculously different accents. It’s a really interesting bonding agent: on a train home, I was with two Palestine boys and an Italian man: the only language we shared was English (the Palestine boys also spoke Arabic and German, go figure). This happens surprisingly often, and I always find it beautiful to watch two people connect in foreign language.
It’s considered imprudent not to know any English, especially when Europe consists of so many small countries with their own language. Most people speak at least one other language (normally English), but many also learn some French and German. It’s quite impressive, but it explains why Europeans look down on Americans for not learning more languages: they need to do it for basic functioning! Europeans can change countries in a 5 hour drive, which only some Americans can do. In America, the only country nearby that doesn’t speak English is Mexico, and thus most Americans learn Spanish, and the second language of translation is always Spanish.
If you think about it, there’s much less motivation for English speakers to learn another language. Most Europeans don’t consider our physical condition, and how different it is when you’re not limited by the size of your country or your neighbors.
For one, all the popular music is American. Kesha, Katy Perry, whatever--the pop music is American, and it dominated the airwaves. This occurs in every other country I’ve been to. I ask Italians why this is, and they say “Italian music is boring.” Europeans LOVE techno, any sort of dance music. America mass produces everything: hundreds of channels, dozens of musical genres, and our bands actually stay together long enough to produce multiple albums. Most famous Italian musicians are solo artists. It’s quite depressing, the lack of national pride. For once, our nation does something right: explosive growth of every genre.
MTV is literally the American shows and videos translated to Italian. Many american movies are dubbed and put on other channels. The cartoon channels are all mushed together into one. It’s weird, the blues brothers are everywhere: walls in restaurants, commercials…I don’t get it. The greatest part is that you watch your shows uninterrupted: commercial breaks are maybe every half hour, for like 6 minutes. I watched Harry Potter with 2 commercial breaks! So many times, the original show goes much faster, with less suspense! This also results in shows starting at the most random times: :35, :05, :20--why not!?
Besides mass entertainment, American citizens travel quite a bit. In Europe, traveling is quite common, but Americans love to do the most touristy things possible, and thus generate lots of revenue. Many stores have English menus, and most young people speak English. My favorite mistranslations are “scallops”--which is veal, “aubergines” which is supposedly eggplant, and “honey agarics” which is supposedly a mushroom.
Only the most touristy restaurants have menus in languages besides English and Italian. Instead of Spanish, like in America, the dominant second language is English. It’s always extremely interesting to hear two non-native English speakers conversing in English, with ridiculously different accents. It’s a really interesting bonding agent: on a train home, I was with two Palestine boys and an Italian man: the only language we shared was English (the Palestine boys also spoke Arabic and German, go figure). This happens surprisingly often, and I always find it beautiful to watch two people connect in foreign language.
It’s considered imprudent not to know any English, especially when Europe consists of so many small countries with their own language. Most people speak at least one other language (normally English), but many also learn some French and German. It’s quite impressive, but it explains why Europeans look down on Americans for not learning more languages: they need to do it for basic functioning! Europeans can change countries in a 5 hour drive, which only some Americans can do. In America, the only country nearby that doesn’t speak English is Mexico, and thus most Americans learn Spanish, and the second language of translation is always Spanish.
If you think about it, there’s much less motivation for English speakers to learn another language. Most Europeans don’t consider our physical condition, and how different it is when you’re not limited by the size of your country or your neighbors.
Formaggio, Carne, Vino, Gelato
These four things are quite artisan in our American markets, and ring up a high price. But in Italy, proscuitto is nothing special! It’s just ham to them! Other common meats include salumi (which is dry, unrefrigerated), mortadella (sort of like bologna, but much tastier. Big white circles of fat!), speck (which is a sort of pork salami), proscuitto crudo/cotto (raw aka smoked, and cooked), and pancetta (not as often, but smoked bacon).
Gelato is actually cheaper than ice cream in the states, even with the exchange rate--and its so much better and denser. Flavors are so fun! Besides the normal chocolate, vanilla, pistachio, strawberry, other common flavors are frutti di bosco (fruit of the forest, aka mixed berry), hazenult, bacio (“kiss”,which is chocolate and hazelnut, and called something different in Sicily), English cream, and straciatella(chocolate chip). Funner flavors I’ve had are marzipan, puffi (chewing gum, also the smurfs), and prossecco--the last being my favorite! A scoop is 1.30 euro, which is currently about $2. It’s pretty reasonable, and so filling. Gelato shops are springing up everywhere now that spring is here. Gelato shops normally also serve nutella crepes (which are just amazing) and nutella topped waffles. Yeah, they love their Nutella here.
Speaking of prosecco, it is so amazing. I wish they had it more in the States. I’ve become a big wine fan here: Reds all the way! White tastes like baby powder to me. I’ve had enough (Natalie and I decided to buy a bottle a week, for posterity) that I’m starting to tell the good from the bad. I really enjoy carbonated wine, like Lamberti or Prosecco, but still cant stomach champagne (even the apple kind we had in Barcelona). I’ve also learned to love Chianti. The Verona province is the highest producer of wine in Italy, and Claudio always gets us some with our meals. A nice bottle of wine (meaning produced in the proper region (DOC)) will cost 3-5 euro, the most expensive running about 10. Wine heaven!! Half a wall of the grocery store (which is the size of Walgreens, mind you) is wine, from multiple regions. And its all Italian. I prefer it to the French stuff, anyway. We went to a producer of Valpolicella, and it was really interesting. We did a tasting of Verona’s most famous wines: Valpolicella Classico, Valpolicella Ripasso, Valpolicella Superiore (which is classico, with 1% more alcohol), and Valpolicella Amarone. Amarone is quite interesting: its aged for 2 years in oak barrels, and reaches alcohol content of 13-15%--it’s almost a wine liquor. It was intense, but still very enjoyable!
Cheese: Anything you want, and its decently cheap. A good size slice is 2-4 euro, DOG (proper region). Parmeggiano-Reggiano (which is just called grana here) will cost more--7 euro or so. It’s that good. So many varieties to choose from! Marscarpone and ricotta come in store brand.
It’s so strange that we charge so much for these household Italian staples. Here, you can’t find cheddar, or California wine. There’s no “American style ice cream”…really, all they know us for is hot dogs, and putting French fries on pizza (yup, that’s the american way to them).
Gelato is actually cheaper than ice cream in the states, even with the exchange rate--and its so much better and denser. Flavors are so fun! Besides the normal chocolate, vanilla, pistachio, strawberry, other common flavors are frutti di bosco (fruit of the forest, aka mixed berry), hazenult, bacio (“kiss”,which is chocolate and hazelnut, and called something different in Sicily), English cream, and straciatella(chocolate chip). Funner flavors I’ve had are marzipan, puffi (chewing gum, also the smurfs), and prossecco--the last being my favorite! A scoop is 1.30 euro, which is currently about $2. It’s pretty reasonable, and so filling. Gelato shops are springing up everywhere now that spring is here. Gelato shops normally also serve nutella crepes (which are just amazing) and nutella topped waffles. Yeah, they love their Nutella here.
Speaking of prosecco, it is so amazing. I wish they had it more in the States. I’ve become a big wine fan here: Reds all the way! White tastes like baby powder to me. I’ve had enough (Natalie and I decided to buy a bottle a week, for posterity) that I’m starting to tell the good from the bad. I really enjoy carbonated wine, like Lamberti or Prosecco, but still cant stomach champagne (even the apple kind we had in Barcelona). I’ve also learned to love Chianti. The Verona province is the highest producer of wine in Italy, and Claudio always gets us some with our meals. A nice bottle of wine (meaning produced in the proper region (DOC)) will cost 3-5 euro, the most expensive running about 10. Wine heaven!! Half a wall of the grocery store (which is the size of Walgreens, mind you) is wine, from multiple regions. And its all Italian. I prefer it to the French stuff, anyway. We went to a producer of Valpolicella, and it was really interesting. We did a tasting of Verona’s most famous wines: Valpolicella Classico, Valpolicella Ripasso, Valpolicella Superiore (which is classico, with 1% more alcohol), and Valpolicella Amarone. Amarone is quite interesting: its aged for 2 years in oak barrels, and reaches alcohol content of 13-15%--it’s almost a wine liquor. It was intense, but still very enjoyable!
Cheese: Anything you want, and its decently cheap. A good size slice is 2-4 euro, DOG (proper region). Parmeggiano-Reggiano (which is just called grana here) will cost more--7 euro or so. It’s that good. So many varieties to choose from! Marscarpone and ricotta come in store brand.
It’s so strange that we charge so much for these household Italian staples. Here, you can’t find cheddar, or California wine. There’s no “American style ice cream”…really, all they know us for is hot dogs, and putting French fries on pizza (yup, that’s the american way to them).
Back to the past: Sneaking in some English
One day, Rosamaria, my Italian roommate asked me to go with her to her English class. I thought it’d be so interesting to meet her English teacher, and hear some fluent English for the first time in awhile. Rosamarias college is divided into 3 small campuses, each 1 or 2 large buildings and a cafeteria. It really reminded me of high school, honestly.
Her teacher was an American from California, who spoke fluent Italian (his father was Italian). This was the highest level class, and he spoke rather clearly, but as natural as you do to any American: he didn’t dumb it down at all. He gave them SAT reading/English worksheets to do, and I couldn’t help feeling sorry for them: I didn’t know some of the words in the analogy section. It’s supposed to help them with the English proficiency exams, where they won’t know every word, but I found it extremely useless. At some point, I got called on to read, and 5 seconds after opening my mouth, he called me out. “What are you doing here!” … “Listening to English?” “You’re not Italian.” He teased me the rest of the class, and offered me a job! Haha, life is quite crazy when you don’t speak the native language…
In any case, I can’t imagine that being my college career. Such a small school, so few choices…can’t wait to be back home, to my super-university!
Her teacher was an American from California, who spoke fluent Italian (his father was Italian). This was the highest level class, and he spoke rather clearly, but as natural as you do to any American: he didn’t dumb it down at all. He gave them SAT reading/English worksheets to do, and I couldn’t help feeling sorry for them: I didn’t know some of the words in the analogy section. It’s supposed to help them with the English proficiency exams, where they won’t know every word, but I found it extremely useless. At some point, I got called on to read, and 5 seconds after opening my mouth, he called me out. “What are you doing here!” … “Listening to English?” “You’re not Italian.” He teased me the rest of the class, and offered me a job! Haha, life is quite crazy when you don’t speak the native language…
In any case, I can’t imagine that being my college career. Such a small school, so few choices…can’t wait to be back home, to my super-university!
Roma, bella roma, parte 1
Rome was always a dream of mine: something I’ve studied for years, and a side-passion. It was one of the major reasons I chose Italy for study abroad. I ended up going during Easter week, to get the full effect of the city. It was my first major trip on my own, and I was so glad I did it this way--such an intense trip, and since I had so much investment in the city, I really wanted to do it my way. Luckily, Rome is full of tourists, and the native language is Italy, so I had no issues communicating!
As mentioned: tourists everywhere. That means plenty of tourist traps. Immigrants selling back-of-the-truck souvenirs, or those balls that you splat on the ground and regain their form (ugh, 4 people selling them on the same street). Gladiators by the Colloseum to take your picture, etc etc. The souvenir shops were a hoot: boxers with Il David’s penis, gladiator armor, etc--more ridiculous than I’d ever seen. Anything your heart desire, in Roma! For a single traveller though, having tourists around was great: so many people were willing to take my picture for me! Many couples were traveling alone, and I would help them take a picture together, and they’d return the favor.
I arrived in Rome by my first Eurostar train. Trains are pretty expensive in Italy, and only good for in country--international ones are quite pricey. The Eurostar is very very fast, and got me to Rome in 3 hours--halfway across the (albeit, small) country. My hostel was actually a hotel, and a dream to stay in after all the hours of walking I did. Nearby was a beautiful fountain of nymphs wrestling monsters--a glimpse of all the history littered around Rome.
I encountered the metro: there’s only two lines throughout the city, and they aren’t super useful, like the French and British lines. The Roman ground level rose 9 meters over a millenium, and thus many of the ancient buildings are buried underground. If they try to put a metro line in, they often encounter ruins in the ground, or beneath--not very stable for a heavy train to be supported by stone temples. I next went to the Trevi Fountain, which was beautiful--its designed to look like an oasis in the middle of a city. Che bella!
As in every large city, there was a free English walking tour. Mine took me from the Spanish Steps (which are indeed, some steps built by the Spanish, and little more :P ) all the way to the Colloseum. We past the Memoriale di Vittore Emanuelle II, who I believe united Italy. It is the largest marble structure in Europe, and quite beautiful, in my opinion. The Romans hate it: its so new, and so giant, and only dedicted to one person. They nicknamed it the Typewriter or Wedding Cake memorial. Check it out online!
The tour took us from one side of the city to the other, and I took the metro home to crash in my hotel. I met my other hostel mates: A Spanish woman, A German woman, A woman from Idaho (who was crazy), and Sofi, a young Canadian nurse traveling the world. We bonded over the fact that we were both under 30 and spoke English. Canadians sound like Sarah Palin, btw. We went out to pizza, and ran into Ted, who was also in Rome. Small world!
The next day I decided to do the major attractions, which are in the South part of the city. I stood in line for the Roman Forum, which had a shorter line than the Colloseum, but shares the same ticket. Many people buy RomaPasses, which give you entrance, 3 days on the metro, AND you get to cut the line. They’re a great deal if you’re not on a budget. The Roman Forum was HUGE! I had no idea. It looks like one square when you enter, but it expands up the Palatine hill. It was so interesting to see everything up close. I loved seeing the temple of the Vestal Virgins and the remains of Caesar. After that, I popped into the Colloseum, which is in pretty bad shape on the inside. It was so cool! I saw the pulleys used to pull animals up through the floor, and learned the terrible conditions they were kept in L
After that, I met my Canadian friend to view the central sights:Hadrians temple, a spectacular church, the Pantheon (the best preserved temple in Rome, and beautiful! So cool to see what it actually looked like). We popped over to Piazza Navona, which is quite lively and contemporary. There was a fountain with 4 men, each representing major rivers. The Nile’s representation had his face covered, since at the time no one knew its origin! There were many paintings for sale, a hip hop group, and a puppet show for children. We walked past what I’m pretty sure was Berlusconi’s residence, since it was heavily guarded. His police escort was huge when he was driving places! We returned to our hostel, and an Italian and a French woman joined our international cast.
As mentioned: tourists everywhere. That means plenty of tourist traps. Immigrants selling back-of-the-truck souvenirs, or those balls that you splat on the ground and regain their form (ugh, 4 people selling them on the same street). Gladiators by the Colloseum to take your picture, etc etc. The souvenir shops were a hoot: boxers with Il David’s penis, gladiator armor, etc--more ridiculous than I’d ever seen. Anything your heart desire, in Roma! For a single traveller though, having tourists around was great: so many people were willing to take my picture for me! Many couples were traveling alone, and I would help them take a picture together, and they’d return the favor.
I arrived in Rome by my first Eurostar train. Trains are pretty expensive in Italy, and only good for in country--international ones are quite pricey. The Eurostar is very very fast, and got me to Rome in 3 hours--halfway across the (albeit, small) country. My hostel was actually a hotel, and a dream to stay in after all the hours of walking I did. Nearby was a beautiful fountain of nymphs wrestling monsters--a glimpse of all the history littered around Rome.
I encountered the metro: there’s only two lines throughout the city, and they aren’t super useful, like the French and British lines. The Roman ground level rose 9 meters over a millenium, and thus many of the ancient buildings are buried underground. If they try to put a metro line in, they often encounter ruins in the ground, or beneath--not very stable for a heavy train to be supported by stone temples. I next went to the Trevi Fountain, which was beautiful--its designed to look like an oasis in the middle of a city. Che bella!
As in every large city, there was a free English walking tour. Mine took me from the Spanish Steps (which are indeed, some steps built by the Spanish, and little more :P ) all the way to the Colloseum. We past the Memoriale di Vittore Emanuelle II, who I believe united Italy. It is the largest marble structure in Europe, and quite beautiful, in my opinion. The Romans hate it: its so new, and so giant, and only dedicted to one person. They nicknamed it the Typewriter or Wedding Cake memorial. Check it out online!
The tour took us from one side of the city to the other, and I took the metro home to crash in my hotel. I met my other hostel mates: A Spanish woman, A German woman, A woman from Idaho (who was crazy), and Sofi, a young Canadian nurse traveling the world. We bonded over the fact that we were both under 30 and spoke English. Canadians sound like Sarah Palin, btw. We went out to pizza, and ran into Ted, who was also in Rome. Small world!
The next day I decided to do the major attractions, which are in the South part of the city. I stood in line for the Roman Forum, which had a shorter line than the Colloseum, but shares the same ticket. Many people buy RomaPasses, which give you entrance, 3 days on the metro, AND you get to cut the line. They’re a great deal if you’re not on a budget. The Roman Forum was HUGE! I had no idea. It looks like one square when you enter, but it expands up the Palatine hill. It was so interesting to see everything up close. I loved seeing the temple of the Vestal Virgins and the remains of Caesar. After that, I popped into the Colloseum, which is in pretty bad shape on the inside. It was so cool! I saw the pulleys used to pull animals up through the floor, and learned the terrible conditions they were kept in L
After that, I met my Canadian friend to view the central sights:Hadrians temple, a spectacular church, the Pantheon (the best preserved temple in Rome, and beautiful! So cool to see what it actually looked like). We popped over to Piazza Navona, which is quite lively and contemporary. There was a fountain with 4 men, each representing major rivers. The Nile’s representation had his face covered, since at the time no one knew its origin! There were many paintings for sale, a hip hop group, and a puppet show for children. We walked past what I’m pretty sure was Berlusconi’s residence, since it was heavily guarded. His police escort was huge when he was driving places! We returned to our hostel, and an Italian and a French woman joined our international cast.
Che succeso??
Italians are horrible rubberneckers . Because most people walk within the historical center, and because they are consistently outside, drinking an espresso outside a café , if something mildly interesting happens, they jump up and walk right up to it. It’s extremely unsubtle: once there was a fender bender, and people walked across the street, onto the median, to blatantly stare. It’s easy to know if somethings happened, because people are lining the street.
Verona, la mia citta'
Now that I’m about to leave Verona (8 days!!), I feel I can properly paint a picture of it. In the winter, it was a rather quiet place. Many places were closed till spring: Gelato especially! There were only a few places to get gelato, and most of them weren’t good. First world problems, ay? It was constantly cloudy, and rather chilly: Early November Chicago weather. The first day it was sunny, we were all amazed at how beautiful it looked. The brightly colored buildings shined, and we saw mountains in the distance! It was amazing. People are not especially friendly here, especially since we don’t speak the best Italian. Most food service folks speak a decent amount of English. Their Italian accent is very clear, which is a blessing--in the south, I’m often at a loss. The Sicilian man who runs my favorite pizza place is literally incompressible to me, and speaks no English (totally worth it: crazy pizza toppings, and the only place to find calzones and rice balls. Plus they have a cheese pizza that’s literally just pizza dough topped with 4 different kinds of cheese, in 1 inch thick slices.) It’s very rich here, and its obvious: many of the paths are cobblestone set with white stone walking paths or sidewalks. Cobblestone is pretty common here, and it is no longer quaint (I actually have a brick road near my apartment in Urbana, so its too funny to have them make a comeback…). You can feel every stone through your shoe.
Anyway, the shops are very cute, and expensive: one street is all designer labels, there’s many artisan gelato places, and many doctors. There’s a huge mall with essentially a Walmart farther outside the historic center.
When spring hit, Verona became far more lively. Many more people out, strolling the main roads. Backpackers and tour buses started appearing out of nowhere. The men suddenly became much more friendly. Shops opened up: gelato and restaurants and tourist booths. Street performers littered the main roads. And suddenly, there were lines everywhere! Really, don’t travel during tourist season: its far more expensive, and there’s so many more lines, people are less patient with you and more likely to label you “tourist”.
Anyway, the shops are very cute, and expensive: one street is all designer labels, there’s many artisan gelato places, and many doctors. There’s a huge mall with essentially a Walmart farther outside the historic center.
When spring hit, Verona became far more lively. Many more people out, strolling the main roads. Backpackers and tour buses started appearing out of nowhere. The men suddenly became much more friendly. Shops opened up: gelato and restaurants and tourist booths. Street performers littered the main roads. And suddenly, there were lines everywhere! Really, don’t travel during tourist season: its far more expensive, and there’s so many more lines, people are less patient with you and more likely to label you “tourist”.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
What I will miss about Italy, or America vs. Italy
Things I’ve missed about America:
Diversity. It sounds stereotypical, but Italy is incredibly homogenous, and so are most of the other countries I’ve been to. It’s something you take for granted. Not just race, but also arcitecture: everything is so ancient here, so there’s a very set feel in each city, and many cities, like Paris or London, look very smooth and fluid, but its because they thrived and were built up in one time period.
BBQ Sauce, Ranch, Fried Chicken, Proper Cheeseburgers--you just can’t find them here. Almost got fried chicken in Paris, I was so starved for it (ended up getting it in London!). KFC is crazy expensive because its “foreign”, and only in large, large cities. American fastfood (Taco Bell, Chipotle (the one in London is the only one in Europe))
The American Dollar: Goodness, everything is so expensive here. Its horrible, being charged to take cash out, and for foreign purchases, and having to worry about the exchange rates….it aged me (and impoverished me).
The 12 hour clock: Goodness, I’ve been late so many places getting used to military time. It’s helpful once you know it (never any confusion), but the math of figuring out the time difference. “Oh, its 18:00, 7 hours, so it’s 1:00 in the States!” Whoops. Sempre, sempre.
Friends and Family: This country is amazing, but its difficult to make friends without speaking the language, and its very isolating. As great as it is here, I can’t help but imagine I’d be enjoying myself 8x more with my best friends here.
English: You don’t realize how lucky you are till you can’t express yourself properly. I wish I’d spoken more complexly while I was home. Another person in the program mentioned that when they were in Dublin, they cracked jokes and dry humor constantly, since people finally understood him.
Sarcasm: They don’t use it nearly as much here, and people take me far too seriously.
Things I’ll miss about Italy:
Cheap, yet world-class, wine. I never appreciated it before I came here, and preferred white wine when I had to. Now, I vastly prefer red, and I’m learning a bit about the culture. It’s fantastic, and I’m sad I won’t have that option in the states.
Cheap, yet world-class gelato: Obviously.
Coffee culture: Lazing about with a cappucino is so under-rated. I could drink 5 a day if I could.
Italian: It’s a beautiful language, and always a challenge.
History: There are monuments, famous buildings, and other marks of antiquity on every other street…you realize how young America is as a result. Our country is so young, so full of promise and opportunity, but we have so little historical foundation in comparison to other countries.
Diversity. It sounds stereotypical, but Italy is incredibly homogenous, and so are most of the other countries I’ve been to. It’s something you take for granted. Not just race, but also arcitecture: everything is so ancient here, so there’s a very set feel in each city, and many cities, like Paris or London, look very smooth and fluid, but its because they thrived and were built up in one time period.
BBQ Sauce, Ranch, Fried Chicken, Proper Cheeseburgers--you just can’t find them here. Almost got fried chicken in Paris, I was so starved for it (ended up getting it in London!). KFC is crazy expensive because its “foreign”, and only in large, large cities. American fastfood (Taco Bell, Chipotle (the one in London is the only one in Europe))
The American Dollar: Goodness, everything is so expensive here. Its horrible, being charged to take cash out, and for foreign purchases, and having to worry about the exchange rates….it aged me (and impoverished me).
The 12 hour clock: Goodness, I’ve been late so many places getting used to military time. It’s helpful once you know it (never any confusion), but the math of figuring out the time difference. “Oh, its 18:00, 7 hours, so it’s 1:00 in the States!” Whoops. Sempre, sempre.
Friends and Family: This country is amazing, but its difficult to make friends without speaking the language, and its very isolating. As great as it is here, I can’t help but imagine I’d be enjoying myself 8x more with my best friends here.
English: You don’t realize how lucky you are till you can’t express yourself properly. I wish I’d spoken more complexly while I was home. Another person in the program mentioned that when they were in Dublin, they cracked jokes and dry humor constantly, since people finally understood him.
Sarcasm: They don’t use it nearly as much here, and people take me far too seriously.
Things I’ll miss about Italy:
Cheap, yet world-class, wine. I never appreciated it before I came here, and preferred white wine when I had to. Now, I vastly prefer red, and I’m learning a bit about the culture. It’s fantastic, and I’m sad I won’t have that option in the states.
Cheap, yet world-class gelato: Obviously.
Coffee culture: Lazing about with a cappucino is so under-rated. I could drink 5 a day if I could.
Italian: It’s a beautiful language, and always a challenge.
History: There are monuments, famous buildings, and other marks of antiquity on every other street…you realize how young America is as a result. Our country is so young, so full of promise and opportunity, but we have so little historical foundation in comparison to other countries.
Asiago
Asiago
For our last Claudio trip, we took off to Asiago. This surprisingly small village of 9000 produces quite a famous product! Our bus climbed a mountain, back and forth, for seemingly ever, until finally we arrived in what looked like the Sound of Music set. Green hills surrounded us! Upon arriving to our lodge, we realized that Asiago is, in fact, a ski town. We went to a ski town, in the spring. Take that as you will.
However, it was quite beautiful and relaxing. With little else to do, we had plenty of large, heavy meals, went horseback riding, and were offered yoga lessons and a hot sauna as well! It was nice to actually go on vacation for once: most of our trips are so jam packed with sights and walking that its difficult not to be exhausted. It’s safe to say there is nothing exhausting about Asiago!
We had one full day there, and we spent the morning at an Asiago cheese factory. Apparently there was a fire there a few years back, and much of the aged stock burned--10 million dollars lost in a few hours! Crazy. We watched the process, and let me assure you, it’s as smelly as the cheese. The milk sits in a hot room, which is ever so pleasant, and then sits in tubs with an enzyme, where it solidifies, is put in a cloth, drained, and put in a mold. The smell of fresh cheese setting is similar to rotting eggs. The cheese goes through salt water, and then ages, for up to 3 years!
We also watched the fresh stuff made. This is done in batches, about 7 a day. Surprisingly, the workers are mostly immigrants! Far from artisanship passed down through the family, this work is labor intensive, and thus not desirable as a job. it’s a similar process, but the cheese is much clumpier--they gave us a ball of it to taste (which they later put back in with the rest of the cheese…gross), and it was delicious! Like string cheese and eggs.
Overall, It was quite an educational and palate-clenching trip J
For our last Claudio trip, we took off to Asiago. This surprisingly small village of 9000 produces quite a famous product! Our bus climbed a mountain, back and forth, for seemingly ever, until finally we arrived in what looked like the Sound of Music set. Green hills surrounded us! Upon arriving to our lodge, we realized that Asiago is, in fact, a ski town. We went to a ski town, in the spring. Take that as you will.
However, it was quite beautiful and relaxing. With little else to do, we had plenty of large, heavy meals, went horseback riding, and were offered yoga lessons and a hot sauna as well! It was nice to actually go on vacation for once: most of our trips are so jam packed with sights and walking that its difficult not to be exhausted. It’s safe to say there is nothing exhausting about Asiago!
We had one full day there, and we spent the morning at an Asiago cheese factory. Apparently there was a fire there a few years back, and much of the aged stock burned--10 million dollars lost in a few hours! Crazy. We watched the process, and let me assure you, it’s as smelly as the cheese. The milk sits in a hot room, which is ever so pleasant, and then sits in tubs with an enzyme, where it solidifies, is put in a cloth, drained, and put in a mold. The smell of fresh cheese setting is similar to rotting eggs. The cheese goes through salt water, and then ages, for up to 3 years!
We also watched the fresh stuff made. This is done in batches, about 7 a day. Surprisingly, the workers are mostly immigrants! Far from artisanship passed down through the family, this work is labor intensive, and thus not desirable as a job. it’s a similar process, but the cheese is much clumpier--they gave us a ball of it to taste (which they later put back in with the rest of the cheese…gross), and it was delicious! Like string cheese and eggs.
Overall, It was quite an educational and palate-clenching trip J
Backpackers
Nothing on this earth bugs me more than Backpackers. Backpackers are the hardcore folks: Travelling straight from city to city with nothing but their one backpack, for weeks or months. It sounds easy, but it is insanely expensive (imagine 9-20 euros per night for your hostel, plus museum fees and transport) and stressful (it certainly isn’t a vacation, but its definitely an experience).
I have no idea why they bother me so much. They are just quite the eyesore: a huge backpack, with a blanket roll on the bottom, and a sleeping bag roll on the top, with a backpack on the front. It’s something I could certainly never do, which is why I was happy to do study abroad instead: you have a home base, to wash clothes in, to have cheap food in, to keep your things safe.
I have no idea why they bother me so much. They are just quite the eyesore: a huge backpack, with a blanket roll on the bottom, and a sleeping bag roll on the top, with a backpack on the front. It’s something I could certainly never do, which is why I was happy to do study abroad instead: you have a home base, to wash clothes in, to have cheap food in, to keep your things safe.
La lingua italiana
Carnavale landed on Verona the Friday before Lent. Celebrated wherever they don’t speak English, it appears (Greece, Italy, South America, and many other places), Carnaval is similar to Mardi Gras, and is essentially a party. It’s celebrated different days in different places, but mostly the weekend before Lent begins. In Verona, it was on Friday. A parade of ridiculous floats passed through the main street, winding up to Piazza San Zeno, the square containing the church of Verona’s patron saint. The floats were extremely diverse: from “majorettes” (imported idea from America, mostly Eastern European troupes) and school groups dressed in Renissance clothing, to teenagers in dinosaur costumes, to huge floats spraying confetti on the crowd, and they all blast music!
Speaking of confetti, its important. Children, dressed in costumes as if its Halloween, throw it at the parade, and the parade retaliates! People will walk up to you and throw it in your hair! Children are awful about it--they buy it by the bag on the side of the parade, or they choose silly string instead (which the parade folks don’t like as much, since most are dressed in expensive Renissance costumes). The street is covered in a thin blanket of it by the end of the parade.
In Verona, traditionally on Carnavale they eat a dish of gnocchi (which is sold everywhere that day). Gnocchi is a heavy potato-based pasta, served with a heavy sauce like pesto or ragu. When the parade ends, there’s Carnavale games, and the winner is named “King of the Gnocchi”, and given a giant plastic fork with a giant plastic gnoccho on the end to carry through the town (I missed that part!)
We wanted to see the heart of Carnavale, and so on Sunday headed to the heart of it: Venezia! We arrived in Venice, and it is everything you imagined. It’s narrow, winding, and full of arches and canals and pushy gondola owners (its about 40-50 euro per ride, if you‘re curious). It’s so easy to get lost, but who’s complaining! Mask stores abound, like something out of a horror movie almost: the grotesque alongside the beautiful, glitter-covered pieces. Anything you could want for a mask, you’ll find in Venice. I was quite partial to the more old-fashioned ones, with muted colors. There are so many shapes: some with long noses, some for your whole face, some just for your eyes and nose, some with feathers, some almost like the front of a train!
Costumes abounded in Venezia. In Piazza San Marco, we found parrots, disney costumes, snake-like wizards, and so much more. There was a costume contest going on, and the authenticity was quite amazing. You could tell people have been preparing for months!
Speaking of confetti, its important. Children, dressed in costumes as if its Halloween, throw it at the parade, and the parade retaliates! People will walk up to you and throw it in your hair! Children are awful about it--they buy it by the bag on the side of the parade, or they choose silly string instead (which the parade folks don’t like as much, since most are dressed in expensive Renissance costumes). The street is covered in a thin blanket of it by the end of the parade.
In Verona, traditionally on Carnavale they eat a dish of gnocchi (which is sold everywhere that day). Gnocchi is a heavy potato-based pasta, served with a heavy sauce like pesto or ragu. When the parade ends, there’s Carnavale games, and the winner is named “King of the Gnocchi”, and given a giant plastic fork with a giant plastic gnoccho on the end to carry through the town (I missed that part!)
We wanted to see the heart of Carnavale, and so on Sunday headed to the heart of it: Venezia! We arrived in Venice, and it is everything you imagined. It’s narrow, winding, and full of arches and canals and pushy gondola owners (its about 40-50 euro per ride, if you‘re curious). It’s so easy to get lost, but who’s complaining! Mask stores abound, like something out of a horror movie almost: the grotesque alongside the beautiful, glitter-covered pieces. Anything you could want for a mask, you’ll find in Venice. I was quite partial to the more old-fashioned ones, with muted colors. There are so many shapes: some with long noses, some for your whole face, some just for your eyes and nose, some with feathers, some almost like the front of a train!
Costumes abounded in Venezia. In Piazza San Marco, we found parrots, disney costumes, snake-like wizards, and so much more. There was a costume contest going on, and the authenticity was quite amazing. You could tell people have been preparing for months!
Carnavale
Carnavale landed on Verona the Friday before Lent. Celebrated wherever they don’t speak English, it appears (Greece, Italy, South America, and many other places), Carnaval is similar to Mardi Gras, and is essentially a party. It’s celebrated different days in different places, but mostly the weekend before Lent begins. In Verona, it was on Friday. A parade of ridiculous floats passed through the main street, winding up to Piazza San Zeno, the square containing the church of Verona’s patron saint. The floats were extremely diverse: from “majorettes” (imported idea from America, mostly Eastern European troupes) and school groups dressed in Renissance clothing, to teenagers in dinosaur costumes, to huge floats spraying confetti on the crowd, and they all blast music!
Speaking of confetti, its important. Children, dressed in costumes as if its Halloween, throw it at the parade, and the parade retaliates! People will walk up to you and throw it in your hair! Children are awful about it--they buy it by the bag on the side of the parade, or they choose silly string instead (which the parade folks don’t like as much, since most are dressed in expensive Renissance costumes). The street is covered in a thin blanket of it by the end of the parade.
In Verona, traditionally on Carnavale they eat a dish of gnocchi (which is sold everywhere that day). Gnocchi is a heavy potato-based pasta, served with a heavy sauce like pesto or ragu. When the parade ends, there’s Carnavale games, and the winner is named “King of the Gnocchi”, and given a giant plastic fork with a giant plastic gnoccho on the end to carry through the town (I missed that part!)
We wanted to see the heart of Carnavale, and so on Sunday headed to the heart of it: Venezia! We arrived in Venice, and it is everything you imagined. It’s narrow, winding, and full of arches and canals and pushy gondola owners (its about 40-50 euro per ride, if you‘re curious). It’s so easy to get lost, but who’s complaining! Mask stores abound, like something out of a horror movie almost: the grotesque alongside the beautiful, glitter-covered pieces. Anything you could want for a mask, you’ll find in Venice. I was quite partial to the more old-fashioned ones, with muted colors. There are so many shapes: some with long noses, some for your whole face, some just for your eyes and nose, some with feathers, some almost like the front of a train!
Costumes abounded in Venezia. In Piazza San Marco, we found parrots, disney costumes, snake-like wizards, and so much more. There was a costume contest going on, and the authenticity was quite amazing. You could tell people have been preparing for months!
Speaking of confetti, its important. Children, dressed in costumes as if its Halloween, throw it at the parade, and the parade retaliates! People will walk up to you and throw it in your hair! Children are awful about it--they buy it by the bag on the side of the parade, or they choose silly string instead (which the parade folks don’t like as much, since most are dressed in expensive Renissance costumes). The street is covered in a thin blanket of it by the end of the parade.
In Verona, traditionally on Carnavale they eat a dish of gnocchi (which is sold everywhere that day). Gnocchi is a heavy potato-based pasta, served with a heavy sauce like pesto or ragu. When the parade ends, there’s Carnavale games, and the winner is named “King of the Gnocchi”, and given a giant plastic fork with a giant plastic gnoccho on the end to carry through the town (I missed that part!)
We wanted to see the heart of Carnavale, and so on Sunday headed to the heart of it: Venezia! We arrived in Venice, and it is everything you imagined. It’s narrow, winding, and full of arches and canals and pushy gondola owners (its about 40-50 euro per ride, if you‘re curious). It’s so easy to get lost, but who’s complaining! Mask stores abound, like something out of a horror movie almost: the grotesque alongside the beautiful, glitter-covered pieces. Anything you could want for a mask, you’ll find in Venice. I was quite partial to the more old-fashioned ones, with muted colors. There are so many shapes: some with long noses, some for your whole face, some just for your eyes and nose, some with feathers, some almost like the front of a train!
Costumes abounded in Venezia. In Piazza San Marco, we found parrots, disney costumes, snake-like wizards, and so much more. There was a costume contest going on, and the authenticity was quite amazing. You could tell people have been preparing for months!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Athene
Becca was kind enough to allow Ryan and I to stay with her in Athens, and see the ancient city! She warned us about the frequent strikes--the day before we arrived was a huge, city wide strike, and there had been some violent ones earlier that month. Luckily, strikes are so common in Europe, every country has a website announcing them.
After getting totally lost wandering the streets, the police advised we take a cab--SO CHEAP! Can’t beat a 5 euro cab ride through the whole city. We met up with the beautiful Becca, who took us out to gyro, and then to a Carnival gathering at her school. It was so fun watching them Greek dance (poor Becca was in a foot cast, and couldn’t show us her moves)
On Friday we went to the fresh market with her roommates, where I was stuffed with olives and raisins by pleasant vendors, and amazed by the cheap prices, olive oil hand bottled in plastic, and eggs sold by the piece. We went to an adorable bakery and got spank pita and cheese pies, which I am addicted to. We began our sight seeing, and climbed the hill of the Acropolis. It was covered in the resident feral dogs. There are plenty all over Athens, and they are adorable. Many are collared, but none are violent. They don’t roll in packs, which surprised me. One followed me around a little, after I stared at him a bit J (The cats are terrifying though. I thought one cat was going to seriously jump me). We then rolled Becca around the Acropolis Museum, where we ran into one of Ryan’s old friends from the dorms, who lives in my apartment complex! Whar are the odds. Becca stuffed us full of stuffed peppers at her apartment J What a great Greek! I admired the lemon trees off her balcony, and she told me the orange trees on the street produce bitter fruit. It’s crazy to think of fruit trees as a natural part of the surroundings--When we went to Limone, off Lake Garda, in Italy, lemon trees were everywhere. (This is where Limoncello, or as they call it in the north, Limoncino, originated. It’s a lemon liquor).
On Saturday, Ryan and I went sight seeing--since we’d done the Acropolis, it was an easy day compared to our Parisian adventures. We went to the Ancient Agora, Hadrians Library, the Olympic stadium, and Hadrians Arch. I was honestly expecting more, but Ancient Greece was much more compact than I knew. It was very run down (Obligatory joke: How was Athens? Eh, its kind of falling apart. Groan) after all these centuries. There was so much history, but it was sad how much disrepair has occurred. Athens is a great city, but dirty after being occupied so long.
Did I mention you can’t flush toilet paper? You can’t flush toilet paper. This amazed me to no end. There’s no subway either, I imagine since a. cabs are so cheap and b. theres ruins under everything! Other differences in Greece: people stand much closer to you, and talk a bit louder. Food is a bit heavier, and lots of feta cheese, but whos complaining! Much fewer normal citizens spoke English, but thank goodness the police did. The city was a bit more cramped, and much hillier.
We bid goodbye to Becca on Sunday, and went through the amazing Athens airport (a nice change after shady warehouses…it was built for the Olympics, very modern, drinking fountains, charging stations, amazing!) to our flight.
F’farestume Becca (the only butchered Greek I know!) for putting us up! (And for sharing books with me--everyone I shared the Hunger Games with is addicted to it! ) What a relaxing weekend, as only Greece can provide. I hope I get to go to the islands sometime(you know, when I return to Europe in 10 years or something), I hear they are a slice of paradise.
After getting totally lost wandering the streets, the police advised we take a cab--SO CHEAP! Can’t beat a 5 euro cab ride through the whole city. We met up with the beautiful Becca, who took us out to gyro, and then to a Carnival gathering at her school. It was so fun watching them Greek dance (poor Becca was in a foot cast, and couldn’t show us her moves)
On Friday we went to the fresh market with her roommates, where I was stuffed with olives and raisins by pleasant vendors, and amazed by the cheap prices, olive oil hand bottled in plastic, and eggs sold by the piece. We went to an adorable bakery and got spank pita and cheese pies, which I am addicted to. We began our sight seeing, and climbed the hill of the Acropolis. It was covered in the resident feral dogs. There are plenty all over Athens, and they are adorable. Many are collared, but none are violent. They don’t roll in packs, which surprised me. One followed me around a little, after I stared at him a bit J (The cats are terrifying though. I thought one cat was going to seriously jump me). We then rolled Becca around the Acropolis Museum, where we ran into one of Ryan’s old friends from the dorms, who lives in my apartment complex! Whar are the odds. Becca stuffed us full of stuffed peppers at her apartment J What a great Greek! I admired the lemon trees off her balcony, and she told me the orange trees on the street produce bitter fruit. It’s crazy to think of fruit trees as a natural part of the surroundings--When we went to Limone, off Lake Garda, in Italy, lemon trees were everywhere. (This is where Limoncello, or as they call it in the north, Limoncino, originated. It’s a lemon liquor).
On Saturday, Ryan and I went sight seeing--since we’d done the Acropolis, it was an easy day compared to our Parisian adventures. We went to the Ancient Agora, Hadrians Library, the Olympic stadium, and Hadrians Arch. I was honestly expecting more, but Ancient Greece was much more compact than I knew. It was very run down (Obligatory joke: How was Athens? Eh, its kind of falling apart. Groan) after all these centuries. There was so much history, but it was sad how much disrepair has occurred. Athens is a great city, but dirty after being occupied so long.
Did I mention you can’t flush toilet paper? You can’t flush toilet paper. This amazed me to no end. There’s no subway either, I imagine since a. cabs are so cheap and b. theres ruins under everything! Other differences in Greece: people stand much closer to you, and talk a bit louder. Food is a bit heavier, and lots of feta cheese, but whos complaining! Much fewer normal citizens spoke English, but thank goodness the police did. The city was a bit more cramped, and much hillier.
We bid goodbye to Becca on Sunday, and went through the amazing Athens airport (a nice change after shady warehouses…it was built for the Olympics, very modern, drinking fountains, charging stations, amazing!) to our flight.
F’farestume Becca (the only butchered Greek I know!) for putting us up! (And for sharing books with me--everyone I shared the Hunger Games with is addicted to it! ) What a relaxing weekend, as only Greece can provide. I hope I get to go to the islands sometime(you know, when I return to Europe in 10 years or something), I hear they are a slice of paradise.
PDA and Romance in the City of Love
Italians are pretty notorious for their romantic style. They woo hard and long, and don’t take no for an answer. Many girls in the program have had men “fall in love” with them over one night in a bar. PDA is rampant in the streets--the young and old alike. It is both adorable, and sickening. Teenagers are not very respectful of others, and are not very sly in their affections.
Things were fine in the winter, but as Spring arrived (and winter coats left behind), men were far more forward.Before, you tended only to be approached in bars, but it now happens often on the street. Men are much more forward than in the United States, and thus you have to be much ruder. Italian women are very standoffish to men, and as most American girls aren’t, Italians assume they are easy. If a man says Ciao to you (or the famous Ciao, bella), you’re expected to ignore them. Even if you reply curtly, they will take it as an invitation to continue after you. This was hard to adjust to, coming from the Midwest.
Different things qualify as racy here. Europe is a very liberal place--huge, 20 ft advertisements for women’s lingerie are common, and nude advertisements for cream etc arent uncommon. Despite this, Italian women dress rather conservatively, and everyone dresses up more than Americans. Women do not wear tank tops, to my knowledge. I do see short skirts, but mostly with tall boots and tights. Bare skin is rather strange in general--clothes tend to be well fitted, on the tighter side. I suppose that is why I get singled out as American, even when I’m wearing conservative skirts, but especially in a tank top. It’s very strange, as this would never occur in the States, but ce la vie!
Things were fine in the winter, but as Spring arrived (and winter coats left behind), men were far more forward.Before, you tended only to be approached in bars, but it now happens often on the street. Men are much more forward than in the United States, and thus you have to be much ruder. Italian women are very standoffish to men, and as most American girls aren’t, Italians assume they are easy. If a man says Ciao to you (or the famous Ciao, bella), you’re expected to ignore them. Even if you reply curtly, they will take it as an invitation to continue after you. This was hard to adjust to, coming from the Midwest.
Different things qualify as racy here. Europe is a very liberal place--huge, 20 ft advertisements for women’s lingerie are common, and nude advertisements for cream etc arent uncommon. Despite this, Italian women dress rather conservatively, and everyone dresses up more than Americans. Women do not wear tank tops, to my knowledge. I do see short skirts, but mostly with tall boots and tights. Bare skin is rather strange in general--clothes tend to be well fitted, on the tighter side. I suppose that is why I get singled out as American, even when I’m wearing conservative skirts, but especially in a tank top. It’s very strange, as this would never occur in the States, but ce la vie!
Il mio ragazzo arriva!
CJ visited me in Italy!! It was quite a fiasco. It was my first time going on a trip alone (to meet him at the train station). I was so happy to see him after all our time apart. We stayed on a house boat in Amsterdam, which was a great time, and very secluded…minus the chicken coop on the bank! Obviously Amsterdam has its own connotations, but is a modern city, overcast, with good transportation. Everyone speaks Dutch AND English fluently--its very impressive. food is pretty similar to american food. French fries with various sauces (not the standard ketchup/mayo of Europe), and Croquettes, which reminded me of mozarella sticks, but filled with a mushy pea/meat stew mixture. We went to the zoo (which had raccoons in it! Normal for us, but strange to Europe, I suppose. I never see squirrels or rabbits, either…although they eat rabbits here), and the Van Gogh Museum (which had many paintings that influenced Van Gogh, but not many actual Van Goghs. “Where is Starry Night” “In New York, they bought it when it was cheap, its worth so much more now…”) Amsterdam is a very expensive city, and we were happy to get out of it.
We also went to Palermo, a city in Sicily. It’s the biggest one, of about 2 million people! It doesn’t have much in terms of tourist sights, but the food and the beach (in a nearby suburb) made it completely worth it. Seeing a beach for the first time in many months was heaven, and we walked for an hour in the sand, reveling in the sun. It was so warm for a change! Sicily has all the food Americans think of as Italian, because most of the Italians who immigrated to America were from Sicily or the South, which remain very poor compared to Northern Italy. Cannolis, pizza, fish, good olive oil, tomato sauce--these are much more common in Sicily. Its difficult to find cannoli up north.
We returned to Verona, and I got to show CJ the city I’ve been living in for so long. It was strange to have someone from home here--it felt very surreal. Spring also sprung while we were away, and it was amazing to see how beautiful Verona was with clear skies and green trees. I’m outside all the time now, and the city is much more enjoyable--I’m glad this is how CJ saw it!
We also went to Palermo, a city in Sicily. It’s the biggest one, of about 2 million people! It doesn’t have much in terms of tourist sights, but the food and the beach (in a nearby suburb) made it completely worth it. Seeing a beach for the first time in many months was heaven, and we walked for an hour in the sand, reveling in the sun. It was so warm for a change! Sicily has all the food Americans think of as Italian, because most of the Italians who immigrated to America were from Sicily or the South, which remain very poor compared to Northern Italy. Cannolis, pizza, fish, good olive oil, tomato sauce--these are much more common in Sicily. Its difficult to find cannoli up north.
We returned to Verona, and I got to show CJ the city I’ve been living in for so long. It was strange to have someone from home here--it felt very surreal. Spring also sprung while we were away, and it was amazing to see how beautiful Verona was with clear skies and green trees. I’m outside all the time now, and the city is much more enjoyable--I’m glad this is how CJ saw it!
Disastro a Milano
Milan was probably our biggest adventure. We have to go there each time we travel, since most flights leave from there, but many people in the program wanted to see the city itself. I went on a day trip with some other folks. We took a train in to the Milano Centrale station, which is historical, large, and beautiful. The station is rather far from the historical center, so we took a half hour to walk in, getting lost a few times. We hadn’t time to reserve a spot for the Last Supper, so we decided to show up early and see if there’d been cancellations. There had--4 (but there were 6 of us). Natalie and Erica let the rest of us take the tickets. We stopped for breakfast at a café before….
-Il Duomo--A beautiful church on the outside, pure white, and where I imagine Saurmaun from lotr living. The inside has the remains of a saint (I think) with a gold death mask, which is positively eery.
-The last supper is painted on a huge wall, and the building has been conserved for this reason. You have to be dehumidified multiple times before you can come in, and then you can only stay for 15 minutes. They recently stripped the restorations from it, so you can see the actual brush strokes, and that left it very fuzzy. It was still incredible, huge, and with the audio guide, I realized what a complicated painting it was.
-We met up with some of Natalies friend in the Milan program, and walked around a beautiful shopping mall, and went to an apertivo.
-After our day in Milan ended we headed to the train station…and the real adventure began. We had planned to take the last train back to Verona, at midnight. Next to our time, the sign said “Cancelato” 3 weeks into our trip, our Italian was still pretty terrible, but eventually we found out that there was a strike, and that it was lasting 24 hours. About 20 of us were there, and we had no idea what to do. We had no internet, hostel front desks were closed at midnight, and we had no idea if the first train at 640 was running. I called our program director, which resulted in me essentially being in charge of the situation. He said he couldn’t drive us all home (obviously), and he could charter a bus for us, and we’d have to pay for it. He also gave us a hostel, but at that point we were all exhausted.
The Milan train station is not heated, and it was January. It connects to the outside, so the trains come in, so it was probably about 45-55 degress in there. We found a heated spot by the bathroom…which apparently closes at 12:30, and is privately owned. The police kicked us out, but took pity and said they’d protect us from the homeless if we wanted to sleep near the police office, which was in the coldest part of the station. We started there, but it was so cold 4 of us moved and ended up huddled in the “Imaginarium”, a store in the station. Ryan had brought sheets and blankets for his hostel, and a laptop, so we were decently comfortable on the floor, going into hysterics over how ridiculous this all was, watching movies, and avoiding pigeons and thinking of nothing but going to the bathroom when it opened or sleeping in an actual bed.
The trains did run in the morning, but we couldn’t cancel the bus. We took the train anyway, since it was 3 hours earlier, and we were exhausted. What a day.
-Il Duomo--A beautiful church on the outside, pure white, and where I imagine Saurmaun from lotr living. The inside has the remains of a saint (I think) with a gold death mask, which is positively eery.
-The last supper is painted on a huge wall, and the building has been conserved for this reason. You have to be dehumidified multiple times before you can come in, and then you can only stay for 15 minutes. They recently stripped the restorations from it, so you can see the actual brush strokes, and that left it very fuzzy. It was still incredible, huge, and with the audio guide, I realized what a complicated painting it was.
-We met up with some of Natalies friend in the Milan program, and walked around a beautiful shopping mall, and went to an apertivo.
-After our day in Milan ended we headed to the train station…and the real adventure began. We had planned to take the last train back to Verona, at midnight. Next to our time, the sign said “Cancelato” 3 weeks into our trip, our Italian was still pretty terrible, but eventually we found out that there was a strike, and that it was lasting 24 hours. About 20 of us were there, and we had no idea what to do. We had no internet, hostel front desks were closed at midnight, and we had no idea if the first train at 640 was running. I called our program director, which resulted in me essentially being in charge of the situation. He said he couldn’t drive us all home (obviously), and he could charter a bus for us, and we’d have to pay for it. He also gave us a hostel, but at that point we were all exhausted.
The Milan train station is not heated, and it was January. It connects to the outside, so the trains come in, so it was probably about 45-55 degress in there. We found a heated spot by the bathroom…which apparently closes at 12:30, and is privately owned. The police kicked us out, but took pity and said they’d protect us from the homeless if we wanted to sleep near the police office, which was in the coldest part of the station. We started there, but it was so cold 4 of us moved and ended up huddled in the “Imaginarium”, a store in the station. Ryan had brought sheets and blankets for his hostel, and a laptop, so we were decently comfortable on the floor, going into hysterics over how ridiculous this all was, watching movies, and avoiding pigeons and thinking of nothing but going to the bathroom when it opened or sleeping in an actual bed.
The trains did run in the morning, but we couldn’t cancel the bus. We took the train anyway, since it was 3 hours earlier, and we were exhausted. What a day.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Ryanair, or how I learned to stop worrying and love Milan Bergamo
Today I took my last Ryan air flight. Ryanair is a budget airline that flies mostly into stupid obscure airports that are difficult to get to, so no one uses them. Ryanair them essentially takes over the airport, charges an arm and a leg for transport to it, and then sells cheap airfare online (as in, 10 to 20 euro instead of 80, cheap). They sell you things on your flight, and are in general, annoying. easy jet is similar, but with legit airports.
I used to hate Ryan air hardcore--it was sketchy, and the extra costs of traveling to obscure airports made the cheap prices irrelevant. They don’t guarantee their flights--as in, don’t try to connect through us, we don’t care. One "airport" was literally a flight strip with a warehouse for a "terminal". I must admit though, that I wouldn't have been able to go nearly as many places without Ryanair though.
I realized that, in general, traveling is extremely expensive and stressful, and that I don’t enjoy the process of it much. That’s not Ryanair’s fault. There’s no “right way” or “wrong way” to do it--sometimes the trip makes it worth it, and sometimes it doesn't. Travelling here is NOT a vacation, it can definitely be a chore. There's rarely time to just sit on the beach and chill (which is nice, when you can) when you travel on long weekends--you might have one or two days without a flight. It's rushed, hectic, and stressful, but still totally worth it.
I used to hate Ryan air hardcore--it was sketchy, and the extra costs of traveling to obscure airports made the cheap prices irrelevant. They don’t guarantee their flights--as in, don’t try to connect through us, we don’t care. One "airport" was literally a flight strip with a warehouse for a "terminal". I must admit though, that I wouldn't have been able to go nearly as many places without Ryanair though.
I realized that, in general, traveling is extremely expensive and stressful, and that I don’t enjoy the process of it much. That’s not Ryanair’s fault. There’s no “right way” or “wrong way” to do it--sometimes the trip makes it worth it, and sometimes it doesn't. Travelling here is NOT a vacation, it can definitely be a chore. There's rarely time to just sit on the beach and chill (which is nice, when you can) when you travel on long weekends--you might have one or two days without a flight. It's rushed, hectic, and stressful, but still totally worth it.
Una adventura medica
I recently came down with a pretty crazy, complicated infection. I had no idea what it is. I was really worried about having it treated, despite having the mandatory international insurance from Study Abroad, because a. I have no idea (still) if I’ll be reimbursed and b. My Italian vocab DEFINITELY doesn’t have any medical terms in it.
It should be noted that before hand, I supported Universal health care. However, after this grand ordeal, I am a HUGE supporter, and honestly believe that if you don’t, you’ve never been in need. I had to go to a specialist, and have tests run at the hospital, and go back to the doctor (who spoke English, but was a kidney specialist) many times. I filled about 6 prescriptions. And all of this cost me about 100 euro--without insurance. My two tests at the clinic were 13 euro total!! All of this cost me far less than it would in the United States, under my insurance--20 dollar copay, much? Even my medication, uninsured, and all name brand, was cheaper.
The doctors were all kind and patient, and never pushed a certain brand on me. The hospital was a little hectic, yeah, and lack organization and was full of red tape, but that’s every hospital + a taste of Italy for you. Honestly, I couldn’t have been more thankful for Universal healthcare, and I truly believe that the increase in taxes to create a public option will do so much more than “charitable donations” to the poor. Many people have become poor as a result of incurable conditions, trying to pay medical bills. I feel the sacrifice of tax dollars by the “Well-off” delivers 10 fold to those who have no healthcare--a doctor’s visit is 100 dollars, after all.
I realized how lucky I was in the States to never have to worry about health insurance (thanks, Dad! Another 5 years of mooching!), and how many people probably worry about getting sick every day, especially the unemployed, who can't help their children either. I've been lucky in the States: to be able to travel in Europe wherever I wanted, to go on Study Abroad, to even go to college and a good high school. Here in Italy, though, I could walk in with 100 euro and get full treatment for a disease from multiple specialists. Talk about a culture gap.
Universal healthcare: It’s controversial, I know, but having lived it, I can’t help but be for it.
It should be noted that before hand, I supported Universal health care. However, after this grand ordeal, I am a HUGE supporter, and honestly believe that if you don’t, you’ve never been in need. I had to go to a specialist, and have tests run at the hospital, and go back to the doctor (who spoke English, but was a kidney specialist) many times. I filled about 6 prescriptions. And all of this cost me about 100 euro--without insurance. My two tests at the clinic were 13 euro total!! All of this cost me far less than it would in the United States, under my insurance--20 dollar copay, much? Even my medication, uninsured, and all name brand, was cheaper.
The doctors were all kind and patient, and never pushed a certain brand on me. The hospital was a little hectic, yeah, and lack organization and was full of red tape, but that’s every hospital + a taste of Italy for you. Honestly, I couldn’t have been more thankful for Universal healthcare, and I truly believe that the increase in taxes to create a public option will do so much more than “charitable donations” to the poor. Many people have become poor as a result of incurable conditions, trying to pay medical bills. I feel the sacrifice of tax dollars by the “Well-off” delivers 10 fold to those who have no healthcare--a doctor’s visit is 100 dollars, after all.
I realized how lucky I was in the States to never have to worry about health insurance (thanks, Dad! Another 5 years of mooching!), and how many people probably worry about getting sick every day, especially the unemployed, who can't help their children either. I've been lucky in the States: to be able to travel in Europe wherever I wanted, to go on Study Abroad, to even go to college and a good high school. Here in Italy, though, I could walk in with 100 euro and get full treatment for a disease from multiple specialists. Talk about a culture gap.
Universal healthcare: It’s controversial, I know, but having lived it, I can’t help but be for it.
Una passegiata in parma
During spring break I wanted to get off the beaten path, and did a trip to Parma and Reggio-Emilio on my own! I took a train in the morning, figuring I’d start in Reggio Emilio, and then take a 10 minute train to Parma. Both are in the Emilio-Romano region, which is essentially a lesser known Tuscany--green, historic, and good food. I vastly prefer Tuscany--it feels more rustic. It wasn’t my first time alone--I met CJ in Amsterdam before, and had to take a flight by myself. But it was very liberating to be on my own schedule.
I arrived late morning in Reggio, and wandered about, no map, to take it in. It has a surprisingly large Asian population in a country with few immigrants. The streets were littered with markets and paticcerie --pastry shops. I spent the day looking for an authentic Reggio restaurant and wandering through piazze. I stumbled onto one, and after asking for a menu (which they mistook for “bagno”, and quite kindly, gave me the bathroom key!), was told the kitchen was closed, but to try the place around the corner (in broken English…sigh).
I was the only person in the restaurant, but actually enjoyed myself thoroughly. My waiter doted on me once he discovered I spoke some Italian, and he watched TV at the other side of the room while I read and ate my delicious delicious pasta filled with proscuitto and dosed in cream. My meal included a free drink, and I asked for the local Lambrusco, and was brought half a bottle of it, along with some free bruschetta!! The farther South in Italy you go, the nicer people are, truly. After I told the owner and my waiter, watching soccer, that I loved my meal, they asked me if I’d take a coffee, and I said no, I was stuffed (it was true, I could have easily eaten that meal throughout the whole day). They instead brought me a shot of the best Limoncello I ever had. I left my waiter a small tip (not the normal custom) under my napkin, and promised to recommend it in the future.
After a sleepy train ride to Parma, I crossed a park, and the sunshine put me to sleep by a monument. Parma is an extremely affluent town, with very modest sights to see. After a bit of wandering in a beautiful church and admiring the pink marble Baptistery, I went in a ravenous search of Parma cheese and ham. Fun fact: “Parmesan” cheese means nothing--the famous cheese is Parmeggiano Reggiano (as in, of Parma and Reggio). It must be made in the 5 city areas close to Parma and Reggio Emilio, and will say “DOC”, similar to wine, to show its authenticity. It’s plastered on everything tasty here--even my garlic is DOC. With no salumneria in sight, I sighed and went to the grocery store for my food. No regrets--that parmesan is fantastic, and the ham (proscuitto di parma) was so different!
I arrived late morning in Reggio, and wandered about, no map, to take it in. It has a surprisingly large Asian population in a country with few immigrants. The streets were littered with markets and paticcerie --pastry shops. I spent the day looking for an authentic Reggio restaurant and wandering through piazze. I stumbled onto one, and after asking for a menu (which they mistook for “bagno”, and quite kindly, gave me the bathroom key!), was told the kitchen was closed, but to try the place around the corner (in broken English…sigh).
I was the only person in the restaurant, but actually enjoyed myself thoroughly. My waiter doted on me once he discovered I spoke some Italian, and he watched TV at the other side of the room while I read and ate my delicious delicious pasta filled with proscuitto and dosed in cream. My meal included a free drink, and I asked for the local Lambrusco, and was brought half a bottle of it, along with some free bruschetta!! The farther South in Italy you go, the nicer people are, truly. After I told the owner and my waiter, watching soccer, that I loved my meal, they asked me if I’d take a coffee, and I said no, I was stuffed (it was true, I could have easily eaten that meal throughout the whole day). They instead brought me a shot of the best Limoncello I ever had. I left my waiter a small tip (not the normal custom) under my napkin, and promised to recommend it in the future.
After a sleepy train ride to Parma, I crossed a park, and the sunshine put me to sleep by a monument. Parma is an extremely affluent town, with very modest sights to see. After a bit of wandering in a beautiful church and admiring the pink marble Baptistery, I went in a ravenous search of Parma cheese and ham. Fun fact: “Parmesan” cheese means nothing--the famous cheese is Parmeggiano Reggiano (as in, of Parma and Reggio). It must be made in the 5 city areas close to Parma and Reggio Emilio, and will say “DOC”, similar to wine, to show its authenticity. It’s plastered on everything tasty here--even my garlic is DOC. With no salumneria in sight, I sighed and went to the grocery store for my food. No regrets--that parmesan is fantastic, and the ham (proscuitto di parma) was so different!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Claudio trips
Claudio is our program director, and pretty much completely in charge of everything. 5 weekends of the trip, he takes us out around Italy. This includes: Orientation, Bolzano and Mantova, A trip to Venice and Murano (glass), A trip to visit the towns of Lake Garda, and a large overnight trip to visit Asiago (I’m missing one!). These trips are great, because transport(via bus, not plane) and fantastic food are included!! They are so stress free, and we get to see smaller, less touristy parts of Italy. On our busrides, we get to see so many olive trees and grape vines J
During Orientation, Claudio took us around Verona, giving us tours, showing us the school, and showing us typical Veronese fair. We were all so exhausted and overwhelmed, but it was great to learn so much so quickly. During our Bolzano and Mantova tour, we got to see the unique German-influence Bolzano (I ate a pretzel!! Closest I’m getting to Austria or Germany this time :P ) and the palaces of the famous influential Gonzaga family in Mantova (including the sex palace of Frederick).
On our trip to Venice, we went into a school of lace, where the art of hand made Venetian lace is still preserved. It was so beautiful and intricate. Afterwards, we went to eat at a restaurant, and were served squid ink pasta--the sauce is black, salty, but delicious!! We hopped on a water taxi to Murano in the rain, and went to a little glass blowing factory, and learned about the process. Many glassblowers have done it for ages. All the glassware comes with certificates and stickers of authenticity--and if its cheap, its probably not authentic. There’s nothing to Murano BUT these stores, all selling glass items. I could have bought everything in that town!! I bought CJ and I two beautiful glass horses, that were the specialty of the owner’s grandfather. How cool! As we waited for our water bus back, the dockman, trying to land the boat, fell into the lagoon!! People screamed--it was insane.
Claudio trips are always great fun, and I’m excited for our next one to Asiago!! Cheese, here I come!!
During Orientation, Claudio took us around Verona, giving us tours, showing us the school, and showing us typical Veronese fair. We were all so exhausted and overwhelmed, but it was great to learn so much so quickly. During our Bolzano and Mantova tour, we got to see the unique German-influence Bolzano (I ate a pretzel!! Closest I’m getting to Austria or Germany this time :P ) and the palaces of the famous influential Gonzaga family in Mantova (including the sex palace of Frederick).
On our trip to Venice, we went into a school of lace, where the art of hand made Venetian lace is still preserved. It was so beautiful and intricate. Afterwards, we went to eat at a restaurant, and were served squid ink pasta--the sauce is black, salty, but delicious!! We hopped on a water taxi to Murano in the rain, and went to a little glass blowing factory, and learned about the process. Many glassblowers have done it for ages. All the glassware comes with certificates and stickers of authenticity--and if its cheap, its probably not authentic. There’s nothing to Murano BUT these stores, all selling glass items. I could have bought everything in that town!! I bought CJ and I two beautiful glass horses, that were the specialty of the owner’s grandfather. How cool! As we waited for our water bus back, the dockman, trying to land the boat, fell into the lagoon!! People screamed--it was insane.
Claudio trips are always great fun, and I’m excited for our next one to Asiago!! Cheese, here I come!!
How to spot an american
They say to pretend you’re Canadian when you’re traveling Europe: “They hate Americans!!” Perhaps this is true, but it’s not without reason. It’s not that Europeans hate America, it’s that American tourists are DREADFUL. They’re loud, they stand out, they make no attempts to speak the language, and expect the culture to take care of them. It’s extremely frustrating.
Many of the people in my program act like this, and it embarrasses me to no end. Sadly, I am always categorized as an American when I speak Italian, since my accent always gives me away. However, when I speak English to non-native speakers, they tend to assume I’m British. It’s very difficult to pick apart accents for non-native speakers--I can only catch major ones in Italian (Heavy Sicilian and Venetian, because they’re very distinct in pronunciation). I don’t stand out on the streets too much, except that my clothes are a bit too colorful and not very high end or stylish, my hair is a bit of a mess, and I’m pale as all get go with light brown hair. If you’re not brunette, you don’t look Italian. I also tend to walk with too much purpose, aka, too fast. Certainly not the strolling gait (aka passegiata) of most.
I have, however, gotten decent at picking Americans out of a line up. They tend to:
be wearing tshirts, shorts (they dont wear them here), baseball caps, and white too tall socks
Be wearing some sort of souvenir
Be speaking very loudly in English
Not attempt to speak the local language
Get in peoples’ way, trying to figure out where they are
Not be weary of local customs (standing on the left of the elevator in London, or something)
Be doing the stupidest tourist things ever (tour buses, or tourist traps like Juliet’s balcony)
To be fair, American tourists aren't the worst. Any large tour group is awful--Asians and out of country Italians (they follow me around Europe, I swear), just by the group mentality, and the shoving and rudeness of trying to keep up with their tour guide.
Many of the people in my program act like this, and it embarrasses me to no end. Sadly, I am always categorized as an American when I speak Italian, since my accent always gives me away. However, when I speak English to non-native speakers, they tend to assume I’m British. It’s very difficult to pick apart accents for non-native speakers--I can only catch major ones in Italian (Heavy Sicilian and Venetian, because they’re very distinct in pronunciation). I don’t stand out on the streets too much, except that my clothes are a bit too colorful and not very high end or stylish, my hair is a bit of a mess, and I’m pale as all get go with light brown hair. If you’re not brunette, you don’t look Italian. I also tend to walk with too much purpose, aka, too fast. Certainly not the strolling gait (aka passegiata) of most.
I have, however, gotten decent at picking Americans out of a line up. They tend to:
be wearing tshirts, shorts (they dont wear them here), baseball caps, and white too tall socks
Be wearing some sort of souvenir
Be speaking very loudly in English
Not attempt to speak the local language
Get in peoples’ way, trying to figure out where they are
Not be weary of local customs (standing on the left of the elevator in London, or something)
Be doing the stupidest tourist things ever (tour buses, or tourist traps like Juliet’s balcony)
To be fair, American tourists aren't the worst. Any large tour group is awful--Asians and out of country Italians (they follow me around Europe, I swear), just by the group mentality, and the shoving and rudeness of trying to keep up with their tour guide.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Un euro
It’s used everywhere in Europe but Britain: the Euro. This currency accounts for the fact that a. most of Europe’s currency wasn’t strong b. Europeans travel a lot and c. currency exchange is no fun for anyone. The Euro is divided into 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cent coins, 1 and 2 euro coins (which is horrible and makes you spend more), and 5, 10, 20, and 50 euro bills (also 100s, 200s, and 500s, but Ill never see those).
Britain doesn’t use it since it’s currency is so strong, and apparently that caused some tension in the EU. Currently the exchange rate is 1.4 dollars per euro, which is horrible, and killing me. It’s hard not to say “Oh it’s a euro! It’s cheap!” And not realize its $1.40 instead. This gets worse as you say, buy a 20 euro shirt that’s really almost $30.
Britain doesn’t use it since it’s currency is so strong, and apparently that caused some tension in the EU. Currently the exchange rate is 1.4 dollars per euro, which is horrible, and killing me. It’s hard not to say “Oh it’s a euro! It’s cheap!” And not realize its $1.40 instead. This gets worse as you say, buy a 20 euro shirt that’s really almost $30.
KEBAP!
Why they don’t have this in the US, I’ll never know. It’s very common fast food in Europe. They are called each Doner Kebab (they have other kebabs, that I’ve never tried) or Doner KebaP, or Pita House, or whatever.
It’s not little cubes of meat strung on a stick--it’s a HUGE thing of meat on a spit, that roasts all day in the background. They shave off meat with a little sander looking machine, and throw it on a pita or roll with carrots, chili sauce, ranch like sauce, lettuce, tomatoes--the works. They cost about $4, and are so yummy, but always give me stomach aches, since I don’t really eat beef anymore.
It’s not little cubes of meat strung on a stick--it’s a HUGE thing of meat on a spit, that roasts all day in the background. They shave off meat with a little sander looking machine, and throw it on a pita or roll with carrots, chili sauce, ranch like sauce, lettuce, tomatoes--the works. They cost about $4, and are so yummy, but always give me stomach aches, since I don’t really eat beef anymore.
Apertivo
Definitely the coolest thing about Italy. If a restaurant offers apertivo, it means they have snacks or a buffet available to you with a drink purchase. These can be light, like pretzels and potato chips, or heavy fare like pastas and salad. They cost between 3 and 8 euro, depending on the amount of food, and exist to bring in more drink sales. However, for a student, it’s a great way to eat out and get a free drink in the process! It’s so fun to try new drinks this way J
Carta di credito
They don’t take credit cards everywhere, and it drives me nuts. The vast majority of businesses wont take them, and very few will accept them for purchases under 7 euro. Its not a “we aren’t capable” it’s a “we’re a small business, and there’s a fee on the transaction, so its not worth our time” If they see cash in your wallet, they won’t take your credit card. It’s ridiculous. McDonalds wont take your credit card half the time (don’t get me started on them, with their prices differing within 4 blocks of each other).
Having cash is always a pain, and it always gets lost/stolen easier.
Having cash is always a pain, and it always gets lost/stolen easier.
Backpacking
When I first thought about traveling Europe, I figured I’d go backpacking after I graduated high school in the summer. I told my parents this, and they didn’t really react at all, which surprises me now. I now realize this made total sense as 1. It was so expensive, and I had no idea how much it would cost, so it was entirely impossible and 2. If they freaked out, I would have insisted more, and it might have happened based on my stubborness alone.
When I heard about backpacking, the following image came to mind: me, by myself, with a huge backpack, sleeping on benches in London by night and chatting with locals and taking in sites by day. I figured I’d need about 600 dollars for my airfare, and nothing else.
Having actually traveled, I now realize I was a stupid teenager. I am still probably this.
When I heard about backpacking, the following image came to mind: me, by myself, with a huge backpack, sleeping on benches in London by night and chatting with locals and taking in sites by day. I figured I’d need about 600 dollars for my airfare, and nothing else.
Having actually traveled, I now realize I was a stupid teenager. I am still probably this.
Food food food
--Apparently Claudio got us the typical Veronese dish of horse meat in Amarone on our 3rd day in Italy, and didn’t feel the need to tell us
--SO MUCH COFFEE! Never more than one sugar at this point, and I’m addicted to cappucino (with a little sugar sometimes)
--Baklava and legit gyro, fancy shmancy olives, and shwarma in Greece with my lovely tour guide, Becca.
--Parisian cheese crepey thing, and Parisian coffee
--Doner Kebab--which is not what Americans think it is.
--Italian McDonalds--it tastes the exact same (thank the Lord), but they have ridiculous things on their menu like fried shrimp and chicken wings (???) or mozzarella on foccacia.
--paella, and traditional tapas in Spain
--A special type of champagne made from apple juice in Barcelona, and sangria! Yummm.
--Heineken and Croquettes in Amsterdam
--Chocolate salami (my heart belongs to you forever) and huge meringue things they love here
--Panettone, the traditional Veronese Christmas cake, and Columbo (Dove), the Easter version
--SO MUCH COFFEE! Never more than one sugar at this point, and I’m addicted to cappucino (with a little sugar sometimes)
--Baklava and legit gyro, fancy shmancy olives, and shwarma in Greece with my lovely tour guide, Becca.
--Parisian cheese crepey thing, and Parisian coffee
--Doner Kebab--which is not what Americans think it is.
--Italian McDonalds--it tastes the exact same (thank the Lord), but they have ridiculous things on their menu like fried shrimp and chicken wings (???) or mozzarella on foccacia.
--paella, and traditional tapas in Spain
--A special type of champagne made from apple juice in Barcelona, and sangria! Yummm.
--Heineken and Croquettes in Amsterdam
--Chocolate salami (my heart belongs to you forever) and huge meringue things they love here
--Panettone, the traditional Veronese Christmas cake, and Columbo (Dove), the Easter version
Come sto
Since I’m entering the last quarter/month of my study abroad experience, I figured I’d let you guys know what life is actually like over here. There is no such thing as a routine, because my classes are so randomly situated. The first month was nothing but Intensive Italian, so we had class every morning for 3 hours, learning the language. We then went home and crashed, went out to eat for apertivi, and then watched TV in Italian and went to sleep. It was, in fact, sort of boring. We traveled some places on the weekends, which you’ve read about, dear follower.
Now, classes are random (I have more Italian, Italian Business, and Painting….lol). We don’t have homework. Our classes are still 3 hours, but I will never go a week without a day with no class. This brings in day trips, sleeping in, etc. If I’m out getting groceries (once a week), I will normally get caffe for takeaway (NOT to go), or some gelato at a random place. Every Tuesday and Thursday I Skype with CJ and school, since I don’t have unlimited internet in my apartment. Natalie and I both read a fair amount, and devour books.
Minus the traveling part, its sort of dull, to be honest, but the food is 80000x better and theres plenty of down time, to the point that I will be happy to get back to work this summer.
Now, classes are random (I have more Italian, Italian Business, and Painting….lol). We don’t have homework. Our classes are still 3 hours, but I will never go a week without a day with no class. This brings in day trips, sleeping in, etc. If I’m out getting groceries (once a week), I will normally get caffe for takeaway (NOT to go), or some gelato at a random place. Every Tuesday and Thursday I Skype with CJ and school, since I don’t have unlimited internet in my apartment. Natalie and I both read a fair amount, and devour books.
Minus the traveling part, its sort of dull, to be honest, but the food is 80000x better and theres plenty of down time, to the point that I will be happy to get back to work this summer.
Overcoming (the lack of) diversity
Italy isn’t as diverse as the United States. Mostly everyone has dark hair (or previously dark hair, dyed garish colors), and is white. The Asian population is extremely low, and whenever you see large groups of Asian people, you know that it’s a tour group, and you’re near the tourist section. My friends Erica and Fire are both Asian, and dislike that they always look like tourists based on their skin color.
That said, Veneto is a racist region. It’s the wealthiest part of Italy, and thus hates all the poor people “eating their tax money”. This essentially means Southern Italians. It threw me off: sure, in the US, we have some friendly adversity towards the South (hehe, they have an accent and tried to succeed lol), but it’s more like New Zealand and Australia instead of Ireland or Belgium. In any case, that racism and bias is also thrown towards Africans. There was a Maddox post a long time ago (they all are, after all..) about how “African-American” is a silly term, since not all black people are American. It always surprises me here that most of the black population is from actual Africa, which is after all, not very far at all. It’s actually really cool! Minus the whole racism part. It’s unfortunate, as most of the black population speaks better English than the Italians, and yet they are still poorer on average. One African man asked me if I was scared of black people, which I thought was ridiculous.
That said, Veneto is a racist region. It’s the wealthiest part of Italy, and thus hates all the poor people “eating their tax money”. This essentially means Southern Italians. It threw me off: sure, in the US, we have some friendly adversity towards the South (hehe, they have an accent and tried to succeed lol), but it’s more like New Zealand and Australia instead of Ireland or Belgium. In any case, that racism and bias is also thrown towards Africans. There was a Maddox post a long time ago (they all are, after all..) about how “African-American” is a silly term, since not all black people are American. It always surprises me here that most of the black population is from actual Africa, which is after all, not very far at all. It’s actually really cool! Minus the whole racism part. It’s unfortunate, as most of the black population speaks better English than the Italians, and yet they are still poorer on average. One African man asked me if I was scared of black people, which I thought was ridiculous.
Bidding Bidets Bye Bye
The Bidet gets a lot of flak in the united states. When I first discovered we had one, I vowed never to use it. That said, with the rest of the European toilet situation, I have learned that the Bidet is the least startling thing about hygiene culture here.
First off, the Bidet itself: It is a sink that is at toilet level. That’s really all there is to it. It is for rinsing your business (both businesses, you entreponeur, you), there’s a tray for your bidet specific soap, and a towel. To be honest, they’re probably great for the enviornment because there’s no need for toilet paper after using them. Which is good, because in some places, you can’t flush toilet paper (I’m looking at you, Athens!)
I apologize if this is sort of awkward. But I seriously want to bring them back to the US.
More startling is the actual toilets here. Specifically, public ones. Most of the time, you have to pay for them: train stations, public places, etc). This ranges from .50 to a Euro. It sucks, and you learn to wait until you’re in the airport, or home, or your hostel, or a museum that you payed hxc to get into, before you use the bathroom.
Sometimes you don’t have to pay for them, which is worse. Public, non paying bathrooms, such as the ones in the high school attached to Idea Verona, or in the Brescia train station, are holes in the ground. Like seriously, its like the implanted a urinal with foot holds into the ground. It is disgusting. I will not miss this at all. Seriously Europe, what were you thinking.
First off, the Bidet itself: It is a sink that is at toilet level. That’s really all there is to it. It is for rinsing your business (both businesses, you entreponeur, you), there’s a tray for your bidet specific soap, and a towel. To be honest, they’re probably great for the enviornment because there’s no need for toilet paper after using them. Which is good, because in some places, you can’t flush toilet paper (I’m looking at you, Athens!)
I apologize if this is sort of awkward. But I seriously want to bring them back to the US.
More startling is the actual toilets here. Specifically, public ones. Most of the time, you have to pay for them: train stations, public places, etc). This ranges from .50 to a Euro. It sucks, and you learn to wait until you’re in the airport, or home, or your hostel, or a museum that you payed hxc to get into, before you use the bathroom.
Sometimes you don’t have to pay for them, which is worse. Public, non paying bathrooms, such as the ones in the high school attached to Idea Verona, or in the Brescia train station, are holes in the ground. Like seriously, its like the implanted a urinal with foot holds into the ground. It is disgusting. I will not miss this at all. Seriously Europe, what were you thinking.
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