Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Day 26: Venice
After music lecture we had to check out of our rooms since we only rented them for the night. We had no idea where we would be that night and we had to put our luggage in a random room of the current hotel. I went around Venice with Cesar and a bunch of guys. It was pretty fun we just walked around and looked at all the canals and old buildings. Venice is incredible, I want to come back when things aren't so hectic. We ate some lunch and walked back to the hotel. When we got there we still didn't know where we would be staying for the night. The group leaders told us to just walk around the city until we had to be at the museum. We walked to San Marco's square with all the pigeons. It was really funny, the pigeons jumped all over Becca. We then went to the Peggy Guggenheim museum. It was pretty interesting, all of the art was more contemporary and abstract. I liked it though. After the museum we found out that our new hotel was outside of Venice in a city called Mestre, so we gathered up all the luggage and headed for the train. It sucked that we couldn't stay in the city. Oh well these things happen. I was pretty hungry from all the walking around so I went out to dinner with Cesar, Ian, Rob, Ryan, and Anirudh. It was pretty good, vegetable spaghetti. We then tried to find a place to do some drinking. The guys already had bottles of wine and champagne so we tried to find a park or something to sit down. Mestre isn't a very nice city. We found a park but there was a bunch of guys there that looked like they didn't want us to be there. One guys walked slowly by us singing something really creepily. So we decided to leave before anything started up. Instead we just went inside the hotel and drank in a conference room that they had there. The guys played questions, where you have to continue asking questions and whoever breaks the chain has to drink. I refused to play because I was so bad at it. After a while we just started to talk about life in general which was nice, slowly one by one they guys started to leave to go to sleep. Cesar just fell asleep at the table. Cesar and I left Ryan and Anirudh for the elevators. Cesar and I just hung out in an elevator for like 30 minutes. haha it was pretty ridiculous. Finally I decided to go to bed and Ryan and Anirudh were on my floor. When I got there they were confused and asked what I had been doing. I told them "Riding the elevators".
Monday, June 27, 2011
Day 24 and 25: Rome and Padua
The art exam was not that difficult. After the test we went to the Colosseum. It was huge and extremely old. We took a tour all through the old part of Rome. I saw where Julius Cesar was killed by Brutus, too. After going inside the Colosseum we decided to try to get into St. Peter’s. We went back to the Vatican and waited in line for a good bit. It was totally worth it. The St. Peter’s altar made by Michelangelo was huge! It was so elaborate also. I saw the famous Michelangelo pieta; it was a lot smaller than I thought it would be. When we finished looking at the inside we decided to climb the dome. Jamie didn’t want to go so we set a meeting place for next to the fountain on the left. Billy, Becca, Rachel and I walked up the dome, it took forever but it was cool walking on the inside and than seeing all of Rome from the top. Rome is a beautiful city. When we finally headed down, Jamie was nowhere to be seen. We searched for at least an hour and could not find her. The others wanted to go eat but I was worried so I went back to the hotel alone to see if Jamie went there. Apparently Jamie went to the Trevi fountain inside of the one in front of St. Peter’s. We totally missed each other. Once I got the hotel there was no Jamie, but Cesar invited me to another pub crawl. I waited for an hour and Jamie didn’t show up, so I went with him. We got a quick bite to eat and headed for the Spanish steps. At the steps we met up with the guide for the crawl. We were such a big group that we had to be separated from the other group. It was insane 45 of the 50 kids went to the crawl. The first hour is unlimited drinks of wine or beer. Everyone pretty much got drunk right then and there. They played this game where they made each other’s beer overflow and you had to drink it before it did. I did not play. We left that bar and went to another one where this girl who just threw up had a body shot taken off of her. It seems pretty nasty right? Haha I got a shot there with some friends. At the next bar I had my last shot of the night which Cesar bought me. I also saw some girl crying in the bathroom. It was pretty weird but I just talked to her for a second until she wanted to be alone. After that we went to a club it was a really nice one with huge couches and a dance floor with lights and a DJ. I got pretty tired though and we finally headed back. I got a T-shirt from that which I will give to mom later. The next day we drove to Padua to see Giotto’s paintings. The bus arrived late so we were not able to see it. We then left and went to Venice to check into our hotel. The hotel wasn’t that great there weren’t any elevators or air conditioning, but we were in Venice so who cared. Jamie, Cesar, and I walked around Venice for a little while and sat at a square to chill. We went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner but when we got there we found out that our rooms had bed bugs and we were evacuating. Everyone went to dinner and just shoved our luggages somewhere in the hotel that we were eating at. Dana and Mahlet had to find us housing on a super short notice. It was terrible. Dinner was really good though. The hotel we ended up in for the night was nice. I was so tired though that I just went to sleep.
Day 23: Rome
I have no idea how I did on the test in my music class today. I am unsure of about 3 of the pieces that we listened to. Who knows, I will find out later. Afterwards the whole group of us had to catch a bus again. It took about 45 minutes for our bus to show up, it was horrible. It is so incredibly hot here, everything is seriously on fire. Finally we got on a bus and it took about 20 minutes for us to get where we needed to be. I swear these bus rides are going to kill me. There is no air and there are way too many bodies jammed in there. Our walking tour for Rome today started at the fountain dei Fiumi. The fountain is an Egyptian obelisk with statues under it representing the rivers of Egypt. It was really nice and the water that was circulating through it was so cold. In this tour we went to a ton of churches: Sant’Agnese, S. Luigi dei Francesci, S. Maria Sopra Minerva, the roman temple the pantheon, and Il Gesu. It took a really long time. I liked all of the churches though, they were very nice. I went to eat lunch with Ryan, Anarudh, Olivia, Lucy, and Cesar. I had an eggplant mozzarella sandwich, it wasn’t that great. We then went and saw the Spanish steps. They are supposed to be better at night. We had to go to a museum tour then. It was a pretty far walk. The Borghese Museum is mostly baroque things, I don’t like the paintings of the baroque style but I do like the sculptures. Bernini was a pretty amazing sculptor, I really like his works. After the museum Cesar and I hung out for a while. Cesar said he would tell me if anything came up to do for the night but instead he ran off with his bros, so I went to dinner with Becca, Rachel, Billy, and Jamie. It was really nice and quiet. Well it is never quiet with Jamie, but it was peaceful. I did accidently order something with meat but the guy was really nice about it and replaced it with pomodoro, AGAIN. I swear that is all that I have eaten here. Haha oh well it’s what I get for only liking vegetables. Now I need to study for my art test tomorrow. Also Cesar came in here and started complaining about his dinner plans going all wrong, I call it karma.
Day 22: Rome
Today after class we went to go see the Vatican. It was an extremely hot day, blazing. We had to take a 20 minute bus ride to get there, there was 50 kids jam packed into this public transportation bus. I felt so bad for the Italians who were just going to work or where ever. Also the bus had no air conditioning so it was an oven in there. Completely uncomfortable. We finally made it to the Vatican before we were all baked alive. When we got into the Vatican it was really impressive. There were loads of roman copies strewn throughout the Vatican museum put there by popes trying to show off their power and superiority to the rest of mankind. We saw Raphael’s school of Athens. It looks a lot better in person. After our journey through the Vatican we made it to the Sistine Chapel. It was huge, the painting were marvelous. I thought the last judgment would have been a little bigger but I was still really impressed. The ceiling was so high and everything was of enormous proportions. It was also the coolest room even though there were the most people in it. After that someone told us that the line into St. Peter’s was 3 hours long, which was a completely lie, Cesar waited in line for 35 minutes, but Jamie and I were already on our way to the hotel to write our papers and study for our music test. Maybe I will try to get to it at some point. Our schedule is pretty packed for Rome though, we will see. I definitely want to go to the Colosseum. I feel asleep for a little while since our music test is a listening one and it is all classical music. When I woke up Jamie and I tried to use the internet that we bought and it did not work. Hopefully I will be able to put this up before I leave Rome. Haha anyways, we decided that it was time for dinner. First Becca, Jamie, and I were supposed to go but Becca didn’t want to go with Rachel because Rachel was getting on her nerves. Becca was about to go with us to put her stuff in our room so that she wouldn’t have to go back to her and Rachel’s, but then Rachel popped up at the bottom of the stairs while Becca was picking up her stuff. Rachel asked Jamie and I if we wanted to go to dinner with her, we said to ask Becca and she said that we could go without Becca. This trip just got a little more awkward. In the end while Jamie and I were coming down from getting ready for dinner, Cesar came out of the elevator as we were about to get in. he was hungry also. We all go downstairs and Jamie, Cesar, and I leave without the others. Jamie said I was being a jerk for doing that, but I really didn’t want to deal with them and I told her she could have stayed. I ate this pasta with mushrooms, eggplant, and zucchini. It was delicious. Jamie and Cesar had baby cows among other things. Cesar ate three courses, Jamie ate two, and I ate one. It turned out to be a nice bill, Cesar tried to pay for us all as a treat, but the credit card machine wasn’t working at the restaurant. Instead I ended up paying and they paid me back for their meals, I am not able to treat everyone to a fancy dinner. Cesar was upset because he thought the waitress was just saying that because he had an American Express even though the door said they took it. Oh well, after we got back I just studied for my music test. Let’s see how I do.
Day 20 and 21: Florence and Pisa
With the group we went to the museum for the duomo. There was a Michelangelo pieta and Donatello’s Mary Magdalene. I love that statue of Mary Magdalene; it is carved from wood and expresses the trails of age and the life of a hermit. It is extremely well made which makes it hard to believe that she is made from wood. Afterwards I went off alone to find the bridge with expensive jewelry on it. I got a lost a couple of times and ended up in the same spot, it was pretty funny. I walked a ton. I finally found it though and got to look at things that I cannot afford at the moment. I also got to hang out on my own in a foreign city, it was a nice adventure. I ate a really good sandwich on my way back, good thing too since I ended up lost again. I just refused to look at my map. Haha I am a stubborn one. I got back to the hotel and went off with Jamie and the kids. We walked to a church that happened to be closed; Jamie and I had a beer outside of it, which Becca swears is blasphemy. It was a really good beer though, mango flavored. Becca wanted to go to the river edge, so we walked over there. Jamie and I decided to split from the group and run up to Michelangelo’s Plaza for the sunset. It was a pretty good walk to get to the top, but the view was definitely worth it. Jamie was really tired when we got there though. I was so hungry from our trek up the hill that we decided to eat at this pizza place up there. We bought a WHOLE bottle of wine with our pizza. Big mistake. Jamie insisted on red wine and it was so dry that I could my saliva evaporate from my mouth with every sip. We bought the whole bottle already, so in turn it became our mission to finish it off. The pizza was great, but we had difficulty with the wine. Towards the end Jamie and I started to get pretty good in the way of the drink. The waiters were having a great time watching us act silly and laugh at everything. At one point out waiter gave us a free lemon cello to have after our wine. We must have looked ridiculous. The drink was VERY alcoholic but supremely delicious. Finding the bathroom in that restaurant was an adventure in itself, two flights of stairs and a narrow hallway. When we were finally leaving, after at least an hour, the waiters asked us if we just wanted to stay a little longer, but we were perfect. Of course we got a gelato and proceeded to watch the sunset in style. Down the hill we trekked. After a while of walking we got to this beautiful bridge and watched the night go by for a little while. It was really relaxing and wonderful. On the walk home Jamie and I got the drunken munchies and stopped at a little trattoria. I got bread vegetable soup, the perfect thing for drinking; it was so dense that there was no liquid. Extremely delicious. Jamie got another free drink from the owner of the place, guys love Jamie in Europe. Finally we made it home and passed out. In the morning we loaded up on the bus headed for Rome. We made a day trip to Pisa first though. It was pretty impressive. I really wanted to go to the top but didn’t have the time. Maybe when I come back in the future. =] I had to sit next to Mariano on the bus instead of Jamie and I kept falling asleep on him, it was awkward. Haha the air conditioning broke on the bus and it turned into a sauna. It was horrible. We eventually made it to Rome, everyone pilled out of the bus panting and sweating from our uncomfortable trip. I have to study for 2 tests and a paper due this week. The welcome dinner was good, not the best. After dinner, Cesar and I hung out for a while instead studying. Oh well tomorrow is a new day.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Day 19: Florence
After class today, we went to the Uffizzi museum and looked at some paintings. I like the Madonna with the Long neck the best out of the ones I saw. Afterwards, Cesar, Michael, Rob, Ian, Ryan, Anirudh, Russell, and I went to grab some lunch. I ate penne with vegetables, it was really good. The olive oil in Italy tastes so much more like olives than in the USA. Then of course we went to get some gelato. I chose a random flavor that I didn't know what it was, it was delicious. The grass outside of the Academia looked so inviting afterwards, so we all laid down and took a nap before our tour. The statue of David by Michelangelo was enormous. I couldn't believe it. The detail on it was fantastic, you could see the veins in his arms and hands. I loved this statue. I want one for my house when I grow up. haha Jamie and I were still tired after the tour, so we went back to the hotel and took a nap. It was pretty refreshing. We woke up incredibly hungry though and started to walk around Florence to find a place to dine. We ended up at a really small restaurant that barely had room to house the people that were eating there. This dog that was next to us kept licking my leg, it was so cute. I got spinach made into balls that were sauteed with butter. The waiter was really nice about our not knowing how to speak Italian. That always makes it easier. Yet again we ate gelato after our meal. I think I am going to have eaten a tubs worth by the time I leave Europe, it's too good. Finally I got back to the hotel. I had a drunken visitor come and say hi to me after I skyped mami, though. It was pretty funny.
Day 17 and 18: Travel day and Florence
The bus ride was around 8 hours, yet again. Once we got here we had to run out and catch the London Philharmonic play. It was really good, they were extremely talented and enthusiastic. Afterwards, I just went to sleep because it was so late. The next day had 3 hours of excruciating class, but finally we left for some museums. First we went to the Bargello and saw Donatello's David among other things. We had to write a sculptural anylisys. Jamie and I grabbed some lunch before we went on the walking tour. WE just went into some random trattoria and at pasta. I absolutely love the pasta here, who couldn't? We also ordered some tiramisu, so delicious. The waiter was incredibly nice, especially to Jamie. haha After that we did a sort of walking tour that involved the duomo. When the walking tour was over I went with Cesar, Ryan, Anaroo, and some other kids to the top. We had to wait in line for around and hour or more. It was ridiculous, but definitely worth it. In line we discussed our relations among other things and I learned a good bit about the people I was traveling with. The view was amazing. The entirety of Florence unfolded in front of you. The walk up and down was pretty treacherous, a thousand or so stairs that were in spiral corridors with barely enough room for oneself. I was so tired at the end of it. I got back to the hotel and went straight for the shower, I was disgusting. We had a welcome dinner to attend. I had, you guessed it, more pasta. I also had mozzarella and tomatoes, and some chocolate cream cake. All of which was delicious and made me incredibly full. After dinner was another story, we decided to go on a pub crawl. First I went to Cesar's room and drank a glass of champagne before going out. Cesar popped the bottle of the terrace of his hotel room launching it on to the neighboring roof. We left since Mohammad was not very pleased with what was transpiring. It was almost impossible to find the meeting point since there was a marathon in session at 10 o'clock at night. We finally found the people and proceeded to the first bar. At this bar you get unlimited drinks of beer and a pink lemonade cocktail. I had about 3 pinks. They played flip cup and landmines, causing the whole group to become severely intoxicated quickly. I played it slow though. There was this really old guy there and he was dressed really nicely. He called himself a playboy and tried to talk with all the young ladies, including me. It was immensely hilarious. Everyone was having lots of fun. We went to the next bar. This girl I know was too drunk and her boyfriend left her to go to the bathroom for a second, so of course some guy in our group had to come and try to dance with her. My instincts kicked in and I butted in for a dance. A lot of people were surprised at my chivalry, I am not one to let things go unnoticed. On to the next bar. this bar was more dancey and there was karaoke in the back. I danced with a couple of the guys. It was pretty fun, we were all just having a good time. Michael was missing his girlfriend though and lots of these kids don't know how to pace themselves. I can't be a shepherd for all, so I just watched the ones closest to me. There were plenty of strange guys on the prowl. On to the last club. The space bar. This place was the type of club you see in movies, loud music people dancing on podiums, lasers, fog machines, and half naked people in the crowd. It was pretty insane and Cesar and I got separated from the group. So we just danced for a while in the mass of bodies that was surrounding us. I was drenched with sweat, who knows from who myself or the indistinguishable blog of people. finally some of our friends called from above and we went up to the second floor. It was a lot less crowded up there and I got to watch all the guys I knew try to dance with random girls. A lot of them were unsuccessful. Finally it was getting late around 2 and we had class in the morning so we headed home. I was exhausted. Cesar got locked out of his room by Mohammad but was able to pound on the door and wake him. Once I reached my room I took a shower and passed out.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Day 16: Munich
Today we went to the modern museum. I still don't understand what is appealing from some of the modern art. I like paintings and sculptures that still make sense, but a hanging shovel or painted cubes don't really appeal to me. We had to write a paper about one of the art pieces and how the human form was presented in a way to express emotions. I chose a German post impressionist, it was a painting of a murderer, very creepy. After that Jamie, Becca, Rachel, Billy, and I walked to a restaurant for lunch. I got this HUGE salad that had artichokes and things in it. So good. Afterwards we walked around looking for a candy store and I got some chocolate, all I have bought on this trip is food. haha So we went back to the hotel to drop off some stuff. It took us a long to time get back since we had walked so far and did not have a rail pass. Mahalet, our group leader, told me about this Ethiopian restaurant that she was going to for dinner, she is Ethiopian. I really like Mahalet on the long bus ride to Salzberg we talked the whole tie and become friends. Anyways a couple of kids ended up going to the restaurant with her. I was so happy since it is almost impossible to find vegetarian food in Germany. The meal was huge! We split a whole bunch of dishes. I absolutely love Ethiopian food. =] They were really nice to us since Mahalet spoke their language, we got free dessert for all 8 of us. It was yogurt with honey. Delicious. It started to rain while walking back so everyone started singing Mary Poppins songs. once we got back a couple of us decided to find an ATM since I only had 10 euros on me. Well we found something that looked like an ATM, but it had a glass screen in front of the buttons part and a card slot next to that. So I just put the card in and the case opened. I tried to type in my pin, but it wouldn't let me type the numbers. Then all of a sudden the glass closed and the ATM swallowed my card. Good thing I still have my debit card. Everyone freaked out and didn't understand why I wasn't. It isn't that big of a deal though, if I just cancel it everything will be fine. It is actually pretty funny. Just my luck, right? We got back to the hotel and I emailed mami so should could cancel my card. Then I watched the last Harry Potter that was in theaters with some people. Now I am trying to get in contact with mami to figure things out.
Day 15: Munich with photos
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Day 13 and 14: Travel day and Munich
Yesterday we traveled to Munich. We stopped at the first concentration camp that was ever built. It was the saddest trip of my life. I cried from reading the quotes and stories from the people that were sent there. We stayed there for 2 hours. It was horrible. After that we got to the hotel and settled in. I went with Cesar and some of his friends to some beirgardens. They got 1 liter beers. It was really insane. The beer wasn't that bad though. At the second one I got a half liter of something called "strong beer". It was soooo dark and bitter I couldn't even finish it. Then the 20 or so kids that I was with proceeded to make our way home. It was a pretty rambunctious group, we ran lights and sang loudly in the streets. All of the German citizens that we passed yelled along with good humor though. We had to settle down when we got in the hotel as not to cause a disruption of the peace. I hung out with Cesar and Mohammad for a while talking about past relationships and things of that sort. It was pretty fun. Today all we did was go to Salzburg and take a tour for the movie the sound of music. The scenery was beautiful giant mountains and clear blue lakes. We had apple streusel with vanilla ice cream it was really good. The bus ride was really long it lasted 3 hours both ways. Jamie was really displeased with the trip, but she has also never seen the sound of music. After the tour all I have been doing is writing my music paper about the opera that we saw. I finally connected to the internet in Cesar and Mohammad's room. We are listening to pink floyd and chilling out before the new day.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
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